Under new leadership, VolunteerMatch sought to reimagine their fundraising strategy and development operations holistically.

I developed and co-facilitated a two-day, all-hands workshop and guided the staff and Board leadership through the Design Thinking process to study, analyze, and ideate fundraising opportunities. As a result, the team identified new funding pathways, honed their case for support, created a set of donor archetypes, and further built a culture of fundraising across different departments.

Based on the recommendations, VolunteerMatch staff are executing a co-designed fundraising plan, moving towards clear milestones, and building the internal processes and systems (e.g CRM, Board training) to support them.

East Bay Dance Center sought advice and guidance on raising an unprecedented fundraising goal from their community in order to secure the location of their historic dance studio and community space.

I advised them on the necessary preparation for a capital campaign and conducted a feasibility study to assess their overall readiness to take on an endeavor of this magnitude. Through donor and community member interviews, E-survey, and a deep dive into past fundraising data, clear recommendations surfaced to enable their campaign readiness.

They now have future plans informed by a SWOT analysis, better clarity on their internal staff and leadership capacity, and defined tactics to begin cultivating their community of potential donors.

Harm Reduction Therapy Center is pioneering a revolutionary model of healthcare that combines substance abuse treatment with psychotherapy. Without dedicated development staff, they sought grant writing support to submit a robust proposal to the highly competitive Yield Giving Open Call, an initiative under MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy.

I created a pragmatic project plan, familiarized leadership with the submission process, conducted a site visit to immerse in the work, drafted the proposal, and helped get the team across the submission finish line.

As a result, the team advanced through multiple rounds of vetting and finally secured an unprecedented $2M gift as one of 361 awardee organizations (out of more than 6300 applicants). Overall, they also have new, resonant messaging and a strong case for support to more efficiently pursue institutional funding moving forward.