Partnering with Bloomerang to triple donors
Key Nonprofit Highlights
The Lauren McCluskey Foundation was founded in Lauren’s memory by her parents after her tragic death. Lauren reported stalking and threats from a man she briefly dated to the police 22 times in 10 days, but they failed to listen or respond to her concerns. She was murdered on October 22, 2018, at the University of Utah, and her story reached millions through coverage from ABC’s 20/20, Dateline, ESPN’s “LISTEN” documentary, and more. Located in Pullman, Washington, the Foundation works to address systemic failures in responding to relationship violence and stalking, particularly on college campuses, through education, advocacy, and research.
With a small team and big goals, the Foundation needed a smarter way to manage donor data and grow their impact. Bloomerang’s integrated Giving Platform helped their team streamline fundraising, automate workflows, and clean data—saving hours of manual work. Their peer-to-peer campaign for Lauren’s birthday raised more than $20,000, tripling donor engagement. Meanwhile, race participation doubled in a year, expanding visibility and attracting new supporters. With less time spent fixing data, the team can now focus on growing awareness, reaching new donor audiences, and driving change.
Challenge
Managing donors and solving data hygiene challenges
When Executive Director Edwin Gianini joined the foundation, he found that their small but passionate team was struggling to manage donor data efficiently. “We started using Bloomerang CRM because we were a small team disappointed with our previous provider,” Gianini explained. “When I onboarded, our donor data was in need of much improvement. Solving our data hygiene issues was a priority, and Bloomerang’s onboarding team and merging and duplication tools have been a blessing in helping us accomplish that.”
Managing thousands of race participants and supporters came with unique challenges. “For example, we host races for about 2,000 people annually, and often when participants register, it creates duplicate data. Historically, we had to manually search the system to find and merge duplicates. Now, Bloomerang flags those records automatically for us, and little things like that go miles in terms of saving time so we can focus on more important work,” said Gianini. “With limited staff, we only have so much time to get everything done, so all automation matters.”
Solution
How Bloomerang’s Giving Platform grew donor engagement
Bloomerang’s integrated Giving Platform offered exactly what the Foundation needed—a people-centered system built for growth. “At the heart of everything we do is a deep commitment to people—our donors, participants, and the individuals our mission serves,” Gianini said. “That’s why Bloomerang’s Giving Platform has been such a natural fit for us. Their platform isn’t just about processing transactions or managing data—it’s designed with people at the center, making it intuitive, responsive, and effective for organizations like ours that value human connection in every step of the process.”
This alignment of values has made all the difference. “Their approach differentiates them from competitors by ensuring that technology enhances relationships, rather than replaces them,” Gianini shared. “This alignment in values—prioritizing people in both process and mission—has made all the difference in our ability to scale impact while maintaining the authenticity and trust that drive our work forward.”
Results
Tripling donors through peer-to-peer fundraising with Bloomerang
With Bloomerang powering their fundraising and donor management, the Foundation has seen remarkable growth. Their annual peer-to-peer campaign is held on Lauren’s birthday to honor the “Lauren’s Promise” pledge: “I will listen and believe you if someone is threatening you.” For Lauren’s 28th birthday, their campaign exceeded their goal, raising more than $20,000 and tripling the number of donors involved. “It was our first time using Bloomerang’s peer-to-peer feature,” Gianini said. “The success of that campaign was largely due to the platform’s personalized campaign pages that could integrate with Facebook and its ease of user experience.”
The impact extended beyond peer-to-peer campaigns. Race participation more than doubled year over year, and the Foundation achieved a 108% increase in fundraising overall. “The key to running a successful nonprofit is management and operations,” Gianini noted. “Bloomerang has helped us grow as we face the challenge of continually innovating new sources of fundraising and ways to reach new donor audiences.”
He added, “Every time our races expand, so does the Foundation’s reach. People see the impact and reach out to get involved. Bloomerang’s integrated Giving Platform has been an invaluable resource to help us manage that growth while strengthening our donor relationships. I have nothing but great things to say about the software, company, and people in all its departments.”
With Bloomerang as a trusted partner, the Lauren McCluskey Foundation continues to expand their mission—creating safer communities, empowering advocates, and honoring Lauren’s legacy through change.
