Jerry Consulting Group LLC

🎶 Music has always been a big ol' hug to me.

It's where I reflect.
It's where I recharge.
It's often where I find my greatest creativity.

This month's "Dear Nonprofit CEOs" newsletter begins with a reflection on Chicago stepping, leadership, and a question that's been on my mind:

Are we building momentum, or are we building sustainability?

Inside this month's newsletter, I explore:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dear-nonprofit-ceos-problem-isnt-capacity-its-clarity-jerry-cfrm-5mzxc
✔ The difference between funding and sustainability

✔ Why so many organizations get stuck in "The Grant Trap"

✔ Building a healthy funding ecosystem

✔ A summer challenge for nonprofit CEOs

✔ How volunteer engagement can strengthen fundraising and community impact

If you're a nonprofit leader, board member, fundraiser, or community advocate, I'd love for you to read it and join the conversation.

What is one thing your organization is doing this summer to strengthen its future?



Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7311905701264572416

Dear Nonprofit CEOs: The Problem Isn't Capacity. It's Clarity. Dear Nonprofit CEOs, 🎵Today, instead of a song simply playing in my head, I find myself thinking about home. Sometimes, as I'm moving through life, teaching, speaking, traveling, and working with leaders across the country, I miss the crowded Chicago steppers set, the energy of the room, the smoo...

🎙️ "The mission is bigger than the obstacles."

This week on Fundraising Confessions: The Truth Behind the Profession, I sit down with Sonya Cooke, Founder & CEO of Girl Talk Inc. Indy., to discuss leadership, fundraising, impact, and what it takes to keep showing up for the girls and families who depend on your mission.

This is a conversation about purpose, perseverance, and possibility.

Listen now and join us for the truth behind the profession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C55F9RBSp7s&t=5s

Join us in shaping the future.
Make your gift today at www.girltalkindy.org and help us continue empowering the next generation of leaders.

Fundraising Confessions: Episode 11: 10 Years of Impact – Sonya’s Journey Building Girl Talk 🎙️ Fundraising Confessions: The Truth Behind the ProfessionEpisode...

So many conversations this week about fundraising, leadership, governance, volunteer engagement, and what nonprofit sustainability REALLY looks like in 2026.

Between teaching at The Fund Raising School, facilitating workshops, and supporting nonprofit leaders through strategy sessions, one thing keeps coming up:

Nonprofit leaders are tired of operating in survival mode.

That’s exactly why I created *Dear Nonprofit CEOs: Get Off the Struggle Bus — Sustainable Funding Awaits.*

Each edition is designed to provide:
✨ Practical fundraising strategy
✨ Governance insights
✨ Donor engagement ideas
✨ Leadership encouragement
✨ Real conversations about the nonprofit sector
✨ Tools and resources you can actually use

Thank you to everyone who has been rocking with me on this journey.

Your shares, comments, subscriptions, and encouragement truly mean more than you know.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, now is the perfect time to join our growing community of nonprofit leaders working to build sustainable organizations and stronger missions.

📬 Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7311905701264572416

Rochelle M Jerry

Nonprofits don’t just need fundraising help anymore.

They need an ecosystem of strategy, storytelling, systems, partnerships, governance, marketing, grants, technology and sustainable growth.

That’s why we built the ecosystem at Jerry Consulting Group
https://consultjerry.com

Five Divisions. One Unified Strategy.

Our ecosystem supports mission-driven organizations through:
✔ Fundraising & Development Strategy
✔ Grant Development & Management
✔ Marketing & Communications
✔ Event Strategy & Sponsorship
✔ Social Services & Community Engagement

We help organizations move from:
➡ Reactive to strategic
➡ Burnout to infrastructure
➡ One-time gifts to sustainable funding
➡ Silos to collaboration

At Jerry Consulting Group, we believe growth happens when leadership, funding, storytelling, governance, and community engagement work together.

Driving Change. Inspiring Hope. Building Power.

Explore our ecosystem and services:
🌐 www.consultjerry.com

Rochelle M Jerry

Home | Jerry Consulting Group - Jerry Consulting Group Jerry Consulting Group Divisions Beyond Consulting. We Build Fundraising Ecosystems for Real Impact. Fundraising Strategy Build a sustainable fundraising engine that fuels your mission year after year. View Strategy Sustainable Grants Turn opportunities into awarded funding with proven grant strateg...

Tired of chasing grants without a clear strategy?

At Jerry Consulting Group, we help nonprofits build sustainable funding systems not just submit applications.

Our Grants Division supports organizations with:
✔ Grant sourcing
✔ Grant writing & submissions
✔ Fundraising infrastructure
✔ Revenue diversification strategies
✔ Fractional development leadership

Because strong fundraising starts with strong positioning.

Let’s build a funding ecosystem that supports your mission long-term.

🌐 www.consultjerry.com

Rochelle M Jerry

Home | Jerry Consulting Group - Jerry Consulting Group Jerry Consulting Group Divisions Beyond Consulting. We Build Fundraising Ecosystems for Real Impact. Fundraising Strategy Build a sustainable fundraising engine that fuels your mission year after year. View Strategy Sustainable Grants Turn opportunities into awarded funding with proven grant strateg...

Who will be in Baltimore this July for the 2026 Bridge Conference?

I’m excited to share that I’ll be speaking on Friday, July 31, 2026, from 9:10 AM – 10:10 AM EDT in Chesapeake 6.

Session Title:
How Should Executive Directors Strategically Think About Their Volunteer Program?

Volunteer programs are not “extra.” They are an extension of organizational leadership, culture, governance, community trust, and sustainable funding strategy.

In this session, we’ll explore:
✔ Why volunteerism must be championed from the top
✔ How executive directors can align volunteer strategy with mission growth
✔ The connection between volunteer engagement, governance, and fundraising
✔ How to use data and stewardship to strengthen volunteer retention and donor pipelines
✔ Practical systems that elevate volunteer programs from reactive to transformational

Attendees will also receive actionable tools and resources they can immediately implement, including:
• 10 Steps to Better Governance
• Robert’s Rules Cheat Sheet
• Volunteer Tools & Guiding Principles

Looking forward to connecting with nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, marketers, and changemakers from across the sector.

If you’ll be attending, let me know below!

Register here:
🌐 www.bridgeconf.org

21st Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference – Save the date for the 21st Annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference! July 29-31, 2026 21st Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference - Save the date for the 21st Annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing & Fundraising Conference! July 29-31, 2026

🎙️ Fundraising Confessions: The Truth Behind The Profession

What! Check it out and support Watch Blacktivity by creating a FREE account, then like, comment, and share the latest episode featuring and the incredible.

We are truly making waves by having honest conversations about what it really takes to fundraise for your mission, build sustainable support, and lead with purpose.

These are the discussions our sector needs right now.

Thank you for continuing to support storytelling, leadership, and community-centered fundraising. 💛

https://www.streamblacktivity.com/content/fundraising-confessions-the-truth-behind-the-profession-1

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Fundraising Confessions

This conversation with Sonya Cooke from Girl Talk is REAL.

We talked about: 💛 The truth about fundraising

💛 Building a mission you love
💛 Watching girls become leaders
💛 10 YEARS of impact

From programs to advocacy at the Indiana State House… this is what change looks like.

🎉 Celebrate 10 years with us: link tothe interview and the event is in the comments

Excited to share that I will be presenting for Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) as part of their Leading Edge webinar series this October and proud to continue serving as a content contributor for NPQ’s “Ask an Expert” platform.

📅 October 29, 2026

🕑 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Eastern

Webinar:

Fundraising Trends and Emerging Practices

The fundraising landscape is shifting rapidly. Between changes in institutional giving, evolving donor expectations, economic uncertainty, and emerging technologies like AI, nonprofit leaders are navigating a new era of fundraising strategy.

During this session, we’ll explore:

✔ Emerging fundraising trends

✔ Sustainable donor engagement strategies

✔ AI and technology in fundraising

✔ Building resilient fundraising systems

✔ Practical approaches nonprofits can implement now

I’m honored to join Jeanne Bell and the NPQ Leading Edge community for this important conversation.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support the work in philanthropy, governance, fundraising leadership, and nonprofit strategy.

Learn more and register:

🌐 https://npqleadingedge.org/shop/webinars/fundraising-trends-and-emerging-practices/?utm_campaign=32457381-Leading%20Edge%202026&utm_content=377000722&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-542508

Rochelle M Jerry

Fundraising Trends and Emerging Practices - NPQ Leading Edge Join Rochelle Jerry, certified fundraising manager from The Fund Raising School and adjunct faculty member of Indiana University, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, to understand key fundraising trends and emerging best practices.

Reminder, the conversation is better when you attend. ❤️

😀Today we spotlight something deeply personal to my leadership journey — the 2026 AFP Global African American/Black Affinity Group Monthly Convening.

Community. Connection. Collective growth.

We are intentionally creating space for fundraisers and nonprofit leaders to gather, reflect, recharge, and build together.

These monthly sessions, held the last Friday of every month at 1:00 PM ET on Zoom, are not webinars. They are communal spaces. They are not recorded. They are rooted in belonging.

Why this matters:

• A safe space for honest conversations about fundraising and leadership
• Shared wisdom from sector leaders and emerging voices
• A community that affirms the lived experience of Black fundraisers
• A place to grow professionally while being fully seen

I am honored to continue serving as Co-Lead alongside my co-liaison Ball as we steward these conversations with care and intention.

You do not want to miss the 2026 speaker lineup.

✨ 2026 Dates
May 29 | June 26 | July 31 | August 28
September 25 | October 30 | November 13

Register and place it on your calendar. These spaces fill with energy, honesty, and collective strength.

🔗 https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/iUhFOHvySPa4lPJ6fhe1vg #/registration

When we gather intentionally, we strengthen the sector.

Rochelle M Jerry
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)

Thanks for the mention! The Chronicle of Philanthropy 👊🏾

4 of the Best Hacks for Fundraisers and Leaders From AFP Icon Tips included using animation to tell stories, why it's as important to retain fundraisers as it is donors, and more.