CCS Fundraising

Type: News

New York, NY – CCS Fundraising, the world’s leading fundraising and strategic consulting firm, is proud to announce the elevation of five new partners in the firm. These individuals have demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing the mission of the clients they serve.

Suzanne Eden, Barri Kass, Douglas London, Tim Nurvala, and Sarah Sochacki have been instrumental in driving fundraising success and lasting community impact for CCS clients, and their contributions have been invaluable to the firm. CCS is thrilled to recognize their accomplishments and welcome them into the new role of Partner.

Suzanne Eden has been with the firm for over a decade, providing leadership to clients in the areas of campaign management, strategic planning, major gifts, and more. She has worked with a diverse range of nonprofit organizations, from small community-based nonprofits to large national institutions, and across all client sectors. Her engagement as a presenter at national development conferences and as a published author for CCS thought leadership has helped both her clients and the firm achieve transformative impact. Suzanne received her B.A. from Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Barri Kass joined CCS in 2010, bringing with her eight years of experience in the legal profession. During her tenure, she has counseled multiple organizations through nationwide planning studies, intensive campaign goal setting, case development, and pipeline building. She has a deep understanding of the philanthropic landscape and has helped clients navigate complex fundraising challenges with success. Barri received her B.A. from University of Michigan and her JD from Brooklyn Law School.

Douglas London has built his entire professional career in fundraising and strategic consulting. His areas of expertise include fundraising planning, inclusive philanthropy, major gift strategy, donor stewardship, and development staff coaching and management. He has a strong track record of guiding clients through transformational initiatives, helping them to achieve ambitious goals and build lasting relationships with donors. Doug is a native Chicagoan and received his B.A. in Communications & Politics from Lake Forest College.

Tim Nurvala has over 35 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, and international technology. His strategic approach and focus on impact have helped clients achieve sustainable growth and success. He has worked with nonprofit organizations spanning numerous industry sectors including education, healthcare, faith, environmental, and human services. Tim has a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Florida and a M.A., Ph.D. (ABD) from American University.

Sarah Sochacki has been a key member of our team for nearly a decade. With an expertise in case development and major gifts strategy, she has executed campaign planning studies, facilitated multi-million-dollar campaigns, directed development assessments, and coached client staff and volunteers through securing transformational gifts. As part of her continued commitment to philanthropy, Sarah regularly presents at various industry events and on CCS sector- and region-specific webinars. Sarah holds a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a M.S. in Fundraising Management from Columbia University.

“We are thrilled to promote Suzanne, Barri, Doug, Tim, and Sarah to partner,” said CCS Fundraising CEO, Jon Kane. “Their dedication to our clients and the firm has been exemplary, and we are confident that their leadership will help us continue to grow and provide transformational impact to our partners and communities around the globe.”

With the addition of these five partners, CCS Fundraising continues to strengthen its position as the world’s leading fundraising and strategic consulting firm.

About CCS Fundraising

CCS Fundraising is a strategic consulting firm that has partnered with nonprofits to create transformational change for over 75 years. CCS Fundraising provides a wide range of services that support and strengthen nonprofit fundraising programs, including campaign management, strategic planning, data analytics, and major gift strategy. The firm’s expert consultants, skilled in campaign and development strategy, work closely with organizations of all sizes across nonprofit sectors and geographies. For more information on CCS Fundraising, please visit www.ccsfundraising.com

NEW YORK, NY – Today, CCS Fundraising, the world’s leading fundraising consulting firm, announced the arrival of Ashutosh Nandeshwar, the firm’s new Senior Vice President of Data Science & Analytics.

Nandeshwar joins CCS with extensive experience and expertise in systems engineering, artificial intelligence, and design thinking, and has built solutions to improve fundraising results at the world’s top higher education institutions, including the University of Michigan, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California. He is the author of multiple books, including a co-authored book titled Data Science for Fundraising, which has been lauded as an “invaluable addition to any serious data scientist’s library” by fellow data scientist, Bala Deshpande, Ph.D.

Nandeshwar will lead CCS’s Data Science & Analytics Practice, which helps nonprofit clients maximize their fundraising success by pairing critical technical capabilities – including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Design Thinking – with deep expertise in fundraising strategy and implementation. Nandeshwar’s leadership will deepen CCS’s ability to provide data science & analytics solutions for its clients, and over the next several months the firm will announce plans for expanding its service offerings to nonprofit partners.

Speaking about the impact that data science & analytics can have on CCS’s clients, Nandeshwar said, “CCS works with many of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations, and a data-driven approach is critical to their ongoing fundraising success. I am excited to have the opportunity to work closely with CCS’s Data Science & Analytics Practice to build on their excellent work and help expand our offerings so that we can continue to deliver high-value, data-driven insights for our partners.”

“We are delighted to have Ashutosh join our team of leading fundraising professionals,” said Jon Kane, CCS President & CEO. “In our increasingly data-oriented world, it is critical that we keep building our unique expertise and cutting-edge offerings in this space to ensure we’re delivering the best possible results for our clients. I look forward to working closely alongside Ashutosh to ensure CCS remains at the forefront of data science and analytics solutions for fundraising.”

About CCS Fundraising 

CCS Fundraising is a strategic consulting firm that has partnered with nonprofits for transformational change for 75 years. CCS provides a wide range of services that support and strengthen nonprofit fundraising programs, including campaign management, strategic planning, data analytics, and major gift strategy. The firm’s experts, skilled in campaign and development strategy, work closely with organizations of all sizes across nonprofit sectors and geographies.

New York, NY (May 23, 2022) – CCS Fundraising announced today that it has received an investment from Abry Partners to accelerate the company’s rapid growth. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Headquartered in New York, with offices around the globe, CCS Fundraising is the world’s leading fundraising consulting firm. For 75 years, CCS Fundraising has empowered nonprofit organizations across all sectors in their efforts to advance critical causes. As a firm of experts in fundraising campaigns and philanthropic strategy, CCS plans and implements initiatives that help nonprofit organizations strengthen their impact locally, nationally, and globally.

“This partnership will allow CCS to enhance all aspects of our business – from growing the impact we have on every client to strengthening the professional home we build for our employees,” said Jon Kane, CEO of CCS Fundraising. “This investment means we can think expansively about our work and how we best serve clients, including investing more aggressively in technology and data analytics, pursuing new markets, and building stronger talent management and professional services capabilities. We are incredibly proud of the depth and breadth of the work that CCS has accomplished over the last 75 years. This investment is a testament to the caliber of that work and will help us to build on that track record in the years and decades to come.”

“At CCS, our clients are central to our mission and ethos. We exist to ensure they are able to continue advancing their work – whether that’s enhancing higher education, ensuring excellent healthcare, preserving arts and cultural institutions, strengthening faith-based organizations, or beyond,” said Rick Happy, Chairman of CCS Fundraising. “This investment gives us additional tools and resources to continue to provide our clients with exceptional services and bolsters our ability to continue hiring best-in-class professionals committed to delivering transformational change for nonprofits.”

“We are excited to partner with the market leader in the not-for-profit fundraising services sector,” said Tyler Wick, Partner at Abry Partners. “The Company’s established client base of leading global nonprofits, universities and health systems is a testament to the skill with which CCS delivers its mission-critical services. We look forward to working closely with management to help build value in this next leg of the journey.”

William Blair & Company served as financial advisor and Shearman & Sterling LLP served as legal advisor to CCS Fundraising. BrightTower served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Abry Partners.

About CCS Fundraising 

CCS Fundraising is a strategic consulting firm that has partnered with nonprofits for transformational change for 75 years. CCS Fundraising provides a wide range of services that support and strengthen nonprofit fundraising programs, including campaign management, strategic planning, data analytics, and major gift strategy. The firm’s experts, skilled in campaign and development strategy, work closely with organizations of all sizes across nonprofit sectors and geographies. For more information on CCS Fundraising, please visit www.ccsfundraising.com.

About Abry Partners 

Abry is one of the most experienced and successful sector-focused private equity investment firms in North America. Since its founding in 1989, the firm has completed over $90 billion of leveraged transactions and other private equity or preferred equity placements. Currently, the firm manages over $5 billion of capital across its active funds. For more information on Abry, please visit www.abry.com.