Comprehensive fundraising solutions from a name you trust.

For decades, our team focused mainly on helping clients grow and improve their major gift fundraising effectiveness and outcomes. We realized, however, that achieving transformational mission impact requires an equally transformational fundraising program – across every channel and segment of giving. We believe there’s a better way to fundraise than most agencies are offering today. That’s why DickersonBakker now offers a full spectrum of direct response fundraising and marketing services to our clients.

Treat every donor like a major donor.

Fundamentally, every donor wants the same thing – whether they give a hundred dollars or a hundred thousand dollars. Our fundraising solutions leverage mass-personalization approaches so you can treat every donor like a major donor, moving them from transactional to transformational giving through enhanced relationship development strategies at every point in the donor journey.

Here’s how we can help you.

Our team of experts will help you craft a comprehensive fundraising solution that plays to your strengths, suits your unique needs, and is tailored to your budget.

High-Value Direct Mail

High-Value Direct Mail

Our innovative direct mail program integrates an intentional messaging cadence for mid- and major donors to harvest higher value gifts.

Innovative Digital Approach

Innovative Digital Approach

We will help you leverage your website, emails, and social media to mobilize meaningful engagement with donors at all giving levels.

Compelling Creative

Compelling Creative

Our creative team will help you amplify brand awareness, elevate storytelling, increase engagement, and drive more investment in your mission.

Actionable Analytics

Actionable Analytics

We will help you get command over your donor data so you can become more adept at acquiring new donors and maximizing their giving over time.

Smart Testing

Smart Testing

You need proven solutions, not simple ideas. We test broadly on audience, offer, ask strategy, donor journey, and overall treatment, not just creative.

Integrative Strategies

Integrative Strategies

We are a full-service nonprofit consultancy. You may not need everything we have to offer, but it’s good to know it’s there when you need it.
Invest wisely. Fundraise confidently.

At DickersonBakker we have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into fundraising technology to make sure our clients can stay ahead in an ever-changing industry. We are also partnering with platforms and companies that are leveraging vast amounts of consumer data with the latest machine learning and artificial intelligence in realtime. In addition, we regularly conduct research studies to gain a deeper understanding of donor attitudes, perceptions, and trends in the industry.

Introducing Donor inSight™

Donor inSight™ is DickersonBakker’s new, proprietary data analytics platform designed to help you discover 360° insights into your donors and their giving patterns so you can become more efficient and productive, resulting in a more effective approach and higher fundraising returns.

This system enables you to track and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) “at a glance” so that you can make informed, evidence-based decisions about your fundraising program quickly and efficiently. It also allows us to easily sort, segment, and select your donors to help ensure that you are providing them with a messaging and engagement program that is tailored to their individual priorities and preferences.

Why not contact us today for a free demonstration?

You need a partner, not just an agency.

You probably chose to step into the nonprofit space because you had a vision for a better world - something you can be proud to pass onto the next generation. We get that. When you partner with DickersonBakker, you aren’t just retaining an agency. You are engaging a team of experts that is passionate about your cause and will treat you as an equal partner in the process - valuing your ideas, input, and experience. We gain joy from the enduring relationships we build with our clients, working shoulder-to-shoulder with you to make a greater impact.

Ready to discover a better way to fundraise? Why not contact us today to start a conversation?

Keystone Major Gifts Solution™

Our signature program, the Keystone Major Gifts Solution™, is a comprehensive package of services designed to help your organization develop all of the key components needed to build a sustainable and effective major gift development program.


The component parts of the Keystone Solution™ are universally important, no matter the size or type of your organization. They can be implemented as a turnkey solution to build a major gift program from the ground up or we can customize a package of services for organizations with an existing program in place but seeking to improve their effectiveness and outcomes in this area.

People:

Of all the building blocks needed to create a major gift program, none is more important than the people you have in place on your major gift leadership team. Having the right people in the right roles is a critical part of the Keystone Solution™ and we will work with you to ensure that your staff and volunteers are well-trained and appropriately gifted for their roles. If necessary, we will work with you to recruit additional members to your major gift leadership team.

Presentation:

The case statement, also known as the “case for support,” provides a glimpse into the heart of a non-profit organization and is a vital part of any major gift fundraising effort. With over twenty years experience working with major donors we know what they are looking for in an offer. We will work with you to craft a compelling and professional case for support and guide you through the development of additional collateral materials needed to effectively present your case. We will also spend time in the field with your team to help them hone their presentation skills and train them in the “Art of the Close”.

Prospects:

Any good fisherman knows that you can’t catch a big fish if you’ve got your line in the wrong pond. The future success of any major gift fund-raising program is built upon the organization’s ability to attract new donors to support its mission. To ensure on-going growth, a wide base of dynamic support is necessary, which presumes that a significant number of new major donors must be acquired and subsequently nurtured and elevated to rising giving levels. Using both “high-tech” and “high-touch” approaches we will work with your organization to identify a pool of best major gift prospects for your major gift program and to segment them into prioritized lists. As part of our prospecting services, we are also able to provide Donor Research Services to help you realize the major gift potential in your donor database and circles of influence.

Pathways:

No doubt you’ve heard it said that successful major gift fund development is “all about relationships”. We couldn’t agree more. At the same time, however, it just isn’t that simple. Real success in major gift fundraising is about strategically managing relationships with high-value donors in order to maximize their understanding of, interest in, involvement with, and commitment to your organization and its underlying mission. Even the word “relationships” is ambiguous. Major donors don’t have “relationships” with organizations. They have relationships with people in the organization. Too many put too much emphasis on the relationship with the development officer and overlook the importance of others. Relationships between your organization and its major donors actually have multiple dimensions, each increasingly important as you advance to higher tiers of giving.

Practices:

Successful major gift fundraising is both an art and a science. The art is in the relationships, but the science is in the systems. Someone once said, “Motivation is what gets you started; good habits are what keep you going.” Putting good major gift development policies and procedures in place and getting into the habit of living by them is a critical part of making a program sustainable. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates will work with your organization to implement best practices within your major gift development department to ensure that the improvements we put in place will continue not just beyond our term of service but can be consistently applied even if you have a turnover of staff.

Quality:

While mainstream donors may be satisfied with a simple understanding of what an organization does, major donors are more interested in what an organization achieves, or—more specifically—will achieve with the money they invest. Major donors want to know how their investment is helping bring about positive change in the lives of people. Major donors increasingly condition giving upon delivery of impact metrics, often requesting information on outcomes even before investing. Organizations that are serious about achieving success in major gift development will therefore do best when they embrace a culture that supports and encourages outcomes thinking.

Brand:

An organization’s brand is perhaps its most important asset. Most people think of brand superficially—considering only those aspects encompassing the “look and feel” of an organization (e.g. name, logo, etc.). Those brand marks are just outward expressions of your brand, however. At a deeper level, BRAND represents a promise to your constituents of those quintessential qualities that define who you are, what you do, and what you stand for as an organization. Doubt about the integrity of an organization’s brand promise almost always has a detrimental effect on giving, regardless of the effectiveness or competency of the fund development staff. Establishing and adhering to a clear focused brand is foundational in your ability to communicate who you are, what you do, where you are going, and how you will get there.

Culture:

CULTURE refers to the collective attitudes that characterize and impact the ways that an organization’s people will perceive one another and work together. A “development-friendly” culture provides a fertile soil for giving to flourish. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates has identified six ingredients that together comprise a vibrant, development-friendly culture, and—if consistently applied—will significantly improve your organization’s ability to consistently garner high-level investments from major donors.

Keystone Major Gifts Solution™

Our signature program, the Keystone Major Gifts Solution™, is a comprehensive package of services designed to help your organization develop all of the key components needed to build a sustainable and effective major gift development program.

The component parts of the Keystone Solution™ are universally important, no matter the size or type of your organization. They can be implemented as a turnkey solution to build a major gift program from the ground up. We can also customize a package of services for organizations with an existing program already in place, with the goal of improving their effectiveness and outcomes.

Click on the individual elements of the Keystone Solution™ graphic for more information on each component of the program.

People:

Of all the building blocks needed to create a major gift program, none is more important than the people you have in place on your major gift leadership team. Having the right people in the right roles is a critical part of the Keystone Solution™ and we will work with you to ensure that your staff and volunteers are well-trained and appropriately gifted for their roles. If necessary, we will work with you to recruit additional members to your major gift leadership team.

Presentation:

The case statement, also known as the “case for support,” provides a glimpse into the heart of a non-profit organization and is a vital part of any major gift fundraising effort. With over twenty years experience working with major donors we know what they are looking for in an offer. We will work with you to craft a compelling and professional case for support and guide you through the development of additional collateral materials needed to effectively present your case. We will also spend time in the field with your team to help them hone their presentation skills and train them in the “Art of the Close”.

Prospects:

Any good fisherman knows that you can’t catch a big fish if you’ve got your line in the wrong pond. The future success of any major gift fund-raising program is built upon the organization’s ability to attract new donors to support its mission. To ensure on-going growth, a wide base of dynamic support is necessary, which presumes that a significant number of new major donors must be acquired and subsequently nurtured and elevated to rising giving levels. Using both “high-tech” and “high-touch” approaches we will work with your organization to identify a pool of best major gift prospects for your major gift program and to segment them into prioritized lists. As part of our prospecting services, we are also able to provide Donor Research Services to help you realize the major gift potential in your donor database and circles of influence.

Pathways:

No doubt you’ve heard it said that successful major gift fund development is “all about relationships”. We couldn’t agree more. At the same time, however, it just isn’t that simple. Real success in major gift fundraising is about strategically managing relationships with high-value donors in order to maximize their understanding of, interest in, involvement with, and commitment to your organization and its underlying mission. Even the word “relationships” is ambiguous. Major donors don’t have “relationships” with organizations. They have relationships with people in the organization. Too many put too much emphasis on the relationship with the development officer and overlook the importance of others. Relationships between your organization and its major donors actually have multiple dimensions, each increasingly important as you advance to higher tiers of giving.

Practices:

Successful major gift fundraising is both an art and a science. The art is in the relationships, but the science is in the systems. Someone once said, “Motivation is what gets you started; good habits are what keep you going.” Putting good major gift development policies and procedures in place and getting into the habit of living by them is a critical part of making a program sustainable. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates will work with your organization to implement best practices within your major gift development department to ensure that the improvements we put in place will continue not just beyond our term of service but can be consistently applied even if you have a turnover of staff.

Quality:

While mainstream donors may be satisfied with a simple understanding of what an organization does, major donors are more interested in what an organization achieves, or—more specifically—will achieve with the money they invest. Major donors want to know how their investment is helping bring about positive change in the lives of people. Major donors increasingly condition giving upon delivery of impact metrics, often requesting information on outcomes even before investing. Organizations that are serious about achieving success in major gift development will therefore do best when they embrace a culture that supports and encourages outcomes thinking.

Brand:

An organization’s brand is perhaps its most important asset. Most people think of brand superficially—considering only those aspects encompassing the “look and feel” of an organization (e.g. name, logo, etc.). Those brand marks are just outward expressions of your brand, however. At a deeper level, BRAND represents a promise to your constituents of those quintessential qualities that define who you are, what you do, and what you stand for as an organization. Doubt about the integrity of an organization’s brand promise almost always has a detrimental effect on giving, regardless of the effectiveness or competency of the fund development staff. Establishing and adhering to a clear focused brand is foundational in your ability to communicate who you are, what you do, where you are going, and how you will get there.

Culture:

CULTURE refers to the collective attitudes that characterize and impact the ways that an organization’s people will perceive one another and work together. A “development-friendly” culture provides a fertile soil for giving to flourish. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates has identified six ingredients that together comprise a vibrant, development-friendly culture, and—if consistently applied—will significantly improve your organization’s ability to consistently garner high-level investments from major donors.

Discover your Better Way

Fundamentally, every donor wants the same thing – whether they give a hundred dollars or a hundred thousand dollars. Our fundraising solutions leverage mass-personalization approaches so you can treat every donor like a major donor, moving them from transactional to transformational giving through enhanced relationship development strategies at every point in the donor journey.

Here’s what a better way could look like for you:

• Emphasizes value over volume
• Focuses on donor retention and elevation to maximize net revenue
• Integrates major donor activation and engagement strategies
• Universal donor journey mapping
• More compelling storytelling, impact reporting, and two-way communication
• More asset-based giving
• More meaningful relationships with donors (and with your agency!)

Why keep settling for less?
More is better.

Derric Bakker

President
Far too few achieve real success growing major gifts in a sustainable way. All too often, organizations simply fall into a pattern of doing the same thing year after year with diminishing returns. Why keep settling for less when more is within your reach?
Fundraising
Experts
team image
Senior VP Fundraising Solutions
Andrew Olsen, CFRE
team image
Account Director
Victoria Mannoia, MBA
team image
President
Derric Bakker, MBA

Meet The Team

Meet the experienced and talented folks that you will be working alongside.

Pathways:

No doubt you’ve heard it said that successful major gift fund development is “all about relationships”. We couldn’t agree more. At the same time, however, it just isn’t that simple. Real success in major gift fundraising is about strategically managing relationships with high-value donors in order to maximize their understanding of, interest in, involvement with, and commitment to your organization and its underlying mission. Even the word “relationships” is ambiguous. Major donors don’t have “relationships” with organizations. They have relationships with people in the organization. Too many put too much emphasis on the relationship with the development officer and overlook the importance of others. Relationships between your organization and its major donors actually have multiple dimensions, each increasingly important as you advance to higher tiers of giving.


This will close in 0 seconds

Presentation:

The case statement, also known as the “case for support,” provides a glimpse into the heart of a non-profit organization and is a vital part of any major gift fundraising effort. With over twenty years experience working with major donors we know what they are looking for in an offer. We will work with you to craft a compelling and professional case for support and guide you through the development of additional collateral materials needed to effectively present your case. We will also spend time in the field with your team to help them hone their presentation skills and train them in the “Art of the Close”.


This will close in 0 seconds

People:

Of all the building blocks needed to create a major gift program, none is more important than the people you have in place on your major gift leadership team. Having the right people in the right roles is a critical part of the Keystone Solution™ and we will work with you to ensure that your staff and volunteers are well-trained and appropriately gifted for their roles. If necessary, we will work with you to recruit additional members to your major gift leadership team.


This will close in 0 seconds

Prospects:

Any good fisherman knows that you can’t catch a big fish if you’ve got your line in the wrong pond. The future success of any major gift fund-raising program is built upon the organization’s ability to attract new donors to support its mission. To ensure on-going growth, a wide base of dynamic support is necessary, which presumes that a significant number of new major donors must be acquired and subsequently nurtured and elevated to rising giving levels. Using both “high-tech” and “high-touch” approaches we will work with your organization to identify a pool of best major gift prospects for your major gift program and to segment them into prioritized lists. As part of our prospecting services, we are also able to provide Donor Research Services to help you realize the major gift potential in your donor database and circles of influence.


This will close in 0 seconds

Practices:

Successful major gift fundraising is both an art and a science. The art is in the relationships, but the science is in the systems. Someone once said, “Motivation is what gets you started; good habits are what keep you going.” Putting good major gift development policies and procedures in place and getting into the habit of living by them is a critical part of making a program sustainable. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates will work with your organization to implement best practices within your major gift development department to ensure that the improvements we put in place will continue not just beyond our term of service but can be consistently applied even if you have a turnover of staff.


This will close in 0 seconds

Brand:

An organization’s brand is perhaps its most important asset. Most people think of brand superficially—considering only those aspects encompassing the “look and feel” of an organization (e.g. name, logo, etc.). Those brand marks are just outward expressions of your brand, however. At a deeper level, BRAND represents a promise to your constituents of those quintessential qualities that define who you are, what you do, and what you stand for as an organization. Doubt about the integrity of an organization’s brand promise almost always has a detrimental effect on giving, regardless of the effectiveness or competency of the fund development staff. Establishing and adhering to a clear focused brand is foundational in your ability to communicate who you are, what you do, where you are going, and how you will get there.


This will close in 0 seconds

Culture:

CULTURE refers to the collective attitudes that characterize and impact the ways that an organization’s people will perceive one another and work together. A “development-friendly” culture provides a fertile soil for giving to flourish. Dickerson, Bakker & Associates has identified six ingredients that together comprise a vibrant, development-friendly culture, and—if consistently applied—will significantly improve your organization’s ability to consistently garner high-level investments from major donors.


This will close in 0 seconds

Quality:

While mainstream donors may be satisfied with a simple understanding of what an organization does, major donors are more interested in what an organization achieves, or—more specifically—will achieve with the money they invest. Major donors want to know how their investment is helping bring about positive change in the lives of people. Major donors increasingly condition giving upon delivery of impact metrics, often requesting information on outcomes even before investing. Organizations that are serious about achieving success in major gift development will therefore do best when they embrace a culture that supports and encourages outcomes thinking.


This will close in 0 seconds