"Dear Rob:

The mentoring provided by you has been invaluable to CASA’s Major Donor Campaign launched in July 2010.

You have worked closely with CASA’s Executive staff to assist in crafting a powerful Case Statement, target key prospects to cultivate for increased individual giving and even helped CASA to leverage a recent donation and suggested turning it into a matching gift so that we doubled the support.

You are truly enjoyable to work with. Your depth of knowledge in the fundraising arena, sprinkled with great antidotes and a sense of humor bring to life the theory of fundraising methodology and make it actionable on a daily basis for community benefit organizations like CASA.

Through your energy, you have managed to motivate our newer board members and have rekindled the excitement in our senior board members which has translated to increased participation and new ideas. Moreover, our directors are so pleased with your wealth of proven resources and CASA’s progress toward established goal, we are bringing you in to help develop a strategic plan for the next fiscal year and have you facilitate our Board Retreat in May. 

Thank you again for helping to inspire and broaden our network of supporters which in turn, enhances the lives of the abused and neglected children we advocate for."

Charlie Mead Gregg Chavaria

Charles Mead Gregg Chavaria

Executive Director Director of Development

Court Appointed Secial Advocates for California Children (C.A.S.A) - Contra Costa, CA

"The St. Helena Family Center engaged Essex & Drake to help out with a major gift campaign. What we received was a well trained staff and board, a successful major gift campaign and a well thought out development program that covers A-Z. "

Kristen M. Georges
Executive Director

St Helena Family Center

“We received excellent counsel from Essex and Drake. Not only as they walked us through the nuts and bolts of our capital campaign, but also as they helped our agency take the next step in our organizational development by launching a major gift program.

What has been most impressive is the enthusiasm that the growth has generated in our Board of Directors and Staff. Essex and Drake has been there to provide encouragement, guidance, training and resources all along the way.”

Mats Wallin
Executive Director
Diabetic Youth Foundation

“Essex & Drake has been exceptionally effective in helping Solano Land Trust launch its first Development Director position and agenda. We now have a plan, a program, and hope for raising the funds we need to maintain our properties.

Rob Kusel helped us set up a Development Committee, make plans for our first “signature” fundraising event, establish a baseline for planned giving, and select a new database.

His experience and counsel have been invaluable. I would definitely recommend Essex & Drake.”
 
Susan Wilkinson
Development Director
Solano Land Trust

“I am the Chair of Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, an alcohol-and-drug rehabilitation program, with 6 facilities in San Francisco and Marin Counties. One of my first goals as Chair was to professionalize our fund-development program. I had attended a seminar presented by Essex & Drake and had also met with Sharon Svensson to talk about my interest in getting help. I had very little fundraising experience and the Board had minimal participation in fundraising in the past.

Our experience has been beyond our expectations! Rob Kusel, with Essex & Drake, gave us the knowledge, structure and support to create a very professional fund-development program. We started seeing startling results almost immediately. It is an easy to follow step-by-step process that inexperienced Boards can understand and get excited about.

I look at our retention of Essex & Drake as an investment rather than an expense because it has had a multiplier effect on our fund-development revenues.

I can't speak more highly of what they have helped us accomplish. With Essex & Drake on our team, I am able to spend more time focusing on our other initiatives because I know we are in good hands with our fund development efforts.”

Joe Kendrick
Board Chair
Ohlhoff Recovery Program

“Sharon,

Thank you too for the consistent support Essex & Drake has given to International Rivers Network. Our early work together was a tremendous help to IRN, and taught me so much about how honesty, commitment, belief in our work and the generosity of others combine. I've grown to love the fundraising side of this work, in no small part because of the road you help set us on.”

Juliette Majot
President (Past)
International Rivers Network