Key Nonprofit Highlights
Marbridge is a Texas-based foundation dedicated to serving adults with cognitive and intellectual disabilities and has been a Bloomerang customer for more than a decade. Marbridge transitioned to the Bloomerang Giving Platform to streamline operations, unify multiple databases, and enhance donor and volunteer engagement. The platform improved efficiency, reduced costs by $3,000, and empowered the team with tools for better fundraising, reporting and analytics, and relationship management. Marbridge achieved significant results, including a six-fold increase in annual fundraising—from $995,000 to over $6 million—and an 82% donor retention rate. Bloomerang’s flexibility and support have proven instrumental in helping Marbridge fulfill its mission and foster long-term relationships within its community.
Challenge
The need to consolidate multiple databases into one
Before switching to Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, Marbridge grappled with a fragmented approach that hampered efficiency and limited the foundation’s capacity to fully engage with and respond to residents’ needs. “Think of Marbridge as a residential college campus plus assisted living and nursing—there are a lot of moving parts,” explained Becca McPherson, Vice President for Development. “Across our campus, we were working with six different databases. Our previous solutions were only able to capture a limited scope of the operations and relationship management required for a campus like ours.” The need for a comprehensive solution was clear, one that could unify its systems and enhance engagement with donors, volunteers, and the broader community.
Solution
Offering flexibility and a comprehensive view of the community
Bloomerang’s Giving Platform emerged as the holistic solution Marbridge had been searching for, helping its team modernize its operational strategy by unifying its disparate databases and significantly enhancing donor engagement. “Bloomerang offered the best opportunity to eliminate three of our databases and roll them into one,” said McPherson. With Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, Marbridge can now seamlessly manage admissions, donor data, volunteer engagement, and fundraising.
The Bloomerang’s Giving Platform helped the Marbridge team manage real donor relationships on the go rather than just managing donor data. “Bloomerang respects that I do not dedicate 100% of my time to the database. I love getting pings with tasks and reminders,” explained McPherson. The platform also kept the team connected with a mobile app that allows them to access donor information in real-time—even during in-person meetings. “We are in front of people all the time, so I love that I’m able to look up information while with a donor, with the accessibility of the mobile app.”
The platform’s flexibility delivered a comprehensive view of the community and simplified the transition of volunteers to major donors: “The moves management system has been crucial,” said McPherson. Bloomerang’s Giving Platform has also proven easy to use and customize—without technical expertise—empowering Marbridge to adapt the platform to its unique needs, foster stronger relationships within the community, and bring focus to its purpose. “We can design a myriad of fundraising campaigns, such as a custom page for our annual fundraising event, our virtual 24-Hour Day-of-Giving, and even individual donation pages that can go toward a specific family’s campaign to raise funds for our mission through their personal and professional networks,” said McPherson.
Results
Streamlining workflows and growing donor retention to 82%
The Bloomerang Giving Platform has helped Marbridge significantly increase its operational efficiency and fundraising capabilities, amplifying the organization’s impact. “Bloomerang staff worked diligently to find the absolute best partnerships based on what organizations like Marbridge recommended to reflect our needs. Bloomerang makes us want to collaborate with them,” said McPherson. “One of the best aspects of this company is that it strives to implement comprehensive services tailored to the needs of each nonprofit, rather than designing a product and services for a one-size-fits-all platform. The tools they empower us with have allowed my small staff to make the most of their time and Marbridge’s resources.” Consolidating several databases into Bloomerang’s Giving Platform not only improved workflows but also saved $3,000, enabling Marbridge to direct more resources toward the organization’s important work.
The platform’s impact even extended to volunteer engagement, where McPherson was able to streamline volunteer coordination and recognition efforts. This improved the volunteer experience and enhanced the efficiency of volunteer-driven activities. Bloomerang’s reporting and analytics helped Marbridge improve fundraising strategies with the ability to generate comprehensive reports in real time and make data-driven decisions. “Bloomerang lets us see our progress in real time, adjust our strategies accordingly, and set more ambitious goals,” noted McPherson.
Marbridge has also strategically used wealth insights to identify and engage potential major donors more effectively, tailor their outreach, and cultivate deeper relationships. “The wealth insights function in Bloomerang has been a game-changer for us. It’s given us the ability to not only find new supporters, but to really understand what motivates our existing donors.” This targeted approach has been instrumental in Marbridge’s ability to dramatically expand its fundraising. “When I started at Marbridge, we were raising about $995,000 a year,” said McPherson. “We recently brought in over $6 million,” a six-time increase!
Marbridge also saw a dramatic increase in donor engagement, achieving an impressive 82% retention rate, which underscores the platform’s effectiveness in nurturing long-term donor relationships. “Bloomerang helped make it possible for us to increase millions in donations over a few years,” reiterated McPherson. Marbridge highly values its decade-long partnership with Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, appreciating the personalized support and the platform’s adaptability to its evolving needs.
