Hope for the Homeless 5K: How Siena Francis House Doubled Their Fundraising with OneCause Peer-to-Peer

Background

Background

Siena Francis House is Omaha’s largest low-barrier emergency shelter, dedicated to providing life-saving services and pathways to housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. Every day, the organization offers meals, hygiene items, clothing, and, most importantly, case management to help individuals transition into stable housing.

Challenge

The Challenge: Expanding a Legacy Event

For 30 years, the Hope for the Homeless 5K Walk/Run had been a staple community event, raising around $50,000 annually. However, the development team at Siena Francis House, consisting of just two people, knew there was untapped potential.

“We wanted to grow participation, increase fundraising, and strengthen community involvement,” shared Silvia Rodriguez, Associate Director of Development. “We envisioned turning this into a must-attend annual event. But to do that, we needed fresh technology and new strategies.”

Past fundraising efforts relied on basic online registration forms linked to their donor database, lacking the engagement-driving power of a dedicated peer-to-peer platform. That’s when they turned to OneCause.

Solution

Solution

After evaluating multiple platforms, Siena Francis House chose the OneCause Peer-to-Peer solution for its ease of use, affordability, and robust features.

Here’s how OneCause helped transform their event:

1. A Dedicated Fundraising Hub

The OneCause software empowered Siena Francis House to evolve their simple sign-up form into a fully branded, interactive fundraising hub.

With an intuitive design, supporters could navigate event details, register as individuals or teams, and personalize their fundraising pages with ease. Real-time progress updates, leaderboards, and impact stories fostered a strong sense of community and sparked friendly competition.

The fully branded landing page:

  • Provided a central hub for participants, donors, and sponsors.
  • Allowed individuals and teams to register, share personal fundraising pages, and track their fundraising progress.
  • Included impact level giving, which visually connected donation amounts to real-life impact, making generosity more tangible.

“The dedicated landing page made a huge difference. Everything was in one place—event details, fundraising progress, and stories that inspired people to give,” said Rodriguez.

2. Empowering Peer-to-Peer Participants

OneCause gave Siena Francis House the ability to turn participants into passionate ambassadors for their cause. Instead of simply signing up for the 5K, registrants were encouraged to take an active role in fundraising by creating personal donation pages and sharing their stories.

OneCause enabled:

  • Easy team creation and friendly competition.
  • Personalized fundraising pages that supporters could share via email and social media.
  • Integrated donation tracking and progress thermometers that motivated participation.

These not only helped grow donations but also deepened participants’ connection to the mission. Fundraisers, especially younger generations, felt a stronger sense of purpose as they saw firsthand how their efforts contributed to the cause.

“We had never used peer-to-peer before, but OneCause made it easy for our participants to fundraise in addition to registering,” said Chris Bauer, Chief Development Officer. “We saw an immediate difference.”

3. Real-Time Reporting & Insights

With a lean development team, having real-time access to data was essential to making informed decisions quickly. OneCause provided Siena Francis House with powerful analytics that helped them track donations, participant engagement, and fundraising trends in real time. This capability allowed the team to proactively adjust strategies, optimize outreach, and identify high-performing fundraisers.

The OneCause admin dashboard provided:

  • Real-time donation and registration data.
  • Customizable reports for post-event analysis.
  • Automated donor acknowledgments, which reduced administrative workload.

“The reporting tools were a game-changer. They gave us insight into donor behavior and event performance that we never had before,” said Bauer.

4. Increased Sponsor Engagement

Siena Francis House recognized the importance of engaging corporate sponsors beyond traditional donations. They wanted to create meaningful opportunities for businesses to actively participate in the event while gaining visibility and fostering a sense of community involvement.

OneCause helped achieve this by offering a seamless way for sponsors to build teams, encourage employees to fundraise, and integrate their brand into the event experience.

The software helped Siena Francis House provide recognition to sponsors in real time, showcasing their contributions and involvement on leaderboards and donor walls. This increased sponsor visibility, helped build long-term relationships, and encouraged further investment in the nonprofit’s mission.

OneCause Peer-to-Peer improved sponsor visibility and engagement by allowing:

  • Corporate teams to register and fundraise collectively.
  • Sponsors to be featured prominently on the event page.
  • Enhanced recognition through leaderboards and social media integration.

“Our sponsors loved the team-building aspect. One group brought over 40 participants! It added a whole new layer of energy to the event,” said Bauer.

Results

Results

The impact of using OneCause was immediate and powerful:

  • 36% increase in participation, growing from 250 to 365 registrants.
  • 64% increase in fundraising, jumping from $50,000 to $82,000.
  • Achieved incremental donations during the signup process beyond the registration fee.
  • Stronger sponsor engagement, with corporate teams actively fundraising.

“We originally set a stretch goal of $75,000. Hitting $82,000 blew us away—especially in our first year using peer-to-peer!” Rodriguez exclaimed.

Looking Ahead: Building on Success

Following their triumph with the 5K, Siena Francis House is doubling down on peer-to-peer fundraising for their next big event: Over the Edge—a unique rappelling challenge that will use the OneCause platform for participant-driven fundraising.

“We’re just getting started,” said Bauer. “This was our first year with peer-to-peer, and we already saw incredible results. We can’t wait to see what’s possible in the future.”

Advice for Other Nonprofits

When asked what they’d tell other nonprofits considering OneCause peer-to-peer, Rodriguez had this advice:

  • Embrace change: “If you want growth, you have to try new approaches. Peer-to-peer expands your fundraising reach in ways traditional methods can’t.”
  • Engage younger donors: “This technology is a perfect fit for digital-savvy supporters. It builds community and cultivates the next generation of donors.”
  • Invest in the right tools: “Fundraising success isn’t magic—it’s strategy. OneCause helped us turn our vision into reality.”

Final Thoughts: The OneCause Experience in Three Words

When asked to sum up their journey with OneCause, Rodriguez and Bauer didn’t hesitate:

User-Friendly. Impactful. Game-Changer.

Siena Francis House is proof that the right tools, the right strategy, and a bold vision can transform a longstanding event into a record-breaking success. And they’re just getting started.

Connect with a Cause

To learn more about Siena Francia House, please visit their website.

Wrapping Up!

More fundraising resources are just a click away.

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