Case Study: Livingston County’s LACASA
LACASA is one of the most respected organizations in Livingston County, with a mission of supporting survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence.
As demand for the organization’s services grew toward the end of the 2010s, it saw the need for a new LACASA Center to house all its core programs. Leadership on the board and staff envisioned a capital campaign to accomplish this.When Hammond & Associates was selected to conduct the feasibility study for the campaign, we were struck by several things. First, without question, LACASA was and is held in high regard in Livingston County for the work it does. We could see the community would be willing to provide support.
But we also recognized, given the economics and culture of Livingston County, that the envisioned facility struck some in the community as overreach. Many interviewees told us that the proposed project should not exceed $10 million. The bold design compelled several to call it “the Taj Mahal”, meaning they felt it was too ostentatious. And this told us: Selling the worthiness of LACASA would not be a problem, but selling the price tag and size of this facility would be considerably more challenging.
To address these challenges, we formed two committees – one for Facility Review and the other for Relationship Audit Review. It was critical that we recruit notable people from the community to serve on each. We were blessed when Sheriff Mike Murphy, a former LACASA board chair, agreed to sit on both committees. Sheriff Murphy is one of the most highly regarded people in the entire county, and his presence brought credibility as well as great insight into prospective lead gift donors. Later, an equally impressive leader, Kathy Barden, joined Mike as campaign co-chair.
In spite of our best efforts, the vision for the new building grew and so did the cost estimates and campaign goal. While we initially sought to encourage some economies into the building design, that part of the plan clearly went in the other direction, which required our work on the fundraising side to continue well beyond the original timeline.
Fortunately, thanks to the leadership of the CEO and the committees we organized, the project was ultimately a big success. One critical element was the commitment of the board members to set the example by making major gifts of their own, starting with a $25,000 commitment from the board chair. Overall, the board members contributed $500,000, which helped to set the stage for two $3 million gifts and one $1 million gift to get the campaign off to a strong start.
The building was opened in 2024. It is truly beautiful and functions well. It includes a crisis shelter, several living areas and a child advocacy center. All survivors and their families are provided with services at no cost to them.
Of course, most people in the community never saw the behind-the-scenes work that went into the feasibility study, which set the stage for the actual fundraising campaign. As is always the case with fundraising campaigns, the work entails many candid conversations in private settings about potential donors in the community – who they are, who they’re connected to, how they prefer to give, what amounts they’ve given in the past and how they might be reached to bring forth a gift for this particular project.
We’re glad we had the opportunity to be part of it. Many people with nowhere else to go for shelter and help are benefiting today from this work. LACASA approaches every new day with renewed dedication. It is a wonderful organization.
It all started with a feasibility study.
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