KINTERA FRIENDS ASKING FRIENDS AND E2 CREATIVE GROUP HELP MAKE FIRST-EVER WALK4FRIENDSHIP A SUCCESS

 

The Friendship Circle provides assistance and support
to the families of children with special needs as well as
to individuals and families struggling with addiction,
isolation, and other crises.
In addition to helping those in need, the Friendship
Circle empowers and enriches its network of volunteers,
the majority of whom are teenagers, by enabling them
to reap the vast rewards of giving of themselves.

“Kintera’s Friends Asking Friends application is very efficient and user-friendly,” said Hadar. “E2 creative was great. They really work for you and do what is best for you.”

– Rivkie Hadar, Volunteer Coordinator and Relations Specialist, Walk4Friendship

After purchasing a new facility, the Detroit branch of The Friendship Circle needed to cover some expenses and what better way than having a walk. The organization selected Friends Asking Friends® Kintera Thon technology and the expertise of e2 Creative Group, a Kintera partner, to help the organization promote and organize the event.

Using Kintera Sphere® technology and the implementation and design skills of e2 Creative Group for Web site and event fundraising, the first Walk4Friendship exceeded the organization’s expectations by 80 percent.

E2 Creative successfully implemented the Kintera FAF and Kintera E-mail applications for the Detroit branch of The Friendship Circle. Kintera E-mail enabled The Friendship Circle to send personalized e-mail solicitations to help spread the word and raise donations.E2 Creative Group used Kintera E-mail to create customized HTML e-mail templates with visuals, which supporters sent through the Web site’s FAF application to their personal contacts.

By using Kintera FAF, e2 Creative Group was able to implement the personalized e-mail solicitations feature. This feature enabled walkers to import their personal e-mail address books and create personalized e-mail solicitations inviting friends and family to take action, donate, or volunteer.

Not only was The Friendship Circle able to spread the word about its walk using the FAF application, it also increased its database by approximately 10 percent. Because walkers were able to easily import their e-mail address books, the organization was able to reach people that were once beyond reach. Through the convenience afforded by FAF, friends of walkers were able to contribute to the walker’s success no matter where they lived. FAF enabled walkers to expand their list of contributors beyond their immediate location and gather support from friends and family across the country.

“We were a local, close-knit nonprofit and tended to stay in our area,” said Rivkie Hadar, volunteer coordinator and Walk4Friendship relations specialist.“ A lot of our walkers got sponsors from different states. We didn’t know these people or know about them, and now, because of Kintera’s Friends Asking Friends application, we have expanded our reach and surpassed our fundraising goal.”

The first Walk4Friendship was such a success, that the organization plans to double its fundraising goal for the next walk.

E2 Creative Group has implemented Kintera FAF for multiple branches of The Friendship Circle. Eli Kagan, creative director for e2 Creative Group sees the potential available with FAF. “We are very excited about the fundraising results of this project as well as the ease Kintera technology provides in terms of design and functionality,” he said.

Result Highlights

With the help of e2 Creative Group and Kintera technology, the Friendship Walk:
  • 1,300 people in attendance
  • Over 1,000 registered walkers
  • 1,898 donors contributed to Walk4Friendship
  • Raised over $217,000 for the Detroit branch

[ download a version of this story in pdf format ]