STORIES
Children’s Center of Northwest North Carolina
For more than 20 years, the Children’s Center of Surry County had provided significant services for children and families in need over a five-county area. The organization was not widely known or its mission well understood. The board had never raised capital dollars but needed $1.8 million for a new family center.
Stepstone assisted the board in raising more than $2.4 million and guided the organization’s renaming and enhancement of its community position, branding, website, and visibility.
“It has been a pleasure working with your organization. Your guidance and
strong, calm leadership were just what we needed. I feel that without you we
would have wandered in the wilderness.”
Bruce Widdowson
Chair, Board of Trustees
Children's Center of Northwest North Carolina
Salem Academy and College
Salem Academy and College, founded four years before the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the oldest school for women in the nation, engaged Stepstone Strategic Partners during an intense, successful, one-year campaign that generated more than $14 million. Then, Stepstone conducted an audit of the advancement office and provided detailed recommendations for moving forward. In addition, Stepstone coached and counseled the newly-hired foundations/corporate relations officer to accelerate her effectiveness. Stepstone created a plan, including a community leaders event, that helped Salem focus constituents and donors on the future. As a result, Salem Academy and College is well-positioned for success.
“Your commitment to Salem during the Step Up for Salem campaign has been deeply appreciated. We accomplished remarkable work this year, largely due to your vision and your leadership directing the campaign. Without the strategies that you put in place for us to reconnect with our alumnae and the leaders in the Winston-Salem community, we could not
have exceeded our goal of raising $10 million in unrestricted, new cash this year."
Sandra J. Doran
President
Salem Academy and College
Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship
Lexington, Kentucky
After ten years, this national public affairs education organization, which promotes compromise in political discourse and policy development, was ready for program expansion.
Stepstone Strategic Partners guided the Board of Directors through a strategic planning process focusing on long term sustainability that helped create a brand new program presence in Washington, D.C. Stepstone also developed the strategy and the “case for support” to encourage new philanthropy for that expansion, which successfully is underway today.
“Stepstone worked with us as a true partner and exceeded our
expectations at every point. We were very pleased. They are a dynamic team.”
Robert N. Clay
Founding Co-Chair, HCCS
henryclaycenter.org
Sparta, North Carolina
As part of a desired collaboration and capital expansion involving Wake Forest Baptist Health and Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital, Alleghany Memorial, a regional hospital, was asked to raise $6 million through community giving in just 18 months. The hospital had little capital fundraising experience and no mature development program.
Stepstone Strategic Partners designed and coordinated a community campaign including printed materials, cabinet prospect evaluation through kick off that raised more than $6 million in only 6 months! A full year ahead of schedule.
This campaign generated significant community interest and support while raising more than $6.5 million through the course of the drive.
“Knowing the backgrounds of Stepstone’s principals, I was confident they
would bring creativity and a perceptive approach to our funding needs, and
they exceeded my high expectations. They use their experience-based
identification and grasp of issues to generate solutions. Stepstone Strategic
Partners tailor plans for organizations large and small, with exceptional results.”
Jim Becher
Chair and CEO
Geneva Corporation
“To a not-for-profit president, it is critical to have excellent communications
with fundraising counsel. Stepstone Strategic Partners not only communicated
well and often, but they were also remarkably responsive to my questions and
those of the campaign committee that they helped us form. They use data
analytics and anticipate well the subjective aspects of a campaign. Their understanding of relationship-based teamwork bolstered our success, and
I would be delighted to work with them again or recommend them.”
Craig James
President, Alleghany Memorial Hospital
amhsparta.org
National Sports Media Association and Hall of Fame
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
NSMA moved to Winston-Salem in 2017, less than six months before its annual membership meeting…with limited financial resources. Time was important. After helping the organization find headquarters space and secure funding for its first year, Stepstone Strategic Partners:
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Recruited volunteer leadership to establish a new Board of Directors; redevelop bylaws and policies guiding the organization’s future.
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Fostered introductions in the business community and developed important strategic partnerships, including one with the sports medicine program of Wake Forest Baptist Health;
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Developed and conducted the first of a new annual fund-raising program to recognize sports boosters to be known as the “Annie Award”, in memory of business leader and sports fan, Ann Lewallen Spencer. The inaugural event, honoring the late Harold Pollard, M.D., attracted 300 attendees and raised more than $100,000 for NSMA and its career education programming.
“We are so grateful to Stepstone Strategic Partners for guiding our
entry into Winston-Salem and organizing events and partnerships
that help assure a successful future. Stepstone was the single best investment
we could have made.”
Dave Goren
Executive Director
NSMA
nationalsportsmedia.org
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