Best Practice FS Strategic Funding Systems
About Best Practice FS
Who We Are
With more than 20 years of leadership-level experience in advancement, strategic funding development, and institutional partnerships, Dr. Charles (Chad) Vogel, sole owner and operator of Best Practice FS has held prominent leadership positions including Athletic Director at his alma mater, Dakota Wesleyan University, and later served as Associate Dean of Advancement at University of Illinois.
Throughout his career, he has successfully led complex funding initiatives and capital campaigns across higher education, healthcare, conservation, and nonprofit sectors. Dr. Vogel is a certified grant writer with deep expertise in federal guidance principles, strategic partnerships, and funding ecosystem development. Today, he works with organizations, institutions, and collaborative initiatives to build strategic funding systems that connect vision, partnerships, and implementation through major gifts, grants, public-private collaboration, and long-term funding strategy.
Best Practice FS is dedicated to thoughtful strategy, trusted relationships, and measurable results.
What We Do
Strategic Funding Systems
Best Practice FS helps organizations develop strategic funding systems that connect vision, partnerships, and implementation. Through an integrated approach to advancement, grants, public-private collaboration, and long-term funding strategy, Best Practice FS works with nonprofits, institutions, conservation initiatives, and mission-driven organizations to position themselves for transformational growth and measurable impact. By combining strategic thinking with practical execution, Best Practice FS helps clients build sustainable funding ecosystems that strengthen organizational capacity and support long-term success.
Major Gifts & Capital Campaign Strategy
Best Practice FS provides comprehensive major gift and capital campaign strategy designed to help organizations secure transformative philanthropic investments. Services include campaign readiness and feasibility assessment, strategic campaign planning, leadership and volunteer structure development, donor cultivation strategy, and major gift engagement. Campaigns are approached through a disciplined phased methodology that builds momentum during the leadership giving phase before engaging broader public support. Emphasis is placed not only on achieving campaign goals, but also on strengthening institutional alignment, donor confidence, and long-term stewardship systems that continue beyond the campaign itself.
State, Federal & Strategic Grant Development
Led by a Certified Grant Writer and a professional certified in Federal Uniform Guidance Principles under 2 CFR 200, Best Practice FS provides expert grant development and funding strategy services for nonprofits, educational institutions, businesses, conservation initiatives, and collaborative partnerships. Services include opportunity identification, strategic positioning, partnership development, proposal narrative creation, budget preparation, and regulatory compliance guidance. With experience navigating complex state, federal, foundation, and conservation funding ecosystems, Best Practice FS helps clients pursue competitive funding opportunities while aligning projects with broader organizational and implementation goals.
What We Do
Water Quality & Conservation Funding Strategy
Best Practice FS works with conservation organizations, watershed initiatives, agricultural partnerships, and implementation collaboratives to develop funding strategies that support scalable water quality and conservation outcomes. Services include conservation funding strategy, partnership architecture, public-private collaboration development, watershed implementation planning, and support for state, federal, and corporate conservation funding opportunities. By combining strategic funding expertise with systems-level thinking, Best Practice FS helps partners position projects for measurable environmental impact and long-term implementation success.
How We Think
At Best Practice FS, we believe sustainable success is rarely the result of a single grant, donor, campaign, or opportunity. Strong organizations are built through strategic funding systems that align vision, relationships, partnerships, implementation capacity, and long-term thinking. Our approach is grounded in the belief that funding follows clarity, confidence, and credible execution. Rather than treating fundraising, grants, or partnerships as isolated transactions, Best Practice FS works alongside clients to strengthen the broader ecosystem that supports long-term growth and impact. We value thoughtful strategy over quick fixes, trusted relationships over transactional consulting, and practical implementation over abstract planning. Whether working in philanthropy, higher education, conservation, or community initiatives, our goal is to help organizations position themselves for transformational opportunities while building systems designed to endure.
Why It Matters
Best Practice FS Can Help Change the World
Best Practice FS matters because organizations today operate within increasingly complex funding environments that require more than isolated fundraising tactics or one-time grant submissions. Sustainable success depends on the development of strategic funding systems that connect organizational vision, trusted partnerships, implementation capacity, and long-term financial strategy.
Best Practice FS brings a unique client-centered approach grounded in thoughtful strategy, long-term relationship building, and practical execution. Rather than relying on rigid consulting structures, Best Practice FS emphasizes trusted partnerships through flexible, limited to no obligation contractual arrangements that allow clients to engage with confidence and clarity.
With more than two decades of leadership-level experience in advancement, strategic funding development, capital campaigns, federal grant systems, and collaborative partnership strategy, Dr. Charles (Chad) Vogel provides organizations with seasoned guidance tailored to their specific goals and challenges. From major gifts and institutional advancement to conservation funding and public-private collaboration, Best Practice FS helps clients position themselves for transformational opportunities while strengthening their long-term organizational capacity.
Equally important, clients work directly with Dr. Vogel throughout the engagement process. Best Practice FS believes the strongest consultant relationships are built over time through trust, consistency, and direct collaboration rather than layers of representatives or account managers. This commitment allows clients to benefit from continuity, responsiveness, and a deep understanding of their mission, strategy, and evolving funding ecosystem.
What People Say About Best Practice FS
Jennifer Simmelink
Jennifer Simmelink
Jennifer Simmelink
Our organization contracted with Chad to help prepare a grant application. It had a tight timeline which Chad navigated us through very efficiently, keeping each week's tasks manageable while also allowing for an early application submittal. He took the rough framework and budget for our proposed project and built out a complete narrativ
Our organization contracted with Chad to help prepare a grant application. It had a tight timeline which Chad navigated us through very efficiently, keeping each week's tasks manageable while also allowing for an early application submittal. He took the rough framework and budget for our proposed project and built out a complete narrative, objectives, and budget. Chad was knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with.
Amy Sue Alesch
Jennifer Simmelink
Jennifer Simmelink
I have worked with Chad for over five years in the non-profit and grants world. I continue to be impressed with his development in this field. I have learned quite a bit from his strategic thinking regarding the grant process required for Federal and State grants. Chad understands what needs to be done, who needs to be included, and has
I have worked with Chad for over five years in the non-profit and grants world. I continue to be impressed with his development in this field. I have learned quite a bit from his strategic thinking regarding the grant process required for Federal and State grants. Chad understands what needs to be done, who needs to be included, and has the skill set to bring this process to a successful conclusion. I have been in the grants field for over 20 years and Chad is one of the people I enjoy working with the most because of his authenticity, efficiency, willingness to learn, and passion for each project he works on.
Jason Geiken
Jennifer Simmelink
Jason Geiken
Dr. Vogel is an accomplished fundraiser under both the individual major gift model as well and the government grant writing model. He has been very successful in funding projects for agricultural projects, including vital research and conservation efforts. He’s a great communicator in both spoken and written formats and is an expert at b
Dr. Vogel is an accomplished fundraiser under both the individual major gift model as well and the government grant writing model. He has been very successful in funding projects for agricultural projects, including vital research and conservation efforts. He’s a great communicator in both spoken and written formats and is an expert at building a compelling narrative. He’s been a valued colleague to whom I’ve admired and respected for more than ten years.