How Marshall Foundation for Community Health Grew Revenue by 50% with Bloomerang
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
The Marshall Foundation for Community Health is dedicated to supporting and enhancing the well-being of its community through impactful healthcare initiatives. By providing resources, funding, and advocacy, the organization ensures that individuals and families have access to essential medical services and wellness programs. After switching from the outdated Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge, Bloomerang’s Giving Platform has transformed operations for the Marshall Foundation with its intuitive donor management system, email marketing tools, and powerful reporting features. The platform has improved donor retention to 50% and boosted recurring donors from 8 to 75. With Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, the Marshall Foundation has streamlined operations for greater efficiency and seen nearly a 50% increase in revenue year-over-year.
CHALLENGE
Facing major inefficiencies with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge
The Marshall Foundation for Community Health faced significant hurdles in their donor management and fundraising operations. For years, they relied on an outdated nonprofit CRM, Raiser’s Edge, which proved overly complex and time-consuming for their small team of three. Tasks like generating reports, segmenting donor data, and generating mail merges were labor-intensive and error-prone. The platform’s steep learning curve, cluttered data, and intricate processes made efficient handling of donor records almost impossible and drained valuable time that could have been devoted to strategic fundraising activities. These inefficiencies, coupled with high costs, underscored the need for a more user-friendly and cost-effective solution.
SOLUTION
Streamlining operations to increase impact–while having fun too
Recognizing the growing challenges of their outdated system, the Marshall Foundation knew they needed a fresh approach to effectively support their mission. They sought a fundraising platform that could not only handle their current demands but also empower them to build stronger relationships with their donors and drive greater impact.
“I went to a fundraising conference where I met some people representing Bloomerang,” said Tanya Moran, Philanthropy Operations Coordinator. “I was really impressed with their sessions, and then when I saw the program itself, it was like, ‘Wow, this can make it fun to do your data entry.’” The move to Bloomerang’s unified Giving Platform provided them with the opportunity to clean their data and seamlessly import accurate records into a streamlined platform.
Bloomerang’s Giving Platform offers key features that have significantly transformed operations. Its donor management system provides an intuitive platform for tracking and nurturing donor relationships, ensuring organizations can engage supporters effectively. The built-in email marketing tools make it easy to create and send impactful campaigns, helping organizations connect meaningfully with their audience. “Preparing an email to go out is so much easier with Bloomerang,” said Moran. “Once you get the first template laid out how you like, everything else is plug and play. Emails are actually fun now.”
Additionally, Bloomerang’s reporting and analytics capabilities deliver valuable insights, enabling teams to make data-driven decisions. “The reporting feature is so easy, because you don’t have to be super smart to figure out where to find things,” said Moran. “If I know I need something specific, all I have to do is get on the phone and Bloomerang support will help me find the pieces I’m looking for to get that information all in one report.”
Bloomerang’s fundraising tools have enhanced their strategies, including custom donation pages, events, and auctions. “I like the ease of building the donation pages—they all look nice and clean,” said Moran. “And we’re reorganizing our specific funds so that we can feature them on our website for online donors to choose from. The auction component was also easy to set up.”
RESULTS
Bloomerang improved donor retention, revenue, and productivity
Beyond just having fun with the many tools in Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, the Marshall Foundation is also seeing results. One of the most significant changes was the dramatic increase in their donor retention rate, which rose from the teens to an impressive 50%. Strategic campaigns and enhanced communication efforts, powered by Bloomerang’s Giving Platform features, also led to substantial growth in recurring donations. The number of recurring donors has increased from 8 to 75, highlighting the platform’s ability to foster stronger donor relationships.
Increasing productivity, improving efficiency, and scaling their efforts also emerged as major benefits. Tasks like report generation, which used to take hours or even days, were significantly reduced. “The reporting is night and day. For end-of-year reporting with Raiser’s Edge, I would have to pull a report and create a manual mail merge from Excel to Word. It would take me all day,” said Moran. “We did them with Bloomerang last year, and it took maybe two hours at most.”
Automated donor communication and acknowledgment letters freed up the team to focus on strategic growth initiatives. This operational efficiency contributed to a nearly 50% year-over-year revenue increase. Bloomerang’s intuitive interface and robust support simplified operations further, reducing the learning curve for new team members and enabling both seasoned staff and newcomers to contribute effectively.
Event management also became smoother with Bloomerang’s auction tools, which streamlined auction processes and eliminated logistical headaches. Even minor glitches were quickly resolved with support, ensuring smooth and professional fundraising events. “The support factor is huge because they get back to you whether you reach out on email, chat, or phone. I can ask for anything, and they’ll get back to me to fix it. Everybody is super nice, and even listening to the Bloomerang webinars, you can tell they are very methodical and well thought out.”
For organizations struggling with inefficiency and escalating CRM expenses, the Marshall Foundation for Community Health is an inspiring example of overcoming these challenges. Bloomerang isn’t just donor management software—it’s a purpose-built solution that streamlines processes, bolsters donor relationships, and empowers nonprofits to amplify their impact. With Bloomerang, the Marshall Foundation has more time, resources, and enthusiasm to pursue what truly matters: their mission to champion community health.
“The reporting is night and day. For end-of-year reporting with Raiser’s Edge, I would have to pull a report and create a manual mail merge from Excel to Word. It would take me all day. We did them with Bloomerang last year, and it took maybe two hours at most.”
donor retention rate
growth in recurring donors
YOY revenue increase
