The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to finding a cure and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients, is partnering with San Diego-based Classy, a leading fundraiser and software supporter for social impact organizations, to develop a long-term online fundraising strategy.
According to a press release, the transition will start with the LLS campaign Team in Training (TNT), which is the world’s first and biggest charity sports training program. Since it was first launched 27 years ago, TNT has helped 600,000 people train for triathlons, marathons, and cycling competitions, and has raised nearly $1 billion for blood cancer research and patient care.
Other LLS national fundraising campaigns this year and in 2017 that Classy will operate on its platform include:
- Leukemia Cup Regatta (LCR), in which local LLS chapters recruit sailors and local businesses to raise funds and promote participation in sailing races and related events;
- Man and Woman of the Year (MWOY), in which candidates across the country participate in a 10-week fundraising competition honoring local children who survived blood cancer;
- Light the Night Walk (LTN), the current largest annual fundraiser for LLS. This non-competitive walk now takes place in more than 150 sites across the United States, Canada, and Australia.
“We are confident that the expertise and proven track record of Classy will help to elevate LLS’s fundraising capabilities and success across our many campaigns and programs,” said LLS Chief Information Officer Claude Edkins. “As the leading nonprofit in the blood cancer arena, it makes sense for us to work with a fundraising technology leader like Classy. This platform not only will make it easier for our participants to engage with LLS through its user-friendly, innovative and robust features, but Classy’s support will enhance our own operations as we aim to grow our revenue through new and unique online fundraising approaches.”
LLS is joining a 2,500-and-growing group of nonprofits that Classy is helping, including companies such as Heifer International, Oxfam America, National Geographic, Team Rubicon, FEED, and Pencils of Promise.
“We are extremely excited to partner with such a well-respected and high-impact organization as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” said Classy CEO and co-founder Scot Chisholm. “LLS has been a pioneer in the peer-to-peer fundraising space with thousands of organizations, both nonprofit and for-profit, emulating their efforts over the past two decades. It is truly an honor to be selected as their long-term fundraising partner, and everyone at Classy is thrilled to work with LLS’s innovative team to take our product to new heights.”
Like LLS, Classy is familiar with peer-to-peer fundraising. Moved by family and friends that had been diagnosed with cancer, the co-founders of this company started began by organizing a pub crawl to donate to the American Cancer Society. In Classy’s first four years, the company hosted several fundraising events in San Diego. But the group was disappointed by the lack of solutions available to local nonprofits, so it built its own platform and in 2011 emerged as an online fundraiser that any nonprofit could use.
“More and more organizations are selecting Classy, driven by frustration with the costs and limitations of the traditional software vendors that have monopolized the nonprofit market for too long,” Chisholm said. “Social impact organizations are tackling some of the world’s biggest problems, and there is absolutely no reason why they should be forced to settle for anything less than world-class technology to aid them in their mission.”
