Raising 115% of event goal by making fundraising simpler with Bloomerang
Key Nonprofit Highlights
The Siouxland Community Health Foundation, a federally qualified health center, serves over 34,000 patients across Sioux City, Iowa, providing essential services such as primary care, dental care, prenatal care, and HIV support. With a diverse patient population, the foundation ensures healthcare accessibility for everyone, regardless of background or circumstance. Many patients also rely on programs like transportation assistance and initiatives to provide essentials, like coats and gloves, for families unprepared for Iowa’s harsh winters.
To support programs beyond federal funding, the foundation relies on private donations and fundraising events. Adopting Bloomerang Fundraising streamlined their fundraising efforts, improving event management, donor engagement, and contributions. Their first event with the platform raised 115% of its goal, and features like GiftAssist have further boosted donations.
Challenge
Looking for a better way to fundraise
Although federal funding supports the health center’s operations, the foundation relies on private donations to cover additional patient needs and services. Fundraising efforts, including events, play a critical role in supporting these programs. Like so many nonprofits, Siouxland found themselves hosting a hybrid wine-tasting fundraiser in 2021 and needed a fundraising platform to facilitate their online auction. Siouxland adopted Bloomerang Fundraising after another local nonprofit highly recommended it. “We started doing some research of our own, and I’ve been a big supporter and fan ever since,” said Ranee Ehrich, Marketing Coordinator and Special Events Manager.
Solution
Growing donor relationships with Bloomerang Events
The foundation has found success with the versatile fundraising platform, as it simplifies event management and improves donor engagement. The customizable and user-friendly platform allows the foundation to maintain its brand identity while improving efficiency and donor satisfaction. “It’s really allowed us to simplify everything,” explained Ehrich. “And on the back side of things, we can customize pages to make it look like our brand or embed it into our website.” The Siouxland staff praised the platform’s robust onboarding process and helpful customer support team, which have contributed significantly to the success of their fundraising efforts.
Results
Surpassing fundraising goals with Bloomerang Auction software
Siouxland’s first event with Bloomerang Fundraising met 115% of their auction goal—and the platform has been an integral tool for the organization ever since. Features like auction management, event registration, and reporting have streamlined operations, reduced human error, and enhanced donor experiences. “It’s a reasonably priced platform with all these different things that you can do to enhance your giving and make it a different experience for donors,” said Ehrich.
“It makes fundraising simpler, and it takes out a lot of the guesswork and any sort of human error to make sure donors have a user-friendly experience.” Features like GiftAssist have also increased contributions, with 30-40% of donors opting to increase their donation to help cover processing fees. With Bloomerang Fundraising, Siouxland Community Health Foundation can successfully fundraise for their mission to ensure healthcare accessibility for all.
