Fundraising Lessons From BRAC's $500 Million Clinton Global Initiative Commitments

Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) launched its 8th annual meeting today. Make no mistake about it, this is a deal-making event. The price of admission for global nonprofits, foundations, philanthropists, and corporations is making a clear and measurable commitment to action. For companies and foundations, the commitment must include a significant financial pledge. And if you don’t fulfill your promise, you’re not invited back.

So how is it that some very well intentioned nonprofits that do good work will return home after this week with little more than fond memories, while others will leave with their pockets full of riches to do more good in the world? Having participated in CGI for five years, I have seen how this works. And the best way to answer this question is to tell the story of BRAC.

BRAC holds the answer to the half-a-billion-dollar question. Yes, BRAC, an organization that many of you have never heard of. BRAC, which didn’t have an office outside of Bangladesh as of 2006, much less a phone line in New York City. BRAC, which had the audacity to commit to raise $250 million at CGI’s second annual meeting in 2006, and to commit to raise another $271 million at the third annual meeting in 2007. BRAC, which actually exceeded these two goals and went on to make and achieve even further commitments in subsequent years.

See continuation here on Fast Company....http://bit.ly/TrpTbA

About Korngold Consulting LLC. Founded by Alice Korngold in 2005, the firm’s mission is to develop corporate and NGO/nonprofit leaders and boards for a better world. Korngold Consulting provides strategy consulting services to global corporations on CSR and leadership development, including training and placing hundreds of corporate executives on NGO/nonprofit boards; and board governance consulting services to global, national, and regional nonprofits, including universities and healthcare institutions. Korngold is the author of “Leveraging Good Will: Strengthening Nonprofits by Engaging Businesses” (Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, 2005) and blogs for Fast Company.