Since partnering with The Monument Group on multiple fundraising initiatives, the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood has secured vital philanthropic support ensuring its capacity to provide high-quality low-cost health care services.
The Virginia League for Planned Parenthood (VLPP) was established in 1942 and works to ensure that individuals and families have the freedom, information, and ability to make informed reproductive choices of their own. VLPP provides low-cost, high-quality reproductive health care and education to women and families throughout Greater Richmond and Southeast Virginia. The Monument Group has a long history of supporting VLPP staff and board through capital campaigns, developing a strategic fundraising strategy, and a major merger. With its guidance and expertise, The Monument Group has truly become a part of the Planned Parenthood team.
Following a successful capital campaign in 2009 in which it raised more than $4.6 million, VLPP moved into a modern permanent home. The new facility broadened the organization’s capacity to provide basic primary care and family-planning services. Since that time, VLPP has expanded its primary care space to multiple locations.
With that initial space project complete, VLPP turned its focus to its longer-term needs: developing and implementing a core fundraising strategy. It again called The Monument Group for guidance. The organization recognized the importance of developing a program that would help support and sustain its life-saving services and other core services. In short, VLPP needed a fundraising plan that would put it on solid footing and enable it to continue to grow.
Devising a development program for a nonprofit organization typically starts with raising awareness about the agency. But, in this case, Planned Parenthood already had a high level of recognition. Its challenge was to leverage that high level of awareness, especially through its existing relationships, including board members, grassroots supporters, and volunteers.
Working alongside VLPP’s leadership team, The Monument Group engaged the organization’s board in the philanthropic process and gave board members a high level of comfort with fundraising. The Monument Group got intimately involved, meeting with board members one-on-one to help create individualized fundraising plans, as well as “friendraiser” events for board members’ friends and business contacts. In addition to leveraging the fundraising power of the board, The Monument Group helped VLPP hone its messaging to make it easier to reach new and even current supporters. For example, the importance of educating people on VLPP’s vital role in women’s health care issues as one of the largest providers of primary care services in Virginia.
In 2013, The Monument Group team helped VLPP work through a strategic merger with Planned Parenthood of Southeast Virginia. Today, VLPP has doubled is service area, doubled its annual fund, and most important, tripled the number of patients served, not only through its clinics but also in other venues. For example, in Newport News, VLPP’s sexual education programs have been instrumental in reducing the teen pregnancy rate by 40%.
Coming full circle, VLPP is now considering another capital campaign to design and build what will be its forth health center location.