Case Study
From stuck in the program to a founder who can fundraise
A Romans12two case study — presented by The Nonprofit Turnaround
"Working with Nate Hilpert has been one of the most impactful partnerships our ministry has experienced."
— Rev. Christopher Leschber, Founder, Romans12two
What changed wasn't just the organization.
The founder changed.
The Problem
The mission was real. The founder couldn't step out to fund it.
Carrying Everything
Operations, vision, programs, and delivery — all running through the founder alone.
No Donor Language
No clear way to explain the work to someone outside the mission.
No Visible Impact
No metrics. No documented outcomes. Nothing a donor could hold.
Fundraising Avoided
Not from fear — from lack of clarity about what to say.
He stayed in the work — because stepping out to ask didn't feel real yet.
The Gap
He wasn't avoiding fundraising. He didn't believe he could do it well.
Without words that felt true, every donor conversation felt forced.
Without a clear picture of impact, asking felt uncertain.
So he stayed where he was confident — in the work.
The Intervention
Three systems that unlocked the founder to fundraise
Clear Goals → Focus
Defined where the organization was going — so the founder knew what he was asking for.
Clear Words → Language
Built language donors could understand — so he knew how to talk about their work.
Clear Impact → Confidence
Made the work measurable and visible — so donors could believe what he was saying.
This was the foundation that made fundraising possible.
THE TURNING POINT
The moment he stepped out of the work — and made the ask
With clarity in place — with language that felt true and impact that was visible — he made the ask for the first time.
"His ability to map our messaging out more succinctly gave much needed wind to our sails."
— Rev. Christopher Leschber, Founder, Romans 12two
  • First real donor conversation
  • First real ask
  • First real pipeline
THE JOURNEY
From stuck to activated in 90 days.
1
STUCK IN THE WORK
No language, no system, no ask
2
CLARITY BUILT → BELIEF SHIFTED
Clarity built. Story made true.
3
FOUNDER FUNDRAISING
First ask made. Pipeline open.
Before / After
What actually changed.
Results
What changed in 90 days
First real donor asks made
Founder stepped out of the work
$20K raised
In the first fundraising push
Pipeline created
And growing
First hire made
Operations no longer founder-only
Fundraising role
Founder now operating as fundraiser
The work didn't change. The founder did.
Your Next Step
If your mission is real —
but you're not fundraising…
It's not a strategy problem.
It's that you haven't become a fundraiser yet.
01
01 Diagnose Doubt
02
02 Build Belief
03
03 Activate Fundraising
I can help you gain the clarity and confidence to become a fundraiser.
That's the work.
Start by becoming the kind of leader who can fund the mission.
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Nate Hilpert, Founder
Romans12two didn't just become fundable. Their founder became a fundraiser.