As the Virginia Peninsula’s community college, Thomas Nelson Community College continuously serves the Hampton Roads community by providing residents with affordable, flexible, and timely opportunities to further their education. In the academic year 2018-2019 alone, Thomas Nelson served 11,588 students making Thomas Nelson the fifth-largest college in the Virginia Community College System. Former Thomas Nelson President, Dr. Dever, challenged the Office of Development to work towards producing $1 million to support the college — a steep increase considering the what the college had raised historically to support the Annual Fund, programs, academics, student services, and scholarships.
Cynthia Callaway, Vice President of Institutional Advancements, and Tracy Ashley, Director of Development, knew this challenge from Dr. Dever would be a large undertaking. At the time, she had a limited staff with minimal knowledge of fundraising and the processes and techniques required to plan a project of this magnitude. Having previously worked alongside Strategic Solution’s Owner and President, Tricia Hudson, Tracy knew of Tricia’s trademark work and successful results. And so it began–a partnership to strategize and implement a plan to increase Thomas Nelson’s Fundraising Program to $1 million.
A comprehensive three-year plan was produced by Strategic Solutions. Much collaboration went into this product by conducting interviews with the Foundation Board, college staff, and key donors. Data was used to measure past performances and predict the future. The plan called for an increase in staffing, a structured timeline, specific projects, and scheduled solicitations. A college needs-assessment was also conducted which identified $16 million in immediate needs for the college. At the beginning of the plan, Strategic Solutions also conducted a Foundation Board retreat that was used to inform constituents of the plan and to build buy-in from the entire Board. Strategic Solutions was at every Board meeting to deliver a progress report, identify the next steps, and recommend course corrections.
Because Thomas Nelson had a well-thought-out strategic plan with built-in measurables and benchmarks; they were able to use it as a road map to make informed decisions. Decisions that included staffing, projects, timelines, major gift work, and the development of a private foundation/corporation calendar. Their Board members were informed and more engaged than ever before. The culmination of these results is that in the third year of their comprehensive plan, Thomas Nelson will meet Dr. Dever’s challenge — Thomas Nelson will achieve $1 million a year in contributions! The Office of Development is set up for success and is prepared to take on the next challenge!
Let us help you build a successful future for your organization. Please call our office at 757-536-9937 or reach out to Strategic Solutions by Tricia, LLC via Facebook, or at www.ssbytricia.com.