Clients
Testimonials
What Our Clients Say:
“AFG is a dream to work with - they have quickly become a trusted partner to our organization, and their strategic thinking and deep knowledge of the funder field has made a tremendous difference in how we think about fundraising and philanthropy.”
- Paul Sacaridiz, Executive Director, Ragdale
“We’ve felt so organized and prepared for grant deadlines. AFG’s support has been crucial to our success, and we see a long term relationship with your team. We share out our relationship with our board, reassuring to them that our largest source of income is in good hands.
AFG is attentive, organized, and approaches our grants from a place of empathy.”
- Jamie Muen, Executive Director, About Face Theatre
“The AFG team does a really nice job in getting to know our org and our work. They are creative in identifying new funding opportunities and highly skilled at managing a multitude of proposals at once. They also are very receptive to feedback and new ideas in order to prepare the strongest proposals possible.”
- Anne Cauley, Director of Development and Communications, Arts of Life
“Working with AFG has been rigorous and affirming in equal measures. They hold us to a higher standard, but hold our hand at the same time. They truly understand what is so difficult, and yet so important about the work we are trying to do in the community.
It feels like a combination of both mentorship and practical support. There is high-level, strategic visioning but it comes with specific homework and individualized resources.
They make us feel seen and worthy of asking for money. I always come away from our meetings feeling like we have a partner who is fighting with us.”
- Ian Frank, Executive Director, Mudlark Theater
“Y'all are SO ORGANIZED. And diligent. You've added so many dimensions to our institutional giving in terms of tracking, reporting, relationship building, and prospecting. You're also just all delightful people. :)
Your diligence, attention to detail, prospecting prowess, discipline, organization, rapport with funders, your willingness to go above and beyond, that you can make me laugh at 9 AM.”
- Karen Hawkins, Former Co-Publisher, Chicago Reader
“Internally, working with AFG has been a gift, not only because it has alleviated my workload but also because I feel like I now have a team to help me talk through strategy, to problem-solve, and to offer valuable perspective.
That internal support has led to tangible outcomes—grant funding received that I would never have even applied for, and fundraising strategies that have yielded a big increase in individual giving. For example, just thanks to a brainstorming and strategy conversation with Cate and Ian last spring, over the summer we raised 50% more in individual donations than we ever had before in the same time frame.”
- Beth Wolf, Artistic Director, Midsommer Flight
“This work has helped raise a massive chunk of our annual budget since we've been working together! AFG has also helped us to crystallize our next steps for so many programs and projects, just by asking the questions needed to write a good grant.
They make a level of fundraising possible that I could not achieve on my own. There is nothing else I spend money on with as much clear return and value.”
- Cicilia Robinson, Director of Development, Brave Space Alliance
“We exist in a unique space and we very much value the deep knowledge AFG has developed over time—they get us and that's not easy! We've secured some large grants and some small grants together.
Work with AFG-you will not regret it! Their team is quite skilled and the insight they bring to conversations because of their client reach, is always helpful to us when trying to understand happenings across the field.”
- Carrie Spitler, Executive Director, Snow City Arts
“We've been able to better keep track of deadlines, take advantage of more grant opportunities and grow our fundraising budget more than 250%. With extra capacity we've been able to develop more time to other areas of our work including attending conferences, presenting at different in-person and online workshops
AFG’s work has been invaluable in helping us free up capacity to do other things that are necessary for our work. They are responsive, professional and great at tailoring the work to fit our needs and values.”- Irene Romulo, Development & Community Engagement Director, Cicero Independiente
“After years of struggling on our own, AFG has legitimized our organization in the grant seeking space. We have a new found confidence in the materials we submit for funding requests.
AFG really listens and tailors their work to your individual organization. They understand the current giving landscape and are generous in the knowledge and support they provide.
AFG is the perfect balance of professional and nurturing. I have always feel empowered to keep moving forward with a project when our contract comes to an end.”
- Melissa Pryor, Executive Director, Kaufherr Resource Center
“The grants we have received because of our partnership have helped us take some major strides toward meeting our mission of growing and strengthening music and music education.
Coming out of COVID, we had a lot of ground to make up, and the grant funds we received helped us get back to being fully functional in a fraction of the time.
AFG puts a lot of personal care into helping you navigate the grant process. The AFG team provides insider insights into different granting organizations, which takes away a lot of the guesswork.”
- Kelly Bell, Executive Director, The Midwest Clinic
They help me to see my successes with clarity, and to reframe challenges with constructive, actionable ideas.
— Devin Hanley, TaskForce Prevention and Community Services
Let’s fundraise together!
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