The Timothy Group

Frequently Asked Questions

Does our ministry need a consultant to help us?

You need the help of The Timothy Group if you need to raise more money than you have in the past, and you are not sure how to do that. Perhaps you need more money for your operating budget. Maybe you face a capital campaign. You may need to grow your endowment to generate more annual income for operating or capital purposes. You may need to make staff changes, or orient your board of directors to their role in financial development. These, and other reasons, indicate a need for help from The Timothy Group. Like anything else, a combination of the right tools and expertise provide the best outcome.

What does help from The Timothy Group cost?

The cost of help from The Timothy Group will be based on the amount of time spent working with you. Before you become obligated to pay any amount you will receive a proposal describing our respective roles, the amount of time involved and the cost. Only when a proposal becomes an agreement, signed by both parties, does the service begin and cost is incurred.

How should I contact The Timothy Group?

If you have had contact with a Timothy Group consultant in the past you may contact that person directly. If you do not know who is the best person to work with you, contact us at our office and you will be put in touch with the right person.

Who will we work with?

Much of the work of The Timothy Group is performed by a team of experts. You will relate to a senior consultant who will be responsible for the team's work and the relationship with your ministry.

Can we stop the service if that becomes necessary?

Most of our service agreements provide for an opportunity for either the client or The Timothy Group to terminate the service, with specified advance notice, for any reason. We only want you to pay for value you receive. Our goal is that at the end of the service you will agree that you received more than you had a right to expect.

Is The Timothy Group licensed, bonded and otherwise able to protect its clients?

The Timothy Group is appropriately licensed in each state in which it is working. It has a surety bond. Work is done under written agreement, copies of which are submitted to states attorneys general. We are active with, and known by, a variety of Christian and professional organizations and subscribe to their standards.

How is The Timothy Group different from other fund development consultants?

Some consultants work alone. Others may be part-time. Some only work in specific regions. Some may serve more secular clients than Christian ministries. Others may have served different kinds of ministries than yours. Some consultants require every client to go through the same steps in a particular service. Some consultants may only be experienced in one or two areas of financial development. The Timothy Group uses a team approach, in which a senior consultant is responsible for all people on the team working with the client. We have the depth to back up anyone on the team who might not be able to continue serving a client. With our varying expertise we can bring a specialist to clients at just the right time. The Timothy Group has an international base of over 1,500 past clients. As we promote stewardship, we have found that it is universally applicable in all kinds of circumstances.

Isn't fundraising counsel just for big organizations and big campaigns?

No, fundraising counsel works effectively with organizations big and small. The largest colleges and universities, such as Stanford, hire counsel even though they have hundreds of development staff people. At the same time, organizations with no full-time development staff and an annual budget of less than $500,000 also employ fund development counsel to assist in initiating Annual Funds, implementing Capital Campaigns, introducing giving opportunities on their website, and more.

How can I convince my board that I need help raising funds, from them and from counsel, without my directors thinking I don't know what I'm doing?

Ask board members:

1. Which of them has run (not just seen a little piece of) a capital campaign?

2. Which one of them has the time and expertise to organize all the pieces?

3. If it could raise $1 by spending $.05, wouldn't they want to do that all the time?

Tell the Board about the importance of relationships in financial development, which they have and you don't. Gently remind them that the most accomplished people in professions like acting, athletics, fine arts, politics, and leading businesses employ expert consultants to help them. Getting better at what you do is good stewardship.

Why do I need a fund development coach?

Tiger Woods has a driving coach, a putting coach, even a nutrition coach. The question is: do I know it all, or can I learn from someone who knows more than I do?

What kind of R.O.I. does The Timothy Group guarantee?

In a capital campaign of $5-7 million, the total fund raising cost should be 7-8%, and the cost for counsel may be 3-4%. The Timothy Group possesses an eighteen year track record of consistently helping Christian organizations develop more prayer and financial supporters and more dollars raised toward goals.

Where can I find a good chief advancement officer?

When The Timothy Group helps you search for a development staff person you need to:

1. Develop a position description.
2. Determine what personality traits the ideal candidate should have.
3. Advertise and determine the personality traits of the respondents.

What kind of executive searches does TTG do?

The Timothy Group helps ministries search for CEO's, Chief Advancement Officers, Major Gifts Officers, Annual Fund Directors, Gift Planning Directors, and more.

Isn't "Fundraising" a secular approach to acquiring the money we need?

Scripture lists a variety of occasions when people were asked to give: Moses for the Tabernacle, David for the Temple, and Paul for the Jews in Jerusalem. The Timothy Group seeks to teach the constituents of its clients about giving time, talent, and treasure out of a sense of gratitude to God. The focus is not on how much money can be obtained from people, but upon learning to give faithfully with a cheerful heart.

What does The Timothy Group mean by "stewardship"?

Being a steward means that we do not own anything, but are called upon by God to manage that which belongs to him and which he entrusts to us. The focus is as much on what we keep-and why-as on what we give away.

Don't fundraising consultants just give you a lot of boilerplate, i.e. different questions, but pretty much the same old answers?

Some may, but not The Timothy Group. Our approach is less like a cookbook which tells everyone to do the same things and more like an encyclopedia where our consultant directs you to the things you need to know. No two of our campaigns are alike. Each is adapted to the unique characteristics of the ministry client.

How can TTG help me get my board members involved in promoting and raising funds for our ministry?

The Timothy Group will orient and train Board members about the necessity and the practicality of being supporters of and ambassadors for the ministry. We will even go with Board members in the field to make calls.