Advancing the Greater Good
OUR RESULTS
Building an Individual Giving Program to Create Sustainability
The Client
The Collaboration for Early Childhood is a champion of high-quality early childhood care and learning experiences. (Oak Park, Ilinois)
The Impact
Together, we:
-
Instituted a biannual mail solicitation strategy, supplemented by various social media campaigns throughout the year;
-
Initiated two annual events per year—a fundraising event and a cultivation event;
-
Achieved a donor retention rate higher than the industry average;
-
Nearly tripled the number of individual annual donors (70 to 200+ individuals) and increased annual fund giving by 75% from 2014 to 2020; and
-
Increased the number of major donors ($500+ per year) by 128%.
The Challenge
Historically, the Collaboration for Early Childhood’s funding came predominantly from local government sources. As a backbone organization for more than 70 local partners, fundraising can be a challenge for this organization. In 2015, the Executive Director recognized the untapped potential of significant individual giving to further the organization’s mission. Without any development staff, the organization sought a partner to build an individual giving program from the ground up.
The Collaboration Process
AltruNext began this project by conducting a full organizational audit. After gaining a deep understanding of the organization and its position within the local philanthropic landscape, we created a Fund Development Plan. We continued this partnership by working with the Development Committee Chair to set the monthly meeting agenda, coach and engage Board members in fundraising, and achieve annual objectives.
​
As a result of the fundraising success and infrastructure building, the organization is poised to hire its first development officer. AltruNext partnered closely with leadership to craft the Director of Development position and review resumés for this new role.
Key Project Elements
-
Organizational Assessment
-
Staff & Board Coaching
-
Fund Development Plan
-
Proposal Writing
“From the start, AltruNext approached its work with the Collaboration for Early Childhood with passion and wisdom, taking time to thoroughly understand our complex structure and unique development challenges.”
Becki Streit / Chair, Board of Directors