Philanthropica

What Philanthropica does

Philanthropica is a privately-held Canadian management consulting firm specializing in strategic fundraising, organizational development, and capacity building for nonprofit organizations. Founded in 2014 by Elizabeth Gomery and Camilla Leigh and based in Montreal with a partner-led Atlantic Canada presence (Danielle Boucher, rejoined 2021), the firm operates with approximately 8 team members delivering nine integrated service categories: Strategic Fundraising (capital campaigns, annual giving, planned giving, peer-to-peer, events), Organizational Development, Assessments & Trends, Team Building, Marketing & Communications, Donor Advising & CSR, Facilitation, Interim Leadership, and Recruitment.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform or software product; its deliverables are human-delivered professional services grounded in the sector experience of its partners and consultants. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service consulting engagements structured as customized project-based or retainer arrangements, with pricing not publicly disclosed. A free 15-minute consultation is offered as the entry point. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and referral-driven, relying on personal networks, published thought leadership (blog content on fundraising strategy), speaking engagements at industry conferences (AHP Canada, QAHN), and co-marketing with strategic partners such as BDO Canada.

Client concentration is spread across nonprofit verticals — healthcare (Donald Berman Yaldei, Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation), education (Dawson College Foundation, Centennial Academy), community services (Ometz), arts/culture, and religion (Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue) — with documented campaign outcomes including $5M counsel for Dawson College's 50th anniversary campaign and a $3.5M capital campaign for Camp Garagona / Butters Foundation. The firm is bilingual English/French and serves clients primarily in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, with the founders' prior international experience spanning North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

Name

Philanthropica

Legal name

Philanthropica

Website

https://philanthropica.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

Keywords

• Fundraising consulting
• Nonprofit advisory
• Capital campaign counsel
• Organizational development
• Donor relations

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Philanthropica generates revenue through fee-for-service consulting engagements. Services include strategic fundraising counsel, organizational development, assessments, team building, marketing and communications, donor advising, facilitation, interim leadership, and recruitment. Engagements are customized to client needs and likely structured as project-based or retainer arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Philanthropica is a Canadian consulting firm that provides strategic fundraising counsel and customized philanthropic advisory services to nonprofit organizations. Its offerings span capital campaign planning, annual and planned giving programs, peer-to-peer fundraising, organizational development, board training, donor advising, interim leadership, and recruitment, all delivered as project-based or retainer engagements by senior consultants.

Product overview

Philanthropica is a consulting firm providing strategic philanthropic advice, customized fundraising solutions, program and funding development, strategic planning, and communications services tailored to non-profit organizations of all sizes. The company operates as a single unified consulting practice rather than a platform with modular products, offering nine integrated service areas: Strategic Fundraising (covering capital campaigns, annual and planned giving, peer-to-peer fundraising), Organizational Development (strategic planning, assessments), Team Building (coaching, training), Marketing & Communications, Donor Advising & CSR, Facilitation, Interim Leadership, and Recruitment services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% graduation rate achieved at Centennial Academy client through academic perseverance program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BDO CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2017Philanthropica co-hosted a risk management and strategic planning seminar with BDO partner Pierre Taillefer. The joint event targeted nonprofit organizations, positioning both firms as thought leaders in nonprofit risk management and strategic planning to boost fundraising results.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Graham-Pelton Consulting: Graham-Pelton is an international fundraising and nonprofit management consulting firm serving healthcare, education, and cultural institutions. It is a comparable broad incumbent offering similar strategic fundraising and campaign services to Philanthropica.
• CCS Fundraising: CCS Fundraising is a large, international fundraising consulting firm offering campaign management, analytics, and fundraising staffing. It competes with Philanthropica for Canadian nonprofit engagements but operates at significantly greater scale across multiple geographies.
• Marts & Lundy: Marts & Lundy is a long-established global fundraising and campaign consulting firm serving universities, healthcare systems, and arts institutions. It is a broad incumbent competitor for larger Canadian capital campaign engagements that Philanthropica currently does not chase.
• Bentz Whaley Flessner (BWF): BWF is a US-headquartered fundraising and advancement consulting firm serving large nonprofits, with comparable campaign counsel and donor research offerings. It is a broader incumbent that occasionally competes for Canadian engagements.

Others

• BDO Canada Nonprofit Practice: BDO Canada operates a dedicated nonprofit advisory practice (audit, risk management, strategic planning) and is partnered with Philanthropica — making it an adjacent ecosystem participant that complements rather than directly competes with Philanthropica's fundraising services.

Direct peers

• Osborne Group: Osborne Group provides interim leadership, executive search, and organizational development consulting to the Canadian nonprofit sector — a direct peer for Philanthropica's interim leadership, recruitment, and organizational development services.
• Burk & Ferver Engineering / Fundraising Counsel: Burk & Ferver is a smaller fundraising and feasibility study consultancy serving community foundations and nonprofits — comparable in size to Philanthropica and overlapping in feasibility studies, planning, and capital campaign counsel.
• KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.): KCI is one of Canada's largest fundraising and philanthropic management consulting firms, offering capital campaigns, feasibility studies, and development counsel to nonprofits — directly overlapping with Philanthropica's core service lines across Canadian healthcare and education sectors.
• Grenier & Company: Grenier & Company is a Canadian fundraising and development consulting firm serving charities and nonprofits across Canada with capital campaign counsel, strategic planning, and executive search — strictly comparable in size, geography, and service mix to Philanthropica.

Regional players

• Changing Shape: Changing Shape is a UK-based consultancy advising charities and foundations on fundraising strategy and organizational development. It is a regional peer operating in a different (UK) geography but with deeply comparable service offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/philanthropica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Philanthropica