Summary
Today, given the economic climate, the outlook for success in raising capital can be extremely challenging for nonprofit institutions, their leaders and boards. Even individual philanthropists with large financial portfolios are being cautious in distributing their assets to the noblest of causes.
Fortunately, for these organizations, there are professional fundraising consultants who are resourceful and can help institutions to succeed in fundraising despite their concerns about the economy. One such company, Dini Partners, Inc. has been assisting hundreds of institutions since its inception in 1969.
The company became an S-Corporation as of Jan. 1, 2012. Dini Partners decided to pursue a course of employee ownership for several reasons. Dick Nystrom, vice president for Finance and Administration said, ‘We didn’t see a mechanism to sell the stock in a way that wouldn’t be a crushing blow to both the leadership and sales of the corporation and also the owners,’ said Nystrom. ‘It was clearly a way to define an ownership transition. The ESOP provided a path to an orderly transition of ownership. Also, as some of our senior members of the staff transition into retirement, we needed a vehicle to incentivize the younger, talented professionals to have a long-term stake in the firm.’