Client Story: CARE for Kids
In late 2009, after eighteen months of preparation and research, the CARE for Kids committee in Conneaut, Ohio launched a capital/endowment campaign seeking $5.5 million in donations and gifts-in-kind from grants and private sources to build a 20-acre athletic, recreation and community event campus in central Conneaut.
An all-volunteer committee with little fundraising experience, it became apparent within a year that the group needed some professional help. Lauren Steiner and Lisa Sierk of Grants Plus and consultant Holly Tomasch were brought in to move the campaign forward.
In addition to writing several grants, they analyzed the situation, developed a comprehensive case statement and campaign plan, provided general strategizing, did prospect research and trained the volunteers on how to run a capital campaign.
Of the three grant proposals that were written during the course of the ten-month engagement, one has already come through for $25,000, while the other two are pending.
Getting the right players in place:
One of their initial recommendations was that the campaign committee needed an executive administrator and volunteer Tammy Ledford was brought on to fill that role. She has overseen the project ever since, working closely in conjunction with the consultants and will be instrumental in moving the project forward.
“I relied on them so much in the beginning, asking a million questions. They were always there for me… I am not sure the campaign would even still be on track if it hadn’t been for them. I can’t even imagine them not being there. They were such an instrumental part of the campaign,” Ledford said.
Streamlining the case for support:
One of the biggest things they did was to rework the organization’s case for support.
“ They put together a case statement document which became the structure behind the campaign. That was a piece that had been missing… It now serves as the basis for everything else we are doing (print and online),” Ledford said.
“We had all of those pieces sort of there but the case for support really solidified the campaign,” she added.
Putting a plan in place:
Another key deliverable was a campaign plan—an eight page document which covered Campaign Essentials, Gift Tables, Phased Funding Needs, Gift Sources, Timeline, Budget, Strategy, Benchmarks and a Work Plan. According to Ledford, this plan has been instrumental in keeping the group organized, focused and on track.
Collaboration yields results:
Asked to describe her experience working with Grants Plus and Tomasch, Ledford replied that she didn’t know what she would have done without them.
“I definitely would recommend them to others. Not just for the grant writing but for us they really helped with the overall campaign strategy and direction of the campaign,” she said.
As for the campaign itself?
“It has progressed tremendously,” Ledford said.
“What we have accomplished in the last year is amazing when you look back. Without them, those accomplishments would not have happened.”
