Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta
For 45 years, financially-distressed families have turned to Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater Atlanta for help with their finances. This full-service, nonprofit organization provides compassionate financial services using innovative and practical solutions. Describing themselves as a “financial emergency room,” CCCS creates hope and inspires lasting change. Financial counseling is provided 24 hours a day in all 50 states over the telephone and Internet in both English and Spanish. They also offer in-person counseling at 30 offices throughout Georgia, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee. Atlanta is the headquarters for this family of agencies.
Highlights
- Greater Giving Event Software was easy to use and centralized all the event data — meaning minimal support from CCCS’ IT staff.
- After adding an end-of -year mail campaign with an online function, CCCS averaged $200 per donation and raised an additional $10K.
- CCCS added Online Payments, which opened up online donations, registrations, sponsorships, and volunteer sign-ups.
Challenge
In 2007, CCCS decided to expand their traditional fundraising efforts beyond grants and corporate donors, and host an auction for individuals who support their cause. The local president of the West Palm Beach (WPB) office came up with a unique theme related to their mission — “Purse Strings.” The first Purse Strings benefit was held in WPB and it was envisioned as a reception and silent auction of handbags, wallets, and accessories donated by well-known designers, individuals, local boutiques, and artists. The event was a big hit and CCCS decided to replicate the event in Atlanta. With a short window of time to organize the 2008 Purse Strings - Atlanta event, and limited staff and volunteers, Megan Cutts, Special Events and Donor Coordinator, knew she needed a tool to help her manage all the details. In her words, “No way was I going to get everything done all by hand!”
A silent auction was a new fundraising tactic for the organization, and their supporters consisted of mainly corporate donors rather than individuals. They needed to find a way to reach out to individuals in their community, who would be interested in attending their fundraiser and supporting the organization year-round.
Solution
After attending the first Purse Strings event in WPB, Cutts quickly realized the value of investing in event management software and online payment services. After researching several companies, Greater Giving was chosen as the solution that best fit the needs of CCCS.
Why did they select Greater Giving? Cutts found the software easy to manage and Greater Giving’s Client Services group to be very supportive. The CCCS team was able to quickly enter data and run real-time reports via the Web-based Event Software – Online, which required minimal support from the IT services within the organization.
Greater Giving Online Payments was also folded into the new fundraising strategy. Just by visiting the event website, guests, donors, and sponsors could register online for the event or simply donate to CCCS. All registration data flowed seamlessly into the Event Software database, making catalog and bid sheet creation a snap. Cutts also found an innovative way to use the online registration feature — signing up volunteers. This simple step saved her hours of time each week that could instead be spent procuring items and marketing the event.
Tips from CCCS
- Make sure to follow the Greater Giving Best Practices Guide and use the Auction Planner.
- Use Online Payments to register all supporters, including volunteers
- Training is important — take advantage of Greater Giving’s live and self-paced training resources.
Result
While the first 2008 Purse Strings – Atlanta event was a success, Cutts felt they still had room for improvement. She did not follow the Greater Giving Best Practices Guide step by step and tried a more complicated registration and check-out process. This created some issues at check-out and registration.
Cutts quickly learned to adapt and for the next 2009 Purse Strings – Atlanta she followed the Greater Giving Best Practices Guide to the letter. Cutts also provided each staff volunteer with access to Greater Giving’s online resources and provided hands on training. These steps helped prepare everyone for any challenges they might encounter, and simplified the registration and check-out processes dramatically. The results — rave reviews from attendees and a streamlined event, even with more items up for auction.
Now that CCCS has demonstrated the success of a benefit fundraiser in Atlanta and WPB using cutting-edge technology, the organization plans to roll out their Purse Strings benefit to two additional regions in 2010 — Mississippi and Central FL.
The Greater Giving product’s online features are opening up many fundraising opportunities for CCCS. Cutts explained how after adding an end-of -year staff campaign using Online Payments, they averaged $200 per donation and raised an additional $10K for their Capacity-Building Campaign.
“Attendees, donors, sponsors and staff all appreciated the ease of on-line donations,” said Cutts. Her organization has found a way to better manage their event fundraising and reach out to a group of new supporters — giving them the ability to grow further and continue to offer the compassionate financial services they are known for.
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