Elevating Major Gifts: How Brookgreen Gardens Accelerated Their Campaign for The Next Generation with DonorSearch

Client: Brookgreen Gardens

Sector: Arts, Culture, and Conservation

“We continually find people who haven’t given in the past but want to. With DonorSearch, we can pinpoint their interests—education, art, or conservation—and craft appeals that truly resonate.”  – Carolyn Pittman, Campaign Manager, Brookgreen Gardens

Client Overview:

Brookgreen Gardens, a 9,200-acre nonprofit in South Carolina, is home to the largest collection of American figurative sculptures. As a unique cultural and environmental landmark, its mission weaves together art, horticulture, conservation, and history. To support critical initiatives like a new conservatory, Brookgreen Gardens launched the Campaign for the Next Generation — a bold effort to ensure its legacy continues to thrive for years to come.

The Challenge: 

• Brookgreen Gardens launched the Campaign for the Next Generation to fund critical initiatives, including a new conservatory.
• The campaign initially secured $18 million from their closest supporters but needed additional high-capacity donors to close the remaining $7 million gap.
• Traditional fundraising methods were not enough to identify new prospects within their 15,000-member database.
• The development team required a data-driven approach to uncover hidden major gift opportunities.

The Results:

• Unearthed New Major Donors: Identified a long-time supporter with over $13 million in real estate holdings who had previously made only mid-level contributions. This insight led to a targeted cultivation strategy, deepening their engagement.
• Refined Fundraising Strategies: By leveraging donor data, Brookgreen was able to create tailored appeals for supporters passionate about art, conservation, and education. Personalized engagement further strengthened donor relationships.
• Advanced the Capital Campaign: Brookgreen secured $23 million of their $25 million goal, positioning them for a successful campaign close.

The Solution:

Brookgreen Gardens turned to DonorSearch’s AI-powered prospect research tools to help identify high-net-worth individuals who were already engaged with Brookgreen but had not yet made major contributions. Our tools provided deep insights into donor wealth indicators, philanthropic history, and engagement patterns. This information allowed the development team to develop personalized outreach strategies based on each donor’s specific interests, whether in art, education, conservation, or history.

The Benefits:

• Efficient Donor Prospecting: DonorSearch helped Brookgreen Gardens uncover high-capacity donors within their 15,000-member database, allowing them to focus on individuals with the potential for major contributions and strategically advance their $25 million campaign.
• Seamless Implementation: The easy-to-use DonorSearch platform allowed Brookgreen’s development team to quickly adopt and integrate it into their workflow, saving valuable time and resources while enhancing their donor research efforts.
• Personalized Support: The dedicated customer success team at DonorSearch ensured that Brookgreen Gardens received continuous training and strategic assistance, helping them optimize the platform’s features and maximize their fundraising success.

Conclusion

Thanks to DonorSearch’s AI-driven analytics and dedicated support, Brookgreen Gardens successfully discovered new major donors, refined their fundraising strategies, and made significant progress toward their ambitious $25 million goal. With just $2 million left to raise, they are set to complete the Campaign for the Next Generation, ensuring their mission of art, nature, and conservation continues to thrive.