OUR CLIENTS

“What really stands out for Splash is the high level of customer service and caring that Natalie and her team provide. They are always willing to answer questions, share resources, and suggest funders who are mission-aligned – the latter two without us even having to ask. Once you become a BFP client, it really opens the door to new opportunities to scale. Beyond that, Natalie really excels at coaching clients through “the donor dance.” If we have any tricky donors or high-stakes meetings, I’ve always found her advice to be outstanding.”

Cyndie Berg, Director of Business Development, SPLASH.org

"Black Fox - is like manna from heaven - Thanks!"

Holly Carter, Founder of BYkids

"The Black Fox team opened their hearts and efforts to us in a thrilling and fortifying way. They have a freshness and commitment that is inspiring and unique. It is clear this team serves change-making first and foremost, and that is why their help is so invaluable - they want to ensure you have the best so they can help you affect the biggest change."

Leslee Udwin, Founder & CEO

"Black Fox Philanthropy’s team provided essential ‘insider’ information on how to directly approach organizations which focus on girls’ education and empowerment. We were encouraged to learn there are funders who care about the impact of small NGOs. Every discussion felt like a group huddle during a time out in a sports match: there was a sense of urgency, energy and tremendous support propelling us to take action. The professional training and coaching will inform and boost our approach to fundraising with more enthusiasm, optimism and drive." Girls Foundation of Tanzania

- Nano Chatfield, Executive Director

What struck us about the research Black Fox Philanthropy did for us was that it was so specific — they uncovered so many new funders who are a bullseye in terms of aligned missions around vulnerable girls and education, and who have a demonstrated belief in our theory of change. So grateful to the Black Fox team for the fundraising quantum leap forward!

Sarah Symons | Her Future Coalition

"On behalf of Village Enterprise, it was a pleasure to engage with Black Fox Philanthropy for Painless Prospecting. Our research needs for strong prospective funders were well understood and addressed by their extremely capable team, freeing up Village Enterprise’s team to focus on the most high-yield activities and relationships. We are confident that Black Fox’s expertise will give our funding pipeline the extra boost it needs to achieve our ambitious goals!"

- Lindsay Bouchelle, Associate Director of Strategic Partnerships

“The Black Fox Philanthropy team was professional, attentive, and consistently willing to offer support beyond their contracted work. The funding pipeline that emerged from painless prospecting was the perfect springboard for our annual fundraising plans. We would highly recommend Black Fox’s services to any nonprofit team – especially those with limited capacity looking for an instant boost to their development plans!”

-Zack Fowler, Managing Director of Programs

"Partnering with Natalie Rekstad and the Black Fox team is one of the smartest investments TeachUNITED has made. BFP experts became part of our team, helping us unlock new sources of funding through communications, funder research, sector insights, board development, and the design and execution of a robust Major Gifts campaign. But it is their hands-on attention that really blows us away. "

Heather Hiebsch | Co-Founder & CEO | TeachUNITED

"Black Fox's development diagnostic gave us a thorough and clear assessment of our current fundraising strengths and opportunities. Not only are their recommendations highly actionable, but their findings were so valuable that we've shared them with our Board and staff, from marketing to operations to build common understanding for greater teamwork. We now have a more efficient pathway ahead of us to build more robust resources and relationships to realize our ambitious goals. The Black Fox team was swift, supportive, and applied their deep expertise in a thoughtful and customized way. We knew they were in our corner 100% throughout the entire process."

- Jensine Larsen, CEO

"Black Fox Philanthropy led our team through a day long intensive workshop that covered the power of storytelling, identifying skills and roles within fundraising, reviewing current trends in the sector and secrets to building powerful donor relationships. Natalie has a natural ability to connect with others and are extraordinarily passionate about her work. It was a pleasure to work with them and we're thankful for the 'gold nuggets' they provided the team to help Concern achieve excellence in fundraising!"

- Dara Burke, Vice President, Individual Giving & Events

"We have worked with consultants in the past, and it's always helpful, but Black Fox Philanthropy has given us the most specific overview we've had of the NGO landscape including other groups with similar missions and scale and how they articulate their mission. As a result, they were able to give new messaging ideas and brand positioning that can help us differentiate us to key funders. That's just what we needed."

- Linn Kincannon, International Director & Co-Founder

"My experience working with Black Fox Philanthropy was refreshing, informative, and productive. Black Fox brought professionalism, precision, and passion to every step of our collaboration to ensure the delivery of high quality work consistently and on time. It was a true pleasure to work with such a responsive, knowledgeable and dedicated team."

- Sophie Andar, Ed.D., Former Executive Director

"Black Fox Philanthropy played a key role in CU Peru's fund development plan. From the moment I started working with them and throughout the project they displayed both the passion and the knowledge that we were looking for. Their thorough research and continued communication gave me a sense of ease throughout the entire process. CU Peru is now equipped with well researched funding opportunities that are invaluable to our organization. Being a one staff shop, we could have never done this without Black Fox Philanthropy. We are truly appreciative of their professionalism and services."

- Melissa Traynham, Executive Director

"We were so happy working with the Black Fox team on identification and building a funder pipeline for Fr. Alex You Memorial School. These passionate people understand what they are doing and they clearly know what organizations need to do what they are doing. As Black Fox slogan says 'Your mission is our mission. Our Team is your team.' This is exactly what happened when we worked together. The valuable work they do that is far beyond what we pay for. Black Fox is one of the unique organizations that is passionate at seeing fairness, access to resources and helping communities thrive. I felt loved and confident throughout the process."

"Black Fox Philanthropy helped Splash launch our formal major gifts program by creating strategy for working with individuals and family foundations as well as performing detailed analysis of our fundraising data. Natalie also provided development coaching for Splash as we prepared for a key funder meeting. With Black Fox Philanthropy's strategic and tactical advice, Splash is better-positioned than ever for fundraising success."

- Eric Stowe, Founder & Director

"Black Fox Philanthropy has been integral to the launch and success of our major gifts program at a time when Bridges to Prosperity was in a pivotal stage of organizational growth. The Black Fox team is unique in that it is able to give objective insight into your work and compare it to other folks in the industry who have had success. In addition, since Natalie comes from the donor perspective, she is able to bring to light vocabulary that we now use both in our discussions and our print material. Natalie and her team have helped to equip our organization with the tools necessary to create a development plan that will speak directly to the hearts of our donors and to grow our capacity to achieve our wildest ambitions. We received a return on this investment many times over, and cannot recommend them highly enough."

- Avery Bang, CEO

"The value we received from Black Fox Philanthropy far exceeded the investment. BFP makes you a part of their family. They went above and beyond our contractual scope of work over the course of an entire year to represent and promote Global Grassroots when opportunities arose. They have a completely comprehensive approach, weaving together analysis, research, recommendations, and content that builds internal capacity with staff and board, and builds a foundation of assets that the organization can leverage to sustain what they catalyze. Unlike most consultants, they roll up their sleeves and become your partners."

- Gretchen Steidle, Founder

"The foundation pipeline that resulted from the engagement with Black Fox Philanthropy will be extremely helpful to our organization as we aim to bring in funding before year end, and as we build our pipeline and begin revenue forecasting for 2017."

-Emily Varni, Senior Impact Coordinator

"The Millennium Campus Network is training a new generation of global development leaders on university campuses by providing a year-long fellowship experience for undergraduate students to develop the values and management skills they require to lead on campus and beyond graduation. Black Fox Philanthropy has engaged with the MCN at this pivotal time in its growth to create fundraising strategy to support the organization's goal of growing to 400 fellows in the next two years."

- Sam Vaghar, Executive Director & Co-Founder

"I just had the BEST donor call...because of you Natalie!!!! Oh my gosh. It was the best. I enjoyed it so much. I did my research - I looked at my questions and decided which ones to ask her and I had an hour-long conversation with a donor who to date has been really cold. WOW!!! She shared so much information - so much about their giving habits, how I could increase their gift, how best to communicate with them, etc. etc. Also the same with a two donors last week. I kind of knew before but now I feel I really know. Thank you thank you thank you...can I just say Thank you! You have made my job so much easier - I feel so empowered and connected more with the donors. The conversations are so good. And our organization will raise more money as a result. Thank you!!!"

- Aisling Studdert, Senior Major Gifts Officer

"The Black Fox Philanthropy team unleashed a powerful combination of creativity and experience that achieved high-impact results in fundraising and strategic initiatives, including developing several multi-year relationships so that the funding of The Women's Foundation of Colorado remains vibrant for years to come."

- Louise C. Atkinson, Former CEO

"A Towering Task engaged with Black Fox Philanthropy early in the process of raising funds for the documentary capturing the history and spirit of the Peace Corps. Black Fox were more than partners; they became a part of our team. As such, they connected us to new partners including Women Make Movies, helped to develop a social media and crowdfunding strategy, a Peace Corps Volunteer Alumnae engagement strategy, and a blueprint for cultivating major donors. In addition, the BFP team worked tirelessly with me to write a complex government grant proposal for the National Endowment for the Humanities, developing thoughtful and insightful language that helped position the documentary with all private, corporate and government funders. When Black Fox Philanthropy says they are “in the trenches” with you, they mean it. All that is left to do is to execute their carefully planned strategy. It was a pleasure working with Natalie Lynn Rekstad and her team."

- Alana DeJoseph, Director

"When I contacted Black Fox, our organization was facing a fundraising crisis due to the unexpected loss of a grant, and I didn’t know whether we would still exist in 6 months. From the first call with Natalie Rekstad, who gave me immediate suggestions on finding emergency funding, I felt supported and like I finally had help to address our fundraising challenges. Over the course of our 6 months working together through the Fundraising Accelerator, our financial situation has transformed. Black Fox’s services were just what we needed to address the funding gap, tighten our communications, get grants out the door and learn about new funders. Having weekly support from the BFP team has been critical for us – and now, as we’re ending the Fundraising Accelerator, our organization has guaranteed funding for the rest of the year, and is in a stronger position than we were before the emergency. Black Fox has played a huge role in this transformation, and we are so grateful!"

- Emily Jacobi, Executive Director

"Working with Black Fox on building a funder pipeline for our organization, I found the team extremely friendly and approachable – even though we were working from a distance. They are personable and professional and I felt very comfortable asking questions throughout the process."

Heidi Basch-Herod, Executive Director

"Black Fox Philanthropy led our team through a day long intensive workshop that covered the power of storytelling, identifying skills and roles within fundraising, reviewing current trends in the sector and secrets to building powerful donor relationships. Natalie has a natural ability to connect with others and are extraordinarily passionate about her work. It was a pleasure to work with them and we're thankful for the 'gold nuggets' they provided the team to help Concern achieve excellence in fundraising!"

- Dara Burke, Vice President, Individual Giving & Events

"After 25 years in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors, I have worked with many consulting firms, including some of the big names during my time at G.E. Hands down, by far, Black Fox Philanthropy is the best consulting experience I have ever had. Natalie has developed a winning formula and attracted a first rate team. We more than doubled our investment in the first year and I am confident it will grow much more next year as a result of their capacity-building work with us. I couldn't speak more highly of them!"

- Kate Curran, Founder & CEO

"The outcome of Black Fox Philanthropy’s work exceeded our expectations on many levels, and can already see many additional applications in addition to fundraising for the messaging. A big thanks to the team for their fabulous and highly relevant work.”

- Sonja Betschart, Co-Founder

"Black Fox Philanthropy has played a pivotal role in Mobile Pathways securing funding for our innovative mobile platform that democratizes immigration law for refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. The team came on as a true extension of our own, bringing their deep, thoughtful fundraising expertise to complement our team’s technical expertise and passion. In less than 8 months, the partnership brought $100,000 in the door. Not only that, but the Black Fox team taking up the heavy lifting allowed me to be a better and more present primary parent to my two young daughters. We are already looking forward to re-engaging with Black Fox Philanthropy at year’s end to uncover a fresh batch of prospective funders that will be eager to fund our work."

- Bart Skorupa, Co-Founder

"Black Fox Philanthropy led our team through a day long intensive workshop that covered the power of storytelling, identifying skills and roles within fundraising, reviewing current trends in the sector and secrets to building powerful donor relationships. Natalie has a natural ability to connect with others and are extraordinarily passionate about her work. It was a pleasure to work with them and we're thankful for the 'gold nuggets' they provided the team to help Concern achieve excellence in fundraising!"

- Dara Burke, Vice President, Individual Giving & Events

"Black Fox came highly recommended. From the outset they were phenomenal to work with. They laid out a clear process that was simple and informed. They remained flexible and were strong communicators. They used a research based approach that yielded great results and I am happy to say that they exceed expectations with both my education and pediatric cancer nonprofits. One thing I loved is that - in interacting with them - you could tell that they really cared about the mission and that feeling came through in calls with potential funders and partners. Black fox Philanthropy did such a great job with our first engagement, that we hired them for another organization and they nailed that one too!"

~Dana Bryson / World Child Cancer

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