By Sandra Mathers
Sentinel Staff Writer

March 13, 2003

Ilene Wilkins and her staff threw a fund-raising breakfast for 140 supporters of the United Cerebral Palsy Child Development Center a few months ago.

At the end of the hourlong event, the organizers walked away $340,000 richer. Today, UCP, which serves disabled children, has chalked up an additional $160,000 in cash and pledges for a total of $500,000.

It's an incredible feat by any fund-raising measure. UCP isn't the only nonprofit in the Orlando area to pull off a one-hour bonanza. At least 11 other cash-starved agencies have had similar, if less lucrative, events.

Altogether, these 11 agencies have raised a total of $1.8 million— an impressive amount in an era of state budget cuts, reduced federal funding and dwindling foundation reserves.

Their secret? They're cashing in on Raising More Money, a for-profit company in Seattle started by a former social worker and fund-raising guru who teaches nonprofits a strategy for finding and keeping individual donors.

Founder Terry Axelrod's mantra is simple: "More than 80 percent of all charitable dollars are given by individuals. If they are trained, nonprofits can access that."

Axelrod teaches them how in a two-day seminar that costs $6,000. Agency leaders say the return on that investment is worth the cost.

"I never dreamed we'd do this well," UCP's Wilkins said. "They've made a believer out of me."

Her half-million dollars in donations will help the agency expand its five area centers and build a larger center in downtown Orlando, where 100 children wait for a slot.

The strategy also has made believers out of Margaret Anglin, Katie Porta and Kelli Oom.

In the past, Harbor House, the Orange County domestic-violence shelter, has labored to pull off fund-raising events that raised about $25,000 each.

Five months ago, the agency asked 340 people to its annual Harmony Breakfast at Expo Centre. In little more than an hour, the agency had raised $247,000.

"We did wonderfully," said Anglin, Harbor House's director. "It worked really well for us. These are desperate times."

The money, she said, will go a long way toward plugging the $347,000 hole in the governor's budget that used to be a Harbor House line item. The agency is one of many social agencies cut this year.

Unfortunately, Anglin said, her new windfall can't be used to match a $60,000 challenge grant from the Dr. Phillips Foundation -- unless donors earmark their contributions for the grant. Challenge grants require agencies to raise an equal amount from the private sector.

Porta, president of Quest Inc., which serves severely mentally disabled adults and children, had an inexpensive, cold-plate lunch at Expo Centre last month for about 300 people.

"We raised more than $140,000, and 75 percent of the people in the room didn't know who we were," she said. "We still have checks coming in."

Quest's new money will help reduce the agency's waiting list of 300 people.

Porta says she is now sure of one thing: "People don't give because they aren't asked."

Local philanthropic organizations are hailing the Money concept as an extraordinary success.

Raising More Money—a copyrighted name—was invited to bring its brand of fund raising to Orlando last year by the Philanthropy and Non-Profit Leadership Center at Rollins College. It took the collaboration of local foundations willing to foot most of the cost of the Money seminar to lure conservative nonprofits to the table, according to Emily Furlong, the center staff member who coordinated the event.

"It is a huge outlay," Furlong said. "This isn't a program for a beginning organization. But we've proven it does work."

Basically, the concept behind the Money approach is showing nonprofits how to reach out to new people interested in their cause through informal agency tours over a year's time. Board members, staff members and even volunteers offer names of family or friends who might be interested in learning more about an agency.

No potential donor is asked for money, however, until the formal "ask event," according to agency leaders. Then, donors are encouraged to make a pledge over five years to ensure an ongoing funding stream.

But one-time gifts of $25 are as eagerly accepted as full pledges that top $25,000, agency leaders said.

There are other perks to be had. Some people invited to learn more about an agency become dedicated volunteers, as well as donors.

"It's a numbers' game, a recipe," Axelrod said. "If they do what we tell them, they will raise a lot of money."

For Central Florida's 2,400 nonprofits, the concept has what Ann Manley, director of the Dr. Phillips Foundation, calls "tremendous potential."

This year's state budget cuts have hacked many social programs nearly out of existence. And the declining national economy is forcing even well-endowed foundations to scale back grants by as much as 20 percent as stock assets dip, according to the current issue of The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

"We're bridging the gap between the old reality of grant writing and foundations to finding new donors and major gifts," Axelrod said.

There are no naysayers among the 23 agencies now practicing Axelrod's method. Certainly not Wilkins.

"Each day the mail comes in is a wonderful surprise," she said. "Two days ago [last week], we got a check for $10,000 from a friend of a supporter who didn't even come to our breakfast."

Sandra Mathers can be reached at smathers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5507.

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