SWEET Online Fundraising Blog

Walk-a-thon software leads to fundraising success in down economy

It is very difficult to raise money right now.  Sponsorships and grants are down.  Major donor prospects have dried up.

Fortunately we have good news to share.  Our clients who are using SWEET Fundraising Software for their walkathons and pledge events are experiencing unprecedented growth in their campaigns.

For example, ASK, recently raised over $145,000 in their walkathon.  Their goal was $100,000.  Preeclampsia Foundation is in the midst of their Promise Walk for Preeclampsia.  The goal for their walk was $100,000.  They have exceeded their goal and have reset their objective to $150,000.  The list goes on.

What do these orgs have in common?

1.  Their campaign involves pledge fundraising where large groups of volunteers solicit their networks for relatively small donations.  The donations can really add up. 

2.  They use SWEET Walkathon and Pledge Event  Websites.  This ensures that they are not paying exorbitant commission fees on the money that they raise, which can then be put toward the organization's mission.

The pledge fundraising model is proven to work in good and bad economies.  Development Directors need to stop making excuses and leverage tried and true methods to generate the funds that are more difficult to come by from sponsorships, grants, and major donors. 

How to Raise $300,000 With A Walkathon

We learn a lot from our clients and we like to pass that information along to you.  We also use this information to hone SWEET Walkathon and Pledge Event Fundraising Websites into the perfect pledge event software. 

Here are some metrics from a real event that will benefit the  Katz Institute for Women's Health and Katz Women's Hospital of the North Shore-LIJ Health System.  For more information, visit http://www.everywomanmatterswalk.com.

Here are the numbers that show how Katz was able to raise $300,000.  If this is the revenue goal for your organization, then these metrics should help you set your objectives as you plan your event.

• Number of walkers in the event: 1447
• Number of teams formed by walkers: 205
• Average donation size: $139
• Average size of ONLINE donations: $54
• Average size of CHECK donations: $534
• Number of donations collected: 2182
• Number of ONLINE donations: 1791
• Number of CHECKS donations: 391
• Average amount raised by a walker: $211
• Average amount raised by a team $1488
• Donations were collected over 87 days
• Walkers hailed from 4 different States
• Donors represented 46 different US states

There's a lot of information there.  Enough to draw a number of conclusions. 

A couple of metrics of note;

1. Donations were collected over a 3 month period.  We see this in our most successful events.  This seems to be the magic number.  If you're running a pledge event, give your event participants at least 3 months to raise money. 
2. Also, the average online donation was about $50.  This is also a number that we see freqently.  Use it in your calculations as you figure out how many donations you will need to get to reach your fundraising objective. 
3. Last, but not least, this is clearly a local charity that exponentially expanded its reach.  Walkers represented only 4 states, NY, NJ, MA, and ME.  Yet, donors came from 46 different states.  That's the kind of outreach that is only possible through a pledge event or a-thon.

How to Raise a $100,000 With A 5K or Walkathon

If you're planning an "A-thon" at your organization and aspire to raising over $100,000, then you should set your sights on acheiving the type of metrics displayed below.

1. 1500 people walked or ran in the event
2. 85 teams were formed
3. 1900 donations were collected by the runners/walkers
4. 1800 donations were online
5. $1300 was raised on average by teams
6. $75 was raised on average by runners/walkers
7. 70 days from the time of the first donation to the last 
8. 9 different states were represented by walkers and runners
9. 50 different states were represented by donors

That's how one organization (http://www.askwalk.org/) did it using SWEET.

The number of participants in this event was higher than usual.  The average amount raised by each participant was lower than we usually see. 

But ASK (www.askweb.org) got  the job done. If you can't get as many people to attend your event then you should focus your efforts on maximizing the revenue generated by each participant by; imposing minimums, emailing frequently with tips, and recognizing the top fundraisers from week to week.

The data also clearly shows the virality of this effort.  This is a local event where most of the participants were from Virginia and other states in the mid-atlantic.  But the donor base was national - All 50 States.

Boys & Girls Clubs Golf-a-thon

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids,MI is set to kick off its "100 Holes Challenge," a golf pledge event fundraiser, using SWEET Fundraising Software for Walkathons and Pledge Events.

40 golfers will try to play 100 holes of golf.  For free! ;-)  All golfers, like this one, will try to raise $2500 for The Boys & Girls Clubs using their personal fundraising pages.

All proceeds from the Grand Rapids  100 Holes Challenge will go to support ‘Project Learn’, an academic achievement program that is being implemented at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth. This program reinforces and enhances the skills and knowledge youth learns in school through high-yield learning activities at the clubs and in the home.

Good luck, golfers!

Game Changers: SWEET Fundraising Software on IPad

The IPad has landed with much fanfare and impressive early sales.  Not only does device possess the ultra-usability if it's predecessor, the IPhone, but it also combines a large viewing area, touchscreen, long battery life, and  unprecedented connectivity.

The IPad, used in conjunction with a service like SWEET Fundraising Software for Walk-a-thons and Pledge Events can really be a game-changer for nonprofit event planners.

Registration and Check-in at a nonprofit event is a PAIN in the A**.

Volunteers, bulky equipment, old laptops, stinky batteries, offline and asynchronous systems all add up to confusion, long-lines, and lack of clarity as to who has paid.  Did i mention the angry event-goers?

From a nonprofit's perspective, using SWEET on an Ipad can be a godsend for event planning and execution.  No more wires, no more bulky laptops, no more confusion at the check-in table.  Just  login and and voila.  Your guest list complete with info about who has paid and who hasn't.

And if a registrant hasn't paid, simply click on the payment form and the registrant can pay on the spot.  No checks, no paperwork.  An organization can own a small fleet of these devices used by volunteers at check-in.  Everyone can benefit from being logged in and connected.  For example,someone pays using the IPad at the check-in table.  The volunteers at the t-shirt or incentives table will know to give them their door prize.  No more arguing or confusion about who payments.

SWEET and the IPad can eliminate so many pain points caused by event registration. 

Used together, SWEET and the IPad can lower the costs of running a pledge event and increase the ROI for the nonprofit.  The proliferation of devices like this will certainly make registration capabilities a vital component of any pledge event website offering.  Luckily, SWEET is already outfitted with an advanced and highly customizable registration module.

Hospital Network Boosts Fundraising with Walkathon and Marathon Software

The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System (NSLIJ) is running 2 pledge event fundraisers that have netted over $175,000, to date, for hospitals in their network.

This is a clear cut example of a hospital system taking the fundraising bull by the horns by enlisting the people that benefit from its services to generate the funds required to keep it running. 

In addition, NSLIJ has empowered their fundraisers with SWEET Walkathon and Pledge Event Software, making it easy for their event participants to generate large sums quickly and easily.  Several individuals have raised over $1000 already.  Some have even exceeded $3000!

This is an uncertain time for many in the health care system, but NSLIJ is showing that they can use proven fundraising methods and tools like SWEET to mitigate some of the uncertainty.  And people are seemingly more than willing to help.

Every Woman Matters http://www.everywomanmatterswalk.com is a walkathon to benefit the new Katz Institute for Women's Health and Katz Women's Hospital.

Tri-ing for Kids!! http://sch.tri-ingforkids.org/ is a grassroots group that will compete in the Mighty Montauk Triathlon on June 12, 2010 to benefit Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park. The group consists of all levels of participants, from elite triathletes to newcomers to the sport.

"Lets See What Happens" Approach Will Doom Your Walkathon or Pledge Event

All too often I get calls from organizations planning first year pledge events or walkathons that fail to set revenue and participation objectives for their event.  Needless to say, this approach is destined for failure.

The "let's see what happens approach" prevents organizations from truly buying in to meeting the goals for their event.

Take for example, the decision to use walkathon or pledge event software for their event.  An event planner using the "let's see what happens approach" will undoubtedly choose the vendor that charges based on percentage of transaction.   This results in a lose - lose scenario.  If you don't raise that much money, you don't pay a lot but in the end the organization does not benefit from the event.  If you raise a lot of money you are stuck with exorbitant fees and overcharges because your cost for the software is uncapped.

There are also cultural drawbacks for using the "let's see what happens" approach.  If you haven't planned properly, you certainly will not know how many people to expect to attend and how much they should be raising.

If there are no goals, there is no incentive to strive towards something and plenty of ways to make excuses to justify failure.  In the end, it's an approach that will waste valuable resources and doom your event to fail.

SWEET Walkathon Software: Mashed Up, Tricked Out, Raising Money

The Preeclampsia Foundation (www.preeclampsia.org) recently launched its SWEET Website for the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia(http://www.promisewalk.org/).

The event is in its early stages but the website has been the fulcrum for over $24,000 raised in the first 2 weeks of its launch.

The Promise Walk SWEET website is a mashup of some of the most powerful services online.  A quick glance at the home page shows Google Maps and the familiar pushpins serving as the gateway for online registrations at walk locations around the country. 

To the right is content from an RSS feed of a Wordpress blog simultaneously sharing info and providing SEO benefits.

Inside you'll find a photos taken from a Flickr gallery.

Under the hood is a world class payment gateway.

The result is a fundraising machine that has been very successful, very quickly.

The credit goes to the forward thinking leaders of the Preeclampsia Foundation, including Executive Director Eleni Tsigas, who prioritized the online component of this nationwide event. 

She understood, that there is no other way to run a nationwide, multi-location event without a top-notch web site. 

By using SWEET, the Preeclampsia Foundation also avoids hitting their donors with unnecessary and hidden transaction fees.  This keeps the donors and the organization happy.  

For more information about the Promise Walk for Preeclampsia please visit www.promisewalk.org.

For more information about the Preeclampsia Foundation please visit www.preeclampsia.org.

For more information about SWEET Walkathon and Pledge Event Software please visit http://www.blueskycollaborative.com/bscv2/Main/SWEET/Default.aspx

Jordan's Polar Plunge is Back

There is a really only one good reason to take a dip in the ocean off Plymouth Beach in the middle of winter.  It is to raise money to help cancer patients. 

Jordan's Polar Plunge is a creative a-thon event where participants raise money online.  The event culminates in March when everyone takes the plunge into the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the unforgiving northeastern winter.

Over the past several years, thousands of people have  'Taken the Plunge' for the JHC Cancer Center, and have raised hundreds-of-thousands of dollars for this worthy cause.

For the second year in row, Jordan's Hospital Club has chosen SWEET for its pledge fundraising website.

Jordans' Polar Plunge is a very unique event with a rabbid group of supporters.  Even more, the money that is raised goes to a very worthy cause.  The success of this pledge event has grown over the years and the folks at Jordan Hospital Club should be proud of what they have built.  We are certainly happy that they continue to choose SWEET for their event..

The Wrong Pledge Event Website Can Actually Add to Your Event Costs

A colleague of mine in St Louis purchased a "do it yourself" website for his walkathon a few years ago.

He figured that the walkathon needed to accept donations in the online channel as well as by mail and phone.  That's sound reasoning.

He also assumed that the walkathon software would greatly reduce the time and cost of administering the event.  A drop in mail-in registrations, data entry, and mailing costs would drastically and positively effect the cost of the event for the organization.

He purchased a low budget "do it yourself" walkathon website to keep his costs down.

Great plan, right?

He was disappointed to find that the org was in fact spending more time designing their website than they had been spending on manual registrations.

The costs were actually greater for their organization.  And the result was a "lame website" (his words) that made their organization look bad.

The fact is, orgs that take on technical projects when acquiring software from low budget or open source providers are simply replacing their old manual labor costs with new ones. 

Instead of working on mailings and data entry, they are trying to figure out how to make text bold, or how to right justify an image and put a border on it.

What's the point?

If you're going to invest in a website for your walkathon, bike ride, or other pledge event invest in a product and service where the work is done for you.  This way, you can spend the time on marketing, communication, and revenue generation.  The point of the event is to raise money.  All your activities should be tailored to meet that objective.