BWF

BWF Empowering nonprofits to deliver on their promises by enabling them to transform the organization, drive philanthropic revenue, and realize their impact.

Since its founding in 1983 by three seasoned professionals clustered in a group of small cubicles in an office sub-let, BWF has grown into one of the most sophisticated global consulting firm serving the development and advancement operations at leading colleges, universities, medical centers and other major not for profit organizations. In the very first year, BWF received a phone call from a fri

end who was consulting for Chrysler Corporation. The message was, โ€œthe old man is doing this campaign in New Yorkโ€ฆwould you go out and see whether or not itโ€™s going to succeed? The old man was Lee Iacocca, and the campaign was for the now-legendary Statue of LIberty/Ellis Island restoration project. BWF stepped in and helped raise over $315 million, far surpassing the original $200 million goal. Ellis Island was restored to its rightful place in Americaโ€™s landscape. This became the first of hundreds of projects that established BWF as a global leader in fundraising counsel, with ground-breaking and creative strategies to help institutions transform philanthropy.

Next Thursday at the Minnesota State Advancement Conference BWF's Kari Clark, JD joins Normandale Community College's Ja...
05/29/2026

Next Thursday at the Minnesota State Advancement Conference BWF's Kari Clark, JD joins Normandale Community College's Jane Fenton and Telly Mamayek for the session ๐˜ˆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ž๐˜ฆ ๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ข ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฏ? ๐˜“๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜—๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜—๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด.

Attendees will leave with practical strategies for assessing and strengthening their own leadership structures to lay the groundwork for a successful campaign. More: https://hubs.li/Q04jn_V_0

Next Wednesday at the Minnesota State Advancement Conference BWF's Chris Clark MBA is speaking at the session ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข...
05/29/2026

Next Wednesday at the Minnesota State Advancement Conference BWF's Chris Clark MBA is speaking at the session ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ.

Increased expectations for philanthropy in higher education is increasing the demands on campaigns. More: https://hubs.li/Q04hHxQw0

โœˆ๏ธ๐Ÿ“ฒ When flights are canceled due to any and all things, sometimes you find your colleagues stranded too! BWF's Kara Wag...
05/29/2026

โœˆ๏ธ๐Ÿ“ฒ When flights are canceled due to any and all things, sometimes you find your colleagues stranded too! BWF's Kara Wagner spotted James Barnard and Michelle Green in the wild on rebooking missions.

Also next week at bbdevdays! BWF's Kate Butler, Alison Rane, Shawnta Williams will be speaking at the session From Asses...
05/28/2026

Also next week at bbdevdays! BWF's Kate Butler, Alison Rane, Shawnta Williams will be speaking at the session From Assessment to Action: Turning RENXT Reviews into Executable Roadmaps

Attendees will walk away with a practical framework for turning findings into recommendations your team can actually execute, plus a handful of techniques you can apply to your own system right away. https://hubs.li/Q04hJ16s0

๐Ÿ“ฃ Next week at ! BWF's Alison Rane will be hosting the session: Empowering Business Intelligence with Microsoft Fabric....
05/28/2026

๐Ÿ“ฃ Next week at ! BWF's Alison Rane will be hosting the session: Empowering Business Intelligence with Microsoft Fabric.

This session is intended for anyone interested in using Fabric or other data warehousing technology to manage and analyze data. Check out more here: https://hubs.li/Q04hJzRy0

05/28/2026

Focused campaigns can unlock momentum, clarity, and resultsโ€”when theyโ€™re designed with intention.

BWF's Nick Perlick explores how narrowing the scope of a campaign can actually increase its impact. By aligning around a clear purpose and defined priorities, organizations can engage donors more effectively and move faster toward their goals.

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to learn how a more focused approach can elevate your next campaign: https://hubs.li/Q04hDZ2s0

Slate Summit is fast approaching and we can't wait! If past years has taught us anything, we're in for a fun ride in Nas...
05/27/2026

Slate Summit is fast approaching and we can't wait! If past years has taught us anything, we're in for a fun ride in Nashville this year. We are also excited to once again sponsor and exhibit. If you're attending, stop by our table and say "hi" to our Slate gurus Paul Cronin, Amy Lampi, Amanda Cole, Becky Kennedy, and Scott Larner. Also, we have sessions! https://hubs.li/Q04hDVwN0

โšก On June 24, BWF joins Kenyon College to present the session "From Connection to Community: Designing a Modern Alumni Engagement Experience | Part 2: Alumni Engagement Strategies & Solutions".
โšก On June 25, BWF joins and Duquesne to present the session "Complex Gift Management and Stewardship: Building Scalable Workflows".
โšก On June 26, BWF joins Mercer University Advancement for the session "Complex Gift Management and Stewardship: Building Scalable Workflows".

Next week at the CASE Donor Relations Conference in New Orleans, BWF's Angela Altamore joins University of Chicago's Re...
05/27/2026

Next week at the CASE Donor Relations Conference in New Orleans, BWF's Angela Altamore joins University of Chicago's Rebekah Nowak for the Do Giving Societies Still Matter? A Donor-Focused Approach to Measuring Impact!

If you'll be there, make sure to check it out! Participants will leave with practical frameworks and questions to consider when it's time to thoughtfully reimagine, simplify or sunset these longstanding societies.

๐Ÿ“• Do planned gifts drive strong engagement than other planned gifts? 2๏ธโƒฃ ๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐  #4: Planned Gifts Do Not Cannibali...
05/27/2026

๐Ÿ“• Do planned gifts drive strong engagement than other planned gifts?
2๏ธโƒฃ ๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐  #4: Planned Gifts Do Not Cannibalize Annual Giving--They Increase It

โœจ Our study with TIAA Kaspick showed that life income gifts specifically, the evidence shows they create the strongest engagement patterns: higher transaction frequency, multiple additional life income gifts, and substantial annual giving increases.

Read more findings and our recommendations: https://hubs.li/Q04hwc6l0

Donor expectations are rapidly evolving. A personalized giving experience with curated outreach and relevant messaging s...
05/26/2026

Donor expectations are rapidly evolving. A personalized giving experience with curated outreach and relevant messaging should not be considered a goalโ€”it is a must-have.

Read our recent blog by James Barnard and Alexander Oftelie on how to move beyond one-size-fits-all outreach to building more thoughtful, personalized relationships at scale: https://hubs.li/Q04hDzcf0

โ“ Is your organization going through or planning a merger? Are you overwhelmed with the idea of integrating your CRMs, d...
05/26/2026

โ“ Is your organization going through or planning a merger? Are you overwhelmed with the idea of integrating your CRMs, data models, and operating structures? We have just the webinar for you! Hear from leader who recently faced these challenges and will offer relevant insights and lessons learned.

๐Ÿ“† June 4: Advancement in Transition: Lessons from Health System Mergers and Database Consolidation
๐Ÿ‘‰ Register: https://hubs.li/Q04hCLR20

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7900 Xerxes Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN
55439

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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