How Harrington Cancer & Health Foundation Set Fundraising Records With OneCause Peer-to-Peer
Background
But it’s more than a cycling challenge. This annual event fuels a powerful purpose: to fund the 24 Hours in the Canyon Cancer Survivorship Center. Open to all cancer survivors at no cost, the center provides vital physical, emotional, and spiritual support throughout and beyond treatment. Every dollar raised fuels this life-changing program.
Opportunity
While the Foundation has no trouble recruiting participants, managing the complexity of such a multifaceted event with outdated peer-to-peer fundraising tools was a different story.
“Before OneCause, we used two different platforms over the years, and neither were very user-friendly,” Parnell explained. “They didn’t allow the configuration I needed and often required me to wait until they made manual edits on their end.”
That friction impacted how engaged their participants were throughout the campaign. “Life before OneCause was not user-friendly on the participant side either. No question, we had issues keeping our participants engaged, and our fundraising suffered a lot because it wasn’t simple for them.”
From confusing registration flows to limited team and participant tools, previous software systems created unnecessary barriers at every step. Ryan knew it was time for Harrington to take their fundraising to the next level.
Solution
Enter OneCause Peer-to-Peer software. Looking to eliminate friction, increase engagement, and elevate the donor experience, the Foundation made the switch—and never looked back.
Ease-of-Use
From day one, Ryan recognized the OneCause difference.
“At the first meeting with my OneCause consultant, she saw that I’d already been building out the event,” Ryan said. “She was impressed—but honestly, I was just clicking around, found it easy to use, and was surprised at how quickly I was able to learn the software.”
The same was true for Ryan’s 800+ participants.
“Once we moved to OneCause, I can’t tell you how many times I heard, ‘This is so much better of a platform!’ Participants could figure out how to get to their page. And everything was right there. A simple click integrated into their email or their social media made an immediate impact on our fundraising because of its simplicity.”
More than just dollars raised, the platform empowered more participants to become fundraisers—and succeed at it.
Affinity Group Fundraising
The ease-of-use and level of configurability allowed Ryan to build the event site to fit the complexity of 24 Hours in the Canyon without having to wait on his software provider to make edits to the website.
“There’s 57 different ways to participate in our event,” Ryan said with a smile. “We have 24-hour, 12-hour, and 6-hour ride options, solo vs. team options, competitive vs. non-competitive options, road and mountain biking, which includes geared vs. single-speed, virtual participation, and various age brackets,” he said, accounting for each registration category. “It’s a beast. But OneCause helps me simplify all of it.”
Using affinity groups alongside team functionality, Ryan was able to quickly and easily create a participant experience that felt clear and organized – even with all the complexity behind the scenes.
Reporting
And when it comes to managing 800+ participants and 50+ registration categories, having flexible data and reporting isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
From tracking fundraising progress to pulling past-year donor data to share with returning participants, the insights OneCause provides help Ryan maximize engagement year over year.
“The fact that I can carry over reports from one year to the next is a game-changer,” he added. “It saves time, reduces my stress, and helps me support our fundraisers more effectively.”
Beyond the Software
The Foundation makes full use of the OneCause Peer-to-Peer Software, including:
- Fundraising thermometers
- Individual and team leaderboards
- Donor wall
- Custom pages (to share fundraising tips, sample donor communications, incentives, etc.)
Yet Ryan explained there was more to his very positive experience with OneCause than just software.
Results
By leveraging the power of OneCause Peer-to-Peer, the 2024 event marked a milestone year for the Harrington Cancer & Health Foundation.
- 839 participants across 149 teams
- 25+ affinity groups supported
- Record-breaking $485,000 raised (121% of goal)
- 18% year-over-year fundraising growth
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Parnell. “We broke records this year, and a big part of that was due to the ease and simplicity that OneCause brings to our peer-to-peer fundraising.”
Advice for Nonprofits
When asked what advice he’d give to other organizations, Ryan didn’t hesitate. “If time is important to you and you care about getting the data you need, then you need OneCause,” he said. “It’s made my life so much easier. And if you rely on others to fundraise on your behalf, it gives them the tools to succeed.”
He also shared his personal strategies for driving results:
- Every week for the eight weeks leading up to the event, I send a short email to participants with a script and a graphic they can use to ask for donations.
- We host Zoom sessions to answer questions and coach fundraisers.
- To avoid donor confusion and potential chargebacks, consider listing your event as the charity shown on your Merchant Account vs. the name of your org or foundation.
Connect with A Cause
To learn more about the Harrington Cancer & Health Foundation, please visit their website.
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