How Habitat for Humanity of Martin County Enhanced Donor Engagement with Bloomerang
Habitat for Humanity of Martin County has been a vital force in providing safe and affordable housing for families in their Florida community for more than 30 years. Their commitment to building homes, forming community partnerships, and empowering families directly addresses the urgent need for housing stability. Athary Koning, the Director of Donor Relations, leads the organization’s fundraising events and donor engagement initiatives.
Key highlights
For more than 30 years, Habitat for Humanity of Martin County has been building homes and hope in their Florida community. But an outdated, clunky CRM made it tough to keep track of donors and stay connected. Switching to Bloomerang changed everything. Now, the team can segment donors, automate engagement, and generate meaningful reports—all with ease. These tools helped them achieve a 43% fiscal-year donor retention rate, re-engage 35 high-impact lapsed donors, and grow their major donor base by 7%. With streamlined processes and stronger relationships, Habitat Martin County is empowering even more families to find stability and a place to call home.
The problem
Before discovering Bloomerang, Habitat Martin County struggled with an outdated and cumbersome CRM system. “The CRM we had was clunky and complicated. It was slow and hard to navigate, making it nearly impossible to pull meaningful reports,” Athary described. This setup made it challenging to track and cultivate relationships with supporters.
Athary also found that the old system left them without the necessary information to engage potential donors. “We had no way of knowing who our lapsed donors were,” she explained, “and there was no predictive reporting.” Without this critical information, the team struggled to nurture relationships and identify potential supporters. Athary reflected on how the system left them in the dark: “We had so many donors that we couldn’t track properly.” This lack of visibility prevented the team from focusing their efforts where they could have the most impact, significantly challenging their growth and sustainability.
The solution
Switching to Bloomerang transformed how Habitat Martin County approached donor management and engagement. “It’s opened up a more creative space for me,” Athary explained, “Instead I can focus more on engaging with donors rather than struggling with inefficient systems,” which helped her small team operate more effectively.
With Bloomerang, they moved away from fragmented tools to a comprehensive system that helped the organization build meaningful connections with supporters.
Data segmentation for personalized outreach
One of the standout features for Athary’s team is Bloomerang data segmentation. “It’s incredibly easy to use,” she explained. “You can easily generate a report to differentiate between any segment of donors you need.” Now, the team can group donors by giving history or interests, making it easier to send messages that really resonate with each group.
Efficient reporting tools
Bloomerang reporting capabilities have changed the game for Habitat Martin County. “Bloomerang reports help our Executive Director and finance team better understand the real impact of our development work,” Athary explained. The ability to generate insights quickly has empowered the organization to track lapsing donors and understand giving trends, enhancing their overall strategy.
Engagement and follow-up automation
Automation has streamlined many of the team’s processes, enabling them to focus on building relationships. “We can send tailored campaigns to specific donor segments without spending extra hours,” Athary said. “The reporting comes up automatically on a weekly and monthly basis, so I can easily track what’s happening.” This efficiency enables the team to handle more without feeling overwhelmed, whether it’s sending updates or thank-you notes.
Wealth screening and generosity scores
Using Bloomerang wealth screening and Generosity Scores, Athary zeroes in on high-potential donors, tailoring their outreach to connect with those who can make the most impact. This targeted approach helps Athary’s team focus on relationships with supporters who are more likely to make a significant impact, building connections that are both intentional and effective.
Grant tracking for stronger partnerships
The ability to track grants has also been crucial for the team. Athary can revisit past partnerships and reconnect with supporters. “It’s valuable because we can go back decades and see past grants,” she noted, which simplifies rekindling relationships with former funders.
The results
Since implementing Bloomerang, Habitat Martin County has significantly improved donor engagement and fundraising effectiveness.
By using wealth screening and generosity scores, Athary and team identified 35 lapsed donors who’d each contributed $10,000 or more, and because of their successful data-driven outreach, they were able to re-engage a significant portion of those donors. Because Bloomerang identified these lapsed donors, Athary noted, “I was able to re-engage many more than we lost by having a simple conversation.” This approach left a positive impression on donors and has led to ongoing engagement.
This shows how using data effectively can transform relationships and advance the organization’s mission.
The impact on their overall fundraising has been equally significant. The team noted they’ve seen substantial growth in their donor metrics: the average lifetime value of a donor rose from $7,624 to $9,042, while the average household lifetime revenue increased from $3,712 to $4,689.
“The fiscal year donor retention rate is at 43%, and that’s 3% higher than the national average,” Athary shared. “These numbers not only reflect our financial growth but also show that we’re building meaningful relationships with our supporters,” Athary explained.
The organization has also expanded its major donor base from 219 to 235, demonstrating effective relationship management and engagement strategies. “We’re no longer just collecting names—we’re actively building and nurturing relationships,” Athary concluded. This transformation has helped Habitat Martin County reach more families in need, all without adding additional staff.
What’s next
As Habitat Martin County looks to the future, they’re excited about adding additional Bloomerang capabilities. “We’re considering integrating volunteer management,” Athary explained. “Volunteers are critical to the work we do, and managing their involvement effectively will help us strengthen our relationships with them not just as potential donors but as active partners in our mission.”
With solutions like Bloomerang at their disposal, Athary and the team at Habitat are optimistic about the future and confident in her team’s ability to positively impact families in the community by providing homes and hope.
"The fiscal year donor retention rate is at 43%, and that’s 3% higher than the national average. These numbers not only reflect our financial growth but also show that we’re building meaningful relationships with our supporters"
Fiscal year donor retention rate
average household lifetime revenue
in major donors
