Every part of a charity either adds to or subtracts from its capacity to raise funds.
We work on all of it, as one system. Board, roles, constitution, finances and fundraising. We measure so you can grow: nothing we find is used to judge, and everything we find comes with a path.
Fundraising rarely fails in the fundraising team.
A charity hires a good fundraiser and the results still disappoint. The easy story is that the wrong person was chosen. Usually the truth sits elsewhere: a board that leaves fundraising to one hire, roles built to need three people, a constitution written before the internet, and channels that quietly cost more than they raise.
No single fix holds when the rest of the system works against it. So we assess and build the whole fundraising organism, and we start with what is already working, never with a problem list.
Five services, five plain questions.
Use one, or fix the whole system. Every service is built on the AICD Not-for-Profit Governance Principles, ACNC standards and sector benchmarks, so your board can trust the frame.
Board Effectiveness
Is our board set up to succeed?
A board review built on the eight AICD principles, delivered so directors leave the process prouder than they entered it.
How it works →Role by Design
Are our people set up to succeed?
We review overloaded roles at the coal face and rebuild them so they are workable, aligned to strategy and honest about hours.
How it works →Constitution Review
Are our foundations solid?
A clause by clause review of your governing document against a 110 point checklist, with model clauses ready for your lawyer.
How it works →Charity Health Check
Would a funder back us with confidence?
An independent assessment of financial health and mission integrity. Rigorous enough for funders to rely on, kind enough that charities volunteer for it.
How it works →Fundraising Analysis
Is every fundraising dollar working?
A channel by channel model of what your fundraising truly costs and returns, including the staff time everyone forgets to count.
How it works →Fundraising Capacity Program
What if we fixed the whole system?
All five services, sequenced over nine months, so the board, the roles, the constitution, the finances and the fundraising stop working against each other.
See the program →Measured, kind, and built on standards your board already trusts.
Mission first
Every engagement starts with your mission and what is already working, never with a problem list.
System gaps, not failings
Findings are framed as gaps in the system, never personal failings, and each comes with a first step you can take inside a fortnight.
A trusted frame
Everything is built on the AICD NFP Governance Principles, ACNC standards and sector benchmarks.
Candour rewarded
Organisations that name their own gaps score better with us, because that is how healthy organisations behave.
Take the free board health check.
6 minutes. Anonymous. A score and clear next steps straight away.
Give with confidence, and give the charity a path.
Corporates, foundations and major donors commission our Charity Health Check before significant partnerships and gifts. You get an independent rating across five dimensions with a published methodology and specific conversation starters, not a bare risk list. The charity gets a mirror and a map, never a verdict, and every finding is discussed with them before it is written down.
- Due diligence you can read. Three years of financials, public presence, compliance standing, and structured conversations with the Chair, CEO and Head of Fundraising.
- No black box. The methodology is published in every report, so scores can be understood and challenged.
- Portfolio reviews. Foundations reviewing several charity partners can commission the Health Check across the whole portfolio.
Design the role first. Then find the right person.
Role by Design began as a recruitment firm with one conviction: most fundraising hires do not fail at the interview, they fail because the role was set up to fail. That conviction grew into the consulting practice, and the recruitment work continues at its centre.
Role design
We get the job right before you hire. The right scope, clear targets, and a role people want to hold. This is where most hires are won or lost.
Search
We find the right fundraiser through our sector network and a careful assessment process built for not-for-profits.
Keep your people
We help your new hire settle and stay, with stay-interviews and check-ins that protect the investment you made in finding them.
An extended replacement guarantee.
If a hire does not work out within the guarantee period, we run the search again at no further search fee. A longer guarantee than most recruiters offer.
Help shape the future of fundraising roles.
Two short, confidential surveys on the state of fundraising roles in Australia. One for the people who do the work, one for the people who hire and lead them. We will publish what the sector tells us. Read the full detail and take part.
For fundraisers
If you raise money for a cause, tell us how the work really feels, and what makes people stay or leave. About 8 minutes.
Take the fundraiser survey →Anonymous. No name needed.
For CEOs, hirers, HR and boards
If you hire or lead fundraisers, tell us how roles are designed, why good people leave, and what it costs. About 8 minutes.
Take the employer survey →Confidential. Reported in aggregate.
Are you a fundraiser looking for your next role?
Join our talent network and we will contact you when a well designed role fits.
Built by a fundraiser, for the whole fundraising system.
I am Duncan Schieb. I have spent more than fifteen years in the for-purpose sector. I have raised major gifts, led teams, and served on boards. I have watched capable people leave roles that were never designed to succeed, and I have watched good boards struggle inside structures that were never built for growth.
Role by Design exists to fix that, as one system. Through my career, charities have valued working with me because I understand their world and I tell the truth about it, kindly. That is the standard this firm is built on.
- 15+ years in fundraising, major gifts experience
- GAICD, board and governance experience
- Registered mediator, FIA member
Good to know.
What does Role by Design do?
We are a specialist consulting practice for Australian not-for-profits. We assess and build the whole fundraising organism: board, roles, constitution, finances and fundraising. Five services answer five plain questions, and one program fixes the whole system.
Is a review or health check the same as an audit?
No. We rely on audited statements and public records, and we do not re-perform audit work. A health check is a mirror and a map: it shows where you stand and gives you a path, and it is never used to judge. Nothing appears in a report that was not discussed with you first.
Who do you work with?
Mid market NFPs and charities that want to grow their fundraising, and the funders, corporates and foundations who back them and want to give with confidence.
Do you still do recruitment?
Yes. Finding and keeping good fundraisers is where this firm began, and it remains central. We design the role first, then find the right person, then help them stay, with an extended replacement guarantee behind every search.
Why do so many fundraising hires fail?
Most do not fail because the wrong person was chosen. They fail because the role was designed to fail: the scope too broad, the targets unclear, one person carrying the work of three. We fix the role first.
I am a fundraiser. Can I take part?
Yes, two ways. Take the anonymous fundraiser survey and tell the sector how the work really feels. And if you are looking for your next role, join our talent network and we will contact you when a well designed role fits.
What does an engagement cost?
It depends on the service and the size of your organisation, so we quote each engagement after a short conversation. Founding client pricing is available for the first organisations in each service, in exchange for a case study and a testimonial. Ask us.
We are a funder. Can we commission a Health Check on a charity we support?
Yes, that is what it is built for. The charity is always informed before work begins, every finding is put to them before publication, and no individual is ever quoted. You receive an evidence-based rating and conversation starters for a better partnership.
How do I start?
Use the form below or email duncan@rolebydesign.com.au. We will set up a short call, and you will know quickly whether we can help.
Start with a short conversation.
Tell us the question you are trying to answer: a board that needs a review, a role you need to fill, a constitution overdue for modernising, or a funder decision that needs evidence. We will set up a short call to talk it through.
Prefer email? Write to duncan@rolebydesign.com.au
Australia wide. We usually reply within one business day.
Run a not-for-profit? Help shape the research and take our short sector survey for employers.