In economic development, the stakes are high. Communities rely on your ability to drive job creation, improve quality of life, and strengthen local economies. Too often, organizations are asked to deliver significant results with limited resources, unclear expectations, and outdated methods of tracking success. That's where a data-driven fundraising strategy becomes not only helpful but also essential.
At Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, we help you transform how you think about value, outcomes, and long-term impact. Using our Investment-Driven Model™, we bring clarity to your mission, credibility to your outcomes, and confidence to your fundraising.
Strong Outcomes Start With the Right Inputs
Economic development is not charity work. It's community investment. That's the core philosophy of our Investment-Driven Model™ (IDM), which reframes fundraising as a means of securing capital based on measurable, investable outcomes. This shift matters. It transforms traditional fundraising asks into compelling investment cases that speak directly to business leaders, stakeholders, and public-private partners who seek a tangible return on their support. Through the IDM, we help economic development organizations (EDOs) and chambers of commerce identify what investors truly want: outcomes that matter, such as job growth, business retention, workforce readiness, and downtown revitalization. And then, we will show you how to prove it.
Causation Over Correlation: Why Data Clarity Matters
It's one thing to say your initiative creates jobs. It's another to use economic multipliers to quantify how those jobs create secondary benefits– higher local income, more tax revenue, and stronger small business ecosystems. That's the power of a causation over a correlation focus. Our approach equips you to connect the dots between inputs and outputs and between your programs and the economic ripple effects they produce.
By measuring actual impact, not just activity, we help organizations secure Asking Rights™: the ability to confidently justify funding requests because the outcomes speak for themselves.
In 2020, the Greater Springfield Partnership (GSP) launched its first capital campaign, guided by Convergent, and raised over $4 million. Five years later, GSP returned to investors with a powerful advantage: a proven track record. By delivering on its campaign promises and driving consistent business recruitment and job growth, GSP earned the Asking Rights™ for equal or greater investment in its 2025 campaign.
GSP's 2025 campaign raised $6.5 million, a 60% increase in investment. The campaign's results provided investors with clear economic gains and measurable secondary benefits that reinforced its credibility.
Data Builds Trust and Results
In a competitive funding landscape, showing a tangible return on investment is a game-changer. That's why data can't be an afterthought. It must be part of the planning process from the start.
At Convergent, we guide organizations in collecting the correct data, analyzing it meaningfully, and using it to inform future strategies. We work with you to:
- Assess real community needs through market and stakeholder data
- Establish measurable goals tied to workforce, business development, and placemaking
- Track and communicate outcomes in ways that resonate with investors and partners
Using this data is how you build trust with your investors, grow your organization's influence, and, most importantly, deliver meaningful, lasting change in your community.
Tell the Story. Show the Proof. Move People Forward
Ultimately, successful fundraising isn't just about securing dollars. It's about connecting people to the vision of what your EDO or chamber is trying to achieve. That connection must be both emotional and rational. Yes, your mission must inspire. However, it also needs to be grounded in precise, outcome-based data that shows the value of their investment.
Demonstrating value is how Convergent's expertise comes into play. With decades of experience working in economic development, we know how to bridge that gap by turning strategy into support and support into results.
If you're ready to elevate your fundraising with a data-first, outcome-focused approach, Convergent is prepared to help.
Let's discuss how our Investment-Driven Model™ can accelerate your organization's goals and deliver the results your community deserves.
Schedule a fundraising strategy consultation today.
