top of page

Porchlight

Equity in Education Cover

Porchlight (formerly Congregations for the Homeless)

2021 - 2022

Services:

Campaign Counsel

Sector:

Human Services

Porchlight, formerly known as Congregations for the Homeless (CFH), operates East King County’s only emergency men’s shelter and provides wraparound programs and care to support men experiencing homelessness.

In 2018, the organization cast a vision to build the eastside’s first and only permanent emergency men’s shelter, and began raising capital to renovate their temporary shelter and construct a permanent facility. In 2021, with $10 million in government and private commitments in hand, they sought to raise a final $5.5 million in private funds over 1-2 years.

Ostara was hired to provide comprehensive campaign counsel, including establishing clear goals, timelines and reports, managing and training volunteer fundraisers, advising on grants and major donor strategy, and project managing campaign meetings and activities. With our practical experience shepherding large capital campaigns and our empathetic, shoulder-to-shoulder approach, we embedded with the team to navigate the complex project and relationships.

With a strengths-based approach, Ostara helped leverage an effective steering committee, project team and executive director, as well as expand the case for support and goal around a more comprehensive $25 million vision to account for increased costs, capital reserves and startup operating expenses. Over the next 18 months, the vision was met with enthusiasm by the funding community, and as construction drew to completion, the staff took the campaign over goal with a public phase and celebration in 2023.

bottom of page