Families raising 170% of their goal with Bloomerang Fundraising

Key Nonprofit Highlights

The Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation (CJD Foundation), founded in 1993, supports families affected by Prion Disease through education, advocacy, and funding research. Their work, based in Akron, OH, is powered by family fundraisers and their annual nationwide event, Strides for CJD. The CJD Foundation overcame challenges with outdated peer-to-peer fundraising tools and unreliable customer support by switching to Bloomerang Fundraising. The new platform’s ease of use, responsive customer service, and customizable forms enabled the foundation to streamline their fundraising efforts. Their first event with Bloomerang, Strides for CJD, raised over $340,000—170% of their goal—through the participation of 241 fundraisers across 15 cities. These funds are now helping families affected by CJD, highlighting the impact of effective, community-driven fundraising.

Challenge

Waiting around for nonresponsive customer service and outdated fundraising tools

The CJD Foundation’s signature event, Strides for CJD, was frustrating fundraisers because of a previous provider’s complicated peer-to-peer tools. Families fundraising on behalf of the organization, most affected by CJD, were unable to raise as much as possible because accepting and recording donations was a difficult process for both CJD staff and families.

Because their previous peer-to-peer tools weren’t intuitive, they became reliant on the provider’s customer support. Unfortunately, when things went wrong or changes were needed on the back end, they often wouldn’t get a response for several hours. This began to negatively impact their events. The staff knew they needed a peer-to-peer platform that gave them more control with more responsive customer service.

Solution

Raising more money with easy-to-use Bloomerang Fundraising donation forms

When one of their fundraising sites was abandoned due to a family’s frustration with their previous platform, the CJD Foundation turned to Bloomerang for a solution. The team seamlessly transitioned to Bloomerang Fundraising’s customizable giving forms, ensuring a smoother and more effective fundraising experience.

Lori Nusbaum, Program Director for the CJD Foundation, was impressed by how simple Bloomerang Fundraising forms were to set up and the help she received from their Customer Experience team. She also loved that she could make changes on her own without being dependent on a third party. “It’s such a pleasure to be able to make changes on the back end by ourselves,” Nusbaum said. “And I could just rave about the customer support. I cannot say enough good things about them.”

Results

Raising 170% of their goal with Bloomerang Fundraising

The CJD Foundation’s first Strides for CJD event using Bloomerang Fundraising was a remarkable success, raising over $340,000 and surpassing their initial goal by an impressive 170%. “Our goal was $200,000 and we made almost $341,000. We were very pleased,” said Nusbaum. This incredible achievement was achieved by the 241 participants who joined events hosted across fifteen cities in the United States, demonstrating widespread support for the cause.

The CJD Foundation is proud that the funds raised more efficiently through Bloomerang Fundraising are being used to support families affected by CJD, providing them with resources and assistance during challenging times. This event marks a significant milestone for the foundation, showcasing the power of community-driven fundraising to make a meaningful difference.