CCS boosts engagement for virtual event with
Blackbaud and Charity Dynamics solutions

Canadian Cancer Society’s CIBC Run for the Cure takes place annually
in 56 communities across Canada with 5km and 1km options, making it the
country’s largest single-day, volunteer-led event in support of the breast
cancer cause.

With more than a quarter century of history behind it, the CIBC Run for the
Cure has a legion of return participants and volunteers, with many rallying
friends and family to make donations.

For years, the CIBC Run for the Cure organizers have relied on Blackbaud
TeamRaiser® as its peer-to-peer fundraising platform in harmony with
Blackbaud Luminate Online®, a comprehensive marketing solution, for
online fundraising, nonprofit marketing automation, and engagement.
“We have really leveraged Blackbaud’s tools and platform and enhanced
them in ways that have helped us be successful in what is a very
challenging market,” said CCS Digital User Experience Director
Sophia Santamaria.

When CCS decided in the early months of the pandemic to transform
the 2020 CIBC Run for the Cure into a virtual event, they had a little more
than four months to make the shift—half the time they usually have for
planning. “We really had to work together with our partners to push the
creative envelope of what was possible, and what an event can look like,”
Santamaria explained.

Energizing Fundraisers with Avatars

Thankfully, CCS had the advantage of Blackbaud solutions already in
place, as well as the flexibility enabled through the Blackbaud Partner
Network, which includes Charity Dynamics.

Early on, CCS decided to expand their use of Charity Dynamics solutions
to increase engagement virtually. In addition to Charity Dynamics’
Boundless Fundraising® mobile app, which they were already using, they
added customizable Boundless Motion avatars that participants could
use in place of their main photo on fundraising pages, desktop and
mobile apps, and in related social media. The avatars drove engagement
by offering a fun opportunity for expression and by gamifying
participation.

Whether they wanted to recreate themselves or get more imaginative
with their avatars, participants had a diverse range of options available
that included appearance and clothing, and they could also add
accessibility options, such as a wheelchair or a guide. Slogans and
branding on avatar apparel were available in English and French.

As fundraisers reached milestones, they could earn further
customizations, for example, adding fun accessories, such as hats and
tutus, as participants often wore at previous CIBC Run for the Cure
events. “You unlock more accessories at the higher fundraiser levels,”
explained Santamaria.

The gamification approach provided by Charity Dynamics’ avatar tools in
sync with Blackbaud solutions was clearly a game-changer:

✓ 36% of Run participants created and customized their own
Boundless Motion avatar.
✓ With the avatar option available, the fundraiser activation
rate—reflecting those participants who engaged in peer-to-peer
fundraising in addition to registering for the run or walk—was up
38% from the year before.
✓ Participants who created a custom avatar raised 4.5 times more
than those who didn’t, and those who created a custom avatar
AND used the mobile app raised 5.8 times more than those who
did neither.
✓ Active fundraisers who also created an avatar raised an additional
$404 on average. Active fundraisers who created an avatar AND
used the app raised an additional $523 on average.
✓ The overall average raised per fundraiser grew by 22%.

Collaborating on a New Vision for a Virtual Event

The CCS team looked to Blackbaud TeamRaiser and Blackbaud Luminate
Online to support and promote other important changes to the event as well.
Instead of attending large in-person events in their local communities as
they had in the past, participants across the country came together virtually
through a live, online event hosted by singer-songwriter Jully Black, with
motivational speakers, survivor stories, and performances that included
Barenaked Ladies, Jess Moskaluke and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

A montage of local fitness instructors, known for their past involvement with
the Run, helped to warm up participants before they set out independently
for their walk or run.

“It was an extremely successful campaign, and it was a real way that
people could engage with us,” Santamaria said. She credited the event’s
longstanding title partner, CIBC, and its marketing agency, along with Charity
Dynamics and Blackbaud for collectively embracing and supporting the
vision for the event.

Sue Dalos serves as director of digital strategy and customer success for
Charity Dynamics, which purposefully creates products that integrate easily
with Blackbaud solutions. She said that Blackbaud TeamRaiser and Blackbaud
Luminate Online provide a strong foundation for the kind of innovations that
became critical for fundraisers during the pandemic—including the Boundless
Motion avatars. “It’s a great canvas to paint on,” Dalos said.

For CCS, the smooth integration of Blackbaud and Charity Dynamics
solutions likely accelerated the popularity of the Boundless Motion avatars
and the Boundless Fundraising mobile app. As Santamaria explained, “We
wanted the app experience and the web experience to feel the same.” That
meant participants could receive encouragement and motivation, no matter
the technology they tapped into, and could continue to fundraise without
frustrations or inconsistencies.

“If everything feels seamless and easy,” Santamaria said, “then we’re making
it easier for participants to raise much needed funds and make an impact.”