Under the newly-finished 39,000 square foot Ames Family Atrium at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cool Cleveland talked with fundraising and management guru August Napoli. This week the Museum announced a $20 million gift by the Ames Family Foundation.
Augie has worked with some of the largest non-profits in the region – Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Catholic Charities, CSU Foundation – and now serves as Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he was charged with bringing in the final $130 million of the CMA’s audacious $350 million renovation goal.
He’s got that down to $100 million in part through the smart use of technology such as Cleveland-based BigRiver and their online giving portal, which allows for online sponsorships, donations, memberships and giving. And this technology is not just for the big institutions, it’s available to organizations of all sizes.
“What this technology has done for the fundraiser, it eliminates the transactional nature of the interaction and really allows that development officer or engagement officer to truly develop a relationship person-to-person,” claims Augie. “BigRiver has been absolutely fabulous to work with. Our membership has gone up two-fold as a result of our going online with them.”