About Us - Advancement Consulting Expertise

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Our firm takes its name, Gordian Knot, from Greek mythology. According to legend, an oxcart was tied to a post with an intricate knot. An oracle foretold that if the knot could be untangled, that person would rule over a vast domain. Alexander the Great came upon the oxcart. Instead of trying to loosen the knot, he allegedly took out his sword and cut it. Thus, solving the problem swiftly and effectively. 

We want to cut through your institution’s Gordian knots. Founder Kathy Johnson Bowles says, "We believe that every organization doing good in the world, can do more good with greater ease, efficiency, and effectiveness. We don’t want you to spend time trying to loosen knots we can cut through for you. We help you focus on what you do best: enabling a greater good, serving others more broadly, and realizing your mission, vision, and values."

Gordian Knot’s consultants have decades of experience:

Fundraising:Raised tens of millions for programs, scholarships, faculty innovation, technology, capital projects and more. 

Stewardship: Identified and put to work millions of dollars in unexpended but available funds. Using these resources met donor and auditor expectations. Built door recognition programs and events.

Compliance: Reviewed hundreds and hundreds of gift agreements and worked with donors to ensure intent and use complies with state and federal law. Reviewed, revised, written and coordinated hundreds of policies, procedures, workflows, templates, and manuals based upon best practice.

Core Business Operations: Normalized thousands of data points in preparation of automation. Led department, division, and budgetary re-organization for growth and efficiency.

Strategic Planning: Built department, division, and institutional plans for operations and fundraising collaboratively and from the ground up.