How Bloomerang Fundraising helped triple peer-to-peer supporters

Key Nonprofit Highlights

Purple Plunge began with the idea of raising money to fight cancer by having participants jump into the ice-cold waters of Lake Zurich, Illinois. What started as a community effort with just 50 participants quickly became an official nonprofit. Over time, the funds raised have directly impacted individuals battling cancer in the local community, thanks to the support of volunteers and participants. Purple Plunge partnered with Bloomerang Fundraising to scale their efforts while maintaining a personal touch. Using Bloomerang’s peer-to-peer tools, event registration features, and social sharing capabilities, they empowered supporters and streamlined fundraising activities. The results were remarkable—participation more than tripled from 50 to over 180 plungers, and they raised nearly $50,000 in one year, surpassing their target by 123%. Bloomerang’s user-friendly platform helped Purple Plunge deepen community engagement and make a lasting impact.

Challenge

Scaling efforts while maintaining a personal touch

As the organization grew and formalized into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, they needed a more robust way to manage their fundraising efforts effectively. Purple Plunge wanted to engage their community more deeply, foster easy collaboration among supporters, and amplify their growing impact on local cancer survivors and their families. Scaling their efforts while maintaining the personal touch that made the organization so beloved proved to be a somewhat difficult task. To meet these challenges head-on, Purple Plunge turned to Bloomerang Fundraising.

Solution

A nice surprise when mobile fundraising worked smoothly

Bloomerang’s peer-to-peer fundraising capabilities allowed Purple Plunge to tap into the passion and networks of their supporters with ease. One of the organization’s favorite features was their ability to empower fundraising teams with customizable pages filled with personal stories, photos, and videos. By enabling supporters to seamlessly share these pages on social media, Bloomerang Fundraising helped Purple Plunge expand their reach beyond their tight-knit community.

Additionally, the event registration tools and card readers provided a streamlined experience during fundraising activities, from ice-cold plunges to live auctions. Bloomerang’s user-friendly interface and thoughtful integrations gave Purple Plunge everything they needed to ensure their events ran without a hitch. “The card readers worked great,” shared Steve Shadrick, Team Captain. “I was a little nervous, but we collected quite a bit through swiping on the iPhones! That was a nice surprise! It worked very well and cleanly. Overall, we were really impressed with Bloomerang Fundraising. Everything worked great, and the customer service was fantastic!”

Results

Raising 123% of peer-to-peer goal with Bloomerang Fundraising

With Bloomerang Fundraising, Purple Plunge saw record-breaking results that exceeded their expectations. Over time, the community of plungers grew from 50 to over 180, demonstrating not just a rise in participation, but a deepening local commitment to the cause. Perhaps even more impressively, Purple Plunge shattered fundraising goals. In one year, they raised nearly $50,000—an impressive 123% of their set target.

Bloomerang’s focus on simplicity and engagement allowed Purple Plunge to make a profound difference. The ability to foster friendly competition through leaderboards, coupled with the ease of social sharing, inspired unprecedented community involvement. By keeping fundraising dollars within their community, Purple Plunge strengthened their ties with local families affected by cancer in profound and meaningful ways. With Bloomerang Fundraising as their partner, Purple Plunge proved that even a seemingly wild idea—like jumping into freezing cold water—can lead to extraordinary change.