Animal Haven partners with Fundraise Up for a 264% increase in recurring donors

About Animal Haven

Since 1967, Animal Haven has been rescuing and finding homes for dogs and cats who have been abandoned throughout the Northeastern U.S. It also provides behavior intervention when needed to improve the chances of adoption and programs to enhance the bond between animals and people.

The challenge

Meeting the increased demand for medical care

Whether it’s animals who are sick and need medication or animals who need life-saving surgeries, Animal Haven’s biggest expense is providing medical support for these animals. The rising adoption rate and the medical support requested by local shelters have caused Animal Haven’s vet costs to surge over time.

This growing demand placed more pressure on the organization to raise more, but the team at Animal Haven was limited in what it could do with its existing online donation platform. The team began its search for a solution to upgrade its fundraising technology and achieve the performance needed to cover costs and the rising demand for medical services.

Animal haven needed a better solution that could:

• improve the donation experience in order to better connect with supporters and drive more donation volume
• increase donor retention and donor value by growing and sustaining its monthly giving program
• optimize and scale its resources while raising more for its critical mission

The solution

A way to grow revenue and increase recurring support

In its search for a new donation platform, Animal Haven looked at a lot of options. Even though many platforms touted all-in-one functionalities and long lists of features, none promised to grow revenue in the way Animal Haven needed.

But when Animal Haven found Fundraise Up, it was immediately impressed. The platform offered features for personalizing donation ask amounts, encouraging donors to become monthly supporters, and simple, per-transaction pricing that would save Animal Haven thousands of dollars in upfront costs.

Animal Haven was also pleased by Fundraise Up’s high-touch customer service, which provided onboarding support and continuous guidance from a dedicated account manager. Fundraise Up was also able to address Animal Haven’s need for 100% uptime on GivingTuesday and December 31, a requirement that its previous platform provider was unable to meet.

The result

Greater giving that helps cover costs

Since switching to Fundraise Up, Animal Haven has tripled the value of its recurring giving program and increased annual revenue. With the extra help, it can keep ahead of the demand for medical services and the rising costs of care. And thanks to the monthly support of hundreds of donors, Animal Haven now has a strong, predictable source of funding year-round.

Features helping Animal Haven succeed

• Personalized ask amounts: Animal Haven is able to personalize donation suggestions for every visitor to its website with Fundraise Up’s AI-powered asks. Now, donors give using right-sized donation amounts that drive greater revenue.
• Recurring plan upsells: Animal Haven struggled with getting donors to join its monthly giving program on its previous platform. Now with Fundraise Up, it can automatically prompt supporters to upgrade from one time to monthly giving at checkout. The result is a more than 3x increase in the value of recurring donors.
• Elements: When Animal Haven was evaluating new platforms, Elements, Fundraise Up’s UI kit for digital fundraising, wasn’t at the top of its feature wish list, but it has quickly become a favorite functionality. The team now uses trackable links, buttons, and QR codes to engage donors and grow revenue.
• Pricing: Avoiding upfront costs and expensive contracts was a key need for Animal Haven when selecting a new donation platform. With Fundraise Up, Animal Haven now pays just a simple transaction fee that 9-in-10 donors cover at checkout. The team saves on platform expenses and gets pricing flexibility that helps it scale its fundraising program.

Early wins with Fundraise Up

Animal Haven launched Fundraise Up on its website just ahead of GivingTuesday in 2019. Thanks to a fast, smooth onboarding process that it didn’t have to pay for, Animal Haven launched its campaign on time and without headache. Animal Haven saw immediate upticks in fundraising performance that brought in more donors and greater revenue.

Years later, the wins continue for Animal Haven, as it is now sees GivingTuesday revenue grow by 50% every year.

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