By powering their Polar Bear Plunge campaign with CauseVox, CCAN had two record-breaking fundraising years in a row: raising a total of $273,377 in 2018 and 2019, rallying 503 plungers (personal fundraisers), and securing gifts from 4,601 individuals!<\/p>\n
CCAN & The Polar Bear Plunge: A Snapshot<\/h2>\n
CCAN is an established nonprofit located in the Chesapeake region. With the help of 15 staff members spread throughout four offices in the area, they advocate for fewer fossil fuels and clean energy solutions.<\/p>\n
The Polar Bear Plunge, which as of 2019 was in its 14th year, is CCAN\u2019s largest event and signature fundraiser. This annual peer-to-peer fundraising event relies on eager, selfless participants who believe in supporting CCAN\u2019s efforts enough that they\u2019re willing to raise enough money to jump into the icy Potomac River at National Harbor to prove it. \u201cIt\u2019s both our biggest fundraiser and a major educational opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fundraisers include the organization\u2019s activists and other supporters, each of whom uses the event as a chance to raise funds and talk to their own networks of friends and family about fighting climate change.<\/p>\n
A lot has changed since the first plunge in 2005. \u201cSince then, we\u2019ve grown exponentially, and part of that is because of technology,\u201d said Danniele.<\/p>\n
![\"polar-plunge-causevox\"](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/screen-shot-2019-06-07-at-2-57-29-pm.png\")
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Choosing CauseVox<\/h2>\n
Understanding that they needed a platform that supported peer-to-peer fundraising events, the team at CCAN got to work in 2017. They wanted to find a fundraising platform that fit their specific fundraising needs and didn\u2019t take away from their bottom line.<\/p>\n
Some of CCAN\u2019s most pressing platform needs included:<\/p>\n
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- Easy to use<\/li>\n
- Supported multiple fundraising teams<\/li>\n
- User-friendly backend\/dashboard<\/li>\n
- Custom fields<\/li>\n
- Some automated functions<\/li>\n
- Quick response time\/high-level of customer service<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
After looking at multiple platforms and comparing the features, functions, and costs of each, the organization chose to power the Polar Bear Plunge with CauseVox\u00a0 \u201cThe ease of use of CauseVox and your quick response whenever we needed help was really great and it made coming over to [CauseVox] a really obvious, easy choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Features for Success<\/h2>\n
With over a decade of peer-to-peer experience under their belts, CCAN was familiar with the \u201crecipe for success.\u201d And in 2018 and 2019, they continued to follow fundraising best practices while also working with a member of the CauseVox support team to fine tune their website and maximize their campaign\u2019s reach.<\/p>\n
Here are some of the essential CauseVox features that helped CCAN exceed their fundraising goals.<\/p>\n
Less Setup (& More Time for Nurturing)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Before 2018\u2019s plunge, CCAN employees spent the majority of their campaign-related time with technical support issues, including \u201chelping people sign up on the site, set up their plunge page, and troubleshoot issues they had in setting up their teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
But by using CauseVox, which is designed to take the chaos out of the fundraising experience, employees were able to spend more time supporting the plungers\u2019 fundraising efforts, and not just the technical aspects.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe needed to hone in on our support efforts for fundraisers,\u201d Danniele explained. And since they now had the time because they weren\u2019t dealing with back-end technology issues, the organization created toolkits, social media guides, and other resources to help guide plungers in their efforts. They even call all plungers before the event to ensure they were pumped and ready for the big day!<\/p>\n
Custom Fields<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"ccan-causevox-custom-fields\"](\"https:\/\/causevox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/screen-shot-2019-06-07-at-2-36-41-pm.png\")
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