As Amanda Coburn, Director of Advancement at VHS, explained, \u201cWe had fundraised for a significant portion of the money all year long, and this [Giving Tuesday Campaign] was going to get us over the hump to finish the project, which always tends to be more successful than funding a whole huge project on its own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n While renovations were needed, Amanda shared that making the case for facility updates can be more difficult than program-based fundraising. <\/span>\u201cAt the end of the day, we could still help the animals with crappy looking kennels,\u201d she said. \u201cIt doesn’t save an animal\u2019s life, if that makes sense.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The team needed to position the campaign in a way that emphasized urgency and relevance to their mission. One compelling detail they shared with donors was that the new flooring would be waterproof and disease-resistant, an investment in both aesthetics and animal well-being. <\/span>\u201cYou’re helping keep the animals healthy because germs and diseases can’t get into the floors and kind of get stuck there,\u201d Amanda added.<\/span><\/p>\n VHS turned to Giveffect to run the Giving Tuesday campaign<\/a> in a streamlined and donor-centric way. \u201cWe decided to use Giveffect almost exclusively simply because we captured the donor\u2019s information,\u201d Amanda explained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In previous campaigns, using platforms like Facebook, Instagram (Meta), PayPal, or Venmo often resulted in missing names or contact information. For this campaign, the organization heavily promoted their Giveffect fundraising landing page<\/a>, which allowed them to collect email addresses, physical addresses, and other essential data. All contacts were automatically added to their nonprofit CRM<\/a> within Giveffect, making future outreach seamless and more effective.<\/span><\/p>\n The campaign page itself was intentionally simple and streamlined: a compelling video, message, and donation button.<\/span> \u201cGiveffect really helped us create a tailored campaign around this specific initiative by itself. Being able to create a campaign with its own dedicated URL with an embeddable video really helped drive home, as soon as they land on that page, that they are where they want to give.\u201d<\/span> Amanda added, \u201cGiveffect campaigns are pretty easy to set up. It doesn’t have to be complicated.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Video played a central role in the campaign\u2019s storytelling. \u201cWe kind of have an unfair advantage because videos of animals perform well anywhere,\u201d Amanda said. They filmed the video just days before launch, but found it essential for showing supporters what needed to be done and how their gifts would help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easier to do storytelling through a video because it speaks for you. It helps back up your credibility and you can show firsthand what you’re needing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The results speak for themselves. VHS not only met their $10,000 goal, they exceeded it by more than 40%, raising a total of $14,176. \u201cIt felt so nice. We had a little celebration at the end of the day when we hit our goal,\u201d Amanda shared. The success was especially sweet given that it was their first formally organized Giving Tuesday campaign. \u201cIt was amazing to have surpassed the goal in the very first one we’d ever done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Donors responded positively to both the campaign and the follow-up communications. \u201cPeople were very excited and receptive,\u201d Amanda said, referencing the email updates and visual impact reports they shared post-campaign. \u201cLots of people said, \u2018It makes all the difference in the pictures, and I\u2019m glad I could be a part of that.\u2019\u201d These updates, sent only to the donor group tagged in Giveffect, maintained consistent messaging regardless of gift size to ensure every supporter felt valued.<\/span><\/p>\n Amanda attributes the campaign\u2019s success to three key factors: a highly visible, tangible project; smart timing as the final push toward a larger fundraising goal; and the ability to capture and use donor data with Giveffect.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPick something that’s flashy and simple and easy,\u201d she advised. \u201cPeople would rather get you over the hump at the end than have this giant goal that nobody can ever reach in one day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She also emphasized the value of planning ahead and fully leveraging Giveffect\u2019s tools.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf someone\u2019s looking to do a Giveffect campaign for the first time, my advice would be to get the campaign created in plenty of time in advance. Craft your messaging early and be ready to hit the ground running with scheduled social posts and emails.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf I had to sum up one reason why we use Giveffect, it would be that we can see each of our supporters in a full picture\u2026 It allows us to see their full contribution to the organization, both for the monetary portion and them giving their time\u2026 We were thrilled to make the switch, and we’ve been happy with Giveffect for the several years we’ve been using it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nGiving Tuesday Campaign Goals<\/h2>\n
![\"Puppy](\"https:\/\/wordpress.giveffect.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Puppy-in-rundown-kennel-VHS.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhy VHS Chose Giveffect<\/h2>\n
![\"Puppy](\"https:\/\/wordpress.giveffect.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Updated-Building-VHS.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFundraising Results and Key Metrics<\/h2>\n
Lessons and Takeaways for Other Nonprofits<\/h2>\n
What stands out most to Amanda about Giveffect<\/h3>\n
Ready to Strengthen Your Giving Strategy?<\/h2>\n