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When the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross decided to launch a multi-million-dollar campaign to move its Headquarters and create a new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center to serve the Greater Chicago region, they called upon Smith Beers Yunker & Company to provide campaign counsel. Throughout the four-year endeavor, the Smith Beers Yunker team worked hand-in-hand with CEO Bill Braden and Chief Development Officer Brenda Asare.
“I was accustomed to following the text-book approach to fundraising,” says Brenda, “but, Jim Yunker showed us the value of a non-traditional approach, which proved to be very successful. Throughout the process, Sara Vlajcic provided a wonderful support system and put things in place to make the non-traditional approach work for us."
Bill Braden speaks of the relationship with Smith Beers Yunker as a “significant factor in the success of the campaign. The timing of the campaign presented a challenge due to the events of September 11 and the economic downturn that followed. Compounding that challenge was the negative publicity directed toward the American Red Cross nationally in regard to the Liberty Fund. Through all that," says Bill, "it was our good fortune to have the unwavering commitment of our staff, our volunteers, and the Smith Beers Yunker team. They stayed with the project through difficult times and saw it through to a successful conclusion. We opened our new Emergency Operations Center in April of 2004, just in time to respond to a series of devastating tornadoes that caused severe damage and killed several people in our region."
Bill Braden adds, "We have enjoyed a long history with Smith Beers Yunker and have found them to be very flexible and adaptable to any situation.” Brenda Asare agrees, saying, “They really pushed the envelope to find new ways to inspire our existing donors and attract new donors. I think one of the greatest strengths of Smith Beers Yunker is their ability to tailor services to meet the demands and issues of a specific client. Through our very challenging campaign, they were very quick to rethink strategy as needed to respond to our unique circumstances."
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