How Bloomerang increased recurring donations by 45%
Key Nonprofit Highlights
Catholic Charities Terre Haute in Indiana has long been a cornerstone of their community, providing vital services such as nutritious food, safe shelter, and essential household needs. They overcame challenges with their outdated fundraising platform by transitioning to Bloomerang Fundraising. The switch allowed them to streamline donation forms, enhance branding, and introduce innovative features like peer-to-peer fundraising and real-time dashboards. This led to a 45% increase in recurring donations, a 179% rise in peer-to-peer campaign funds, and boosted merchandise sales for their Rubber Duck Regatta. With Bloomerang’s support, they strengthened donor trust, improved efficiency, and amplified community engagement, enabling them to better fulfill their mission.
Challenge
Bridging the gap in donor engagement and efficiency
Catholic Charities Terre Haute faced significant challenges with their outdated fundraising platform, Acceptiva. Complications such as limited customization, lackluster branding, and cumbersome donation forms created donor engagement hurdles and inefficiencies for their small team. Assistant Agency Director Jennifer Tames shared, “Our donation forms weren’t easily recognizable, and we couldn’t add impact images or statements to communicate how each donation affected our mission. It just didn’t give the best impression to our donors.”
The team knew change was necessary. When they learned that Acceptiva would eventually sunset its platform, they seized the opportunity to switch, albeit with some hesitancy. Tames admitted, “Of course we were hesitant to make the switch—no one likes change, and that can be a hard thing to do.” But after closely reviewing their options, they decided to transition fully to Bloomerang Fundraising, confident it would better serve their mission and their donors.
Solution
Seamless transition to Bloomerang with customization and support
The switch to Bloomerang Fundraising proved to be both innovative and empowering. The Catholic Charities Terre Haute team worked hand-in-hand with Bloomerang to customize streamlined donation forms, implement cohesive branding, and introduce cutting-edge features to their campaigns and events. Tames noted the support they received, saying, “When the opportunity was presented to move to Bloomerang, their team made the transition feel seamless. We felt supported every step of the way.”
The platform’s peer-to-peer fundraising tools were transformative for Catholic Charities Terre Haute. After rethinking their sock and underwear drive, they created neighborhood team pages that donors could easily access via QR codes. This made giving effortless and helped revive dwindling contributions. Similarly, for their Wabash Valley Rubber Duck Regatta, they introduced an online event page for merchandise sales and donations.
The fundraising dashboards became a staff favorite, allowing real-time tracking of their campaigns and motivating them to build momentum when needed. The team also appreciated Bloomerang’s continuous system updates informed by client feedback, which sharpened their tools for further success. “I always feel that when we ask a question or have ideas, our feedback is listened to,” Tames emphasized. “That’s been a great part of our partnership with Bloomerang.”
Results
Increased donations, enhanced engagement, and greater efficiency
Thanks to their partnership with Bloomerang Fundraising, Catholic Charities Terre Haute achieved impressive results that strengthened their mission. Recurring donations increased by 45%, while their Fairs Cares peer-to-peer campaign raised 179% more funds. Merchandise sales for the Rubber Duck Regatta soared, supported by the implementation of a new online purchasing system. Additionally, 31% of donors used GiftAssist to cover transaction fees, increasing net contributions.
This transformation reinforced donor trust, amplified community engagement, and significantly freed up staff resources to focus on expanding their mission. Reflecting on the transition, Tames declared, “Moving to Bloomerang has definitely been one of the best moves we’ve ever made!” With Bloomerang Fundraising as a committed partner, Catholic Charities Terre Haute are now more empowered than ever to make a meaningful difference in their community.
