FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information: Glenn Vallach (201-307-1970)
GHIORSI & SORRENTI, INC. LAUNCHES PHILANTHROPIC CAPACITY ASSESSMENT SERVICE
New Program Helps Organizations Answer the Question: How Much Can We Really Raise?
Ghiorsi & Sorrenti, Inc. (GSI) has unveiled a new program that more precisely projects fund raising potential for non-profit organizations over a specific period of time. The Philanthropic Capacity Assessment (PCA) integrates proprietary methodologies developed and refined by GSI over twenty years.
The PCA is a unique planning and revenue and expense projection tool that employs a wide array of demographic data, empirical information, and a calculus of statistical data that integrates an organization’s current and historical giving results with its community’s latest giving profile. GSI has constructed and refined the algorithms for this systematic process over many years. GSI knows of no other capacity assessment methodology of its kind in the fund raising industry.
“Working closely with hundreds of organizations over our 20 years in practice, we understand the challenges facing board members, administrations, and development professionals,” said Peter W. Ghiorsi, Chairman & CEO of Ghiorsi & Sorrenti. “They want to know how much they can really raise over the long-term, and how much philanthropy can augment the organization’s revenue streams, especially to meet capital needs. Responding to increased client demand, we have worked hard to develop a methodology to help them answer these questions. The PCA does so and with a high degree of accuracy.”
The new service was first used to help Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) determine its system-wide fund raising capacity.
“The CHW leadership had identified billions of dollars in capital needs over a multi-year period and wanted to determine with the highest possible degree of accuracy what portion could be raised by the system’s 31 foundations. The CHW Philanthropic Leadership Team turned to Ghiorsi & Sorrenti to devise a means of measuring each foundation’s fund raising capacity,” said Chris O’Connor, GSI’s Senior Vice President who is a lead executive in directing the firm’s PCA services.
The PCA has four core components: the development of a Community Giving Profile, the documentation of an organization’s Universe of Prospects, the calculation of a multi-year Projection of Fund Raising Potential, and the integration of a Key Factors Analysis.
The Community Giving Profile provides a snapshot of the aggregate philanthropic support provided by a discrete community. Then GSI researches, quantifies and segments all internal and external funding sources to arrive at a comprehensive universe of prospects. A calculation of a multi-year projection of fund raising potential is derived by compounding data uncovered through the Community Giving Profile process, current and historical giving results, and productivity from anticipated new programs. Finally, GSI engages in focused discussions with key stakeholders to bring a personal and empirical perspective to the PCA using a well-defined set of criteria essential to fund raising success.
“The Philanthropic Capacity Assessment is not a pro forma undertaking,” said Dan Sorrenti, founding partner and President of GSI. “It’s a sophisticated process that can be employed for healthcare systems with multiple foundations such as Catholic Healthcare West, stand-alone healthcare organizations of any size, educational organizations, and other non-profit institutions. We believe this program will have a tremendous impact on non-profit organizations, and certainly on the fund raising industry.”
Headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, GSI is a leading fund raising and public relations firm, specializing in planning and conducting capital campaigns for the full spectrum of non-profit organizations. Since 1989, Ghiorsi & Sorrenti, Inc. has partnered with hundreds of organizations in raising more than $6 billion with an additional $600 million in progress.
For more information on the Philanthropic Capacity Assessment, visit GSI’s new PCA website page, which includes a program description and Peter Ghiorsi’s article, “How Much Can We Raise?”…New Methodology Helps Organizations More Precisely Project Fund Raising Potential. Also, visit GSI’s location, Booth #20, at the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference at the Omni Richmond Hotel in Richmond, Virginia from May 31 to June 2.
