Help-a-Heart

What Help-a-Heart does

Help-a-Heart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded on May 9, 2006 by Melissa Hooper and Emily Graber—both mothers of children born with congenital heart defects (CHD)—and headquartered in Prairie City, Iowa. The organization's mission is to provide financial and emotional support to Iowa families affected by congenital heart disease during a child's extended hospitalization. Its core offerings include a Financial Assistance Program disbursing $100 per week (or $400 per month) to qualifying families after a child's hospitalization exceeds two weeks, with no financial eligibility requirements; a monthly Support Group founded in 2010; a Bereavement Support Group established in 2017 for "heart angel" families; meal programs on surgery and catheterization days; gift cards for food and gas; lodging and Ronald McDonald House support; hospital visit gift deliveries; and special family events. Since inception, Help-a-Heart reports assisting more than 400 Iowa families with cumulative disbursements exceeding $240,000.

The organization's revenue model is donation-driven, combining year-round individual contributions (PayPal, Venmo, checks, Amazon Smile, Cards for a Cause cause-marketing) with annual fundraising events, principally the Superhero Heart Run (a 5K/2K co-hosted with Heart Heroes, Inc.) and the Celebration of Life Dinner & Silent Auction (the 14th annual event in 2019 drew 400+ attendees and raised over $22,000). Distribution is direct-to-family through hospital referrals from nurses and social workers at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City, supplemented by word-of-mouth and family-to-family referrals. The organization has held 28 fundraisers (14 silent auctions, 14 walks, and 6 runs) in the Des Moines area since May 2006. Geographic scope is intentionally Iowa-focused because the bulk of funding originates from Iowa donors, though the organization has assisted Iowans who traveled out of state for care.

Help-a-Heart is staffed by 1–10 employees/volunteers and is operated without institutional capital, private equity backing, or a parent company. Strategic corporate relationships include regional financial and retail partners such as Veridian Credit Union (Spark the Spirit, $5,000, 2019) and Scheels (Giving Tuesday, $2,000, 2019), alongside the recurring event partnership with Heart Heroes, Inc. The organization maintains a Facebook presence and a monthly email newsletter but explicitly relies on community referrals over paid marketing.

Name

Help-a-Heart

Legal name

Help-A-Heart

Website

https://help-a-heart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Help-a-Heart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides financial assistance, meals, lodging support, and emotional support groups to Iowa families affected by congenital heart defects during a child's extended hospitalization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Congenital Heart Disease Family Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Rare Disease & Special Needs Support Organizations (BPAGACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Congenital heart disease support
• Family financial assistance
• Pediatric cardiac advocacy
• Nonprofit health services
• Heart family support

Headquarters

HQ city

Prairie City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: Help-a-Heart receives donations year-round via PayPal, Venmo, and check. Donations from Iowans form the primary funding source for the organization's financial assistance programs.
2. Fundraising Events: Annual events including the Celebration of Life Dinner & Silent Auction and Superhero Heart Run generate revenue through ticket sales, auction items, and event sponsorships. The 14th Annual event in 2019 raised over $22,000 with over 400 attendees.
3. Cause Marketing: Partnership campaigns such as Cards for a Cause generate revenue through product sales where a portion of proceeds goes to Help-a-Heart (e.g., $13 from each $30 card box sold).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Help-a-Heart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 that provides financial and emotional support to Iowa families affected by congenital heart defects (CHD). It delivers direct aid such as meal vouchers, hospital parking passes, and gas cards, and runs emotional-support programs including in-hospital peer support groups and community events like the annual Heart Family Picnic.

Product overview

Help-A-Heart is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 that provides emotional and financial support to Iowa families affected by congenital heart disease (CHD). The organization operates as a service-focused nonprofit rather than a technology product. Its core offerings include a Financial Assistance Program providing $100/week after hospitalizations exceed two weeks, monthly support group meetings, bereavement support for families who have lost children to CHD, meal programs on surgery days, gift card assistance for food and gas, hospital visit programs with gifts, and lodging support through Ronald McDonald House payments. The organization also runs annual awareness and fundraising events including the Superhero Heart Run (5K/2K) and Celebration of Life Silent Auction. Since inception, Help-A-Heart has provided over $240,000 in assistance to more than 400 families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Assistance Program Direct financial aid to Iowa families affected by congenital heart defects, delivered through meal vouchers, hospital parking passes, and gas cards to offset costs during hospital stays and treatment.
• In-Hospital Peer Support Group Peer-led emotional support program for families affected by congenital heart defects, delivered in-hospital to provide community and coping support during treatment.
• Heart Family Picnic Annual community picnic hosted by Help-a-Heart that brings together Iowa families affected by congenital heart defects for connection, recreation, and peer support outside the hospital setting.

Quantifiable outcome

• $240,000+ provided to 400+ families since 2006
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Heart Heroes, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeart Heroes, Inc. is a co-host of the annual Superhero Heart Run alongside Help-A-Heart. Both organizations collaborate on events to raise awareness and funding for congenital heart defects, with proceeds benefiting programs and services provided by both organizations.
• Raccoon River Park Softball ComplexminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVenue partner for the annual Superhero Heart Run event held at Coneflower Shelters in Raccoon River Park.
• Mercy Medical CentercoreOthersPrimary hospital partner in Des Moines where Help-A-Heart focuses its efforts and receives family referrals through social workers and nurses.
• University of Iowa Children's HospitalcoreOthersPrimary hospital partner in Iowa City where Help-A-Heart focuses its efforts and receives family referrals through social workers and nurses.
• Amazon SmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Smile donates a portion of eligible purchases to Help-A-Heart when customers shop at smile.amazon.com and select Help-A-Heart as their charity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Children's Heart Foundation: National 501(c)(3) focused on funding congenital heart defect research and supporting CHD-affected families. Directly comparable mission (CHD families) but operates at a national scale with research grants as the primary funding lens, whereas Help-a-Heart focuses on direct family financial and emotional assistance.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: National nonprofit providing lodging and support for families with sick children receiving medical care away from home. Help-a-Heart directly funds Ronald McDonald House payments for CHD families, making RMHC a key ecosystem partner and partial functional peer in the lodging-support category.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: Large nonprofit raising funds for children's hospitals including those that treat CHD patients (Mercy Medical Center, University of Iowa Children's Hospital). Adjacent peer — operates at hospital-system level rather than family-direct, but competes for the same corporate and individual donor dollars in Iowa.
• March of Dimes: National nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health, including support for families affected by birth defects and infant health complications. Adjacent peer — broader mission but overlapping donor demographic of families with medically vulnerable children in Iowa.

Direct peers

• Mended Little Hearts: National CHD family support organization providing hospital outreach, peer support, and education to families of children with heart defects. Most directly comparable peer — similar in-person hospital-based support group model and family-assistance orientation, but operates nationally with affiliated chapters.
• Heart Heroes, Inc. Co-host of Help-a-Heart's annual Superhero Heart Run; a CHD nonprofit providing superhero capes, support programs, and awareness events for affected families. Closest operational peer given the explicit co-marketing and shared event partnership.
• Conquering CHD: National CHD advocacy and family support organization offering state chapters, peer support, and educational resources. Comparable mission (CHD family support and awareness), operates at a larger national scale with formal state-chapter structure.
• It's My Heart, Inc. Nonprofit providing support, education, and advocacy for those affected by congenital heart defects. Comparable peer with similar family-support orientation, particularly in providing local support group resources analogous to Help-a-Heart's Iowa group.

Emerging players

• Sydnexis (formerly Sister's By Heart): Volunteer-run nonprofit supporting families affected by single ventricle heart defects (HLHS and related CHDs) — directly overlapping Help-a-Heart's medical-condition-specific focus. Comparable in scale and parent-led volunteer model.
• Camp Odayin: Residential summer camp and year-round support programs for children with heart disease and their families. Comparable peer in providing community and emotional support for CHD families, though focused on camp-based experiences rather than hospital-stay financial assistance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/helpaheart2006
• Xx.com/helpaheartiowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Help-a-Heart