2024 Per Scholas Case Study
Developing a Sustainable Fundraising Strategy for Per Scholas Atlanta
Partner Context
Venture 2 Impact partnered with Sage– a dedicated community partner with an established foundation, clear & strategic impact focus areas (Fuel for Business, Tech 4 Good, Protect the Planet) and ongoing volunteer programming– to support the Per Scholas Atlanta Program in developing a sustainable fundraising strategy.
Per Scholas employs two fundraising strategies– one at the national level and one at the local level. While the national fundraising strategy is consistent in their contributions to the organization, Per Scholas Atlanta (PSA) would like to focus on the development and enhancement of their own, local strategy. PSA’s fundraising almost exclusively consists of contributions from large institutions or corporate structures. However, institutional and corporate based funding has not been sustainable due to the uncertainty that these organizations will donate consistently.
PSA staff highlighted that they experience most donors returning year after year through peer to peer or individual based giving. PSA staff explained that those relationships can be established more deeply and the donors can feel a sense of commitment to the organization and supporting their cause– “People give to people, not just a cause”.
Unfortunately, PSA development staff, including the Managing Director and the Regional Development team, are experiencing a barrier in regards to increasing their individual based giving as they are unsure who to approach to ask for their donations. PSA staff recognize that there is a lot of opportunity for philanthropic giving in Atlanta, and have heard that there are community partners and individuals that support Atlanta-based organizations regularly, from community partners. However, they are unsure how to access these communities and individuals.
Furthermore, the Per Scholas Advisory Board and Alumni have requested to engage in the fundraising aspect of the organization. However, PSA staff are unsure how to engage them fully and provide clarity on how to identify and approach donors.
THE CHALLENGE
How can we support Per Scholas Atlanta to develop and implement a sustainable fundraising strategy?
The Innovation
Sage volunteers conducted a discovery analysis of PSA’s current fundraising strategy, identifying its strengths and areas needing improvement.
They then researched the philanthropic community and fundraising market in Atlanta, pinpointing key philanthropic influencers and popular events that attract significant donations. This research mapped out opportunities to enhance PSA’s fundraising efforts.
A SWOT analysis of PSA’s fundraising strategy highlighted strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, guiding the development of targeted recommendations. These recommendations were presented to PSA staff, offering actionable insights to optimize their fundraising approach.
Expected outcomes
With a more sustainable fundraising strategy, we anticipate that Per Scholas Atlanta would be able to:
- Increase Per Scholas staff’s knowledge of the Atlanta market from an individual and foundational perspective
- Increase their overall budget and scale the work of their organization
- Reduce dependence on corporate funding
- Improve their ability to provide skills training and access to employer networks for individuals often excluded from tech careers including providing opportunities for 200+ learners a year to have access to free training that would cost $10-14k per person
- Enhance the capacity of the organization and support staff to work towards their goal of advancing economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses and providing opportunities that disrupt generational poverty.
ABOUT Per Scholas
Per Scholas believes that a thriving workforce starts with equitable access to education. In working towards this goal, Per Scholas provides skills training and access to employer networks to individuals often excluded from tech careers. Per Scholas envisions a technology workforce as diverse as the customers it serves. Over 16,000 graduates have launched successful careers in tech to date through their no-cost technical training. Their mission is to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled talent to leading businesses.
They work directly with employers, large and small, to design rigorous, boot camp-style courses with an 85% graduation rate. Their tuition-free training combines business professional skills development with hands-on technical instruction for high demand jobs.
