Results

Fair Budget Coalition hired Spark Point to help us build our foundation grants pipeline and do grant writing. I was optimistic, but realistic, in my expectations of what we would achieve. Once the pandemic hit, we like many other small organizations feared the financial repercussions to our organization and our ability to secure new funding in the midst of a global crisis. However, Spark Point went above and beyond for us. The results we got blew our expectations out of the water. Not only did Spark Point help Fair Budget Coalition raise more than $165,000 in six months, their team guided me through a number of conversations with new foundation funders that gave me much greater confidence in my fundraising skills and ability to ask for the funding the organization needs for its work. The project had a high return on investment - both financially and operationally. We are now on the precipice of onboarding a second new hire within the past six months, doubling our staff size and capacity!

DASH began working with Whitney and her team in 2019. Throughout that time, I've been impressed by their collective skill in the full-cycle of non-profit fundraising - from strategy design to implementation and stewardship. With a lens on equity and impact, Spark Point took the time to learn the unique needs of DASH and effectively assisted in the delivery of successful high-yield campaign that surpassed year-end target goals by over 20%!

At a time when we are in most need to diversify our donors, Spark Point did a great job at understanding the specific needs, values and priorities of CHANGE. We are incredibly appreciative of the professionalism and dedication shown by Spark Point's team- from developing a list of prospects, to writing letters of interests and proposals for CHANGE to pursue with prospect donors, to thorough follow up on tasks.

I was worried we were going to get a distant consultant who would try to apply cookie-cutter solutions to our organization. Instead, Spark Point provided intensely individualized plans, took time to understand our organization, and created workloads that matched our available resources. They made sure we walked away with a plan that we could implement on our own. They were responsive and gave me the tools to be a better fundraiser.

I love Spark Point. They are nimble and results-oriented. They were able to look at the whole picture—the people, the programming, and the day to day cycle of having multiple people come through the doors -- and see where we had opportunities to make even more of a difference. They made me feel emboldened, renewed, and that I could do more for the community.

In working with Spark Point, we gained a relationship with a team that understands our mission and wanted to use their skills and expertise to further that mission. I felt that Spark Point was invested in our work, even though they weren't here full time, and they are approachable, enthusiastic, and professional. Ultimately, we didn't just win a big grant, we gained a partner that we could run things by and a new level of knowledge.

I thoroughly appreciate the creativity, responsiveness, and professionalism that Spark Point brings to their work with FotoDC. I know we are in good hands with them leading our grant writing efforts.

As a small arts organization, funding is for FotoDC is a constant struggle and a high priority. Whitney really took a personal interest in our projects, which I believe gave her AND us the edge to be successful in these applications. Knowing that this part of the job was handled allowed us to focus on programming and our core mission. In effect, Spark Point helped us grow and mature as an organization.

Whitney Brimfield is an excellent proposal writer, prospector, and strategist for approaches to institutional funders, and I know that many clients love and value her work. She undertook a complex diagnostic project for NYU's engineering school—identifying academic and programmatic areas where we might have potential fundraising success with foundations and corporations, and developing approaches for each field. I recommend her highly, and just this week gave her name to someone looking for a great consultant!

Spark Point’s team has a lot of integrity and they really drive for results. They have the ability to establish credibility quickly, address tough challenges, and move things forward. They are very insightful about the ways that different people approach their work, which makes them a great resource and a real thought partner.