Case Study: Mel Trotter Ministries achieves faster fundraising and streamlined operations with Virtuous

Transformed Operations Lead to Better Fundraising

Mel Trotter Ministries, a Grand Rapids nonprofit serving people experiencing hunger and homelessness, faced years of inefficient processes and an inflexible legacy CRM (Blackbaud Raiser's Edge) that forced workarounds, siloed communications, poor data visibility, and extra third‑party costs. After Beth Fisher joined as SVP & Chief Development Officer, the organization decided to adopt Virtuous as their nonprofit CRM to replace those legacy systems and better support fundraising and operations.

Virtuous managed discovery, a custom data migration, and ongoing support, and Mel Trotter Ministries began using Virtuous Automation within days—one early automated send generated 26 new donors—while automated welcome series, first‑time gift follow‑ups, CEO anniversary thank‑you calls, and workflow‑driven data cleanup improved staff efficiency and donor engagement. With Virtuous, MTM gained cleaner, more accessible data, faster onboarding across teams, measurable ROI, and a platform that fits their processes rather than forcing them to adapt.

Mel Trotter Ministries

Beth Fisher

VP of Communications and Development