Pursuant Welcomes Two Seasoned Veterans to Its Team of Consultants

DALLAS, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Pursuant, a full-service fundraising agency dedicated to helping the world's leading nonprofit organizations, announced the appointment of two seasoned veterans to its team of consultants: Jon Baesman and Drew Thawley. "Attracting top fundraising professionals such as Drew and Jon to our ranks further strengthens our ability to provide our innovative solutions to our clients, while underscoring our commitment to the recruitment of practitioner-scholars to our consulting team," said Dr. Gary Cole, executive vice president and principal at Pursuant.

Drew Thawley joined the company as vice president, consulting. Having served both "in the trenches" and in the boardroom, Drew has a high level of experience in direct response, mid-level and major giving, as well as in capital campaign fundraising. In his service to the nonprofit sector, he has provided strategic counsel to associations, institutions of higher education, and faith-based organizations.  His areas of subject matter expertise include: student development, board development, organizational staffing, legal and compliance issues, internal assessments, and campaign management.

"Drew's prior experience as both an executive and a consultant will afford our clients with keen insights into the day-to-day operations of their organizations. His unique skill set is a rarity, and believe he exemplifies the breadth of experience our clients have come to expect from our best in class consultants," said Cole.

Drew most recently spent nine years serving as president and CEO of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, Inc., in Carmel, Indiana, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with assets of $12 million and annual grants of $500,000, providing scholarships and student development programming for over 5,000 students.

"Drew understands the business factors that influence appropriate resource allocation and data-driven strategy development which increases organizational revenue," said Trent Ricker, chief executive officer at Pursuant. "Clearly his prior successes and business acumen align with fresh perspectives we seek to deliver to Pursuant's clients."

Jon Baesman has been appointed to the role of senior vice president, consulting. Jon brings to the position more than two decades of philanthropic experience and subject matter expertise in strategy development. In his prior work as one of the country's most effective comprehensive fundraising consultants, Jon has led organizational change, transformational growth, and record setting capital campaigns for organizations ranging from leading healthcare institutions and universities to national associations and local churches.

"Pursuant is extraordinarily selective in its recruitment and selection of consultants. Having both a deep understanding of tried and true fundraising practices and an insatiable desire to bring fresh perspectives and results to the clients he serves, Jon is a shining example of the type of consulting strategist our market is seeking. He possesses both an appreciation for the role of organized philanthropy in our society and a discerning appreciation for the new realities of donor engagement in the twenty-first century," explained Cole.

His career began as a corporate grantmaker with Huntington Bancshares Incorporated and Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio, where he was responsible for more than $26 million being placed with 160+ nonprofit organizations. He then founded Civic Assets — a public affairs firm that helped corporations maximize their community involvement through mutually beneficial partnerships with nonprofits. Civic Assets created grant application software that allowed its clients to focus their limited human resources on building relationships with nonprofit organizations that exhibited the greatest potential. Jon then applied his experience to meeting nonprofits' needs.

Prior to joining Pursuant, Jon served as the founder and principal consultant at InfinityResources in Atlanta, Georgia, where he provided counsel to healthcare, higher education and faith clients including: Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet, and the University of Iowa.  Jon's strengths lie in his ability to evaluate a nonprofit's needs, develop a collaborative plan of action, and ensure that the execution of a plan that exceeds client expectations.

"We're proud to welcome both Jon and Drew to the Pursuant team. Their experience is evident; but their character, collaborative approach, commitment to the nonprofit sector, and unquestioned integrity and professionalism are traits for which we are most pleased to share with our clients," said Ricker.

About Pursuant:
 Pursuant is a fundraising consultancy serving the world's leading nonprofit organizations. We partner with educational institutions, athletic organizations, hospitals and ministries to impact lives through innovative strategies that grow and sustain revenue. We invite you to learn more about Pursuant at www.pursuant.com.

SOURCE Pursuant