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YWCA Lethbridge uses Zeffy’s ticketing and event management tools to save.

Case study

YWCA Lethbridge has a staff of around 50 with an annual budget of $5 million. A chunk of their budget comes from donations, but not all. The rest comes from government grants. They have been using Zeffy’s 100% free fundraising platform for nonprofits since 2022, mostly to sell tickets to their annual Royal Gala. (The fees YWCA Lethbridge saved were calculated with a 5% average fee—platform and credit card transaction fees combined.)

$23,792

raised

$1,189

saved on fees

David Purkis

·

November 6, 2023

·

5

min read

The background: YWCA Lethbridge didn’t always use Zeffy…

Before Zeffy, YWCA Lethbrdige used Eventbrite and PayPal. Now they use Zeffy for their volunteer management, fundraising, and events. So, why’d they make the switch?

Well, the fees at Eventbrite were starting to pile up and the reporting at PayPal was confusing (and they also charge fees).

The fees associated with other platforms like Eventbrite and PayPal are a big hit for us (almost 10%). The fact that it’s free is crazy to me, but excellent.
- Catherine Champagne, External Relations Director

The challenge: Finding a free software for nonprofits that works.

I don’t even think I know everything Zeffy can do.
- Catherine Champagne, External Relations Director

We know, we know, it’s the kind of quote that’s almost too good to be true. But, Catherine has been pretty impressed by Zeffy. (And Gasp, one of our Sales Team members.) So, we think it’s safe to say that YWCA Lethbridge doesn’t regret switching to Zeffy.

But, how’d they find us in the first place? YWCA Lethbridge found out about us from a new team member who had been using Zeffy’s fundraising platform at the nonprofit they used to volunteer at.

The solution: Zeffy is an easy system to navigate.

YWCA Lethbridge started small with a bands and brunch event. (They used Zeffy’s ticketing to sell tickets to their event.)

Today, they use Zeffy for collecting donations on their website, managing their volunteers, and organizing and selling tickets to their annual Royal Gala.

Some of the Y’s favourite features? Well, there are quite a few:

  • The general donation QR code. They put it on everything. (Tables at conferences, emails, posters, billboards, etc.)
  • The discount code feature for free tickets.
  • They really, really like the follow-up emails and the ability to send an email to attendees is a huge time saver for them.
  • I once forgot to ask people for their dietary restrictions, Zeffy made sending out an email about that a real lifesaver.-Catherine Champagne, External Relations Director
  • They love the step-by-step process for setting up an event. It’s pretty foolproof and helps them remember to not forget things—like dietary restriction questions.

Overall, YWCA Lethbridge has been enjoying the cost ($0) and the easy access to help.

The results: Zeffy just works.

With all the work you put into these events, you never know if it is going to be successful. The unknown is hard to deal with. Zeffy was helpful because it always worked.
-Catherine Champagne, External Relations Director

YWCA has already saved over $1000 in platform and transaction fees—and they’re just getting warmed up. The fees associated with other platforms like Eventbrite and PayPal are a big hit for small to medium sized nonprofits like YWCA Lethbridge (almost 10%).

The fact that Zeffy is free is crazy to me, but excellent.-Catherine Champagne, External Relations Director

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