A Clear Organizational Diagnosis
Your fundraising infrastructure, staffing model, board engagement, and development practices are evaluated against your goals. You leave with an honest, specific picture of what is working, what isn't, and why.
Development Assessments
The Strategic Foundation for Fundraising Growth
When fundraising performance is plateauing, leadership is in transition,
or you need help with how to scale your fundraising to the next level of growth, Covenant Philanthropic Solutions provides an honest assessment and a clear path forward.
You're ready to take your fundraising to the next level, but need clarity on how to get there.
Organizations often reach a growth ceiling when their development infrastructure, staffing, or board engagement hasn't kept pace with their ambitions. We help you see the full picture.
Your organization is navigating a leadership transition and needs clarity on where development stands.
Leadership gaps create uncertainty. A structured assessment gives your organization an honest view of its fundraising health before the next chapter begins.
You suspect misalignment between your staffing model, board engagement, and fundraising goals, but you're not sure where to start.
Sometimes the challenge isn't effort. It's structure. We help organizations identify what needs to change and build a roadmap for getting there.
What You Get
What a Development Assessment Delivers
A Covenant development assessment goes beyond a snapshot of where things stand. We provide an organizational diagnosis, a fundraising strategic plan, and specific recommendations your team can act on.
A Strategic Fundraising Implementation Roadmap
Based on our findings, we build a detailed Strategic Fundraising Implementation Roadmap: a practical, prioritized three- to five-year guide customized to your organization's specific goals, timeline, and available resources.
Staffing and Board Recommendations
Where relevant, we provide detailed staffing recommendations, including org charts and job descriptions, along with board matrix analysis to ensure your structure supports your fundraising ambitions.
A Defined Path Forward
Every assessment concludes with clear, actionable guidance so your leadership knows what to prioritize, in what order, and with what level of urgency.
The Results Speak for Themselves
- 10,000+
Stakeholder strategy sessions for transformational development projects
- $2B+
Raised on campaigns
- 1,000+
Organizations served
Process
How We Conduct a Development Assessment
Goal-Setting Session
We begin by aligning with your leadership on the specific questions this assessment needs to answer. No two assessments look exactly the same, and ours are built around your organization's situation and goals.
Document Review
We conduct a thorough review of your existing development materials, including fundraising plans, gift tables, board lists, staffing structures, and donor data. This groundwork informs everything that follows.
Constituent Conversations
We conduct confidential conversations with staff, board members, and key constituents to deepen our understanding of your organization's fundraising health, beyond what documents alone can tell us.
Assessment Report
We deliver a comprehensive written assessment of your development program's strengths, gaps, and opportunities, along with findings your leadership can act on immediately.
Strategic Fundraising Implementation Roadmap
The assessment culminates in a detailed Strategic Fundraising Implementation Roadmap: your organization's three- to five-year guide for growing fundraising capacity, with phased recommendations, staffing guidance, and measurable milestones.
What to Expect
How the Engagement Works
Most development assessments take one to two months to complete, with weekly check-ins and focused document review in the early phase. Throughout the process, you'll work directly with senior-level Covenant advisors.
Each assessment is customized to the specific questions your organization needs answered, whether that centers on fundraising infrastructure, staffing, board performance, or a combination of all three.
What we lead
Assessment design, conversation facilitation, findings analysis, and report delivery.
What we support your team to do
Gathering internal materials, scheduling conversations, and implementing recommendations.
What Nonprofits Say About Working With Covenant Philanthropic Solutions
Trusted by Nonprofits. Proven in Practice.
“There are no other words that better describe Claudia Looney’s skills as a fundraiser… She is a Superstar. During my time working with Claudia at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, we raised over $1 billion to build a new hospital and support various programs. She is strategic in her thinking and can translate strategy into executable plans for success.”
- Richard Cordova
- Retired President and CEO, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
"Covenant Philanthropic Solutions provided an exceptional staff assessment and fundraising plan for The Salvation Army Intermountain Division's development team. Their thoughtful approach, clear insights, and actionable recommendations have significantly strengthened our team's capacity and strategic direction. We are grateful for their expertise and the lasting impact on our mission's success."
- Justin Coleman
- Divisional Director of Development, The Salvation Army Intermountain Division
"Claudia Looney is the complete pro, mixing skills, drive and wisdom. Her professional knowledge cannot be overstated. What a gift she is for all of us in the fundraising arena!"
- Tim Bauer
- Executive Director of Development, Olive Crest
Success Stories
Development Assessments in Action
Strategic guidance. Measurable results.
From Underperformance to Strategic Clarity
When the Shea Center’s CDO unexpectedly resigned, Covenant delivered a comprehensive development assessment with 40+ strategic recommendations, including staff restructuring. A Fractional Interim CDO was placed to lead implementation, and the resulting changes quickly produced significant budget margin and new fundraising flexibility.
Intermountain Division: Rebuilding After Complete Staff Turnover
Following the complete turnover of its development staff and leadership, the Salvation Army Intermountain Division engaged Covenant for a comprehensive staffing assessment. A full review of org charts, job descriptions, KPIs, and supervision structures produced a findings report and 5-year staffing plan that put the division on a path toward greater major-gifts effectiveness.
Building a Campaign Foundation Through Assessment
Before launching a major gifts campaign, the San Diego Food Bank engaged Covenant for a comprehensive development assessment. Forty strategic recommendations helped the organization strengthen its fundraising infrastructure and launch the campaign with Covenant’s continued support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between a development assessment and a staffing assessment?
A development assessment evaluates your entire fundraising program, including strategy, infrastructure, staffing, and board engagement. A staffing assessment focuses specifically on your development team structure, roles, and org design. Many engagements incorporate both, and we’ll tailor the scope to your organization’s specific needs.
Who is this assessment really evaluating?
A development assessment evaluates your organization’s fundraising systems, practices, and structure, not individual performance. We conduct all conversations confidentially to create the conditions for honest, useful findings.
What if we uncover significant issues?
That’s often the point. Covenant is candid about what we find, and we deliver our findings with context and a concrete plan for addressing them. Identifying challenges early is far more valuable than discovering them later.
How long does a development assessment take?
Most assessments run one to three months. The timeline depends on the complexity of your organization and the scope of the questions we’re working to answer. We’ll set clear expectations at the outset.
What comes next after the assessment is complete?
Many organizations use a development assessment as the starting point for a broader engagement, whether that’s interim staffing support, campaign planning, or ongoing advisory counsel. We’ll help you identify the right next step based on what we find.
Do you make staffing decisions for us?
No. We provide staffing recommendations, org charts, and job descriptions, but decisions about hiring, restructuring, or transitions remain with your organization’s leadership. Our role is to give you the analysis to make those decisions with confidence.
Ready to Get a Clear Picture of Where Your Organization Stands?
A Covenant development assessment gives your leadership an honest diagnosis and a clear roadmap for growth. Let’s talk about what questions we can answer for you.
