Blue Sky Collaborative, a leading provider of online peer to peer fundraising software platforms, today announced that Bike to the Beach, a nonprofit that hosts charity cycling events to support local and National Autism and disABILITY non-profit organizations, successfully pivoted its past year fundraising efforts with the help of Sweet! by Blue Sky. When the pandemic impacted the ability of the organization and its non-profit partners to conduct events as usual, Sweet! by Blue Sky’s customization capabilities enabled them to move quickly and easily to adding unique features to their events, including hosting events virtually.
“Working with Blue Sky to adjust our events was critical for us in 2020,” said Ben Dalley, Director of Operations with Bike to the Beach. “When the world turned upside down last year, Blue Sky helped us to create new and virtual fundraising offerings for our riders that would be unique and allow us to stay relevant. We implemented the Virtual Ride & Advocacy Challenge, integrating Blue Sky with STRAVA and Givhero so we could engage riders to participate in the challenge and allow our community to interact. With any other software provider, we probably couldn’t have shifted as quickly or created a digital solution that fits our organization like Blue Sky does.”
Going forward during the year, Bike to the Beach took what they learned from each event conducted and further built out both their outdoor offerings and the Virtual Ride & Advocacy Challenge with subsequent bike events so they weren’t taking a “cookie cutter” approach. Although pandemic-related circumstances prevented the organization from meeting its original 2020 fundraising goal, they were able to raise over $1 million.
“We raised more than twice as much as we thought we could raise, given the pandemic,” said Dalley. “Many nonprofits were not doing events last year, but by partnering with Blue Sky, we found a way. All in all, it was a good year.”
“Our Sweet! and Blue Sky Give peer to peer fundraising platforms offer non-profits both large and small the ability to host their events virtually so they can maintain a connection with their community and continue their mission to gain support for their charity,” said Syam Buradagunta, President at Blue Sky Collaborative. “Fundraising events don’t need to be cancelled because of the pandemic. We enable fundraisers to easily customize our platform themselves or they can allow us to do it for them so their events can be effortlessly conducted virtually and still go on without a hitch.”
The virtual fundraising options Blue Sky enabled and created for Bike to the Beach and other customers during the pandemic allows charities to scale their fundraising campaigns beyond local events and provides them with a broader reach and opportunities going forward.
“Sweet! By Blue Sky has the flexibility to allow you to do anything you want, including build your fundraising website from scratch,” added Dalley. “It is the best peer-to-peer fundraising customization platform in the market. Very few other platforms are designed to be as flexible.”
Based in Washington, DC, Bike to the Beach is a 501(c)3 non-profit that not only hosts charity bike events but also serves as a community of individuals, cyclists, local organizations, advocates, philanthropists, corporations and national partners. The organization’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for local and national non-profits that support autism and disabilities. Bike to the Beach events are held annually in numerous cities across the U.S., with the rides starting in urban areas and ending at the coast. In 2020, the organization completely retooled the event to enable safety and social distancing and implemented pandemic best practices such as mandatory mask-wearing, staggered starts and contact tracing. Hoping that the vaccine roll-out and other mitigating factors are reducing the prevalence of COVID-19, Bike to the Beach moved the scheduling of 2021 events to later in the year than usual.
To learn more about Blue Sky Collaborative and its online peer to peer fundraising platforms, visit https://blueskycollaborative.com/.
About Blue Sky Collaborative
Blue Sky Collaborative was founded in 2002 on the belief that peer to peer fundraising is the best way to empower communities to drive impact and make unprecedented change. Several hundred organizations, charities, non-profits, and schools in multiple languages use Blue Sky Collaborative’s fundraising software, which supports events and campaigns of all types and helps to raise millions of dollars every year.
Blue Sky Collaborative offers clients easy-to-use peer to peer fundraising sites that are designed and branded their way and grow their fundraising while keeping costs low and transparent. The SWEET! and Blue Sky Give platforms exist as a direct result of user input and experience and the company’s commitment to collaborate with clients on a software system that puts them first. From donors, executive staff and volunteers to teachers, sponsors and committee members, fundraising success is a team sport on which Blue Sky serves as a valuable partner.
Blue Sky Collaborative has offices in metrowest Boston, Massachusetts, and Annapolis, Maryland.
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