Essential Fundraising Services  (SM)

Garth A. Mills, Sr. is the lead counsel for EFS. He also serves as the Director of Development for the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, VA.

My expertise is as a nonprofit organizational management executive. I specialize in developing best practice models for sustainable program creation and administration. My program focus is on growing three topical areas of nonprofit organizational development through the best practice applications in each subtopic area. They are:

1. Organizational Management:

• Board Member leadership training
• Volunteer recruitment techniques and management practices
• GAAP/FASB Financial reporting of IRS 990 report information
• Budget development and monitoring
• Fiscal management and investment strategy

2. Fundraising

• Annual Fund development;
  • Direct Mail, Cause Marketing, Special Events, public media utilization
• Donor recognition and cultivation techniques
• Major donor cultivation and solicitation strategy
• Planned giving marketing and solicitation
• Corporate and Foundation prospect identification
• Grant proposal development and presentation

3. Capital Campaign Leadership

• Organizational operations assessment
• Capital Campaign readiness assessment
• Feasibility study development

Beginning in 1980 I have been responsible for an increasing level of management and operations duties for a variety of NGO’s and state supported programs. I have held every position in a nonprofit organization and was recognized for my accomplishments by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives with the CFRE designation in 1985. Additionally I had the opportunity to develop a Master’s-level program of study at

James Madison University

with core course structure from the MBA and Higher Education Management disciplines resulting in an M.Ed. I continued my studies as a Doctoral candidate in Philanthropy and Leadership at the Curry School of the University of Virginia.

I have participated in all levels of capital campaign planning and implementation, managing numerous national and international projects with goals in excess of $200,000,000. My program management experience includes colleges, universities, museums, health systems, social agencies, governmental agencies and food banks. Additionally I have practical international marketing experience in the microfinance arena serving in Manila with Opportunity International, a faith-based NGO.

In 1999 I became a nonprofit management consultant first working independently and then for two of the largest national and international fundraising consulting firms in the world. In 2008 I accepted the role of Director of Development at the

University of Virginia Health System

for Heart and Diabetes initiatives. I accepted the position as a development director for the opportunity to “give-back” to the physicians and practitioners that saved my life in 2005.

My goal is to provide the highest level of expertise in both the management and daily operations of the nonprofit organizations I represent.

Each EFS Associate is a professional fundraising executive with over 20 years of practice.

Our Associates have the experience your organization needs, and we are here to help.