Building fundraising capacity for an international organization 

Matthew Chater, CEO

Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada

The Challenge: Moving from no strategy and low ROI events to securing transformational gifts

Matthew Chater was the CEO of the Canadian national head office of a global brand – Big Brothers Big Sisters. Like many national charities, Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada had a strong marketing department focused on brand awareness but lacked a dedicated fundraising team to secure significant donations. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada lacked a focused fundraising plan. The national office relied on a stewardship role to thank donors, with no proactive efforts to solicit new funds. Meanwhile, many local agencies like the London location relied heavily on events like golf tournaments and galas to raise money, leaving untapped potential in major gift strategies. 

The Solution: A blueprint for building fundraising capacity Charging for value instead of time

Matthew became aware of Growth & Co.’s CEO Larissa Stoddart through her work on the Board of Directors for the London agency. Recognizing a need to shift from event-based fundraising to securing major gifts, she trained their Executive Director and a new junior fundraiser to build relationships with high-net-worth donors. As a result, they move from golf tournaments to coffee meetings, securing 4, 5, and 6-figure donations. 

Based on her success at the local level, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ national office engaged Growth & Co. for a one-day workshop on fundraising basics, followed by a comprehensive prospect research project to identify individual, foundation, and corporate donors. They then engaged Growth & Co. for a one-year contract to audit their fundraising efforts, create a detailed fundraising plan, and develop a compelling case for support. 

Larissa’s deep understanding of the organization allowed Growth & Co.  not only identify gaps, but also implement solutions tailored to their organizational structure. Growth & Co. helped them move from reactive stewardship to a proactive, strategic approach to donor relationships. 

Results: $3.1M, $2.5M, and more: Major Gifts and Corporate Partnerships Unlocked A blueprint for building fundraising capacity Charging for value instead of time

Following the fundraising audit, the national team built the identified systems and processes required to track and manage donor relationships effectively. By the end of Growth & Co.’s one-year contract, the organization secured a transformational $3.1 million donation from Scotiabank in June 2019. 

The success didn’t stop there. The new systems and strategies paved the way for additional partnerships with major corporations. Over the next 3 years, they secured $2.5M from BMO Financial Group and additional partnerships with  Mercedes-Benz Canada, Merrell, TD Bank, RBC, Scotiabank. They also started to build relationships with individual donors like Patrick O’Keefe, who established a youth scholarship with the national office. 

At the local level, Growth & Co. continued consulting with individual agencies, building their capacity to fundraise independently. In some cases, Growth & Co. conducted fundraising audits and created fundraising plans for agencies without a dedicated fundraising team.  As an Executive Director of an agency said, 

“Larissa has been a tremendous help to us here at Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area, most recently during a time of transition. She has assisted us in reaching out to our donors to keep our fundraising on track and has been a big part of ensuring that we are able to continue to provide mentors to children and youth in our community. Her professionalism and dedication are second to none.” 

Paul David, Interim Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area

Raise more money without auditing too much to your plate Charging for value instead of time

Our work with Big Brothers Big Sisters didn’t just result in a one-time windfall; it built a fundraising system that  empowered both the national office and local agencies to attract and secure sustainable, long-term funding. By shifting the focus from events to major donor relationships, we helped them unlock new revenue streams and build internal capacity to manage and grow these relationships effectively. 

Would you like to learn how you can do this at your organization? We can help build your fundraising operations from the ground up, whether through done-for-you consulting services or by training your team to take on fundraising with confidence. 

Book a meeting to see if we’re a good fit!