The person behind
every campaign.
One to One is not a large firm with a rotating roster of associates. It's Steven—an experienced fundraising professional who has spent years helping Canadian charities raise significant dollars, build lasting donor relationships, and strengthen their presence in the community.
"We understand that if our clients succeed, it dramatically impacts the health and well-being of the communities they serve."— Steven Pinnock, Founder
Steven Pinnock founded One to One Fundraising & Consulting on a conviction most consultants get backwards: donors don't give to organizations. They give to people, causes, and relationships they believe in.
That means every cultivation visit matters. Every conversation with a prospective major donor is an opportunity to deepen a relationship that could sustain your organization for decades. It means treating every donor like the most important person in your fundraising program, because they are.
The name One to One is not a brand. It is a description of how Steven works. One fundraiser. One goal. One conversation at a time.
No mystery, no jargon. Here's the process from first conversation to campaign close, and what you can expect at each step.
We start with a no-obligation conversation about where your organization is and what you're trying to accomplish. Steven listens first. No pitch, no proposal until he understands your situation.
Depending on the engagement, this may include a development audit, donor database review, or feasibility study. The goal is to understand your fundraising readiness before recommending a path forward.
Clear deliverables, timeline, and fees, agreed in writing before work begins. No ambiguity about what you are getting and what it costs.
Steven works directly with your team and board to identify, cultivate, and solicit major donors through personal visits and meaningful conversations, the one-to-one approach the company is named for.
Steven provides your Executive Director and board with regular updates on donor pipeline, cultivation progress, and campaign metrics so leadership always knows exactly where things stand.
When the engagement ends, your team knows more than when it started. Steven documents every donor strategy and cultivation note so your next campaign begins from a stronger position.
Every donor in your database is a person with motivations, values, and a story. Treating them as a transaction is the fastest way to lose them. Steven treats every relationship as if it will last decades, because the best ones do.
If your campaign is not ready to launch, Steven will tell you. If your major donor pool cannot support the goal you have set, he will tell you that too. A consultant who only tells you what you want to hear is not worth your money, and is not worth your donors' time.
We try to document every cultivation visit, and every conversation, every relationship note goes into your CRM, not Steven's. This is very valuable information for an organization to retain in its database to build on. When the engagement ends, you own all of it. The relationships he builds are yours to continue.
Steven has spent more than two decades as a professional fundraiser and Executive Director in the charitable sector, building a reputation for driving growth, inspiring teams, and elevating organizations to new levels of impact.
Raised in Montreal by immigrant parents, Steven experienced inequality up close. Those experiences became the foundation of his management approach, making him more attuned to the obstacles and challenges others face. That experience shaped his lifelong commitment to fairness, access, and helping organizations that champion those who are often overlooked.
Although he has worked with many blue-chip charities, his passion has always been supporting the underdog and ensuring smaller organizations can compete with the sector's largest players.
Steven's leadership journey began at Concordia University in Montreal, where he founded a charity that provided free tutoring to high school students. With a dedicated team of volunteers, he helped hundreds of disadvantaged youth improve their grades and pursue post-secondary education. This early success set the tone for a career defined by initiative, innovation, and measurable results.
Working in the charitable sector is more than a job—it is an opportunity to bridge disparities for organizations that lack strong boards, have limited networks or resources, and struggle to navigate fundraising opportunities.
As President of One to One Fundraising and Consulting, Steven brings a clear and effective philosophy: 'Charities need to run like a business, have an entrepreneurial drive, and be able to speak passionately about their cause.'
During his 11-year tenure as Executive Director of a national charity supporting children and adults with special needs, Steven consistently exceeded organizational goals. He increased the number of volunteer participating schools by an extraordinary 429%, growing from 85 to 450, and played a key role in establishing a new endowment fund that raised $6 million. His approach blends strategic thinking with hands-on leadership, ensuring that every initiative is grounded in purpose, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
Steven believes that obstacles—whether in life or in fundraising—are not barriers but opportunities to demonstrate resilience, creativity, and determination. With competition for charitable dollars at an all-time high, he helps organizations stand shoulder-to-shoulder with major national charities, equipping them to influence decision-makers and secure transformational support.
He has worked with clients across healthcare, religion, and social services, creating customized fundraising strategies and guiding organizations through every stage of implementation.
Outside of his professional work, Steven is active in several community organizations. He is married with two children and enjoys playing hockey, baseball, and appreciating fine cars.
Capital campaigns take months of cultivation before the first ask. Major gift programs take time to build. The organizations that raise the most start planning earlier than they think they need to.
