About Anchor & Oak Strategies
Faithfully Planted. Strategically Grown.
At Anchor & Oak Strategies, we help organizations thrive with clarity, strength, and purpose.
We are driven by the conviction that every community organization should have the capacity to grow faithfully and bear lasting fruit.
Where Need & Hope Meet
We serve mission driven organizations because we believe their work touches the heart of the human condition. They stand where need and hope meet by addressing brokenness, lifting up communities, and offering renewal. Behind that meaningful work are the systems, leadership, relationships, and strategy that help organizations steward their mission well and prepare thoughtfully for what comes next. That is why we exist.
Our work is built around three commitments:
Clarity - Helping leaders see the path forward with confidence.
Strength - Building healthy boards, teams, and fundraising systems.
Faithfulness - Stewarding every opportunity with excellence and care.
We believe strong systems and strategies create space for leaders to lead, for missions to expand, and for communities to thrive.
The Anchor & the Oak
The image of the anchor and the oak shapes who we are. An anchor holds firm in shifting waters, offering stability and trust. An oak stands tall, rooted deeply and bearing fruit across generations.
Together, they represent the kind of leadership and growth we cultivate in every partnership: steady, resilient, and purposefully fruitful.
The verse that grounds our work is Psalm 1:3:
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
Rooted in faith, this is the vision of Anchor & Oak Strategies: to see faith and purpose bear fruit.
Meet the Founder
Elijah Melendez
Founder & Principal
Elijah Melendez founded Anchor & Oak Strategies to help nonprofits and churches grow with clarity, strength, and purpose. His work is guided by a personal mission shaped years ago (in high school English class) by the enduring question: What is the human condition? That question has become a calling to intellectually advance the social service sector and practically create systems that heal, empower, and multiply impact.
Professionally, Elijah has guided organizations through campaigns, grant funding, and sustainable development planning, with experience spanning grassroots ministries and established nonprofits. He previously served in education, international missions, and student ministry. Most recently, he served as the Director of Operations and Development at the North Charleston Dental Outreach, where he helped expand access to care for underserved families and establish the clinic’s fundraising capacity from the ground-up.
Elijah earned his BA with Honors in English, summa cum laude, from The Citadel, with a minor in Fine Arts. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP). He is currently pursuing his MBA at Charleston Southern University, expected May 2026. His research interests include organizational leadership, social entrepreneurship, biblical anthropology, and the theology of work. He serves as a Sergeant (11B) in the SC Army National Guard and is a board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals - SC Lowcountry chapter.
At Anchor & Oak, Elijah brings this blend of academic training, professional expertise, and lived mission into every engagement. He is supported by an amazing wife (who he doesn’t deserve), a wonderful church-family, and two fun-loving boys, Malachi (18 mo) and Judah (3 yrs).
Meet the Team
Allie Rivers
Development Manager
Brooke
Grant Writer
Caitlin Iglesias
Marketing Specialist
Ready to Strengthen the Business of Mission?
Whether your organization is preparing for growth, navigating a new season, strengthening existing systems, or exploring where additional support could be helpful, we would be glad to learn more about your work and what lies ahead.