Background
Located in Dyer, Indiana, Illiana Christian High School opened in 1945 and has been a mainstay of its community for three generations. Families are devoted to Illiana because of the school’s commitment to preparing students to serve God through all areas of life.
Challenge
Solution
After evaluating of a range of consulting firms across the nation, Illiana chose to partner with Mission Advancement due to its foundation of faith and desire to better understand the motivations of its key donors.
Mission Advancement proposed a more personal approach to the campaign strategy and planning than Illiana’s past efforts. After concluding a planning study over the summer months, the team launched a two-year, multi-pronged campaign strategy to:
- Allow significant input and feedback from a handful of key donors whose full-capacity gifts would determine the success of the campaign
- Elist the proper volunteer leadership team to assist with cultivation of individual donor relationships
- Execute an effective campaign strategy to properly segment and prioritize the sequence of gifts from board members, lead donors, and the entire constituency for the overall financial health of the school
Results
Key donors believed they had been heard like never before and finally had the confidence to begin considering significant gifts. With a lead gift of $7,000,000, the campaign reached its goal of $25,000,000 and Illiana Christian High School opened an entirely new campus across state lines in Dyer, Indiana, in the fall of 2018. Enrollment began trending back up with long-time families and new enrollees all seeing a bright future for this great institution.
Since 2007, Mission Advancement has helped nonprofits create people-centered fundraising strategies to significantly grow their missions and impact more lives.
