GiftWorks Story: Cat's Cradle July 28, 2009

This small nonprofit in the Shenandoah Valley grew their mailing list by 70% and doubled their average gift since implementing donation management with GiftWorks!

GiftWorks has been integral in Cat's Cradle's success.

The Huffers were feeding a few strays cats that showed up in their yard. Cats are prolific breeders, and next thing you know, these compassionate people were feeding 37! They didn't have the funds to get their charges spayed or neutered. Many of the cats were sick, but they were too wild to catch and take to the vet. 

Cat's Cradle came in and humanely trapped the cats, took them to the local spay/neuter clinic, and helped finance spay/neuter and rabies shots. The feral cats that were ill were euthanized, and did not have to suffer. The rest went home to the Huffers' continuing care.

Now, four years later, the Huffers have 14 outdoor, semi-wild cats - all of them healthy. Every cat has a name, and is loved -- if from afar.  No new kittens have been born on their property.

The Huffers are one (real) example of the hundreds of situations a year Cat's Cradle assists with in the Shenandoah Valley.

Back in 2005, a time we'll call "B.G." (Before GiftWorks), our organization considered it a great day when we made $400 at a yard sale or $300 at a chicken barbecue. We would fix a few cats, then stop and raise some money, then fix some more. Information was kept on a spreadsheet - lots of detail, but no way to get at it to use it creatively. 

Then we took the bold step of hiring a person to be in charge of raising money. The first thing she did was research a donor database. GiftWorks was perfect. It was a robust, easy to understand program with lots of features and flexibility, and not out of reach financially for such a small group.

With GiftWorks, we manage direct mail, our eNews, and keep track of pledges. Being able to "slice and dice" information in order to communicate effectively with donors and volunteers has been a wonderful gift.

Since 2005 (A.G.), our mailing list has gone from 1,800 to over 6,000. The average donation amount has nearly doubled, as have the number of donations over $1,000 and total donations.  Our yard sale last year yielded $7,000.

But that's not the important part.  The important part is that, with the help of GiftWorks, Cat's Cradle has spayed and neutered thousands of cats and dogs in our community.  And the results are coming in - intake at local shelters is starting to come down.  And euthanasia - 2008 compared to B.G. -- down by 856 cats!

As we grow, we anticipate we'll use GiftWorks more and more - there are many features we have yet to take full advantage of.  Aptly named, the program has helped us put our generous donors' gifts to work - saving lives.