I partner with nonprofit organizations, public sector organizations, and mission-driven for-profit companies to help them grow. Below are case studies about my work with Hennepin County and Literacy Minnesota.

Hennepin County: Strategy Development

Objective

More than 100,000 or 20% of all households in Hennepin County are unbanked (household members do not have a checking or savings account) or underbanked (household members have a checking or savings account but still rely on expensive alternative financial services). Not having a bank account or not being able to use one regularly poses challenges to being able to securely save money and access asset-building financial instruments, and it can threaten the safety of individuals who carry large amounts of cash. People who have low income or no income spend more money to manage their money than people with more resources, and this is not fair in a just and inclusive society. Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene engaged Tricia Wright to help the county determine how to best promote access to financial instruments and services to help residents and employees achieve financial security and wellness.

Method

Tricia conducted in-person interviews with 19 industry experts including community stakeholders, internal county employees, county leaders, and members of external interest groups. She identified initiatives other counties and municipalities were engaged in across the country and explored the feasibility of these initiatives in Hennepin County. From her interviews and background research, Tricia generated a list of potential opportunities for the county to consider. She evaluated these ideas and made strategic recommendations to top county leadership on how to move forward to promote financial inclusion among its residents and employees.

Impact

Hennepin County leaders accepted many of Tricia’s recommendations and assigned dedicated staff to implement them. The County is currently implementing many of the opportunities Tricia identified.

Tricia has been a multiplier for me in my work. Her research and recommendations to top county leadership have moved the issue of financial inclusion forward in a way that I have not had the bandwidth to do. Tricia has helped Hennepin County focus its efforts, resources, and attention to address this issue. Her work will have a significant impact on County residents and employees for years to come.

--Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene

Literacy Minnesota: Major Gift Program Development

Objective

Literacy Minnesota, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, was looking to expand their impact and saw potential in increasing major gifts fundraising to fund this growth. Staff engaged Tricia Wright Consulting to help the organization grow its major gifts fundraising.

 Method

Tricia helped staff develop the systems, tools, and processes needed to identify, engage, solicit, and steward major donors. Specific activities included:

• Building a list of top major donor prospects

• Developing a rating system for prioritizing prospects

• Selecting a data analytics vendor to screen potential donor prospects

• Initiating a bi-monthly major gifts huddle to discuss personalized donor approaches  

• Identifying benchmark goals and activity metrics to track progress

• Reviewing and making recommendations for optimizing the tracking of donor information in the database

Impact

The tools and systems Tricia helped put in place have positioned the organization for success in major giving. Early results showed a 26% increase in dollars raised from major gifts at the end of 2018 compared to the previous year.

Tricia joined us at a critical time in our major gifts program development. We were poised to move forward beyond immediate needs and deadlines, but didn’t have the systems in place to be as productive as we wanted to be. Tricia helped us think about both the big picture and the infrastructure we needed to work in new, more collaborative ways. Her balance between listening and asking the right questions kept us on task and helped us make progress toward our goals.

--Development Director Susan Godon