Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston, SC
Case Study: Donor Research Success at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston
Background
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of Charleston provides a vital "home away from home" for families with children receiving medical care. With Charleston’s rapidly growing and evolving community, RMHC faced a challenge: how to better understand and connect with the affluent individuals moving in and out of the area to build a stronger donor base. Despite having a dedicated fundraising team, they lacked recent donor research and insight into their local fundraising landscape.
The Challenge
RMHC’s fundraising efforts were hindered by the absence of up-to-date donor research and a clear understanding of potential high-impact donors. Their key challenges included:
Limited Knowledge of Potential Donors: As a new team in Charleston, they lacked familiarity with the local donor landscape and were unsure how to identify individuals likely to support their mission.
Database Expansion Issues: Without the right tools or data, RMHC struggled to add potential donors interested in their cause to their database.
Resource Constraints: They needed a cost-effective solution that could provide donor insights without overextending their budget.
RMHC needed a partner who could offer both expertise and affordable access to donor research tools to help them grow their donor network strategically.
The SNS Solution
Strawhecker Nonprofit Services (SNS) stepped in to provide a tailored donor research solution that directly addressed RMHC’s challenges. Their approach included:
Affordable Access to DonorSearch: Through SNS’s partnership with DonorSearch, RMHC received an affordable annual subscription to powerful donor research tools, enabling them to explore potential donors by key demographics, interests, and giving capacity.
Community Analysis by Zip Code: SNS demonstrated how to segment potential donors by geographic areas and demographics, giving RMHC a clearer view of where to focus their efforts.
Ongoing Support and Research: In addition to the subscription, SNS conducted donor research on behalf of RMHC, identifying potential donors and helping them prioritize their outreach efforts.
The Outcome
Thanks to SNS’s support, RMHC was able to implement donor research insights into their planning right away. By targeting key zip codes and demographics, they could identify potential high-impact donors and develop more strategic cultivation plans. This data-driven approach gave their team confidence in their fundraising efforts and expanded their donor network.
The Impact
With SNS’s guidance and access to DonorSearch tools, RMHC experienced a transformative shift in their fundraising capabilities:
Improved Donor Cultivation: The targeted research allowed them to identify and engage with donors who were previously beyond their reach.
Sustained Fundraising Success: The affordable annual subscription has become a long-term resource, empowering RMHC to continue refining its donor strategy year after year.
Enhanced Fundraising Planning: The insights gained from SNS’s research have played a crucial role in shaping RMHC’s fundraising strategy and increasing their capacity to support families in need.
As RMHC reflected on their experience, they noted:
“When SNS showed us the possibility of researching our community by zip code and other demographics, it helped us realize we could target difference makers for our work on a whole larger level.”
This case study highlights how SNS’s affordable, tailored solutions can empower nonprofits to make data-driven decisions, improve donor engagement, and achieve long-term fundraising success.