How Canadian Food Focus Doubled a Key Annual Donation with the Revenue Accelerator Program

Canadian Food Focus connects communities and organizations with the agricultural sector. With the help of the Revenue Accelerator Program, Penny Eaton, Managing Director, Stakeholder Relations, was able to double one annual donation from $50,000 to $100,000.

There’s never enough time

When Penny Eaton enrolled in the RAP, Canadian Food Focus knew it was time to take the organization to the next level, but the way forward was unclear. The organization, which connects the agricultural sector with the public, wanted to do more to reach consumers but found itself stuck in the minutiae of daily operations.

Constantly looking inward rather than planning and securing the funds needed to grow, Canadian Food Focus found it was time to make space to focus on the future. The catch? The organization was unsure where to start. Canadian Food Focus knew it needed to look deeper than grant funding if it wanted to build organizational capacity and reach more of its audience.

That’s when Penny decided to make the time to learn about revenue acceleration and strategic growth through the Revenue Acceleration Program for Executive Directors.

“There was a recognition that we needed to be more strategic. The biggest challenge that we have is time in that we were always working in the business. We needed to stop the train for a few minutes.” ~ Penny Eaton

A peek behind the curtain

Understanding the inner workings of the fundraising industry was part of the eye-opening experience for Penny during the RAP course. While the idea of committing to a six-month program was daunting, the material consisted of work that actively needed to be done for Canadian Food Focus, like developing a case for support, a deeper understanding of budgeting, and improving donor communications.

Every week brought new value and tangible lessons to Penny while providing the one-on-one time that may have come from individual consultation in addition to the benefit of a network of peers. Learning the different types of gifts, donors, and audience communications had Penny thinking strategically and professionally about revenue generation from day one, and the skill set only continued to grow.

“It’s like lifting the curtain on this whole industry of professional fundraising that is an art and a science all its own. We need to recognize that there’s expertise out there that we can and should access to make us better. We can’t just assume that we automatically know the best way to strategically expand our revenues and grow the organization.”

“Fundraising is really about relationships, and we’ve been able to shift our approach from the idea that we’re begging for money to inviting people to join us in the important work that we do. That shift changes the tone of your approach to people, and people want to support confident, effective organizations. They want to be a part of achieving something bigger” ~ Penny Eaton

Small changes for big impact

Since the RAP course, the shift in mindset, verbiage and processes around fundraising and strategy has been monumental for the organization — and has already begun to pay off. By framing a case for support as a work in progress, asking for advice, not money, Penny saw a $50,000-a-year donor double their support to $100,000.

Penny learned that this approach, combined with rigorous pre-planning that proves your organization can achieve its goals, leaves donors feeling more invested in your cause. It’s part of the bigger picture of relationship management she learned to prioritize in the course.

Now armed with a deeper understanding of all facets of fundraising, including investing in donor relations, the value of hiring fundraising expertise, and internal donor management processes, the organization has implemented simple tools to achieve greater donor impact. For example, a calendar now holds information about important donors, including when they donate and donor-specific messaging. Budgeting has also evolved to include more strategic revenue planning and allocation.

Zooming out, the confidence and skills gained from the course have benefited not only Penny but also the entire Canadian Food Focus team.

“Having someone walk us through some of the real-life processes used by professionals helps us to be more effective and confident.” ~ Penny Eaton

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