Mom’s Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) is a Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals navigate perinatal mental health disorders, such as postpartum depression and anxiety. This project, Managing Rapid Growth: Enhancing Infrastructure and Sustainable Donor Strategies, led by MMHI sought to strengthen its fundraising infrastructure and develop sustainable sources of revenue. With this award, MMHI partnered with a consultant to assess its fundraising capacity and create a revenue strategy tailored to its three core program areas: education and awareness, resource brokering and peer support. The resulting revenue models helped MMHI establish a paid membership program for partners and sponsors and begin developing a corporate education revenue structure. These strategies, combined with new donor software and strengthened partnerships, positioned MMHI to sustain its growth while continuing to provide resource brokering and peer support services free of charge to perinatal individuals.
The Challenge
Moms Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) faced rapidly growing demand for its services while operating with a small part-time staff and limited fundraising infrastructure. Requests from mothers and other birthing individuals increased by 162 percent from 2022 to 2023, and MMHI anticipated continued growth as it expanded its reach across Southeast Wisconsin.
Although MMHI had received generous charitable gifts, it lacked the capacity to turn one-time contributions into long-term, sustainable donor relationships. Without a comprehensive donor development strategy and systems for managing donor information, tracking engagement and tailoring outreach, the organization was missing potential funding opportunities and major gifts. Strengthening this infrastructure was essential to sustain MMHI’s resource brokering, peer support and education for the 1 in 5 perinatal people experiencing mental health challenges.
Project Goals
The project aimed to build MMHI’s fundraising capacity by developing a comprehensive donor development and fundraising strategy. MMHI sought to strengthen the entire donor journey by creating the infrastructure needed to effectively manage donor information, track engagement and nurture relationships through recognition and ongoing communication.
Results
With support from this award, Moms Mental Health Initiative (MMHI) worked with a consultant to develop a revenue strategy focused on strengthening the organization’s long-term sustainability. A capacity assessment identified opportunities to diversify MMHI’s revenue streams, and the consultant developed several revenue models designed to generate income from the organization’s services and expertise. These models were tailored to MMHI’s three core program areas: education and awareness, resource brokering and peer support.
Using these models, MMHI staff designed and began implementing a paid membership program for partners and sponsors. The organization also began developing a corporate education revenue structure that will provide businesses with tailored education and support services in exchange for their investment in a healthier, better-supported perinatal workforce. While expanding these earned-revenue opportunities, MMHI remained committed to offering its resource brokering and peer support programs free of charge to all perinatal individuals.
The new fundraising frameworks also produced immediate results. MMHI secured $20,000 in sponsorships for its annual flagship event, The Summer Social. Strategically tiered sponsorship packages generated strong engagement from organizations and corporations, allowing MMHI to meet its full revenue goal before the event occurred. Additional funds raised during the event made it the most successful fundraising effort in the organization’s history.
