During the summer of 2000, Janet Knupp, President of the Chicago Public Education Fund contacted LatzBruni Partners and asked for their help. The Fund, an innovative venture capital fund for public education, had just announced its first $10 million fund earlier that year with $4 million raised from an influential and committed Board of Directors and a handful of Chicago area corporations and foundations.

As a start-up organization with very little visibility and awareness among the Chicago corporate and philanthropic community, raising the remaining $6 million was quite a challenge. LatzBruni Partners served as The Fund's development staff and implemented an intensive major gift solicitation program which, with the help of The Fund's Board, generated more than 100 one-on-one solicitations during the last four months of that year. LatzBruni Partners accompanied Ms. Knupp on every meeting which generated more than $1 million in new commitments.

The Fund surpassed the $10 million goal two years later. Leadership Fund I recruited hundreds of talented new teachers, launched a district-wide initiative to identify master teachers, and emphasized principal development programs that combine education and management models.

LatzBruni Partners then assisted The Fund in developing the Case and Campaign Plan for Leadership Fund II which recently launched with a $15 million goal and $8 million in leadership commitments.

Misericordia Home is one of Chicago's best known and well-respected nonprofit organizations serving more than 550 children and adults with mental and physical disabilities. Misericordia's fundraising success is well known through its many successful special events including Misericordia Candy Days, Family Festival and Bums Golf Outing, the largest charitable golf event in the Midwest.

Even with all this fundraising success and growth, Misericordia had never conducted a comprehensive capital campaign. In 2001, Kevin Connelly of Misericordia asked LatzBruni Partners to assist in the preparation and implementation of a major campaign to build a new skilled nursing facility, chapel and other capital needs for Misericordia. On a preliminary basis, leaders of Misericordia's Advisory Board thought that $25 million would be a challenging, yet achievable goal.

After LatzBruni conducted a thorough analysis of Misericordia past support and funding potential, the leadership phase was launched in June, 2001 with a preliminary goal of $32 million. Using a staff driven solicitation approach, LatzBruni Partners worked with Misericordiaís development team of three people to make more than 500 major gift solicitation calls within a year. The original campaign goal was surpassed by the end of 2002.