Wolverine Human Services is the largest child welfare provider in Michigan. The charitable organization provides foster care, offers adoption services, and operates 19 specialized residential treatment programs. Wolverine recruits and trains foster and adoptive parents and pairs them with children in need of caring homes. Its treatment programs serve children who have suffered abuse or neglect, or that have participated in delinquent activities, to improve the child’s mental health and well-being. 

Lives depend on Wolverine’s services. So, when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, decreasing assistance was not an option. The community needed Wolverine now more than ever. With the help of Pardot and support of long-time partner Codescience Technologies, the organization rose to the challenge. Despite the hardships and business interruptions of COVID-19, Wolverine ensured no child lacked quality care when they needed it most. 

The Challenge

Wolverine supports more than 600 employees and hundreds of children at multiple locations across Michigan. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the health and safety needs of staff and clients increased. Wolverine Human Services had to support a remote office staff, while maintaining 24/7 residential and placement services for children with field staff throughout the state. 

COVID-19 also presented a significant budgetary issue for the nonprofit. Wolverine traditionally relied heavily on large donor events, which were suspended indefinitely. Due to its size, the organization did not qualify for the federal Paycheck Protection Program. The organization needed to fundraise virtually to meet current annual budget projections and the new cost impacts of COVID-19. 

Overcoming the mounting challenges came down to messaging. Leadership knew communication was key for maintaining “business as usual” during unforeseen circumstances that were anything but.  

The Solution

Pardot made surviving the pandemic possible for Wolverine Human Services. When clear, consistent communication became the organization’s best tool for combatting the business effects of COVID-19, they turned to the marketing platform and codescienceTechnologies. The codescience team helped Wolverine create a series of campaigns tailored to individual stakeholder groups with targeted messaging designed for special needs. Pardot’s email automation made the additional communication easy for an already stretched-thin staff. The communication kept stakeholders safe, informed, and inspired to continue supporting the important work of Wolverine Human Services. 

The Results

The need for compassionate care of children never stops. When COVID-19 tried to shut things down, Pardot helped keep Wolverine’s doors open. 

Staff Communication – COVID-19 presented new operational challenges for staff almost daily. Wolverine’s CEO used Pardot to issue regular communication to the team regarding COVID-19 protocols, staff needs, and resources for dealing with stress. Leadership tracked distribution through Pardot. They knew messages were received and could identify the information most helpful to staff. 

Fundraising and Donor Relations – Codescience helped Wolverine build fundraising campaigns in Pardot to replace in-person events. The campaigns communicated the organization’s heightened needs and targeted specific donation areas including personal protective equipment, hazard pay, and medical and grocery support for foster families. The focus on special needs allowed Wolverine to issue follow-up communication to donors regarding their real-time return on investment. Pardot’s reporting features helped Wolverine modify messaging based on email opens, clicks, and campaign donation data. 

Stakeholder Engagement – Wolverine leveraged Pardot for external stakeholder communications regarding new legislation, supply needs, and recruiting additional foster families. The emails also provided updates on organizational performance under the difficult pandemic conditions and let the audience know how they could help. While many organizations decreased their external communication at the pandemic’s onset, Wolverine increased theirs. The team operated under the belief that if a stakeholder could not help currently, frequent communication would make Wolverine top of mind when that person or community organization was able to assist in the future.