How transitioning to Bloomerang from Salesforce grew donor retention to 52%
Key Nonprofit Highlights
Family Promise of Gallatin Valley in Bozeman, Montana empowers families experiencing housing insecurities to secure a safe, affordable home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future for their children. Wraparound services include prevention strategies like transitional housing, landlord mediation, sliding scale childcare, and job transportation.
Through streamlined processes and thoughtful integration of technology, they improved efficiency and fostered long-lasting support, exemplified by the ongoing success of their community events, peer-to-peer fundraising, and donation pages. Using Bloomerang’s auction tools, they met their goal by raising $100,000 at their first major donor event, and continued this success at their most recent auction, achieving $175,202—117% of their $150,000 goal! They also increased their donor retention rate from 45% to 52%, and estimate they save 2-10 hours/week with the Giving Platform.
Challenge
Facing problems with a nonprofit CRM that wasn’t built for donors
Behind the transformative efforts of Family Promise of Gallatin Valley were significant operational challenges. The organization relied on Salesforce as their donor CRM, but the platform proved ill-suited for meeting the fundraising needs of their nonprofit. “We were spending multiple hours a week just trying to pull very basic reports, trying to force a system that is not meant for donors to be for donors,” said Jaclyn LeBlanc, Development and Volunteer Coordinator.
With time-consuming processes hindering their progress and no effective donor communication strategy in place, Family Promise of Gallatin Valley’s ability to fundraise efficiently was jeopardized. It was evident that they needed a new solution to streamline donor management, reclaim lost time, and create deeper relationships within their community. “There were a couple of options I looked at, but Family Promise National had just announced that they were switching to Bloomerang as their preferred vendor,” said LeBlanc. “We actually beat them to it and signed a few months earlier than everybody else because it was a pretty easy choice. Bloomerang would have been our first pick anyway.”
Solution
Seamless nonprofit CRM setup for ongoing fundraising support
When Family Promise of Gallatin Valley made the switch to Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, LeBlanc played a pivotal role in the transition, dedicating two full months to implementing and mastering the new donor management system. “It was a huge undertaking, but Bloomerang made it a very seamless process. The support team was incredible,” she shared. The team moved away from Salesforce and towards an intuitive, nonprofit-focused fundraising platform. From automated donor receipts to advanced reporting capabilities, every tool within Bloomerang’s Giving Platform catered to their unique needs.
Even those not directly managing fundraising found the system remarkably user-friendly. “Everybody feels very confident in using it,” said LeBlanc. “Even our executive team has no problem getting in and seeing things, which has been really wonderful.” One of the game-changing features was Bloomerang’s robust automation tools, which elevated donor communication, streamlined reporting, and improved efficiency. “Receipts are being automated, and we automate our donor journey throughout the year,” shared LeBlanc. “We’re able to generate more handwritten letters and receipts in our weekly emails because of all the automations we have.”
Today, LeBlanc is a vocal advocate for Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, sharing her experience with affiliates and peers at the Family Promise National Conference. Her advice for organizations considering the platform is clear: “We feel like the transition has been worth every penny, especially because some Family Promises are very small,” she said. “Every contact we make really counts, and Bloomerang helps us track them all.”
Results
Improving donor retention by 16% after switching to Bloomerang Giving Platform
The decision to adopt Bloomerang’s Giving Platform transformed Family Promise of Gallatin Valley’s mission. Since the switch, the results speak volumes: during the organization’s first-ever major donor event, they met their goal and secured two private matching donors. “The platform made it very easy to track the donations needed to hit our goal of $100,000,” said LeBlanc. “We were thrilled with how seamless it all was.” This unprecedented success is a testament to improved donor engagement and streamlined operations. Silent auction items, made available through a user-friendly event webpage, allowed attendees to pre-shop and plan their contributions. “It’s been really nice to segment that group to invite them again and share the details of this year’s auction items.” At their most recent auction, they raised $175,202—117% of their $150,000 goal!
Beyond events, Bloomerang’s Giving Platform proved adaptable for creative initiatives. An unexpected partnership with a local influencer raised an additional $35,000, easily tracked and managed within the platform. “He had a viral video with DIY garage shelves that got millions of views,” LeBlanc explained. “He said ‘I’ve never donated, but people want to buy the plans for these shelves. Could they donate to you instead?’ I set up a page for him, and I’m still coding donations through it every single day, even a year and a half later.”
Donor retention also skyrocketed from 45% to 52%—an increase that demonstrated how enhanced communication and accurate donor tracking powered stronger relationships. Bloomerang empowered Family Promise of Gallatin Valley to not only sustain, but also amplify its mission. Yet, perhaps the most profound impact was internal. The hours saved—up to 10 per week—translated to greater focus on their mission: helping families. With Bloomerang’s Giving Platform, Family Promise of Gallatin Valley is improving housing security to build a better future for the next generation.
