Over three years, Media Cause partnered with Church Health to strengthen their digital fundraising program, diversify donor acquisition channels, and turn online giving into a reliable, growing revenue stream. By combining smarter paid media investments with mission-driven email storytelling, we helped Church Health expand its donor base and achieve record-breaking growth to sustain their mission of providing compassionate healthcare to underserved communities.
Client Overview:
Issue Area
117%
increase in new donor gift revenue YoY
273%
increase in new donor average gift YoY
Working with Media Cause has been an incredible experience for our team. They bring fresh strategy and creative ideas to our donor acquisition efforts, helping us reach new audiences and grow our impact. Their expertise in paid ad creation and management made the process seamless and effective, with results we could see quickly. Media Cause is our creative arm that is needed in these areas to maximize our fundraising potential.
Alison Futris,
Director, Marketing & Communications
Church Health
Church Health partnered with Media Cause to strengthen and scale their digital fundraising program. Their goals were clear:
Together, these objectives laid the foundation for a digital program designed for both stability and long-term growth.
Year 1 established a strong baseline for online giving, but in Year 2, revenue dropped despite stable donor counts. This signaled the need for recalibration. Instead of pulling back, Church Health leaned in, testing new channels and refining their digital strategy, setting the stage for a major breakthrough in Year 3.
During the first two years, donor acquisition relied heavily on a single source, such as Meta or Google. By Year 3, we expanded to also include Bing, TikTok, and Daily Memphian, a local media outlet, which nearly quadrupled email acquisition. This broader funnel dramatically increased the number of new leads coming into Church Health’s ecosystem and fueled the growth in online giving.
Throughout the three years, one-time donor counts remained steady, demonstrating a loyal and reliable donor base. The real growth came from layering smarter acquisition on top of this stability. The increase in new leads meant more people to cultivate, and when paired with consistent retention, the result was meaningful revenue growth.
The expansion of lead generation was not accidental. It required intentional investment in paid media and channel testing. That investment paid off, delivering a larger and more qualified pool of supporters who were then nurtured throughout the year.
Newly acquired leads were not simply added to the list and forgotten. They were engaged through intentional storytelling, mission-driven content, and consistent touchpoints over email. This steady cultivation primed them to give during high-impact and time-bound campaigns. By the end of each year, email had become the primary driver of online giving and often served as the final conversion touchpoint that turned interest into action.
Over the course of three years, Church Health saw steady donor stability paired with a record-breaking increase in online giving. The expansion of lead generation and subsequent cultivation of those supporters through email engagement played a critical role in this growth. Email not only kept existing supporters connected but also served as the main conversion channel for newly acquired leads, driving the majority of online giving at year end.
