Advancement Partners
Advancement Partners is a private, family-owned fundraising consulting firm founded in 1996 that provides capital campaign management, strategic planning, and advancement services exclusively to Catholic secondary schools in the United States, having served over 300 schools and raised over $1 billion.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Advancement Partners does
Advancement Partners, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned fundraising consulting firm founded on April 1, 1996 by Terry Fairholm, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio. The firm provides institutional advancement consulting, strategic planning, and capital campaign management services exclusively to Catholic secondary education institutions across the United States. Over 30 years, it has served over 300 Catholic schools, raising more than $1 billion in capital, and has conducted over 12,000 personal major gift solicitations across 200+ completed capital campaigns.
The firm operates with a small senior team (5-6 named personnel including President Terry Fairholm, two Senior Partners, a Consultant, and a Director of Finance), all of whom are Fairholm family members or long-tenured partners. Core service lines include Capital Campaign and Major Gift Management, Annual Fund Creation and Enhancement, Strategic Planning, Advancement Assessment, and Planned Giving Consulting. The firm also operates the annual Summer Seminar at the University of Notre Dame as a signature thought leadership and client acquisition event. Revenue is generated through professional services fees (described as competitive and all-inclusive of travel and project costs) and seminar registration fees ($1,400-$1,550 per attendee). The firm has no external investors, no software product, and no disclosed technology platform beyond its partnership with Wealth Engine for prospect research and On-Target Design for campaign collateral.
Advancement Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Advancement Partners
- Legal name
- Advancement Partners, Inc.
- Website
- https://advancementpartners.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Advancement Partners is a private, family-owned fundraising consulting firm founded in 1996 that provides capital campaign management, strategic planning, and advancement services exclusively to Catholic secondary schools in the United States, having served over 300 schools and raised over $1 billion.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Advancement Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Education Fundraising Consulting
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Capital Campaign Management & Advancement Strategy (EDALAOAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD), Corporate & Foundation Relations (Sponsorships, Grants, Partnerships) (EDALAOAE)
Keywords
Where Advancement Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Advancement Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for capital campaign management, strategic planning, advancement assessments, and annual fund creation/enhancement services for Catholic secondary schools. Fees are described as highly competitive and include all travel-related expenses and required project-related items so clients know the 'all in' cost upfront.
- Summer Seminar Registration: Revenue from annual three-day seminar registration fees ($1,400 early bird / $1,550 regular), including event registration, accommodations at Morris Inn, meals, and materials.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Seminar 2026 at Notre Dame - Early Bird Registration |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Seminar 2026 at Notre Dame - Regular Registration |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Advancement Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Advancement Partners is a specialized consulting firm that delivers institutional advancement services exclusively to Catholic secondary schools across the United States. Core offerings include capital campaign and major gift management, annual fund creation and enhancement, strategic planning, advancement department assessments, and planned giving program consulting. The firm also operates an annual three-day Summer Seminar at the University of Notre Dame as a professional development and client engagement platform.
Product overview
Advancement Partners is a fundraising consulting firm specializing exclusively in Catholic secondary education. The company offers a suite of advisory services centered around three core offerings: Capital Campaign/Major Gift Management (including feasibility studies, major gift solicitation, and campaign execution), Annual Fund Creation/Enhancement (campaign design and implementation), and Strategic Planning (long-range planning with financial modeling). Additional services include Advancement Assessment (department evaluations), Planned Giving Consulting (endowment building programs), and the annual Summer Seminar professional development event at Notre Dame. The firm does not offer a software product or technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Capital Campaign/Major Gift Management
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $1 billion raised for Catholic schools
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Advancement Partners
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Advancement Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Advancement Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.
- Wealth EnginesupportingStrategic partner providing wealth research and analytics tools used by Advancement Partners for prospect identification and donor screening in capital campaigns and major gift programs.
- On-Target DesignsupportingStrategic partner providing design services for campaign materials, print collateral, and visual communications for client campaigns.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Advancement Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Steier Group: The Steier Group is a Catholic-focused fundraising and capital campaign consulting firm serving Catholic schools, parishes, and dioceses. The most directly comparable peer to Advancement Partners given similar vertical specialization, comparable scale, and overlapping client base within Catholic secondary education.
- Marts & Lundy: Marts & Lundy is a longstanding fundraising and campaign consulting firm focused on higher education, healthcare, and cultural institutions. Comparable in core offerings — feasibility studies, capital campaigns, and advancement strategy — though it serves a much broader set of institutional clients than the Catholic-secondary niche.
- The Alford Group: The Alford Group is an executive search and fundraising consulting firm specializing in the nonprofit and faith-based sectors. Comparable to Advancement Partners in development assessments and capital campaign support, with adjacent expertise in advancement staffing and executive search.
- CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising is one of the largest fundraising consulting firms in North America, providing capital campaign management, feasibility studies, and advancement services to nonprofits, schools, and faith-based organizations. Directly comparable to Advancement Partners in core capital campaign services, though broader in vertical and significantly larger in scale.
- Carver & Associates: Carver & Associates is a development consulting firm serving faith-based schools, nonprofits, and healthcare institutions. Comparable to Advancement Partners in capital campaign management, feasibility studies, and advancement assessments within faith-based education.
- Graham-Pelton Consulting: Graham-Pelton is a global fundraising and campaign management consulting firm serving nonprofits, healthcare, and educational institutions. Comparable to Advancement Partners in capital campaign execution and feasibility work, with deeper international footprint and broader vertical coverage.
- Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF Insights): BWF is a well-established fundraising and advancement consulting firm serving higher education, healthcare, and faith-based institutions. Comparable to Advancement Partners in campaign management, major gift strategy, and advancement assessments, but operates at materially larger scale and across multiple verticals.
- Ruotolo Associates: Ruotolo Associates is a small-to-mid fundraising and strategic planning consulting firm serving nonprofits, faith-based institutions, and educational organizations. Comparable to Advancement Partners in core campaign and strategic planning engagements at a similar boutique scale.
- Washburn & Associates: Washburn & Associates is a fundraising consulting firm focused on faith-based and educational institutions, providing capital campaign, annual fund, and strategic planning services. Comparable to Advancement Partners in faith-based K-12 vertical focus and service-line offerings.
Emerging players
- BDP Advisors: BDP Advisors is a strategic planning and fundraising consulting firm serving K-12 independent and faith-based schools. Comparable to Advancement Partners in strategic planning engagements for private schools, with emerging overlap in annual fund and capital campaign work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Advancement Partners social profiles
Digital presenceAdvancement Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Advancement Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Advancement Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Advancement Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Advancement Partners
What does Advancement Partners do?
Advancement Partners is a specialized consulting firm that delivers institutional advancement services exclusively to Catholic secondary schools across the United States. Core offerings include capital campaign and major gift management, annual fund creation and enhancement, strategic planning, advancement department assessments, and planned giving program consulting. The firm also operates an annual three-day Summer Seminar at the University of Notre Dame as a professional development and client engagement platform.
Is Advancement Partners a public or private company?
Advancement Partners is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Advancement Partners founded?
Advancement Partners was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Advancement Partners based?
Advancement Partners is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Advancement Partners make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Consulting Services are the primary driver. The others are summer Seminar Registration.
Who are Advancement Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Steier Group, Marts & Lundy, The Alford Group, CCS Fundraising, Carver & Associates, Graham-Pelton Consulting, Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF Insights), Ruotolo Associates and Washburn & Associates. BDP Advisors is listed as an emerging player.
Does Advancement Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Advancement Partners.
What industry is Advancement Partners in?
Advancement Partners's product category is Education Fundraising Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAOAN, Capital Campaign Management & Advancement Strategy, with a secondary code of EDALAOAD, Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship). Its NAICS code is 6117 and its SIC code is 8742.