Episode Summary: Building a Movement – Scaling the Fight for Life Across Michigan

Podcast: The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast
Episode: 107
Date: October 22, 2025
Hosts: Jason Galasinski and Jim Dempsey
Guest: Kristen Polo, Director, Protect Life Michigan

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode focuses on the transformation of Protect Life Michigan from a small, mission-driven nonprofit into a rapidly expanding, statewide movement. It dives deep into leadership mindsets, scaling strategies, and practical steps for nonprofit leaders who aspire to turn their cause into a movement capable of impacting public opinion and long-term policy. Kristen Polo shares hard-won lessons and pivotal moments from her organization’s journey, while the hosts offer analogies and actionable insights relevant to any nonprofit leader aiming to scale their impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Vision and Mission of Protect Life Michigan

• 20-Year History & Recent Growth: The organization, present for two decades, experienced explosive growth in the last three years as it adopted a new, clear vision: "to make abortion unthinkable in Michigan" ([03:02]).
• Changing Hearts and Minds: Instead of just focusing on legislation, Protect Life Michigan mobilizes young people to engage peers in transformative conversations about abortion ([03:32], [04:42]).
  • "We are constantly, every single day, deploying teams of young people...to have conversations with pro-choice people in the hopes of changing their position." – Kristen ([03:32])

2. Addressing the Cultural Narrative

• Why Young People Stray from Pro-life Views: Influences come from social media, academia, and popular culture, often even affecting youth in Christian homes ([05:20]).
• The "Human Rights Argument": A paradigm shift starts by asking, "Do you believe in human rights?" to lead students to consider how abortion fits within their own worldview ([06:28]).
  • "It creates this light bulb moment...suddenly they're thinking about this issue from a very different perspective." – Kristen ([07:00])

3. Strategy Shift After Legislative Defeat

• Catalyst for Change: The 2022 constitutional amendment allowing wide abortion access could have ended their cause, but instead, it galvanized the organization’s resolve ([08:31]).
  • "If abortion doesn't stop, neither do we." – Kristen ([09:13])
  • "So instead of giving up, you got up and moved and things along because you said the real change, the real growth has come in the last three years." – Jim ([09:45])
• Movement Building: Emphasis on recruiting, training, and deploying a growing team of young leaders and supporters ([10:53]).

4. Explosive Organizational Growth

• Volunteers and Staff: Grew from no volunteers to 2,500 in two months; expanded staff from 10 to over 50 ([11:44]).
• Campus Reach: Jumped from work on 6 to over 20 college campuses, now involving thousands of students ([12:12]).
  • "When you combine, hey, we know where we're going with the impact that they feel when they actually talk to someone who changes their mind. Those are two powerful things. You get a taste of what it feels like to change the world." – Kristen ([12:35])

5. Why Focus on College Campuses

• Strategic Battleground: College students are making key belief decisions, are more open to change, and are densely located for effective outreach ([13:09]-[13:59]).
  • "Young people under the age of 29 are two to five times more likely to change their beliefs about abortion." – Kristen ([13:16])
  • "Something like 46% of abortions are performed on college-age women." – Kristen ([15:07])

6. Principles of Movement Building (Drawing from Bill Bright & Crew)

• Prayer-First Mentality: All large-scale change should be rooted in prayer and faith ([16:14]).
• Finding Catalysts: Identify and support key individuals ("sparks") to start new teams, even if there are setbacks due to high turnover ([16:26]-[17:15]).
  • "We start things. And that is what it's about. Sometimes we...just have to keep starting over and over and over again till it finally catches on." – Jim ([18:07])
• Build Systems for Sustainable Growth: Develop training and blueprint methods to continually inspire new leaders ([18:40]).

7. Scaling Through the Vision Dinner Model

• Vision Dinner Tactics: Donor dinners as low-barrier, replicable hubs for building a supporter base in new regions ([19:37]-[21:23]).
  • "We're going to turn 10 into 10,000. And that's our movement...trying to build this army of people coming behind us." – Kristen ([20:23])
• Merging Movements: Bringing together students and financial partners creates long-term, transformative buy-in ([21:37]-[22:45]).
  • "It really is a difference between transactional giving and transformational giving." – Jason ([22:45])

8. Transformational Giving

• Impactful Donor Engagement: Donors who experience the mission firsthand become deeply invested, sometimes changing life plans to support the ministry ([23:22]-[24:55]).
  • "You made their life significant and when they could see the impact...you help them see why they work so hard." – Jim ([24:54])
  • "True value of partnership is it takes everyone doing their part..." – Kristen ([25:06])

9. Movement-Building Mindset for Other Leaders

• Litmus Test for Scaling: Start with prayer and seek a God-sized vision instead of operating only based on current bandwidth or resources ([26:12]).
  • "That is a scary prayer to pray because in our case, it's given us a vision that we feel like is so beyond our capabilities...every step of the way. He has provided for that vision in every aspect." – Kristen ([26:12])
• Build Support & Momentum: Use events like vision dinners to match eager supporters with organizational needs ([27:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Seedling Growth into a Movement:

  "We started with just six college campuses...now we're on more than 20."
  – Kristen Polo ([12:12])

• On College Focus:

  "46% of abortions are performed on college-age women...We want to break through the noise that they're hearing in culture with the truth."
  – Kristen Polo ([15:07])

• On Leader Mindset:

  "Instead of first starting with, 'I have this much money in the bank,' start with, 'God, what is your vision for this organization and for this ministry that you have put me in charge of?'"
  – Kristen ([26:12])

• On Donor Transformation:

  "You made their life significant...and you got many more people that are doing that as well...you help them see why they work so hard."
  – Jim ([24:54])

• On Overcoming Setbacks:

  "If abortion doesn't stop, neither do we."
  – Kristen ([09:13])

• On Merging Two Movements:

  "Maybe there's some partners you could take onto the college campus with you so they could actually live life with you and see what your ministry is like—that actually might make them better partners."
  – Jim ([21:41])

Important Timestamps

• 00:56-03:02 – Kristen introduces herself and outlines Protect Life Michigan’s vision.
• 03:32-04:42 – Approach to changing hearts and minds; practical challenges on campuses.
• 06:28 – The “human rights” dialogue model for paradigm shifts.
• 08:31-09:13 – Pivotal 2022 defeat and vision reformation.
• 11:44-12:15 – Volunteer and staff explosion; rapid campus engagement increase.
• 13:09-13:59 – Why college campuses are the core battleground.
• 16:14-17:37 – Bill Bright/Crew principles as movement blueprints; handling turnover.
• 19:37-21:23 – Vision Dinner as a tool for movement-spreading and fundraising.
• 22:45-24:55 – Stories and importance of transformational giving and donor engagement.
• 26:12-27:45 – Litmus test for leaders: prayer, vision, and faith-based scalability.

Conclusion: Actionable Takeaways for Nonprofit Leaders

• Root movement-building in prayer and God-sized vision.
• Focus outreach where stakeholders are most open to change (e.g., young adults, college campuses).
• Marry tangible supporter engagement (like Vision Dinners) with ongoing, authentic updates and involvement.
• Don’t fear starting small—success begins with a few committed “sparks.”
• Persevere through setbacks; growth accelerates when vision solidifies.

For more details on vision dinner strategy or joining the mentorship program, listen to the full episode or visit the Fundraising Masterminds website.