The Education Foundation of Lake County
The Education Foundation of Lake County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Lake County schools in Florida. The Foundation’s mission is to evaluate the needs of students and teachers and secure resources to ensure that every student and teacher has a better experience in the classroom. Amber Castellano, the Foundation’s communication and events specialist, and Kacey Edmondson, the donor development relations specialist, are responsible for ensuring that the Foundation’s operations run smoothly and providing transparency to donors on the impact of their fundraising activities.
The challenge
The Foundation faced challenges in tracking donations, maintaining updated donor information, and effective communication with benefactors. The old database was inefficient, as Edmondson noted, “It was so cumbersome that it just impacted the time to get quick information.”
The solution
To address these issues, the Foundation partnered with Bloomerang, a donor management software provider. This partnership significantly improved their operations. Edmondson mentioned, “The ability to schedule reports has saved as much as two hours in a day.”
Using Bloomerang has made it possible for the Lake County team to track donations in real time. Amber Castellano stated, “We know when someone donates, and we can send them a thank you note right away.” The Foundation also benefited from Bloomerang email tools, allowing them to create targeted messages. “We’re able to send them to the right people at the right time,” Edmondson added.
The Foundation’s digital innovation was highlighted in their annual fundraiser, “Stepping Out for Education.” Switching from paper-based credit card information to a QR code for donations led to a record-breaking event. Castellano shared, “The ease of using that QR code led to our having our highest year in on-the-floor ask for Stepping Out than ever before,” resulting in almost triple their previous record.
The results
Since adopting Bloomerang, the Foundation has seen a 19% increase in donations year over year, which was a substantial improvement for the organization. The platform has also made it easier to accurately track donors and their impact on the organization and optimize donor communications.
“The ease of using that QR code led to our having our highest year in on-the-floor ask for Stepping Out than ever before,”
What’s next?
Looking forward, they plan to continue leveraging Bloomerang, including new technologies like Tap to Pay, to enhance their impact on Lake County schools. Castellano and Edmondson remain optimistic about the future, confident in their ability to positively influence students and teachers through these improvements.
"I love that I can count on Bloomerang working behind the scenes to both make my job easier, and better for our donors."
Time savings from automation
In on-the-floor donations at major events
In donations year over year
