Helping Partnership Schools exceed $20M in fundraising goals

From stagnant year-end campaigns to highest board fundraising in the organization’s history and $20M+ fundraising momentum

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How MAP helped
During her tenure at Partnership Schools, Michelle Akapnitis played a pivotal role in transforming the organization’s advancement strategy. As a senior development leader, she elevated board engagement, strengthened donor cultivation practices, and implemented systems that empowered both staff and trustees to exceed ambitious revenue goals.
$5M+ from board giving
Highest board fundraising in the organization’s history.
$500K increase in year-end gifts
Revitalized appeals and campaigns to drive donor participation.
$20M+ fundraising momentum
Set the organization on track for record-breaking revenue growth in FY23.
BASED IN
New York City, NY & Cleveland, OH
SECTOR
Background
Partnership Schools is a network of 11 urban Catholic schools serving more than 3,300 students in New York City and Cleveland. The mission is to provide high-quality, values-based education to students from underserved communities.

By 2021, the network was poised for growth, but achieving $15M–$20M in annual fundraising required sharper strategy, deeper board engagement, and stronger systems. Michelle was brought in to strengthen infrastructure and work closely with trustees and leadership to achieve transformational results.
The Challenge
If you're facing any of the challenges above — from "I hate asking for money" to "I don't have enough donors" — you're not alone. We're here to help visionaries like you scale your impact.
  • Ambitious $16M+ annual fundraising goal requiring unprecedented board engagement.
  • No clear systems to leverage trustee networks for fundraising.
  • Eager but untrained board members, unsure how to fundraise effectively.
  • EStagnant year-end campaigns that needed revitalization to increase participation.
How We Embedded
Strategic Planning & Fundraising Assessment
Messaging & Case Development
Board Engagement Strategy & Training
Salesforce CRM & Moves Management Integration
Donor Pipeline Dashboard & Tracking Tools
Year-End Appeals & Donor Campaigns
Fundraising Capacity Support
Coaching & Training for trustees and staff
BUILD
Interim Development Director support
BUILD
Prospect research
The Solution
We plug in as your development engine, bringing the strategy, systems, and people to get things done. From building your pipeline to drafting appeals and leading weekly donor meetings, we handle execution while keeping you focused on what matters most. It’s like hiring a high-performing development team—at a fraction of the cost of one FTE. The Impact: You move faster, raise more, and finally have the capacity to match your ambition. We don’t just advise—we make it happen.
Discovery & Strategy
Outlined a board engagement plan with clear expectations and personalized outreach strategies.
Pipeline & Prospecting
Integrated Moves Management into Salesforce, tracking trustee connections, donor prospects, and solicitation progress.
Donor Engagement Systems
Established a stewardship framework, created dashboards for board/staff, and ensured accountability in follow-up.
Case & Collateral
Refined appeals, designed board-facing tools, and developed messaging to inspire giving and energize trustee outreach.
Capacity Building
Coached a five-person advancement team, trained trustees in solicitation and stewardship, and built infrastructure to sustain results year over year.
We're Your Navigation Team
We're strategists, operators, and fundraising experts who've helped visionaries like you raise $100M+ (and counting). Think of us as your embedded fundraising team - we chart the course and navigate the path while you focus on what matters most: leading your mission.
Founder. Builder. Fundraiser.
I spent a decade leading nonprofit fundraising, building systems from scratch and closing multi-million dollar gifts. What I needed more than strategy docs and donor intros was a team to build systems, find donors who cared about my mission, and keep the momentum going.

That's the insight behind MAP: we don't just advise - we embed as your fundraising team and handle everything from research to donor meetings to follow-up.

‍Because fundraising isn't about fancy plans. It's about having the right team and systems that do the work while you lead the mission.

‍– Michelle Akapnitis
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