The mission of Career Edge Funders Collaborative is to provide an exceptional labor force to the Sarasota/Bradenton region’s growing industries by leveraging community assets and forming high-performing workforce partnerships. Career Edge engaged Graylan Ventures to develop a fundraising and investor relations strategy to provide a sustainable source of funding for CareerEdge. Additionally, Graylan Ventures provided advice and input on the development of a three-year sustainability plan for the organization.
Graylan Ventures surveyed prospective funders as well as key support organizations – national, statewide and regional to gauge their interest in investing in the private, non-profit workforce development organization. The Graylan Ventures team interviewed over 30 of CareerEdge’s investors, prospective new investors, and strategic partners to determine awareness, support for and commitment to CareerEdge initiatives. This research resulted in recommendations and next steps for CareerEdge to follow to build out its strategic plan and fundraising strategy.
The projects findings were organized into seven major areas: Vision, Outcomes, Partnerships, Data/Analytics/Metrics, Communications, Funding, and Governance.
The outcomes of this project were used by CareerEdge to:
- Define key objectives for the next three years
- Prioritize actions to achieve stretch goals and objectives with limited staffing and resources
- Develop Action Steps & Timeline including a detailed budget for needed financial and human resources to achieve the plan.