Innovation in Nonprofit Fundraising Recognized at Virtual Raise 2020 Conference

Annual Raise Awards honors individual fundraisers and nonprofit organizations in first virtual ceremony

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Sep 16, 2020, 14:26 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OneCause, a leader in mobile and social fundraising, recognized fundraising innovation and excellence yesterday at its annual Raise Awards ceremony during the Raise 2020 Conference. More than 6,700 nonprofit fundraising professionals from around the world gathered online September 14-15 for the first virtual Raise Conference.

"Our Annual Raise Awards took on a new level of significance this year as all nonprofits have been compelled to rethink their fundraising strategy to continue to connect with supporters during a time of social distancing and the COVID-19 pandemic," said Steve Johns, chief executive officer at OneCause. "Each of our Raise Award winners are incredible examples of the resilient nonprofit spirit, exhibiting innovation as they faced unprecedented challenges. They were fearless in finding new ways to keep their missions moving forward."

Winners were selected by a committee of fundraising experts, OneCause customer advisory board members and previous Raise Award recipients. The 2020 Raise Award winners include:

Innovative Nonprofit of the Year: Fleece & Thank You

Fleece & Thank You had to completely rethink their signature blanket-making events and how to safely deliver 30,000 fleece blankets annually to children in hospital care. They launched 'Virtual At-Home Blanket Making Events' providing new fundraising and volunteer opportunities for those in quarantine as well as a blanket with a personalized video message for the children whose access to visitors had been cut down with COVID-19 restrictions.

Storyteller of the Year: Open Heart Magic

This summer, Open Heart Magic launched a week-long storytelling series highlighting personal experiences of their volunteers and hospital partners who use the therapeutic power of magic to energize and strengthen seriously ill children. During an onslaught of virtual emergency fundraising, they found a way to ensure their story stood out, exponentially increasing their social media reach and exceeding their fundraising goal by more than 70 percent.

Fundraisers of the Year

The Fundraiser of the Year Award recognizes three nonprofit leaders who's passion, commitment, and success stands out among their peers.

Blair Glencorse, Founder and Executive Director, Accountability Lab: As COVID-19 spread across the globe, Blair's organization pivoted to focus on countering misinformation and fake news, raising 8 new grants across Africa and Asia, and surpassing their 2020 fundraising goal.
Anthony Guardia, Director of Development, Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield: Anthony led his organization from a deficit to a six-figure surplus, launching new fundraising programs that connected the passions of donors and corporate sponsors with their mission.
Erik Hicks, Chief Development Officer, Metro Caring: In a year when Metro Caring faced a 300 percent increase in demand for emergency food, Erik found new ways to connect with loyal donors and secure rapid response funding and serving as a relief crew to the frontline shifts.

Additional Multimedia:

- 2020 Raise Awards Ceremony: https://www.onecause.com/raise/awards/

About OneCause®
OneCause creates user-friendly fundraising software that helps nonprofits engage donors, raise more money and save valuable time and resources. Our full suite of cloud-based fundraising solutions has powered 6,000 organizations, well over 20,000 fundraising events, and helped nonprofits raise more than $2 billion. OneCause has been recognized on the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Companies, is a TechPoint MIRA award winner for Mobile Technology Excellence & Innovation, and is a nine-time Stevie® Award winner for excellence and innovation in Customer Service.

SOURCE OneCause