Out in the big world, it's easy to feel alone. Millions of people around the world struggle daily, and often it's the small, hyperlocal nonprofits that fill the needs of their communities.

Rising TIDE is one of those life-changing hyperlocal nonprofits. Empowering the youth of Long Beach, California, Rising TIDE offers academic support along with recreational programming to about 100 local youth each day.

A Pandemic Pivot

Early in 2020, as the pandemic hit, Rising TIDE realized they would need to shift their programming—fast. With kids at home, tutoring was more necessary than ever, and the meals kids would normally receive at school had to be replaced somehow.

Enter Funraise.

Without a big team of tech pros on staff, Rising TIDE's board president, Colby Karzen, built an action-focused fundraising site through Funraise in just a few minutes, intending to get Rising TIDE through what she hoped would be a short shutdown. An all-around Funraise supporter, Colby explains,

“Funraise allows us to prioritize our fundraising and storytelling in a timely and resource-efficient way. Any of us on the team can create websites and access donor information when we need to.”

From One-Time Success to Ongoing Support

That campaign, Fill the Gap, ended up supporting Rising TIDE throughout 2020, drawing in donations and introducing new donors to the children Rising TIDE serves. As the pandemic progressed, the team discovered that rather than losing donors, as they had feared, Rising TIDE had gained supporters throughout the community.

So, building on that momentum and betting on their donors, Rising TIDE set up a site for their new recurring donor program, The Undercurrent, and pulled in their donor base to help stabilize Rising TIDE.

Adele Langworthy, Rising TIDE's ED, champions the efficiency and forward-thinking that Funraise's tech brings to the youth-focused org:

“We never feel alone—Funraise's customer success team is always ready with answers, ideas, and encouragement. The additional funds we've raised through this technology is a blessing.”

Time Saved with Effective Tech

With Funraise's industry-leading website editor, Rising TIDE will be making future campaign sites faster, easier, and far more effectively, inspiring their community for years to come.

By the numbers:

• $30k fundraising goal exceeded for both Fill the Gap and The Undercurrent campaigns
• 89 first-time donors in 2020
• 7% of first-time donors donated more than once
• Over $30k raised from first-time donors
• 130 total Fill the Gap and Undercurrent donors
• $72,415.60 raised in total from Fill the Gap and The Undercurrent donations

Congratulations on creating waves, Rising TIDE! Funraise is proud of the ripple effect your crucial local work has on our community.