United Way of Midland County, Midland, MI
Fundraising Reach
$5.1 million for local campaigns, $4 million in local Disaster Relief dollar, $2 million in out of area campaigns
Andar/360
Quickly Adapting to a Pandemic and a Devastating Flood: How United Way of Midland County Processed $11 Million and Signed Up 3000+ Volunteers
Kali Cochran, Director of Investor Relations at United Way of Midland County says that having Andar/360—a highly customizable CRM system—was crucial to adapt and respond to a pandemic and a devastating flood.
Not One Crisis, but Two
The pandemic took its toll on Midland County, leaving about a third of the state's workforce unemployed. The schools and community program closures left vulnerable students, seniors, and homeless populations without meals.
In May 2020—with precarious timing amidst the pandemic—heavy rain resulted in catastrophic failures of two dams northwest of Midland. This once-in-500-years flood led to 10,000 Midland County residents evacuating their homes.
Flood waters tore through a house. Photo credit: The Midland Sun
These two crises created new needs in the most vulnerable populations like never before. Kali says, "we are facing steep increases in health and human services need at the highest level in our generation. At the time of great economic uncertainty, many nonprofits are facing cuts in funding, suspension of revenue-generating programming, and doing more with less. We are committed to ensuring the 56 vital programs through our 25 partner agencies survive and thrive."
When a crisis strikes, United Way of Midland County does not buckle. They rise together because they are built for this.
In 2020, United Way of Midland County's campaign results and volunteer support were remarkable:
- They processed $11 million through Andar/360 in 2020
- They raised $5.1 million for their local campaign, $4 million in local Disaster Relief dollar, and another $2 million in out of area campaigns
- They brought in more than $1.5 million in donated supplies
- They had 3,346 volunteer registrations and more than 2,00 people sign up for volunteer text and alert emails.
So, how did they do it?
"Having all the data and tools in one place is crucial to managing the multiple facets of an effort like that effectively. What we did for the pandemic relief and the flood wouldn't be possible without Andar/360. Andar is so adaptable as a CRM system, so we were able to leverage the tools that we are familiar with and tweak them slightly to create a completely new experience for our corporate partners".
Kali Cochran, Director of Investor Relations, United Way of Midland County
Volunteer Signups and Driving Donations with Andar/360
"As part of the disaster planning committee for our community, we are responsible for bringing in financial and in-kind donations and recruiting volunteers to assist with disaster relief efforts," says Kali.
In March, United Way of Midland acted fast. They utilized Andar/360 to create an event registration portal for volunteers, emergency relief pages to process donations, and custom webpages for key companies in the area. They strengthened their corporate sponsorships by managing all COVID-19 donations for Dow, DuPont, and Corteva and tracking and distributing funds from all over the world with e-Pledge. After recruiting volunteers to pack and deliver meals safely, Andar/360 texting made it possible to communicate clearly and effectively while coordinating volunteers.
Above are two examples of custom webpages to strengthen corporate engagement created by United Way of Midland using e-Pledge.
In May, the flood occurred; United Way of Midland ran two different volunteer websites, one for pandemic relief and one for flood relief efforts. Working with emergency response, they recruited volunteers to help manage emergency shelters and eventually rebuild homes destroyed by the flood.
The above picture is from a United Way of Midland volunteer sign up page. They dynamically show how many spots are remaining as volunteers signup.
Kali remarks, "having all the data and tools in one place is crucial to managing the multiple facets of an effort like that effectively. What we did for the pandemic relief and the flood wouldn't be possible without Andar/360. Andar is so adaptable as a CRM system, so we were able to leverage the tools that we are familiar with and tweak them slightly to create a completely new experience for our corporate partners".
With Andar/360, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and marketing are all in one system. "We were able to communicate to the right person at the right time, and it was critical to respond promptly through both of these disasters," says Kali.
United Way of Midland used Andar/360 to drive volunteer signups, communicate with and text volunteers, process donations, and strengthen corporate partnerships leading to a year of surpassing campaign goals and mobilizing thousands of volunteers.
Pictured above is a screenshot from the Rise Together Fund page created by United Way of Midland County and powered by Andar/360.
Andar Software Customer Support: A True Partnership
During the demanding time of quickly responding to the pandemic and the flood, Kali says that the Andar/360 Customer Support team was there for her. She says, "Andar as a CRM system is amazing, but your team is also amazing! Your team understands the importance of United Way's work and never hesitates to jump in and help when thousands of people are suffering. When our community needs United Way, you are there for us".