When most nonprofits were gearing up for Giving Tuesday, Good Samaritan Services in Pennsylvania chose a different path. Instead of joining another crowded day of appeals, the team built a month-long campaign that was entirely their own, and it paid off.
Their initiative, Go + Do x2, brought in $275,000 in one month, including $125,000 in match sponsorships and 118 first-time donors. Behind the scenes, Giveffect’s all-in-one fundraising and CRM platform powered every step, keeping the campaign cohesive, data-driven, and ready to repeat.
The Challenge: Standing Out During Year-End Giving
For years, Good Samaritan participated in a community giving day with hundreds of other nonprofits. The exposure was valuable, but the structure limited their potential:
- Donations were delayed for months, pushing revenue into the next fiscal year.
- The campaign resonated mainly in one of the two counties they serve.
- Fees and rigid branding rules diluted their own message.
The team realized that to inspire donors and reach both counties, they needed to control the timing, story, and donor experience.
“We decided to move in a different direction, and it very much paid off.”
— Rachel Shelley, Director of Marketing & Engagement
The Solution: A Mission-Anchored Match Campaign
In 2024, Good Samaritan launched Go + Do x2, a month-long matched giving campaign that ran through November. The name came directly from their mission, inspired by the call to “Go and do likewise.” The concept was simple and powerful: every gift made in November would be doubled through sponsor matches.
By starting before Giving Tuesday, they avoided donor fatigue and built momentum that carried into December.
“The match did more than double dollars. It inspired people to give.”
— Good Samaritan Services Team
How They Planned It
Planning began six months ahead with a shared timeline managed inside Giveffect. Each task: branding, sponsor outreach, campaign page setup, and email sequencing—had an owner and a due date.
- $125,000 in match sponsorships, secured through personal conversations.
- A live Giveffect campaign page showing real-time progress and matched totals.
- Peer-to-peer fundraising, enabling staff and board members to reach new donor networks.
- Multi-channel storytelling, including direct mail with QR codes, weekly Giveffect emails, and targeted social ads.
Peer-to-Peer That Opens Doors And the Media Kit That Made It Easy
Peer-to-peer became a reliable engine for new donors. Staff and board members served as fundraising champions, inviting friends and family to give. To make participation effortless and on-brand, the team created a concise media kit that lived on their website and was linked from the Giveffect campaign page.
What the media kit included:
- Three short, pre-written social captions and a few ready-to-use images
- A one-page email template and a brief SMS script
- Clear instructions on how to launch and share a Giveffect P2P page
After year-one feedback that too many options felt overwhelming, the 2024 kit was intentionally pared down. Usage increased, messaging stayed consistent, and champions could truly “copy, paste, post” without needing staff support.
Results tied to P2P and the kit: $23,000+ raised, 118 first-time donors in November, with 60 attributed directly to P2P pages.
Why November
Running a full month created a clear lane before the year-end rush. It also spread giving across several touchpoints rather than relying on a single day. Using Giveffect’s analytics, the team monitored donations daily and adjusted messaging to keep energy high. They surpassed the goal as the month closed, and December giving stayed strong.
Giveffect: The Engine Behind Go + Do x2
Giveffect connected every part of the campaign in one system, saving staff time and enabling smarter, faster decisions.
Unified Campaign Hub
The campaign page, donation forms, and match tracking all lived in Giveffect. Donors saw their impact instantly via a real-time progress bar.
Peer-to-Peer Tools
Champions launched branded fundraising pages in minutes. Each gift flowed directly into Giveffect’s CRM for instant tracking and thank-yous.
Smarter Segmentation
Giveffect made precise targeting easy by donor tier, county, and engagement status. Those who had already given received stewardship updates; prospects saw match reminders and stories of impact.
Real-Time Insights
Dashboards revealed which channels were converting best, guiding ad spend and mid-campaign tweaks.
Streamlined Stewardship
Giveffect reports powered timely thank-you letters, sponsor recognition, and peer-to-peer appreciation within days of campaign close.
“Giveffect let us keep everything together: the campaign page, match display, peer-to-peer, targeted emails, and reports.”
— Sherry Brabant, Development Team Assistant
The Results
- $275,000 raised on a $250,000 goal
- $125,000 in match sponsorships
- 118 first-time donors, including 60 via peer-to-peer
- $23,000+ raised through peer-to-peer pages
- December giving remained strong, sustaining momentum
Beyond the numbers, the campaign strengthened sponsor relationships, improved data confidence, and gave the team a repeatable model for future year-end efforts.
Lessons for Nonprofits Planning Year-End Campaigns
- Start early and plan visually. A six-month timeline with clear owners prevents scrambles.
- Tie the brand to the mission. “Go + Do x2” made the impact immediately clear.
- Lead with match sponsors. Their commitments create urgency and trust.
- Empower your team with a concise media kit. Fewer options increase usage and keep messaging consistent.
- Segment with purpose. Target messages based on engagement and location.
- Show progress live. Real-time match meters build confidence and momentum.
- Steward quickly. Timely thank-yous and recaps set up next year’s success.
The Takeaway
By rethinking what year-end giving could look like, Good Samaritan proved that standing out doesn’t mean doing more. It means doing it smarter, with clear branding, a champion-friendly media kit, and Giveffect as the operational backbone. The team delivered a month-long campaign that outperformed its goal, energized donors, and built a foundation for sustainable growth.
Summary: In 2024, Good Samaritan Services replaced a crowded community giving day with a mission-driven, month-long match campaign powered by Giveffect. With smart planning, a streamlined media kit for peer-to-peer, real-time data, and personalized outreach, they raised $275,000, gained 118 new donors, and strengthened relationships heading into year-end.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why did Good Samaritan Services choose to run their campaign in November instead of December?
They wanted to get ahead of the year-end noise and reach donors before other appeals hit inboxes. Running in November created more breathing room for storytelling and helped sustain giving momentum through December.
2. How did Giveffect make this campaign easier to manage?
Giveffect combined everything—donations, email, CRM, reporting, and peer-to-peer—into one platform. This eliminated manual imports, reduced errors, and saved hours of administrative work, allowing the team to focus on strategy and storytelling.
3. What impact did the media kit have?
The media kit simplified peer-to-peer fundraising by giving champions ready-to-use assets. Participation increased, messaging stayed consistent, and the campaign saw 118 first-time donors, many reached through staff and supporter networks.
4. Did the campaign hurt December fundraising results?
No. December giving remained strong. In fact, the early engagement in November set the stage for deeper donor relationships and additional end-of-year gifts.
5. How long did it take to plan the campaign?
The team began planning six months in advance, using a shared Giveffect-driven timeline to assign owners and track progress. That structure ensured no detail was missed and made future campaigns easier to replicate.
6. How can other nonprofits replicate this success?
Start early, focus on clear messaging, secure match sponsors first, and use Giveffect to unify your data and communication. A strong media kit and consistent storytelling can make even small teams run big campaigns successfully.