CASE STUDY
Matthew Chater and Deborah Gibbs evaluated their development department's infrastructure through their work with Growth & Co.. By gaining insights into systems and processes, they built a fundraising plan that enabled their team to better collaborate in the future while adapting to staffing changes and keeping donors top of mind.
Matthew Chater, CEO
Deborah Gibbs, Associate Director of Development
Matthew Chater is a nonprofit CEO with experience leading the Big Brothers Big Sisters national charity office with over 100 branches across the country. Upon taking a new leadership role at a children's health organization with an international brand, one of his first priorities was gaining insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of the fundraising operations. This insight would be critical to prepare for increasing revenue to support future capital expansions.
While Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwestern Ontario had a clear mission, a strong donor base, and a dedicated team of fundraising staff, increased revenue was required to meet the needs of the families they serve. Processes were not documented and information about donor relationships only existed in the memory of long-time staff members. As a longtime fundraising staff member, Deborah Gibbs knew a fresh perspective was needed. By providing stakeholders the opportunity to share their feedback prior to making changes to fundraising operations, Deborah knew her team would have more confidence as they implemented changes, documented information, and updated how they steward their supporters.
Matthew had worked with Growth & Co. CEO Larissa Stoddart through their involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters at a national and local level over many years. His experience with Larissa's straightforward approach to building fundraising capacity made it a no-brainer for Matthew to send a quick text to reignite their working relationship. Within a few weeks, an audit was underway.
Following a project kick-off meeting, documentation was gathered and reviewed, surveys and interviews were conducted, and a report was drafted. The audit assessed: fundraising management; human resources, including the board; information management; prospects research and management; cultivation and stewardship; and the various fundraising strategies the organization was executing.
An audit report was compiled and presented to the fundraising and marketing teams. Based on team member input, a fundraising plan was then developed from the audit recommendations. As Deborah noted in the session, she was "excited to receive feedback from an outside source to gain deeper insight into areas of strength, further focus, and development." The organization now has objective insight that incorporates donor feedback, a fundraising plan that aligns with the new organizational chart for the marketing and fundraising team, a newly hired director, and streamlined and documented standard operating procedures for their common fundraising processes.
With Deborah promoted into a leadership role and a documented fundraising plan, the organization now has the foundations in place for future capital campaigns. As Deborah put it,
“since the audit landed in my inbox, I have felt so relived. We are gaining control back and becoming less reactive in our fundraising activity... I am looking forward to ongoing coaching support with Growth & Co. as we execute our new fundraising plan."