Challenge
The Shea Center’s fundraising program required stabilization and strategic focus to meet growing demand for services. The absence of a CPO created immediate pressure, particularly as annual fundraising had underperformed in the prior year. An extended leadership vacancy risked widening the gap between organizational goals and actual results.
Leadership recognized that simply filling the vacant role would not address the underlying issues. Without understanding the root causes of underperformance, the organization risked repeating the same challenges under new leadership. What was needed was a candid, strategic evaluation—followed by experienced leadership capable of translating insight into action.
Solution
Covenant Philanthropic Solutions began the engagement with a comprehensive development assessment, delivering more than 40 strategic recommendations related to staffing structure, fundraising priorities, and operational improvements across the development function.
Following the assessment, Covenant placed a Fractional Interim CDO to lead portions of the implementation process. This approach provided seasoned executive leadership without the cost or delay associated with a full-time permanent hire and ensured changes were implemented thoughtfully rather than reactively.
Impact
Shea Center leadership responded positively to the assessment findings and moved quickly to implement key recommendations. Many of the changes have already been put into place, producing strong early results. Most notably, the organization achieved a meaningful improvement in budget margin at year end, creating new flexibility to explore and invest in creative fundraising strategies.
The engagement remains ongoing, with the Shea Center continuing to build on the momentum generated through the assessment and interim leadership. The organization is now better positioned than it was prior to the transition.
Covenant also remained engaged for a period after the new CPO was hired, providing continued support to the development team and ensuring a smoother onboarding transition while the new leader acclimated to priorities and workload.
