Have you ever wondered how you can identify new long-term donors amongst all of the attendees coming to your fundraising events? At their Power of Giving Gala Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation was able to identify new long-term donors from their data and grow their fundraising going forward. 

Back in 2020, the Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation (GBGH) decided to join together their two signature events into one annual gala, the Power of Giving Gala. At first, it was virtual due to the pandemic but for the last two years, they have run the Power of Giving Gala as a hybrid event. In their most recent September 2023 gala they surpassed their fundraising goal, bringing in over $654,000 for their cause!

GBGH had made the switch to Trellis after COVID and right off the bat, their team loved how user-friendly and straightforward Trellis was to use. Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation found that “one of the main features that was extremely beneficial for [their] team and [their] donors was the all-in-one event page”. Victoria mentioned, “In our communications, we could drive all focus to that one URL and from there donors were presented with a number of ways that they could engage”. This one central page for their event created an experience that was easier for donors to participate and give. 

Having multiple different ways for donors to engage was one of the reasons the GBGH Power of Giving gala was so successful. When donors landed on the event page they could bid on silent auction items, buy tickets to the event, donate to their organization or even buy one of their mystery GBay Bags. 

GBGH used the Trellis eCommerce feature to sell their GBay Bags, through this they were able to engage more donors as well as the local businesses that contributed items to the bags.   Donors could purchase one of the limited bags leading up to the event. The content of the mystery items was only revealed when the donors picked up the bags in person a week after the gala. Not only did this tactic give donors one more way to participate, regardless of whether they were attending the gala but it also gave Victoria and the team at GBGH another touchpoint with their donors. When they came to pick up their bags post-event, they were able to thank them face to face and ask what inspired them to purchase.

“The Trellis eCommerce feature was really useful for our team as it allowed us to sell our GBay Bags directly through that event page and have that data collected with the rest of the event data” – Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation 

Another important way that GBGH used Trellis was ensuring their hybrid event seamlessly involved donors in person and those who were joining virtually. Their gala included a one-hour livestream that was presented to in-person and virtual attendees, it included a keynote guest speaker, a patient story and a live fund-a-need. They directed all in-person donations to go through the event page by ensuring every table had a QR code guests could simply scan to donate. And for those in-person who didn’t want to use their phone, they had volunteers ready to assist with a tablet. That way all of their donations were being represented accurately on the presented thermometer tracking their fundraising goal.

The team at GBGH also used Trellis’ check-in feature. When welcoming their guests to the in-person event, volunteers logged into Trellis and saw a list of all the attendees that registered, from there they simply marked them as checked in with the click of a button. If any guests were missing information, such as their credit card number for easy bidding, it would show when checking them in and the volunteers could easily add this information. 

Making sure you have the right people in the room is key. Victoria has found that “it’s crucial to have your current loyal donors and new potential long-term donors in the room”. This pre-event preparation starts with making sure that the GBGH team is extremely clear on the mission of the event, that way all of the messaging is in line with their goal. 

To ensure they have a mix of loyal and new donors, GBGH starts by reaching out to previous supporters of the Power of Giving Gala of the past five years. Having this previous event data is crucial. GBGH focuses on personal touches in the invitation process, with their team handwriting notes to their donors. They also ask ambassadors of their organization to make connections with newer donors at the event, through this they can find out what inspired people to come and if they are interested in learning more about the organization. As Victoria said, “Make sure to be very intentional on how you are engaging them at the actual event”. 

“Listen to your donors and let their inspiration be the foundation of your relationship” – Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation

When their event was finished they were able to identify long-term donors through trends in their Trellis data. “At any time we can export a report that breaks down data generated by the all-in-one event page,” explained Victoria, she loved that “because [they’ve] been using Trellis for the last few years, [they] can compare these exports to previous years data”, making it even more valuable. With this report, GBGH was able to see data such as who purchased tickets, bought GBay Bags, who made donations or bid on the auction and most importantly who decided to opt into upsells such as donating their bids. Donors who participate in upsells are clear potential long-term donors as they demonstrate they have the interest and the capacity to give to your organization.

“Following the event don’t forget to keep track of what you learned from those conversations as they can be very meaningful and help you understand your donors better” – Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation

This past year, Trellis shared with Victoria a new perspective on the data they had access to; unsuccessful bids. “We identified two potential long-term donors who had never attended our gala or supported our hospital in any capacity” explains Victoria, “they were invited by other seasonal residents and long-term donors of ours and these individuals were bidding between five to ten thousand dollars in our auction but neither of their bids was successful”. Having data that highlights potential long term donors like these was pivotal for GBGH, as Victoria said, “this is something moving forward, we will definitely be keeping an eye out for”. 

“At the end of the event, we are typically focused on who won the items or who made gifts that evening, but having access to this new data opened our eyes to the interest level and capacity of these donors, who otherwise without knowing about these bids just simply attended the event and didn’t provide any other indicators of their interest or capacity to give.” – Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation

“Although there is a big weight taken off your shoulders when the event is over, really make sure that you have a stewardship plan in place following your event” advises Victoria. Their success with the Power of Giving Gala was a big part due to their team’s diligence in connecting with their donors. “If you continue to engage [your donors] through the year and celebrate the impact of their support they will likely continue to support your organization and become long-term donors” she adds. 

“Any opportunity to have a conversation with your donors and learn about why they support is so important and can really help guide your relationship going forward” – Victoria Evans, Key Relationships Officer at the GBGH Foundation

With easy access to their fundraising data to show who engaged in upsells, it was easier for GBGH to identify their potential long-term donors. They strategically used this data from Trellis in combination with a personal touch to identify and secure new long-term donors for their future, all while surpassing their fundraising goal.

If you’re interested in seeing how fundraising upsells and data can help you identify new long-term donors for your organization, connect with our team today.

Interested to learn more about the experience that the GBGH had with Trellis? Check out our case study video here!

What if an extra ten minutes spent setting up your raffle could bring in $30,000 in additional donations, just for that one raffle? Although it sounds too good to be true that’s exactly what Aimee Winegarden, Director of Advancement at the Alberta SPCA did (and you can too).

Looking to maximize their fundraising, in the winter of 2023 the Alberta SPCA moved their fundraising to Trellis so that they could add donation upsells. They loved how natural the donation ask was in the raffle checkout process and that it only took ten minutes to set up. “It integrates so well with the fundraising page that it just looks like a natural piece, it doesn’t look awkward and it doesn’t feel awkward,” noted Aimee.

“Adding the donation upsell was super easy… click of a button and we raised $50k more! Glad we made the move to Trellis” – Aimee Winegarden, Director of Advancement at Alberta SPCA

The Alberta SPCA runs a Christmas cash lottery, ending in mid-December, this was their first time using donation upsells for their raffle. “I definitely had some preconceived notions going in on what our donations [with our lottery] would look like,” said Aimee, “I wasn’t expecting [the donations] to raise a lot.” 

Aimee, reminded of when she first started to watch the donations grow, speaks to her experience; “I can still remember the day that our database coordinator was showing me the Trellis reports and I asked her “What’s this line? What is this $16,000?” and I was like “No, no, no, there’s some mistake, that can’t be donations, we’re only seven weeks into this lottery, there’s no way.” But it was true, just halfway through their lottery at the seven-week mark the Alberta SPCA had raised an incredible $16,000 in donations, they were blown away.

The Alberta SPCA had historically budgeted to receive around $1,000 in donations for a lottery and in their first lottery with donation upsells they raised a total of just over $30,000 in donations!

“I’ve been doing lotteries wrong this whole time and [Trellis has] figured out something out here” – Aimee Winegarden, Director of Advancement at Alberta SPCA

When it came to the next raffle, a four-week long New Years 50/50, Aimee wasn’t sure whether the donation upsell would have the same effect. She wondered, “Is this a one-time anomaly and people saw this donation button and thought they should give a one-time gift and then they’re never going to give again.” In that second raffle, they raised another $20,000 in donations, proving any concern they had was wrong.

Overall, adding donation upsells to these two raffles gained the Alberta SPCA $50,000 in additional donations, which is unrestricted funds that the Alberta SPCA can use to continue their mission of animal welfare.

In addition to the donation upsell the other reason the Alberta SPCA moved to Trellis was the insights they could gain using our integration with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge. Their past fundraising software didn’t integrate with Raiser’s Edge, and as Aimee notes, without those insights all in one place, it’s hard to get the whole picture. With the Raiser’s Edge integration, Aimee can now identify which raffle purchasers added a donation during checkout. This added information allows the Alberta SPCA to foster and create relationships that lead to long-term donors from their raffle purchasers, making a substantial difference in their donor database. Aimee adds that, “The ability to integrate the two is just so helpful for me.”

Although it’s easy for professional fundraisers to get in the habit of categorizing donors into buckets, we need to remember that although it’s important to have information on donors we can’t limit them to a box. As Aimee says, “Donors are out there everywhere and they are lottery purchasers and they will choose to make a donation if we give them the opportunity.” 

“If you’re running a raffle don’t be afraid to add a donation option” – Aimee Winegarden, Director of Advancement at Alberta SPCA

If you’re interested in spending 10 minutes to raise an extra $50,000 for your organization, connect with our team today.

Interested to learn more about the experience that the Alberta SPCA had with Trellis? Check out our case study video here!

The Shuswap Trail Alliance’s online pandemic fundraiser went so well that when 2022 rolled around they decided to repeat their success and blow their fundraising out of the park! Jen Bellhouse of The Shuswap Trail Alliance loved how easy Trellis was and how it helped them raise more for their cause. Read on to learn the tactics this organization used to improve their fundraising!

In their annual fundraiser this year, they used the auction, 50/50, raffle, donation and items for sale features to maximize the funds raised. This also presented their donors with a variety of options to give. 

As Shuswap Trail Alliance was new to online raffles and 50/50s they were a little hesitant about how it would go. But to their delight “The 50/50 was so slick… I just had to push two buttons. I mean, it’s just so easy.” Raffles and 50/50s on Trellis are designed to be easy to execute, so you can get back to the most important parts of your job.

Not only were raffles and 50/50’s a walk in the park for Jen, but the auction proved to be just as easy, especially with the automation of some of the more tedious parts. As Jen noted, “Trellis did so much of the work for us, by handling the payments for the auction items, it’s taken this one very big exhausting night and made it into a really manageable way to run the fundraiser for us.”

On their Trellis page, The Shuswap Trail Alliance did an incredible job of highlighting their sponsors and donors. They even had a couple of sponsors mention their increased traffic due to their feature. Jen and the team were pleased that they were able to support their sponsors and community, which have faithfully supported them for years. 

“There is no hesitation in recommending Trellis, we’ve been really pleased with the experience.” – Jen Bellhouse, Executive Director

Their team loved the impact Trellis allowed them to have but an element they really appreciated was our spectacular support team who was there to help them if they got stuck.

“One of the things we really appreciated is that there is a person that is available to help. I really appreciated that you know who you’re talking to and the response is so quick.” – Jen Bellhouse, Executive Director

A large part of Jen’s success however came down to the way she ran her fundraiser. By incorporating multiple ways for people to engage, she was able to attract a larger audience of donors. From the hundreds of organizations that have used Trellis, our data proves that organizations that use three or more fundraising drivers raise double those that don’t. As you consider your fundraising strategy, we don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to raise more for your organization! Join a call with our team here to learn more about how you can raise more for your organization by incorporating multiple fundraising elements into your next fundraiser. To learn more about how adding more fundraising drivers can raise you more, download our report here. 

Going forward, The Shuswap Trail Alliance is excited to see what impact they have as they continue to grow their fundraising through Trellis!

LakeCity Works held its annual raffle to support clients and raise awareness about their impact. This year they switched to Trellis for their raffle and their fundraiser was a wild success!

LakeCity supports individuals living with mental illness as they build on their skills and seek employment. After launching their new range of structures they raffled off an Urban Cabin, a space designed to go in someone’s backyard to provide more living space. 

“[Raffles] are very worthwhile, they give you a whole project you can engage in and use that to connect with the community and to tell stories” – Sophie Eld, Executive Director LakeCity Works

To maximize donor giving LakeCity added donation upsells to their online raffle. It allowed them to raise more and gave their donors options for ways to give! 15% of LakeCity’s funds raised came from the addition of their donation upsell, for their organization which was an additional $15,000 in unrestricted funds! In addition, Trellis’ tax receipting made it easy for LakeCity’s donors and encouraged them to donate. 

“[Donation Upsells] added another layer to our fundraiser and I’ll definitely be including that again going forward” – Sophie Eld, Executive Director LakeCity Works

They used storytelling on their page to showcase their impact and tangibly show where the funds raised would go.

Another element that made LakeCity and Trellis a natural fit for this fundraiser, was their aligned goal of community impact through social enterprises supporting social enterprises. With a shared mission and vision, it was easy to get aligned. As Sophie noted, the experience “felt very collaborative like we’re working on a project together”, ultimately creating an even better experience for everyone, especially the LakeCity donors!

Overall, LakeCity achieved its goal of getting the word out about the organization and getting the community engaged while raising money for it! Sophie and the team look forward to running another raffle on Trellis and we can’t wait to see what they do!

“I am absolutely going to use Trellis again. They are extremely personable and responsive, really keen to listen.” – Sophie Eld, Executive Director LakeCity Works

If you want to reach a new donor base with your raffle all while getting the word out about your organization’s cause, connect with our team here.

The Georgian Bay General Hospital Foundation (GBGH) completed their second virtual gala in August and it was a raving success!

In the past they’ve typically had in-person events with some online fundraising, mainly just using donation forms. For their first virtual gala in 2020 they used a different platform but during that gala they struggled with the static layout and lack of customization in the other platform. When 2021 rolled around they were on the hunt for more customization and control over the donor experience. 

“Trellis itself is great, it’s super easy to use, it’s definitely easy to customize your page” – Jen Russell, Development and Communications Officer, GBGH

On their Trellis page they utilized the items for sale, auction and ticketing features to engage donors in different ways. With Trellis, they were able to continue adjusting their page to highlight different sections as their campaign went on. With the ability to make the page with their custom branding and colours as well as being able to move segments around to focus donors’ attention on different things, GBGH exceeded their fundraising goal!

“Your team is amazing, you get that feeling right from the get go that you guys are willing to work with whatever we’ve got and help us to do the best that we can do” – Jen Russell, Development and Communications Officer, GBGH

GBGH loved the impact Trellis allowed them to have through the platform but in addition to that, they were blown away by our customer experience team!

“I don’t think we’ll find nicer, more customer service oriented people anywhere. The Trellis team is the best!” – Jen Russell, Development and Communications Officer, GBGH

Trellis allowed GBGH to have all of their fundraising drivers in one place, where donors could engage with multiple ways to give. 

“We certainly loved having a customizable page that looked like our branding. Whether we were selling a bag or had an auction going, tickets to the event, everything was focused on one site” – Jen Russell, Development and Communications Officer, GBGH

In the future, GBGH is excited about bringing events back to in-person, while taking the learnings from their virtual galas. They are excited to combine these two worlds and to see how Trellis can help them raise more!

“I would definitely recommend working with Trellis, we had a great experience, their customer service was exceptional, they are always willing to work with you to figure out how they can improve the platform and make it better.” – Jen Russell, Development and Communications Officer, GBGH

Like for many organizations, the pandemic made it harder for Mamas for Mamas to fundraise and Shannon, CEO of Mamas for Mamas knew she’d have to do something different if she wanted to keep her team employed and on track. 

Jillian Harris hosted her fundraising online raffle,  Santa Jilly’s Christmas in June in support of the national organization Mamas for Mamas. This raffle was designed to bring in the necessary funds Mamas for Mamas needs to support those in their community. The raffle featured over 100 prizes where supporters could donate for a chance to win items. 

At first, the Mamas for Mamas team set up their online raffle themselves, through their own website, which only had the capacity to handle a certain number of visitors. However, it didn’t take long for them to realize that the excitement of their raffle far exceeded what they planned, and the site began to crash, unable to handle the traffic coming. Unsure of what to do now, they needed to find a new solution to meet the demands of their fundraiser. 

Shannon was hesitant to switch to Trellis as their raffle was running, as people were buying tickets and she wanted to minimize overhead costs and donor confusion. But, knowing it was the best way forward she pulled the plug. In a sweaty and exciting moment, midway through the raffle, the Mamas for Mamas team was able to make the change to Trellis! Within 20 minutes they had switched over and were redirecting people to the new site. 

Over 700 households tuned in to The Rotary Foundation’s Virtual Fundraising Gala for zones 28 and 32 on May 12th. The gala, organized by Peter Schultz from district 5060 was a wildly successful celebration of the foundation! They raised close to $200,000 throughout the evening through ticket sales, donations and a silent auction. The event was hosted by RI Director Valarie Wafer and TRF Trustee Dean Rohrs and even featured a guest appearance from our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau!

We’re seeing major hospital foundations take creative approaches to ensuring a high-quality donor experience, whether it be in person or in the virtual landscape. With Trellis there is the flexibility to create the experience you need for your donors, and with our easy to use platform it couldn’t be simpler. In this blog, we discuss some unique ways these hospital foundations were able to surpass their fundraising goals (even during the pandemic)!

Women’s College Hospital Foundation

The Women’s College Hospital Foundation in Toronto held their signature Women’s Day Gala on International Women’s Day, which included speakers, entertainment and education sessions, all of which tied back to their hospital’s values. In order to make their event a roaring success, leading up to the event they encouraged pre-seeded contributions from key donors, with all contributions being announced during the live event. As a result, they were able to raise over $100,000 in 10 minutes from highly engaged donors in an incredibly successful fund-a-need.

Not only did they focus on an engaging event donor experience, but they got donors excited long before the day. They encouraged donors to interact in multiple ways including offering a silent auction, items for sale and donations. Their silent auction included “coffee and conversations,” which were thirty minute Zoom sessions that donors could bid on to connect with leaders from different industries and sectors. We love this innovative way to engage donors with silent auction items that are unique and interactive for bidders. 

To take their whole event up another level they worked with one of our Trellis partners, Layne the Auctionista! Layne facilitated the event, dialled up the energy, encouraged donors to contribute, and recognized them as donations rolled in live on Trellis!

“When we made the decision to move to a virtual event, the next decision to choose the right fundraising platform was critical. We were extremely happy with the Trellis solution which enabled an outstanding fundraising result. Our guests had no problem interacting with it, which is always a key criterion. Overall, their partnership was truly valued.”

– Catherine Carter, Vice President, Marketing and Community Engagement, Women’s College Hospital Foundation.

Inspired for your event? Check out their fundraising page here.

Temiskaming Hospital Foundation 

The Temiskaming Hospital Foundation has historically run a radiothon fundraiser. With the pandemic, being at a radio station to answer calls this year was unfortunately not an option. However, they didn’t let this stop them! They turned to Trellis to help tell their story and accomplish their mission. To do this, they needed to build a fundraising page that was highly effective in communicating this story. 

Temiskaming accomplished this by using video testimonials from nurses and patients as well as stories written by staff. This inspired donors to connect with the mission and contribute to the cause. Using the Trellis site to advertise their campaign allowed them to connect with new donors and break their fundraising goals! They raised more with their virtual radiothon than they had ever done in years prior (even during a third wave of the pandemic!).

For a great example of story-telling on an event page, see their fundraising page here.

Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation

In the past, Vernon Jubilee Hospital had always run their in-person charity golf tournament but last year due in part to the pandemic, they had to make a shift. From this shift, “The 19th Hole” campaign was created. 

Their campaign was twofold, it utilized an email campaign as well as their Trellis event page. Designed to engage donors throughout the journey of the golf course, this campaign built more awareness around the Foundation. Within the campaign, donors were presented with new ways to support the hospital including participating in the fund-a-need, bidding on silent auction items, or buying tickets for their virtual event. Alongside the email campaign, they updated their Trellis page regularly with new exciting content. 

The final “hole” at the end of their month-long campaign was their virtual event hosted by local radio personalities and featured inspirational messages, musical entertainment, and an invitation to support the foundation.

The combination of the marketing campaign and the live event engaged donors to a new level. “The 19th Hole” raised more money than their traditional golf tournament; it was a historic campaign for the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation. 

Want to see what a virtual golf event looks like? Here is their fundraising page. 

 

Do you want to create a top-notch donor experience? Talk to one of our fundraising specialists!

COVID-19 created increased demand for housing services and LA Family Housing responded by ramping up their efforts to transition people out of homelessness. 

LA Family Housing has held their Annual Golf Outing for the past 9 years. With the pandemic in full swing, the team at LA Family Housing was unsure of how their event would look in 2020. MaryEllen and her team had to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by running a safe and socially distanced golf tournament. They held a successful in-person tournament at the golf course that also consisted of online elements like a raffle, silent auction and ticketing.

An Easy Choice

Although MaryEllen and her team vetted a variety of different platforms, we were happy to hear that Trellis was their top choice! They wanted a platform that didn’t take up too much bandwidth from their team, had a beautiful visual for their guests, and most importantly, was easy to use and navigate. Trellis checked all of these boxes and more!

“We definitely vetted a couple of different platforms – Trellis was our top pick.” – MaryEllen Degnan, Director of Special Events at LA Family Housing

An Innovative Approach to Fundraising

LA Family Housing’s innovative approach to fundraising allowed them to raise more and surpass their goals. They came up with a creative way to engage donors, get people excited and raise the competitive spirit while most importantly keeping them safe. Not only did they sell tickets to their event but they used Trellis to upsell packages, such as the “Sweet Spot”. Guests could also pre-purchase a ‘Mulligan’ card if they hit their balls into the water. 

Going one step further LA Family Housing used Trellis to host their silent auction instead of having silent auction items out on tables. This way people who weren’t golfing could place bids, the bids could be placed at any time, such as while people are playing their round, and most importantly it allowed the silent auction to be a touchless experience!

Seamless Support

“You guys have Dennis who we could reach out to at any moment. Sometimes we just need a quick answer, so having Dennis right there was incredible, so helpful and so responsive.” – MaryEllen Degnan, Director of Special Events at LA Family Housing

Our human to human support allowed LA Family Housing to keep moving forward and focus on their fundraiser. They were able to customize their fundraising page to best fit their needs for both the customers and donors. As MaryEllen and the team had questions, our support team was right there to answer them and to ensure the experience was seamless and easy. 

“If we asked a question, you were so willing to fix it or change it to make it better for us. And that was something that we were really attracted to.” – MaryEllen Degnan, Director of Special Events at LA Family Housing

Superior Guest Experience in a COVID-19 World

With COVID-19 at the front of everyone’s minds, MaryEllen and the team had to put special measures in place to ensure the safety of their guests. They limited the total number of guests, pre-recorded video opening and closing ceremonies that were emailed to the guests, and kept the silent auction entirely online. Trellis allowed the event to proceed safely and in an orderly fashion. Since everything could be done online before the event, Trellis allowed the event to be touchless, meaning it was safer for the guests to participate as well as the volunteers. Trellis helped in ensuring that the guests had a smooth experience despite the windy weather! 

“Our guests were so happy and so generous and just excited to be there supporting, and Trellis is a big part of that.” – MaryEllen Degnan, Director of Special Events at LA Family Housing

Beating the Fundraising Goal

Not only did the guests have a superior experience but LA Family Housing exceeded their goal for this fundraiser!

MaryEllen Degnan, Director of Special Events at LA Family Housing

For more creative ideas about how to raise more with your golf tournament, speak to one of our fundraising specialists!