Case Study Snapshot:
Before
ACTFL, the national member association for language educators, wanted to launch a foundation as their charitable arm but needed to build a fundraising operation from the ground up.
Working with WHC
Windmill Hill Consulting partnered with ACTFL to create a comprehensive fundraising plan for the new Language Connects Foundation (LCF) that laid the groundwork for the Foundation’s launch and hiring of its director.
After
The Language Connects Foundation launched with a clear playbook for its new director, including a corporate giving strategy, a donor pipeline, and operational tools that allowed them to hit the ground running.
Challenge and Opportunity
ACTFL, a thriving 58-year-old membership organization for language education professionals, has a successful annual conference with robust corporate sponsorships.
But beyond these sponsorships and some passive requests for small donations during membership renewals, there wasn’t an established philanthropic culture to support ACTFL’s programs, initiatives, and advocacy.
ACTFL leadership decided to establish a foundation to raise dedicated philanthropic gifts and increase its impact on behalf of language educators and language education.
They had one big challenge, though: how to fundraise for the foundation without cannibalizing their conference sponsorship program or relying too heavily on the very teachers they sought to support.
As a membership-based association, the organization was also relatively unfamiliar with the ins and outs of fundraising. They were starting from scratch and needed to establish a board, develop a donor pipeline, and build a fundraising operation from the ground up.
The WHC Approach
The Windmill Hill team’s combined 50+ years of fundraising experience meant they were well-equipped to tackle the project on behalf of the ACTFL and its new Language Connects Foundation.
The WHC approach included:
- developing a corporate fundraising plan for the new foundation;
- devising a strategy to approach corporate sponsors for both conference support and philanthropic gifts;
- researching funding opportunities from foundations; and
- providing comprehensive “how-tos” and support for a new fundraising operation.
While Windmill Hill was overseeing institutional fundraising efforts, the ACTFL was also working with Mighty Citizen, a digital marketing agency that was developing the branding and digital marketing campaign for the Foundation’s launch.
Working with two separate agencies on different aspects of a large project with many moving parts could have been stressful, but that wasn’t the ACTFL team’s experience.
“The process of working with the Mighty Citizen team and the Windmill Hill team was well integrated,” said Erin Whelchel, Deputy Director of Public Relations at ACTFL.
“It was helpful to address all aspects of the Foundation’s development at once: building the case for support with the Windmill Hill team, developing our brand identity with Mighty Citizen, and seeing all these pieces begin to come together on the website, across our social channels, and in our messaging. Consultants from both sides worked together to ensure that all of the moving pieces came together for a single goal.”
The team at Mighty Citizen agreed.
Andrew Buck, Mighty Citizen’s Associate Creative Director, said, “As we developed the Foundation’s brand and messaging, Windmill Hill brought clarity and depth to the fundraising strategy. Their work wasn’t just smart; it was tailored, evidence-based, and rooted in the realities of modern advancement practices. They helped the client feel empowered and confident. Even better, they were fantastic collaborators: communicative, thoughtful, and respectful of the bigger picture we were all working toward. The final product was stronger because of their partnership.”
“Building the Plane”
Windmill Hill’s work was to “build the plane” for LCF’s fundraising efforts, ensuring that when the Foundation’s new director came on board, the plane was ready to fly.
That meant building out a fundraising guidebook with the specific tools and strategic support a new director and board would need to get the plane off the ground.
As is their hallmark, the WHC team’s work was comprehensive:
- WHC developed a case for support and then tested it to ensure LCF’s messaging resonated with potential donors.
- WHC conducted foundation prospect research and then provided copywriting support for concept papers, letters of inquiry, and/or grant proposals for existing and new foundation prospects.
- WHC created a corporate giving strategy and then crafted email templates, talking points, and pitch decks tailored to specific companies.
- WHC provided counsel on recruiting and developing a board of directors and then conducted follow-up fundraising training for the board that LCF assembled.
Lessons Learned
In November of 2022, the Language Connects Foundation officially launched with Kit Hall, an experienced fundraiser, as Director.
Since the launch, Kit and Erin have reflected on their experience of launching a foundation and shared valuable insights for other organizations planning a new fundraising initiative:
- Do the Essential Pre-Work: The LCF launch was aligned with national ACTFL conference, which meant moving forward before essential pieces-like a feasibility study and a confirmed board of directors-were in place. That accelerated timeline lead to avoidable challenges later on.
- Manage Expectations: Create a clear picture for leadership and funders of what success looks like at different stages in the process (1 year, 3 years, 5 years out from launch, for example).
- Steward Donors and Partners: You never know when you may want to partner with previous donors again, so be faithful to engage with them consistently, keeping the door open to future partnerships.
The Windmill Hill Experience
When asked about whether they would recommend Windmill Hill Consulting to other organizations like theirs, Erin Whelchel stated, “It was a joy to work with Barbara and Derek, and I would recommend them without hesitation . I was confident in their representation of our organization to external partners, our Board members, and others”
Kit Hall concurred, adding that the time she spent working with Derek and Barbara was “constructive and inspiring.”
Need to build a new fundraising program from the ground up? Book a call today!