Rotary Customer Story
Comprised of over 35,000 clubs and 1.2-million members worldwide, Rotary International is an organization with over a century of service to causes and their communities. Its members are committed to bettering the world and take action through fundraising efforts for various causes, from global issues like providing clean water down to local issues at the community level.
The Rotary Club of Branford, Connecticut recognized the pandemic’s grave impact on local restaurants and their workers and wanted to help. Explains Branford Rotary member Andy Marlatt, “They (restaurants) had been suffering a great deal. People weren’t able to go in, they were only doing takeout, and these are important small businesses—they are the heart of any community.”
A Fundraising Idea for a Great Cause
Branford Rotary’s goal? Raise money to support restaurants and people who had lost work during the pandemic.
Branford Rotary’s plan? Run an online raffle with a tempting grand prize of $3,400 comprised of $100 gift cards purchased from 34 restaurants in the Branford community. Branford Rotary then used the raffle’s proceeds to purchase more gift cards from the restaurants, which were then distributed to those in need through a partnership with Branford Counseling & Community Services.
The Right Virtual Fundraising Platform
As part of a greater international organization, maintaining official branding was essential for Branford Rotary. They also needed a user-friendly interface, insight into the efficacy of their marketing efforts, great support, and something affordable. In Eventgroove, Branford Rotary found a perfect match. Explains Marlatt, “(Eventgroove) had the most features that I wanted to use, was a pretty simple platform, and easy to understand.”
Staying On-Brand
Accomplished through a fundraising landing page seamlessly connected with the Branford Rotary website, supporters of “Braffle” interacted solely with the Branford Rotary brand. Additionally, the page featured Branford Rotary’s logos, colors, messaging, and URL, thus delivering an uninterrupted brand experience.
Through Eventgroove’s print-product capabilities, Branford Rotary purchased custom-printed, branded raffle tickets as well as promotional posters. The custom designed posters featured unique QR codes provided by Eventgroove. They then supplemented those print marketing efforts with “Braffle”-branded lawn signs featuring QR codes. Once scanned, users were directed to Branford Rotary’s virtual fundraising page where they could purchase raffle tickets.
Branford Rotary posted engaging “Braffle”-branded videos to Facebook, including one explaining what a “Braffle” is, funny outtakes, and even one after the “Braffle” sold out! They also shared branded images encouraging participation as part of their online marketing efforts. This use of both online and physical promotion drew attention and stirred up excitement, so much so that Marlatt (who was wearing his Branford Rotary baseball hat) was approached at the grocery store as the “Braffle Guy”!
Raising More Money Through Informed Marketing
Measuring the efficacy of marketing efforts for the “Braffle” was critical for Branford Rotary. They needed to understand the traffic and raffle ticket sales that various posters and Facebook ads were generating. Fed by Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel codes, and QR codes displayed on custom-printed posters, Eventgroove’s built-in analytics capabilities enabled Branford Rotary to assess which ads and posters generated the most traction and subsequently where they should spend their marketing dollars.
“I think every nonprofit would be wise to look at Eventgroove because it could literally change the way any of the organizations raise money and raise awareness.”
Andy Marlatt, Branford Rotary
The Results
Get the full “Braffle” story and the details of how Branford Rotary made it such a success in this video.
A Partnership That Drives Success
The fundraising success that Branford Rotary achieved through Eventgroove is not an anecdotal result. We’ve enabled over 76,000 nonprofit customers to create, manage, promote, and raise money for causes they’re passionate about. On average, Eventgroove customers experience increased donor engagement and higher ticket sales than they did prior to adopting our platform. Imagine the impact an increase in engagement could do for your orginzation’s fundraising goals!
Chat with a Solutions Specialist to learn how Eventgroove can meet (and exceed) your organization’s event and fundraising needs. Schedule a free consultation today.
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