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Client Story
A pin icon representing locationEnglewood, CO Icon representing the classification of this org Human Services

Cancer League of Colorado Sets Record $1M Fundraising Gala with Neon CRM

Customer Profile

  • Solution Used:

    Neon CRM
  • Customer Since: 2014

  • Outcome: Set record $1M fundraising goal

Founded in 1969, Cancer League of Colorado is run entirely by volunteers—they have no paid staff or offices. All operating expenses are covered by membership dues so the organization can focus its attention on fundraising events that fund cancer research and service grants.

Nobody has more intimate details as to how they do this than their Treasurer, Suzanne Hagmaier. A breast cancer survivor herself, Hagmaier first got involved with the organization back in 2017. At the time, her predecessor was entering all their data into Neon CRM, and Hagmaier had to teach herself the system.

“I went through the Neon Academy. It was so easy to learn,” said Hagmaier. She was amazed at everything the system had to offer and was surprised the organization wasn’t using the system to its full potential.

One of the first things Hagmaier did was get rid of the systems they didn’t need anymore, like MailChimp for email and another vendor they were using to send their newsletter. Neon CRM could do all this, which meant the organization saved both time and money.

“Before we had so many different programs. Now everything is in one place. It’s such a time saver. And the integration with QuickBooks makes it easier to be Treasurer, too.”

Suzanne Hagmaier, Treasurer, Cancer League of Colorado

Now, volunteers are able to send their newsletter to a huge database (~9,000 contacts) and easily customize those emails with graphics. That had a big impact on their campaigns. In 2022, for example, they participated in their first Colorado Gives Day and raised close to $30,000!

Another impactful move Hagmaier helped facilitate was using Neon CRM to run their annual gala. Prior to Hagmaier’s encouragement to support the event with the CRM, volunteers had to do everything manually. For an event with 500+ people that was difficult. Having the right tools made a world of difference: The gala raised a record $1 million!

Neon CRM Works for Small Organizations, Too

Hagmaier also volunteers for a small service organization, Hope Held by a Horse, which is a recipient of a service grant from Cancer League of Colorado. When she first got involved there, they were using Network for Good. That system didn’t meet Hagmaier’s standards, so she helped them switch to Neon CRM.

Hope Held by a Horse is a small organization—they raise about $50K in annual revenue—but Neon CRM works well for them, too. They are looking forward to using the store functionality to more efficiently sell and ship their merchandise.

“Neon CRM works awesome for organizations both big and small.”

Suzanne Hagmaier, President, Hope Held by a Horse

So Much More Than a CRM

Neon CRM makes life much easier for Hagmaier. The robust functionality—from email marketing to memberships to an online store—gets everything they need in one place. And that’s not even considering the integration with QuickBooks that simplifies their bookkeeping! 

For organizations considering Neon CRM, Hagmaier recommends using one person as the Neon CRM expert. It will keep your data cleaner in the system with one person managing how everything is inputted, which is critical when you have lots of volunteers that need to be educated on your processes.

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