More Than Giving Helps Rare Disease Organization Grow Its Funding – 100 Times Over
Nonprofits that are established to fight rare diseases face an uphill road to fundraising success. Their founders, generally friends and family of those impacted by the disease, quickly find their passion tested by the reality of overcoming a narrowly focused prospect pipeline.
Deirdre Evans, a More Than Giving fractional fundraising consultant, was part of the fractional team assigned to one such nonprofit. In her role as capital campaign lead, Evans helped the organization grow from raising $100,000 a year to successfully completing – in one year – a $10 million campaign.
“Aside from a paid CEO, the organization was completely volunteer-led,” Evans explains. “The initial More Than Giving team set up their first annual and major giving programs and added structure to their volunteer management. Although the organization had retained consultants in the past, More Than Giving’s fractional team represented their first professional fundraising staff.”
That first More Than Giving team more than doubled the organization’s fundraising, from $100,000 a year to $250,000. But all involved saw the potential for far greater results – and impact.
As the organization’s needs and goals shifted, so did the More Than Giving fractional team. Members who completed their deliverables were pulled off, and the team was expanded into new areas of expertise. “I joined the team to launch a capital campaign,” Evans says. “One of More Than Giving’s specially trained Nonprofit Virtual Assistants (NPVAs®) was added as well.”
Evans’ first steps involved educating the CEO and board about the nature and process of a capital campaign. She and the CEO launched a feasibility study, coordinated in-house to save money, and carefully recruited a volunteer leadership steering committee.
The two also used that time to develop a rhythm to their working partnership. “The CEO and I had weekly meetings,” Evans says. “We reviewed our campaign strategy document, focusing first on action items. Our NPVA® kept us on task and accountable.”
“We met bi-weekly with the campaign steering committee as well,” Evans continues. “The CEO, campaign chair and steering committee had such vision and passion. More Than Giving built framework for them, prepared them for their roles, and prepped and coached them for in-person solicitations for seven-figure gifts.”
The combination of CEO, volunteers, and More Than Giving fractional experts was a winning one. The organization reached its $10 million goal in just one year.
“The fractional approach to staffing works wonders at organizations like this,” Evans notes. “You get intense professional attention from experts at a fraction of what it would cost to bring this level of expertise in through staff roles. Plus, it is very easy to adjust the staffing to address gaps in skills and expertise and to create greater efficiency. There is no waste. In this case, I focused strictly on the campaign. I did not have to worry about being distracted by other responsibilities.”
While supporting the organization’s CEO and volunteers as they worked through the campaign plan and prospect list, Evans was also setting the stage for sustainability. “In addition to bringing structure and accountability to their fundraising program, we incorporated a stewardship philosophy,” she says. “A campaign is about more than achieving a financial goal. It is about building long-term relationships and preparing for the future.”
Evans also helped the organization position itself on the cutting edge of research that held promise for a wider range of diseases. “It was important to connect this organization’s specific goals to a larger vision for the greater good,” she says.
Evans points out the unique challenges faced by those raising funds for rare disease research, and the importance of securing private dollars for these causes. “Some might think that government grants are the answer,” she says. “But those funds carry heavy restrictions on how they are used. Philanthropic gifts allow agility, enabling researchers to follow innovative paths.”
With an efficient, expert fractional team from More Than Giving, this small rare disease organization was able to grow its fundraising power exponentially, bringing it closer to its vision for a cure.
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