Project Highlight: The Pursuit of History
We are delighted to announce that we will be continuing our fundraising strategy support and grant writing projects with The Pursuit of History.
Our work with the organization started in 2022. The board and volunteer executive director wanted to take their fundraising efforts to the next level with the goal of transitioning the volunteer director role into a paid position.
The Pursuit of History got its start after hosting a series of successful History Camps around the country. History Camps are casual conferences with the goal of bringing adults from all walks of life together to discuss and learn about history. These hugely popular events continue to grow with History Camp Valley Forge debuting this year!
Besides the conferences, The Pursuit of History has a fantastic weekly discussion series with authors. Whatever your interest in history, you’ll be bound to find a topic or two of interest. Plus, the talks are free and online, so you can pop on your sweats and enjoy a glass of wine while getting a weekly history lesson.
History Camp Outings take place around the Greater Boston and Greater Richmond, VA area. These are special, behind-the-scenes tours of historic houses and sites and a great opportunity to meet local history enthusiasts.
The Pursuit of History benefits from all of these programs, an amazing online store, and fundraising - but the income has not been matching the needs to grow the organization. The first year of working together included a focus of getting to know the staff, board, and donors better. By combining the “why” people want to be involved and give to The Pursuit of History with sustainable best practices in fundraising, the organization was able to launch a successful grant research and writing program and end-of-year giving program.
The results? The Pursuit of History has received news about two grants to kick off 2023. The end-of-year giving program brought in more than 5x the expected amount of operating funds than planned. While the money raised in year one isn’t enough to maintain a full-time director position, the organization is off and running! In year two, we’ll focus together on continued grant outreach, a spring appeal, and strategies to engage and retain a growing donor base.