The Center raises $1.6M+ and surpasses goals with Bonterra DonorDrive

Overview

Promoting health at home

The Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) oversees a wide array of health and wellness initiatives designed to promote the health and well-being of women, children, and families across the state of Tennessee.

Within the department, the Division of Family Health and Wellness (FHW) plays a critical role in providing Tennessee’s communities with direct education, resources, referrals, services, and ongoing health support. One of its core functions is administering Evidence-Based Home Visiting (EBHV) programs under the Early Childhood Initiatives (ECI) section.

Customer profile

Product: Bonterra DonorDrive
Sector: Nonprofit
Vertical: Human Services

Challenge

Outdated fundraising technology created roadblocks to growth.

Despite its deep roots in the community, The Center was struggling with old systems that couldn’t keep up with its vision for growth. Their prior peer-to-peer platform lacked flexibility, created constant supporter frustrations and unbranded experience, and delivered unreliable data tracking for their 20+ years of supporter data.

The lack of Salesforce CRM integration left staff unable to fully trust the information they relied on to make strategic decisions. Event teams spent significant time fielding complaints and troubleshooting basic supporter needs, instead of stewarding participants and building momentum for the ride. Meanwhile, donors and riders faced limited functionality, clunky interfaces, and registration issues that undermined their experience.

At its core, The Center needed a modern solution that would:

Build trust through accurate, real-time data
Reduce staff time spent on manual work and supporter troubleshooting
Offer fundraisers intuitive, branded, mobile-friendly tools to maximize their impact
Enable scalability for long-term growth of Cycle for the Cause

Solutions

The Center began working with Bonterra DonorDrive in 2018 to modernize its fundraising operations and address long-standing frustrations with its previous platform. Their first DonorDrive-powered event took place in 2020, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of their in-person Cycle for the Cause ride.

Instead of scaling back, The Center launched the 275 Challenge, a fully virtual fundraiser where participants committed to 275 minutes of activity. DonorDrive’s flexibility made it possible to spin up the new event in just eight weeks, while features like activity tracking, milestones, and incentives kept participants engaged and motivated. The virtual event helped the organization raise $1 million, exceeding what they thought possible during that time.

Behind the scenes, DonorDrive’s Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) integration gave The Center one system of record for all fundraising data, improving data quality and building confidence in reporting. DonorDrive’s customer success team also provided hands-on training and created custom pages tailored to The Center’s needs, ensuring the platform reflected their brand and supporter experience from day one.

Most importantly, the partnership went beyond software. As David Hovey, The Center’s Director of Fundraising Initiatives, shared:

“We were extremely pleased with DonorDrive’s dedication to our event and personalized attention throughout the entire process. Even before the pandemic forced us to shift our event online, we were frustrated with the limitations imposed by our former technology partner when it came to customizations and user experience. We knew we needed a much more advanced system, and DonorDrive provides exactly that.” — David Hovey, Director of Fundraising Initiatives, The Center

Outcomes

Fast forward a couple of years, the impact of switching to Bonterra DonorDrive was still strong.. With more than 300 riders, crew, and staff engaged in Cycle for the Cause 2022, The Center delivered its strongest results yet:

$1,643,592 total raised – more than $100,000 above goal
$5,200 average raised per fundraiser
34 average gifts per fundraiser
$150 average donation amount
$0.39 cost per dollar raised

These outcomes underscored not only the effectiveness of DonorDrive’s platform but also the enduring commitment of The Center’s community.

Outcome narrative

With Bonterra DonorDrive, The Center reshaped its flagship Cycle for the Cause ride into a modern, scalable fundraising program.

When the pandemic halted in-person events, The Center quickly launched the 275 Challenge, a virtual campaign built in just eight weeks that raised $1 million online. The event’s success led to its adoption as an annual complement to the ride.

As in-person fundraising returned, in 2022 DonorDrive helped Cycle for the Cause raise $1.64 million, exceeding its goal by more than $100,000. Participants raised an average of $5,200 each, donors gave more often, and the event achieved a $0.39 cost per dollar raised.

DonorDrive’s Salesforce integration gave The Center reliable data for smarter decisions, while freeing staff from manual reporting and technical hurdles. With more capacity, the team strengthened stewardship efforts and expanded its advocacy work, including successful lobbying for LGBTQ+ rights in New York.

“DonorDrive has exceeded our expectations and been there every step of the way. They understand how peer-to-peer fundraising actually works. They have never told us no, and actually work with us to find a solution. You just don’t see this type of customer service and product personalization anymore.” — David Hovey, Director of Fundraising Initiatives, The Center

The Center proved what’s possible with Bonterra DonorDrive, from raising $1 million in just eight weeks with a brand-new virtual event to surpassing fundraising goals with a $1.64 million ride. Read more about their experience with our peer-to-peer platform:

Read the full case study | Download the two-pager

Want to see how Bonterra DonorDrive can help your organization activate more fundraisers, scale your events, and exceed your goals?