KindCon Sponsor Spotlight: Attain Partners

We are thrilled to shine a spotlight on Attain Partners, a Gold Sponsor for KindCon 2025. As a leading strategy and technology consulting firm, Attain Partners is dedicated to a powerful mission: disrupting the status quo to change the world and improve the lives of those they serve. We sat down with Attain to talk about their mission, their impact, and why they’re excited about KindCon 2025:

Tell us about your mission!

Attain Partners is a leading strategy and technology consulting firm delivering solutions to advance client missions across the higher education and nonprofit markets since 2009. We are an innovative, values-driven firm working to disrupt the status quo to change the world and improve the lives of those we serve. Our company is dedicated to enabling organizations to successfully and efficiently undergo transformational changes. We are viewed as trusted advisors by clients because we respect their institutional knowledge and systems and have demonstrated an understanding of complex nonprofit and higher education operations across all functional domains.

Since our founding, our company has been united behind a vision that demands—and continues to demand—courage, discipline, and innovation. We are a purpose-built organization, driven by the aspiration to create an enduring legacy of delivering insanely great, impactful results that improve lives and communities. Whether it’s helping a university transform its student experience, guiding an organization through digital modernization, or serving as a trusted resource to the research community during times of significant change, our core principles keep us aligned and moving forward together. At Attain Partners, our mission is to change the world by disrupting the status quo and improving the lives we touch.

What types of organizations do you work with? 

Attain Partners has a long history of driving transformational change in higher education, working side by side with institutions and technology providers as “One Team.” With a deep understanding of higher education’s culture, systems, and traditions, Attain Partners approaches each engagement with humility, respecting existing processes while introducing new ways to build trust and deliver lasting success. 

Our deep industry expertise combined with our collaborative approach has earned us the opportunity to serve 100% of Ivy League institutions and over 70 of the nation’s top R1 research universities. Within the higher education industry, we have helped modernize operations, elevate student and faculty experiences, and strengthen institutional impact.

In addition to higher education, Attain Partners brings extensive expertise to the nonprofit sector, empowering mission-driven organizations to maximize their fundraising and program management operations. Our work with large-scale, national nonprofits reflects our ability to align technology with mission to accelerate impact. We also specialize in grateful patient fundraising solutions that allow academic medical centers to cultivate dedicated communities of support and advance their philanthropic goals.

In the healthcare space, Attain Partners has guided hospitals and foundations in moving to Salesforce and Ascend platforms, enabling them to streamline operations and enhance donor engagement. Our clients benefit from our ability to connect Advancement strategy with innovative technology, creating sustainable systems for growth. Across the public sector, our firm is recognized not only for our technical expertise, but for our collaborative, people-first approach—working hand in hand with clients to design solutions that honor institutional culture while simultaneously delivering meaningful, measurable results.

What’s your favourite part about working with fundraising organizations? 

At Attain Partners, we are deeply passionate about empowering nonprofits to amplify their impact. Our collaboration with mission-driven organizations is rooted in a shared commitment to social good and a belief in the transformative power of technology. By leveraging Kindsight products like Ascend, we help nonprofits improve efficiency, create capacity for growth, and reduce manual effort, allowing them to focus on their missions and serving their constituents. 

What excites us most is the opportunity to be a catalyst for positive change within the nonprofit sector. We love seeing the significant, positive impact organizations have on the communities they serve. We also admire the significant collaboration between nonprofit organizations nationwide to drive innovation forward together. The KindCon Conference is a great example of this cooperative spirit in action. 

We understand the unique challenges nonprofits face, from resource constraints to the need for innovative solutions. Our team works closely with clients to develop tailored strategies that address their specific needs and goals. Whether it’s through implementing advanced analytics, optimizing fundraising efforts, or enhancing digital engagement, we are dedicated to providing the tools and support necessary for nonprofits to thrive and make a lasting difference in their communities.

How are you making a positive impact in your community?

Attain Partners demonstrates a strong commitment to community engagement through its longstanding support of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). The firm has been recognized as a top corporate fundraiser for the National Capital Area Kidney Walk, actively participating both in person and virtually to raise awareness and funds for kidney health initiatives. Reshma Patel-Jackson, Partner and Practice Lead at Attain Partners, has played a pivotal role as Team Captain, leading the company’s efforts in the annual Kidney Walk. Additionally, Ellen Walsh, Partner at Attain Partners, serves as a Member of the Board of the National Kidney Foundation Serving the National Capital Area, contributing her leadership to advance the organization’s mission.

Our dedication to the NKF reflects our core value to Obsess Externally, which emphasizes giving back to the communities in which our team members live and work. By supporting the NKF, Attain Partners not only aids in funding research and education for kidney health but also fosters a culture of philanthropy and community involvement among our team. This alignment of corporate values with charitable action underscores Attain Partners’ holistic approach to corporate social responsibility.

What trends or changes are you seeing in your industry that excite you the most?

As we look ahead to the rest of 2025 and into 2026, three forces stand out as both the biggest opportunities and toughest challenges: artificial intelligence (“AI”), cost recovery reform, and the redefinition of higher education’s value.

AI isn’t just on the horizon—it’s a present reality that’s already reshaping campus life. Today, AI is the heartbeat of institutional transformation, influencing how universities personalize learning, streamline operations, and generate insights that drive smarter decisions and improve outcomes. The opportunity is enormous in rewriting what’s possible, but so is the challenge: institutions are facing a call to action, mandating that they move with agility, build new capabilities, and govern AI responsibly. Those who harness AI with purpose will set the tempo for the next era of education.

Cost recovery reform is at another inflection point and it’s more than a funding debate—it’s a test of an 80-year partnership that’s led to America being the world leader in research and innovation. As agencies revisit cost recovery models, research institutions face real risks—but also a chance to reset strategies for sustainable funding. Done right, reform can unlock smarter strategies that ensure America’s research enterprise continues to thrive and sustains its leadership in research and innovation.

And at the heart of it all, the question of value in higher education looms larger than ever. Students and families are demanding clear outcomes that align with careers, greater equity, and lifelong success. The institutions that dare to break from legacy models, embracing transformation and boldly reimagine student success – how education is delivered and success measured – will define the future of education.

At Attain Partners, we see these dynamics not as headwinds, but as catalysts to help our clients lead with purpose and impact in a rapidly changing world. The future belongs to those willing to ask harder questions, take smarter risks, and lead transformation with purpose.

What inspired you to get involved with KindCon this year? What are you most excited to see at KindCon 2025?

Attain Partners is a premier Kindsight partner with Ascend serving as our go-to solution across the three industries we serve; higher education, healthcare foundations, and nonprofit organizations. We wouldn’t miss KindCon and the opportunity to engage with the ever-evolving Kindsight community. It is a front row ticket to hear about all of the innovations happening at the company as well as within the organizations leveraging its powerful technologies. 

This is the first KindCon conference since Advancement RM joined the Kindsight family. Having clients who are using both technologies coming together to collaborate on what is next will allow us to develop new and innovative advancement solutions—we can’t wait!

What are you most excited to see at KindCon 2025?

We’re excited to see and hear about all the success clients are seeing after going live with their new CRM systems.

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Thank you to the team at Attain Partners for sharing their insights! Be sure to visit Attain Partners at the KindCon community and product lounge at KindCon 2025 to learn more about how they can help your organization lead with purpose and execute with discipline.

Kristi Phillips

Kristi Phillips serves as Managing Director, Attain Digital Growth for Attain Partners. In her role, Kristi leads client engagement and business development and supports the successful delivery of our Attain Digital portfolio of services, including Salesforce innovation, strategic transformation, organizational change management, and enterprise transformation.

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