BrakeleyBriscoe

What BrakeleyBriscoe does

Brakeley Briscoe Inc. is a privately held, US-based nonprofit management consulting firm headquartered in San Mateo, California, with operating geographies spanning the United States, Latin America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia), Asia (China, Singapore, Korea, Japan), Europe (UK, Germany), the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. The firm operates two core service lines. The first, Fundraising & Management Consulting, delivers capital campaign management, prospect research, capacity building, communications, strategic planning, and giving program advisory to nonprofit institutions, with documented engagements ranging from $10M to $65M in raised capital across higher education, healthcare, and arts clients. The second, Brakeley Search (formerly Leadership Search Partners, founded 2009 by Leyna Bernstein and integrated into Brakeley Briscoe in 2017), provides retained executive search for nonprofit CEOs, Executive Directors, CFOs, COOs, and Development Officers using a proprietary four-phase model that extends through first-year onboarding and performance management; the firm reports over 92% of placed leaders are people of color, LGBTQ, and/or women.

The firm's production model is human-capital intensive: an 11–50-person bench of senior consultants whose individual tenures run decades (e.g., George A. Brakeley III joined in 1969 and has served 190+ institutions; Susan F. Rice has 40+ years in fundraising; Alden F. Briscoe has counseled 40+ nonprofits). Several consultants hold the Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive (ACFRE) credential, held by approximately 110 people in North America. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is direct-to-client, quote-based, and personalized, with the firm explicitly describing its approach as serving a small group of clients at any given time. Distribution is content-led (an extensive Knowledge Base, BB Blog, AFP conference participation, and email newsletter) layered on top of a relationship and referral network built over 100+ combined years of consulting.

Revenue mechanics are professional-services fees tied to capital campaign engagements and retained search mandates; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm is independently operated with no identified parent company, no institutional investment, no funding rounds, and no acquisition activity on record. Brand longevity (Brakeley lineage traces to 1919/1920) and an extensive senior-consultant network function as the principal intangible assets; the most significant operating risks are succession planning around an aging senior bench and the absence of technology-enabled scale levers such as AI-driven prospect research or donor analytics.

Name

BrakeleyBriscoe

Legal name

Brakeley Briscoe Inc.

Website

https://brakeleybriscoe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brakeley Briscoe is a privately held nonprofit management consulting firm offering capital campaign, fundraising strategy, and retained executive search services to nonprofit organizations across the US, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, with an 11–50-person senior consultant bench built over 100+ years.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Turnaround, Restructuring & Crisis Management Consulting (BPAHACAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit management consulting
• Capital campaign consulting
• Retained executive search
• Fundraising consulting
• Prospect research services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Mateo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fundraising Consulting Services: Brakeley Briscoe offers consulting services for capital campaigns, prospect research, capacity building, communications, and giving programs for nonprofit organizations.
2. Executive Search Services: Brakeley Search provides retained executive search services to nonprofit organizations seeking senior leadership including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and development officers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Brakeley Briscoe is a nonprofit management consulting firm providing two primary service lines: (1) Fundraising & Management Consulting covering capital campaigns, prospect research, capacity building, communications, and giving programs; and (2) Brakeley Search, a retained executive search practice placing CEOs, Executive Directors, CFOs, COOs, and Development Officers for nonprofit organizations. The firm serves a small group of nonprofit clients at a time through personalized, high-touch engagements delivered by senior consultants from offices in the United States, Latin America, and Asia.

Product overview

Brakeley Briscoe is a nonprofit management consulting firm offering two primary service lines: Brakeley Search (formerly Leadership Search Partners) for retained executive search services, and Fundraising & Management Consulting for capital campaigns and development services. The Four Phase Executive Search Model provides a structured approach to executive placements. The consulting arm encompasses capital campaigns, prospect research, capacity building, communications, and strategic planning services. The firm serves nonprofit organizations globally from offices throughout the United States, Latin America, and Asia, with a focus on matching organizational culture and leadership needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brakeley Search Retained executive search services for nonprofit organizations, specializing in placement of Chief Executive Officers, Executive Directors, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Operating Officers, Development Officers, and other senior management team members. Over 92% of placed leaders are people of color, LGBTQ, and/or women. Formerly known as Leadership Search Partners.
• Fundraising & Management Consulting Comprehensive nonprofit management consulting services including capital campaigns, prospect research, capacity building, communications, and giving programs. The firm offers creative counseling and personalized service for institutional planning and fund development needs of nonprofit organizations.
• Four-Phase Executive Search Model A structured executive search methodology consisting of four phases — Discovery and Planning, Sourcing and Recruitment, Guiding Interviews and Negotiating Offers, and New Hire Onboarding and Performance Management — that extends support through the new hire's first year on the job.
• Capital Campaigns Campaign management and strategic consulting for nonprofit capital campaigns, including pre-campaign planning and feasibility studies, delivered as a standalone service within the firm's fundraising consulting practice.
• Prospect Research Research services to identify and qualify prospective donors and supporters for nonprofit organizations, supporting major gift and capital campaign pipelines.
• Capacity Building Organizational development services to strengthen nonprofit infrastructure, fundraising staff capabilities, and overall management capacity.
• Strategic Planning Consulting services to help nonprofit organizations develop and implement strategic plans for organizational growth, sustainability, and fundraising effectiveness.
• Communications Communications consulting supporting nonprofits' fundraising messaging, donor stewardship communications, and campaign-related outreach.
• Giving Programs Consulting on the design and execution of giving programs for nonprofit organizations, including major gift and structured giving initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 92% of placed leaders represent diversity (people of color, LGBTQ, and/or women)

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Grenzebach Glier and Associates: International fundraising and campaign consulting firm serving nonprofits, higher education, and healthcare institutions. Highly comparable to Brakeley Briscoe on capital campaigns, prospect research, and advancement strategy with similar client profiles.
• The Alford Group: Nonprofit management consulting and executive search firm serving associations, foundations, and charitable organizations. Comparable to Brakeley Briscoe in combining fundraising counsel with executive recruitment for nonprofit clients.
• Campbell & Company: One of the largest US fundraising and campaign consulting firms serving nonprofit organizations. Directly comparable to Brakeley Briscoe in core service lines (capital campaigns, feasibility studies, development planning) and in serving education, healthcare, arts, and human service clients.
• Bentz Whaley Flessner: Nonprofit consulting firm focused on fundraising, campaign management, and executive search for charitable organizations. Closely comparable to Brakeley Briscoe across both fundraising consulting and retained executive search service lines.
• Talent Trust / Greenwood/Asher & Associates: Executive search firm specializing in nonprofit, education, and association leadership placements. Comparable to Brakeley Search at the retained executive search layer for similar nonprofit client types and senior leadership roles.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a major executive search business serving nonprofit, education, and healthcare clients. Overlaps with Brakeley Briscoe at the executive-search layer but at significantly larger scale.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice. Comparable to Brakeley Search at the retained-search layer, though Heidrick operates at far larger scale and across for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established nonprofit and association practices. Comparable to Brakeley Search for senior retained searches, particularly for education and social-sector clients.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with a longstanding nonprofit, education, and association practice. Comparable to Brakeley Search for senior nonprofit CEO/COO/CFO searches, but operates across a much broader client set.

Others

• AMP (Associated Mennonite Press) / The Giving Institute: Industry association for fundraising consulting firms (formerly AAFRC), of which Brakeley Briscoe's founder George Brakeley was past chairman. Provides shared credibility, networking, and standards within the fundraising-counsel sector that Brakeley Briscoe competes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brakeleybriscoe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 BrakeleyBriscoe