Key Elements
- Exceeded $130 million campaign goal
- $20 million and $30 million gifts received
Services Provided
The Challenge
Forest Park Forever launched the $130 million Sustaining the Glory campaign, the largest fundraising effort in its history amid St. Louis’s competitive philanthropic environment. After raising $45 million, Forest Park Forever needed to elevate the sights of high-capacity donors, optimize the resources of a lean staff, and deepen the board of trustees’ involvement in the campaign.
The Solution
CCS conducted a resource assessment that included evaluating the current volunteer and staff composition. Through strategic conversations with important stakeholders, community philanthropists, and development professionals, CCS also helped strategize the best way to build out the leadership structure for the next phase of the campaign.
In addition to a comprehensive data analytics exercise that identified opportunity in the database, CCS completed a comprehensive prospect landscaping exercise of the individuals and entities that drive city-wide philanthropy. The result was the creation of a Philanthropic Influencers list, a database of 1,167 individuals and entities. This allowed Forest Park Forever to focus prospecting and volunteer recruitment efforts.
The Impact
Following the assessment, Forest Park Forever received a series of significant gifts toward this campaign including $20 million from Mr. and Mrs. James S. McDonnell III and $30 million from Jack C. Taylor and Family. These gifts and many more allowed Forest Park Forever to exceed its $130 million goal to advance urgent restoration projects and bolster the endowment. CCS is thrilled to once again partner with Forest Park Forever to lay the foundation for another transformational campaign to reimagine the Steinberg Ice Rink among other vital elements.
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