Nonprofits Organizations Honored for Making an Impact With Technology

Press release (Oct. 2, 2012) — Blackbaud, global provider of software and services designed for nonprofit organizations, announced the winners of its first ever Impact Awards. The winners were honored at bbcon, Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits, which was held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center National Harbor, Md.

“The Impact Awards recognize nonprofit organizations that are using technology in innovative ways to deliver on their missions,” said Jana Eggers, Blackbaud’s senior vice president, products and marketing. “We are proud to recognize the positive impact these leading organizations are making in their communities.”

Six organizations were recognized as part of the inaugural Impact Awards:

• Best Multi-Channel Campaign – Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan needed to find new ways to raise funds to keep up with growing emergency food demand. By deploying a multi-channel marketing campaign to ensure its vital message was heard, the organization raised record funds and greatly increased awareness.
• Best CRM Visionary – YWCA of Columbus. YWCA of Columbus wanted to improve constituent relationship management (CRM) and present itself as a community leader online. The organization updated its CRM processes, focused on improving data integrity, and launched a mobile website resulting in an increase in revenue, and greatly improved online interactions with constituents.
• Best Online Campaign – Ocean Conservancy. In an effort to show real, tangible solutions to cleaning up and preventing ocean trash from occurring, The Ocean Conservancy developed and promoted a 30-day trash-free challenge resulting in the highest level of engagement the organization has ever had.
• Best Peer-to-Peer/Special Events – University of Guelph. University of Guelph wanted to improve communication between departments and raise funds for a new track and other initiatives. Using peer-to-peer fundraising tools to engage grassroots supporters and enhance communications, the institution experienced unprecedented levels of online giving while decreasing costs and increasing collaboration.
• Best Use of New Media – American Diabetes Association. American Diabetes Association had social media strategies for signature events that varied greatly from market to market. By developing a comprehensive event strategy on Facebook and creating a best practices guide and training, the organization now has a unified social media presence and has experienced increased engagement.
• Best Overall Use of Blackbaud – Children’s HopeChest. Children’s HopeChest was experiencing low conversion rates, and needed to boost revenue for its sponsorship program. The organization implemented an online sponsorship program linked to its CRM system and has experienced rapid growth in overall revenue, online revenue, and sustainer gifts.

In addition to being honored at the event, each organization received a $500 donation.