SUCCESS STORY
Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation
How Graham-Pelton helped Norton Children’s Hospital lay the groundwork for its most ambitious campaign yet
When Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation decided to launch an ambitious campaign with a goal that doubled their previous Just Imagine campaign of $200M, they knew they needed help putting together the right team, processes, and systems.
Drawing on their seven-year partnership, the Foundation turned to Graham-Pelton to launch a Campaign Confidence Study—a structured assessment of whether their people, processes, and infrastructure could support a campaign of this scale. The findings reshaped the Foundation’s team structure, brought in critical new staff, and established the formal processes fundraising success required.
The Situation
Coming off a successful $200M campaign, the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation’s revenue was growing, and the moment called for a larger vision.
Their next campaign goal would more than double the previous one, and a goal of that scale called for the team, systems, and infrastructure to match. However, this goal would need more than ambition alone. It would require the right team, documented processes, and systems to support significant growth without losing the culture and quality of relationships the Foundation had spent over 20 years building
The Solution
Because Graham-Pelton and Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation had a long-standing relationship, the trust and institutional knowledge were already there. Building on this foundation, our team launched a Campaign Confidence Study to assess whether the Foundation had the right people, processes, and infrastructure in place to support a major campaign.
The most significant finding centered on the Foundation’s advancement team. Blended roles couldn’t sustain the volume of major-gift cultivation and stewardship a campaign of this size required. Therefore, the study recommended moving away from integrated, blended roles—where staff split time and focus across multiple functions—toward dedicated, specialized positions, each built to perform at the level a larger campaign demands.
As part of this restructuring:
- Nine external hires were made across six program areas
- A dedicated Grateful Patient and Family program director was placed on-site for the first time
- A formal event-to-donor conversion pipeline was established
- Documented standards and frameworks were produced for every program area
Graham-Pelton didn’t come in with a one-size-fits-all playbook. They took the time to understand what had built our success over 22 years before recommending any changes. The Norton Standard lets us bring in the specialized team a campaign this size demands, without losing the culture that got us here. That balance has made all the difference.
Lynnie Meyer, RN edD CFRE FAHP, Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer, Norton Healthcare
The Success
With new staff, the Foundation had the capacity it needed to meet fundraising goals and give annual giving and events the dedicated support a major campaign requires.
The standard operating frameworks and program-specific documentation Graham-Pelton helped build meant new team members could step directly into their roles without a lengthy ramp-up period.
The event-to-donor pipeline is a clear example of the impact. The Foundation’s events previously had no formal conversion process, despite an 80-90% repeat attendance rate—a pool of loyal, high-value donors who kept showing up but had never been systematically cultivated. With the pipeline now in place, the Foundation is positioned to convert that loyalty into major-gift relationships as the campaign moves forward.
As the Foundation continues to grow its team, these formal standard operating procedures will ensure consistency, performance expectations, and cultural continuity for this campaign and beyond.
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