Forty-seven children are abused or neglected per second in the U.S. What a heart-breaking statistic. Manatee Children’s Services of Bradenton, Florida, is working to break the cycle of child abuse. The organization serves over 12,000 children and families every year. Currently, Manatee Children’s Services is running a Welcome to Our House fundraising campaign. MCS wants to raise $450,000 to renovate its 100-year-old building, modernizing the facility and organizing services under one roof. As of April 1, 2024, MCS surpassed the half-way mark, raising $245,000, which is 54 percent of its goal.
Embedding a Thermometer into a Website
Packerland Websites built Manatee Children’s Services website and added a unique feature. To chart the fundraiser’s progress, Packerland Websites embedded the image of a thermometer goal chart on the website Home page. The MCS fundraising thermometer clearly communicates the $245,000 goal at a glance. Donors can see how their gift makes a difference, as the thermometer inches higher. Published with the thermometer are a short description, a Donate Online button, and button that links to a document explaining Welcome to Our House.
Driving More Donations for Nonprofits
Fundraising thermometers have been proven to drive more donations because of their visual impact. Nonprofit organizations use fundraising thermometers to chart donations for a capital campaign, giving day like Giving Tuesday, fundraising event, specific program, or year-end appeal. Packerland Websites customizes the thermometer to match the organizations’ branding and color scheme.
Easily Updating Fundraising Milestones
As donations roll in, the website administrator updates the thermometer periodically. Administrators simply login to the website, click on settings, and change the number in the “dollar amount raised” section. By changing just one number, the updates automatically occur in multiple places on the website:
- Percentage of goal met
- Paragraph of text describing the amount raised and the goal
Learning How to Update a Thermometer
When launching a website, Packerland Websites offers complimentary training for website administrators and editors. Personnel from Manatee Children’s Services learned how to update their web pages, and they also learned how to update the fundraiser thermometer. Packerland Websites also recorded a video for MCS staff. The video provides a quick reference for anyone learning how to update the fundraising thermometer or reviewing the process.
Publicizing the Urgency for Donations
Once a fundraising thermometer is embedded on their website, organizations can use the visual in other marketing collateral. For example, they can show images of the thermometer on their social media pages, newsletters, printed materials, and fundraising events. By updating the thermometer every few weeks, organizations show their progress and drive urgency for more donations.
Ask us About a Fundraising Thermometer
Manatee Children’s Services provides a much-needed service for children and families south of Tampa, Florida. Although the child advocacy group receives some government funding, it relies heavily on philanthropic donations to carry out its mission. The thermometer goal chart is an effective, visual tool to call attention to the organization’s desire to renovate its facility. Packerland Website supports the work of Manatee Children’s Services and its Welcome to Our House campaign. To request a fundraising thermometer for your nonprofit website, contact us.