Friends in Solidarity
Friends in Solidarity is a collaborative ministry initiated by Institutes of Women and Men Religious in the United States supporting the people of Africa, especially South Sudan, through capacity building initiatives that include the training of teachers, health care professionals and pastoral teams. Compelled by the suffering of our African brothers and sisters, we are committed to raising awareness of their situation and working in collaboration with the Church in Africa as it accompanies, equips and empowers the people to create a sustainable future where their full human potential may be realized.
Challenge
Friends in Solidarity was looking for a user-friendly, integrated donor management system that would be easy to learn and enter in donations on the go. “I was interested in having an integrated system where data would only have to be entered once, e.g. Online donations could automatically be entered into the fund-raising software which would sync with the financial program,” said Sister Joan Mumaw, President at Friends in Solidarity.
After doing some research, Joan realized that Bloomerang might just be the easy-to-learn solution they were searching for. “I began with an internet search of fund-raising software and then read reviews on Business Software.com. I also used [Bloomerang’s] tutorials for a few months before signing up as a subscriber. I really appreciate all the support through online tutorials and written guides.”
Solution
Friends in Solidarity had finally found a dependable system that could grow with them. Implementing an integrated system was Joan’s ultimate goal. “I like the fact that I can track proposals and grants on this system. We are also able to reach current donors and potential donors through email newsletters. And we can segment the list to appeal to those with different interests.”
Ease of use and ample learning resources were also a must-have for Joan, without any added cost. “I also wanted something that was user-friendly which I could learn since we are a one person office at this time. I will be able to teach others as we grow. Cost was also a consideration and Bloomerang was cost-effective for a start up like Friends in Solidarity.”
Results
Friends in Solidarity has seen several fundraising pain points be alleviated since implementing Bloomerang. One such benefit is that they are now able to receive more online donations and grow their work and reach with a new system in place. Having all of the constituent information and online donations seamlessly and automatically entered into one place has been really convenient.
At the end of the day, all of this has contributed to Friends in Solidarity putting more focus on donor retention, and seeing that effort pay off. “We are receiving more online donations and we have increased our dollars raised over year one, 2016. We are retaining 50% of our donors. We need to connect with them more often via email newsletters.” Luckily, Bloomerang can help with that.
It’s amazing what a user-friendly, integrated tool can do for the growth of an organization such as Friends in Solidarity.