Case study: Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals & DonorDrive

Find out how 3 resilient companies joined forces to empower generosity in the wake of COVID-19. With innovative, mobile-first partners like PayPal and DonorDrive, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals' virtual event fundraising has surpassed expectations and even exceeded that of in-person events.

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® (CMN Hospitals) and DonorDrive are two extraordinary organizations powering positive change. Since 1983, CMN Hospitals has impacted the lives of more than 10 million children across the U.S. and Canada. With 170 children's hospitals, they collectively provide 32 million treatments annually to children in need. In order to sustain that scale, CMN Hospitals relies on innovative partners like DonorDrive. DonorDrive’s technology platform helps nonprofits “raise more, reach more and do more to expand their amazing work.” In a dynamic collaboration, CMN Hospitals, DonorDrive, and PayPal united to revitalize fundraising during the pandemic.

Success metrics

• 2X faster to complete donations with Express Donate^{TM 1}
• +10% of donations are given via Venmo²
• 18% increase in funds raised³

The challenge

In-person events were once a primary source of funding for nonprofit organizations like CMN Hospitals. However, when the pandemic hit in March of 2020, crucial fundraising efforts stalled. CMN Hospitals was determined to maintain their funding as the world continued to adjust in response to the pandemic. With in-person events no longer viable, CMN Hospitals turned to longtime partner DonorDrive to engage communities virtually.

The solution

“What I value first and foremost about DonorDrive is that they are excellent product builders,” said Nick Ward, VP Marketing & Communications for CMN Hospitals. “If you take them a problem, they will think through it and present you with a multitude of solutions.” One of the features that makes DonorDrive’s virtual campaigns so strong is Express Donate^TM, which they enriched to include a Venmo payment option. This single tap-to-donate capability integrates seamlessly with PayPal and now Venmo, helping increase conversion and further streamline the user experience. Virtual event attendees are able to stay on the same page throughout the payment flow, enabling expedited donations. Their tech-savvy donors appreciate the platform’s ease of use, including the options to donate frictionlessly via PayPal and Venmo.⁴

The results

With innovative, mobile first partners like PayPal and DonorDrive, CMN Hospitals didn’t miss a beat in the transition to virtual events. No longer confined by a finite number of participants, CMN Hospitals saw incredible results. “The donation process itself is really important; donors respond to it. You see evidence of that through better conversion rates because people don‘t abandon at the donation form,” said Buck Rumely, DonorDrive’s Chief Revenue Officer. Through the unique donor engagement opportunities presented by DonorDrive, along with the convenience of PayPal and Venmo, CMN Hospitals’ virtual event fundraising has surpassed expectations and even exceeded that of in-person events.

Learn how PayPal and Venmo can help increase your donor conversion rates.