The TW&B Difference

Successful, Real World Experience

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, we believe that our experience speaks for itself. Every consultant has senior-level development experience formed as advancement officers for an impressive array of nonprofits. As such, we provide consultation backed by hands-on fundraising experience and proven track records. Our diverse backgrounds encompass higher education, independent schools, major cultural organizations, social services, religious institutions, and health care agencies across Chicago, the Midwest, and the country.

 

Being Senior Means Being Seasoned

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, being senior means being seasoned. We know what it takes to work successfully with high-level staff and board members because we've been there. Protocol and productivity go hand-in-hand. We recognize the importance of demonstrating respect across all levels of an organization to ensure the best outcomes.

All of the consultants in the firm have served or are serving currently on nonprofit boards and professional associations themselves. At a large social service agency. A major public television station. An international education foundation. A nationally-known animal welfare agency. A small liberal arts college. A theological seminary. A variety of associations for nonprofit and advancement executives. Such involvements are important for maintaining and challenging perspective.

We believe philanthropy is very much a lifelong commitment, not just a chosen profession.

The Best is Always Available

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, we are the right scale for personal service, whether you are a highly sophisticated organization or a newly developing nonprofit.

In today's virtual world, excellence doesn't have to be under one roof anymore. But it does have to be at your fingertips. In addition to providing you with senior -—and only senior—consultants with an impressive depth and breadth of experience, we have access to the finest writers, researchers, designers, and technicians in the nonprofit marketplace. We assemble the right team for the right job. We offer the right skill set to suit your specific needs. We match the right personalities for the most productive fit.

Project by project. Client by client.

Access to the Top

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, our clients can access our collective experiences and insights for even broader perspective and selection. It means we build consensus in planning and strategizing as a team—before we go "public" with anything.

Front and Center and Behind the Scenes

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, we believe that being highly professional and ethical consultants means demonstrating flexibility in our ever-changing roles as leaders, collaborators, and trainers within your organization. Invaluable objectivity and candor. Insightful and professional analysis. A comprehensive approach that helps your nonprofit perform at higher levels of excellence. We also know how to leave our own egos at the front door. We don't just tell you what to do; we help you do it.

In other words, we know how to work for you: by working with you

There is Nothing Boilerplate About Us

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, we approach each client as if we were joining the organization as officers with responsibility—we assume a high degree of accountability in everything we do. We design and implement customized plans—not just boilerplate responses. This comes down to good listening and understanding the unique characteristics and distinct requirements of each one of our clients.

We welcome the challenge of creating something new—rather than recycling the same strategies and documents. We just don’t work that way.

How Do We Define Success?

At Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt, we are more interested in building our client’s own capacities than building a portfolio of lifetime retainers. Too often the line is crossed between providing counsel and creating dependence.

Success means taking our clients to the next level of achievement—helping them to overcome organizational weaknesses and capitalize on strengths. Helping them fulfill a vision they have for their organization and the constituencies they serve. Nurturing the strategies and solutions they need for success. We also take great pride in our own firm’s success. In a few very short years, Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt has found its own niche in the philanthropic marketplace. This is because our clients recognize the Ter Molen Watkins & Brandt difference. And we think our client list speaks for itself.