We use GiveSmart for everything from events, auctions online, giving QR codes to text-to-give …. all the different ways to maximize donor giving, and meet the donor where they are. We found that it’s incredibly successful, especially for our Day of Giving.

MaryEllis P.

Executive Director of Foundation and Fundraising Innovation at the YMCA of Greenville

400%

growth in Day of Giving

1

award-winning fundraising and donor management platform

3,000+

annual donors

The YMCA of Greenville had contracted with GiveSmart for several years before the current Executive Director, MaryEllis Petrosian, took office. However, they were also using other event and fundraising management tools. The catalog of tools that their fundraising staff had was full of redundancies and excess spending. The use of multiple tools created a disjointed experience for their donors and excessive manual work and reporting for their staff.    

Petrosian had over a decade of experience fundraising with GiveSmart and knew it could be utilized for far more. The fundraising team felt that transitioning to GiveSmart for more of their initiatives would be best for both donors and staff, saving money and increasing efficiency by committing to one platform that could do it all.   

Challenge & Solution

The expanded GiveSmart platform offered the tools they needed to save money and raise more. GiveSmart offers unlimited fundraising as part of its contracts, and the Y takes full advantage of the option.   

They host a dynamic Day of Giving with multiple creative avenues to give. Being able to engage board members, their community branches, and area businesses via peer-to-peer fundraising, text-to-donate, and their support network through communication channels is integral to their fundraising success. In its third year, the Y’s Day of Giving raised $200,000.   

Results

The YMCA of Greenville has been using more included GiveSmart features and integrations each year since Petrosian began her role. Their team has seen consistent fundraising growth, provided better giving experiences for their donors, and easier data management for their staff.   

The Y has moved nearly all its fundraising initiatives to GiveSmart. In so doing, all donor information, reporting, and payment processing are in one place, making the addition of new initiatives efficient and manageable. In the first few months of 2024, their five fundraising events will all be run via GiveSmart, some for the very first time.   

The fundraising foundation they have established with GiveSmart, along with the growth they’ve worked hard to achieve, will allow them to remain a cornerstone of the Greenville community for generations to come.  

About the Organization

YMCA of Greenville (the Y)

For more than a century, the YMCA of Greenville has strengthened the foundations of the community it serves.    

The Y is committed to nurturing the potential of children through Youth Development, improving the nation’s health and well-being by promoting Healthy Living, and fostering a sense of Social Responsibility by providing opportunities to give back and support our neighbors.    

They’re proud of the diverse population they serve, and are passionate about keeping the organization’s promise to be a force for good. The YMCA of Greenville serves thousands of people from all walks of life through membership and programs.