Results

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At Spark Point, we’re focused on getting results for our clients.

From strategy and research to grant writing and grant management, our energy and expertise will help you achieve your fundraising goals and empower you to make progress on the work that matters: igniting social change and building a more equitable world.

Curious to learn more? Here’s what our clients say:

Testimonials

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Michele Booth Cole

Executive Director – Safe Shores – The DC Children’s Advocacy Center

When Safe Shores was experiencing staffing changes in our development team, I reached out to Spark Point for support navigating the transition. Their thoughtful and systematic approach helped keep us on-track during our hiring search, and they helped us consolidate and organize all of our foundation deadlines and materials to set us up for continued success. They took time to listen respectfully, quickly understood Safe Shores’ mission, and worked seamlessly and calmly to manage deadlines. Just as importantly, we were able to build a strong rapport in a short period of time, making our work together productive and even enjoyable!

Stephanie Sneed

Stephanie Sneed

Former Executive Director – Fair Budget Coalition

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!

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Koube Ngaaje

Executive Director – District Alliance for Safe Housing

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%!

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Kristen Kozlowski

Associate Director of Development – Bread for the City

In almost four years working together, Spark Point and Bread for the City have built a strategic and high-impact partnership that has supported our growth from a budget of almost $11 million to more than $15 million.  During that time, Spark Point's team has raised almost $12 million to support our programs and to help us build our Michelle Obama Southeast Center, which opened in early 2021.  Not only are they great partners, but they are truly a joy to work with.  We love Spark Point Fundraising!

Serra Sippel

Serra Sippel

President – CHANGE (Center for Health and Gender Equity)

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.

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Chelsea Geyer

Executive Director - DC127

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.

Elizabeth Gardner

Rev. Elizabeth Gardner

Former Interim Rector - The Church of the Epiphany

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.

Stacy Lewis

Stacy Lewis

Chief Program Officer — Young Survivor Coalition

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.

Theo Adamstein

Theo Adamstein

Founder — FotoDC

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.

Svetlana Legetic

Svetlana Legetic

Co-Founder - Brightest Young Things and Presenting Partner for FotoWeekDC

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.

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Steve Sagner

Former Associate Dean for Development - NYU Tandon School of Engineering

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!

Marjory Moore

Former Chief Development Officer – National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association

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.

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Mercedes Lemp

Executive Director – My Sister's Place

Our experience with Spark Point’s Spark Time was invaluable. It gave us a clear picture of where our fundraising activities were lacking and a plan to move forward. The insights and recommendations we gained from the Spark Time presentation helped us make the case to our Board of Directors to increase our investment in fundraising resources. Overall, if you are looking for a solution that helps you take your fundraising to the next level with insight from a highly-experienced fundraising team at a great value, Spark Time is a great solution.

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Elana Kogan

Director of Development — JOIN for Justice

Spark Point was an amazing thought partner and helped us develop a strategy  that was creative, bold, and achievable, and would enable us to raise the funds needed to implement our strategic growth plan. They tailored their work to our unique circumstances, and they brought experience, expertise, and fantastic listening skills, and it led to an incredibly strong set of deliverables -  our growth campaign strategy and detailed plan to achieve our goals  Spark Point was responsive to us at every turn, and we really felt they were “in it” with us. They were great to work with throughout the process and I am grateful for our strong partnership.  If we need to go through another planning process like this in the future, we will definitely reach out to them.

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Sarah Gochenaur

Director of Development & Communications — New Endeavors by Women

Working with Spark Point is the easiest way to increase our fundraising impact. As an experienced fundraising professional, I know firsthand the stress of managing a complex grant calendar. It can be challenging to balance reports and proposals with individual donor outreach and relationship development. The team at Spark Point takes the stress out of this process. They allow my team to build meaningful connections while seamlessly managing our grant writing and reports. In addition, the staff has the expertise that comes from years of practice in the field. The team at Spark Point isn’t just a group of contractors- they are full-fledged members of our team. They took the time to get to know our organization and our staff on a deep level. I trust each team member because they genuinely care about our staff and our clients. They laugh with us, celebrate with us, and cheer us on through tough times.Investing in Spark Point’s services is an investment in any organization’s future financial sustainability. I wholeheartedly recommend them to any organization navigating the ever-changing funding landscape.

 

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Melissa Fowler

Chief Program Officer — National Abortion Federation

In almost two years working with Spark Point we've been able to refresh and expand our foundation fundraising strategy and bring several new funders into our portfolio. It's been incredibly helpful to have them keeping track of all of the details, giving me and my team time to focus on relationship building and management. We've learned a lot from their strategic guidance and it's led to some big and exciting wins.

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Alicia Hullinger

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR — INTERNATIONAL COACHING FEDERATION — Thought Leadership Institute

I am so appreciative of Spark Point's partnership, optimistic team, and assistance in navigating a complex and competitive fundraising landscape. With Spark Point by my side, I was able to focus on the internal strategy work that my organization needed. They identified almost 50 prospective funders, helped us build relationships, and crafted compelling LOIs. I feel confident that moving forward, we have the fundraising tools we need to be successful. I will certainly miss working with these dedicated, authentic, and tenacious experts!

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Erin Feng

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - THOMAS CIRCLE SINGERS - CAPITAL CITY SYMPHONY

I just wanted to say thank you again for your (Spark Point's) help. Both Thomas Circle Singers and Capital City Symphony have been referring to their respective recommendations frequently throughout this giving season. We are so grateful for our time with you!

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Kathleen Mogelgaard

President and CEO — Population Institute

At a time when we were seeking to diversify our revenue and build our fundraising infrastructure, the recommendations that came from our Spark Time engagement helped set us on a strategic path to pursue our goals. The analysis and recommendations that we received are resources we rely on to meet our needs. We’re grateful to have worked with Spark Point!

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Katie Rotramel

Former Director of Institutional Giving – Humane Rescue Alliance

Our goal was to build a strategy for reaching prospective New Jersey and National funders to support our St. Hubert's office. Spark Point did just that - they helped identify over 30 new prospects for our St. Hubert's office, as well as prospects for a new veterinary workforce program we began developing over the past year. During hectic periods, their team of grant writers and fundraising strategists helped relieve our team's capacity by assisting with drafting and submitting key deliverables. We truly appreciate Spark Point’s efforts in keeping us on track with our long-term funder cultivation strategy while providing a warm and welcoming space to discuss all things institutional giving!

Jessye Brick

Senior Director – Institutional Development – Kids in Need of Defense

As a large international organization with 15 field offices across the United States and an extensive portfolio of institutional funders, our development team needed a helping hand with developing strong language and staying on top of proposal and report deadlines.  Through the Fired Up Grants service,  Spark Point became an integrated part of our team, collaborating with our managing attorneys across the nation, as well as our policy/advocacy and international programs team to craft compelling narratives for support. Together, we secured over $1M in foundation gifts! We’re thankful for our partnership with Spark Point and this work’s lasting impact for our development team.

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Linda Nguyen

Founder and Executive Director – Movement Talent

Prior to working with Spark Point, Movement Talent was not spending enough time developing our fundraising strategy. Not only did Spark Point identify and help us reach out to 25 prospective funders, they also helped diversify our strategy efforts. They developed a top-notch Concept Note, helped us hone our service descriptions, and assisted us in brainstorming new partnerships. Now, we have a clear fundraising path to move forward. We’re so grateful for our work together!

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Stephanie Wright

Executive Director and Co-Founder – Together We Bake

Spark Point’s coaching and strategy services helped us grow meaningfully as an organization. The coaching and accountability empowered us to be ambitious as we navigated changes and worked toward growth. As a reliable and trusted partner, they helped us to examine our business in new ways, be more strategic, and elevate our fundraising. Because of Spark Point, we have stayed on track and feel more prepared to pursue our strategic goals. In short, you’ve set us up for long term success. Thank you, Spark Point!

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Jazmin Albarran

Executive Director – Seed Your Future
Seed Your Future has been tremendously impressed with Spark Point Fundraising's services. From the initial Spark Time Assessment to the comprehensive Fundraising Strategy and implementation plan, their team has consistently delivered exceptional results.

The Corporate Sponsor Pitch Deck they crafted exceeded our expectations, effectively showcasing our mission and vision to potential partners. Their meticulous Grants Prospect Research provided invaluable insights, helping us identify and prioritize funding opportunities. Their creation of a compelling Case for Support has been instrumental in conveying our impact and garnering support from donors.

In addition to these core deliverables, Spark Point Fundraising went above and beyond by revamping our Vision and Theory of Change and engaging our Board and Leadership.  We are immensely grateful for Spark Point Fundraising's partnership and highly recommend their services to any organization seeking to elevate their fundraising efforts. Their commitment to our mission and their strategic insights have been invaluable.

Case Studies

Needing to expand their capacity, Bread for the City was looking to outsource their grant writing. With our Fired Up Grants service, they gained an experienced thought partner who has helped them generate nearly $12 million in revenue in four years. Learn More.

My Sister's Place faced a common problem: despite having an active donor base, grant writing left them with no time to think about strategic fundraising. In need of quick and affordable advice, they completed a Spark Time engagement, and received actionable recommendations that they could immediately implement to achieve their fundraising goals. Learn More.

Growing your contributed revenue is hard. How, with everything else on your plate, are you supposed to find time to research the donor landscape, engage prospective investors, and convince them to see you as an asset? Fair Budget Coalition engaged Spark Point to help them build out their foundation funding pipeline, and with our Pipeline Push service raised more than $370,000 in new funding in just one year. Learn More.

Having just completed a strategic plan, JOIN for Justice had a bold and ambitious vision to expand their reach. At Spark Point, we believe that having a clear vision of where you want to go is important, but you need to know how to get there. As JOIN for Justice discovered, our Strategy Spark service is designed to make your vision a reality. Learn More.

Byte Back was ready to grow, but rapid growth can be unsustainable. Without a strategic plan, they ended up relying on a few revenue streams that had the potential to soon dry up. At Spark Point, we worked to help them thrive, not just grow. By choosing our Fired Up Grants service, Byte Back earned $200,000 in two years. Learn More.

Global BrightLight faced a common problem: they needed fundraising help, but they weren’t sure where to start. Spark Point’s Spark Time service is specifically designed to solve this challenge. Armed with our Spark Time recommendations, Global BrightLight collaborated with us on a Strategy Spark engagement, and secured $50,000 in six months. Learn More.

When we first met with the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, they were reliant on a dwindling base of corporate donors. Eager to reinvigorate their fundraising, they chose Spark Point’s Strategy Spark service, and identified a diverse set of funders ready to invest in their mission. Learn More.

Still not sure what’s right for you?

Want to create an engagement based on your specific needs? Let us know what you’re looking for and we’ll follow up with ideas.