Our Approach
Ann Laddon, is the president and founder of Philanthropy's Partner a boutique consulting firm that focuses on creating effective strategies for non-profit organizations. Our passion comes from the clients we partner with to develop and implement innovative approaches to fundraising and campaign planning.
Ann has worked in San Diego as a development professional since 1993. With 19 years as a highly successful senior development officer and six years as a consultant, Ann's experience includes: Capital Campaign Director, MoPA; Director of Development UCSD Medical Center; and a 15-years as Vice President of Institutional Advancement, SDNHM, raising over $100m during that tenure.
With our "small on purpose" approach, Philanthropy’s Partner offers our clients a hands-on, focused, straight-froward experience.
Ann holds Bachelor of Fine Arts, cum laude, with an additional 30 units in Business Management. She was an invited instructor at UCSD’s Extended Studies Professional Leadership program for five years. Ann owned and operated Balance Ballet Studio, in San Diego from 1984-1996. A 15-year career as a professional dancer taught her the importance of upholding a meticulous attention to detail, and this commitment to excellence which is a hallmark of her fundraising approach. Ann is passionate about horses and owns and manages a boarding and training stable.
What We Offer
Organizational efficiencies for the development office
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We know you work hard, especially in the smaller non-profits, but often you’re not working “smart.” Ann’s deep, hands on experience “in house” will help you to refine your functions and infrastructure.
Annual fundraising strategies
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Ann will help you analyze your current plan, emphasizing developing a balanced program with a focus on incremental growth across the fundraising pyramid.
Campaign planning & implementation
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From donor base analysis and projections of gift capacity, to identifying the most compelling and motivating aspects of a project, we will work with you to refine the goals of your project and set your organization up for campaign success.
Staff training for volunteer & prospect management
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You will only be as successful as your stewardship program. We will provide tools and training to assist staff with the critical work of prospect and volunteer management, and stewardship.
Innovative major gift strategies
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With over 25 years of major gift experience, Ann brings vast knowledge of how and what motivates a donor to become engaged and participate at the highest level.
Training & management of
the board resources function
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We believe the most important fundraising committee of the board, is the board resources/recruitment committee. We will provide you with a structure to help you recruit board members that support strategic goals resulting in greater fundraising success.
Case statements, individualized major gift proposals & collateral pieces
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One of our greatest strengths is in distilling your mission and activities into compelling, accessible, and personalized language that speaks to your donors, and motivates their participation.
Testimonials
You gave us wings and we’re still soaring. So grateful for you.
Sasha Irving
Studios on the Park
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit open studios art center
Systematic and Disciplined
Ann Laddon is the best development professional I have ever encountered in my 50 years of nonprofit work. Her approach is systematic and disciplined with in-depth research, strategic cultivation, and thorough board and staff training that instills confidence in those making the presentation as well as the prospective donor. She does not let up once a gift is made but insists on timely reports and appropriate cultivation resulting in continued support .Because of her creativity, disciplined approach and openness and honesty, she is trusted by the board and staff and, more importantly, by the donors.
Michael W. Hager, Ph.D.
President & CEO, Retired
San Diego Natural History Museum
Capital Campaign Success
We worked with Ann several years ago on our first capital campaign. Ann helped us analyze our existing donor base and did a feasibility study for us. Our fundraising program at the time was very basic and Ann helped give us the tools we needed to be successful. She trained the board, staff and volunteers and put us on the pathway to success. We hit our fundraising goal in month nine of our 18 month campaign. We couldn’t have done it without Ann’s help. Today our contributed income is four times what it was since the first campaign and I attribute our success what Ann taught us.
Bill Schmidt
Executive Director
Cygnet Theatre Company
Valuing Research and Donor Stewardship
I first met Ann when I was the Managing Director of La Jolla Playhouse and hired her to serve as our Interim Director of Development and Chief Development Consultant. And thank goodness that our paths crossed. Ann, with humor combined with a fierce determination, completely revitalized a sluggish development department into a robust successful department that produced results and paid attention to the donors. Ann revised the program from top to bottom and set into motion a robust plan to positively affect all aspects of the annual campaign including: Board, Individuals, Foundation and Corporate support. Ann created everything from a gift acceptance policy to a vigorous and effective strategic plan for the development department to new procedures for tracking and acknowledging gifts. Ann also played a key role in hiring the right people for each key function. Ann truly loves raising money and helping organizations achieve their mission through a successful development program. She understands that philanthropy involves more than asking for a gift, and teaches the organization, and the Board, about the value of research, cultivation and donor stewardship. I would hire Ann again without hesitation!
Steven Libman
Chief Advancement Officer, Atlanta Ballet
President, The Libman Group
© 2018 Philanthropy's Partner