WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature

 

WWF is concerned with conservation issues and consists of some 30 National Offices (NO’s) and a further number of Programme Offices (PO’s).  The NO’s are expected to be self-supporting and the largest contribute to conservation projects in other countries.  Each NO operates independently and there is an international secretariat in Gland, Switzerland and an international board on which the NO’s are represented.   The PO’s are effectively under the wing of either the international secretariat or one of the major NO’s.

 

WWF-USA has been asked to host a Major Gifts Centre of Development in order to build major gifts development capability around the world.  To address a concern that colleagues in some parts of the world may say their ideas wouldn’t work elsewhere, they sought consultancy help from Brakeley to help persuade and induct the other countries into culture-sensitive major gifts fundraising.

 

Brakeley’s first task in the spring of 2007 was to survey the NO’s and find out how much major gift fundraising was actually taking place. Brakeley carried out strategic reviews in 7 countries and the international office simultaneously and wrote one overarching report for the network and 8 individual reports – all in the space of two months.  Some 10 Brakeley consultants were involved in this exercise which was coordinated from Stockholm.

 

One of the results of Brakeley’s work has been that the Major Gifts Centre has been established in Washington DC.  Two Principal Gifts Officers were subsequently appointed to be attached to the Centre – one based in Hong Kong and one in the UK. 

 

Brakeley was then hired to do a number of discrete tasks:

·        Continue to provide strategic advice to the Major Gifts Centre

·         Undertake a search for the two Principal Gifts Officers;

·         Carry out an external study for WWF Netherlands to provide greater focus to their efforts which was followed by intensive training and consultancy to get the programme established. 

·         Carry out a strategic review of the major gifts plans of WWF Denmark and to help it to formulate its Case for Support. 

 

Brakeley Briscoe Inc. (Brakeley’s sister company in the U.S.) also undertook a search for a director of development for WWF-Mexico.

 

“Brakeley went to work for WWF around the world on very short notice and produced an initial study that helped launch our Centre.  The fact that the firm had consultants already positioned in many countries who were familiar with local culture and language was key for us and we have been pleased with the work.”

 

Timothy Sharpe, Director,

WWF Network Major Gifts Centre

Washington, DC