From Neon to Bloomerang: Oregon FFA's Strategy to Re-Engage Lapsed Donors & Improve Retention
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Oregon FFA (previously Future Farmers of America) empowers the next generation to tackle new challenges and explore diverse career pathways, inspiring and preparing young people for a successful future. They struggled with their previous nonprofit CRM, Neon, due to disorganized records, limited reporting, and inefficient processes. After switching to Bloomerang, they transformed donor management by centralizing data, improving reporting, and streamlining operations. Bloomerang’s user-friendly design and tools enabled them to increase operational efficiency, re-engage 25 lapsed donors, and achieve a 57% donor retention rate. By leveraging Bloomerang’s features, Oregon FFA is enhancing donor relationships, building trust in data, and strategizing for long-term sustainability.
CHALLENGE
Overcoming software inefficiencies and disorganization from Neon One
Oregon FFA’s fundraising team was severely limited by Neon One and their Neon CRM system. Development Director Betsy Hartley referred to Neon CRM as a “failed product,” marked by disorganized records, limited reporting capabilities, and inefficiencies that stifled donor relationship management. Staff dependency on workarounds and manual processes further exacerbated the issue, with upwards of 18 versions of a single donor profile, complicating gift tracking and donor engagement.
Oregon FFA knew they had the potential to raise much more than they were before switching from Neon One, if only they had the right platform. “In hindsight, Neon was absolutely choking us,” said Hartley. “We had no ability to be consistent, sustainable, or professional in any work we were doing with them.” So when she took her concerns to her Board of Directors, they didn’t hesitate to support her. Oregon FFA evaluated several nonprofit CRMs and fundraising tools before selecting Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, which stood out in multiple key areas.
SOLUTION
Streamlining donor management and communication with Bloomerang
Bloomerang’s Giving Platform streamlined donor management by centralizing donor records, allowing comprehensive tracking of interactions and preferences, such as event participation. “We have a very high-end donor couple who met 65 years ago at the Oregon state fair, and they’ve never missed it since,” explained Hartley. “So I have a task in Bloomerang that reminds me to buy state fair tickets and drive them to their retirement home every year, so they can attend the FFA show.” But Bloomerang CRM offers more than just a reminder, said Hartley. “Bloomerang allows me to remember the purpose and story. We are building the relationship because we can now track the details and intent. Donors should never feel like only one person at FFA knows their story. They need to know that the organization understands them, and the CRM lets us look more professional, cohesive, and organized.”
Bloomerang Giving Platform’s powerful reporting features made it easy to generate accurate data for board meetings and audits, significantly reducing manual effort. It also allowed them to eliminate MailChimp, in favor of the Bloomerang Email Builder. The platform’s user-friendly design allowed the team to quickly adopt the system, with the help of Bloomerang Support to migrate from Neon and clean up their records. And once they were comfortable in the system, Hartley also came to appreciate Bloomerang’s “outstanding” educational resources, including webinars and group training. “Bloomerang has the best professional development, especially for organizations like ours without robust professional development budgets.”
RESULTS
Increasing fundraising efficiency and re-engaging donors to improve retention
The shift to Bloomerang’s Giving Platform brought transformative changes across Oregon FFA. Operational efficiency improved dramatically, with tasks like newsletter production now completed in minutes instead of a week. This allowed the organization to increase its email touch points with donors, going from two newsletters to twelve annually. “Bloomerang is like magic,” said Hartley. “And the ROI on staff time and efficiency is off the charts.”
Over the past two years, their team has successfully re-engaged 25 donors who had previously lapsed due to Neon’s sloppy system of solicitation renewal and communication. The platform’s tools, such as Prospect View and milestone tracking, enabled the organization to focus on meaningful donor engagement and align resources with high-value opportunities. By implementing personalized outreach that plays on donor loyalty, Oregon FFA has achieved an impressive 57% donor retention rate. “The FFA program really builds loyalty because you’re teaching students life skills,” said Hartley. “So it makes it easy to solicit support because the ‘product’ continues to live on beyond the classroom. With Bloomerang, we’re able to develop strategies that honor that legacy of loyalty.”
Most importantly, Bloomerang strengthened trust in data-backed decisions, empowering the team to develop strategies that balanced long-term sustainability with immediate fundraising goals. Hartley says Bloomerang is “almost like having another staff person for us—a smart, efficient co-worker who picks up what they’re good at and does it better.” What is she most looking forward to with Bloomerang? “In a few years, I know I’m going to be able to share even better results because we now have accurate, repeatable data that I can trust.”
“Bloomerang is the tool that'll actually help you do the job you were hired to do. It helps make you look good, and you can track the results of what you're doing. Bloomerang will simplify, streamline, and just make things easier and more user friendly.”
donor retention rate
lapsed donors re-engaged
