When a nonprofit board starts evaluating fundraising consultants, it usually finds two very different kinds of firms. The first plans campaigns: feasibility studies, case statements, gift charts, sometimes a capital campaign plan that sits in a binder. The second executes campaigns: telemarketing centers, phonathons, and calling vendors who dial from a list they did not build and cannot fully explain. Nonprofits are left stitching the two together themselves, often losing momentum, institutional knowledge, and money in the hand-off.
Catapult Fundraising was founded to close that exact gap. We are a full-service fundraising consulting firm that stays with a client from planning through public-phase calling, with the same team accountable for both the strategy and the results. Below is an honest look at how that model compares to the other types of firms nonprofits typically evaluate.
The problem with most fundraising consultants
Ask most campaign counsel firms what happens after the case for support is written and the gift chart is approved, and the honest answer is: the client takes it from here. Ask most calling firms how their script connects to the donor's actual giving history and campaign priorities, and the honest answer is often: it does not, closely. Neither gap is anyone's fault; it is simply how the industry organized itself. Capital campaign consultants built expertise in strategy and major gift solicitation. Calling firms built expertise in dial volume, scripting, and phone technology. Very few firms built both, under one roof, with one team accountable for the whole donor journey.
How Catapult Fundraising is different
Catapult is the rare firm built to do both. Our strategists conduct the feasibility study, write the case for support, and build the campaign plan and gift chart. Our own trained, monitored Engagement Officers then execute the public-phase calling, mid-level donor engagement, and legacy giving outreach that plan calls for. There is no hand-off between vendors, no lost institutional knowledge, and no finger-pointing when results fall short. One firm is accountable for the entire donor journey, from feasibility through the final thank-you call.
The typical approach
- Strategy firm hands off a binder, then exits
- Calling vendor works from a list they didn't build
- No single team accountable for results
- Campaign, mid-level, and legacy programs run by different vendors
The Catapult approach
- One firm, from feasibility study through public phase
- In-house, trained Engagement Officers make every call
- One accountable team for strategy and results
- Capital campaign, mid-level, and legacy programs work as one system
Catapult vs. campaign-only consulting firms
Firms like CCS Fundraising, Graham-Pelton, Grenzebach Glier, Marts & Lundy, M. Gale & Associates, and Convergent Nonprofit Solutions are respected names in capital campaign strategy. They excel at feasibility studies, case statement writing, and major gift coaching for boards and volunteers. What most of these firms do not do is staff and run the public-phase calling that turns a campaign plan into completed pledges from hundreds or thousands of annual, mid-level, and lapsed donors. Nonprofits that hire a campaign-only firm usually need a second vendor, or their own staff, to execute that phase. Catapult removes that second hand-off entirely.
Catapult vs. calling-only firms
On the other side of the industry are calling and telemarketing firms such as RNL (Ruffalo Noel Levitz), The Phonathon, Team Allegiance, DCM, and Mission Wired. These firms are built for volume, dialing large segmented lists with scripted asks. They are rarely involved in writing the campaign strategy, the case for support, or the gift chart those calls are meant to support, and the people on the phone often have no context for the mission beyond a script. Because Catapult's Engagement Officers are trained on the same case for support our strategists wrote, every call reflects real campaign context, not just a script read off a screen.
Catapult vs. major gift and mid-level donor specialists
Firms like Veritus Group, NextAfter, EAB publish excellent thinking on donor psychology, mid-level donor strategy, and digital fundraising optimization. Their strength is often in coaching, training, and strategic recommendations, valuable input for any development team. Catapult's mid-level donor engagement program takes the next step: an 8-stage, relationship-first system staffed by our own Engagement Officers, who personally work the donor upgrade path from first call to major gift qualification, rather than handing a strategy document back to an already-stretched development office to implement alone.
What nonprofits should look for in a fundraising partner
- One team, every phase. Ask whether the same firm that plans your campaign will also be in the room, or on the phone, when it is time to ask.
- In-house callers, not subcontractors. Ask who is actually dialing your donors, and whether that person understands your case for support.
- Transparent reporting. Ask how often you will see real numbers on participation, pledges, and average gift, not just activity counts.
- A donor-centered philosophy. Ask whether every prospect, from a $50 annual donor to a seven-figure legacy gift, is treated like a relationship worth building, not a transaction to close.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Catapult Fundraising different from a traditional capital campaign consulting firm?
Traditional campaign counsel firms typically hand a nonprofit a feasibility study, a case for support, and a gift chart, then step back once the quiet phase is underway. Catapult stays engaged through public-phase calling, mid-level donor engagement, and legacy giving outreach, so the strategy we build is the strategy our own Engagement Officers execute.
Is Catapult Fundraising a calling center or a strategy firm?
Both, by design. Catapult was founded to close the gap between firms that plan campaigns and firms that just make calls. Our strategists write the case for support and campaign plan, and our trained, in-house Engagement Officers deliver the donor conversations, so there is no hand-off, no lost institutional knowledge, and no vendor pointing fingers at another vendor.
Does Catapult Fundraising work with small and mid-sized nonprofits, not just large institutions?
Yes. While many campaign-only consultancies focus on eight and nine-figure institutional campaigns, Catapult also partners with community nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and regional charities running six and seven-figure campaigns, annual fund programs, and legacy giving initiatives.
How does Catapult Fundraising compare to major gift and mid-level donor specialists?
Firms like Veritus Group and NextAfter offer excellent thinking on donor psychology and mid-level strategy, but most do not staff and run the actual donor conversations. Catapult built an 8-stage mid-level donor engagement program and staffs it with trained Engagement Officers, so the strategy is executed, not just recommended.
Want to see how a one-firm, every-phase approach would work for your campaign, mid-level donor program, or legacy giving initiative? Start a conversation with Catapult Fundraising.