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Humane Society of Central Oregon

Powering a Local Shelter's Year-End Fundraising with Fundraise Up

HSCO grew online year-end revenue 21% and donor count 12% after adding Fundraise Up to their multichannel campaign.

The Challenge

As a socially conscious shelter, the Humane Society of Central Oregon (HSCO) focuses on addressing the medical and behavioral needs of companion animals (including post-placement care), alleviating suffering, and ensuring a safe place for every homeless or unwanted companion animal.
Along with these services, HSCO has adopted a bold vision to transform their organization for both community and staff. Revenue was vital to accomplishing it all, making year-end fundraising particularly critical.

To boost their end-of-year numbers, HSCO started thinking beyond direct mail, their traditional fundraising channel.

woman standup paddling with her dog on a calm river

HSCO came to CauseMic with the following questions to expand their campaign to new channels:

  • How can we improve our year-end fundraising success by expanding our donor outreach beyond direct mail?
  • With so many aspects of our programming, what kind of story should we tell?
  • How could a donation platform like Fundraise Up improve our online fundraising?
  • What value can Fundraise Up provide to offset the initial cost of implementation?

Our Solutions

We helped HSCO build a year-end campaign that incorporated stronger storytelling, better audience targeting, and an intuitive online giving experience.

Year-End Fundraising Campaign

  • Partnering with HSCO’s head of development, we clarified their year-end fundraising goals and identified the messages that would matter most to their audiences online and offline.
  • We then mapped out the campaign and audience segmentation strategy so each supporter group could get a more relevant message.
  • Our team focused HSCO’s messaging on the human-and-pet connection. From cultivation through solicitation, their year-end email series followed the story of a man and his recently adopted cat, Frodo.
  • We set clear deadlines for deliverables and effective communications to ensure alignment across the team throughout campaign strategy and execution. Content and tech groups worked together to launch the first email as soon as Fundraise Up went live on their website.

Fundraise Up Implementation

  • By implementing the donation platform Fundraise Up, we reduced the friction caused by HSCO’s old, clunky donation form.
  • We configured Fundraise Up’s impressive AI features to grow online revenue. With no annual fees and the majority of donors voluntarily covering transaction fees, Fundraise Up played a key role in netting HSCO more revenue from each gift.
  • We expanded HSCO’s digital wallet with Fundraise Up, allowing donors to give across a wider range of payment options including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal.

The Results

Creating and organizing a timely year-end campaign plan with compelling content allowed HSCO to execute a multichannel appeal that reached their key audiences. At the same time, Fundraise Up continues to serve the organization with an optimized online giving experience.

  • With the execution of HSCO’s campaign strategy and the implementation of Fundraise Up, the organization saw a 21% increase in online revenue year-over-year.
  • HSCO saw a 12% increase in donors and an 8% increase in average gift size.
  • 76% of Fundraise Up donors voluntarily covered the transaction fee, and 74% donated the AI-suggested amount.

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