What Association Development Solutions does

Association Development Solutions (ADS), operating under the brand ADS Fundraising, is a privately-held professional services firm founded in 2015 by David Hanneman and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is solely dedicated to fundraising consulting for associations and their affiliated foundations, serving professional, trade, and medical societies across the U.S. and selectively internationally. Per company disclosure, ADS serves more association clients annually than any other firm in its space and has helped clients raise over $150 million cumulatively across campaigns, annual appeals, and corporate relations programs.

ADS delivers an integrated portfolio of six services: Campaign Management, Corporate Fundraising, Feasibility & Planning Studies, Outsourced Fundraising Management, Training Services, and Member Giving Programs. Engagements are project-based and multi-year, with custom negotiated pricing tied to scope and duration, and the firm subscribes to AFP ethical standards prohibiting percentage-based compensation. Delivery is direct sales-led, with ADS executives managing engagements end-to-end alongside client staff and volunteer leadership. The firm maintains three offices (Chicago headquarters, Naperville, and Washington D.C.), has 11-50 employees per its firmographic classification, and reports no outside investors, parent company, or M&A activity.

The customer base is concentrated in healthcare subspecialty societies (American College of Prosthodontists, ASGE Foundation, American Vascular Association, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, AHRA, American College of Phlebology) and trade associations (NAMA, GBTA Foundation, American Society of Safety Engineers, WQA). Several clients are documented repeat engagements over multi-year horizons, including GBTA Foundation across 15 years and multiple successive campaigns for AHRA and the American College of Phlebology. The firm's competitive position is built on senior practitioner talent, deep vertical specialization in association fundraising, an extensive case-study portfolio, and affiliations with ASAE, AFP, AFG, AAMSE, and Association Forum of Chicagoland.

Name

Association Development Solutions

Legal name

Association Development Solutions

Website

https://adsfundraising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Development Solutions (ADS Fundraising) is a Chicago-based, privately-held consulting firm founded in 2015 that provides fundraising strategy, campaign management, feasibility studies, and outsourced development services exclusively to U.S. professional, trade, and medical associations and their foundations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fundraising Consulting Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD)

Keywords

• Fundraising consulting
• Capital campaign management
• Association fundraising
• Feasibility studies
• Outsourced development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Fundraising Consulting Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements including campaign management, feasibility studies, corporate fundraising programs, member giving programs, and outsourced fundraising management. Services are tailored to each association client's unique needs and challenges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Association Development Solutions is a fundraising consulting firm that provides tailored, executive-led fundraising services exclusively to associations and their foundations. Its core offerings span the full development lifecycle, including capital campaign management, corporate fundraising programs, feasibility and planning studies, outsourced fundraising management, member giving programs, and staff training, delivered through hands-on consulting engagements.

Product overview

Association Development Solutions (ADS) offers a unified suite of fundraising consulting services specifically designed for associations and foundations. The portfolio consists of six interconnected service offerings: Campaign Management (full campaign execution and leadership), Corporate Fundraising (corporate partnership development), Feasibility & Planning Studies (research and planning assessment), Outsourced Fundraising Management (comprehensive development function outsourcing), Training Services (education for association staff), and Member Giving Programs (individual member engagement). These services work together as an integrated approach where planning studies inform campaign strategies, outsourcing supports ongoing operations, and member/corporate programs provide sustainable revenue streams for client organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Management

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased sponsorship by 148% for American College of Prosthodontists over best historic performance
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• ASAE & The Center for Association LeadershipminorOthersProfessional affiliation with ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership, two organizations that connect association professionals and promote excellence in association management.
• Association Forum of ChicagolandminorOthersProfessional affiliation with the Association Forum of Chicagoland, a community of more than 3,500 members including CEOs and staff professionals from nearly 1,500 membership organizations.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)coreOthersMember organization representing more than 30,000 members in 200 chapters. ADS subscribes to AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards. AFP fosters development and growth of fundraising professionals and promotes high ethical standards.
• Association Foundation Group (AFG)minorOthersProfessional affiliation with AFG, the only organization dedicated to serving association fundraising and association foundation professionals since 1988.
• American Association of Medical Society Executives (AAMSE)minorOthersProfessional affiliation with AAMSE, serving over 1,300 medical society executives and staff specialists through more than 300 member organizations.
• Henry ScheinflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandmark $1.25 million partnership established in late 2015 between American College of Prosthodontists Education Foundation and Henry Schein for a groundbreaking initiative to develop digital dentistry curriculum.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hartsook Companies: Long-standing fundraising consulting firm serving nonprofit and association clients with capital campaign counsel and feasibility studies. Comparable peer to ADS given shared service lines and association client segment.
• Campbell & Company: One of the largest fundraising consulting firms in the U.S., serving nonprofits including associations on campaign management, feasibility studies, and development strategy. Most comparable direct competitor to ADS given overlapping service lines and association clients, though broader in scope (also serves healthcare systems, higher education, religious organizations).
• CCS Fundraising: Large-scale fundraising management and consulting firm serving nonprofit clients across multiple verticals, including associations. Directly competes with ADS on campaign management and outsourced development services, with a broader institutional footprint.
• Graham-Pelton Consulting: Global fundraising and nonprofit consulting firm offering campaign management, feasibility studies, and executive search across associations, healthcare, and education. Comparable in service offering to ADS, with broader geographic reach.
• Alexander Haas: Fundraising and campaign consulting firm with strong healthcare, education, and association practice. Directly comparable to ADS given overlap in healthcare association clients and campaign management service mix.
• BWF (Bentz Whaley Flessner): Major fundraising consulting firm with significant association sector practice, offering campaign counsel, feasibility studies, and talent recruitment. Highly comparable to ADS given shared service offering, association client focus, and similar mid-size professional services model.
• Convergent Nonprofit Solutions: Fundraising and nonprofit management consulting firm supporting associations and member-based organizations with development strategy and campaign execution. Closely comparable to ADS given association vertical focus and similar mid-size firm profile.
• The Curtis Group: Capital campaign and fundraising consulting firm serving nonprofit clients, with capacity to manage mid-sized association campaigns. Closely comparable to ADS on service lines (campaign management, feasibility, planning studies) and nonprofit client base.
• Brakeley (now Accordant Philanthropy): Philanthropy advisory and fundraising consulting firm with a substantial association client base, offering campaign management and strategic counsel. Directly comparable to ADS given overlapping association vertical and campaign services.

Regional players

• Association Management Center: Association management company (AMC) providing full-service association operations including fundraising support, primarily serving U.S.-based professional and trade associations. Adjacent to ADS given overlapping association client base, though its core offering is broader association management rather than pure fundraising consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/adsfundraising
• Facebookfacebook.com/ADSfundraising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-development-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Association Development Solutions