The Arizona Bioindustry Association, Inc. (AZBio) is issuing this Request for Proposals (RFP) to qualified firms to provide fundraising services to support the capitalization of the Arizona endowment within AZAdvances (www.azadvances.org). AZAdvances is a division of the Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation, a 501c3 public charity with offices at 107 S Southgate Drive, Chandler, AZ 85226.
Capital Campaign Goal by end of 2021:
- $50 million in donor funds designated for direct impact in the AZAdvances Today Fund
- $200 million in donor funds to capitalize the AZAdvances Legacy Endowment
Funds designated for AZAdvances may only be invested and used for AZAdvance’s intended purpose, including advancing life changing and life-saving innovations along the path from discovery to development and delivery to patients.
Intended Purpose of AZAdvances
AZAdvances is designed to provide a perpetual stream of funding for ARIZONA life science innovations and the ecosystem that supports our life science innovators.
AZAdvances investments into our community will be directed by the AZAdvances Trustees each year to the projects and life science companies with the greatest potential for lasting impact.
As an evergreen endowment, AZAdvances will have the ability to support direct expenditure grants to the non-profit entities that support the innovation process and direct investments into emerging life science companies so that they can move forward faster on the journey from the research laboratory to the patient.
Role of the Fundraising Consultant
The Fundraising Consultant may be an independent contractor or a consulting firm and will be contracted by AZBio using funding from a 2019 Seed Fund Support Grant awarded on December 4, 2018 by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Agency (EDA). The final contract will be a “work for hire” contract and include requirements including but not limited to certificates of insurance, a copy of your form W-9, and other certifications to confirm independent contractor status. The contract period will begin immediately following the conclusion of the RFP process and the finalization of the contract with the Fundraising Consultant. Ideally, this process will be completed on or before September 30, 2020.
The role of the fundraising consultant as part of the AZAdvances Capital campaign is expected to include:
- Review the current fundraising plan and existing communication and fundraising assets (Assets) including, but not limited to, messaging, communication tools (print and online).
- Develop a fundraising plan for government and philanthropic donors, to include:
- Working with AZAdvances to identify campaign leadership (campaign chair and committee members) and develop a strategy for campaign leadership recruitment,
- Maintain the AZAdvances capital campaign website, including social media presence, and advise on development of collateral materials and messaging,
- Develop the donor pitch presentations with associated story line for the current financial environment,
- Organize one-on-one donor meetings with relevant government leaders, potential donors and philanthropic organizations, secure speaking engagements for AZAdvances leadership to secure funding for the capital campaign,
- Manage the pipeline of donor prospects (including identification, evaluation, donor tracking, outreach strategy and recognition),
- Prepare donor solicitation proposals, meeting requests, and follow-ups, and
- Maintain a calendar of events, contributions, and successes.
- It is also expected that the consultant will:
- Identify prospective donors (individuals, corporations, government major donors) and assess giving patterns and prospects,
- Organize public sector briefings to introduce how AZBio and AZAdvances are supporting life science innovations in Arizona,
- Host an educational series to educate potential donors and create specific action plans for individual donors to achieve their philanthropic goals while also fulfilling AZAdvances goals,
- Write and submit grant requests to foundations which support the AZAdvances mission,
- Maintain all contact and engagement information in the AZBio/AZAdvances Database.
Interested firms should submit a proposal that includes each of the following:
- Outline of your Capital Campaign philosophy and methodology.
- Complete descriptor of deliverables from the consulting team.
- Provide a well-defined timeline for completion of the campaign.
- Provide your expectations in working with AZBio and AZAdvances.
- Provide references from three Arizona-based clients relating to major gifts and/or large capital campaigns.
- Provide names and key information on your team members.
- Provide a fixed fee quote (which also describes estimates of expenses and any anticipated carve outs).
Proposals are requested on or before August 14, 2020. Additional documents including decks and business plans are available upon request to jkw@azbio.org.
Appointments with firms selected for second round interviews will begin the week of August 28, 2020.
Upon final selection, AZBio will negotiate a final contract and budget with the selected consultant.
If you are interested in responding to this request, please email your proposal to Joan Koerber-Walker president and CEO, AZBio at jkw@azbio.org on or before August 20, 2020.