SAY mixes peer-to-peer fundraising with
livestream event to support young people.

For SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young, answering the pandemic
and the necessary postponement of the nonprofit’s spring gala took
resilience and creativity.

Since its founding in 2001 by actor and director Taro Alexander, SAY has
provided support, advocacy, and life-changing experiences for young people
who stutter through high-quality performing arts programs, speech therapy,
an annual overnight summer camp, and website resources. The yearly spring
gala—an in-person fundraising event in New York City—helps make those
opportunities possible for kids of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

SAY’s nationally recognized programs and fundraising are centered on
compassion, interaction, and genuine human connection. The social
distancing measures required by the pandemic presented unprecedented
challenges that led to virtual adaptations for summer camp and other
programs. When COVID-19 cast a sudden cloud of uncertainty over the gala,
SAY looked to JustGiving® from Blackbaud®, as it quickly tried something
new: a live online benefit titled Under One Moon, which married cloud-based
fundraising technology with an old-fashioned telethon feel, complete with
kid performances and celebrity cameos.

The shift was well worth it. Under One Moon strengthened SAY’s collective
voice, expanded its donor audience for long-term growth, showcased new
online-learning program adaptations, and brought in just shy of $250,000—
more than $100,000 of which was donated online. “The buy-in from
everyone who participated was heartwarming and really amazing,” said SAY
Director of Development Nathan Patterson.

Make it Simple for Donors and Staff

SAY adopted JustGiving largely because of its simplicity and integration with
other Blackbaud solutions. “It’s easy for people to give,” Patterson explained.
Under One Moon brought in more than 200 donations online, 65% of
those from new donors. Customized personal fundraising pages that SAY
participants and other supporters linked to the event helped fuel the surge,
with gift information flowing into Blackbaud’s flagship fundraising and
relationship management solution, Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT®, which SAY
already had in place.

“(Donations) automatically entered into our Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT
system, which is a huge help in terms of timesaving and data entry work,”
Patterson said. “Not having to manually punch in 200 gifts is a big deal.”
Likewise, payment processing with Blackbaud Merchant Services™ “was really
helpful to have integrate behind the scenes.”

Extend Reach and Impact by Going Virtual

While SAY livestreamed the benefit through another vendor, the video link
was embedded within the Under One Moon campaign page, which allowed
visitors to simultaneously watch the benefit and see the contributions
coming in. For larger donations made offline, staff had the flexibility to add
them on to the running total. Anyone who missed the event or wanted to
relive special moments could click on a recording on the campaign page.

Most of the content was live for a spontaneous feel, mixing confidence building moments for young SAY participants with visits from celebrities,
such as actress Dame Helen Mirren and Saturday Night Live’s Heidi Gardner
and her cat. Performances included beloved singer and musician Everett
Bradley, who has been on board since SAY’s earliest days, and Broadway
singer Kelli O’Hara, who surprised the audience with a “worm-off” against
Broadway star James Monroe Iglehart and signed off in song with the finale.

As a virtual event, Under One Moon could reach a broader audience than
an in-person event, not only for the sake of fundraising but also awareness
and community. “It’s an event for you to watch and enjoy and connect with
something real. I think that’s another big reason why it clicked,” Patterson
said. “Our mission and our message are very emotionally resonant, even if you
don’t know anyone who stutters and have never known anyone who stutters.”