Case Studies
American red cross in greater new york
Assignment
PCR was hired to help the American Red Cross launch a major gifts campaign across its 10 New York area chapters. The firm:
Created and conducted workshops for board and staff members on how to identify major gift prospects and solicit major gifts
Researched hundreds of prospects identified by the board and staff
Planned a series of events to attract and identify new major gift prospects and prospective board members
Results
A major gift program was successfully launched.
All chapter events doubled or tripled their net revenues within 2 years.
A full-time Major Gifts Officer was hired to continue and expand cultivation and solicitation efforts.
“Your audit has become a valuable tool for re-energizing the foundation’s board, restructuring the fundraising staff, and establishing management priorities. Your breadth of knowledge and understanding of every phase of development work has focused our fundraising activities and enabled staff to design proposals appealing to a wide variety of new major gift donors.”
Edie Pearson
Former Executive Director
Broward Community College Foundation
Fort Lauderdale, FL
americares
Assignment
PCR was hired to ramp up the organization’s individual giving program by assessing its research needs and providing counsel on all aspects of the program. At the time, Americares’ individual major gifts program was nascent. The direct mail program had recently swelled with gifts for the Katrina and South Pacific tsunami emergencies. PCR worked with Americares for eight consecutive years to strengthen its fundraising program, particularly individual major gifts. The firm:
Created a process to review, segment, renew and upgrade the direct mail gifts, where appropriate
Directed a database wealth screening of 100,000 names
Trained all development staff on basic research, donor cultivation and the creation of a prospect pipeline
Recommended the hiring of additional staff
Identified, researched and qualified donors with the highest giving capacity and strongest inclination to upgrade
Guided the analysis, prioritization, rating and assigning of prospects to gift officers’ portfolios
Advised on strategies for donor cultivation and engagement
Instituted the practice of screening and/or researching attendees prior to all major events so appropriate cultivation assignments could be made
Provided ongoing strategic counsel on the identification, cultivation and solicitation of major and planned giving donors and prospects
Advised on the creation of an Americares India Circle to build support and awareness of the organization’s work in India
Results
Created a robust major gifts program, including a comprehensive research effort
Increased giving from major donors by 700% in 8 years, from $522,262 in 2006 to $4.2 million in 2014, including a $100,000 annual gift in the summer of 2008
Increased the donor pool by 88% in 8 years, from 371 in 2006 to 700 in 2014
Increased net income from the annual benefit by 81%, from $817,067 to nearly $1.5 million over 2 years from 2012 to 2014
Identified prospects for Americares India Circle and held two cultivation events in the first year
Identified and guided the cultivation of new donors through the Americares India Circle. These donors are now part of the major gifts portfolio, including one that has contributed $700,000 to date
Assignment
In December 2016, PCR was hired to secure the remaining $200,000 needed to complete Blanton-Peale’s $600,000 space expansion campaign. If the campaign was successful, Blanton-Peale could build out a new second floor, doubling its treatment and training space. Starting in 2017, PCR:
Conducted in-depth prospect research on current, former, and prospective board members, donors to Blanton-Peale annual gala, honorees, and donors of record to identify major gift prospects.
Developed detailed cultivation and solicitation strategies for top prospects based on the research.
Created a gift range with prospects for each level of gifts needed to reach the goal.
Results
The campaign ended on December 31, 2018 with a total of $635,000 raised. The amount over goal was used to refurbish Blanton-Peale’s initial floor and reconfigure it to accommodate a library, which had been packed up and put away four years earlier because of space constraints.
Every board member made a gift to the campaign, giving just under $200,000 in total.
Blanton-Peale’s donor base increased from 86 to 209, and donors giving $5,000 and above increased from 14 to 25.
The agency’s operating budget increased from $2.9 million to $4.1 million in FY 2019.
Net assets were $1.9 million in FY 2019, compared to $7,000 before the campaign.
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broward community college foundation
Assignment
PCR was hired to assist the development office in launching both major gift and planned giving efforts. The firm:
Conducted an assessment of the development office
Recommended a restructuring of the department and the implementation of additional resources
Focused development efforts on new constituencies in the community
Facilitated a board retreat to engage more board members in fundraising
Results
The Foundation launched major gift and planned giving campaigns.
The majority of recommendations were implemented within 6 months of completion of the development audit.
Board giving and fundraising efforts increased.
PCR was retained on an ongoing basis to help Foundation launch additional campaigns.
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
Assignment
PCR was retained by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to develop a seed fundraising campaign of 10 million Indian rupees in preparation for incorporating a new entity based in New Delhi. This assignment had several inherent challenges: First, all donations had to be made by Indian citizens whether in-country or in the diaspora. Second, EDF strictly screens corporate donations which limited the prospect universe. And third, this campaign occurred during the global Covid-19 pandemic of 2020-21. India experienced a powerful surge in infections and deaths during the course of this assignment. The firm:
Conducted weekly meetings with EDF’s Senior Director of Global Climate, its Chief Advisor for India, and Associate Chief Development Officer, to steer the campaign
Reviewed established EDF prospect lists and India-based and global board networks
Created a written and visual case for support for EDF of India including demonstrable needs, urgency, goals, timing, and plans for the use of funds
Developed strategy and timeframe for raising seed fund, including lead gifts and sequencing of solicitations
Drafted solicitation materials including letters of introduction, e-mail, texts, phone scripts and face-to face meeting outlines
Advised on the cultivation and moves for top prospects, including virtual presentations
Coached senior leaders on solicitation of prospects
Prepared briefing materials, ask amounts, and customized strategies for each prospect
Guided staff on stewarding donors and creating larger networks of prospects
Results
The Covid-19 pandemic created a mid-campaign stall while Indian staff and donors dealt with urgent health matters. Nevertheless, by the conclusion of PCR’s contract period 80% of the goal had been pledged with the balance in sight. Further deliverables included:
Comprehensive prospect list including research notes on donor capacity, readiness, volunteer/donor relationships, moves, and recommendations
Donor map tool linked to prospect list illustrating capacity, sequencing, and solicitors
Final report outlining strategic and/or tactical recommendations on EDF of India solicitations, launch events, refresh of the prospect pool, establishment of a development office and protocols with EDF global offices, and an initial communications plan.
international rescue committee (irc)
Assignment
PCR was hired initially to provide research for a capital campaign feasibility study and ultimately to serve as campaign counsel for an endowment campaign. There were multiple challenges: IRC at the time had poor name recognition and a weak major gifts program. Also, the board at the time did not have the capability to provide leadership gifts for a multi-million dollar campaign. The firm:
Collaborated with the Vice President, Development to begin a smaller special-purpose campaign to test and strengthen campaign readiness. The campaign honored a well-known financial and philanthropic leader in New York City
At the successful conclusion of the initial campaign, enlisted the honoree as the chair of a $60 million campaign
Identified and helped enlist two internationally known honorary campaign co-chairs
Provided the in-depth prospect research that was the basis for new prospect identification, custom solicitation strategies and effective briefings for solicitors
Guided the set-up, growth and sophistication of IRC’s internal research and major gifts units
Trained development staff in prospect research techniques
Worked with IRC for a total of ten years to strengthen its major gifts and overall fundraising results
Results
IRC exceeded its original campaign goal of $60 million and extended the campaign, setting a new goal of $100 million
The campaign concluded with $110 million raised, exceeding its goal by 10%
Using the endowment campaign as a springboard to ramp up its overall development efforts, IRC increased annual revenue from $24 million to $62.5 million
lincoln center for the performing arts
Assignment
PCR was retained to help launch the first ever “Lincoln Center Festival” within 6 months. The firm:
Developed lists of new prospects for individual, foundation, corporate, and planned giving solicitations
Researched potential prospects
Trained development staff in prospect research
Created a research resource center at client’s office
Recommended new members for the board
Increased asks to the board
Results
$4.5 million was raised in 6 months for the Lincoln Center Festival.
Giving by the board increased.
New board members were successfully recruited.
new york junior tennis & learning
Assignment
PCR was hired to help relaunch NYJTL’s $11 million capital campaign after giving slowed in 2008 and stalled in 2009. The firm:
Devised a strategy to relaunch the campaign, which entailed soliciting and securing a new $1-million gift and hosting a cocktail reception to announce the gift, using the event to cultivate new and existing campaign donors
Researched and identified new prospects and current donors to invite to the reception, including members of private tennis clubs and the wealthiest tennis players in the NY Tristate area
Results
PCR helped NYJTL secure a $1-million gift, which was announced at the reception
This helped inspire a new $1-million challenge gift from a prospect identified by PCR
The challenge was met in 90 days with gifts from new prospects, repeat campaign donors and staff
Fundraising continued for the next three years
Near the end of the campaign, NYJTL secured a third gift of $1 million and held two more events in 2014 (one of them at the home of a prospect identified by PCR), yielding more than $600,000 each
The campaign was successfully completed by early 2015
NEW YORK-PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL & WEILL-CORNELL MEDICAL COLLEge
Assignment
PCR was hired to conduct an audit of the development department’s research operations to assess its readiness to support fundraising efforts for an upcoming capital campaign. The firm:
Interviewed senior management, major gift officers, and researchers to determine their current and future needs
Assessed resources, tools, budgeting, systems, research profiles, staff skills, and departmental structure
Recommended staff restructuring, revamped research profiles and accessibility, and suggested new search tools
Trained staff to use new research tools to upgrade the quality of information discovered
Results
New-York Presbyterian Hospital successfully launched a $1 billion capital campaign and retained PCR to provide research and strategic guidance.
Weill-Cornell Medical College is gearing up for a campaign.
PCR assisted the client in setting up a high-end direct mail program to solicit gifts of $1,000 or more and identify new prospects with major gift potential.
Research profiles were of higher quality and more accessible to major gifts staff and, as a result, more widely used.
sinop kale excavations, turkey
Assignment
PCR was hired to design and implement a fund-raising program to raise private funds for an archaeological excavation in Turkey, co-directed by two American archaeologists. The project, Sinop Regional Archaeological Project, which was about to start its second season of a planned 15-year phase of excavations, had received grants from prestigious funders such as the National Endowment on Humanities and three American universities but had no private donors (individuals, foundation or corporations), no house list, and no experience soliciting and stewarding private donors. The firm:
Identified and qualified high-asset Turkish Americans and individuals with family, social, or business ties to Turkey; family and independent foundations with grantmaking interests related to Turkey; businesses with interests in Turkey; individuals and foundations interested in archaeology in general and archaeology in Turkey in particular
Interviewed the American co-directors to identify prospective donors and door-openers
Created a major donor society, Friends of Sinop Kale Excavations, with a threshold gift of $1,000 and customized donor recognition privileges for annual donors up to $50,000+
Managed the writing, design, printing and mailing of a 6-page, full color case statement and a full-color, invitation-style solicitation brochure for Sinop Kale Excavations, including a custom reply card, envelopes and accompanying solicitation letter
Mentored the co-directors in cultivating and soliciting private donors
Strategized and produced three cultivation events in high-profile sites in New York City, Los Angeles, and again in New York City
Attended meetings with event hosts, door openers, and individual and corporate prospects; and wrote proposals for corporate donors
Created an annotated guest list, incorporating new names offered by event host and host committee
Results
A first-time 5-figure gift from an individual donor
A first-time 5-figure corporate in-kind gift that defrayed operating expenses in the field
Two 4-figure gifts from a foundation with Turkish grantmaking interests
After one year, the Project has an active mailing list of more than 600 individuals, foundations, and corporations with linkages and interests to the Project
Fundraising from private sources has gone from $0 to more than $40,000 despite political turmoil in Turkey
Plans are underway to solicit a $100,000 gift and several gifts in the mid-4 and 5-figure range
