How Go For Yours Streamlined its Fundraising Efforts and Built Its Brand Through Network for Good

Go For Yours helps the next generation of leaders follow their dreams by offering leadership development, civic engagement, and entrepreneurship resources. The organization brings students from across the country to Los Angeles, California, for a weeklong fellowship where they focus on developing these skills. Additionally, the organization provides scholarships to young artists, entrepreneurs, and trailblazers. They also offer Go For Yours University, an eight-week leadership development certificate program. 

Erika McCall, founder and CEO of Go For Yours, is proud of the innovative approach the organization takes. “One thing I love about our programs is that we create a nontraditional, co-curricular learning experience where we bring the students to LA because [all education doesn’t have to take place] in the classroom … Some of these students have never been to California. There’s a handful that have never been on a plane … they’re all leaders in their communities, but they can only go so far without certain access and opportunities. And LA is the perfect place to have access to certain dreams.”

Since its founding in 2017, Go For Yours has provided over $10,000 in scholarships and recently sent over 1,000 students from various cities to private showings of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as part of its Dream Experience. 

Erika says the program is forever growing, and fundraising plays a huge role in that growth. That’s where Network for Good comes in. The organization raised over $40,000 in its first six months with Network for Good. 

Streamlining Fundraising Efforts with an Easy-to-Use Platform

Go For Yours has been fundraising since 2018, and Erika says they tried several platforms including PayPal and Stripe before making the switch to Network for Good. 

“It’s just always been by the grace of God where [funds] falls out of the sky,” Erika said. “We just planned and then hoped the money would come. But that’s not the way I want to continue to operate … Moving forward, I want to plan better with fundraising, and Network for Good has helped me do that.”

The platform has allowed her to collect donor information, integrate online fundraising into the organization’s website, and more effectively manage marketing activities like the Go For Yours email newsletter. 

Utilizing Fundraising Pages to Boost Donations

Erika utilized Network for Good’s fundraising page feature to create a branded campaign which she shared with her network through Facebook and email. By asking for donations of $10 or more, she was able to raise nearly $12,000 in less than three months for the Go For Yours Dream Experience. 

Erika says since Network for Good allowed her to create a more professional looking page that featured a list of recent donors, it encouraged more people to contribute. The campaign even attracted several celebrity donors. “I think Network for Good helped show me the progress, this is how much we have raised and how much we really have the ability to raise to reach our goals through this platform.”

Another way Go For Yours utilizes fundraising pages is by creating dedicated pages for some of the students taking part in the program. This allows the organization to share the personal stories of its students and gives them the chance to ask friends and family to donate on their behalf.  

Tackling Big Challenges with All-in-One Software

In addition to creating more professional looking branded fundraising campaigns, Network for Good has allowed Erika to better track donor data, boost her confidence as a fundraiser, and conduct surveys to improve students’ experience with their programs.

The platform has allowed Go For Yours to track more granular donor data such as phone numbers, email addresses, and even mailing addresses. Plus, the built-in templates and communications tools allow Erika to easily engage with donors and track fundraising milestones. Having a clean donor database and communication tools have been key to enhancing the organization’s fundraising strategy. 

“I am a naturally shy person,” Erika said. “And nobody likes to ask for money but [Network for Good] helped boost my confidence because I had it right there … I have the messaging; I am able to create a whole [donor outreach] formula. So, it definitely helped boost my confidence in fundraising, knowing I can raise this much money.”

Erika is always striving to improve the programming offered by Go For Yours. She says while fundraising is a key part of its success, Network for Good’s survey feature has allowed her to collect feedback from students participating in the program so she can also continue to innovate and develop creative experiences. 

The Importance of Investing in Technology

While it may not be a top priority for some nonprofits, Erika says investing in technology like Network for Good is essential to thriving in today’s environment. While making an investment like this with a possible recession on the horizon may not seem like a good idea, technology will ultimately make fundraising and donor management easier.

“If you don’t have that technology, then you’re missing  out on a huge network of important people,” Erika said.  “I can count on my hand, how many checks I get in the mail … it’s not a lot. And so that technology piece is important to invest in … your brand is important, your marketing, all of these things are important because it’s a business and you want to make sure that you have the tools that keep you ahead of the game like Network for Good has helped me stay ahead of the game.”

Interested in learning more about how Network for Good can help streamline your fundraising efforts, and help you raise more? Request a free demo today!

Published: March 9, 2023