Tom Ralser

As founder of Capital Strategists Group, Tom has personally worked with nonprofits in 48 states on over 300 funding projects. His work has ranged from national corporate sponsorships to state-wide economic development campaigns to local human services efforts. Fundraisers have described his work as the “silver bullet” that justifies larger investments in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations use Tom’s sustainability planning techniques to ensure that they can thrive in a tight money environment.

Tom was introduced into the nonprofit world in 1992 when he was asked by a national fundraiser to demonstrate how the money they raised had helped a community. CSG now works directly with nonprofits on fundraising, and with other cutting edge fundraisers to make their “asks” more effective. This approach has been used successfully on hundreds of campaigns, and continues to be the most effective method to ensure sustainable investment for nonprofits. His targeted return on investment approach is now copied (but never duplicated) by many fundraisers, and results in shorter decision times, broader support, and more money raised.

His background in finance and the corporate world’s mind set also finds him working with many nonprofit organizations on Sustainability Plans. These plans have been put into practice by over 40 nonprofits in the past three years with some amazing results. These and other methods have been presented at conferences across the country, including the National Center on Nonprofit Enterprise, the Nonprofit Excellence Conference, the National Cooperative of Health Networks, the Council of Officers for Resource Development, Communities Joined in Action, the International Economic Development Council, the Southern Economic Development Council, the Florida Economic Development Council, the Mid-America Economic Development Council, the South Carolina Association of Non-Profits, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, the New York State Association of Rural Health and many more.

He holds a BS in Marketing from Illinois State University and an MS in Finance from the University of Utah. His background as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and former Professor of Finance led to the development of CSG’s Organizational Value Proposition®, which is widely used by corporations, foundations, and individuals as confirmation that the nonprofits in which they invest are truly delivering outcomes with value.

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