About the Charity
Vertical
Health + Human Services
Mission
Jordan Thomas Foundation (JTF) provides children living with limb loss and limb difference with the prostheses they need throughout their growing years while serving as a caring resource, advocate, and support system for JTF Kids and their families.
Favorite Features
End-of-night checkout, silent and live auction management, registration and sponsorship tools, and hands-on customer support.
Fundraising Wins
Raised more than $270K at first-ever gala, exceeding its original fundraising goal .
Sold 200 tickets, surpassing the initial 120-person target.
Processed all end-of-night checkouts in 30-45 minutes with zero errors.
Successfully launched silent and live auctions mid-planning without technical issues.
Planning a First Gala With Limited Technology
For 20 years, the JTF had relied primarily on its annual golf tournament as its signature fundraising event. While successful, the team saw opportunities to expand beyond this format. Golf tournaments have caps on participants and revenue, attract a niche audience, and aren’t helping the team grow its middle-tier donor base.
As the foundation planned its 20th anniversary celebration, it wanted to create something different: a gala event that could showcase its mission and diversify its fundraising portfolio. But the team lacked the sophisticated event technology to pull it off.
"We really lacked a sophisticated landing page for events. We have used another software that is strictly for golf tournaments and is really kind of rudimentary. It's not that aesthetically pleasing. Doesn't have a ton of capabilities." — Michelle Packer, Interim Executive Director, Jordan Thomas Foundation
JTF's existing CRM could create event registrations, but the pages weren't visually appealing or user-friendly. For a milestone celebration that needed to make an impact, the team needed something better. It was looking for clean, capable technology that could handle everything from registration and sponsorships to auctions, even if those plans changed halfway through planning.
As a small but growing foundation now serving over 150 kids across 30+ states, it needed technology that could keep up without adding complexity or creating extra work for their small team.
A Fundraising Platform That Could Pivot With Support That Delivered
JTF chose Pledge It for its clean design, user-friendly interface, and comprehensive event capabilities. Initially, it planned to use the platform primarily for registration and sponsorship management, focusing on the features it knew the team needed.
"We really liked how clean and easy registration was and the sponsorships were, and we liked what it looked like online. So that's what we were really leaning into at the beginning." — April De Leon, Program Coordinator, Jordan Thomas Foundation
But as its event evolved during planning, it decided to add both silent and live auctions—a significant mid-course change that could have derailed their timeline with other platforms.
"As we started developing our event, we decided to go full force on auctions. We started using that in Pledge It, which ended up being so helpful. If we had gone with anybody else, we wouldn't have been able to switch gears like we did in the middle of planning." — April De Leon, Program Coordinator, Jordan Thomas Foundation
The transition was smooth, supported by a customer success team that responded quickly to every question and concern. Even when the team thought they had "crazy requests" or issues the system couldn't handle, the support team found solutions—often within a day.
"Don't be afraid to ask the support team for help, even if you think you have a crazy request or something that no way they can fix. They came up with an answer, solution, or fixed everything and quickly." — Michelle Packer, Interim Executive Director, Jordan Thomas Foundation
The team particularly appreciated features that streamlined the event experience:
- Check-in process: Four check-in stations with laptops processed 200 guests smoothly within an hour. The credit card collection requirement turned what could have been a transactional moment into something more meaningful, giving staff natural touchpoints to personally greet guests, have brief conversations, and express gratitude. It set a warm tone from the very start of the evening.
- Silent auction: The team launched the silent auction a few days before the event, allowing guests to browse and bid in advance, then continue bidding the night of the event until dinner service.
- Live auction: Pledge It made it easy to record winning bids and process payments for auction winners quickly and accurately at the end of the night.
A Successful Gala That Raised More Than Expected
The 20th anniversary gala delivered strong results across the board. The team initially planned for 120 guests and fortunately selected a venue with room to grow. It ended up selling 200 tickets and raising substantially more than its original fundraising goal, bringing in $274,475 across donations, sponsorships, registrations, auctions, and more.
The end-of-night checkout process became a standout win. The team expected to spend hours the next day processing all the transactions from the live auction, fund-a-need, and other purchases. Instead, it took just 30-45 minutes the morning after the event.
"It was so smooth, so easy to get everything logged in properly. That was by far my favorite part of Pledge It, the checkout process." — April De Leon, Program Coordinator, Jordan Thomas Foundation
Perhaps most telling: Guests said the event felt like something the organization had been doing for years, not a first-time effort. The technology worked so seamlessly that it became invisible, letting the team focus on their mission and guests rather than troubleshooting systems.
Beyond the immediate success, the event proved JTF could pull off a sophisticated evening event and grow its mid-tier donor base—opening doors for future signature events beyond its traditional golf tournament.
The team's advice for first-time Pledge It users? Don't hesitate to lean on Customer Success. April and Michelle found they consistently went above and beyond, responding quickly to every request, even ones they thought might be impossible.
"Whoever your support team is, they are amazing and use them. The Pledge It support team goes above and beyond for you, so use them." — April De Leon, Program Coordinator, Jordan Thomas Foundation
Ready to elevate your gala with event technology that delivers?
See how Pledge It can help your organization exceed fundraising goals.
