Boosting Online Donations with Keela: Lessons Learned from Backpack Buddies’ 10% Revenue Increase

Challenge

Backpack Buddies has been supporting children in schools across Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island through their annual back-to-school campaigns for the past eight years. However, the pandemic forced schools to close, and the number of children without access to school-based programs supplying their weekday meals increased. This made Backpack Buddies’ 2020 back-to-school campaign more challenging than expected.

Solution

To raise more funds and support even more children, Backpack Buddies leveraged Keela’s cloud-based nonprofit software. They used Keela’s email marketing platform to send branded, personalized appeals that resonated with donors. Keela’s donor management tools supported the team as they nurtured leads and converted them to active donors. They used Keela’s intuitive reporting tool to track their donor engagement, make data-driven decisions, and streamline their fundraising efforts.

“Keela made it simple to track donations, follow up with donors, and keep track of our progress. It provided support by allowing us not to have to worry about donor communications, [that’s] one less thing to worry about.”

— Emily-Anne King, Vice-President & Co-Founder, Backpack Buddies

How Keela Supports Backpack Buddies

Personalized Communications

Backpack Buddies used Keela’s donor communication tool to create, design, and send personalized fundraising appeals to the right donors at the right time.

Effective Donor Management

Using Keela’s contact insights and recommendations, the Backpack Buddies team segments its donors and nurtures each donor based on their giving history.

Enhanced Reporting

Keela’s reporting tool allows the Backpack Buddies team to monitor their campaign progress in real time and make the necessary adjustments.

Results

Despite the challenging circumstances, Backpack Buddies had one of their most successful back-to-school campaigns. They raised over $150,000 and gained over 2,000 new subscribers (including 200 monthly recurring donors) via Keela’s mobile-friendly donation forms.

With Keela’s all-in-one nonprofit software, Backpack Buddies has reached more donors and sent thousands of successful fundraising appeals with clear messages that convey impact. They’ve also enhanced relationships and communications with their network of donors, supporters, volunteers, and partners and gathered powerful donor insights while keeping a healthy database.

Looking Ahead

Backpack Buddies plans to grow their network of supporters and partners, hire more staff, and get more creative with their campaign efforts. They plan to continue using Keela to engage their donors, manage their data, and raise more funds!

You can learn more about Backpack Buddies’ story here.