Case Studies

Nate Dalton was a man with a lot going for him. An urgent mission. An established source of funds. Leadership expertise.

But he lacked one crucial ingredient: help in actually building his new foundation.

Nate is the Chief Operating Officer of Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG), a 240 billion dollar asset management company. He recently was moved by the plight of the families of National Guard troops called to Iraq.

He founded an organization called Guard Support to deliver assistance to the needy families. Initially it was little more than him, his passion, his own money, and his Blackberry. As the needs mounted, however, he realized he needed to build an actual organization to meet those needs.  With his own considerable work responsibilities and a relative lack of nonprofit experience, he needed help.

He turned to Consulting Within Reach.

We stepped in and developed a strategy to build an organizational infrastructure. And with more and more troops being called up by the month, our team wanted to do it as fast as possible. In the span of several weeks, our team accomplished the following:

• Web and IT: We developed Guard Support's first web site to effectively interact with its multiple audiences – all under an architecture that empowered Guard Support to immediately update content by itself in the future.  The email infrastructure for the organization was also quickly established.
• Messaging: CWR used the web development process to help Nate craft Guard Support’s message at this critical founding stage.  We advised on communication pieces like his initial approach to potential key donors.
• Graphic Design: To convey the professional quality of this new foundation, CWR created letterheads, envelopes, and business cards.
• Human Resources: For the long term future of Guard Support, CWR designed and executed key aspects of the search and interview process.  To prepare for the rapid expansion of the organizational capacity, CWR lined up an experienced professional to handle accounting and donor management systems.
• Fundraising: All of that came together as CWR helped Guard Support execute its first fundraising campaign.  With our help, Guard Support raised $270,000 in the span of four weeks, putting the organization on solid footing for its expansion.

When Nate first signed his contract with Consulting Within Reach, he was a man with a cause.  When we finished the project, he was also a leader with an organization.