Brooklawn Child & Family Services, Louisville, KY

Brooklawn Child and Family Services faced a challenge.  The organization, which provides residential treatment programs that help severely emotionally and behaviorally troubled boys, experienced an 80% increase in referrals from state agencies between the years 2004 and 2006.  Also, over the previous four years, the number of children served daily in residential care programs increased from 65 to 107.  Brooklawn was out of space and something had to be done.

The Board and staff knew they needed new facilities, but they were a bit uncertain as to how to proceed.  That’s when they turned to The Covenant Group for help.  The first step was to conduct a feasibility study and they combined it with a development audit.  Mike Schultz, Vice President of Development, recounted the key role this approach played in the overall success of the campaign.  “These processes were very helpful.  The outcomes gave us a good idea of who we were as an organization and what we would be capable of achieving in a campaign.”

The Horizons of Hope campaign, set out to fund three major projects.  Schultz explained, “We needed options (group homes) for placing older kids who completed treatment but had no where to go.  We also wanted to begin an intensive treatment program for young girls (aged 6-18) which would be the first in the state.  However, we needed a place for the girls to live.  Finally, most of the buildings on campus were built in 1961 and were badly in need of renovations.”

As a result of the feasibility study, the Brooklawn Board set a basic needs goal of $3 million and a visionary needs goal of $5 million.  Schultz credits much of the campaign’s success to the strong, pre-campaign Board and staff training process.  “The Covenant Group helped us develop a volunteer structure that would be the most beneficial to the campaign.  They were very helpful in educating the staff and Board about what needed to be done in various phases of the campaign.  They laid out the plan, processes, training and materials that helped our volunteers make successful solicitations.”  Schultz remarks that Dr. Moisan’s (Len) presentation and training skills are one factor that sets The Covenant Group apart from other firms.  “Len comes across as enthusiastic, experienced, professional and motivational.  He truly excels in this area.”

During the campaign Schultz used both “accessible” and “helpful” to describe The Covenant Group.  “The associates were easily accessible, willing to help and advise on all of the campaign specifics and always available to meet with the volunteers and Board.”  Schultz commented that even though the “contractual period” is over, he still “feels comfortable calling Len for advice or support.”

Today, more than $8 million has been raised.  Schultz mentioned that the campaign, has “taken on a life of its own and has been even more successful than we anticipated.”  In addition to being able to serve more of the state’s most needy children, through its increased capacity in residential programs, Schultz notes that Brooklawn has also increased public awareness, broadened its donor base, experienced more Board ownership and increased staff excitement as a result of the campaign.  Schultz would “absolutely” recommend The Covenant Group to other organizations seeking campaign counsel.  “They are experienced in knowing what makes campaigns work … their experience in campaign management was extremely valuable to a rookie like me.”