Case Study - Youth Talk

charity profile

Migrated from: Paper / Spreadsheets
Constituents: 2,000 +
Annual Income: £470,000 +
Charity type: Community / Mental Health
Donorfy Edition: Professional

Tucked away in St Albans, there’s a hidden gem - Youth Talk, a mental health charity offering free, confidential counselling to young people aged 13-25. Their mission is simple but profound - create a safe space for young people, giving them the opportunity to talk to a professional, who can help.

As young people face unprecedented uncertainties and disruptions; the Youth Talk team has been tackling rising demand. Raising funds to enable service growth, and to keep up with local need, is critical for the small but mighty team of staff, counsellors, volunteers and trustees.

Why the new CRM?

quick glance

Diversifying Income

Donorfy provided a robust platform to manage diverse income streams, supporting Youth Talk in exploring new fundraising avenues.

Volunteer Management

Donorfy's features, including Forms and Lists, enabled a centralised platform for managing volunteers, streamlining processes and improving overall volunteer engagement.

Digital Evolution

Donorfy moved Youth Talk away from paper and spreadsheet processes, consolidating information and improving visibility.

CHALLENGE

Prelude to Change: Growing Pains

Back in 2020, Youth Talk faced a challenge - a lack of being able to store information centrally.

It was having a wide-ranging impact - two decades of incredible work, yet information was scattered, lingering in paper trails and the minds of clinical volunteers. Grant applications and reports were slipping through the cracks. Gift Aid claims were being overlooked, so they were losing out on vital funds. Keeping track of different income streams was tricky, and volunteer activity was randomly recorded.

It’s a struggle many charities will recognise, and was their catalyst for looking for a CRM system that would provide the sustainability, organisation and security they needed to grow with demand.

SOLUTION

The Donorfy-Shaped Solution

They needed more than just a fundraising CRM. After extensive research, they chose Donorfy for its simple pricing structure, wide-ranging features, partners, and the comforting fact that experienced fundraisers are the brains behind it. In fact, a member of the team who used Donorfy in a previous fundraiser role, showed them how to utilise Donorfy for trusts and grants at the Donorfy Together Conference.

“I love that I can speak to someone with fundraising experience themselves; I’ve found the advice and opinions of the team really useful .” - Emily, Fundraising Assistant

Donorfy served as the linchpin, offering a unified solution for efficiently managing volunteers, consolidating vital data and enhancing donor management and fundraising opportunities. The transition symbolised a shift towards a more organised and digitised approach, aligning everything they needed within one integrated platform.

IMPACT

Embracing Growth and Diversifying Fundraising

This collaborative venture goes beyond a mere software solution; it's a testament to the transformative power of technology when paired with the passion and dedication of a dynamic team like Youth Talk. Here are just a few of the amazing things that have been achieved:

Unlocking £10,000 with Gift Aid Integration

Prior to Donorfy, Youth Talk hadn’t submitted a Gift Aid claim in over two years. After implementation, they made a claim for £10,000 off the bat. Being able to automatically claim Gift Aid has helped them to have a reliable stream of regular income, contributing to meeting their goals and forecasting for their future.

A Key Player in £20,000 BNI Boost

Through BNI Alban, Youth Talk have raised an extra £20,000 in less than a year. BNI has strict stipulations for tracking the referrals (donations) received, particularly the weekly positive contributions. Donorfy removed the headache. Through the Campaigns feature they were able to provide regular reporting quickly and efficiently.

“Donorfy saved a lot of time and energy on the administration of BNI, enabling us to report and keep on top of weekly referrals and thus expanding our supporter base in the local business community.” - Emily, Fundraising Assistant

Elevated Volunteer Operations

By creating a Donorfy form for volunteer applications, they’re enjoying a simplified and centralised recruitment and onboarding process for the amazing volunteers the service relies on. Facilitating effective tracking of volunteer logistics, the team are saving time and hassle by managing volunteer-led fundraising campaigns effectively too.

Danceathon Logistics Made Easy

Youth Talk maximised Donorfy’s forms feature to streamline the administration of their Danceathon fundraising event. Configuring different forms for different sessions, participant sign-up and payment information fed straight through to their constituent timelines, easing registration and helping with logistics.

Project feedback

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Emily Richland

Fundraising Assistant

Donorfy has helped us streamline fundraising data a lot more, track our income better, and budget and forecast better.

We’ve acquired more income because of Gift Aid management and that’s made a huge difference.

Rachel Simkin: Fundraising Manager

Youth Talk

After extensive research looking into the various fundraising databases and what would be best for our small but ambitious and growing charity – we settled on Donorfy.

I liked your fee structure. I also liked the way you had recommended partners to support with the integrations and the road map.

From Spreadsheet Headaches to CRM Success

How Youth Talk leveraged Donorfy to drive growth