Bob Westfall was faced with an impossible challenge. As Senior VP of Advancement for Walk Thru the Bible, he was tasked with growing the organization’s major donor income fivefold in just one year. No amount of “moves management” could accomplish that. So instead of bringing his case to donors across the country, he brought the donors to him by creating the Major Donor Experience.
Critical to the experience was the strategic messaging. That’s when Bob teamed up with Alan Gold, an award-winning writer-producer with extensive ad agency and branding experience. The result was a resounding success for Walk Thru the Bible—and the creation of a new paradigm for major donor fundraising.
In 2002, Bob founded The Westfall Group, serving multiple clients with this new fundraising model. He soon found that the ROI, while excellent, was lower than what he was used to. The difference was messaging. So, he invited Alan to partner with him—and saw average gifts shoot up dramatically.
Ultimately, Westfall Group became Westfall Gold. Together, Bob and Alan built a team that now offers a complete package: list analytics, attendance strategies, venue logistics, donor filing analytics, talent booking, A/V and yes, messaging–from scripting and event graphics to print collateral and videos produced around the world.
The Westfall Gold Major Donor Experience now sets a benchmark for achieving extraordinary ROI and fueling life transformation. As one direct response agency observed, “while the rest of us have been fighting over shrinking slices of the same pie, you guys went out and created a new pie.”
In 2022, Bob Westfall and Alan Gold signaled their intention to retire. The Westfall Gold team, under the leadership of CEO Dan Clark, continues to raise the bar beyond anything they ever imagined.