The Whelan Group, INC

" The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice."

― Martin Luther King Jr.

Today, nearly fifty years after these hope-filled words were spoken, we remain a society where far too many are locked in poverty's cold embrace—where

a decent job and a living wage are unattainable; where millions of children go to sleep hungry each night and are persistently denied access to a quality education; and where many find their basic health care, housing, and family security needs unfulfilled. These vulnerable adults, families, and children

face a stark reality—where there is no equality, no opportunity, and no access, there can be no justice.

MISSION

AS CITIZENS of the most affluent society on earth, each of us has a special responsibility to act "as women and men for others" on behalf of the poor and the marginalized. As a firm, we are persistent advocates for effective social change—we seek to create the conditions where economic and social justice, a steadfast commitment to human dignity, and the opportunity for a better and more fulfilling life is a reality for all.

VISION

LOOKING AHEAD, we seek to strengthen organizations and empower leadership as they work to break the cycle of poverty and improve the quality of life for the poor, especially vulnerable children and their families.

We work with organizations on the front lines to enhance their reach and impact. We help them to create a strong institutional vision, to prepare the strategic, business, and financial plans that animate their vision, to strengthen their governance and management practices, and to design and implement fundraising, earned income, and other revenue enhancement strategies that ensure their long term sustainability. We seek to blend personal generosity with organizational accountability—we see ourselves at the intersection of catalytic action for good and effective business practice.

AREAS OF CONCENTRATION

IN PURSUIT of our institution-building mission, we will continue to concentrate our efforts, both regionally and nationally, on four types of organizations— both secular and faith–based—that address the needs of the poor and the marginalized. Through a range of management and fundraising services, we make:

• Educational Programs, Schools and Colleges stronger and more accessible to children, young adults, and adult learners;

• Social and human Service organizations more sustainable as the provider of essential services to the most vulnerable among us;

• Community and Community Economic Development organizations more effective providers of housing and job readiness services; and,

• arts and Cultural organizations, including Parks and open Space Projects, more dynamic partners in the effort to create quality of life for all.

While we concentrate our work in these four areas, we are always looking to challenge ourselves by taking on assignments that are more entrepreneurial in nature—projects that test the limits of our creativity and imagination in the public interest.

TWG SERVICES

NONPROFITS ACROSS THE COUNTRY seek us out because we offer a unique approach to building stronger, mission-driven, and self-reliant organizations. In partnership with the board and senior management, we provide services that strengthen each organization's ability to:

• Create a strong, compelling, and broadly supported institutional vision;

• Conduct thoughtful strategic, business, and financial planning processes;

• elevate their governance, board development, and management practices;

• Communicate a compelling case for support; and,

• design and manage comprehensive fundraising campaigns that create resources calibrated to the organization's growth objectives.

Our overall objective is skills transfer—to empower our clients by building their in-house resource development capacity and by strengthening their ability to define, communicate with, and engage their natural constituencies.

SERVICE MODEL

THE FIRM'S SERVICE MODEL is anchored in our professional staff, comprised of Senior and Associate Consultants with deep experience in Strategic and Business Planning, financial forecasting, governance, nonprofit Management and Capacity Building, Enterprise Development, and a comprehensive array of revenue enhancement programs, including fundraising Campaigns, as well as Social Investment and Venture Philanthropy strategies. To ensure that each client organization receives the highest level of care and attention, the firm assigns a team led by a Senior Consultant to each client.

INNOVATION

WE SEE TWO MAJOR INITIATIVES on the horizon that will serve to strengthen our ability to transform organizations and position them on the vanguard of practice within their fields. These innovations will enable us to:

• Create More Dynamic Social Investment Interventions.

We are co-developing—with the Social Impact Exchange—a system that can be used effectively to identify and make growth capital investments in innovative nonprofits with a transformative service delivery model.

• Deploy Leading-Edge Strategies to Cultivate and Solicit Donors and Prospects.

We have developed a state-of-the-art service that enables us to identify, qualify, and rate the giving capacity of individuals that are a nonprofit's most promising major and annual gift prospects. A complement to our strategic advice, this service uses traditional and digital media strategies to accelerate the performance of an organization's campaign or major gift program and to dramatically increase the yield of its annual giving or membership program.

IMPACT

AS WE LOOK AHEAD, we seek to have a transformative impact on the capacity of our clients to deliver programs and services of the highest quality, to create programmatic innovations that enhance the reach and impact of their work, and to strengthen the resources that underpin their mission. This, in turn, enhances their ability to create authentic pathways out of poverty for thousands of adults, children, and young people each year.