CASE STUDY · FUNDRAISING & GROWTH
Rhythm Seed Farm.
Building the foundation for sustainable growth.
Founder-led → scaling
Communications · Fundraising · Systems
12 months
impact
"Rhythm Seed Farm now has the fundraising infrastructure, communications systems, and organizational foundation to grow beyond a founder-led model."
01 · CHALLENGE
After several successful years as a pilot program, Rhythm Seed Farm had proven its value in the community. But growth required transitioning from a founder-led initiative into a sustainable nonprofit — with the systems, messaging, and fundraising base to support it.
A founder-led pilot, ready to scale.
- A solo Founding Director managing programs, operations, fundraising, and volunteers.
- No individual giving strategy or structured annual fund.
- Limited systems for donor engagement and ongoing communications.
- Program impact was not clearly articulated through stories, metrics, or data.
- No scalable fundraising or organizational infrastructure to support future growth.
02 · STRATEGY
Systems, messaging, and a sustainable model.
Catalyze partnered with Rhythm Seed Farm to build the systems, messaging, and fundraising strategy needed for long-term sustainability. The work spanned communications, campaigns, and organizational infrastructure — every piece designed to support the others.
- Designed and launched a year-end fundraising campaign, including Giving Tuesday.
- Collected volunteer testimonials and impact stories to strengthen donor communications.
- Documented annual program outcomes and created measurable impact metrics.
- Scripted photography, video, and website content that clearly communicated the mission and results.
- Integrated fundraising software with optimized online donation pages.
- Created a multi-tier Garden Membership Program to cultivate recurring community support.
- Structured an annual giving program, donor engagement strategy, and business partnership program.
- Facilitated strategic planning to clarify priorities and prepare for future hiring.
03 · RESULTS
$10k raised. 20 new members. A foundation to grow on.
The campaign, membership program, and systems build produced immediate returns and lasting infrastructure.
- Raised over $10,000 through the year-end Annual Fund campaign.
- Leveraged major donors to unlock stretch goals.
- Launched a multi-tier membership program that attracted 20 new members.
- Entered the new year with cash reserves to support additional staffing.
- Created a compelling public-facing website with impact stories, photography, and measurable outcomes.
- Established the operational and fundraising foundation needed to sustainably scale the organization's mission.
TESTIMONIAL
"Sarah and the Catalyze team met us where we were and built something we could actually run. The systems didn't just raise money — they gave us a way to keep telling our story."
— Founding Director, Rhythm Seed Farm
