BENNINGTON ENTERPRISES - Key Persons
Jim Cummings serves as independent counsel to non-profit organizations. He is also known as a dynamic lecturer, writer and facilitator. Jim offers 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. He is a seasoned professional with unmatched abilities in the area of annual appeal campaigns.
Jim's strong focus is to allow organizations to understand the importance of individual constituency building as the cornerstone of financial independence. Jim 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 Institutes for Nonprofit Excellence, the Urban Impact Institute and more recently the Community Impact Institute, Jim has trained hundreds of small faith based organizations and over 6,000 nonprofit leadership teams over the past two decades. 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 served as an adjunct professor at Eastern University - teaching a Masters Course in Advanced Fundraising. Prior to establishing his own 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.
Job Titles:
- President of Lynn Cummings Development Consultants
Lynn Cummings is president of Lynn Cummings Development Consultants. For a number of years she served as the the senior partner in the Development Firm of Federico & Cummings. In the past twenty years she has been responsible for empowering members of hundreds of churches, schools and other non-profits to raise millions of philanthropic dollars through Annual Appeals, Capital Campaigns, Increase Giving Appeals and Stewardship Programs.
Lynn has served more than 500 religious institutions including Catholic, Protestant and Jewish Congregations, schools, religious communities, and organizations. Perhaps the best indicator of Lynn's talents and contributions is the extraordinarily high rate of repeat business she receives from the clients and churches she serves.
She has vast experience in database development, list management, and customization of personalized appeals. Highly sought out as a trainer as well, her clients include the John Templeton Institute for Non-Profit excellence, the Philadelphia Grantseekers Series, Philadelphia College of the Bible development program, Lutheran Synod Stewardship Conference, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Training for Development Directors.
Lynn has also been a speaker at two national conferences: Building Blocks for Inclusive Communities and Integration Works. Lynn created a non-profit organization, Neighbors Empowering Pennsauken, to embrace the cultural diversity of her town and maintain stable integration. Camden County, NJ awarded her the Martin Luther King Award for these efforts. Lynn and her husband served the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Movement for 15 years, heading the US Media Apostolate. She continues to serve her church, her community and now the Regional Coalition of New Jersey as a volunteer.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor at Brookdale Community College
- President of Bohse & Associates
As President of Bohse & Associates, Pat spearheads a team whose mission is to help non-profits change their world. She is a human resource and management consultant with more than three decades of experience working with non-profit organizations and government agencies. Pat is a catalyst for change and a champion for effectiveness and has directed organizations ranging in size from 40 to 500 staff members and she truly believes that an organization's people are its most valuable asset.
Pat currently practices what she preaches in not-for profit management as the current Executive Director of Social Community Activities Network (SCAN) where she has raised over $1.5M since 2012. SCAN enhances the quality of life for active adults, ages 50+ in Monmouth and Ocean Counties through socialization, education, technology, and resources.
At the core of Pat's interaction with clients is her commitment to build community and her dedication to helping others. Pat is a nationally recognized speaker and the services she provides include training, workshops, and facilitating retreats related to board development, teambuilding, fundraising, staff development, marketing and volunteerism. To name a few, Meals on Wheels of America, LiveOn NY, the National Association of Nutrition and Senior Programs (NANASP) are among the clients for which Pat has facilitated national training workshops.
With a background in administration, nutrition, finance and programming, a sub-specialty of Pat's is Aging Services. She was the former Association Manager for New Jersey Area Agencies on Aging (NJ4A) which was comprised of the state's 21 County Offices on Aging. She assisted the organization with strategic planning, meeting facilitation and general operations.
Pat has been a featured speaker at numerous national conferences on aging, including regular appearances at NANASP events.
Pat is an adjunct professor at Brookdale Community College where she teaches Fundamentals of Not for Profit Management.
She holds academic credentials in Business Administration and Sociology, is a graduate of the Non-profit Management Institute of Columbia University and is a member of: National Speakers Association and a past President and founding member of the New Jersey Chapter, Center for Non-profits NJ, National Council on Aging (NCOA), National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC), American Society of Aging (ASA). In 2013, Pat was the recipient of the Reverend Robert V. Lott Humanitarian Award from the Council of Senior Centers and Services of NYC.
William Bennington has been widely recognized by professional societies, corporations, and charitable organizations for his work in developing innovative programs, and for his planning, board development, and general management expertise.
He retired in late 2003 as Vice President of Training for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. In addition to serving as an officer of three Fortune 500 companies,
Bennington has consulted with top executives of a number of large and highly respected corporations, foundations, colleges and religious ministries as a provider of technical assistance related to the development of community affairs, grant-making, communications, human resources policies, board development programs, and strategic planning. Mr. Bennington has also worked on behalf of or with chairmen, presidents and senior officers of several other corporations and large charitable organizations in matters related to organizational development, strategic planning and senior-level policy development.
As a creator of and member of the faculties of The Institutes For Non-Profit Excellence in the United States and Great Britain, The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Healthy Community Institutes, The Templeton Institutes for Religious Non-Profit Excellence, of the Inner City Impact Institute and the Community Impact Institute among others, he has provided training for more than 6,000 charitable organizations (including more than 1,000 North Carolina-based non-profits) in strategic planning, marketing, communications and board and organizational development.
In addition, he has developed innovative approaches and tools for the analysis of organizations and for aiding foundations in evaluating grant requests. He has also taught courses in non-profit board development, strategic planning, budgeting, problem solving and communications at the University of Pennsylvania School of Special Studies.
Having served on the boards of directors of more than 40 nonprofit and publicly held corporations in the US and abroad, he is a past president of the Board of Carolina Correctional Services and a past trustee of the Orange County North Carolina United Way. In the recent past, he has also served as President of The Dispute Settlement Center of Durham, a member of the President's Council of Gwynedd-Mercy College, a trustee of the West Jersey Chamber Music Society, and as a special advisor to the President and Board of Directors of Mercy Ships, an international Christian relief organization.
A graduate of The University of Dayton (BA-Journalism), he was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps in 1960. Bill is listed in the 1985-2011 editions of Who's Who in America as well as in various other Who's Who publications including Who's Who in Finance and Business, Who's Who in the World and Who's Who in Public Relations.
Mr. Bennington is a frequent lecturer before communications societies, non-profit groups and professional organizations (both nationally and internationally). In addition, he frequently presents workshops and seminars to colleges and professional groups on communications, planning, policy development and board of director's issues.
In addition to running his own business, Bennington Enterprises, LLC, he currently consults as a senior associate with Bohse & Associates, Lynne Cummings Development Consultants, Jim Cummings & Associates and MBS Associates.