Case Study: James Beard Foundation expands donor engagement and grantmaking with Idealist Consulting's Salesforce solution

James Beard Foundation distributes $4,000,000 in grants with Idealist consulting

The James Beard Foundation faced a challenge when their legacy CRM could no longer support the complexity of their growing network of chefs, members, and grantees. They partnered with Idealist Consulting to rethink their processes and find a modern solution to foster deeper constituent relationships.

Idealist Consulting implemented a multi-phase solution, migrating the foundation to Salesforce's Nonprofit Success Pack and later Marketing Cloud Account Engagement. This provided a centralized, automated system for donor management and targeted outreach. The results were significant, enabling JBF to rapidly expand their donor base nationally and pivot to crisis management during the pandemic, distributing over $4,000,000 in grants to support the culinary industry.

James Beard Foundation