Working Scholars® Fund
Working Scholars® Fund uplifts communities by breaking down barriers for working adults to obtain a no-cost, debt free bachelor’s degree.
GOAL
Working Scholars® Fund was in the midst of a substantial fundraising drive with the ambitious goal of ensuring all students in their cohort would graduate with a bachelor’s degree debt free – the majority of which were the first in their families to attend college.
They turned to Black Fox Philanthropy to rapidly identify new funders, advance strategic relationships, and enhance their communications in order to sustain their organization for the long-term and deliver on their commitment to graduates.
OUTCOMES
Within six months of working with Black Fox Philanthropy, Working Scholars® Fund achieved their goal of raising multiple six figures of funding. Significant momentum was gained through an incredible $150K grant that Black Fox Philanthropy identified and advanced with a closely aligned funder.
Working Scholars® Fund not only succeeded in terms of solidifying long-term funding security, but most importantly they delivered on their promise to cover the cost of higher education for working adults in their program. They also freed up the time they needed to launch and grow a significant program, which was awarded a Corporate Social Responsibility Most Innovative Program by Fast Company.
By partnering with Black Fox Philanthropy, Working Scholars® Fund laid the groundwork for successful long-term funding for years to come by learning how to communicate their work in a way that lands across a targeted pipeline of funders interested in their work. As a result, they are set-up to sustain their vital mission of enabling so many to realize their dreams of achieving a bachelor’s degree.
TeachUNITED
TeachUNITED is an organization built for and by educators. Driven by a fundamental belief that every child deserves access to an equitable, quality education; TeachUNITED elevates local teachers in rural, underserved areas where the need is most acute.
Black Fox Philanthropy Services: Fundraising Accelerator
GOAL
TeachUNITED came to Black Fox Philanthropy to diversify their revenue streams quickly. Having been reliant on a small number of individual donors since their founding, they needed support developing and executing a robust fundraising strategy for both foundations and major gifts. They knew they needed to cultivate relationships with new and existing funders to ensure sustainable income over the long-run, yet their staff and resources were at capacity.
Together our goal was to lay the groundwork for greater success in attracting sustainable funding from diverse revenue sources, including the launch of a significant major gifts program that would provide unrestricted multi-year funds.
RESULTS
Black Fox Philanthropy identified and developed a substantive pipeline of new funder relationships, as well as supported the TeachUNITED team in moving existing relationships in TeachUNITED’s pipeline forward through our Research and Advancement Outreach services. We supported TeachUNITED in formalizing and professionalizing their major gifts program with compelling communications and strategic relationships.
As a result, TeachUNITED was awarded an immediate $25,000 grant, and the initial research led to an additional $330,000 in grant funding as TeachUNITED continued to cultivate relationships with funders that BFP uncovered. Strategic relationships cultivated with Black Fox Philanthropy led to a pivotal funder that resulted in an additional $300,000. Taken together, our engagement led to more than $650,000 in funding over time.
Not only did TeachUNITED win its biggest grant in the organization’s history and have their largest earned revenue year to date, additional capacity from Black Fox Philanthropy meant the senior leadership team could concentrate their efforts on personal funder relationships and face to face meetings. This translates to more time dedicated to their mission of every child having access to a quality, equitable education.
WeRobotics
WeRobotics is a social impact organization that brings together local experts, communities and activists to offer practical alternatives to systems dominated by foreign-led and top-down interventions. By shifting power with local experts and organizations, WeRobotics is co-creating an inclusive and sustainable network of local leaders to build an effective model that others can adopt to accelerate locally-led efforts in response to pressing challenges.