Commission isn’t for us.

When a nonprofit seeks to increase its funding portfolio it can be daunting. How much to spend on development services can leave a senior leadership team or Board of Directors feeling overwhelmed. It may feel as though hiring a consultant or writer is flushing money down the drain. What if the grant isn’t won? What if our consultant leaves without notice? Who do we trust? How to we minimize risk?

We understand the reasoning behind commission. When you win your consultant or writer wins, it mitigates risk for your organization if things don’t pan out. However, Ivanhoe Development staff feel strongly that commission-based work tends to encourage applications that focus more on grant size rather than fit.

In many traditional grant writer or consultant relationships individuals are simply concerned with getting money through the door, as they should be, we need funds to continue our work. BUT there is so much more that needs to occur after a grant award, organizations must be able to responsibility steward the funds, have internal management processes, and staff capacity to complete outcomes. We work to design and evaluate great programs, not funnel funds into outcomes that do not benefit communities.

BIG money isn’t always good money. Ivanhoe Development seeks funds with intentionality, not only looking at how likely an organization is to win an award but also what is the internal capacity to MANAGE it. We are not concerned with what fees we may receive if you win, we are concerned about the sustainability of your funding portfolio.