Boys & Girls Club of the Twin Cities: Managing 30+ Year Round Events with OneCause
Background
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities (BGCTC) has its hands full with year-round fundraising events. Each fundraiser in support of its mission to enable “all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” BGCTC needed a robust yet affordable software solution to manage its large volume of year-round fundraising events.
Challenge
For the Kids 2016 Event
BGCTC’s largest event is a 500-guest, half million-dollar gala which takes place each October. The logistics of planning such a large event that includes a 400-package silent auction provided unique challenges. BGCTC found that there was no easy way to double-check all the details and securely manage so much cash.
Samantha Berg, director of special events at BGCTC recalls, “The days leading up to an event were always chaotic. It was nearly impossible to stay organized, and making last-minute changes to auction bidder numbers and package descriptions was difficult.”
Solution
In 2011, BGCTC executed its first Full Service Mobile Bidding event with OneCause. Prior to 2011 the BGCTC annual gala auction brought in an average of 3.63 bids per attendee and 62% of silent auction value. With the addition of OneCause, average bids and percentage of silent auction value yielded have increased dramatically.
Looking back at the early days, Berg reminisced, “We realized the incredible growth opportunity that OneCause’s fundraising software offers to both our staff as well as our event attendees at our largest gala.” Berg continued, “We only wished that in 2011 there was a financially feasible software option for our smaller events too.”
OneCause continued to innovate and introduced Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Mobile Bidding. This lower-cost fundraising alternative provides all the software and services of a OneCause event without the additional cost of on-site staff or hardware.
BGCTC’s smaller events were the ideal fit for such an offering. It enabled BGCTC’s fundraising efforts scalability without sacrificing budget. Berg agrees, “OneCause’s Full Service Mobile Bidding with on-site staffing and equipment is a great fit for our largest event, providing additional hands and equipment to ensure the event’s success. DIY Mobile Bidding is perfect for our five other events because we need fewer staff and are able to use our own computer equipment, not to mention the cost savings.”
Results
The combination of Full Service and DIY Mobile Bidding has proven to be a winning solution for BGCTC, saving the nonprofit hours of work.
BCGTC achieved a record high of 7.42 average bids per attendee and 133% of silent auction value – both positive indicators of fundraising event growth!
“Not only are we more organized with OneCause, we’ve increased the number of bids received, the number of auction items sold, and overall revenue generated,” Berg proudly announced.
BGCTC truly has evolved with OneCause. “It’s been fun to see the product develop and to be able to incorporate new features as they’re released, allowing us to grow each of our events,” says Berg. We look forward to seeing BGCTC’s continued growth in the future.
Key growth statistics:
- Raised $3,974,711 while using OneCause Software
- Hosted 39 fundraising events or campaigns with OneCause
Connect with a Cause
For more information on the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, find them on Facebook.
Wrapping Up!
Want to see how BGCTC increased their event fundraising results? Check out these sources below to maximize your fundraising!
