Client Spotlight: Lifeline Children’s Services
How Lifeline Children’s Services attained meaningful fundraising moment for their Michigan office
Engagement at a Glance
As an established, faith-based nonprofit, Lifeline Children’s Services engaged our team to join our monthly fundraising strategy program. During our 12-month engagement, we were directly involved and advised on key topics such as major donor relationships, event planning, internal alignment, and more.
A few of the outcomes:
- 17x return on investment within the first six months
- Multiple six-figure gifts cultivated during the engagement
- 2 in-home fundraising events resulting in $118k+ in gifts
- A healthier, more aligned approach to fundraising
The Challenge
Lifeline Children’s Services (LCS) didn’t come to us with a non-existent or broken fundraising system. Instead, they’ve been serving vulnerable children and families for decades—in multiple states, countries, and continents. They do meaningful, faith-based work. The challenge for them specifically came in supporting their state office in Michigan.
Led by a dynamic leader and accomplished fundraiser, the LCS leadership team approached us as a trusted advisor and support network for their MI state director who needed clarity, direction, and guidance to navigate the many opportunities and obstacles that come with leading a local team within the backdrop of a larger organization.
With many established relationships and a donor base that cares about both the global and local mission of Lifeline, the large goal for this engagement became internal alignment, adapting fundraising best practices to their internal context, and ensuring that each month this small (but mighty) team was on track to hit their relational and revenue goals for the year.
They were looking for trusted, steady-handed guidance—someone who could help leaders think clearly, communicate confidently, and steward relationships wisely during a critical season.
The Solution
Our 12-month engagement with the Michigan stage office of Lifeline was structured for both consistency and flexibility. This means communication happened via 2 predictable cadences:
- A monthly strategy call to track progress, discuss challenges, and identify key relationships to cultivate over the next month.
- Unlimited audio communication throughout the month to keep the conversation going with real-time access to a team of seasoned marketers and fundraisers.
Over the course of a full calendar year, our conversations covered in-person fundraising events, major donor cultivation, the art of the ask, nuanced elements of building relationships with high-net-worth donors, and more.
In many cases, this engagement acted as the “phone-a-fundraiser” in the back pocket of their state director who requested insight and advice to complement her day-to-day activities and decisions.
The Results
Lifeline has a long history of impact, which means our work didn’t have to focus on starting fundraising or marketing systems from scratch. Instead, we harnessed the existing systems and people to help their individual state operations maximize the relationships and revenue opportunities. Over the course of 12 months, here are a few of the highlights and wins:
- A 17x return on investment within the first six months.
- Multiple six-figure gifts were cultivated during the engagement from high-net-worth individuals.
- 2 in-home fundraising events resulting in multiple five-figure gifts, including one donor who increased his anticipated gift from $35,000 to $75,000.
- A healthier, more aligned approach to fundraising that harnessed the in-state relationships and opportunities—without inhibiting any of the larger organizational campaigns or activities.
Quick Fundraising Tip
If you’re struggling to set the right fundraising goals for your organization, prioritize a mix of relational and revenue-focused goals.
Here’s an example: “We will prioritize xx intentional communication touchpoints with each of our donor tiers (relational) and raise $XX by ______”. (revenue)
Meet Our Client, Lifeline Children’s Services
Lifeline Children’s Services is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting vulnerable children and strengthening families both in the U.S. and around the world. Through adoption and foster care services, family preservation initiatives, counseling, and global orphan care, Lifeline equips churches, families, and communities to care for children at risk and support parents in crisis. Their work is rooted in the belief that every life has dignity and value—and that lasting change happens when families are supported, restored, and empowered to thrive.
I have benefited greatly from your counsel
“Leading our regional work here in Michigan is a joy, but also comes with a number of opportunities and challenges. It’s a breath of fresh air to have an advisory team in my corner who’ve been there and done that so that I can maximize the opportunity to best serve our donors and community.”
— Meg Eldridge, Lifeline Children’s Services
You absolutely delivered with this engagement
“In a season where we intentionally decreased our number of outside vendors, we signed on (and continued to engage) because your approach, expertise, and insight absolutely set our team up for continued success.”
— Jeff Kunard, VP of Advancement
Let’s Talk
We believe that effective fundraising and marketing is both relational and revenue-focused. Our partnership with Lifeline Children’s Services is a powerful example of that belief in action.
If your organization wants greater clarity and momentum in your decision-making and fundraising activities, it’s time to swap all the things to try for a simple fundraising plan to follow. Sound intriguing? Let’s talk.
