Blog post by Greg Whitney (3 minute read)
Vice President Greg Whitney describes what can be gained from embarking on a development assessment and the long-lasting impacts the process has on the health and success of your nonprofit organization.
Continue reading “3 Benefits of a Development Assessment You Don’t Want to Miss”
Client spotlight, (3 minute read)
Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance collaborated with consultants at Alford Group to complete their campaign for the new Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden, providing a free, year-round, accessible adventure for Garfield Park and Chicago families.
The Alliance is a nonprofit organization seeking to change lives through the power of nature by bringing educational programming, events and resources to visitors in partnership with the Chicago Park District.
The Alliance strengthens the community through the unique combination of free onsite gardens, exhibits and programming and other nature-based activities and resources that invite the engagement of all community members. The Alliance enhances the economic vitality of Chicago’s West Side and encourages the larger community to explore the fundamental connection between plants and human life.
In 2020, the Alliance invited Alford Group to serve as Campaign Counsel for the construction of a new children’s garden. Over two years, with eighteen months of comprehensive counsel, the team of consultants launched an assessment using Alford Analytics and a holistic review of all the materials related to the campaign.
Alford Group consultants engaged their Board and other key stakeholders through a SOAR analysis, a campaign committee, interviews, two focus groups and board coaching workshops.
In the process of raising nearly $4 million dollars to build the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden, the Alliance, with the guidance of Alford Group created a compelling case for support, affirmed their campaign timeline and goal milestones, identified their top campaign prospects and strategy, engaged key stakeholders and built a campaign toolkit.
Jennifer credits the success of the campaign to the collaboration:
“Working with Alford Group was instrumental in the success of our campaign for the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden. The Alford team brought no less than four (!) distinct areas of expertise that advanced our work: board training and engagement, database analytics, prospect identification and evaluation, and overall project management. It was like having a full-time addition (or two) to the staff as they embraced our work and goals seamlessly. The team also showcased their deep understanding of equity work, advancing our campaign with an inclusive approach to engagement.”
Inspired? Learn more about how to bring our expertise to your organization here.
Client spotlight, (3 minute read)
Over the past several years, YWCA Metro Chicago has expanded its service footprint to embrace the needs of women and families in new geographies, doubled its budget size and welcomed a new President and CEO, Nicole Robinson. Given these changes, Alford Group was engaged to conduct a development assessment to identify ways to build on their strengths while ensuring sustained growth.
Continue reading “Client Spotlight: YWCA Metro Chicago Sustains Growth with Development Assessment”
By Mary Kaufman-Cranney, CFRE, Vice President
I recently facilitated a panel of development professionals at the statewide Arizona AFP Conference in Flagstaff to discuss the ins and outs of preparing for and launching a major campaign. The session reinforced best practices along with the creativity and flexibility needed to adapt to the bumps in the road that come with any campaign.
Between the panelists and myself, we brought about a dozen or two campaign experiences, a half billion dollars raised and more than a few stories of how campaigns truly bring out magical moments – from motivated donors and serendipity occurrences, to inspired board engagement and giving.
What is a major campaign?As we got going, the panelists were nodding their heads as I got us all on board with the definition of a major campaign.
Definition of a Major Campaign:
A carefully organized, intensive fundraising effort in a specific amount of time designed to secure extraordinary gifts for specific purpose(s) that propel the organization to a whole new level of achieving its mission & reaching its vision Continue reading “How to Prepare for a Major Campaign: Insights from expert fundraisers”