How Kindest Consulting Elevated Fundraising and Development at Bridge the Gap

Executive Summary

When Bridge the Gap (BTG), a nonprofit dedicated to educational equity for underserved students in Marin City and Southern Marin, faced significant development staff turnover and a need to reset its fundraising strategy, they turned to Kindest Consulting for support.

Over a 9-month engagement, Kindest provided a roadmap to transform fundraising operations, implemented new systems, supported a leadership transition, and helped deliver BTG’s most successful gala to date — increasing event revenue by 30% year over year. Today, BTG continues to partner with Kindest as a strategic fundraising advisor.

About Bridge the Gap

Bridge the Gap provides comprehensive academic, social, and emotional support to ensure all students graduate high school and pursue pathways to independence. Its programming focuses on educational enrichment, mentorship, and college access for students historically excluded from academic opportunities.

  • Annual Budget: $3M
  • Students Served: 450 across three school districts

The Challenge

In early 2023, BTG was emerging from the pandemic with:

  • Development staff turnover
  • Fragmented donor data
  • Inconsistent donor communications
  • An upcoming gala needing revitalization

The organization had lost key institutional knowledge and was operating without a Director of Development. Kindest was brought in to address these challenges while helping BTG build long-term capacity and prepare for leadership transition.

The Engagement

Kindest Consulting provided full-cycle support through a 9-month engagement that included:

✅  Internal audit and systems review

✅  FY24 fundraising strategy and KPI development

✅  Executive coaching and staffing structure analysis

✅  Campaign and event execution

✅  Messaging, branding, and media relations

✅  Event production

✅  Impact Report creation

Kindest Approach

1. Development Audit & Assessment

Kindest began with a comprehensive audit of BTG’s development operations and donor systems. Key findings included:

❌  Inconsistent donor coding and duplicate records

❌  Misaligned revenue tracking between fundraising andfinance

❌  No standardized campaign/appeal structure in donor database and CRM

❌  Lack of editorial calendars or consistent impact messaging

❌  Minimal stewardship for major donors

✅ Kindest delivered a detailed report and began implementing system improvements, including synced platforms, refined data entry protocols, and dynamic dashboards.

2. Campaign Strategy, Messaging & Media Relations

Over three integrated campaigns (Year-End 2023, Spring 2024, Summer 2024), Kindest provided:

🎯 Campaign strategy and segmentation

✍️ Copywriting and design

📅 Editorial + social media calendars

📈 Performance analysis + dashboards

📰 Press/media briefings

Email Campaign Stats

  • Emails sent: 30
  • Open Rate: 52%
  • Click-to-Open Rate: 2.26%
3. Gala Planning & Execution

Kindest played a critical role in revitalizing BTG’s signature fundraising event:

  • Strategic alignment of messaging and fundraising goals
  • Gift pyramid and sponsorship strategy
  • On-stage production and logistics support
  • Event marketing plan and dashboards

Gala Results

💰 Revenue increase: 30% ($500K ➝ $800K+)

👥 Attendees: 20% increase (250 ➝ 300+)

4. Staffing Transition & Executive Support

Operating without a Director of Development, BTG relied on Kindest for interim support, including:

🧠 Needs assessment and org structure plan

🎯 Executive advising during hiring

🎓 Onboarding new Director of Development

📈 Coaching and mentorship for the Development Operations & Events Manager

This ensured organizational continuity and accelerated team readiness.

Results at a Glance

✅ Strategic Win 💡 Detail
New hire onboarded Director of Development
Data improvement Centralized donor system & gift entry clean-up
Donor stewardship Major donor segmentation and outreach
Reporting Board-ready dashboards & KPIs
Revenue growth 24% overall increase YOY
Major gift success $1M in multi-year gifts
Re-engagement $100K from lapsed major donors

Client Testimonial

“Partnering with Kindest this past year was a game-changer for Bridge the Gap. Their expertise in campaign execution and communications significantly elevated our fundraising efforts. These funds directly impacted our programs and the students we serve. The level of support and dedication from Kindest’s customer success team was unparalleled. The platform is easy to use and seamless to adopt. We couldn’t be more grateful for the partnership with Kindest and highly recommend their platform and services to other nonprofits looking to amplify their impact.”
‍— Lisa Raffel, Executive Director, Bridge the Gap

Why It Worked

Kindest’s model blends strategy with execution — embedding with BTG’s team to deliver:

🎯  Data-informed decisions

🤝  Collaborative execution

⚙️  Systems improvement

📢  Cohesive messaging

📈  Long-term sustainability

The result? Not just growth — but transformation.

About Kindest Consulting

Kindest Consulting empowers nonprofit teams to reach their fundraising potential through expert-led planning, campaign execution, and operations improvement. Whether navigating leadership transitions or building for scale, we bring the structure and strategy nonprofits need to thrive.

👉 Ready to transform your fundraising?

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