National Runaway Safeline

The mission of the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) is to help keep America’s runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the streets.

NRS is the ‘go-to’ resource for America’s runaway, homeless and at-risk youth and their families, providing solution-focused support.

Challenge

National Runaway Safeline had been using Raiser’s Edge for over a decade before finally deciding to make the switch to an affordable, intuitive donor management system that could better fit their needs. “The system was never a good fit for us… too complicated, not intuitive, bells and whistles we didn’t need, and pledge payment process that required a monthly tutorial refresher for all the steps required. In addition, we subscribed to RE’s new product Nxt. We paid the large fee for two years and still couldn’t utilize the functionality promised. After database staff turnover (6 over 8 years) and an ineffective consultant, NRS was desperate for a change,” said Katy Walsh, Director of Development and Communications at National Runaway Safeline.

Solution

Katy and her team had finally found an easy to use donor management system that could help them shift their focus to their donor cultivation strategies. “NRS is shifting its cultivation protocols, including donor retention and gift development, for digital citizens. Bloomerang is helping us make that shift by providing a product that has simplified donation input/output.”

National Runaway Safeline was originally drawn to Bloomerang because of how easy it is for all of their staff to use — from their fundraising team all the way up to senior leadership. “Donation process, email marketing, reports, pledge payment process are all streamlined systems and intuitive. NRS loves it. We just started uploading pictures as the newest feature so we recognize board, volunteers and donors. It’s great!”

Results

Since implementing Bloomerang several pain points have been alleviated for Katy and her team. Leveraging the automatic pledge payment process through Bloomerang has been a game-changer. “Pledge payments… the process happens automatically. This is HUGE for NRS. With staff turnover, pledge payments weren’t always processed on time or accurately. And was an ongoing headache because it impacted board members.”

Katy and her team have benefited from improvements in the quality of their constituent communications. “The email system is far superior to RE’s option. It’s easier to use, visually more appealing and the impact report is comprehensive.”

At the end of the day, Bloomerang and its resources have been a game-changer for the team at National Runaway Safeline and their fundraising efforts. “NRS is a grassroots fundraising nonprofit. Bloomerang works perfectly for us. It’s user-friendly, inexpensive, and continues to evolve with new features. And the support team and tutorials are a valuable resource.”

It’s amazing what a user-friendly fundraising tool can do for the growth of social services such as National Runaway Safeline. “I am very appreciative for Bloomerang.”