DBD Group

What DBD Group does

DBD Group (legally Donor By Design Group, LLC) is a privately held nonprofit consulting firm headquartered in the Chicago area and operating nationwide with a distributed team of 11-50 employees across at least five US states. Founded by Bruce Berglund (CFRE, former National Director of Philanthropy at YMCA of the USA), the firm provides advisory and training services to mission-driven organizations spanning fundraising strategy, capital campaign planning, feasibility studies, strategic planning, board governance, financial management, leadership coaching, organizational culture development, and collaborations/partnerships facilitation. Core client verticals are YMCAs, other nonprofit NGOs, churches and faith-based organizations, community colleges, schools, and higher education institutions.

The firm operates on a professional services revenue model, monetizing through quote-based consulting engagements rather than software or licensed products. Its core technology is essentially human capital — a bench of credentialed senior consultants (CFRE, PCC, BoardSource Advanced Certificate holders) with deep, sector-specific expertise — augmented by a thought-leadership content engine (200+ blog articles, podcast series, downloadable resources) and a structured online education program called The Academy, developed in partnership with YMCA of the USA. Services are delivered directly by consultants to client organizations; the firm does not build or sell software platforms. The firm reports it is currently managing more than $3 billion in client capital, annual, and endowment campaigns.

Go-to-market is sales-led and content-driven: free consultations, deep blog/podcast production, downloadable resources, and the YUSA-backed Academy channel generate top-of-funnel awareness in the nonprofit sector, with engagements closed via direct sales. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Notable client engagements include a multimillion-dollar capital campaign for YMCA Cape Cod, a $50M planned gift and $21.6M academic building at Oglethorpe University, and disaster-recovery campaign support for Hopkins County Family YMCA. Leadership includes CEO/Founder Bruce Berglund, COO Nathan Sprenger, and Executive Vice President Jon Simons, with a senior consultant bench that has been expanded through recent hires including Richard Clegg (joined 2023) and Lauren DeSimone.

Name

DBD Group

Legal name

Donor By Design Group, LLC

Website

https://dbd.group

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DBD Group is a US-based nonprofit consulting firm offering fundraising, capital campaign, strategic planning, board governance, financial management, and leadership coaching services to YMCAs, faith-based organizations, schools, and higher education institutions nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Consulting Services: DBD Group generates revenue through consulting fees for professional services including fundraising services, strategic planning, board governance, financial management, leadership coaching, and related advisory services for nonprofit organizations, churches, community colleges, and schools.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DBD Group provides professional consulting services to nonprofit organizations, churches, community colleges, and schools across the United States. Their core offerings include fundraising strategy and execution (annual campaigns, major gifts, capital campaigns), financial management, strategic planning, board governance, leadership coaching, feasibility studies, and community needs assessments. They also deliver structured training programs and educational courses through The Academy in partnership with YMCA of the USA.

Product overview

DBD Group is a nonprofit consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of advisory and training services. The core offerings include fundraising consulting (annual campaigns, major gifts, capital campaigns), strategic planning, board governance, and leadership coaching. The firm also provides specialized assessment services (feasibility studies, capital readiness, community needs), organizational development (culture, team building, collaborations), and communications strategy. Training programs include the Art of the Ask and Blue Flame Case workshops, while The Academy (in partnership with YMCA of the USA) provides structured online courses in annual giving and major gifts. The services are delivered through experienced consultants rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fundraising Services Consulting service helping nonprofits develop and execute fundraising strategies including annual campaigns, major gifts, capital campaigns, and donor cultivation.
• Financial Management Consulting for nonprofit financial planning, debt refinancing, budget management, and financial sustainability.
• Strategy & Planning Strategic planning services to help nonprofits define vision, set goals, and create actionable roadmaps for mission fulfillment.
• Board Governance Board development and governance consulting including orientation, self-assessments, and governance best practices.
• Capital Readiness Assessment Assessment services to prepare nonprofits for capital campaigns by evaluating organizational readiness and campaign feasibility.
• Leadership Coaching Executive and leadership coaching for nonprofit CEOs, board members, and staff leaders to develop adaptive leadership skills.
• Working Genius Team effectiveness program based on the Working Genius model to help organizations understand and leverage individual strengths.
• Community Needs Assessment Research and assessment services to help nonprofits understand community needs and align services accordingly.
• Collaborations & Partnerships Facilitation and consulting for nonprofit partnerships, mergers, and collaborative initiatives.
• Culture & Teams

Quantifiable outcome

• Managing $3 billion+ in active capital, annual and endowment campaigns
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• YMCA of the USA (YUSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDBD Group partners with YMCA of the USA to deliver The Academy, a comprehensive online fundraising education program. YUSA underwrites the cost of the program, making it free for participating local YMCAs. The Academy includes Annual Giving and Major Gifts courses developed by DBD Group experts with 600+ combined years of YMCA experience. This partnership positions DBD Group as the preferred fundraising counsel for the YMCA network nationwide.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising is one of the largest US fundraising and philanthropy consulting firms, providing campaign management, feasibility studies, and development counsel to nonprofits, healthcare systems, and educational institutions — directly comparable to DBD's core fundraising and capital campaign offering.
• Graham-Pelton Consulting: Graham-Pelton is a global fundraising and nonprofit management consultancy delivering campaign, development planning, and strategic advisory services — a direct competitor in the same capital campaign and development counsel category as DBD.
• Campbell & Company: Campbell & Company provides fundraising counsel, campaign management, and nonprofit consulting for a wide range of nonprofit clients, including community-based and faith-based organizations — directly overlapping with DBD's nonprofit fundraising practice.
• Pursuant (formerly BWF): Pursuant delivers fundraising, direct response, and strategic consulting for nonprofits, including capital campaign and development services — a comparable competitor with a similar client base and service mix.
• The Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a nonprofit and philanthropy consulting firm providing strategic planning, organizational development, and fundraising advisory services to mission-driven organizations — overlapping with DBD's strategic planning and governance practice.
• La Piana Consulting: La Piana Consulting provides nonprofit strategic planning, executive transition, and mergers/collaborations advisory — directly comparable to DBD's strategy, governance, and collaborations practice.
• FSG: FSG is a global nonprofit consulting firm advising foundations, nonprofits, and corporations on strategy, evaluation, and philanthropic advisory — overlapping with DBD's strategic planning and development advisory work.

Emerging players

• Raiser's Edge / Blackbaud (consulting partners): Blackbaud's nonprofit consulting arm supports fundraising strategy, CRM implementation, and analytics for nonprofits — an adjacent emerging player in the same nonprofit capacity-building category where DBD operates.
• Burness Communications: Burness is a nonprofit-focused communications and strategy firm supporting mission-driven organizations with messaging, brand, and campaign support — adjacent to DBD's communications and donor stewardship offerings.

Regional players

• JCA (Jewish Communal Associations) / YCountry Consulting: JCA and similar faith/communal fundraising consultancies serve faith-based and communal organizations with fundraising and governance services — comparable in offerings to DBD's faith-based and community organization practice, though often focused on a specific religious or communal segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/donorbydesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/donorbydesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/donor-by-design-group-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DBD Group