LAKE FOREST, CALIF. MARCH 26, 2020
Project Hope Alliance (PHA) is a nonprofit organization based in Orange County and aims to provide unparalleled levels of care for local homeless children through educational, psychosocial, developmental, financial support. Programs and mentorship are built to identify and address barriers created by homelessness, and continual support for youth is offered through individualized academic and social-emotional empowerment from Kindergarten until the age of 24. The organization prepares youth to become financially independent; preventing homelessness as adults.
Just like most nonprofits, PHA relies heavily on the generosity of donors in the community and nationwide. Each year, they host a sold-out Anti Gala fundraiser to raise awareness and gather donations that equate to a third of their operating budget. Unfortunately, their 7th Annual Anti Gala, the “Carnival of Hope” was at risk due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak; and so they chose to pivot strategies. Without being able to meet in person, PHA needed a way to reach out to donors, collect donations, and have some fun virtually.
Enter Ytel, a leading communications software company that helps businesses engage more customers across more communication channels. Upon hearing about the cancelation of the 7th Annual Anti Gala, Ytel began brainstorming ways they could help PHA accept donations easily and from afar. The solution was a “text to donate” system. Donors simply text in a keyword to join the virtual carnival and are able to donate the monetary amount of their choice. This also enrolls the donors into a weekly raffle, with winners being announced via text. To ensure the event still felt personal, Project Hope Alliance is able to have one on one text conversations with the donors as well, to thank them for their generosity and answer any questions.
“Our Anti Gala is always a huge success, and we rely on that revenue every year. Ytel came in and not only provided a virtual solution for us, but they took the time to listen to our needs. More than the technology itself, they worked with us to instill hope for our team and our supporters. Without them, it could have been a very tough time for us and for the children experiencing homelessness that we serve,” said Tracy Carmichael, President & Chief Strategy Officer of PHA.
By collecting donations via text, PHA is able to engage their donors and adapt their fundraising approach while continuing to meet new county and state regulations. These uncertain times that could have majorly affected PHA financially were mitigated by the partnership formed with Ytel and the flexibility its communication platform offers.
“Attending my first anti-gala years ago was eye-opening. Project Hope definitely knew how to execute the perfect fundraising event. With COVID-19 changing how businesses operate, I was sad to lose my favorite in-person giving event but my team and I were delighted that we could use our software to give Project Hope a turn-key solution to virtual giving. I am looking forward to the virtual carnival of hope and will be in attendance, from my phone” said Nick Newsom, CEO of Ytel.
For Ytel, this was more than a solution. This was a chance to help out an organization that gives back so much to the Orange County community, during a time when community and empathy are most important.
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About Ytel
Ytel is a leading CPaaS company that helps businesses engage more customers and donors. These multi-channel communications include the ability track phone and sms traffic, set up workflows to automate communication, an inbox to follow up with replies and additional keywords and autoresponders to help spread awareness.
About Project Hope Alliance
For nearly 30 years, Project Hope Alliance has been ending the cycle of homelessness, one child at a time. Programs and mentorship are built to identify and address barriers created by homelessness and continues to support youth through individualized academic and social-emotional empowerment. The organization prepares youth to become financially independent, and stable; preventing homelessness as adults.
