An ROI of 1450% in fundraising

For Frog in Hand, a small-scale dance charity based in Mississauga, the problem wasn't passion, it was momentum. "We felt like we were stuck in a cycle where you're trying to raise enough funding to survive," she recalls. "We wanted to be able to raise enough funding to actually grow."

This sounded all too familiar.

After a strong recommendation from Mabelle Arts, Frog in Hand turned to Forward Avenue. Not for strategic oversight from a distance, but for something more meaningful: a real team. "Instead of in an advisory capacity, they joined our team as colleagues and coworkers." That distinction, it turns out, changed everything.

What Colleen didn't expect was how much Forward Avenue would shift not just the organization's capacity, but her own mindset. "One of the things I appreciate most is the way they challenge us to consider funding not just our programming, but our impact," she says. "I've received training from Betty and her team to rethink my fundraising strategy — thinking about what are the core benefits we can offer, instead of just what we are doing." The shift moved Frog in Hand away from chasing grants that didn't fit and toward building authentic partnerships rooted in shared values. "We don't have to feel embarrassed about needing to ask for support. Funders are people who just want to be part of our story."

That reframe produced an ROI of 1450% in results. A figure they had their bookkeeper triple-check…

Frog in Hand secured multi-year operating funding at the highest level they requested — a milestone Colleen describes as "unheard of", and transitioned key foundation relationships from small annual grants to longer-term commitments. The cascade effect was immediate: with stable funding in place, they were able to bring on additional staff, a marketing and PR person, and eventually 16 dancers working simultaneously across two projects. "My dream has always been to have an actual dance company with a full season," Colleen says. "That longer-term funding makes that happen."

But for Colleen, the impact goes well beyond the financials. She describes a moment at Frog in Hand's first official fundraiser, standing with Betty and Cecilia at the end of the night, overwhelmed by the community's support and by the partnership itself. "I felt like I was just this bird flapping," she recalls. "And what you've done is you've been the wind under my wings." That feeling of being seen, supported, and no longer alone in the work is something she returns to again and again. "Burnout is so real in our industry. To have people who can say, I can help draft that email… that creates mental space. The fog is lifted. I'm not just flapping my wings. Now I'm flying."

For organizations considering working with Forward Avenue, Colleen was quick to note that it's a collaborative partnership: "you don't suddenly just stop writing grants, nor should you" and encourages leaders to think about ROI in the fullest sense of the word: not just the financial return, but the time reclaimed, the confidence gained, and the creative space that opens up when survival mode finally lifts.

One last note Colleen wanted to end with is that "it's one thing when people are really good at their job. It's another when they do it with empathy and kindness. I've always felt heard and supported, which goes above and beyond."

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Learn more about Frog in Hand at www.froginhand.com/