Request for Proposals for Strategic Marketing & Fundraising Campaign – Samaritan Daytop Foundation

PURPOSE

The purpose of this RFP is for Samaritan Daytop Foundation (SDF) to identify a marketing and fundraising agency that will strengthen SDF’s ability to cultivate donors, expand private philanthropic support, and elevate the visibility of Samaritan Daytop Village (SDV) and Samaritan Daytop Health (SDH). SDF seeks a strategic partner that can help deepen donor engagement, broaden national fundraising reach, and amplify the powerful materials emerging from SDV’s and SDH’s impactful programs.

SDF is leading this initiative to ensure that the organization’s mission, values, and achievements are communicated through compelling marketing strategies that resonate with individual donors, private foundations, corporate sponsors, and philanthropic partners. SDF requires an agency that can develop donor‑ready messaging, program summaries, and storytelling materials that highlight SDV’s and SDH’s effectiveness in addressing homelessness, supportive housing, behavioral health care, overdose prevention, recovery services, addiction and mental health treatment, veterans services, and family‑centered programs. SDF will rely on the selected agency to design and execute a comprehensive marketing and fundraising strategy that supports SDF’s Board Members in their outreach to prospective donors, private foundations, and corporations. This includes creating toolkits, talking points, and narrative assets that empower Board Members to confidently share SDV’s and SDH’s impact with local supporters and national audiences.

Through this RFP, SDF aims to secure a partner capable of amplifying SDV’s and SDH’s positive impact, expanding philanthropic investment, and strengthening the organization’s long‑term sustainability through strategic, data‑driven fundraising and marketing approaches.

ABOUT SAMARITAN DAYTOP FOUNDATION

Samaritan Daytop Foundation was created in 1979 to oversee fundraising efforts for Samaritan Daytop Village. Donations fund a growing wish list of enhanced programs and services benefiting the clients of Samaritan Daytop Village. SDF champions Samaritan Daytop Village’s mission: Improving Lives by Helping People Help themselves. Through a rich array of specialized health and human services, Samaritan Daytop Village brings lifesaving and life-changing services to men and women, adolescents, veterans, mothers and babies, unhoused people, families, and older adults. With the help of financial and in-kind donations from individual, business, and community supporters, SDF Foundation invests in the agency’s people and programs doing more good than ever imagined.

For more information about SDF, visit: https://donate.samaritandaytopfdn.org/.

ABOUT SAMARITAN DAYTOP VILLAGE

Since 1960, Samaritan Daytop Village has been improving the quality of life for New Yorkers. We are nationally recognized for our treatment of substance use disorder as well as for the veteran-specific approach we pioneered. Our continuum of services also includes primary and mental health care, transitional and supportive housing, educational and vocational assistance, peer-assisted recovery, and specialized programs for adolescents, families, and older adults. Annually, Samaritan Daytop Village serves over 36,000 people at more than 80 programs throughout New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley.

For more information about SDV, visit: https://www.samaritanvillage.org/.

ABOUT SAMARITAN DAYTOP HEALTH

Samaritan Daytop Health is a new NYS Department of Health (DOH) Article 28 licensed primary care health clinic located on the 6th floor of the Richard Pruss Wellness Center in the Bronx, NY that is now also a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The mission of SDH is to increase the community’s access to high-quality, affordable health care that is co-located in a wellness center that offers fully integrated substance use, mental health, peer-led recovery services, and primary health care for all clients and families in need.

To see the SDH website currently in development, visit: http://www.samaritandaytophealth.org/.

OBJECTIVE

SDF seeks to engage a marketing and fundraising agency that will strengthen SDF’s ability to cultivate donors and expand private philanthropic support to amplify the impact of SDV and SDH. SDF intends to partner with an agency that can design and execute a comprehensive marketing and fundraising strategy to grow and possibly expand SDV’s and SDH’s programs across behavioral health care, housing and homelessness services, overdose prevention, mental health treatment, veteran services, and family‑centered programs. SDF expects the selected agency to collaborate closely with SDF and SDV’s President and CEO and Executive Staff; SDF, SDV, and SDH’s Boards of Directors; and SDF’s Development and Communications leadership. SDF will require weekly updates, monthly progress reports, and ongoing coordination to ensure that all marketing and fundraising activities effectively support SDF’s mission to raise private funding for SDV and SDH.

SDF seeks an agency that will achieve the following objectives:

• Expands donor engagement and private funding opportunities through targeted marketing campaigns that inspire major gifts, corporate sponsorships, and recurring donations.
• Equips Board Members with donor‑ready talking points, toolkits, and narrative materials to support fundraising conversations with individuals, corporations, and philanthropic partners.
• Builds trust, engagement, and advocacy among donors, private foundations, and corporate sponsors by sharing compelling stories of SDV’s and SDH’s impact on New Yorkers.
• Identifies trends in philanthropy, nonprofit marketing, and donor behavior to strengthen messaging and fundraising strategies.
• Mitigates potential donor concerns by proactively sharing transparent, mission‑aligned information about SDV’s and SDH’s programs and outcomes.
• Develops new marketing strategies that attract prospective donors, private foundations and corporate sponsors to invest in SDV and SDH.
• Ensures that all digital platforms—including SDF’s website and the SDV and SDH websites—are updated with donor‑focused content, impact stories, and campaign materials.

QUALIFICATIONS

SDF seeks an agency with the following qualifications:

• Expertise in nonprofit fundraising marketing, including brand consistency across donor‑facing materials for SDV and SDH.
• Demonstrated success working with nonprofits addressing issues related to housing, homelessness, behavioral health, substance use disorder, gambling, mental health challenges, employment, and related human services.
• Familiarity with New York City and State’s philanthropic landscape and an understanding of national donor trends.
• Strong experience developing donor communications and marketing campaigns that generate major gifts, private donations, and corporate sponsorships.
• Deep knowledge of marketing techniques that effectively engage donors, private foundations, corporate sponsors, and other philanthropic partners.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to meet tight deadlines associated with fundraising campaigns.

BUDGET

Proposers must submit a clear and realistic budget that outlines monthly consulting fees, campaign‑specific costs, and fees associated with marketing deliverables. SDF also requires proposers to include projected fundraising metrics, anticipated donor engagement outcomes, and estimated return on investment for proposed marketing and fundraising campaigns.

SCOPE OF WORK

The following categories represent core responsibilities of the firm in support of SDF’s mission to raise private funding for SDV and SDH:

1. Marketing & Fundraising Strategy Development

• Meet with SDF, SDV, and SDH Boards, Executive leadership, and program staff to understand the full continuum of services supported by SDF’s fundraising efforts.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing and fundraising plan aligned with SDF’s strategic priorities targeting private foundations, individual donors, corporations, and unions, especially those involved in building and construction trades.
• Identify new corporate, private foundation, and major-donor prospects.
• Create donor‑focused messaging, narratives, and campaign materials that highlight SDV’s and SDH’s impact that can be distributed to Board Members and potential donors, private foundations, and corporate sponsors.
• Produce program summaries and issue‑area briefs for use in donor conversations.
• Design marketing campaigns that elevate SDV’s and SDH’s work to local and national audiences, including private foundations, major donors, and corporations, with the goal of raising private funds.
• Create digital content, email campaigns, and storytelling assets that support SDF’s marketing and fundraising goals.
• Develop and maintain donor‑ready materials for SDF’s website and ensure alignment with SDV and SDH websites.

2. Board Development, Messaging, and Donor Tools

• Create a comprehensive Board fundraising toolkit, including talking points, donor scripts, impact summaries, and issue‑area narratives.
• Provide training and coaching for SDF Board Members to strengthen donor outreach and fundraising confidence.
• Develop customizable materials for Board Members to use in conversations with individuals, corporations, unions, private foundations, and other philanthropic partners.
• Produce concise, compelling materials about SDV and SDH clients, programs, and outcomes for Board Member use.

3. Campaign Execution, Storytelling, and Donor Engagement

• Design and execute targeted fundraising campaigns that inspire major gifts and corporate sponsorships.
• Develop SDV and SDH materials designed for national donor reach to broaden SDF’s fundraising pipeline.
• Support SDF in donor cultivation efforts by producing materials for events, meetings, and sponsorship pitches.
• Provide ongoing recommendations to strengthen donor engagement, increase funding from private foundations and corporations, develop new programs to meet the needs of new donors, and marketing campaign performance.

METRICS, REPORTING & EVALUATION

SDF requires the selected agency to:

• Provide monthly reports summarizing all marketing and fundraising activities, donor engagement metrics, campaign performance, and materials produced for SDF, SDV, and SDH.
• Provide fundraising‑specific metrics, including donor acquisition, donor retention, campaign conversion rates, and projected vs. actual revenue.
• Provide specific metrics and reporting on increased engagement with private foundations, individual donors, corporations, and unions, especially those involved in building and construction trades, leading towards increased private funds raised.
• Provide an annual report highlighting the most successful campaigns, strongest donor engagement outcomes, and recommendations for future fundraising and marketing strategies.
• Provide analysis of donor behavior, philanthropic trends, and opportunities for SDF to expand local, regional, and national reach.

SUBMISSION – Please submit the following electronically only.

Please include a Cover Sheet with the following information:

• Name of Proposer/Company
• Contact Person
• Mailing Address
• Telephone
• Email Address
• Website
• Authorized Signature

All proposals should include a clear, concise narrative. Proposal format is open to presentation style, but must include the following:

1. Project Brief
   Provide an issue brief and messaging document with an overview of your firm’s relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and overall vision for supporting SDF’s marketing and fundraising strategy. The brief should describe how your agency will help SDF amplify the impact of SDV and SDH through donor‑focused storytelling, campaign development, and strategic marketing.
2. Agency Experience
   Provide information about your agency’s experience working in New York and the five surrounding counties, the non-profit sector, and the health and human services field. Include specific experience, if any, with issue areas central to SDF’s fundraising priorities, such as substance use treatment, mental health, homelessness, supportive housing, veteran services, and family‑centered programs. Experience should demonstrate your ability to generate interest from philanthropy, cultivate major donors, and support nonprofit fundraising campaigns.
3. Organizational Capability
   Provide information demonstrating your agency’s capability to successfully perform the scope of work outlined by SDF, including your ability to develop donor‑ready marketing materials, coordinate with multiple stakeholders, and execute multi‑channel fundraising campaigns. Highlight your experience producing impactful materials, donor messaging, and marketing assets for nonprofit organizations.
4. Consultant Bios
   Provide short bios of the consulting team members who will work directly with SDF, including their experience in nonprofit fundraising marketing, donor communications, and issue‑area storytelling. Bios should reflect familiarity with the Greater New York City metropolitan area and national donor audiences, as well as experience with substance use treatment, mental health, housing, and other human services topics relevant to SDV and SDH.
5. Fundraising Marketing Plan Samples
   Provide samples of similar fundraising and marketing plans you have designed for other non-profit organizations that would demonstrate to SDF your impact in generating visibility for fundraising events, donor engagement opportunities, and sponsorship cultivation. The plans should outline successful strategies that were used to feature major donors, attract new philanthropic partners, and elevate impact through targeted marketing campaigns.
6. Case Studies / Work Samples
   Provide relevant examples of marketing campaigns, donor engagement materials, impact stories, or fundraising initiatives your agency has developed for other nonprofit organizations. Samples should demonstrate your ability to create compelling narratives, inspire donor action, and support fundraising growth.
7. Current Nonprofit Client List
   Provide a list of nonprofit organizations your agency has served in marketing and fundraising capacities. Include examples of donor‑focused materials, campaign assets, or fundraising outcomes achieved for these clients.
   
   
8. References
   Provide at least three references from current or recent nonprofit clients (within the last three years) who can speak about your agency’s effectiveness in donor communications, marketing strategy, and fundraising support.
9. Budget
   Provide a budget for each of the 3 major categories outlined in the Scope of Work for services proposed, along with estimated costs for campaign‑specific deliverables, marketing materials, and fundraising initiatives. Include projected fundraising metrics or anticipated donor engagement outcomes associated with your proposed strategy.
10. Additional Information
    Provide any additional pertinent information about your agency that was not already included above.

EVALUATION, SELECTION, AND RFP MANAGEMENT

SDF will evaluate all proposals received based on the submission guidelines, as requested above. All proposers should submit their proposals by email to Jill Poklemba, VP of Development and Communications at: [email protected].

Finalists will be invited to present their proposal in a formal in-person interview.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE: November 10, 2026 by 5:00 PM

NOTE: SDF reserves the right to modify deadlines, change the scope of work, amend the RFP, reject any or all submissions for any reason without incurring any cost or liability, negotiate with any firm, and select the firm that best meets the needs of the organization.

Download a PDF version of this RFP.