Exponential Impact: Growing Latino Philanthropy

“When Latinos succeed, America succeeds.” — Janet Murguía, President & CEO, UnidosUS

In July 2018, UnidosUS launched the public phase of their landmark $50 million Campaign for Equal Opportunity, which is double the size of their last campaign. The campaign is focused on raising new support, above and beyond the organization’s ongoing annual fundraising for key programs. New investments are targeted to help close national gaps for Latinos – including access to education, civil rights, homeownership, and health care – and to build positive narratives around Latinos’ many contributions to the country.

UnidosUS has a big goal – to create equity for all Latinos, ultimately serving to strengthen the United States. Did you know that one in four Americans under the age of 18 is Latino? Yet, nearly one-third of the nearly 60 million Latinos in the United States live in poverty. To strengthen the country, we must ensure all Americans thrive.

The Campaign for Equal Opportunity, under the counsel of Graham-Pelton, aims to use technology to expand and scale UnidosUS’ successful programs to reach more people nationally. In a one-year time span, UnidosUS secured 50% of their goal with several notable gifts and grants from leading organizations, including $8 million from the Ford Foundation, $5 million from Comcast, and $3 million from Bank of America.

UnidosUS also secured two history-making gifts: the largest individual gift and the largest bequest ever received by the organization. Bequests among Latino families are rare, and part of the campaign is dedicated to growing overall awareness of giving, ways to give, and stretch personal gifts.

This campaign serves as the best example of public-private partnerships, community impact investing, and creative ways of pooling gifts to do more – for more.

One example of this is the UnidosUS President & CEO herself. Janet Murguía and her six brothers and sisters, combined resources to make a gift three times the size they would be able to do individually.

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UnidosUS counts among its supporters the members of its Corporate Board of Advisors, which is composed of senior representatives from 24 industry-leading corporations that offer guidance and programmatic support. Many of these Corporate Advisors can add a new title to their role: major donor. These Corporate Advisors are making historic six-figure gifts to the campaign, in addition to helping their companies contribute multi-million dollar grants.

Additionally, campaign counsel elevated the UnidosUS development effort, giving the organization the opportunity to define and strengthen fundraising processes and procedures, implement greater metrics and goals and deepen fundraising culture, and strengthen data management and analysis.

With guidance from Graham-Pelton, UnidosUS is now witness to true stretch giving. And it is making a difference.

For more information about the campaign, visit https://www.unidosus.org/equalopportunity.

Graham-Pelton is honored to serve as key campaign advisors and key partners in helping envision a brighter future for all of America. Graham-Pelton’s role includes:

• Campaign planning
• Campaign management
• Major gift and grant development
• Board solicitations
• Staffing support and guidance
• Annual Fund support
• Database selection and support