Their Vision
For more than 45 years, the Sacramento LGBT Community Center has worked to create a region where all LGBTQ+ people can thrive. The Center is the oldest and largest LGBTQ+ serving organization in the region, providing a refuge of safety and hope for LGBTQ+ persons in desperate need of support and a welcoming place to connect with others. The Center welcomes over 750 visitors monthly and represents the diverse LGBTQ+ community—spanning all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities. Supporting health and wellness, advocating for equity and justice, and uplifting a culturally rich LGBTQ+ community, their free or low-cost programs are accessible to everyone.
In response to a rapidly growing need for services, the Center increased its staff from 10 to 34, adding vital programs and services that quickly outpaced the capacity of its headquarters. A rented facility served as the Center’s headquarters for more than two decades, but it was unable to support the growth necessary to effectively serve the needs of the community.
Recognizing the limitations that the current space had on the Center’s services and mission effectiveness, a plan was put into motion to create a new, permanent home for the Center. When the Center’s “dream home,” an iconic building in the heart of the LGBTQ+ district of Lavender Heights, became available, Center leadership partnered with NGA to strategize a campaign plan and mobilize the philanthropic community to secure the building and ensure a vibrant future for the Center and the community it serves.
Our Strategy
Years prior, NGA engaged with the Center to conduct a capital campaign feasibility study to explore the organization’s readiness to launch a successful capital campaign. NGA recommended a series of readiness steps to successfully position the Center for this aspirational undertaking. The Center navigated leadership changes and worked diligently to implement the recommendations, growing their annual budget from $1 million to nearly $4 million.
NGA partnered with Center leadership to strategize a campaign plan that complimented the Center’s development program and to identify a fundraising goal that would support the needs of the project. As campaign counsel, NGA played a pivotal role collaborating with the Center’s leadership to implement the plan and provide strategic guidance on successful donor engagement and solicitation strategies.
Success Together
In the initial stages of the campaign, the Center secured a grant from the City of Sacramento and generous support from the organization’s leadership to enable a down payment on the building and launch the campaign. This early fundraising success set the tone and pace for a successful the campaign. After recruiting a dedicated campaign cabinet of volunteer leaders and securing major gifts, a stretch goal of $6 million was set for the campaign.
Today, the fundraising momentum has surpassed what the Center ever believed possible, producing $6.6 million in philanthropic support. With its vibrant new headquarters, the Center has moved beyond the challenges of hindered growth and is moving toward its vision of becoming an LGBTQ+ cultural hub.
“Working with NGA was wonderful. The team was always kind, patient, and positive. Regardless of the challenges encountered by our organization during our campaign, they consistently worked to keep us on track by helping organize the work, motivating the team, celebrating successes, and ensuring we were able to exceed our goal and achieve a long-held dream of owning a permanent home for Sacramento's LGBTQ+ community.”
—David Heitstuman, CEO, Sacramento LGBT Community Center