How a newly virtual event raised 127% of its goal with Bloomerang Fundraising

Key Nonprofit Highlights

Providence Animal Center is a lifesaving animal welfare organization based in Media, PA. They offer exceptional, affordable, and life-affirming rescue, adoption, medical care, and training of companion animals and serve as a community resource that inspires others to embrace the human-animal bond. The center successfully transitioned their annual “Bark in the Park” fundraiser to a virtual event using Bloomerang Fundraising’s tools. By integrating Facebook fundraisers, introducing creative activities like a virtual pet costume contest and 5K race, and leveraging matching gifts and storytelling, they exceeded their $100,000 goal by 27%—raising $127,444. With 279 participants and 1,247 donations, the event maintained strong community engagement while securing critical funding for their programs.

Challenge

Transitioning a beloved event to a virtual format

The Providence Animal Center faced a significant challenge when their annual fundraising event, “Bark in the Park,” could no longer occur in its familiar in-person format. This event provided critical funds for their lifesaving programs, and the team at Providence was determined to provide a safe and engaging alternative that would both inspire their community and secure the much-needed revenue. Transitioning to a virtual event was the logical solution, but it brought its own challenges. Adapting to a new format required careful planning to maintain the emotional and financial momentum of past events within an unfamiliar digital space.

Solution

Integrating social media fundraisers into their peer-to-peer event

Providence Animal Center decided to use Bloomerang Fundraising’s peer-to-peer tools to transform “Bark in the Park” into a vibrant virtual event. They designed an experience that stayed true to the spirit of their community while creatively embracing the digital medium. Utilizing Bloomerang’s seamless platform, the center integrated Facebook fundraisers directly into their event page. This eliminated manual reconciliation tasks, providing participants with a simple, effective way to solicit donations.

“A lot of the people that fundraise for us tend to create Facebook fundraisers, and in the past, we had to manually track every single fundraiser that was meant for the event—can you say ‘headache’? The fact that we could encourage our audience to create a Facebook fundraiser, knowing it was not adding additional work to our plates, was such a relief,” shared Caitlin Jaworski, Community Relations Assistant. To energize participants, they introduced creative engagement strategies, such as a fundraising bingo card for Instagram, a virtual pet costume contest, and a week-long virtual 5K race. Providence also leveraged matching gift opportunities, doubling the impact of every dollar donated, and sent compelling appeals through email.

Moreover, the team relied on powerful storytelling throughout the campaign to highlight their cause. Each participant had a chance to impact the center’s mission while enjoying a dynamic, inclusive, and fun event experience.

Results

Raising 127% of their event goal with Bloomerang Fundraising

“Bark in the Park” proved to be a resounding success in its new virtual format. The center set an initial goal of $80,000, and supporters surpassed expectations with over a week remaining, prompting them to set a new goal of $100,000. That milestone was also broken, with a final total of $127,444 raised—127% of their updated fundraising target.

“Amazing fundraisers and generous sponsors, including matching donations, helped us smash that second goal! We were incredibly pleased with the results,” remarked Jaworski. The event also garnered significant participant engagement. A total of 279 participants teamed up across 23 fundraising groups, raising funds through 1,247 individual donations. By adapting to a new format and leveraging Bloomerang Fundraising’s advanced tools and support, Providence Animal Center safeguarded an essential source of revenue while forging deeper engagement with their community.