Driving Tailored Results for Nonprofit Partners – Creative Fundraising Advisors Case Study

Client: Creative Fundraising Advisors

Industry: Fundraising Consulting

“To have trusted data in DonorSearch that I can repeatedly come back to…it makes such a huge difference.”

At a Glance

• Challenges
  • Efficiently conducting screenings for a wide variety of nonprofit clients
  • Validating the accuracy of prospect research results
  • Interpreting data and integrating it into actionable fundraising strategies
• Results
  • Accurate prospect research with transparent data sourcing
  • Increased value for clients through data-driven decision-making
  • Personalized problem-solving from the DonorSearch team

Client Overview 

Creative Fundraising Advisors is a full-service fundraising consulting firm based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm partners with nonprofits to help them customize their approach to fundraising activities, from launching capital campaigns to developing annual fund strategies. The organization serves nonprofits across the United States, specializing in the verticals of arts and culture, human services, education, and the environment.

Creative Fundraising Advisors started working with DonorSearch in 2019 to conduct prospect research for its nonprofit clients. Through this partnership, the organization has consistently delivered accurate results to support clients’ major gift fundraising and donor cultivation.

Background 

Since Creative Fundraising Advisors is not a nonprofit, but rather a consulting firm that works with many nonprofits, the organization needs to leverage data to help each of its clients. Providing complete, correct information is critical to the firm’s ability to develop tailored fundraising solutions for each nonprofit they serve.

Strategy

Creative Fundraising Advisors’ data-gathering and validation processes have to balance thoroughness and efficiency, which the organization accomplished by partnering with DonorSearch.

“I’ve used a lot of different wealth screening services…but [I’ve] really found DonorSearch to be the most accurate, and I found that I could trust the results more than I have in other databases,” said Stephanie Brouwer, Creative Fundraising Advisors’ data and research manager. “As I started using DonorSearch, I became very confident and able [not only] to relay the information to my clients, but also present a good way for them to understand it where…it really gives them a path to know what to do with the information.”

Due to DonorSearch’s data accuracy and trustworthiness, Brouwer has been able to spend less time validating screening results and instead focus on effectively presenting the information to clients. “I honestly don’t have a lot of time to waste in my job. I’m moving from client to client, and I want to give them the most accurate results, but I’m also shifting my brain a lot between all of the different groups, so to have trusted data in DonorSearch that I can repeatedly come back to…it makes such a huge difference,” she said.

Benefits

• Accurate, transparent prospect research. Since working with DonorSearch, the Creative Fundraising Advisors team has appreciated the ability to know not only what data to present to their clients, but also where that data comes from. “My biggest obstacle…in the past with wealth screenings is I never had time to really validate the results,” Brouwer explained. “As I started to validate some of the DonorSearch results, I [realized I] didn’t have to – and nowadays, I just spot-check the information because it really solved a big mystery in my head of where are they getting this information.”

• A personalized customer service experience. Brouwer recounted a situation in which she accidentally submitted the wrong data files while preparing to run multiple screenings at the same time, but when she reached out to her DonorSearch representative, “he got it fixed within minutes.” She added that “it was so wonderful to be able to have a personal connection, too. Not just a random help desk…but somebody I know on the other end, and that’s the experience I’ve gotten with DonorSearch.”

• Increased confidence across the firm’s client base. Since Creative Fundraising Advisors started using DonorSearch on behalf of its clients, these nonprofits have reported making higher fundraising asks of their donors than they would have otherwise. When they learn from their DonorSearch screening results that a potential donor has both the capacity to make a gift and the affinity to do so, they can create data-driven appeals that are more likely to turn into significant revenue.

• More value provided to nonprofits. “We can no longer do our services without data being incorporated,” Brouwer stated, explaining that Creative Fundraising Advisors’ clients feel like they’ve gotten much more out of their investment in fundraising consulting since thorough prospect research became a priority. And, if clients ask for suggestions for a prospecting tool they can leverage themselves, the firm recommends DonorSearch.

Lay the foundation for successful fundraising with accurate prospect research data. Demo DonorSearch today!