Philanthropic Partners

What Philanthropic Partners does

Philanthropic Partners is a private, sole-proprietor fundraising consulting firm founded in 2016 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that serves mid-to-large nonprofit organizations in the Southeast United States (Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas). The firm is led by Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, CFRE, and delivers three categories of offerings: (1) professional-services consulting engagements covering board and fund development, strategic planning, and executive searches; (2) live seminars and workshops delivered through partnerships with the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at Xavier University of Louisiana and other regional training institutions; and (3) self-paced digital learning products sold through an e-commerce storefront at philanthropic-partners.com, including individual courses priced at $49 (Fundraising 101; Grants: Research, Writing and Reporting) and an All-Access Pass annual subscription at $299.

The firm's underlying technology stack is a WordPress-based website with an online shop and a web-based learning management system for delivering self-study courses; no proprietary platforms, APIs, AI features, or data assets are disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led and content-driven: a blog archive (active through at least August 2022), an 'Insider's Guide to Grants' email funnel, conference speaking at AFP events, and an AFP International Board appointment for the founder (2019) function as top-of-funnel demand generation, with workshops and direct consultative sales converting mid-funnel demand.

Commercially, the firm operates across multiple revenue streams — professional-services consulting, subscription digital products, one-time workshop fees, and speaking engagements — but as a one-person practice with no external funding, headcount growth, or disclosed financial figures, the overall scale remains small and concentrated on regional Southeast US nonprofit clients.

Name

Philanthropic Partners

Legal name

Philanthropic Partners

Website

https://philanthropic-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Philanthropic Partners is a sole-proprietor fundraising consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana serving mid-to-large nonprofit organizations in the Southeast US with board and fund development, strategic planning, executive search, and self-study fundraising courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising consulting
• Board development services
• Fund development consulting
• Executive search services
• Grant writing training

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Direct consulting engagements with nonprofit organizations for board development, fund development, strategic planning, and executive searches.
2. Digital Products (Self-Study Courses): Online courses sold through the company shop including Fundraising 101 and Grants: Research, Writing and Reporting at $49 each. All-Access Pass subscription at $299/year provides unlimited access.
3. Seminars and Workshops: In-person training workshops offered in partnership with Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at Xavier University of Louisiana. Previously offered at Capital Area United Way in Baton Rouge for $90 per workshop with lunch and certificate included.
4. Speaking Engagements: Public speaking engagements at conferences and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Philanthropic Partners is a fundraising consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations build philanthropic capacity through board and fund development, strategic planning, and executive search services. The firm also sells self-study digital courses, hosts in-person seminars and workshops, and offers speaking engagements on fundraising and nonprofit management topics.

Product overview

Philanthropic Partners is a nonprofit fundraising consulting firm offering a portfolio of educational products and professional services. The core educational products include All-Access Pass (an annual subscription), Fundraising 101, and Grants: Research, Writing and Reporting courses. Services include self-study courses, seminars and workshops, speaking engagements, board and fund development consulting, strategic planning, and executive search services for nonprofit organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• All-Access Pass
• Fundraising 101
• Grants: Research, Writing and Reporting
• Seminars and Workshops
• Speaking Engagements
• Board and Fund Development Consulting Consulting services to help nonprofit organizations build philanthropic capacity through board development and fund development programs.
• Strategic Planning Services Strategic planning assistance for nonprofit organizations.
• Executive Search Services Executive search services for nonprofit organizations seeking development directors and other leadership positions.

Named customers16 records

Segments4 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 core and minor.

• Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at Xavier University of LouisianacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2018Sarah Cortell Vandersypen teaches courses for the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy, which offers seminars, workshops and webinars for nonprofit organizations in the Southeast region. The Institute focuses on preparing nonprofit leaders through coursework in cause selling, marketing, fundraising strategies and relationship building. First course 'Supercharge Your Board' offered April 10, 2018.
• The Rapides Foundation's Community Development Works (Louisiana)minorOthersSarah served as a consultant trainer for Community Development Works, a program of The Rapides Foundation in Louisiana.
• Alliance for Better Nonprofits (Tennessee)minorOthersSarah served as a consultant trainer for Alliance for Better Nonprofits in Tennessee.
• Rice University's Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies (Texas)minorOthersSarah served as a consultant trainer for Rice University's Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies in Texas.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)coreOthersSarah is highly involved in the AFP Greater Baton Rouge chapter and was nominated to the AFP International Board of Directors for 2019-2020. She helps shape fundraising policy and champion initiatives like I.D.E.A.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Network for Good: Network for Good combines donation software with fundraising coaching and courses for nonprofits — overlapping with Philanthropic Partners in delivering educational and advisory services to fundraising professionals.
• Heller Consulting: Heller Consulting is an established national nonprofit CRM and fundraising operations consultancy — competing for similar mid-to-large nonprofit consulting engagements as Philanthropic Partners.
• Bloomerang: Bloomerang provides donor management CRM software plus fundraising education (webinars, resources) for nonprofits — adjacent competitor in serving the same fundraising-professional audience with educational content.

Direct peers

• Nonprofit Hub: Nonprofit Hub produces books, podcasts, webinars, and an annual conference for nonprofit leaders on fundraising and management — a peer content/training platform targeting the same audience as Philanthropic Partners.
• Kindsight (formerly Mind the Gap Consulting): Kindsight is a nonprofit-sector consulting firm offering fundraising, fund development, and capacity-building services to nonprofits — directly comparable to Philanthropic Partners' consulting practice.
• Crescendo Consulting Group: Crescendo Consulting Group specializes in fundraising audits, campaign planning, and development coaching for nonprofits — directly comparable to Philanthropic Partners' board and fund development consulting services.
• CharityHowTo: CharityHowTo sells on-demand nonprofit training webinars and courses on fundraising, grant writing, and board development — a direct comparable to Philanthropic Partners' self-study and workshop offerings for the same nonprofit professional audience.
• Nonprofit Marketing Guide: Nonprofit Marketing Guide provides training, courses, and consulting on nonprofit fundraising and marketing — closely overlapping with Philanthropic Partners' fundraising consulting, courses, and conference speaking business.

Others

• Candid (Foundation Directory / GuideStar): Candid operates Foundation Directory Online and provides nonprofit research and grant-writing educational resources — adjacent to Philanthropic Partners' grants training and competes indirectly for the same grant-writing education spend.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): AFP is the professional membership association for fundraisers and offers its own education, certification resources, and chapter programming — the industry body in which Philanthropic Partners' founder holds a leadership role and that sets the training-content competitive context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Philanthropic Partners