The power of a strong supporter community with 58% donor retention
Key Nonprofit Highlights
Our Place NH’s mission is to create a space for New Hampshire adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live with independence, dignity, and the support they need to thrive. They initially struggled with managing donor information using spreadsheets, especially with their growing supporter base. As an organization run entirely by volunteers, they ultimately chose Bloomerang’s Giving Platform for its functionality, usability, and affordability. As a result, they have achieved a remarkable 58% donor retention rate and 4+ years of YOY growth in contributions.
Challenge
Building a donor base and capital campaign with an all-volunteer nonprofit team
Early on, Our Place NH relied on spreadsheets to manage donor information and track contributions. Board Chair Laurie McIntosh recalled how overwhelming those early days were: “We started with spreadsheets and oh, what a nightmare that was.” As the nonprofit began gaining traction, especially through statewide giving campaigns like NH Gives, the number of supporters quickly grew into the hundreds. Managing donor records, tracking interactions, and ensuring that every supporter was thanked became increasingly difficult.
Like a number of small nonprofits, Our Place NH operates without a paid staff. Many of their volunteers, like McIntosh and Board Secretary and Development Chair Maria Cousins, are parents of adults with disabilities who understand firsthand how critical supportive housing options are for families. “I think this issue is something that people are very passionate about and most of the people who donate to us have some personal stake in it,” explained McIntosh. “We’re trying to show the state of New Hampshire that this is a huge need, so when people realize that need isn’t being met by the state, they want to contribute to it.”
As the organization continued to grow its fundraising efforts, the Board realized they wanted a better way to organize donor information, steward relationships, and coordinate volunteers. Its mission and the community support behind it were too strong to risk losing momentum.
Solution
Using Bloomerang to manage donor data and strengthen supporter relationships
After evaluating several donor management platforms, Our Place NH chose Bloomerang’s Giving Platform because it offered the right balance of functionality, usability, and affordability for a growing nonprofit. Bloomerang helped the team move beyond spreadsheets and into a centralized system designed specifically for nonprofit fundraising.
“After the data is correctly entered, I have a secure feeling that what’s in there is accurate,” said McIntosh. “On a spreadsheet, it’s so easy to delete a line, but with Bloomerang, the data is much more protected.” Now that donor data, communications, and reporting were all in one place, the organization could finally see the full picture of its supporters. “Bloomerang has been wonderful in terms of helping us keep track of all of our donations and reaching out to people via emails,” she said.
For a small nonprofit powered entirely by volunteers, the technology made a meaningful difference. “We can do bigger things now than we could have done without Bloomerang and stay organized in less time than it took before Bloomerang. It kind of just takes care of itself, which is really nice,” explained McIntosh. “Bloomerang is really saving us and making it possible for us to have success with only a small Board and a few volunteers. It’s been kind of like having staff without having staff.”
Results
Achieving 58% donor retention and growing momentum for capital campaign
With Bloomerang supporting their fundraising operations, Our Place NH strengthened its donor stewardship to build lasting relationships with supporters who believe in the organization’s mission. “We mail acknowledgement letters within 24-48 hours, follow up with stewardship thank-you cards after 2-4 weeks, and we thank supporters in our newsletter,” Cousins explained. “I think our stewardship is showing people multiple times how appreciative we are of their support.”
The results have been powerful. Our Place NH currently maintains a 58% donor retention rate, significantly above the industry average, showing that consistent gratitude and communication can build lasting supporter relationships. Even more remarkable, they’ve seen 4+ years of YOY growth in contributions, maintaining strong donor support while still working toward opening its first housing community. As McIntosh reflected, “People are giving to this and we aren’t even serving anyone yet. Like us, they believe in the dream that we can make this happen.”
During Bloomerang’s Love Your Donors Day campaign, Our Place NH took the opportunity to celebrate and thank a group of supporters who play a vital role in their mission: recurring donors. Cousins used Bloomerang’s free Love Lab tools to easily draft a message of appreciation as a way to acknowledge these consistent contributors and remind them how much their ongoing generosity means to the organization.
The process was both meaningful and simple to execute. “I just felt good that I acknowledged our donors so easily,” Cousins said. She entered the Love Your Donors Day giveaway with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised to learn that their participation had won them a $1,000 donation—funds that will help support their ongoing work and growing capital campaign. For a volunteer-led organization fueled by passion and community belief, that momentum makes all the difference.
