Step Forward Philanthropy is a boutique fundraising consulting firm focused on guiding and supporting nonprofit organizations, businesses and individuals.

We help nonprofit organizations integrate best practices to create a culture of philanthropy and realize their full fundraising potential. We help small to medium-sized businesses create corporate philanthropy programs and provide strategic guidance to individual philanthropists.

Clients We Have Served

Dedicated to making a positive impact, Step Forward Philanthropy has collaborated with inspiring nonprofit organizations to achieve their strategic fundraising goals.

Does your organization have a comprehensive fundraising plan? Let Step Forward Philanthropy guide your development team through a strategic planning process based on your mission, board, staff and fundraising objectives. We can help you thoughtfully and effectively achieve ambitious fundraising goals through a curated strategic fundraising plan.
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Do you need to build a development team from scratch, or do you want to expand your fundraising capacity by restructuring your development team? To support your organization’s continued growth and success, it’s important to put in the work upfront to plan the structure of your development team. Step Forward Philanthropy can help.
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Supporting fundraising efforts is a crucial component of board service, yet it can be challenging to secure buy-in from board members. Our team at Step Forward Philanthropy has provided fundraising training to numerous boards for organizations, both big and small, helping us understand what tends to work (and what doesn’t). We are confident we can present your team with the most important board fundraising concepts to achieve success.
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Special events are a natural complement to your core fundraising program. Step Forward Philanthropy can evaluate your event and create a blueprint for a memorable and financially successful fundraiser. We can team up with your staff from planning to post-event wrap-up.
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SFP offers support in crafting a robust corporate partner strategy, ensuring your organization optimizes available opportunities and resources. Through strategy sessions, personalized engagement plans, and customized sponsorship packages, we empower you to maximize fundraising potential.
SFP can help recruit your next development professional. Leveraging our expertise and extensive network, we can identify and assess qualified candidates who align with your specific needs and organizational culture. Through skillful screening and personalized engagement, we will streamline the recruitment process, saving you time and resources, and can even assist with candidate onboarding.
Developing the right techniques for identifying and cultivating major donors requires thoughtful strategies. Step Forward Philanthropy can help you unlock your individual prospect potential through the development of a Major Gifts program utilizing the Moves Management process.
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Would you like to expand your capacity, but the staff and the board don’t have the bandwidth? Creating auxiliary groups to support your efforts can be a great solution. Whether the group is comprised of young professionals or individuals who would like to serve in an advisory capacity, Step Forward Philanthropy can help guide the process.
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If your organization needs to fill a short-term fundraising staff position, Step Forward Philanthropy can help.
We provide interim support to organizations of all sizes and sectors. Our consultants understand the unique requirements needed to create stability without losing momentum.
We will help you execute clearly articulated deliverables within your development department and create strategies to not only maintain existing levels of activity but also elevate your fundraising program.
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Do you want to incorporate charitable giving into your organizational culture? Workplace philanthropy can take many forms, and it’s important to find what works best for your business. This ensures that your philanthropy program is sustainable and embraced by your employees. Let Step Forward Philanthropy help.
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Are you a philanthropist who needs help vetting nonprofit organizations to support, or are you interested in exploring the benefits of setting up a family foundation? Let Step Forward Philanthropy help.
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Services Offered

Jennifer D'Alvarez, MBA, CFRE

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As a seasoned fundraising professional and executive leader, Jennifer has more than 25 years of experience working for non-profit organizations, both large and small, in a variety of communities throughout California. She has partnered with numerous CEOs and managed and built the infrastructure for several development departments.

In 2023, Jennifer formed Step Forward Philanthropy (SFP) to help more organizations transform lives through philanthropy.

Prior to establishing SFP, Jennifer was Chief Development Officer at Mental Health America Los Angeles, where she provided strategic leadership and oversight in all fundraising activities. She also served as Senior Vice President, Fund Development for Pacific Clinics and Chief Advancement and Communications Officer at Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services.

Additionally, she worked in the development offices of Southern California Public Radio, Hillel at UCLA, Hadassah Southern California and Israel Tennis Centers with wide-ranging responsibilities.

Jennifer has raised more than $50 million during her career, successfully managed several multimillion-dollar capital campaigns, and created major gifts programs for various organizations. She has provided fundraising training to multiple boards of directors, authored several strategic fundraising plans, staffed resource development committees, and built successful auxiliary groups of young professionals who volunteer, raise awareness and generate contributions. Jennifer believes the significance and impact of annual fundraising campaigns are paramount, and she continuously employs new tactics to raise funds and expand the donor pipeline, including individual, institutional, and corporate funders.

She holds a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University, is a member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). She also sits on the board of directors for Yoga Haven Las Vegas and the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills.

Testimonials

Jen’s expertise in fundraising strategies has been instrumental in our success. Her innovative approach has helped us identify new funding opportunities and engage more effectively with our supporters. Her guidance on fundraising strategies that are both efficient and effective has allowed us to maximize our limited resources and achieve impressive results. Thanks to her efforts, we have been able to raise much-needed funds to support our programs, and we are seeing the positive impact of our work every day.

Natalie Lim & Honey Tejero
Co-Founders, Yoga Haven Las Vegas
Jennifer is a thoughtful, experienced, and knowledgeable professional. She has been an asset to our Board of Directors and our Resource Development department, offering fresh ideas, pointing out areas of concern, and helping us build on our strengths. She has been an active participant in our strategic planning efforts and offered important insight with regard to special events, grants management, and donor relations. She consistently helps direct group discussions toward effective outcomes and many of our board members look to her for guidance and consult her expertise before making decisions. Above all, she is personable, thorough, excellent with follow-up, and a pleasure to work with.

Amanda Navar, Director of Donor Engagement
John Wilson, Executive Director
Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills
I worked with Jennifer for three years in her role as Chief Development Officer for Pacific Clinics. Among her many attributes, Jennifer is thoughtful, honest, strategic and well-organized. She was an asset to our Board of Directors and our Resource Development department, offering fresh ideas, identifying challenges and providing practical solutions, as she achieved remarkable growth in our agency’s fundraising program. She was an active participant in our strategic planning efforts and offered important insight with regard to events, grants, annual giving, major gifts development and donor relations. An accomplished trainer and facilitator, Jennifer was effective in leading crucial conversations to achieve effective outcomes. In this regard, board members and senior management alike looked to Jennifer for her guidance and consultation. Above all, Jennifer is personable, approachable and a genuine pleasure to work with.

Jim Balla, former President & CEO, Pacific Clinics
Jen is a gifted fundraiser and strategist. After working alongside her for more than eight years, I was able to see first-hand how she successfully cultivated and stewarded donors, juggled multiple projects and events, and mentored her staff. As a result, she regularly exceeded goals.

Sarah Neely, CEO Orange Door Consulting
As a volunteer, collaborating with Jen on fundraising and event planning was an absolute pleasure. Her exceptional organization skills, thoughtful approach, strategic mindset, personable nature, and tenacious spirit made every step of the process seamless. Jen turned our vision into reality while leaving no stone unturned. Working with her was a wonderful experience.

Kent Crawford Managing Principal, Epic Insurance Brokers & Consultants
Jen is insightful and brilliant in her approach to fundraising and development. Her recommendations incorporate actions for immediate implementation as well as long-term strategies. She helped us recognize that our organization’s fiscal health is everyone’s responsibility and that everyone can take a piece of ownership regardless of their position.

Sanie Andres. Board Secretary West Coast Singers
We hired Jen to enhance our understanding and efforts related to securing major gifts from individual donors. Her wealth of knowledge, expertise, and personable approach were invaluable. We've decided to enlist her services again for a board fundraising training this year, aiming to inspire and involve our board of directors. I wholeheartedly endorse Jen for your nonprofit organization!

Che’Rae Adams, Artistic Director
PlayPenn
Jen is a seasoned fundraising professional whose years of experience and strategic approach helped support Aviva in making a shift toward more thoughtful and coordinated development efforts. Jen raises the bar as a thought partner and brings with her a wealth of experience across the full spectrum of development activities. She is able to quickly and effectively evaluate an organization's development landscape, and make both short- and long-term recommendations for building a strong and sustainable development strategy.

Amber Rivas, CEO
Aviva Family and Children’s Services
Working with Jennifer was a game-changer for YourPassion1st. Her strategic guidance and expertise in fundraising boosted our board's awareness of expectations & outcomes. Her dedication, professionalism, & candid approach truly set her apart. We highly recommend Jennifer to any organization looking to elevate their fundraising efforts.

Christopher Thomas, Founder
YourPassion1st
Jennifer was a pleasure to work with and provided incredibly insightful guidance for our staff and board of directors. Her trainings were educational and engaging for development and non-development team members alike. I highly recommend her for anyone seeking to strengthen their major gifts programs!

Sarah Gersten, Executive Director and General Counsel
Last Prisoner Project