Durham For All
As an independent consultant, I partnered with a community organizing organization that had strong programmatic impact but lacked a cohesive fundraising strategy and sustainable donor pipeline. Revenue growth was inconsistent, donor engagement was largely reactive, and development systems were underdeveloped.
I worked closely with leadership to assess the fundraising landscape, clarify revenue goals, and build a comprehensive fundraising strategy aligned with the organization’s long-term growth objectives. This included developing a donor pipeline, identifying and prioritizing prospective foundation and major donor opportunities, creating cultivation and stewardship plans, strengthening prospect research processes, and developing compelling case-for-support and donor communications materials.
In addition, I helped establish development infrastructure by implementing fundraising systems, creating proposal and reporting calendars, and introducing proven relationship-management best practices that improved donor engagement and accountability across the organization.
As a result, the organization increased fundraising revenue by 141% and significantly expanded its pipeline of foundation and individual donor prospects. Beyond the immediate revenue gains, the organization emerged with a stronger development function, clearer fundraising processes, and a more sustainable strategy for long-term growth and donor retention.
League of Conservation Voters Education Fund
One of the most successful fundraising portfolios I led was at the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, where I managed institutional fundraising strategy for a multi-million-dollar portfolio focused on environmental justice, civic engagement, and community organizing. The goal was to secure and expand foundation support for priority programs while building a stronger pipeline of long-term institutional funders.
Over a two-year period, I helped raise more than $6 million in new and renewed funding from private foundations and philanthropic partners. Key donor segments included national foundations, environmental funders, democracy-focused philanthropies, and institutional partners aligned with equity and grassroots organizing.
My role extended beyond proposal writing. I partnered with executive leadership and program directors to develop funder-specific cultivation and stewardship strategies, identified and qualified new prospects, crafted compelling funding narratives, and translated complex programmatic work into clear investment opportunities. I led the development of grant proposals, concept papers, reports, and donor communications, while coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure strong funder engagement and relationship management.
The success of the portfolio was driven by a strategic approach that combined prospect development, relationship cultivation, and compelling storytelling, resulting in significant revenue growth and stronger long-term partnerships with institutional funders.
H. Bryant Consulting 