By: Maddy Bynes-DeVaney, MPP
With 2024 coming to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect and say thank you! For me personally, it's been a banner year. I moved to Washington D.C. from Arizona in January 2024. After a week long road trip with my then-Fiancé and our two dogs, Dusk and Walker, we arrived at our never-before-renovated 1931 home to begin a new chapter in our lives. It's been a fun (if not a bit crazy) experience of renovation, repairs, and learning about the area. We've loved it. In March, Nick and I got married here in Washington D.C. and were excited to begin our Bynes-DeVaney family with our two dogs by our side.
After the start of the year being marked by so many big life events, I took the first half of the year off of business development to just soak in all of the change. In June, we got serious about expanding Bynes Consulting Group, and what a successful year we've had in doing so. In May, we welcomed Melanie Emerson, PhD as a Senior Consultant. Lara Ruggles closely followed as our Grants Specialist. By the end of the year, we also welcome Sarah Launius, PhD, rounding out our all-female team of consultants looking to advance your priorities in government, nonprofit governance and programs, evaluation, and fundraising.
It's been a huge year for Bynes Consulting Group, serving 18 clients across the United States. A huge thanks to our clients this year. These clients include:
4th Trimester Arizona
AZAging
Alexander|Carrillo & The Fox Theatre
Casa de los Niños
Community Foundation for Southern Arizona
Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging
JobPath
Just Consulting, LLC & WACOG Area Agency on Aging
Live Theatre Workshop
Partnership to Align Social Care
Pima Council on Aging
Social Venture Partners
Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation
Southwest Community Care Partners
TMM Family Services
Tucson Girls Chorus
Tucson Pride
YWCA Southern Arizona
We've been able to achieve huge success for our clients this year. Here are some things I am personally proud that we've been able to accomplish on behalf of our clients:
Nonprofit Development: Working with five flagship nonprofits in Arizona, we were able to secure seed funding to incorporate and start Arizona's first community care hub, Southwest Community Care Partners. Over the past year, Bynes Consulting Group has helped to lead the way in this young nonprofit's development, from facilitating board retreats and strategic planning sessions, to leading an executive search for them, to assisting in day-to-day operations and fundraising, we've be there for it all!
Government Strategy: We've worked with various organizations over the past year to help guide their government relations strategies. We've had a lot of success in this area! One organization came to Bynes Consulting Group worried that they would loose all of their local government funding. Together, we were able to explain how their funding was spent, any discrepancies in spending, and how funding would be monitored in the future. Through these efforts, this nonprofit was able to secure most of the funding they were worried about losing. We also worked with organizations to introduce new capital investment projects in their local community, making headway in a multi-year goal of creating a public/private partnership to expand their space and create economic opportunity in their community. We also assisted nonprofits across the country in balancing their messaging around the 2024 election and continue to help nonprofits navigate the uncertain waters of a new administration, Congress, and various legislatures.
Government Relations: In the Spring, we were excited to welcome AZAging and various Arizona Area Agencies on Aging to Washington D.C. to meet with their Members of Congress to discuss the Older Americans Act and on-going appropriations. In June, we were excited to support Tucson Pride as they were invited to the Vice President's Residence for a Pride celebration. We visited several Arizona Members of Congress to discuss the importance of supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Finally, in the fall, we welcomed Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging to the nation's capitol for a Caregiver Conference. While they were here, we discussed with Members of Congress the importance that the Older Americans Act of 1965 has in supporting family caregivers.
Grantmaking: In partnership with the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, we conducted focus groups, a survey, and comprehensive literature review to help develop their Public Policy Project. This project gave three three year grants to nonprofit organizations in Southern Arizona to build or expand upon their already existing public policy and advocacy efforts. I am excited to see those three organizations build comprehensive public policy and advocacy programming in Southern Arizona.
Developing Systems Change and Public Policy Priorities: Working with several nonprofit organizations, we worked to research policies and appropriations at the local, state, and federal levels of government that would impact their mission and organization and develop flexible policy positions and priorities for the Board of Directors. We also worked with several organizations to assist in developing systems change strategies - these could include changing billing and coding with CMS to enhance coverage for mothers, focusing on payments for health systems, etc.
Association Management: We continued to manage the AZAging, Arizona's Association of Area Agencies on Aging, assisting them in expanding membership to cover ALL Area Agencies on Aging across their state. In the fall, we began working with the Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging to assess various needs and priorities that the Association has for continued management.
Grant Writing: We act as a grant writer and grant manager for several nonprofit organizations. Through these efforts we've raised over $1.5 million in the past year for nonprofit organizations through writing successful federal, state, and local grants. In particular, we were able to turnaround a competitive federal grant in just 10 days for an organization in need. I'm so proud of Bynes Consulting Group's efficiency and effectiveness in our grant writing efforts.
It's been a hugely impactful year for the nonprofits that we serve, and we've done a lot of work in expanding opportunities for nonprofits across the nation. On behalf of all of us at Bynes Consulting Group, thank you so much for coming on this adventure with us and entrusting us with important work that helps to serve your community! We have been so privileged and honored to work along side you, having a small footprint in your overall picture of achieving your missions. We are excited for a productive 2025 and hope to work with you and many others in the new year!