Our History
FRI traces its beginnings to 1999, when Doug Alexander, Founding Partner of Alexander Haas Martin & Partners and FundraisingINFO.com, brought together leading fundraising experts to discuss how to integrate email consulting with other services to create an Internet-based company that would help nonprofits raise money. Kristina Carlson was recruited as president. She helped further refine the concept and wrote the original business plan.
Incorporated in February of 2000, FRI has been a pioneer in creating online fundraising support and training services. FRI’s other innovations and successes include the following:
- Creating the very first, Internet-based fundraising support service that has provided fundraising advice and ideas to more than 6,000 non-profit organizations throughout the world.
- Launching an on-line answer service for the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy called “Ask AHP.”
- Creating branded fundraising support programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Habitat for Humanity International; and Communities In Schools of Georgia.
- Training more than 2,000 non-profit executives throughout the U.S. about the Internet and technology through FRI’s popular 2-hour workshop, “HOW TO Use the Internet to Improve Fund Raising.”
- Creating and developing 9 online prospect research tools that are used by hundreds of nonprofits nation-wide.