At commonwell, we believe that strategic collaboration between industry, community and philanthropic leaders is the shortest path to a more equal society. To achieve this lofty goal, we partner with community-based and national nonprofit organizations to design and implement smart fundraising strategies that connect with forward-thinking donors, so you can do what you do best: build a better world by driving change.
Let's Collaborate
Ways that we partner with clients:
Assess your readiness for a transformative campaign, from the inside out. With a solid roadmap and our expert counsel, bridge donor and community support to your bold vision.
Creative fundraising strategies that unlock new revenue streams, ensure long-term sustainability, and deepen the impact of your programs. Commonwell specializes in individual giving programs to attract high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals.
Evaluate your fundraising program holistically and analytically, identify challenges and opportunities, and -- together -- map out practical steps to build an accessible and sophisticated program for today’s landscape.
Through approachable workshops and 1-1 training for your staff and Board, develop the skills and resources to strengthen the effectiveness of your fundraising at every level.
Growing Fundraising Programs
We hired Lisa to help us build a program for our largest donors. As a nonprofit online platform that connects donors with thousands of grassroots projects around the world, it was critical to formalize a program that allowed major donors to easily maximize their support to more community-based projects and to our organization. We needed an expert who could understand our needs as a tech nonprofit- and Lisa delivered. Lisa brought her signature nimbleness and creativity to the project, ultimately giving clear structure to our challenges. By examining our stakeholders, our offerings and a variety of systems inputs, she helped GlobalGiving pull together a major giving program within our unique fundraising structure
Staff Leadership Council and Training
Lisa has been crucial to helping our organization further develop our team and enhance our fundraising efforts and capabilities. She is highly-skilled at building confidence, thinking creatively about how to fundraise in our ‘new normal’, introducing unique and authentic fundraising tactics and offering strategic support for an organization looking to grow their existing development team. Lisa's substantive staff training and counsel to our leadership helped us to advance a more clear and compelling case for institutional support and meet obtainable fundraising goals. She goes above and beyond and I know we are better off for having her sound counsel and advice.
American Association for Cancer Research*
Arthritis Foundation*
Asian American Journalists Association
The Brotherhood Sister Sol
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
CUNY (City University of New York) School of Public Health Foundation
Green Guerilas
Institute of Hospitality
Inter-American Dialogue
Iqra Fund*
Junior League Washington*
Korean American Community Foundation
The LGBT Center (NYC)
Maryland University of Integrative Health
Migration Policy Institute
National Sawdust
New America: HQ, Fellows Program, and NA Chicago
NYC Community Learning Schools Initiative*
PENCIL*
Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
Prospect Park Alliance*
Ronald McDonald House New York*
Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington, DC*
Saint Ann’s School*
Streetwise Partners
University of Massachusetts Boston, College of Liberal Arts
Women Deliver
Lisa founded commonwell (formerly East 5th Strategies) in 2019 to partner almost exclusively with organizations and philanthropists building a more equal world. As an authentic fundraiser and nonprofit strategist, Lisa has become known for her positive and realistic approach to every project and partnership, including over 30 organizations in New York, Washington, DC and beyond. With over 15 years of both frontline fundraising and fundraising consulting experience, Lisa combines her broad knowledge, speciality in major and principal gift fundraising, and practical smarts with optimism, energy and hope for a better tomorrow.
Before launching her own firm, Lisa was a Senior Consultant with Orr Group, a national fundraising consulting firm where she led multi-million dollar fundraising campaigns, built new revenue streams and provided counsel to Boards, executive teams and development offices. Prior to consulting, Lisa was a frontline major gifts officer for the NYU Langone Health $3 billion capital campaign and ran the “Woodrow Wilson Awards” for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars to recognize private and public citizens that have stood up for the common good. Early in her career, she ran special events for the Louisiana SPCA and worked in the front office of the New Orleans Saints.
When our unique expertise, experiences and passions are combined, we create better, more deliberate, more effective solutions. Interested in partnering with commonwell? We want to hear from you!
CommonWell
Nonprofit Fundraising Consulting
Lisa Keitges, Principal
