Minnesota Planned Giving Council Newsletter

Dianne Hennes, Founding Partner and Principal, was interviewed for Organization Spotlight article in ‘The Source.’

Interview by Justin Palecek, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Without going into depth, describe the key points about your services for development departments and staff.

HBH Consultants is a firm of three consultants – co-founders and principals Bob Bunger, Dayton Hultgren and me – and adjunct marketing specialist Sarah Libbon of Westmoreland Flint agency. We apply a “360-degree” view to help our clients succeed. We provide the following services:

• Planning – strategic, business, communication and marketing
• Developing comprehensive fund development programs
• Positioning (feasibility) studies
• Prospect research and grant writing
• Organizational assessments and program evaluation
• Guiding capital fundraising campaigns
• Board training and development
• Executive coaching and mentoring
• Custom-designed continuing education programs

Does the size of the development department matter when seeking out your services?

No. We work with not-for-profits at every stage, from volunteer-led or start-up programs to mature organizations.

You have described your primary services above, can you describe the types of assistance your organization provides (i.e., workshops, one-on-one consulting, data analysis)?

We provide workshops that are custom-designed for individual organizations as well as more in-depth seminars such as the Board Leadership Academy and Benedictine Health System Foundation’s Gift Planning Collaborative. We also provide individualized services such as consulting with boards of directors and custom-designed continuing education for staff.

What kinds of assistance has your organization been providing most as a result of a down economy?

Assisting with business and strategic planning, employee evaluation, custom workshops, and continuing to help organizations to improve their capacity building programs through strategic relationship building and fund development.

Describe what an organization should consider when hiring a development consultant.

The Giving Institute (www.givingusa.org) has an excellent list. We recommend that the organization make sure that the fit between the consultant’s skills and work style fit well with the organization, check references, and create a written agreement and timeline for the work that is clear to everyone concerned. As consultants, we also want to be sure that our services are a good fit for the organizations we support.

What is the most rewarding part of your job as a consultant to non-profits?

Helping not-for-profit organizations set and reach challenging goals.

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