Client Spotlights: Campaigns and Fundraising Strategy

In preparation for its next campaign, Memorial Park Conservancy needed a roadmap to provide a strategic way forward and to establish the campaign milestones that would create momentum, show progress, and increase their fundraising capacity and operational efficiencies. The Conservancy was also ready to name its campaign and create its visual identity.

Hammer & NER wanted to complete an internal assessment of its development efforts and to conduct a campaign planning study in order to prepare for a comprehensive campaign. This work would provide the organization with the foundation to better fund its services and programs for the people they serve living with intellectual disabilities and the staff who support them, now and in the future.

IslandWood knew that philanthropy would become increasingly important as the organization launched plans to deepen its impact by increasing access to outdoor educational experiences for students in under-resourced schools. A campaign readiness assessment revealed areas of opportunity and included recommendations to enhance internal systems and deepen engagement among key constituencies in advance of a campaign.

Minnesota Zoo Foundation sought to embark on a capital campaign to build a new, state-of-the-art animal hospital. The new Wildlife Hospital and Wellness Center will be a centrally located facility that will dramatically increase the amount of high-quality, preventive care available to the over 400 zoological species living at the Minnesota Zoo.

Amidst a leadership transition, preparing for an upcoming campaign, and challenging external conditions, Kansas University Endowment Association (KU Endowment) sought to conduct a development assessment and strategic planning process.

Under new presidential leadership, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) began reconsidering its strategic goals and how best to fulfill its mission. OCCC used consultants to conduct a fundraising assessment and facilitate an inclusive strategic planning process.

As the University of Sioux Falls (USF) considered launching a capital campaign beginning in 2019, a number of issues arose that needed to be attended to in order to achieve the philanthropic goals initially established by the university. USF later partnered with BWF to conduct a campaign planning study that provided recommendations on a campaign working goal and timeline.

Summit Academy OIC leaders understood that major philanthropic support would be needed to scale up its services and programs. A campaign planning study would allow them to test the campaign vision and then go on to build the organization’s fundraising capacity.

In FY23, Mississippi State University (MSU) completed its most successful fundraising year in its history. The $259.9 million MSU raised far exceeded expectations and broke the state’s single-year fundraising record.