The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization and is dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. This organization’s mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Since it was founded in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers.
Highlights
- Greater Giving was chosen to be the sole provider of benefit event management software and services by a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society task force, because the solution was the right match for LLS’ benefit event needs, and provides an optimal future working relationship.
- Since September 2008, 13 of LLS’ 68 chapters have used Greater Giving and those chapters have been pleased with the company’s services. In 2009, all LLS chapters have been invited to use Greater Giving Event Software and Auctionpay terminals for their auctions associated with their Man & Woman of the Year and Black Tie campaigns.
- Using Greater Giving, LLS can now provide a streamlined express check-out and item pick-up for their guests by handing each guest a receipt with an itemized list of purchases and donations.
Challenge
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society hosts ongoing multiple fundraising events year round. Each chapter had a different method for managing their event; some used Excel® to manage their event while others hired event management companies to assist. With 68 chapters across the U.S., LLS needed to accomplish several key goals: streamline their data entry using event management software, standardize how each chapter runs their annual events, and provide a better experience for their guests. Reaching these goals would help improve their overall fundraising strategy and ultimately result in increased revenue for their noble cause.
Solution
In January 2006, LLS launched an Auction Software survey. Based on the results of the survey, LLS conducted a pilot program with the assistance of several chapters to evaluate leading vendor solutions available in the marketplace. The pilot, which included the Palm Beach Area, National Capital Area, Southern Florida, Mid-America and Washington/Alaska Chapters, assessed the vendors’ capabilities, support capacities and technical strategies to support the chapter’s performance metrics, data integration, and productivity and cost efficiencies. A task force was then chosen to select two auction software products to run the LLS pilot program. Overall, Greater Giving proved to best match LLS’ selection criteria. As a result, Greater Giving was named the exclusive special events auction service provider for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Results
LLS is currently rolling out Greater Giving Event Software and Online Payments and Auctionpay terminals to each of the 68 chapters. The thirteen chapters who used Greater Giving since 2008 have been very pleased with the guest experience. They are now able to provide a streamlined express check-out and item pick-up at their benefit events. Event staff are very pleased with the ability to hand a guest the receipt at the end of the night with an itemized list of purchases and donations, the post-event time savings, the ease of transmitting credit card transactions, and how little follow up is involved after they “push the button.” Security is a big improvement as well, because LLS chapters no longer have to worry about written credit card numbers getting misplaced or stolen.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society chapters are also enjoying working with the Greater Giving Client Services department to learn the software. LLS’ staff feedback regarding support materials is very complimentary, and the chapter teams appreciate the software’s reporting capability for before, during, and after the event. This has been particularly helpful with the organization’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign, where Greater Giving’s systems have been very helpful with integrating funds raised prior to the events with donations raised in support of each Man & Woman of the Year candidate at the Grand Finales.
Through the services and efficiencies of Greater Giving, LLS can continue to build additional support towards the most important goal of all — finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improving the quality of life of patients and their families living with the disease.
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