Blakely

What Blakely does

Blakely Inc., operating as Blakely Fundraising, is a privately held Canadian professional services firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in Aurora, Canada. The company provides fundraising strategy, donor experience design, and integrated campaign execution services to charities and nonprofit organizations, with a stated headcount range of 11–50 employees. Its core offerings span the full fundraising funnel — donor acquisition, affinity survey research, data analytics, digital marketing, direct mail, donor research, email lead generation, integrated campaigns, case for support development, donor journey mapping, legacy marketing, and proposition development — delivered through a true-partnership model in which Blakely team members embed within client organizations. Underlying the service portfolio is a suite of proprietary audience insights tools that inform analytics, drive the firm's data practice, and guide donor journey strategies; however, no AI/ML capabilities, platform software, or API surface are disclosed.

The firm monetizes through project-based and retainer consulting engagements with charities ranging from grassroots groups to established organizations, operating a sales-led, direct-partnership distribution model. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue stream documentation characterizes the model as professional services consulting, and no funding rounds, investor disclosures, or M&A activity have been recorded. Blakely markets itself through a content-led GTM motion anchored by The Blakely Exchange — a research hub hosting The Fundraising Forecast, quarterly Pulse Check insights, and a 2026 webinar series — alongside case study marketing (Food Bank of Waterloo Region, Saint Elizabeth Foundation) and conference participation at CAGP, AFP ICON, BRIDGE Conference, and Woodmark Summit. Named customers include the Food Bank of Waterloo Region (food bank vertical) and Saint Elizabeth Foundation (healthcare/social enterprise vertical). Leadership includes Rachel Hunnybun (VP, Donor Experience) and Kimberley Blease (EVP, Strategic Growth & Innovation). Blakely's stated operating geography is Canada, with conference activity extending into the US market.

Name

Blakely

Legal name

Blakely Inc.

Website

https://blakelyjourney.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Blakely is a Canadian fundraising consultancy serving charities and nonprofits with strategy, donor experience design, data analytics, and integrated campaign execution services, delivered through embedded team partnerships and proprietary audience insights tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fundraising Consulting

NAICS

Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Fundraising & Donor Acquisition Calling (Nonprofit) (BPAAADAJ)

Keywords

• Fundraising consulting
• Donor engagement services
• Nonprofit marketing
• Charity fundraising strategy
• Direct mail fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fundraising Consulting and Professional Services: Blakely generates revenue through strategic consulting partnerships with charities and nonprofit organizations. Services include strategy development, donor experience design, integrated campaign execution, data analytics, and donor research. The model is project-based and retainer engagement focused, integrating their team directly with client organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blakely is a fundraising consultancy that helps charities and nonprofit organizations transform single-channel fundraising programs into integrated, insight-driven strategies. Its core offerings span donor acquisition and retention, donor research and affinity surveys, data analytics and audience insights, direct mail, digital marketing, email lead generation, integrated multi-channel campaigns, donor journey mapping, legacy marketing, case for support development, and proposition development, delivered through team integration with client organizations.

Product overview

Blakely is a fundraising consultancy that offers a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software product. The core offering centers on strategic fundraising consulting including donor acquisition, retention, and engagement services. The Blakely Exchange serves as a proprietary research and content hub delivering insights on fundraising trends and donor behavior. Service offerings span multiple disciplines: data analytics and insights (using proprietary audience research tools), strategy and proposition development (case for support, donor journey mapping, proposition development), and multi-channel campaign execution (digital marketing, direct mail, email lead generation, legacy marketing, integrated campaigns). The company positions itself as a full-service strategic partner that integrates its team with clients to deliver insight-driven, sustainable fundraising growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acquisition Services Professional service focused on acquiring new donors and supporters for charitable organizations, helping charities build and grow their donor base through targeted acquisition programs.
• Affinity Survey Survey-based research service that measures donor affinity and engagement levels for charities, providing data on how connected donors feel to an organization.
• Data Analytics Analytics service leveraging proprietary tools to inform donor strategies and fundraising campaigns for charitable organizations.
• Digital Marketing Digital channel marketing service covering online fundraising campaigns and digital donor engagement for charities and nonprofits.
• Direct Mail Traditional direct mail fundraising campaign service for charitable organizations, executed as part of integrated or standalone programs.
• Donor Research Research service that helps charities understand donor demographics, behaviors, and motivations to inform fundraising strategy and donor engagement.
• Email Lead Generation Email-based donor acquisition and engagement campaign service used by charities to grow and cultivate their supporter base.
• Insights Audience insights service using Blakely's proprietary tools to drive its data practice and inform donor journey strategy for nonprofit clients.
• Integrated Campaign Multi-channel fundraising campaign service combining digital and traditional marketing strategies into a unified, insight-driven program for charities.
• Case for Support Strategy service that develops compelling fundraising propositions and messaging frameworks for charitable organizations to use in donor communications.
• Donor Journey Mapping Strategy service that maps and optimizes the donor experience from initial engagement through retention, helping charities design seamless donor journeys.
• Legacy Marketing Marketing service focused on bequest and legacy giving programs for charities, supporting planned giving strategies and long-term donor pipelines.
• Proposition Development Strategy service that develops fundraising value propositions and messaging frameworks to support charities' donor engagement and campaign work.

Named customers2 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

Feature1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pursuant: US-headquartered full-service fundraising agency (formed by merger of Russ Reid and Pursuant) serving nonprofit clients with strategic fundraising consulting, direct response, and digital fundraising services. Comparable offering, larger scale US peer.
• Allegiance Fundraising Group: US-based full-service fundraising consultancy offering campaign strategy, creative, media buying, and analytics to nonprofit clients. Comparable multi-disciplinary fundraising services model.
• The Akoya Group: US-based professional services firm providing fundraising strategy, prospect research, and campaign counsel to nonprofit organizations. Comparable strategic-consulting positioning in the same fundraising vertical.
• Bluefrog Fundraising: Canadian fundraising agency offering integrated fundraising strategy, donor research, and multi-channel campaign execution to Canadian charities and nonprofits. Closest geographic and product-line peer to Blakely in the Canadian market.
• Heaton-Ellis Group: US fundraising consulting firm offering campaign management, donor research, and analytics services to nonprofits. Similar mid-size strategic fundraising services model with comparable client profile.
• Schultz & Williams: US fundraising and direct response agency providing strategic consulting, donor research, and integrated campaign management to charities and cultural institutions. Overlapping service mix centered on strategic fundraising partnerships.
• RKD Group: US-based fundraising and marketing agency providing direct response, donor acquisition, data analytics, and multi-channel campaign execution for nonprofits. Closest functional analogue to Blakely's integrated services portfolio.

Emerging players

• DonorPerfect: Donor management and fundraising CRM software provider for small-to-mid-sized nonprofits. Adjacent to Blakely's data/analytics services but delivered as software; competes for the same nonprofit IT budget.
• Bloomerang: Donor management CRM and fundraising software platform for nonprofits. Partial overlap with Blakely's analytics and donor-engagement services, but delivered as SaaS rather than consulting — an alternative delivery model for the same buyer.

Others

• Classy: Online fundraising and donor engagement platform for nonprofits serving the same charitable buyer through self-service digital fundraising tools. Indirect competitor to Blakely's campaign execution services via an enabling/platform model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blakelyjourney
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlakelyInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blakely-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/blakelyinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Blakely