CLIENT CASE STUDY
Philanthropy requires great relationships—both internal and external. That’s where better conversations and solutions begin.
ABOUT THE CLIENT
The National FFA Foundation supports the National FFA Organization by building key relationships and securing resources for youth programs across the nation. That support helps to inspire more than a million FFA members to explore, lead, and make a lasting impact. Structurally, the Foundation serves as a resource to state foundations, though they operate independently to support their own area FFA chapters.
THE CHALLENGE
Strengthening a national network
Maintaining strong relationships with the state foundations can be difficult, hampering fundraising success. The National FFA Foundation met this challenge head on, commissioning a custom SWOT analysis by Palmetto Philanthropy to better understand each foundation’s current situation and identify opportunities to strengthen relationships, alignment, and fundraising progress.
THE APPROACH
A partnership built on trust and listening
01
Build the Partnership
Foundation leadership and Palmetto created a strong partnership from the very beginning, tackling proposed outcomes, a communications plan for the states and one another, and how to evaluate success.
02
Assess in Cohorts
Palmetto began by quickly building trust with each state contact, as the assessment was thoughtfully rolled out in cohorts. In this way, early trends could be identified, so adjustments could be made to strengthen the process.
03
Surface Common Themes
Across the targeted areas, Palmetto observed varying levels of maturity and capacity in staffing and systems. Enhancing consistency in strategy, deepening alumni engagement, and further refining targeted fundraising approaches rose to the top as common focus areas.
THE IMPACT
New resources for every state foundation
Based on assessment recommendations, the National FFA Foundation now offers several significant opportunities to build on strengths and address common challenges. Through key partnerships, state foundations can now access:
CRM Options
through Boomerang
CRM Training
through key partnerships
On-demand Customer
Service
access for state foundations
Planned Giving Support
to help create or build programs
Professional Development Platform
trainings that address common needs
Monthly Calls
supporting collaboration and
learning
Dedicated Coaching
from Palmetto for individual
foundations
Stronger Relationships
with better communication and collaboration
These tools are changing the game in fundraising efforts and efficiency. And relationships are getting stronger with better communication and collaboration, pointing to even better results in the future.
WHAT THE CLIENT SAID
We really appreciated Palmetto’s willingness to dive in and learn about FFA. It is a little complex and unique in structure, particularly on the foundation side. Clear and consistent communication was invaluable during the assessment process. Now we are executing solutions that will strengthen the way we work with the state foundations and FFA’s overall fundraising success. I don’t know where we would be without Palmetto’s insightful work—and we have retained them to help continue the progress we’ve made.
Jim Williams | Executive Director of Development, National FFA Foundation
Ready to strengthen your fundraising relationships?
PalmettoPhilanthropy.com | 864.887.8755 | P.O. Box 8268, Greenville, SC 29604