Breakthrough Atlanta | 2020

The Challenge

Breakthrough Atlanta’s annual Fund-A-Scholar gala typically generated approximately 25% of the organization’s annual revenue. In 2020, COVID-19 made the traditional November event impossible, and by August when I joined the organization, the team had not had the bandwidth to develop an alternative plan.

The challenge was not only to replace a major source of revenue, but also to keep the existing event committee, sponsors and supporters engaged so those relationships could carry forward when in-person events returned.

The Approach

Rather than move the gala online, I developed a peer-to-peer fundraising model that preserved the structure supporters already knew.

Traditional table hosts became Giving Circle leaders, each working toward a $2,500 fundraising goal by inviting friends, colleagues and family members to contribute. Some participants partnered in teams of two or three. The Fund-A-Scholar name remained in place, allowing the organization to retain continuity with longtime sponsors and supporters while introducing a completely different fundraising mechanism.

Because the campaign depended on volunteers reaching into their own networks, ease of participation was critical. I developed a comprehensive toolkit that included:

• Email templates and campaign messaging

• Social media graphics and Facebook banners

• Campaign timelines and fundraising guidance

• Student stories, photos, quotes and impact statistics

• A letter from campaign chairs

• Instructions for using individual fundraising pages

• Progress-based campaign graphics that evolved as Giving Circles approached their goals

Committee engagement was equally important. Meetings connected volunteers directly with students and families impacted by Breakthrough Atlanta, helping participants understand the mission they were asking others to support.

I led the campaign strategy, messaging, toolkit development, volunteer engagement and organizational communications. The campaign logo was created externally with my direction.

The Results

The public campaign ran for just 10 days and generated approximately $200,000, matching the prior year’s gala revenue.

Campaign expenses were approximately $2,000, compared with roughly $40,000 to produce the traditional event.

Additional results included:

• Approximately 350–400 donors

• Roughly 50% first-time donors

• Approximately 30–40 Giving Circles

• About half of campaign donors remained engaged with the organization in subsequent years

• Many Giving Circle leaders continued serving on the event committee

• The two highest-performing Giving Circle leaders went on to chair the next in-person Fund-A-Scholar event

When the in-person event returned the following year, it raised 95% more than Fund-A-Scholar had raised in 2019 or 2020.

The campaign replaced a critical source of revenue during an unprecedented disruption while also expanding Breakthrough Atlanta’s donor and volunteer pipeline for future years.