Development Leadership Consortium

What Development Leadership Consortium does

Development Leadership Consortium (DLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 by Clyde Watkins and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to mentor fundraising professionals and engage them throughout their careers, building a culture of philanthropy in the Chicago metropolitan area. The organization operates a two-tier fellowship model: the Annual Fellows Program (~18 early-career professionals per cohort, $400 program fee, ten monthly sessions September through June) and the Management Fellows Program (~10 advanced managers per cohort, $1,200 program fee, ten sessions). Curriculum is delivered through facilitated sessions with senior practitioners covering foundations, executive search, consulting, board volunteering, nonprofit marketing, corporate philanthropy, campaign planning, team building, and strategic planning. The Clyde Watkins Scholarship provides need-based tuition assistance covering 50% of fees for applicants from smaller nonprofits.

The organization is governed by a Board of Directors composed entirely of DLC alumni, ensuring institutional continuity and creating a self-replenishing pipeline of fellows → mentors → board members. Signature engagement channels include the biennial Philanthropy Forecast (expert panel discussion on industry trends), the ongoing DLC Talks series, and virtual roundtables. Alumni engagement continues post-program through events, mentorship, and networking. DLC cites a 500+ alumni network spanning 25+ years of Chicago philanthropy professionals, with alumni located throughout the country.

The business model combines three revenue streams: subscription-style annual program fees, tax-deductible charitable donations, and corporate/organizational sponsorships that fund events, keynote speakers, and scholarships. Technology operations rely on standard off-the-shelf tools (Squarespace for the website, Cognito Forms for applications), with no proprietary platform. GTM is community-led, driven by alumni word-of-mouth, board-led outreach, and visibility from signature events. Programs are regional (Chicago), delivered in person at member institutions and partner venues across the city.

Name

Development Leadership Consortium

Legal name

Development Leadership Consortium

Website

https://chicagodlc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Development Leadership Consortium is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 that runs cohort-based fellowship programs mentoring early-career and advanced fundraising professionals across the Chicago philanthropic community through facilitated sessions, signature events, and an alumni network of 500+.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Professional Development and Fundraising Training

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit leadership development
• Fundraising fellowship programs
• Professional development training
• Philanthropy education services
• Nonprofit capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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. Annual Fellows Program Fees: Early-career professionals pay program fees for ten-month fellowship covering sessions September through June. Fee covers all expenses except transportation.
2. Management Fellows Program Fees: Advanced professionals pay program fees for ten-session advanced fellowship program running September through June. Fee covers all expenses except transportation.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: DLC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that accepts tax-deductible donations to support scholarships, keynote speakers, and events.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors provide space and funding for community events in exchange for visibility with Chicago philanthropy professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Development Leadership Consortium (DLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers fellowship programs, educational talks, and scholarship opportunities for fundraising and development professionals in the nonprofit sector. The organization runs an Annual Fellows Program for early-career fundraisers, a Management Fellows Program for advanced practitioners, DLC Talks educational sessions, the Philanthropy Forecast research publication, and the Clyde Watkins Scholarship for emerging leaders.

Product overview

The Development Leadership Consortium offers a portfolio of professional development programs for fundraising professionals in Chicago. The core offerings include the Annual Fellows Program for early-career professionals and the Management Fellows Program for advanced managers, both structured as cohort-based fellowship experiences spanning ten months. Supplementary offerings include DLC Talks (ongoing alumni engagement events) and the biennial Philanthropy Forecast signature event. The Clyde Watkins Scholarship provides need-based tuition assistance for the fellowship programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Fellows Program
• Management Fellows Program
• DLC Talks
• Philanthropy Forecast
• Clyde Watkins Scholarship

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 development professionals trained since 1994
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing leadership development, consulting, and executive coaching for nonprofit leaders. Highly comparable operating model — cohort-based programs for development and executive leaders — but serving a different geography from DLC.
• Nonprofit Leadership Alliance: National nonprofit operating the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential and a network of college programs. Directly comparable mission of building the next generation of nonprofit leaders, with formal credentialing DLC does not offer.
• BoardSource: National nonprofit focused on nonprofit board leadership and governance training. Comparable audience of nonprofit executives and similar training-program/subscription revenue model, with overlapping content on nonprofit leadership development.
• AFP Chicago Chapter: The Chicago regional chapter of AFP, serving the same geographic market and member audience as DLC. A direct competitor for fundraising professionals' professional development dollars and event attendance in the Chicago market.

Emerging players

• Candid (formerly Foundation Center + GuideStar): Nonprofit data and research organization supporting philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. Comparable sector focus and training/research content, but primarily an information provider rather than a cohort-based fellowship operator.
• Giving USA Foundation: Research and education initiative publishing the annual Giving USA report on U.S. philanthropy. Operates educational programming on philanthropy trends — comparable to DLC's Philanthropy Forecast event — but lacks a cohort fellowship model.

Broad incumbents

• American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE): International professional society for healthcare leaders with a strong cohort-based education and credentialing model. Functionally analogous to DLC's Management Fellows program for nonprofit executives, but applied to the healthcare sector.
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Global nonprofit serving educational advancement professionals in alumni relations, development, and communications. CASE is comparable because it trains the same fundraising/advancement persona DLC serves, but at a much larger institutional scale.
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP): The largest global professional association for fundraising professionals, offering certification (CFRE), chapters, conferences, and training. AFP is a broad incumbent that overlaps with DLC's fundraising-professional audience but lacks DLC's intimate, Chicago-specific cohort model.

Others

• The Bridgespan Group: Nonprofit consulting and leadership advisory firm serving the nonprofit sector. Comparable target audience of nonprofit senior leaders and adjacent content leadership offerings, but operates as a paid consultancy rather than a nonprofit membership organization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/development-leadership-consortium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Development Leadership Consortium