Central Furniture Rescue has been providing a priceless community service since 2019 — delivering gently used furniture and household goods for free to qualifying individuals and families in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. The nonprofit helps people get on their feel with dignity and diverts literally tons of home items from the local landfill. When the founder, who serves as an unpaid, full-time executive director, was ready to retire, the nonprofit furniture bank turned to Amperage Marketing + Fundraising for help with strategic planning for the future.

Our approach: We began with discovery, conducting multiple one-on-one consultations with stakeholders and diving deep into research and reviewing the nonprofit’s data, including financials. From there, Amperage conducted a full-day, interactive workshop with the board and leadership to collaboratively set a vision for the future and create alignment.

It became clear that the furniture bank was at a crossroads. Despite years of operation, Central Furniture Rescue continued to function in boot-strapping startup mode from month to month. Fundraising efforts needed structure and long-range growth plans. The board was minimally engaged and minimally informed. The organization was not prepared for the executive director’s departure and would likely falter in her absence.

These insights were then synthesized into a clear strategic plan for meaningful change that would allow the executive director to retire within two years and the board to lead the furniture bank in refining its fundraising initiatives for a sustainable future.

With regular Amperage consultation throughout the process, the executive director felt seen and supported. The final plan served as a call to action for the board, with members able to make an informed decision about dedicating themselves to the work ahead.

At the conclusion of this process, Central Furniture Rescue additionally engaged Amperage Marketing + Fundraising for consultative services to support the buildout of its fundraising engine.