Brooklyn Public Library Grew Online Revenue by 14% With Classy’s Comprehensive Fundraising Suite

Mission

To provide the people of Brooklyn with free and open access to information for education, recreation, and reference

Challenge

Find a comprehensive fundraising suite to support Brooklyn’s 61 library branches and a myriad of programs

Solution

Selecting Classy as Brooklyn Public Library’s fundraising software and partner to raise greater levels of funding and steward loyal donors

“Classy is the easiest tool for growing your recurring donor base and has helped BPL not only double the number of sustainers in one year but also has connected us with our supporters and created a lovely experience for them.”

– Lauren Arana, Chief Development Officer

Results on Classy in One Year:

$1M+

raised

14%

increase in online revenue

2X

recurring donors

Beyond a Library; A Community

The 126-year-old Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), the sixth largest library system in the U.S., encompasses 61 branches across the borough of Brooklyn. The library offers free resources and services like literacy programs, lectures, resume and career help, computer centers, teen internships, and more. It’s an inclusive place anyone can go, no matter their age or background.

A Comprehensive Fundraising Suite to Support BPL

About a year ago, the BPL development team started its search for a platform that could help streamline its online giving operations. They were holding out for a solution that would allow them to customize their donation forms to better reflect BPL’s brand and align with donor preferences, leading to an improved donor experience.

BPL chose Classy because it is an incredibly customizable and versatile platform that allows BPL to handle all kinds of online giving, including its recurring donor program, one-time giving, and special events.

We appreciate that Classy has been a comprehensive online fundraising suite that addresses so many of our needs.
Lauren Arana
Chief Development Officer

Engaging Supporters and Meeting Them Where They Are

In a library system as large as BPL, it’s critical to provide donors the choice to support their local branch or the programs they most care about. With Classy’s program designation feature, BPL can enable its supporters to choose exactly where their donation goes, making it easier for supporters to connect with the causes they care about.

BPL donation page with program designation — Books Unbanned Program Designation

One tool in Classy’s suite is a peer-to-peer campaign builder. BPL ran its first-ever peer-to-peer fundraising campaign on Classy last year and raised 113% of its goal!

We used Classy’s peer-to-peer tool for a month-long campaign in which our local supporters could solicit their friends and family in support of our program. They just clicked on the site, signed up, launched their pages, and off they went. It was also an incredible way to galvanize support for the program from our local millennial and Gen Z supporters.
Lauren Arana
Chief Development Officer

BPL is very connected to its supporter base and has focused on growing its sustainer (recurring) donor program over the past year with Classy. With a multi-pronged approach that puts monthly giving front and center on most donation forms, BPL has seen a significant influx of monthly gifts.

The BPL team is looking forward to seeing the donations roll in on their new inline embedded donation form on the Books Unbanned landing page. The donation experience is streamlined and frictionless, reducing the number of steps to donate and bringing in an average of 2x more revenue. It is truly a win-win for both the donor and BPL.

BPL inline embedded donation form — Books Unbanned inline embedded donation form

The Future Is Bright for BPL

Just one year in with Classy, BPL has already made great strides, surpassing $1M raised on the platform. And they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

As the library continues to connect with the community, welcome patrons into their locations, and get supporters involved in virtual programs, they’re also welcoming them to donate online through one of the various campaign types available.

The team has seen its online giving grow in recent years, making a tremendous impact on its mission. Having a flexible tool like Classy saves the BPL team time and makes it easier for supporters to contribute to their local library.