John taking the Polar Plunge after hitting the campaign goal. January, Peterborough, Canada.
Case Study
How a small independent school grew from 50 donors to over 300 and more than doubled annual revenue in a single year.
The Challenge
Wayside Academy was a small independent school with a powerful educational mission and almost no fundraising infrastructure. When I came on board, the school had roughly 50 donors and annual fundraising revenue of about $250,000, the vast majority of which came from a single donor. This concentration of support amounted to an extremely high-risk failure point. There was no development plan, no donor communications program, no systematic approach to cultivation or stewardship.
The Work
I wrote the case for support. I created the donor communications: newsletters, appeal letters, direct mail campaigns. I developed the donor pipeline, identified and cultivated new prospects, and professionalized every aspect of how the school engaged its supporters. And I met with the major donor prospects who were simply waiting to be asked, successfully earning multiple six-figure gifts.
"When John came on board, we had about 50 donors and no real fundraising infrastructure or strategy. Within a year, he'd grown our donor base to over 300 and more than doubled our annual revenue. He developed our case for support, launched our first direct mail campaign in years, and professionalized every aspect of how we engaged supporters.
For a small organization with limited resources, having someone who could think strategically and also execute was invaluable. And it's worth noting: during this time, John was also serving as our headmaster, building out numerous other systems that resulted in record student enrollment and 100% teacher retention, and also teaching. The fact that he accomplished more in fundraising as essentially a side responsibility than many full-time development professionals might in the same period says something about how efficiently and effectively he works.
Oh, and did I mention that he promised to jump into our local Peterborough lake, in January (remember: this is Canada!), if we successfully hit our campaign goal. And when we did, he did. And, he somehow convinced me to join him in this crazy scheme. I can vouch that the water was frigid. But, that's the kind of personal, skin-in-the-game commitment he brings to his clients."
Frank CallaghanFormer Board Chair, Wayside Academy
John taking the Polar Plunge after hitting the campaign goal. January, Peterborough, Canada.
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