Bidders are required to submit their proposal to Kristi Snuggs via email using kristis@earlyyearsnc.org no later than December 11, 2025.

Questions? View our Q&A at the bottom of this page.

Description of Work

A. Introduction
Early Years, Inc. is seeking proposals for development and strategic communications support.

Early Years invites vendors having expertise in development and strategic communications support to submit proposals. The firm should be capable of providing Early Years with a focused, high-impact development and communications support to position Early Years for sustainable revenue expansion in its next era of growth.

Agency Background:
Early Years, Inc.’s mission is to lead efforts to strengthen accessible and affordable quality early care and education by supporting families, communities and the workforce. Early Years provides local, state and national services, all intended to ensure that all children receive the high-quality early care and education that is so important for their development. Volumes of research demonstrate the importance of high-quality early care and education; in fact, study after study has shown that high-quality early care and education has lifelong social, academic, financial and emotional effects for children, most especially for children of color.

For the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2025, Early Years had total program expenditures of $38,889,892, general and administrative expenditures of $2,664,909 and total fundraising expenditures of $104,015. Nearly 75% of total public support and revenues were from Federal and State sources.

B. Scope of Work / Objective / Requirements

The deliverables as required by Early Years are as follows:

1. Marketing and Communications Development
   • Case for support
   • Elevator pitches for Board and Leadership
   • Marketing Collateral
2. FY26-27 Development Roadmap
   • Comprehensive roadmap to include individual giving, institutional giving, campaign planning and metrics and milestones.
   • Execution plan for the Development and Communications team at Early Years
3. Institutional Funding Concepts, including framing narrative and theory of change, objectives, outcomes, and budget outline, and fit analysis with 2-3 potential or corporate funders.
4. Deliverable schedule
5. Expected outcomes

C. Fees, Timeline and Invoicing Terms

D. Terms and Conditions

1. Bidders are required to submit their proposal to Kristi Snuggs via email using kristis@earlyyearsnc.org no later than December 11, 2025.
2. All prices quoted must be inclusive of all applicable fees and taxes.
3. Early Years will not be responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by bidders in connection with the preparation or delivery of proposals.
4. No negotiations and revised bids will be allowed.

Acceptance of Proposals

Early Years reserves the right not to accept the lowest or any proposal and to annul the bidding process.

The acceptance criteria will be as follows:

1. The bidder must provide all the mandatory requirements.

IF FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS BIDDING DOCUMENT IS REQUIRED, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT:

Dr. Kristi Snuggs
Email: kristis@earlyyearsnc.org

Questions and Answers

Does Early Years currently have a full-time marketing and communications staff member or team that we would be working with closely? 
Yes, we have a Director of Development and Communications with whom you will be working closely.

Are there specific types of marketing collateral you envision as part of the deliverables? 
The specifics that we are looking for are identified in the RFP. Based on the case for support and elevator speeches created, we would be looking to you and our Director of Development and Communications for suggestions of the types of collateral you might envision.

Does Early Years have an existing marketing strategy? 
Early Years has recently undergone a rebrand, so there was an existing marketing strategy in place for the new name, logo, and brand.  But now we are ready to move to the next level with our marketing strategies.  We have ideas, but not a fully functional plan.

Does Early Years have a current development roadmap for FY 2025–26? 
Early Years does not have a current development roadmap for FY2025-26.

What is the desired project start date? 
ASAP, realistically, the beginning of the calendar year (early to mid-January).

Is there a preferred end date for our engagement? (I’m assuming key deliverables should be completed before the start of the next fiscal year, July 1, 2026.) 
Correct.  However, I hope that we could move a little faster to inform strategic planning already underway.

Are there any budget parameters or considerations we should keep in mind when preparing our proposal? 
We do not have specific budget parameters, but we are a non-profit, and we do have a full-time person to work with the contractor.  We want a quality product, but this would be assisting our Director of Development and Communications on the strategies.

The complete list of mandatory requirements that must be met for a proposal to be considered responsive. 
Response to the 5 deliverables identified in the RFP and listed below. 

• Marketing and Communications Development
  • Case for support
  • Elevator pitches for Board and Leadership
  • Marketing Collateral
• FY26-27 Development Roadmap
  • Comprehensive roadmap to include individual giving, institutional giving, campaign planning and metrics and milestones.
  • Execution plan for the Development and Communications team at Early Years
• Institutional Funding Concepts, including framing narrative and theory of change, objectives, outcomes, and budget outline, and fit analysis with 2-3 potential or corporate funders.
• Deliverable schedule
• Expected outcomes

Additionally, it would be important for your organization to provide the background and documentation of your infrastructure to complete the task.  Examples of how you have completed similar projects in the past.  And any additional information that you feel is valuable for the committee to review in making a final selection.

Any eligibility conditions that would result in automatic disqualification if not met. 
None that could result in automatic disqualification.

Whether there are specific formats, forms, or attachments (e.g., certifications, financial documents, references) that are mandatory at the time of submission.
Three references would be ideal. 

Could you please share any details about the anticipated budget parameters so we can right-size our level of effort scope? 
There are no specific budget requirements.  Early Years is interested in the deliverables mentioned in the RFP document.  We are looking for competitive proposals to assist our Director of Development and Communications in completing the deliverables. 

I didn’t see the timeline for starting and completing this work: could you please confirm timing for this scope (ex. Jan – Jun 2026? 1-year?)?  
Ideally, the project would begin in early to mid-January and be completed as soon as possible.  Early Years has already begun a Strategic Planning process, and we would want the deliverables to inform the process.  All deliverables would need to be completed by June 30, 2026.

As our team drafts our proposal, I’d love to know any particular proposal outline details that would be helpful to limit/include as you begin reviewing submissions. 
There are no specific requirements for the proposal.  However, it would be helpful to understand your organization’s capacity to complete the deliverables.  Also, 3 references would be helpful.