Crescendo Fundraising Professionals, LLC is a comprehensive consulting firm specializing in raising capital funds for municipalities and non-profits to fund new construction, renovation, and endowment campaigns. Crescendo provides coaching for in-house staff and comprehensive marketing support with transformative results for organizations, foundations, schools and cities.
In the last 26 years, Crescendo has assisted 51 municipalities and non-profit organizations in raising over $80 million for various initiatives and capital campaigns primarily in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Crescendo has helped build municipal libraries, aquatic centers, recreational centers, community centers, senior centers, auditoriums, theaters, schools, and many more.
Crescendo offers a process-oriented approach to capital campaign management and training. The Crescendo team has expertise in fundraising, marketing, and public relations. It is enhanced by focusing on relationships and deep experience in bringing many stakeholders together around a common cause. The goal is to forge community partnerships by facilitating involvement and creating shared ownership.
Our Team
Testimonials
Crescendo Fundraising Professionals was essential in providing a successful financial launch to our multi-million dollar public library capital project. Their professional and dedicated experience connected all the stakeholders in our community and strategically raised the critical dollars that helped us break ground ahead of our goals. Crescendo brings unquestionable integrity and unwavering positive energy to ensure success for any project.
Kay Walsh
President Somerset Public Library Board of Trustees
Our capital campaign at “The Highground” set its sights necessarily high and, though the 5-year project is less than a year underway, it is abundantly clear that we made the correct decision when we selected Ellen Hongerholt’s “Crescendo” group to fashion, direct, guide and oversee our efforts. The partnership has been a smooth one from the very start, Crescendo responsive and open to our needs and aspirations, professional and effective in their broad contribution to our fund-raising efforts. We are off to a flying start and, despite complications imposed by the pandemic, well on our way to realization of our financial goal. I recommend most highly partnering with Crescendo if your organization is serious about successful, prudently guided and well-executed fund raising.
Steve Maddox
Volunteer Member, Board of Directors, The Highground Veterans Memorial, Neillsville, WI
Crescendo Fundraising Professionals is the best fundraising firm I have worked with. The group is highly motivated, well organized, knowledgeable, professional…and, most of all, successful.
Having worked with the firm on a number of occasions, the above attributes are both ever-present and uncommonly honed, but the trait that makes me favor them on every occasion is their unflappability. I have seen many adverse things affect their campaigns, but they always have the uncanny ability to find solutions that are effective and on many occasions better. To my mind, this firm is comprised of consummate professionals.
Gary Evans, Retired
Former Vice President for Advancement, WSU
Ellen was an excellent coach to our volunteer team. Our goal was to raise money to build a community fine arts auditorium. Her community analysis at the beginning of the process established the need for the facility and helped identify volunteers for the project. Her suggestions and guidance made our project a success.
Greg Madsen
Campaign Co-chair, Josephine Tope Community Auditorium, Nevada, IA
The team at Crescendo is well-versed in what they do! Not only that, they’re also strategic, organized, and are great communicators at every stage of the process. And, above all else, they helped my community reach our fundraising goals!
Lee Heike
Chippewa Riverfront and L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library Campaigns, Communications Volunteer
Crescendo Fundraising did a marvelous job for our community. They had the overwhelming task of motivating, strategizing, and executing a successful fundraising campaign in the depths of the pandemic.
Helen Nordstrom
L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and One Better Way Campaigns, Community Volunteer
We had a successful capital campaign thanks to hiring Crescendo – their team is personable, professional and they kept us on task. It is easy to recommend them because we would use them again ourselves!
Anne Snow
Former Children's Museum of La Crosse Executive Director
Fundraising is a science! Crescendo researches the specific needs of each project, develops a plan, and follows the steps to guarantee quick success.
Don Timmerman
President Timmerman Advertising, Volunteer Leader, Cedar Falls, IA
They [Crescendo] are the real deal, and they helped us understand that yes, we would need to spend money to raise money. We have not regretted it for minute. Not only have they helped us raise the funds in record time, but we also exceeded our goal! They use their time-tested method and engaging personalities to bring in the whole community.
Beth Arneberg
Chippewa Falls Park Board President, Chippewa Falls, WI