PHILANTHROPY & FUNDRAISING: RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING & SUPPORT

Legal Aid North Carolina

Legal Aid of North Carolina is a high impact organization with a fundraising program that did not match the excellence of its services.

Results

  • 46% increase in number of charitable donors
  • Raised 60% more in annual fund gifts year over year
  • Donor Retention Rate 2022 to 2023: 61%
  • Added 512 new donors in 2023, a 56% increase over new donors in 2022
  • Added strong development infrastructure through staff, systems, and training
  • Added dynamic executive leaders at the senior level who believe in the power of fundraising to further the mission

Approach

Working with the Development Committee of the Board and the Development staff, our team conducted a fundraising effectiveness analysis to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current fundraising program. Equipped with the analysis, we then led the Development Committee through a strategic planning process to create a comprehensive development plan.

The strength of this work and the relationship that was built led to partnerships in several other areas including:

  • Executive Transition Management when the CEO announced his retirement during this work.
  • National search for a CFO.
  • New Development Director onboarding, coaching, plan implementation, and interim fundraising support
  • National search for CTO
Our expertise in these fields led us to success.

Execution

One of the things we identified in our analysis was an opportunity to build and grow a major gifts program. While the team had built momentum through events and direct mail requests, Legal Aid NC had not taken the next step to establish a major gift program. It was also clear that the board and staff team lacked experience in this type of fundraising. They needed to build infrastructure, add expertise, and engage in training to execute this strategy.  

Legal Aid NC did just that.  

They hired a dynamic CEO and seasoned Director of Development who brought experience building and executing a comprehensive development plan, including major gifts and capital campaigns.

They began building a major gift pipeline and moves management system. For the first time in organization history, they engaged a team of volunteer leaders to help with major gift fundraising. They launched their first in a series of asking events. They began soliciting gifts outside of their traditional vehicles.  

They began to grow the number of donors and dollars raised. Legal Aid has started to establish themselves as a place where North Carolinians and other advocates for justice make major investments. They are building a fundraising program that more closely aligns in scope with the impact they have in making North Carolina a more fair and just state to live and work.

“Legal Aid of NC is a stronger organization than we were when we first started our work with Armstrong McGuire. They have been a catalyst for change that ultimately has positioned us to better serve our clients, our staff, our donors, our partners, and our state.”
Ashley Campbell
CEO

Unlock Your Potential

Are you ready to grow your fundraising program to increase your impact? Are you ready to build a dynamic leadership team that is hungry to deepen your impact? Are you looking for a partner that can help you get there?

Let’s Unlock the Potential of Your Community, Together.

Team Leads

We want to hear from you!

Whether you’re ready to expand your organizational capacity and move forward with purpose, or just want to talk shop, we’d love to connect.

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