How Operation Pay It Forward Found Record-Breaking Success with OneCause

Background

Background

Operation Pay It Forward

Since its start around 2016, Operation Pay it Forward has helped thousands of veterans overcome physical and mental injuries brought back with them from combat. They reintroduce veterans to the great outdoors with a new mission to connect with other veterans who need help and pay it forward.

Opportunity

Operation Pay it Forward raises 95% of its funds from one large event hosted every May. They had used Handbid in the past, but Cory says they weren’t getting the results they wanted. “It was clunky, and the customer service wasn’t excellent,” he says. “It wasn’t clean or seamless – items were even hard to find in the software once you bid on them. We were unhappy as a board with our software.”

OPIF had also missed out on important revenue a couple of years ago when the silent auction ended early in the software. Their previous solution wasn’t bringing them the results they were hoping for, and they knew it was time to find another partner to help them reach their goal.

Solution

Solution

OPIF received a recommendation to try the OneCause Fundraising Platform from one of their supporters who runs a nonprofit. “They were really happy with the level of support OneCause provided,” Cory says.

“We sat in on a call, checked out the software, and really liked it. The selling factor was the demo. Then we found out we could have an event manager onsite to help us with any hiccups. That sold us.”

The team leveraged the OneCause Fundraising Platform for their 7th Annual Operation Pay It Forward Banquet. The sold-out event included an evening of cocktails, dinner, and a silent and live auction, with 100% of the proceeds supporting their mission.

Keys to success included:

  • Customizable Event Site
  • Easy-to-Use Silent and Live Auction Management Tools
  • Onsite Support and Consulting Services
  • Seamless Check-in and Checkout

Customizable Event Site

Offering an event website that was a one-stop shop for supporters to buy tickets, bid on silent auction items, and preview live auction items was important for OPIF.

Cory says it was simple to upload their logo and photos to highlight past events, highlight their mission statement, add a “Donate Now” call-to-action button, procure auction items, offer tickets, and add silent and live auction items.

“Our previous software didn’t have a nice landing page. It was very generic,” Cory says.

“The OneCause site looks great. It was easy to set up, manage, and make changes.”

Silent and Live Auction Management

After taking an online course from OneCause University, building the auction in the platform was a breeze for the OPIF team. “I’m not a computer genius by any means, and one of our board member’s wives who helped would tell you the same,” Cory adds. “It was easy!”

OPIF offered more than 75 silent auction items within the platform with the help of one of their board member’s wives. Cory says he liked the ability to categorize the items, such as art, hunting, dining, etc., so supporters could sort through it and find what they’re most interested in quickly.

The live auction featured 12 items and was a huge hit.

“We had our live auction items listed about a week before the event so people could preview them. That was a cool feature” says Cory, who added it made supporters look forward to the event.

The end of the auction was the most exciting part of the night. One of OPIF’s newer donors pulled a board member aside to offer his catamaran and a trip to the British Virgin Islands as an additional live auction item. “It went for around $20,000,” Cory recalls. “Once that closed out, the donor said, ‘Now do it again.’ It was such an awesome moment.”

Onsite Support and Consulting Services 

While everyone was caught up in the whirlwind of the last-minute live auction donation, Cory was thankful to have a OneCause event manager by his side. “He was able to log in to our platform, create the item on the fly, and then do it again. I wouldn’t have been able to hold my bearings during the excitement to get that done. Having someone there to help on the fly was massive for us!”

With a full-time job and two kids under age 4, it was important for Cory to have support from the OneCause team at any time, too. As he learned the software, he took full advantage of the OneCause University courses.

“It was easy for me to pop in, watch a video, and then put it into practice.”

He also used the live chat feature, which was a nice addition if he had a quick question. For next year’s event, OPIF will have a committee of volunteers to help, and Cory is looking forward to having them use the videos to learn the software, too.

Seamless Check-In & Checkout 

Cory says you know your event is successful when you don’t hear a single complaint. The ticketing process online was efficient, and supporters could access their tickets easily when they arrived. “It was a very smooth process,” he adds.

“Everybody had less than a one-minute check-in, and checkout only took a few minutes.”  

By allowing supporters to add their payment information in the auction software, winners could show proof of payment, grab their auction item, and be on the go. Cory adds that having the ability to auto-generate tax receipts in the software and email them saved the team valuable time after the event. “It was fantastic. In the past, we had to track everything, put together the receipts, and mail them ourselves. It was more work for the board.” 

Results

Results

After selling event tickets and the live and silent auction items, OPIF was thrilled to raise over $330,000 for their mission. “This has been our most financially successful banquet yet, and there’s a lot to attribute that to, but having software that was competent and smooth was a huge factor,” he says. 

With OneCause, Cory says nonprofits get so many easy-to-use tools to make an event successful and raise more for your cause. “You feel like you have a partner in the process,” he says. “You’re going to get your money’s worth in the end. There are proven tools in the software that work.”

Connect with a Cause

To learn more about Operation Pay It Forward, please visit their website.

Wrapping Up!

More fundraising resources are just a click away.

cta-1-24-make-giving-easy