REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Individual Giving & Major Donor Strategy Consultant
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC)
About FFLIC
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) is a statewide, grassroots, membership-based organization led by families and communities directly impacted by Louisiana's youth justice system. For 25 years, FFLIC has organized families, developed leaders, advanced policy change, and worked to transform systems that harm children and communities. In 2026, FFLIC is implementing its 2026–2028 Strategic Plan and strengthening the organizational infrastructure needed to sustain long-term systems change.
Purpose of the Engagement
FFLIC seeks an experienced Individual Giving & Major Donor Strategy Consultant to design and begin implementing a sustainable individual-donor program. The goal is to diversify organizational revenue, deepen relationships with individual supporters, and build practical fundraising systems and internal capacity that FFLIC can sustain beyond the consulting engagement.
FFLIC currently maintains significant institutional grant relationships. Foundation grant prospecting, grant writing, grant reporting, and grants management are not part of this engagement and will remain under the direction of the Executive Director and FFLIC staff.
Scope of Work
· Assess FFLIC's current individual donor history, current and lapsed donors, prospects, Board and organizational relationships, former members and allies, 25-year network, communications lists, donor records, and existing fundraising systems.
· Develop a 12–18 month individual-giving strategy with realistic revenue, acquisition, retention, renewal, and growth targets across grassroots, recurring, mid-level, and major donors.
· Develop and prioritize a qualified, segmented donor/prospect pipeline, beginning with people already connected to FFLIC's history, mission, relationships, and networks.
· Support major-donor cultivation and solicitation through prospect research, donor briefs, meeting preparation, ask strategies, talking points, follow-up plans, and coaching for the Executive Director and appropriate Board members.
· Design and support implementation of year-end and other individual-giving campaigns, including opportunities connected to FFLIC's 25th anniversary, recurring giving, donor re-engagement, and appropriate new-donor acquisition.
· Establish or strengthen donor-management practices, including CRM/database use, moves management, donor segmentation, gift acknowledgment, stewardship, contact notes, solicitation tracking, recurring donor systems, and a fundraising calendar/dashboard.
· Collaborate with FFLIC's Communications Director on donor-facing messaging, appeals, case-for-support materials, stewardship communications, and related tools.
· Clarify fundraising roles for the Executive Director, consultant, Board, Communications, and Finance, and provide practical coaching to strengthen organizational fundraising capacity.
· Provide monthly reporting on donor pipeline development, cultivation activity, meetings, solicitations, gifts secured, donor retention, and progress toward agreed goals.
· Provide an end-of-engagement sustainability and transition plan, including recommendations for the staffing, systems, budget, and practices needed to maintain and grow individual giving.
Key Deliverables
Deliverables and Timeline
First 30 Days
- Conduct an assessment of current individual-giving assets.
- Provide recommended near-term and 2027 individual-giving revenue targets.
First 30–45 Days
- Develop a segmented donor and prospect pipeline.
- Identify cultivation priorities, relationship owners, and recommended next steps for each prospect.
First 45 Days
- Deliver a written 12–18 month individual-giving and major-donor strategy.
Q4 2026
- Create and support implementation of a year-end and 25th Anniversary individual-giving campaign strategy.
Monthly
- Provide a dashboard tracking:
- Donor prospects
- Cultivation activities and moves
- Meetings conducted
- Solicitation asks
- Gifts received
- Donor retention
- Next steps and follow-up actions
Ongoing Throughout the Engagement
- Coach and support the Executive Director and Board in major-donor cultivation and solicitation efforts.
End of Engagement
- Deliver a sustainability and transition plan, including recommendations for future development staffing and fundraising infrastructure needs.
Consultant Qualifications
· Demonstrated experience building or significantly strengthening individual-giving and major-donor programs for nonprofit organizations.
· Experience with grassroots, advocacy, movement-building, racial justice, youth justice, or community-led organizations strongly preferred.
· Demonstrated ability to build donor pipelines and coach executive and Board leadership in relationship-based fundraising.
· Experience establishing practical donor-management, moves-management, stewardship, and reporting systems.
· Strong understanding of ethical fundraising, donor privacy, and relationship-based philanthropy.
· Ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership, communications, finance, and Board members.
· Louisiana and/or Southern philanthropy experience is preferred, but strong relevant national experience will be considered.
Proposal Requirements
· A brief description of your approach to building an individual-giving program for an organization at FFLIC's stage of development.
· Examples of two or three comparable engagements and measurable results.
· A proposed work plan and timeline for the engagement.
· A proposed near-term individual-giving target and a 2027 target, with the assumptions behind those projections clearly stated.
· Proposed monthly or project fee and any anticipated expenses.
· Two to three relevant client references.
· Identification and brief bio of the lead consultant(s) who would perform the work.
Budget & Contract Structure
FFLIC anticipates a fixed monthly or project-fee engagement. Respondents should propose a fee that reflects the scope and level of support recommended. Compensation will not be structured as a percentage of funds raised, commission, or finder's fee. The final agreement will define the scope, deliverables, reporting expectations, confidentiality, ownership of work product, and termination provisions.
Ownership & Knowledge Transfer
All donor/prospect records, research, contact notes, cultivation plans, templates, campaign materials, dashboards, and other work products created through the engagement must be maintained in FFLIC-owned systems and remain the property of FFLIC. The consultant will document processes and support knowledge transfer so that fundraising relationships and institutional knowledge remain with the organization.
Selection Criteria
· Depth of individual-giving and major-donor experience.
· Demonstrated ability to build sustainable fundraising systems, not only secure short-term gifts.
· Relevant experience with organizations similar to FFLIC in mission, culture, size, or stage of development.
· Quality, practicality, and realism of the proposed approach and revenue assumptions.
· Ability to coach and partner effectively with an Executive Director and Board.
· Values and mission alignment.
· Cost and overall value.
Proposed Selection Timeline
FFLIC intends to conduct an expedited selection process. Proposals will be reviewed as received, followed by interviews with a small group of finalists and reference checks. The anticipated engagement start is September 2026. Exact proposal deadline, interview dates, and start date will be included in the circulated version of this RFP.
Additional Details:
- Type of position: Hybrid/flexible — much of the work can be completed remotely, with availability for periodic in-person meetings as needed.
- Location: Louisiana residency is not required. Preference for someone familiar with Louisiana/the Gulf South and able to participate in occasional in-person meetings in New Orleans.
- Budget: $3,000–$5,000 per month, depending on experience and agreed scope, for a 6–12 month consulting engagement.
How to Submit
Please submit one PDF containing your proposal and requested materials to Executive Director, Gina Womack to [email protected]. The deadline is August 21st or until filled.
About the Selection Process
FFLIC is particularly interested in consultants who understand that sustainable individual giving is rooted in relationships, trust, stewardship, and disciplined systems. The selected consultant should be prepared to build on FFLIC's existing relationships and 25-year history while helping the organization establish a stronger and more diversified individual-donor program.
Pay: Up to $5,000.00 per month
People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply
Work Location: Hybrid remote in New Orleans, LA 70119
