CKA — A Fundraising Consulting, Training and Coaching Company
BOLD, CREATIVE, RESULTS-DRIVEN
FUNDRAISING COACHING www.chriskeeshan.com
EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS
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I’m a big fan of CKA. Quite frankly, CKA helped us attain a goal that I thought, realistically, might be unattainable. If I’m ever involved in a future fundraising project, CKA would be my choice to provide professional guidance. CKA consultants managed us in a kind, but structured way to exceed our goals. — Doug Jones Shawnee County Historical Society, Ritchie House Campaign, Topeka, Kansas
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Reaching Your Fundraising Goals Bold, Creative and Results-Driven Results Through Relationships Everyone wants to know the secret to record-breaking fundraising. We’ll give it to you straight. It’s relationships. Relationship building is the foundation of every CKA fundraising strategy. CKA is passionate about creating, nurturing, and stewarding strong relationships and can coach your organization to do the same. When we partner with an organization, we go deep to understand its needs, values, and vision. We tailor our recommendations to the strengths and challenges of the organization. CKA delivers winning fundraising and development strategies through focused one-on-one coaching. (Yes, another relationship!)
Bold History, Powerful Storytelling CKA took the Ritchie campaign from a feasibility study to a successful $1.2 million campaign— all with a dedicated volunteer board. Instead of paid staff, the Ritchie Campaign was driven by hard work and an inspiring story of Kansas history of abolitionists, women’s rights, and helping freed slaves—all before Kansas was a state. Notably, when Cox Communications was introduced to the project, they were so moved by the Ritchie Story that they made a gift four times larger than what they were asked to consider. This significant gift resulted in naming rights; thus, the Hale Ritchie House honors their meaningful contribution as the Cox Communications Heritage Education Center.
BOLD & CREATIVE
We believe that fundraising is simple. Treat people with integrity. Nurture relationships. Share your needs. Fundraising is rooted in relationships. CKA helps relationships thrive. Results-Driven Success
Creative Solutions
Bold Strategies
At CKA, we increase your bottom line by helping you focus on the most critical part of fundraising—relationship building.
Do you want game-changing solutions optimized for your unique challenges and opportunities or a cookie-cutter approach?
Asking for the million-dollar gift, seeking out WILDCARD prospects, sending the proposal creatively—We love Bold Strategies.
SERVICES & SOLUTIONS
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The masterful strategies CKA developed for Hetlinger provided the momentum needed to complete our campaign. Chris worked with the staff and board to look at the campaign successes and to develop a plan going forward to achieve a successful campaign. She provided a step-by-step approach for us to follow while completing the project.
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— Jackie Scott Hetlinger Developmental Services Board and “Everyday Heroes” Campaign Chair, Emporia, Kansas
Results-Driven Fundraising Solutions Services that Catapult Your Organization to the Next Level Fundraising Coaching
90-Day Fundraising Accelerator™
Expert strategies to increase performance, surpass goals, and create an immediate impact, turning your organization’s dreams into reality.
A set of tools that align daily actions with 90-day goals using the four steps of fundraising as leverage. Propel your fundraising efforts and see the impact of bold focus.
Campaign Plan The CKA Campaign Road Map is more than a feasibility study. We evaluate your organization’s ability to raise the needed funding for a campaign and provide directions for success.
Nonprofit Millionaire Mindset™ It begins and ends with your mindset. Stretch your thinking. Get better results. Dream big. Be confident. Break your limiting beliefs. Spark motivation. Grow a millionaire mindset for your organization and yourself.
Inspired Strategic Retreats Interactive board retreats providing ahhh moments with a strategic focus on the Top 7 Initiatives, crafting your message, and creating a ‘Dream Big’ list of prospective donors who can give often and give big.
FundRaising Intelligence™ CKA’s prospect profiling system is an essential tool to get in-the-door and build a secure connection to WILDCARD prospects.
COACHING & PERFORMANCE
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“At the Kansas Children’s Service League, we have experienced great results in achieving our annual fund development goals with the help of Chris and her team at CKA. Chris has provided coaching, mentoring, and individual prospect planning with our Fund Development staff as well as consulting with our Board. CKA’s experience and knowledge has a statewide scope, which is very helpful to our organization.
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— Dona Booe CEO/President, Kansas Children’s Service League Topeka, Kansas
How Fundraising Coaching Works
Great coaches change the game. At CKA, we bring out the best in our clients through accelerated education. Focusing on skill development creates quantum leaps of growth, both personally and professionally. All while securing additional funding.
High Performance
Growth Challenge
Powerful Catalyst
A great coach sees your blind spots and offers advice tailored to your strengths, weaknesses, and goals. This creates a transformation like no other. CKA has been there, done that, and has the fundraising tool kit to boot.
Master your fundraising skills and break through obstacles. When you work with CKA, you will be challenged and held accountable. You will leverage your skills and test your fears.
Great coaches take you farther than you think you can go. Your CKA coach builds your confidence, highlights opportunities, and invites you to take massive action. Be ready to thrive.
Coaching Confidence with Strategic Solutions Based in Manhattan, Kansas, Big Lakes Developmental Center, Inc. serves more than 3,000 clients with services that increase independence and inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CKA has the honor of being the first fundraising coach that Big Lakes has worked with, and the relationship has paid off as Big Lakes has reached and surpassed its goals. The Big Lakes fundraising team has been highly responsive to coaching. CKA coaches Big Lakes monthly on how to make the ask, whom to ask, what to ask for, and how to use robust stewardship techniques.
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CKA brings real-world experience and unique opportunities for organizations looking to grow alternative resources to support their programs. With CKA’s assistance, we were able to successfully launch an endowment campaign and a capital campaign concurrently, something we had never done before. We have raised more funds in the past two years than we had done in the previous twenty. I would highly recommend CKA to anyone looking for a fundraising consultant.
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- Lori B. Feldkamp President & CEO, Big Lakes Developmental Center, Inc., Manhattan, Kansas
That coachable attitude has led the fundraising effort to succeed beyond expectation— bringing six-figure donors to the table, asking family foundations to rethink their guideline of not giving to endowments, asking for match dollars, creating social media buzz, and building connections to corporations. Together, Big Lakes is breaking its fundraising records, whether it be its endowment campaign, annual giving, or the recent capital campaign—which raised just under $1 million in nine short months! Fundraising changes organizations, and it is making a difference to the staff, clients, leadership, and donors of Big Lakes.
Starting From Scratch with Skill Building Success Central Kansas Foundation (CKF), a residential detox treatment center in Salina, Kansas, needed to raise money for a new building. A new building would help them reach more people in need of a treatment center for substance abuse. As an organization, CKF had never attempted fundraising and didn’t have any staff members who were trained for fundraising. Through weekly coaching sessions and targeted learning, CKA worked with Michael Chambers, the vice president of operations, to develop the skills needed to complete a successful fundraising campaign. Despite having no previous fundraising experience, Michael was soon functioning as a seasoned fundraiser, comfortably making six-figure asks of individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations. While Michael balanced the busy workload of a nonprofit executive, CKA coached him through the process of applying for the Kansas Department of Commerce Service Tax Credit Program and completing detailed grant applications for matching funds and direct gifts. In two years, CKF completed the $1.5 million fundraising campaign for their new building and had a thoroughly trained and successful fundraiser on staff.
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Chris is more than a successful and confident fundraising consultant. She’s a teacher, mentor, and friend. I had no fundraising experience prior to meeting Chris. She helped me to quickly identify and develop fundraising skills that empowered me to successfully lead a $1.5 million capital fundraising campaign.
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— Michael Chambers Former Vice President of Operations, Central Kansas Foundation, a residential detox treatment center, Salina, Kansas
As a team, CKA has raised more than $201 million for our clients through strategic coaching. Chris Keeshan, M.S. Chris Keeshan is the Founder of CKA. Her 30 plus years of fundraising and coaching experience offers clients confidence in reaching their fundraising goals, keen fundraising strategies, creative and bold approaches to get in-thedoor with prospects, and unsurpassed prospect research that turns a cold call into a warm call. When you meet Chris, ask her to tell you about getting a free ride scholarship to Lindenwood University, St. Charles, MO. The story personifies her personality—bold, creative, tenacious, and passionate. As an avid reader, Chis is always reading and recommending books and constantly researching a client’s next WILDCARD. When not indulging her passion in philanthropy, she can be found on the beach in PV Mexico or playing with her godchildren.
Sheri Cafer Sheri is CKA’s Fundraising Strategist. Sheri is an innovative leader and manager with extensive experience motivating and directing teams to achieve organizational goals. She excels at inspiring teams to deliver results, as well as coaching and mentoring clients to improve
performance. Through her years of volunteer experience, Sheri has been an integral part of fundraising teams for black-tie auctions, regional swim meets, and grassroots organizations. Dynamic communicator, risk-taker, goal-oriented and positively outgoing are all words that describe Sheri. Sheri and her husband share in the joy, fun, and challenges of raising two children, Preston and Cameron.
Shalyn Murphy Shalyn is a strategizing storyteller who helps CKA connect with audiences by crafting thoughtful messages, targeted marketing materials, and developing FundRaising Intelligence Profiles. Shalyn believes that creating genuine connections requires creativity, analytical thinking, and humor, but if all else fails, try chocolate. As the previous V.P. of Marketing at Visit Topeka Inc., Shalyn actively worked to make Topeka a better place to live, work and visit while honing her ability to generate a mega-marketing impact on a nonprofit budget. Shalyn is an award-winning graphic designer, writer, and marketer who graduated from Washburn University.
We Get Fundraising Results www.CKAcoaching.com 785-633-0969