Another Client Story: Cat's Cradle February 11, 2010

Earlier this week I reprinted a story from our February eNews letter highlighting the new-found efficiencies an organization found through GiftWorks.  Here, Cat's Cradle (also featured on our home page) talks about how they were able to quadruple their donor database through a dedication to growing it with consistent capture of information through all its outreach and then continuing to "slice and dice" that information to refine and acheive even more. 

GiftWorks Helps Cat's Cradle Quadruple its Donor Base; Donations Follow

Following the nationwide movement to spay/neuter the exploding population of cats and dogs, Cat's Cradle was founded in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 1998, to provide no-kill alternatives for stray cats. Early efforts offered reduced-price sterilizations and vaccines to anyone who found a stray cat and was willing to keep it. Inevitably, Cat's Cradle found itself fostering cats and kittens and finding homes for them.

In 2001 the Board decided to focus on spay/neuter and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Raising over $30,000 locally and through grants, they soon opened the Shenandoah Valley Spay Neuter Clinic which has the capacity to perform over 10,000 cat and dog surgeries a year. Cat's Cradle volunteers became adept at rescuing neglected and abandoned cats, getting them veterinary care, and finding homes for them.

With a slim staff (FT Director Josie Kinkade and 3 PTs) but a cadre of volunteers (who do 80% of the work), Cat's Cradle currently provides about 2,000 sterilizations a year and over 300 high-quality adoptions among their network of foster homes. As Director Josie tells it: "Back in 2005, a time we'll call "B.G." (Before GiftWorks), we 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." 

"Before GiftWorks, we considered it a great day when we made $400 at a yard sale or $300 at a chicken barbecue."

To tackle this problem, in 2005, Josie researched available donor database software and selected GiftWorks. "It was a robust, easy-to-understand program with lots of features and flexibility, and affordable for our small operation."

With GiftWorks, Cat's Cradle manages direct mail, their eNews, and keeps track of donations and pledges. "Being able to "slice and dice" information in order to communicate effectively with donors and volunteers is the best part."

"Being able to "slice and dice" information in order to communicate effectively with donors and volunteers is the best part."

Josie continues, "Since 2005 (after Giftworks), 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 in 2009 yielded $8,000.

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 — there's been a 15% drop in intake (and subsequent euthanasia) at local shelters since 2005!"

Josie concludes: "Aptly named, GiftWorks has helped us put our generous donors' gifts to work — saving lives."

Cat's Cradle's Website: www.catscradleva.org