The Nature Conservancy California (TNC CA) is a leading environmental nonprofit, with a reputation as a leader within the TNC organization and the greater conversation movement. Through evidence-based science and innovative conservation strategies, TNC CA addresses the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss threatening the critical ecosystems, native species, and natural wonders that define The Golden State.
what we heard
Just two years after completing a nine-figure portion of a $1 billion global campaign, TNC CA was keen to take a moment and learn from its campaign’s success—to reflect on how far it had moved the dial from its previous campaign and consider what it would take to prepare for the next one. Eager to maintain post-campaign momentum, TNC CA’s team of experienced and passionate frontline fundraisers hoped to solidify their growth from the campaign work, prioritize the department’s needs and responsibilities, and determine how to build up the pipeline needed for their major gifts program beyond the campaign.
Campbell & Company has provided invaluable support since our partnership began many years ago. Their counsel has significantly enhanced our communication and prospecting strategies and our training sessions proved transformative, equipping our team with effective fundraising strategies and best-in-class models. Campbell & Company’s expertise and collaborative approach has been instrumental in our success.
our work together
Since 2007, Campbell & Company has been in close partnership and engagement with TNC CA, providing support at various moments of opportunity for the organization.
The development assessment, an exercise in post-campaign review, revealed areas of opportunity to streamline performance goals, build management capacity, translate complex conservation issues to donor-impact opportunities, and encourage growth-focused portfolios. Based on detailed donor analytics and extensive data-gathering, we delivered nine core recommendations to help TNC CA improve its communications, simplify reporting, and focus on prospecting, which involved identifying and evaluating potential donors.
Leveraging these recommendations and in anticipation of a near-future campaign, TNC CA retained Campbell & Company to conduct a training to further equip its frontline fundraisers with the strategies needed to activate a healthy pipeline of major gift donors and create a pipeline of major gift officers. Our training session, an interactive workshop grounded in adult-learning practices, invited TNC CA’s team to focus on what investments and structures would move donors up the pyramid. We addressed models for comparable organizations, strategies for building much needed consensus and buy-in among fundraising leaders, and, most importantly, the steps needed to move into a best-in-class model.
I highly recommend Campbell & Company to any organization looking to improve their fundraising efforts. Their assessment and training set us up for success, allowing TNC California to well exceed its Our World campaign fundraising goal. Their team of experts was professional, knowledgeable, and always available to answer any questions we had, and they worked closely with us every step of the way to ensure that we were satisfied with the results.
Results
Hand in hand, the development assessment and frontline fundraiser training served to capture the most value from TNC CA’s highly rated prospects – diversifying and strengthening TNC CA’s maturing pipeline.
