Partner Profile: Innovative Fundraising
Wide-net Strategies to Generate Independent, Individual Donor Dollars
Quick Facts
- Partner: Mary Grace Wolf, CEO
- Organization: Innovative Fundraising
- Strength: The Power of the Collective
- Field experience: 22 years in fundraising and development
A Shared Journey With Flourish Today
Mary Grace’s relationship with Lupe and Audra spans more than a decade, predating Innovative Fundraising. Over the years, they have shopped concept notes to foundations, partnered on board alignment, and tackled complex organizational development challenges together.
Making the jump to full-time entrepreneurship two years ago brought its own learning curve — especially stepping away from a standard salary and benefits to build something from the ground up. But for Mary Grace, the risk is worth it: “This is my dream job, and I hope I get to do this until I retire.”
Strategic Support Emerges From “Sink-or-Swim” Mentality
For more than two decades, Mary Grace Wolf has been on the frontlines of grassroots and movement fundraising. Years ago, while working with People’s Action, she noticed a persistent and frustrating pattern across progressive organizations: While leaders had ambitious goals and deep passion, the fundraising model was essentially “sink or swim.”
She saw organizations train effective communicators, but when it came to revenue and development strategy, most were left flying by the seat of their pants. Some managed to swim, but far too many sank — a fundamental miss in a sector doing critical work. Comparing notes on this gap with her colleague Dan Gaudette (now COO), they realized former coworkers and executives were constantly reaching out to them for guidance. They asked a simple question: What if we created a business to teach people how to fundraise effectively? What began seven years ago as an experimental side hustle has grown into a thriving consulting firm serving more than 40 progressive organizations across the country.
A New Fundraising Focus
While Innovative Fundraising started with a tight focus on individual giving, it has evolved over the past two years into a full-service firm. Today, Mary Grace and her team handle everything from grant writing and institutional fundraising to prospect strategy and long-term planning. The firm’s core belief is that nonprofits must diversify their budgets.
“Relying entirely on institutional grants is a precarious place to be,” notes Mary Grace. “Funders change priorities unexpectedly. Losing a single $50,000 or $100,000 grant can force an organization into layoffs. We work hard to build wide-net strategies that bring in independent, individual donor dollars with no strings attached.”
The Power of the Collective
Innovative Fundraising operates as a collective of “smart fundraising friends,” the seasoned coaches who bring varied backgrounds and real-world experience to every client. Mary Grace is quick to credit the internal team that keeps the wheels turning — particularly Adelina, the firm’s Executive and Marketing Manager, who ensures operations run seamlessly every day. Looking ahead, Mary Grace’s vision for the firm is to expand and bring in even more experienced, full-time movement leaders.