Founded as a Florida-based environmental organization, Climate Mobilization Project made a courageous organizational pivot to explicitly center racial justice in their climate work. After nearly closing, they dramatically restructured — reducing staff, reshaping their board, and realigning their programs — to build deeper roots with a new, justice-centered constituency while continuing to advance bold climate solutions.
When Climate Mobilization Project received this grant, they set out to build a replicable giving circle model to cultivate major donors. What followed was one of the most challenging — and clarifying — periods in the organization's history. Faced with a major values-driven mission shift to center racial justice, CMP lost key supporters and board members, nearly closed, and had to completely reimagine who their donors would be. Rather than abandon the experiment, they pivoted — testing three different event-based fundraising models to find the approach that best fit their transformed organization and new constituency.
By designing a comprehensive approach that included giving circles, Point of Entry events, and house parties, Climate Mobilization Project built critical knowledge about what fundraising strategies align with their justice-centered mission. The project transformed their understanding of donor cultivation and created pathways for sustainable growth with a new community base.
Climate Mobilization Project's fundraising experiment consisted of several integrated components designed to identify the most effective major donor cultivation approach for their transformed organization:
House Parties Are the Strongest Fit
The house party model emerged as the most authentic and effective approach for CMP's new constituency — community-centered, accessible, and relationship-driven in ways that align with justice-centered values
Point of Entry Events Generated Minimal Returns
The Point of Entry event model generated minimal revenue and support in this phase, suggesting it may not align with CMP's current donor base or organizational culture
Giving Circles Require Deeper Prospect Pools
Giving circles remain a promising model but require a larger and more developed major donor prospect pool to be effective and replicable
Organizational Transformation Takes Time
Delaying the project allowed CMP to show up with clarity and updated messaging rather than attempting donor cultivation during a period of internal upheaval
Testing Multiple Models Provides Invaluable Data
Running three different fundraising experiments in a single grant period generated clear insights about what works for a restructured organization, preventing years of investment in misaligned strategies
Mission Alignment Matters More Than Donor Retention
While losing key supporters was painful, the organization emerged stronger and more sustainable by building with donors who share their justice-centered values
Through this experiment, Climate Mobilization Project gained clarity about their fundraising future during one of the most challenging periods in their organizational history. The house party model, which emphasized intimate community gatherings and relationship-building, resonated deeply with their justice-centered approach and attracted supporters who shared their transformed values.
This approach not only raised funds but provided a roadmap for sustainable growth with a new constituency. The $26,000 raised at a single virtual Giving Circle — doubled through follow-up — demonstrated the potential of major donor cultivation even during organizational transition. More importantly, the comparative testing of three distinct models prevented years of investment in approaches that wouldn't have served their evolved mission.
The knowledge gained through this project directly supported their organizational stabilization and positioned them for long-term sustainability. By identifying house parties as their strongest cultivation strategy, CMP can now focus resources on scaling what works rather than continuing to test multiple approaches. The projected ROI of 4.7:1 upon full implementation of the house party model expansion represents not just financial return, but mission-aligned growth with a community that shares their commitment to climate justice.