Testimonials

" When our Board was thinking about raising money to support the purchase and renovation of an old schoolhouse on Kersey Road in Peacedale, we weren't quite sure where to begin.  This capital project, which would serve as the location for our expanded food pantry, community kitchen, and administrative offices, was going to be a significant undertaking and add another layer to our day to day priorities.  I wanted to make sure that we were thoughtfully planning the renovations and setting our organization up for a successful capital campaign.  

I contacted Louise Dinsmore and asked if she could guide me.  In working with Louise, she provided me with the mentoring that I needed to realize that asking people to support the Jonnycake Center's "A New Home for Hope" campaign should be fun, conversational and authentic.  Louise coached and encouraged me to tell our story of how we make a difference in the lives of our clients, and people would invest in our project and vision.  Asking people to open up their checkbooks is not something I'm truly comfortable with, but with practice, and with Louise by my side, sharing our story was easy and fun.  We exceeded our campaign goal and our 'New Home for Hope' is open and thriving." 

 “When Special Olympics Rhode Island began a consulting relationship with Partners in Philanthropy, our $3 million capital campaign had nearly come to a standstill.  We had secured $1.8 million in gifts and pledges; however, we had no specific plan to use as guide in achieving our overall campaign goal.  Louise Dinsmore assembled a dynamic team of fund raising professionals with expertise in major gift solicitation, volunteer management and grant writing.  Together, they put together a detailed plan to prioritize our grant applications, and opened new doors for us with corporate, foundation and individual solicitations.  In the first seven months of working with Louise’s team, we secured an additional $700,000 in commitments and completed our campaign.  I know I speak for my entire Campaign Leadership Committee in saying that Partners in Philanthropy put our capital campaign back on track.” 

 “I had the pleasure of working with Louise Dinsmore when she served as the Campaign Director to construct a multi-purpose arena at the University of Rhode Island.  Louise arrived on staff during a critical time in the Campaign.  Many alumni contributed to our success; however, Louise’s dedication to results-oriented fund raising ultimately made a tremendous difference to our great State University.  Her organizational skills are second only to her people skills – two components that make her one of the most successful fund raising professionals I have ever encountered.”  

 “Trinity Repertory Company engaged Partners in Philanthropy to help revive our $18 million comprehensive capital campaign.  In the first twelve months of that engagement, we made great strides towards achieving our goal.  Cheryl Comai and Louise Dinsmore truly 'partnered' with the members of our Development staff and assisted us tremendously in growing our Campaign Steering Committee, identifying new donors through extensive prospect research, and worked alongside both staff and volunteers to help create strategies for both individual and institutional campaign prospects.  Cheryl’s constant presence helped keep us focused and on track with solicitation schedules and campaign goals.  In particular, we found Cheryl’s expertise in major gift solicitation to be invaluable. Cheryl and Louise helped us navigate our campaign through a challenging economic climate and their knowledge of the Rhode Island community and its fund raising capacity is second to none. I am thrilled to say that we surpassed our $18 million campaign goal through the help of our volunteers and without question, because of the experience and partnership with Cheryl Comai and Louise Dinsmore of Partners in Philanthropy.”  

  “As former President-Principal of Saint Raphael Academy I had the pleasure of working with Cheryl Comai of Partners in Philanthropy. It became clear to our Board and to the school administration that if Saint Raphael Academy was to continue to remain viable and sustainable, we had a responsibility to move forward with the recommendations of a Feasibility Study we conducted.  It was with the full endorsement of the Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Providence that we engaged the services of Partners in Philanthropy, LLC, and more specifically, engaged Cheryl as the consultant that we wanted to partner with as we implemented our Special Gift Initiative.

What I was most appreciative of is the collaborative nature in which Cheryl worked with me and my staff regarding the Special Gift Initiative. The vast experience that she brought to our efforts and the way in which she was attentive to the needs of Saint Raphael Academy, her 'non -cookie cutter' approach, was most appreciated. She excelled at determining the abilities of those involved in this effort and built a strategy that used the talents of those at our school in a way that was both affirming and demanding. As Chief Administrator of Saint Rays, I felt as if I had a partner in the venture. She served as mentor and task master at the same time, not an easy accomplishment when dealing with a secondary school administrator!

In the end, I owe much of the success for our Special Gift Initiative to her and her professional manner, attention to detail and the ability to motivate a group of people with a wide variety of abilities toward our common goal.  I am also appreciative for the times that I was able to engage in confidential conversation and to seek her wisdom in key areas of development.” 

 “Working with Louise is an absolute delight.  Her fundraising experience and insight provide invaluable support for our Capital Campaign Committee, and her organizational skills and disciplined approach keep us all on track .”    

 “When our non-profit organization, Tockwotton on the Waterfront, was in need of fund raising counsel, we selected Partners in Philanthropy.  Louise Dinsmore worked with our Director of Development, Denise Todd and me to help us build a culture of philanthropy within all aspects of our organization.  Specifically, Louise wrote a comprehensive development plan which outlined specific strategies for annual giving, 

Board development, major gift solicitation and special event execution.  Louise worked very closely with Ms. Todd on our annual auction, identifying a very effective Event Chairperson, assisting with sponsor solicitations and suggested the incorporation of  a “Fund a Need” appeal during our special event. The “Fund a Need” helped us to educate our supporters on a specific program and we generated several thousand new dollars as a result of that effort.  Cheryl Comai was also very helpful in researching new sources of corporate and foundation support for our programs.  

Our Board and I were very pleased with our partnership with Louise Dinsmore and Cheryl Comai as they gave us concrete suggestions and helped us build greater capacity for our non-profit.”  

"Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island could not have been more pleased with the work performed for us by Partners in Philanthropy.

In fall 2022, we engaged Louise and her team in work to help us dive into our donor prospect research as part of our organization’s major giving program. We sought to have Louise and team help us to identify loyal donors to Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island who could help us to grow our major gifts program and portfolio.

Their work was outstanding. Not only do we now have a full roster of prospective major donors who are already deeply engaged with our work, but Louise went above and beyond in her work with us, and we now better understand the tools of the trade that will be necessary to grow our program."

 "Louise has been a tremendous resource for grants and overall fundraising.  She has exposed us to many new foundations and funders which has allowed us to grow our donor base significantly!  The Groden Network’s return on investment in Louise is significant!”

"Working with Partners in Philanthropy has been a game changer for our small non-profit organization.  Louise Dinsmore and her team have been  providing outstanding strategic grant and fundraising support to Mae Organization. This support has resulted in our ability to financially meet a 200% increase in the Basic Needs Program, over the past year. 

The collaboration with Partners in Philanthropy, has increased Mae’s philanthropic connections resulting in several grant and sponsor awards that helped contribute to a successful organization restructure and development.  We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with Partners in Philanthropy since they are an integral part of our success and strategic objectives to continue meeting an increase in capacity building efforts in several of our programs.

Thank you, Louise Dinsmore and Katie Sklar for your outstanding service and professionalism!"