CASE STUDY • PEACEMAKER MINNESOTA
The
Compounding Effect
What happens when strategic communications and relationship-driven leadership work together — documented over three years.
ORGANIZATION: PeaceMaker Minnesota
CAMPAIGNS: 2024 — 2026 Community Counts & Candle Lighter
SECTOR: Nonprofit • K-8 Peace & Social-Emotional Learning
PUBLISHED: May 2026
124%
Community Counts revenue growth 2024–2026
303
Unique donors in 2026 —
up from 144 in 2024
$52,427
Community Counts total raised 2026 — all-time record
$72,312
Candle Lighter total raised 2025 — 23% growth
"She frees up my time and capacity so I can focus on the relationships that move the needle — team leaders, donors, and finding matching money."
— DAN MCNEIL · EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · PEACEMAKER MINNESOTA
THE PROBLEM
Most campaigns get copied, not examined.
For many small nonprofits, campaign planning begins with a simple question: What did we do last year? The same number of emails goes out. The same cadence. The same structure. It's efficient — and it quietly caps results.
This case study explores what happens when a nonprofit breaks that pattern. When it stops asking "what did we do?" and starts asking "what does our donor actually need from us?" And what happens when the executive director is freed from communications to do the relationship work only he can do?
"The results don't just improve. They compound."
Two phases. One compounding story.
2024 · THE SUNFLOWER PROJECT (PRO BONO)
Foundation Building
Before PeaceMaker could tell a better story, it needed a clearer one. The engagement focused on defining mission, vision, program offerings, and key messages — the language infrastructure that all communications depend on. A longtime donor reached out unsolicited to say they finally understood everything PeaceMaker offered. The foundation was landing.
2025–2026 · PAID ENGAGEMENT
Building on the Foundation
With messaging established, the work shifted from definition to storytelling. Each campaign was examined and rebuilt around what donors needed to feel and understand — not what had been sent the year before. Cadence was questioned. Human stories moved to the front. And with communications handled professionally, the executive director's time was freed for the relationship work only he can do.
CAMPAIGN 1 • COMMUNITY COUNTS
Three years.
One clear story.
The 2025 campaign rebuilt a high-volume cadence into three intentional emails — a 63% reduction in volume. Open rates improved. Donors grew. Revenue reached an all-time high. The 2026 campaign deepened the approach, and the results compounded.
* Open rates as % of delivered emails. 2026 based on confirmed + proxy opens. Donor counts reflect Jan 1 through end of campaign (May 10).
“
“This is what happens when someone takes ownership of their community — when PeaceMaker's mission becomes their mission.”
— ON DELORES VORHEES, WHO LAUNCHED THE ST. PAUL ENDOWMENT FUND DURING THE 2026 CAMPAIGN
THE HUMAN OUTCOME
When the ED has time to lead.
The most powerful outcome of the 2026 campaign can't be captured in a data table. Delores Vorhees — a longtime PeaceMaker supporter — raised contributions to create the first Endowment Fund for St. Paul, a permanent resource that will bring PeaceMaker programming to St. Paul communities for years to come.
That conversation happened because Dan had the time and capacity to cultivate it. With communications handled professionally, his attention was freed for the relationship work only he can do.
THE ST. PAUL ENDOWMENT FUND IS NOT A CAMPAIGN RESULT. IT IS THE LONG-TERM RETURN ON A COMMUNICATIONS INVESTMENT.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
Five things every nonprofit can learn from this.
1
Examine your campaigns before you repeat them.
The most important planning question isn't "what did we do last year?" It's "Does what we did last year still serve our donors?"
2
Your best story belongs at the top.
Whatever moment would make a donor stop scrolling — put it first. The organizations that earn attention lead with humanity.
3
A campaign is a story, not a schedule.
Donors who read every email should feel like they're following something — a journey, a building case for why their gift matters now.
4
Foundation work is not optional.
Before you can tell a compelling story, you need consistent language about who you are and what you do. That infrastructure makes everything else possible.
5
When communications are handled well, leaders can lead.
The capacity freed by professional communications support isn't a side benefit. It's a strategic asset that produces endowments.
On what strategic communications support makes possible:
“It doesn't just raise money. It tells people who we are, it helps people to see who they can be, and what they can do.”
— DAN MCNEIL · EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · PEACEMAKER MINNESOTA
Ready to build something that compounds?
Let's talk about what strategic communications and relationship-driven leadership could look like for your organization.