National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) Case Study

Challenge:

Following turnovers in a series of key staff positions, relationships had become strained between NCLD management and several key external institutional funders. This resulted in a perilous funding situation for much of the core business, putting their core mission at risk– their ability to serve children with learning disabilities nationally.

Approach:

Sam and his team engaged the internal leadership in a rapid analysis of the challenge. Drawing from their findings, they mapped a year-long program of cultivation and relationship rebuilding with five senior institutional funders. Their proposed program included a comprehensive and proactive reporting structure to re-engage these key historical partners. SCG also suggested a vision for future growth to include leveraging the newest and most agile property, Understood, for corporate engagement.

Outcome & Impact:

At the three month mark, SCG had addressed and corrected all concerns and reporting latencies to each supporting partner of NCLD. By six months, Sam and his team negotiated new program collaborations and built strategies with NCLD’s internal teams that both matched donors’ criteria while remaining in line with the core mission of NCLD. After one year, at the conclusion of the engagement with NCLD, SCG had helped to secure over $2 million in new funding, including a 30% increase over previous support. They had built processes on a calendar, created job descriptions for the full-time internal marketing, communications, and fundraising teams, and left the National Center for Learning Difficulties with a positive balance sheet.