Bloomerang understands the unique fundraising challenges of International Aid organizations. There’s no reason for technology to get in the way of helping make a difference and provide support for those in need overseas. That’s why numerous International Aid organizations nationwide have chosen Bloomerang’s donor database solution.
Below are just a few thoughts and success stories from organizations just like yours.
Godparents of Tanzania is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides educational opportunities for young people in northern Tanzania. By awarding scholarships and supporting local education projects, Godparents for Tanzania provides ‘hope through education’ to students who are eager for the chance to go to school. With education, young Tanzanians are changing the future for themselves, their families, and their country.
Godparents for Tanzania was looking for an adaptable, cloud-based donor management system that they could access on the go and still trust to get the job done.
“Our staff and volunteers work from their homes in different states, and we also spend time in Tanzania each year. Having a database on one computer wasn’t working for us,” said Kristin Westermann, Executive Director at Godparents for Tanzania. After getting a recommendation from Gail Perry, Kristin thought Bloomerang seemed perfect for them.
Godparents for Tanzania had finally found a dependable system that could they could mold into what they needed. “Having all of our information available in the cloud makes life so much easier. And the ability to customize helps us keep up with our American donors as well as our Tanzanian students.” Bloomerang’s custom fields were a big help for molding the database to their needs. “Having an unlimited number of custom fields available has been fantastic; we always wanted more in our previous database.”
They were also drawn to how Bloomerang could help them with improved donor communication. “The letter and email features have hugely strengthened our donor communications and improved our donor retention rate.” On top of that, Godparents for Tanzania has been really happy with Bloomerang’s “fantastic customer support” when they need it.
Godparents for Tanzania has seen several fundraising pain points be alleviated since implementing Bloomerang. One such benefit is that they’ve been able to put donor retention first. Tracking their donor retention, donor loyalty, and donor engagement has been invaluable.
Kristin was also able to improve their productivity while cutting back on costs for other software. “We were also able to cancel our email marketing software (which wasn’t user friendly) in favor of Bloomerang’s integrated email functionality.” As a one-woman shop, a high level of productivity and efficiency was really important, and Bloomerang has been a great asset for it. “With only one paid part-time employee (me!), a high level of productivity is a must. Bloomerang is a comprehensive tool with all the features I need. No switching back and forth between multiple apps to get the job done.”
At the end of the day, all of this has contributed to Godparents of Tanzania putting more focus on donor retention, and seeing that effort pay off. “Putting our donor retention rate in front of us every day has been invaluable. Our retention rate is risen to 70%, and we aim to increase it even more.” There’s no going back now.
It’s amazing what a user-friendly, donor-centric tool can do for the growth of an organization such as Godparents of Tanzania.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.