The Birdathon is a unique peer to peer fundraising campaign. Many Audubon chapters and conservancy groups have implemented a birdathon fundraiser across the United States for decades.
Surprisingly many are still not raising money online. One reason for this is that the precise requirements of a bird-a-thon can’t be supported by the standard peer to peer fundraising software. With this in mind, we created SWEET! BIRDATHON, to meet the unique and proven needs of the bird-a-thon.
To illustrate this, we share a synopsis of three bird-a-thon projects of various scopes. They represent the capabilities of the SWEET! BIRDATHON peer to peer fundraising platform.
New Jersey Audubon World Series of Birding
The World Series of Birding (WSB) is the largest Audubon birdathon in the United States. WSB began in 1984 and first began online fundraising in 2015 on SWEET! BIRDATHON. In year one, WSB saw an immediate 50% increase in fundraising. Year two also saw a 50% increase. In 2017 WBS raised $185,000 on SWEET! BIRDATHON.
For years, WSB could not find a peer to peer fundraising platform that could support their unique registration and donation needs. Then they discovered SWEET! BIRDATHON. Its customization capabilities was capable of meeting all their needs.
Some key features in SWEET! BIRDATHON that supported WSB going online:
- Custom-built registration form.
- Brunch ticket sales.
- Fixed and incremental donor pledging.
- Donors can pledge and give by multiple payment options.
- One-click pledge fulfillment tool for staff.
Audubon Society of Portland Birdathon
The Audubon Society of Portland Birdathon (ASPB) is the highest-grossing birdathon in the United States. ASPB began in 1980 and first used SWEET! BIRDATHON in 2012. ASPB’s first year fundraising total of $138,000 was nearly $60,000 (77%) more than in 2011 while on Kintera’s Friends asking Friends fundraising platform.
Since 2012 yearly upgrades and enhancements to SWEET! BIRDATHON supported ASPB’s ability to grow fundraising to $195,000 in 2017. That’s a 150% growth over five years.
Some key features in SWEET! BIRDATHON that supported ASPB’s rapid and sustained growth:
- Registration & donation form that allows the creation and renewal of memberships.
- Fixed and incremental donor pledging.
- Donors can only give to teams and individual team members.
- Donors can pledge and give by multiple payment options.
- One-click pledge fulfillment tool for staff.
Software should be Flexible Enough to Meet all of Your Needs
At Blue Sky Collaborative, our experience teaches us that bird-a-thon rules and cultures result from staff and volunteers’ efforts. We know that the most successful bird-a-thon fundraiser is due to the nonprofit community’s preferences, not the software’s capabilities.
We believe software should flex to people. So they can be creative, have fun, and maximize their fundraising potential. At Blue Sky Collaborative, our goal is to help you maximize the benefits of peer to peer fundraising to achieve your mission.
To learn more about how we can help, contact or call us at (p) 800-330-4109 ext. 803.