Fundraising Rooted in Community: The GAAH Story
Project Goals
Sustainable, equity-centered fundraising
Comprehensive fund development strategy
Strengthen staff and board capacity
Position GAAH for sustainable growth and lasting community impact
Client Overview
Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities (GAAH) is an established community staple serving the Latine neighborhood in Southwest Grand Rapids, with years of proven impact through arts, education, and community programming. Through the Cook Arts Center and Cook Library Center, GAAH creates spaces where curiosity, creativity, and advocacy thrive, particularly for Latine and Black families. Their work is rooted in three core strategies—care and belonging, discovery, and advocacy—ensuring that every program nurtures learning, justice, and positive growth.
Despite their strong community presence, GAAH faced significant fundraising challenges: staff turnover had created instability, and a newly created fundraising position meant the Executive Director—who had built most donor relationships over her long tenure—was no longer carrying the majority of development responsibilities alone. The organization was heavily dependent on grant funding, with most major relationships personally tied to the ED. While the board was eager to support fundraising efforts, they lacked the knowledge and infrastructure to be effective partners.
Through this engagement, GAAH achieved significant milestones: their year-end campaign exceeded its $20,000 goal, they successfully launched and met their first summer fundraiser goal of $5,000, and they now have established systems and processes in place to support sustainable fund development moving forward.
Final Deliverables
Fundraising Audit - Comprehensive assessment of three-year fundraising history, analyzing revenue sources, outreach effectiveness, and financial performance to identify strengths, challenges, and growth opportunities.
Stakeholder Interviews - In-depth qualitative interviews with board members, staff, volunteers, youth participants, and parents to gather diverse perspectives on organizational vision, challenges, and opportunities.
SWOT Analysis + Recommendations - Comprehensive analysis synthesizing audit and interview findings to assess internal fundraising strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats in the philanthropic landscape.
Advancement Plan - Co-created strategic roadmap with structured implementation template and "low-hanging fruit" opportunities achievable within the first six months.
Capacity Building Support - One-on-one coaching for key staff, customized board training, and year-end campaign support to build long-term fundraising skills and organizational capacity.
“We loved working with Más! They had all the right tools, skills, and knowledge to be able to support us where we needed it most.”
Steff Rosalez, CEO of Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities
