Charlotte, NC
Environmental
Sustain Charlotte is on a mission to shape the future of Charlotte, N.C., by advocating for sustainability, smart growth, and alternative transportation options. As the Queen City rapidly grows, Sustain Charlotte is ensuring that its expansion is not only sustainable but also inclusive. The organization focuses on creating equitable transportation solutions that benefit all residents, especially historically marginalized communities, by promoting alternatives to car-centric infrastructure. Its goals include expanding bike lanes, improving public transit options, and making sidewalks safer for everyone.
One of Sustain Charlotte’s signature initiatives is their annual event, Biketoberfest, which marked its 10th year in 2024 with a record-breaking $105,000 raised. The event attracts cyclists and engages local businesses through corporate sponsorships, using special themes and exclusive merchandise to create a city-wide effort to support Sustain Charlotte’s mission. To the community in Charlotte, Biketoberfest is more than just a fundraising event; it’s a celebration of the city’s shared commitment to sustainability and alternative transportation. With peer-to-peer fundraising driving much of the support, the event brings together individuals, businesses, and families, all united by a common goal: to help Charlotte grow responsibly and sustainably.
Fundraising Hurdles Before Neon Fundraise
Before adopting Neon Fundraise, Sustain Charlotte used Race Roster, a free platform that, while cost-effective, introduced a number of challenges. The platform was difficult to navigate, described as “clunkier” and less intuitive than they needed for their growing fundraising needs. The user experience was far from seamless, and it didn’t offer the smooth, modern interface that donors today expect.
The design of Race Roster also fell short. With so many fundraising platforms out there offering sleek, visually appealing interfaces, Race Roster seemed outdated.
“Neon Fundraisers look so much more sleeker, so much more modern. It’s just like it, it seems like something that people are expecting nowadays.”
– Krissia Bonilla, Donor Specialist
Branding was another area where Race Roster didn’t live up to expectations. Biketoberfest is a key event for Sustain Charlotte, and it was critical to have a platform that could reflect the organization’s identity. But Race Roster lacked the customization options to ensure the event’s branding remained consistent and polished across all touchpoints. This created a disconnect between the event experience and the organization’s overall brand.
The real struggle, however, came with data management. Before Neon Fundraise, Sustain Charlotte had to manually sync donor data between their fundraising platform and CRM system. This was a time-consuming and error-prone process, which took valuable time away from what really mattered—building relationships with donors. The team found themselves bogged down by administrative tasks, unable to focus on engaging with supporters and growing their impact.
Making the Move to Neon Fundraise
Sustain Charlotte was looking for a platform that could better support their growing fundraising efforts, and they found it with Neon Fundraise. Their previous platform, Race Roster, was functional but lacked the modern design and ease of use that today’s donors expect. Neon Fundraise’s clean, user-friendly interface immediately addressed these issues, making the overall experience more engaging for participants.
One of the major reasons they switched was the seamless integration between Neon Fundraise and Neon CRM. Before, Sustain Charlotte had to manually upload donor data between systems, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. With Neon Fundraise, this process was automated, saving time and reducing the risk of mistakes, allowing the team to focus on more strategic tasks.
Branding consistency was another priority. Sustain Charlotte needed a platform that could match their event’s look and feel, and Neon Fundraise allowed them to easily customize the fundraising pages to reflect their brand, creating a cohesive experience for participants.
The registration process was also much easier with Neon Fundraise, which improved the user experience for event participants. This simplicity helped boost engagement, making it more likely that supporters would take part in peer-to-peer fundraising.
In 2024, Sustain Charlotte set a goal of raising $90,000 through peer-to-peer fundraising for Biketoberfest. With the new platform in place, they exceeded that goal, raising a total of $101,700—an increase of 13% over their target, and a 49.6% increase from the previous year. The jump in fundraising results clearly demonstrated the impact of Neon Fundraise in driving greater engagement and success for the event.
Effortless Data Flow: Neon CRM & Neon Fundraise Working Together
The seamless integration between Neon Fundraise and Neon CRM was a major reason Sustain Charlotte chose Neon Fundraise over Race Roster. This integration eliminated the need for manual bulk uploads, which often led to data inconsistencies.
“Just instead of having to do a bulk upload and you know, sure, that could be simple enough, but sometimes there’s inconsistencies with that. And so just having everything just like, you know it’s going to directly translate into Neon CRM, made it so much easier for us to say yes to Neon Fundraise.”
– Krissia Bonilla, Donor Specialist
This direct data transfer allowed Sustain Charlotte to engage with donors more effectively. They could reference participation statistics from Biketoberfest during year-end calls, providing a more personalized experience. Asking about a donor’s involvement made conversations feel more genuine, deepening connections.
The integration also provided a clearer picture of donor motivations, going beyond fundraising activity to include insights into why they got involved. This helped the team segment their audience and create more targeted campaigns, improving their overall fundraising efforts.
The integration between Neon Fundraise and Neon CRM streamlined processes, enhanced communication, and made fundraising more effective for Sustain Charlotte.
What’s Next for Sustain Charlotte and Neon One
Sustain Charlotte plans to continue using Neon One’s suite of products to support their fundraising and donor engagement efforts. They recently added Windfall through Neon One, a tool designed to provide data-driven insights into their donor base. With Windfall, they aim to better understand their donors’ giving potential and identify high-value prospects, allowing them to focus on the most promising opportunities for increasing individual donations and engagement.
Sustain Charlotte is excited about the possibilities this new addition brings, and they’re confident that it will strengthen their fundraising strategy moving forward. As Krissia Bonilla expressed, “We’re just happy that Neon is happy to work with us too on all these matters.”
Being part of the Neon One ecosystem has allowed Sustain Charlotte to seamlessly integrate their tools and resources, making their operations more efficient and their fundraising campaigns more impactful. The organization is looking forward to continued growth and success with Neon One’s products, knowing they have the support and flexibility to adapt as their needs evolve.
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