Case Studies
Brand Partnerships
A Rod-Corp
Developed and executed brand building strategy following year-long suspension from Major League Baseball. Key components included development and execution of communication strategy for principal with key brand partners including Major League Baseball, New York Yankees, media partnerships, investment companies, and all philanthropic partners such as the Boys and Girls Club of America.
Philanthropic Strategic Planning
Launch of University of Miami's $1.6B Momentum 2 Campaign
With the University launching a second billion-dollar fundraising campaign in only 7 years, it was critical to create an event that included the entire University and highlighted the impact on the greater Miami community. From Grammy-award winning artist Kenny Loggins performing with the University’s Frost School symphony to a $100 million dollar gift announcement for the Miller School of Medicine, the 900-plus guest event featured all Schools and Colleges at the University. The event served as the catalyst to propel the campaign’s public fundraising efforts into high-gear, with the campaign ultimately reaching the $1.6 billion dollar goal more than a year ahead of schedule.
Philanthropic Strategic Planning
Organizational Development for Family Foundation
Cabanas Consulting partnered with two foundations to create the strategic framework and execution plan for a vocational and arts training center in the Caribbean.
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In only 6 months, the newly created PAVE Centre began classes with at-risk youth in Jamaica, providing a pathway to create new careers for these youth and their families.
Katie Cabanas worked closely with the chosen non-profit who will implement the training, and took the vision of the foundation founders to reality. Katie created an overall business plan, underlying processes, structure, role definition, budgets and reporting structures to bring the vision to fruition.
Further, Cabanas Consulting oversaw the donor outreach and marketing plan creation and implementation to plan for self-sustainability for the newly created center.
Partnership Development /
Fundraising
Corporate Fundraising: Coca Cola and the Coca-Cola Foundation
Ranked in the top 50 of US News and Word Reports list of top Universities, the University of Miami was undertaking a $1.6B fundraising campaign and determined a key pillar of the campaign was raising scholarship dollars. With a goal of $200 million, a comprehensive plan at both central and unit levels carried the campaign to ultimate success.
One example was a unique partnership Katie developed between the Coca-Cola Company and Miami University to support first generation college students. The Coca-Cola scholarship provided students who were the first in their family to attend University with partial tuition for four years, a book stipend, a research/internship support and underwrote an orientation program that focused on helping the students acclimate to a University environment. Holistic support is critical for first generation college students who often do not have a reference point in their support network to whom they can turn to ask questions about student life or processes unique to college life. The graduation rate for the cohort of Coca-Cola scholars at UM was over 85%, as compared to the 11% average reported by the Pell Institute for first generation college students. Coca-Cola recognized the partnership in an advertisement in the Miami Herald.
Fundraising Strategic Development
Fundraising Campaign Leadership
During the Momentum 2 campaign, Katie oversaw the development efforts of 10 academic units at the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus and led the efforts to raise scholarship support for the University’s undergraduate students. From the College of Engineering to the School of Business to the College of Arts and Sciences, each organization was faced with presenting a compelling case for support and finding new donors as the campaign start came only two years after the conclusion of the last capital campaign.