How Summit Area YMCA raised $377K by turning a cancelled event into a virtual fundraising win

What started as a pandemic pivot turned into a campaign that changed this YMCA’s event strategy. Learn how they pulled it off with a little help from Givebutter’s user-friendly online fundraising tools. 

A cancelled kickoff and a crisis of connection

For the Summit Area YMCA in New Jersey, the annual campaign kickoff is a big deal. The event energizes volunteers, inspires donors, and helps launch months of fundraising that support critical community programs—from childcare to food insecurity relief.

So when COVID-19 canceled their in-person event, Summit staff members were faced with a chilling question:

How do you raise hundreds of thousands of dollars when you can’t get people in the same room?

They began to explore alternatives that everyone in their community could rally behind. Team member Kaitlin explains:

“We were trying to find something user-friendly and fun—something our volunteers wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time learning, but that would still make a big impact.” 

That’s when they found Givebutter.

Their first virtual campaign—and a new way to fundraise

With time running out, the Summit team made a bold pivot to run their first-ever virtual fundraising campaign—complete with livestreaming, team fundraising, and built-in donor engagement tools.

The result?

• 💰 Over $377K raised
  
• 👥 500+ supporters engaged
  
• 💛 33 fundraising teams activated
  

It wasn’t just a success. It was one of their best campaigns ever.

Powered by community, backed by the right tools

Givebutter’s team fundraising features gave volunteers everything they needed to hit the ground running. Each of the 33 fundraising teams got a personal page, fundraising thermometer, and easy sharing tools—so they could spend less time fumbling with tech and more time raising money.

The YMCA staff also used livestreaming to bring their community together, share stories, and build energy around the cause—all without needing a single folding chair or rented banquet hall.

The community not only showed up, but left encouraging messages on the campaign’s supporter feed alongside their donations. Kaitlin shares:

“I absolutely loved the ability for people to comment when they make a donation. We definitely saw that take off among our Millennial parents and we got a ton of great testimonials as a result of that. I was then able to take our Givebutter page and forward it to a major gift donor who loves to support our childcare and say, ‘Look at all of these comments from these grateful families!’ I was able to use it to actually steward someone else and spread the joy.”

From pandemic pivot to annual tradition

What started as a virtual plan B has since become a go-to strategy.

The Summit Area YMCA returns to Givebutter year after year to run community-driven campaigns. Kaitlin says:

“We’re so happy to have found [Givebutter]. I absolutely would love to use this platform again next year—even if we’re in person. We’re thinking we’ll never go back to fully in-person; it may just be hybrid from now on.” 

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