The Alford Group

What The Alford Group does

The Alford Group is a privately held, Chicago-headquartered management consultancy that provides fundraising, strategic planning, leadership development, data analytics, and interim staffing services to nonprofit organizations across the United States. Operating since approximately 1980 under President & CEO Brenda B. Asare (in role since 2014), the firm has served over 3,000 nonprofit clients across ten sectors including arts and culture, education, environment, foundations, health care, human services, and religion, and its leadership credits engagements with helping clients raise in excess of $2 billion. The firm operates without proprietary technology or AI products; its core technology posture is that of a traditional professional-services firm whose primary assets are consultant expertise and an extensive content library (toolkits, webinars, white papers) used for thought leadership and demand generation.

The firm delivers five core service lines — Strategic Planning & Change Management, Fundraising, Leadership Development, Data Analytics & Assessments, and Interim + Embedded Staffing — and has layered in a "Resiliency Services" suite (scenario planning, change management, board effectiveness workshops) and free assessment tools (Moves Management Program Quiz, Scenario Planning Worksheet, Board Effectiveness Toolkit) to drive top-of-funnel demand. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based: engagements are acquired via direct outreach, referrals, content marketing, and presence at sector conferences including AFP ICON, AFP Advancement Northwest, and AdNet. Revenue is generated through custom-priced consulting fees and multi-year contracts, billed as professional-services engagements rather than productized offerings. The firm holds no disclosed external investment, maintains no parent entity, and is certified as a Minority & Woman Owned Enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Name

The Alford Group

Legal name

Alford Group

Website

https://alford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Alford Group is a Chicago-based, privately held national consultancy that provides fundraising, strategic planning, leadership development, data analytics, and interim staffing services to over 3,000 nonprofit organizations across ten sectors in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising consulting
• Strategic planning services
• Leadership development consulting
• Nonprofit interim staffing
• Philanthropy advisory services

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for strategic planning, fundraising, leadership development, data analytics, and interim staffing services to nonprofit organizations. Revenue generated through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Alford Group is a national consultancy that provides professional advisory services to nonprofit organizations. Its core offerings span strategic planning and change management, fundraising campaign advisory, leadership development, data analytics and assessments, and interim plus embedded staffing. Engagements are delivered through project-based and retainer arrangements by a team of experienced consultants.

Product overview

The Alford Group is a national consultancy offering professional services to nonprofits organized around five flagship service areas: Strategic Planning & Change Management, Fundraising, Leadership Development, Data Analytics & Assessments, and Interim + Embedded Staffing. These core consulting services are supported by a portfolio of advisory tools and resources including the Moves Management Program Quiz, Resiliency Services (encompassing Responsive Fundraising Strategy, Scenario Planning, Change Management, and Board Effectiveness Workshops), and downloadable toolkits such as the Nonprofit Scenario Planning Worksheet Template, High-Performing Teams Toolkit, Nonprofit Board Effectiveness Toolkit, Workplace Allyship Toolkit, and Resources for Nonprofits Navigating Executive Orders. The firm also produces webinars and educational content on topics including AI tools for fundraisers, donor engagement strategies, crisis management, and capital campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Planning & Change Management
• Fundraising
• Leadership Development
• Data Analytics & Assessments
• Interim + Embedded Staffing
• Resiliency Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 3,000+ nonprofits over 46 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered secondary.

• Yes& Lipman HearnesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative marketing partner for webinar content on donor engagement and communication strategies. Jointly hosted webinars including 'Donor Archetypes: A Practical Guide to Building Belonging' and 'Future-Proof Your Mission: How to Engage Five Generations of Donors'.
• Mid-Hudson Valley Association of Fundraising ProfessionalssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative webinar presentation on inclusive workplace culture featuring Alford Group President & CEO Brenda B. Asare alongside external speakers from Westchester Medical Center and Orange County Human Rights Commission.
• Arizona Community FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanel collaboration at AdNet 2026 conference where Arizona Community Foundation leader Michelle Gayles participated in session on developing high-performing teams in complex environments.
• Community Foundation for Greater AtlantasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanel collaboration at AdNet 2026 conference where Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta leader Tim Bresnahan participated in session on developing high-performing teams.
• The Chicago Community TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPanel collaboration at AdNet 2026 conference where The Chicago Community Trust leader Molly Rand participated in session on developing high-performing teams.
• Fundraising.AIsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative webinar on leveling up fundraising communications in 2024, featuring Fundraising.AI co-founder Nathan Chappell discussing AI applications in nonprofit fundraising.
• iMission InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative webinar partner featuring iMission Institute founder Rob Leighton on digital technology strategies for nonprofit fundraising and engagement.
• Greater Cincinnati FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative webinar partner featuring Greater Cincinnati Foundation SVP Felicity Tao on marketing technology and donor engagement strategies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• DonorSearch: Wealth screening and prospect research provider for nonprofit fundraising teams, increasingly used as a data layer underneath campaign counsel engagements. Adjacent to Alford's analytics and fundraising services.
• Kindsight: Fundraising intelligence platform that provides AI-driven donor research, wealth screening, and pipeline analytics to nonprofits. A tech-enabled alternative for prospect research work that traditional consultancies like Alford perform manually.

Direct peers

• CCS Fundraising: One of the largest fundraising consulting firms in the US, providing campaign counsel, feasibility studies, and fundraising strategy to nonprofits. Directly comparable to Alford's fundraising and strategic planning practice.
• Heller Consulting: Nonprofit CRM and fundraising technology consultancy that helps organizations select and implement fundraising systems — adjacent to Alford's data analytics and fundraising strategy practices.
• Bentz Whaley Flessner: Fundraising and philanthropic management consultancy providing campaign counsel, development audits, and talent services to nonprofits, with a similar mid-sized national consultancy profile.
• Alexander Haas: National fundraising and campaign counsel firm serving nonprofits with capital campaigns, feasibility studies, and development assessments. Comparable in size, scope, and nonprofit-exclusive focus.
• The Lukens Company: Nonprofit fundraising and direct response agency providing campaign strategy, donor acquisition, and creative services to nonprofits — overlapping with Alford's fundraising and donor engagement engagements.
• Campbell & Company: National fundraising and executive search consultancy serving nonprofits, with overlapping services in campaign planning, feasibility studies, and development coaching. Comparable in client base and engagement model.
• The Bridgespan Group: Nonprofit and philanthropic strategy consulting firm that advises on strategic planning, organizational design, and fundraising capacity — overlapping with Alford's strategic planning and organizational development work.

Others

• The Giving Institute: Trade association of fundraising consulting firms of which Alford is a member; the industry body governing member consultancies and publisher of Giving USA. A peer ecosystem and reference point rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thealfordgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheAlfordGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Alford Group