Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt

What Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt does

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, operating as TWB Fundraising, is a privately held nonprofit fundraising and development consulting firm headquartered in Chicago, IL. Founded in 1996 by Larry Ter Molen and reorganized into its current form in 2003 following the merger with Clyde P. Watkins and Associates, the firm provides capital campaign counsel, feasibility studies, board development, major-gift strategy, data/analytics and prospect research, and retained executive search for nonprofit organizations across the United States. Its client base spans arts and cultural institutions, higher education, healthcare, faith-based organizations, human services, K-12 and education-related organizations, animal welfare groups, and trade/membership associations, with marquee engagements including the Baltimore Museum of Art's "In a New Light" capital campaign (exceeded a $65M goal by over $10M) and the Milwaukee Film $10M Oriental Theatre campaign.

The firm operates as a senior-led professional services practice, with engagements staffed by named partners, senior vice presidents, vice presidents, senior counsel, and adjunct counsel. Multi-year consulting engagements are scoped and priced on a per-client basis (fees are not publicly disclosed), supplemented by a retained executive search practice that places CDOs, VPs of Development, Executive Directors, and other fundraising leaders. The firm has no proprietary software platform; its technology footprint consists of content marketing (blog, gated eBooks, Typeform-based discovery questionnaire, HubSpot forms), CRM-supported prospect research, and a co-marketed AI-driven prospect identification capability delivered through a partnership with boodleAI.

TWB distributes services through direct, senior-led field sales engagements rather than self-serve or reseller channels, supported by offices in Chicago (HQ), Milwaukee, Detroit, Burlington (VT), and Los Angeles. The firm maintains a thought-leadership presence through its blog, downloadable guides, event sponsorships (e.g., AAM), and the Development Leadership Consortium founded by Clyde Watkins. Leadership is provided by President and CEO Don Souhrada, Of Counsel partners Clyde P. Watkins, Gene S. Brandt, and Nora D. Kyger, and a bench of senior vice presidents, vice presidents, and counsel. The firm is a member of The Giving Institute, and its principals have been recognized with the AFP Benjamin Franklin Award (1988, 1989) and other industry honors.

Name

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt

Legal name

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, LLC

Website

https://twbfundraising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TWB Fundraising is a Chicago-based nonprofit fundraising and development consulting firm serving U.S. arts, education, healthcare, faith, human-services, and association clients with capital campaign counsel, feasibility studies, executive search, and prospect research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF)

Keywords

• Fundraising consulting
• Capital campaign counsel
• Nonprofit strategy consulting
• Executive search services
• Prospect research analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Engagements / Campaign Counsel: Fee-based professional services: campaign counsel, feasibility studies, capital campaign planning, board development, and tailored fundraising strategy. Engagements are highly customized per nonprofit client across the U.S.
2. Executive Search & Transition Counsel: Retained executive search services placing CDOs, VPs of Development, Directors of Development, Executive Directors, and other nonprofit fundraising leaders. Includes transition counsel for new leaders.
3. Data, Analytics & Prospect Research Engagements: Annual fund and development assessments, feasibility studies, wealth screening, prospect research, and analytics services billed as consulting engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt (TWB Fundraising) is a U.S. philanthropy and nonprofit strategy consulting firm that provides capital campaign counsel, feasibility studies, organizational and leadership development, data analytics and prospect research, and executive search and transition services to nonprofit clients across the United States. Engagements are highly customized per client, scoped on a per-engagement basis, and led by senior consultants with decades of experience at major cultural, educational, and healthcare institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fundraising Counsel Capital campaign counsel, feasibility studies, case statement development, solicitation coaching, major-gift strategy, and board training to help nonprofit organizations design and execute successful fundraising campaigns.
• Organizational Development & Leadership Board development, development audits, annual fund assessments, and leadership advisory services designed to build long-term fundraising capacity at nonprofit organizations.
• Data Management, Analytics & Research Wealth screening, prospect research, and analytics engagements that help nonprofits identify, qualify, and prioritize donors to support major-gift and campaign fundraising.
• Executive Recruitment & Transition Counsel Retained executive search placing Chief Development Officers, VPs of Development, Executive Directors, and other nonprofit fundraising leaders, plus transition counsel for incoming leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Exceeded original $65M goal by over $10M for Baltimore Museum of Art 'In a New Light' campaign, securing the largest gift in museum history ($10M) and over $50M in additional art donations
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers91 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / co-marketed program, core industry affiliation, foundational / founder-led and minor.

• boodleAIflagship / co-marketed programStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2023Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt and boodleAI jointly announced the first major-gifts coaching program combining boodleAI's AI-driven prospect identification with TWB's major-gift fundraising consulting expertise. The program is co-marketed on TWB's blog and is part of TWB's broader service offering.
• The Giving Institutecore industry affiliationGTM or Marketing PartnerTWB Fundraising is listed as a member of The Giving Institute, a national association of fundraising consulting firms; the Institute's logo appears on the TWB website footer and Don Souhrada serves on its board of directors.
• Development Leadership Consortium (DLC)foundational / founder-ledStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder-led initiative by Clyde P. Watkins that has helped hundreds of young advancement professionals build their skills and professional networks; hosted at TWB and central to its thought-leadership and pipeline efforts. Annual fellows program announced each year.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)core industry affiliationOthersClyde Watkins and Larry Ter Molen have served in volunteer capacities with AFP; Larry and Clyde have both received the AFP's Benjamin Franklin Award. TWB is part of the AFP community.
• University of Chicago Graham School of General StudiesminorOthersClyde Watkins has served as an adjunct faculty member for the University of Chicago's Managing Institutional Advancement program offered at the Graham School of General Studies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CCS Fundraising: One of the largest dedicated fundraising and fundraising-management consulting firms in North America. Provides campaign counsel, feasibility studies, and fundraising analytics to nonprofit clients — directly overlapping TWB's core campaign counsel and analytics services.
• Campbell & Company: National fundraising and executive search consulting firm serving nonprofits across arts, education, healthcare, and faith-based sectors. Directly comparable in client verticals, service mix (campaign counsel, feasibility, executive search), and senior-led delivery model.
• Heller Consulting: Nonprofit consulting firm focused on fundraising strategy, CRM/database implementation, and analytics — a direct peer in data-driven fundraising consulting and a potential competitor to TWB's analytics and prospect research practice.
• Marts & Lundy: One of the oldest and most established fundraising consulting firms, with deep higher education, healthcare, and cultural institution practices. Direct competitor on large-scale capital campaigns and feasibility studies, particularly on the East Coast where TWB is under-represented.
• The Curtis Group: Fundraising and nonprofit management consulting firm offering campaign counsel, feasibility studies, and major-gift fundraising. Comparable in size and service scope to TWB, with similar arts, education, and human services client base.
• Graham-Pelton: International fundraising and nonprofit management consulting firm with practices in campaign counsel, executive search, and fundraising analytics. Direct peer in service portfolio and client verticals, with larger global footprint.
• The Alford Group: Mid-sized fundraising and nonprofit management consulting firm offering campaign counsel, executive search, and development assessments. Closely comparable in size, scope, and service mix to TWB, serving similar arts, education, and human services clients.
• Lindauer: Nonprofit consulting and executive search firm providing fundraising counsel, interim leadership, and executive search. Directly comparable to TWB's combined campaign counsel + retained executive search practice.
• BWF (formerly Brakeley Briscoe): Established fundraising consulting firm serving nonprofits, healthcare systems, and higher education institutions. Direct peer providing campaign counsel, planned giving, and major-gift strategy — closely comparable to TWB's service model.

Broad incumbents

• Huron Consulting Group: Large diversified professional services firm with a nonprofit/education practice providing strategic planning, operational improvement, and advancement consulting. Broader incumbent offering overlapping services from a wider portfolio rather than a fundraising-only specialist.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TWBfundraising
• Facebookfacebook.com/TWBFundraising

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 Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt