Jim Cummings

Jim Cummings serves as independent counsel to non-profit organizations. He is also known as a dynamic lecturer, writer and facilitator. Jim does presentations and seminars on many topics including: Annual Appeals, Appeal Letters, Public Relations, Boards, Strategic Planning, Membership/Constituency Issues, Newsletters, Development/Fundraising Issues, and others. His strong focus is to allow organizations to understand the importance of individual constituency building as the cornerstone of financial independence. He is the author of the “C-PET” Annual Appeal system used by hundreds of non-profits.

His services include developing and authoring annual appeals; capital campaign leadership and support; planning and implementing public relations programs; newsletters; board training and retreats; designing board development programs; training in personal solicitation; training and/or hiring development directors; providing organizational analysis; general non - profit management /development issues, etc. He has facilitated numerous board "retreats," planning sessions and non-profit seminars.

As co-designer and permanent faculty member of the Institutes for Non-profit Excellence, he has been an Institute presenter since 1988. Through the Institute’s unique one on one approach to attending organizations, Jim has assisted over 3000 organizations in addressing their funding concerns while training them in basic planning and development practices.

In addition to his work with secular organizations Jim has been a pioneer in working with religious or “faith based” non-profits. Through The Urban Impact Institute, Jim trained hundreds of small faith based organizations over the Institute’s seven year existence and worked with hundreds since.

Jim provides technical assistance and training services for foundations, corporations and grantees. Corporate/Foundation/Government clients include Arco Chemical, Bell Atlantic, The US Department of Labor, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Pennsylvania & North Carolina), Tiger Foundation, Huston Foundation, Savannah Foundation, Phoenixville Community Health Foundation and The Templeton Foundation.

Jim’s non-profit clients have included The Foundation Center, MEDA, Public/Private Ventures, North Carolina Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Caring Foundation, The New Jersey State Aquarium, The Center for Literacy, Billy Graham, The Elywn Institutes, Habitat for Humanity, The University of Delaware, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, Young Life, Mercy Ships, The Phoenixville Library, The Children’s Seashore House, The Pennsylvania Council of Churches, The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, The National Christian Choir, DC Cares, The Chester Education Foundation, Artists in The Schools, New York Cares, DC Cares, Eastern College, Philadelphia Bible College, The American Music Theater Festival, The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Jubilate Deo Chorale and Orchestra, and more. Jim served as National Training Director for Grantseeker.com, a web superportal. He is an adjunct professor at Eastern University - teaching a Masters Course in Advanced Fundraising.

Prior to establishing his firm, Jim was Executive Director of The Alan Ameche Memorial Foundation; Director of Public Affairs and Assistant to The Provincial for The Pallottine Religious Order; Director of Public Relations and Marketing for International House of Philadelphia; Director of Public Relations for Worldwide Marriage Encounter and Senior Vice President and Editor for Marketplace Advertising. He has served as board member and officer for many non-profit organizations. He was selected by the Foundation Center as one of a select group of consultants to be part of their Foundation Center's Fundraising Consultants Network.

He and his wife, Lynn, President of Lynn Cummings Development Consultants (LCDC), live in Pennsauken, New Jersey. They are the adoptive parents of three grown children and proud grandparents.