Atkin Associates
Atkin Associates is a founder-owned, solo-practitioner consulting firm led by Barrie Atkin (Harvard MBA), delivering strategic planning, marketing/branding, fundraising, and new-product advisory services to nonprofits, publishers, sports organizations, and healthcare clients, supplemented by a self-published book line.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersSwampscott, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Atkin Associates does
Atkin Associates is a privately-held, founder-owned management consulting practice headquartered in Swampscott, Massachusetts, led by Barrie Atkin (Harvard MBA) with over 25 years of consulting experience. The firm delivers professional services across four core domains — strategic planning, marketing and branding, nonprofit fundraising, and new product/service feasibility analysis — supplemented by a dedicated aging services specialty and a speaking/training offering. Clients span mission-driven nonprofits, publishing/media companies, sports organizations, healthcare institutions, and emerging ventures; the firm reports having served hundreds of organizations cumulatively, including The Nature Conservancy, ESPN, Massachusetts Medical Society, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
The business model is project-based professional services sold directly to client organizations via complimentary initial consultations, followed by quote-driven engagement proposals. There is no proprietary software platform; the firm's deliverable is human expertise, strategic frameworks, and tailored advisory work delivered by Barrie Atkin, with occasional contractor support for client projects. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. In parallel with consulting, the firm has developed a small self-publishing product line — three Amazon-distributed books including the bestseller 'Hate Fundraising?' (November 2024) and its companion journal (January 2025) — functioning primarily as thought-leadership marketing collateral rather than a material revenue stream.
The go-to-market motion combines content marketing (blog, quarterly newsletter gated by a free strategic-planning guide), keynote and conference speaking engagements, podcast appearances, and direct sales through the firm website. The practice is bootstrapped, with no external funding, no institutional investors, and no subsidiaries; ownership is concentrated entirely with the founder, and the firm is structured as Atkin Associates LLC domiciled in Massachusetts.
Atkin Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Atkin Associates
- Legal name
- Atkin Associates LLC
- Website
- https://barrieatkin.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Atkin Associates is a founder-owned, solo-practitioner consulting firm led by Barrie Atkin (Harvard MBA), delivering strategic planning, marketing/branding, fundraising, and new-product advisory services to nonprofits, publishers, sports organizations, and healthcare clients, supplemented by a self-published book line.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Atkin Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Management Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)
Keywords
Where Atkin Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Swampscott
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Atkin Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Strategic Planning Consulting: Strategic planning, business planning, and board training engagements for businesses and mission-driven organizations. Projects range from strategic plan development to implementation support.
- Marketing and Branding Consulting: Marketing strategy, marketing plans, rebranding, customer surveys, social media strategy, and competitive analysis services for businesses and nonprofits.
- Fundraising Consulting: Fundraising training, annual and capital campaign consulting, grant writing, development audits, and campaign materials development for nonprofit organizations.
- New Products/Services Consulting: Market analysis, feasibility studies, business plan development, and market entry strategy for new product and service launches.
- Book Sales: Self-published books sold through Amazon. 'Hate Fundraising? How to Become Comfortable Asking for Money' published November 2024; companion journal published January 2025; 'Hate Football? Fun Facts to Help You Be Part of the Crowd' published January 2023.
- Speaking and Training: Keynotes, conference presentations, master training sessions, and staff facilitation for businesses and nonprofit organizations on topics including fundraising, strategic planning, branding, and new venture launch.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Other | Complimentary initial consultation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Other | Hate Fundraising book (November 2024) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Other | Hate Football book (January 2023) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Atkin Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Atkin Associates provides strategic planning, business planning, marketing and branding, nonprofit fundraising, new-product feasibility analysis, and specialized aging-services consulting for businesses, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. It also provides keynote speaking, conference presentations, staff training, and implementation support for client engagements.
Product overview
Atkin Associates is a consulting firm offering professional services in strategic planning, marketing and branding, fundraising, new product assessment, aging services specialty, and speaking engagements. The firm is led by Barrie Atkin, Harvard MBA, with over 25 years of experience serving hundreds of clients. The core service offerings include strategic planning consulting, marketing/branding services, fundraising services for nonprofits, new product feasibility analysis, and specialized aging services consulting. In addition to consulting services, the firm has expanded into publishing books on fundraising and specialty topics, including 'HATE FUNDRAISING? How to Become Comfortable Asking for Money' (November 2024), its companion journal (January 2025), 'Hate Football? Fun Facts to Help You Be Part of the Crowd' (January 2023), and 'Marketing Tools for Any Senior Center' (September 2017, co-authored with MCOA and NCOA). The firm also offers free resources including the '12 Questions to Assess Your Strategic Plan' guide available via newsletter subscription.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strategic Planning Services Strategic planning consulting including business planning, board training in planning and governance, and developing marketable business plans that attract investors. Services are tailored to organization size and needs.
- Marketing and Branding Services Marketing strategy and branding consulting including rebranding, customer surveys, social media strategy, and competitive analysis to help organizations optimize their marketing efforts.
- Fundraising Services Fundraising consulting for nonprofits including board training, annual and capital campaign consultation, case statement development, direct mail campaigns, grant writing, and fundraising audits.
- New Products and Services Assessment Analysis and feasibility services for new product launches including marketable business plans, market analysis, feasibility studies, consumer research, and competitive intelligence.
- Aging Services Specialty Specialized consulting for aging-services organizations, including marketing, fundraising, and strategic planning for senior centers, councils on aging, and LGBTQ+ aging programs.
- Speaking and Inspiration Keynote speaking, conference presentations, master training, and staff facilitation on topics including fundraising, strategic planning, branding, and new venture launching.
- HATE FUNDRAISING? How to Become Comfortable Asking for Money A book published in November 2024 that helps readers identify their fears about fundraising and offers solutions to overcome them, with practical guidance for nonprofit fundraising.
- The Companion Journal to Hate Fundraising A supplemental workbook published in January 2025 to accompany the Hate Fundraising book, designed for training boards and volunteer groups.
- Hate Football? Fun Facts to Help You Be Part of the Crowd A book published in January 2023 that provides tips and information to help readers enjoy watching football. It is available on Amazon in eBook and paperback formats.
- Marketing Tools for Any Senior Center A marketing and communications handbook for Councils on Aging and Senior Centers, co-authored with MCOA and NCOA and published in September 2017.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85% grant application success rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Atkin Associates
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Atkin Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Atkin Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Atkin Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Alford Group: Nonprofit consulting firm offering fundraising, executive search, and strategic planning services. Closely aligned with Atkin Associates in its focus on nonprofit fundraising and strategic advisory.
- Whole Whale: Digital strategy and marketing agency for nonprofits. Comparable in marketing strategy, digital presence, and nonprofit client focus, with partial overlap in strategic planning.
- M+R: Marketing and fundraising agency for nonprofits and advocacy organizations. Comparable client base and overlap with the firm's marketing/branding and fundraising service lines, though at significantly larger scale.
- Campbell & Company: Boutique consulting firm specializing in fundraising, campaign planning, and development strategy for nonprofits. Directly comparable in service mix, client segment (nonprofit and mission-driven entities), and engagement-based delivery model.
- Heller Consulting: Consulting firm focused on nonprofit fundraising, CRM and development strategy. Directly comparable for the firm's fundraising and marketing/branding service lines serving nonprofit clients.
- Big Duck: Branding and marketing agency exclusively serving nonprofits. Directly comparable in branding, marketing strategy, and nonprofit client segment.
- Changing Our World: National nonprofit fundraising and philanthropic advisory firm. Comparable target market (nonprofits and mission-driven organizations) and overlapping service offerings in fundraising strategy and campaign consulting.
- Bostwick Design Partnership: Branding and marketing firm serving nonprofit, healthcare, and education clients. Comparable in branding and marketing strategy services for mission-driven organizations.
- Russ Reid: Direct response fundraising agency for nonprofits and faith-based organizations. Comparable client base and overlap with the firm's fundraising and direct marketing services.
Broad incumbents
- Bridgespan Group: Nonprofit and philanthropic sector consulting firm with much broader scale, including strategy, fundraising, and organizational development. Comparable strategic planning and nonprofit focus, but operates as a much larger incumbent.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Atkin Associates social profiles
Digital presenceAtkin Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Atkin Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Atkin Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Atkin Associates 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 Atkin Associates
What does Atkin Associates do?
Atkin Associates provides strategic planning, business planning, marketing and branding, nonprofit fundraising, new-product feasibility analysis, and specialized aging-services consulting for businesses, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations. It also provides keynote speaking, conference presentations, staff training, and implementation support for client engagements.
Is Atkin Associates a public or private company?
Atkin Associates is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Atkin Associates founded?
Atkin Associates was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Atkin Associates based?
Atkin Associates is headquartered in Swampscott, United States, in the North America region.
How does Atkin Associates make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Strategic Planning Consulting is the primary driver. The others are marketing and Branding Consulting, fundraising Consulting, new Products/Services Consulting, book Sales and speaking and Training.
Who are Atkin Associates's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Alford Group, Whole Whale, M+R, Campbell & Company, Heller Consulting, Big Duck, Changing Our World, Bostwick Design Partnership and Russ Reid. Bridgespan Group is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Atkin Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Atkin Associates.
What industry is Atkin Associates in?
Atkin Associates's product category is Management Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAG, Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHACAM, Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.