Key Elements
- The National Urban League (NUL) needed to prepare its Affiliates with the tools needed to implement fundraising best practices at the local level.
- CCS partnered with NUL to design a customized coaching and support program that increased private year-over-year fundraising results by 46% in participating Affiliates.
How We Helped
The Challenge
The National Urban League is a human service organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in underserved urban communities. It supports the efforts of its 92 local Affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia. In order to create a sustainable movement, the National Urban League recognized the need for Affiliates to increase and diversify their funding base and focus on pursuing philanthropic dollars from private sources such as individuals, corporations, and foundations. This would allow them to continue to carry out vital programs in urban communities across America.
The Solution
CCS partnered with the National Urban League to design Project Rock, aimed at strengthening and diversifying Affiliate funding streams and increasing private funding. Initially piloted with a select number of Affiliates who received intensive coaching and support, the program later created the following permanent assets available to all Affiliates:
- Executive Fundraising Academy (EFA), a weekly virtual fundraising training curriculum and in-person workshops offered to Affiliate staff, leadership, and volunteers.
- Projectrock.org, a comprehensive website for Affiliates to share and review fundraising best practices and templates.
- Project Rock Hotline for Affiliates to call Monday through Friday to receive fundraising advice and discuss strategy.
The Impact
Project Rock helped increase the dollars raised in fundraising efforts at National Urban League Affiliates. Affiliates participating in the intensive pilot phase saw private year-over-year fundraising results increase by 46 percent.
More Case Studies
Catholic Charities of Buffalo
Northeast U.S.
CCS Fundraising helped Catholic Charities of Buffalo reinvigorate their 2022 Appeal and inspire increased donor involvement by launching a Major Gifts Program. As a result, they met their goal for the first time since 2018, grew targeted major gifts, and built fundraising resiliency.
Ronald McDonald House Inland Empire
Western U.S.
Located in California, The House needed to expand its capacity to meet an ever-increasing demand for services, which involved providing housing for families with critically-ill children. CCS partnered with the House to help raise $12 million to more than double capacity.
MusiCares Foundation
Western U.S.
MusiCares Foundation partnered with CCS to launch the organization’s first-ever campaign to raise $10 million for an endowment to better support the organization’s existing services.
How can we help you?
Our unique, customized approach can provide your organization with of-the-moment, sustainable solutions.
