Maximizing Excellence

What Maximizing Excellence does

Maximizing Excellence, LLC (MaxEx) is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, founded in 2010 by Cindy Elifrits Peterson. The firm delivers customized nonprofit consulting to community-based organizations across the Midwest, with a stated portfolio of more than 150 client engagements and 100 facilitated strategic plans as of July 2025. Core service lines include strategic planning, capital campaign consulting, feasibility studies, fundraising strategy and consultation, resource development audits, board and leadership development, messaging development using the proprietary NVD framework, meeting and group facilitation, and customized needs assessment research.

MaxEx operates on a practitioner-led, customized engagement model rather than a templated or technology-platform model. Underlying service delivery is anchored by proprietary intellectual property, principally the Resource Development Sustainability Pyramid (a six-layer organizational assessment tool informed by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, updated through 2024) and the Need, Value, Differentiation messaging framework. Two adjacent revenue streams sit alongside consulting: The Institute, an educational sub-brand offering workshops and trainings on fundraising, board governance, and capacity building, and a paid meeting space rental at the firm's downtown Sioux Falls headquarters. Thought leadership is reinforced by the State of Philanthropy research series (originally 2020, reprised 2025) based on interviews with 30 regional philanthropic leaders.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees billed per customized engagement, with no standardized rate card publicly disclosed; space rental follows unit pricing at $50-$75 per hour depending on client status, while Institute training and presentation engagements are also fee-for-service. The firm employs six people, including the founder-CEO, a senior consultant, two consultants/project specialists, a senior project specialist, an executive assistant, and a recently hired sustainability specialist. MaxEx is an LLC with no disclosed outside funding, parent entity, or institutional ownership.

Name

Maximizing Excellence

Legal name

Maximizing Excellence, LLC

Website

https://maximizingexcellence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maximizing Excellence is a privately held, six-person nonprofit consulting firm in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that delivers customized strategic planning, capital campaign, fundraising strategy, board development, and needs assessment services to community-based organizations across the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB), Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

Keywords

• Nonprofit consulting services
• Strategic planning facilitation
• Capital campaign management
• Fundraising strategy consulting
• Board development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

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

Revenue model

1. Nonprofit Consulting Services: Revenue generated through customized consulting engagements including strategic planning, capital campaigns, feasibility studies, board and leadership development, fundraising strategy and consultation, resource development audits, meeting facilitation, messaging development, needs assessments, and customized research projects. Services are billed per engagement with pricing tailored to organizational needs and scope.
2. Meeting Space Rental: Hourly and daily rental of professional meeting space in downtown Sioux Falls. Public rate is $75/hour or $500/day; client rate is $50/hour or $350/day.
3. Institute Training and Presentations: Educational workshops and webinars for nonprofits focused on resource development and capacity building topics, offered as part of the Institute branch of services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Maximizing Excellence partners with nonprofit, foundation, faith-based, and community organizations to deliver customized consulting services including strategic planning, capital campaign management, feasibility studies, resource development audits, fundraising strategy and consultation, board and leadership development, messaging development, meeting facilitation, and needs assessments. Services are tailored to each organization's unique needs, strengths, and existing capacity, and are supported by the firm's proprietary Resource Development Sustainability Pyramid assessment tool.

Product overview

Maximizing Excellence is a nonprofit consulting firm offering a portfolio of advisory and educational services. The core offering consists of consulting services including strategic planning, capital campaigns, feasibility studies, fundraising strategy, resource development audits, board and leadership development, messaging development, meeting facilitation, and needs assessments. These services are delivered alongside The Institute, an educational sub-brand providing workshops and trainings on philanthropy and capacity building. The firm also operates a Board Optimization Workshop as a distinct offering and provides meeting space rental from its downtown Sioux Falls location. The company published the State of Philanthropy Study as proprietary research on local philanthropic trends. The firm positions itself as a collaborative partner rather than a software product provider, with services tailored to nonprofit, foundation, faith-based, and community organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Institute: The educational branch of Maximizing Excellence, offering comprehensive presentations and trainings for nonprofits focused on resource development and capacity building.

Products and services

• Strategic Planning Strategic planning consulting that analyzes an organization's internal and external environments, helps groups develop effective strategies, and creates specific plans targeted around measurable goals. Aimed at nonprofits, foundations, faith-based organizations, and community groups.
• Capital Campaigns Intensive, fast-paced fundraising campaigns emphasizing campaign readiness, strategic insight, messaging, and campaign management at various involvement levels. Designed for nonprofits undertaking major fundraising initiatives.
• Feasibility Studies Evaluation of a project's fundraising success probability before it begins, providing qualitative and quantitative data to benchmark vision against best practices. Used by nonprofits considering major initiatives.
• Resource Development Audit Objective evaluation of an organization's fundraising effectiveness through quantitative and qualitative analysis of infrastructure, methods, environment, performance, and potential. Provides data-driven insights for nonprofit leadership decision-making.
• Fundraising Strategy and Consultation Comprehensive approach to fundraising including analyzing past giving trends, developing strategies and timelines, facilitating planning meetings, managing progress, and assessing donor tracking tools.
• Board and Leadership Development Training and development services for nonprofit board members covering governance best practices, partnership engagement, fund solicitation, and stewardship.
• Board Optimization Workshop A two-hour workshop that engages board members and executive staff in understanding board governance fundamentals, assessing current performance, and creating tailored goals.
• Messaging Development Need, Value, Differentiation (NVD) process that helps organizations build consistent, customizable messaging adaptable to print, web, presentations, and networking.
• Meeting & Group Facilitation Professional, neutral facilitation services using proven techniques and instinct, ensuring well-organized, results-driven meetings where all parties feel engaged.
• Needs Assessments & Customized Research Projects Assessment and stakeholder research services using descriptive and analytical research methods through surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
• The Institute (Workshops and Trainings) Educational branch offering presentations and trainings for nonprofits focused on resource development and capacity building, including topics such as fundraising in times of crisis, making a compelling ask, messaging to evoke action, stewardship, capital campaign readiness, and volunteer fundraising.
• Meeting Space Rental Flexible, fully equipped meeting space in downtown Sioux Falls available for board meetings, planning sessions, team retreats, and trainings with room for up to 20 people. Includes 80-inch 4K TV, USB-C/HDMI screen sharing, room capture microphones, 4K camera, whiteboard, and kitchenette. Public rate $75/hour or $500/day; client rate $50/hour or $350/day.
• State of Philanthropy Study Original research on the state of philanthropy in Sioux Falls. The 2020 release was the first such study, and a reprised version was published in 2025 following in-depth interviews with 30 established and emerging philanthropic leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped Sioux Falls Skate Park Association secure $2.5 million for a skatepark
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Sioux Falls THRIVEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxEx is certified as a THRIVE facilitator and has partnered with Sioux Falls THRIVE for team training through their Effective Team Manager Training program. Rika Peterson completed THRIVE's facilitation certification. MaxEx has also collaborated with THRIVE on community initiatives to improve quality of life and support workforce development.
• Sioux Empire United WayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaxEx team members (particularly Kacey McCarthy) have professional history with Sioux Empire United Way, having previously served as campaign director. The organization is a reference client and community partner for MaxEx's consulting services. MaxEx also supports United Way initiatives and campaigns.
• Augustana UniversityminorOthersRika Peterson graduated from Augustana University with a BA in psychology and sociology in 2012. The university serves as an academic feeder and community connection for the firm.
• University of South DakotaminorOthersMultiple team members (Rika Peterson MSW 2014, Olivia Boese MSW 2020) hold degrees from University of South Dakota. The university serves as an academic connection and potential talent pipeline.
• University of Sioux FallsminorOthersOlivia Boese graduated from University of Sioux Falls with a BA in Social Work and Spanish in 2019. The university serves as an academic connection for the firm.
• University of Wisconsin-Green BayminorOthersNikolai Burow holds a master's degree in Sustainable Management from University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The university serves as an academic connection.
• Sales & Marketing Executives (SME) of Sioux FallsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKacey McCarthy serves as Executive Director for Sales & Marketing Executives, Inc. of Sioux Falls in addition to her consulting role at MaxEx. This dual role creates strategic alignment and partnership opportunities between the organizations.
• Institute on Charitable GivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCindy Elifrits Peterson holds certification in Capital Campaign Fundraising through the Institute on Charitable Giving. Rika Peterson has completed The Science and Art of a Supremely Successful Capital Campaign training twice through this institute. The institute provides professional development and credentialing for MaxEx team members.
• The Communications NetworkminorOthersMaxEx references research and trends from The Communications Network in their content marketing, including their Pulse Poll surveys on nonprofit communications trends.
• The Institute for Sustainable PhilanthropyminorOthersMaxEx references research from The Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy's 'Love Project' in their blog content about donor relationships and fundraising psychology.
• Center for Creative LeadershipminorOthersKacey McCarthy completed the Center for Creative Leadership's Leadership Development Program in 2015. This is a professional development credential that enhances MaxEx's leadership training capabilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Armstrong McGuire: Armstrong McGuire is a boutique nonprofit consulting firm specializing in executive search, leadership development, and organizational planning for nonprofits and associations — closely aligned with MaxEx's board and leadership development practice.
• BoardSource: BoardSource is the national leader in nonprofit board governance, offering consulting, training, and certification directly competitive with MaxEx's Board Optimization Workshop and board/leadership development services.
• La Piana Consulting: La Piana Consulting is a national nonprofit strategy and capacity-building firm offering strategic planning, fundraising counsel, and board development — directly overlapping MaxEx's core consulting offerings and target customer base of mission-driven organizations.
• TCC Group: TCC Group provides consulting, research, and evaluation services to foundations, nonprofits, and corporate grantmakers, with strong overlap in strategic planning, capacity building, and outcomes measurement — comparable to MaxEx's full-service advisory practice.
• Tecker International: Tecker International is a consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations, associations, and foundations with strategic planning, governance, and resource development services — a direct competitor in the same niche as MaxEx's consulting portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Huron Consulting Group: Huron is a large global consulting firm with a dedicated Higher Education and Nonprofit practice offering strategy, fundraising, and operational improvement — overlapping with MaxEx's offerings but as part of a much broader advisory portfolio serving larger enterprise clients.
• The Bridgespan Group: Bridgespan is a large, well-established social-sector consulting firm advising nonprofits, philanthropists, and NGOs on strategy, fundraising, and capacity — overlapping with MaxEx's strategic planning and fundraising work but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• The Forbes Funds: The Forbes Funds is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit capacity-building intermediary providing management consulting, leadership development, and training to regional nonprofits — closely comparable to MaxEx's mission but operating in a different Mid-Atlantic geography.
• The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida: The Nonprofit Center provides training, consulting, and capacity-building services to nonprofits in the Jacksonville region, mirroring MaxEx's regional hub model with comparable services such as strategic planning, fundraising support, and board development.

Emerging players

• Cause Communications / Words of Charity: Cause Communications is a niche nonprofit messaging and brand strategy firm — overlapping MaxEx's NVD messaging framework and communications work but focusing specifically on cause-related brand storytelling rather than full-service consulting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maximizingexcellence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Maximizing Excellence