Ayuda had recently expanded from its long-established DC headquarters into Northern Virginia, matching the spread of the National Capital Area immigrant community. The company had received a capacity-building grant to grow its donor community.
The capacity funding was significant, and it came with significant growth mandates: Ayuda needed to launch a new fundraising event with a goal to raise more than $90K in a one-hour program. But in order to achieve a successful event, the company needed a comprehensive Development Department.
I worked with Ayuda to build sustainable development systems that met the company's immediate and long-term needs.
My project deliverables included:
- Create annual fundraising plans incorporating direct mail, special events, private grants, and government funding
- Design integrated fundraising and marketing messages to invigorate support for the mission
- Structure a new grants management system that included diversifying program support and tracking deadlines
- Migrate to an updated CRM platform, including harvest decades of donor records
- Coach each board member in fundraising, with personalized storytelling and "give-and-get" goals
- Build a culture of fundraising across the organization
- And, of course, count down to a capstone event that was critical to the company's fundraising and strategic success
The event was a great success! We raised more than $90K in all-new gifts and pledges. Our volunteer community grew by leaps and bounds; one volunteer recruited local celebrity newscaster Maureen Bunyan to emcee our fundraising event. Clients claimed the stage to share their stories of struggle and empowerment, with their attorneys standing by their side. The board led this success, plugging in to their networks to share their personal passion for Ayuda's mission. And the staff team saw - for the first time - the true size and power of the community supporting their work.
This wasn't my first experience building a Development Department "from the ground up." I was able to help the company define shared values and goals so that Ayuda's mission stayed at the heart of all aspects of its fundraising. We sprinted towards pressing deadlines but never lost sight of the bigger picture. This allowed us to raise more money than ever before across revenue channels, but most importantly it created a roadmap so that Ayuda could grow for years to come.