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How Goodwill Central Texas Raised $385K at Their Gala with HelloFund's Nonprofit Fundraising Gala Software
- Phil Sanger
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- Mar 24
- 4 min read
Goodwill Central Texas didn't need a flashier event. They needed software that got out of the way.
Their previous provider left the team chasing reconciliation errors after every gala, trying to match donations to payment records by hand. Data entry was slow. Reporting was a fight. And event night was more stressful than it needed to be.
They switched to HelloFund. Their next gala raised $385,000.
What Was the Problem Before HelloFund?
Goodwill's team was dealing with two friction points that compounded each other.
First, their old platform made reconciliation hard. Donations didn't tie cleanly to payment records, which meant finance staff were manually sorting transaction data after every event. For an organization with downstream reporting requirements in Raiser's Edge, that kind of slippage costs real time.
Second, loading auction items and guest data was slow. The team had everything in spreadsheets already but had no clean way to get it into their platform without hours of manual entry.
Both problems had the same root cause: software that treated staff time as free.
What Was the Problem Before HelloFund?
Goodwill's team was dealing with two friction points that compounded each other.
First, their old platform made reconciliation hard. Donations didn't tie cleanly to payment records, which meant finance staff were manually sorting transaction data after every event. For an organization with downstream reporting requirements in Raiser's Edge, that kind of slippage costs real time.
Second, loading auction items and guest data was slow. The team had everything in spreadsheets already but had no clean way to get it into their platform without hours of manual entry.
Both problems had the same root cause: software that treated staff time as free.
How Did HelloFund Solve the Reconciliation Problem?
HelloFund exports transaction-level records with consistent IDs, so every donation ties directly to its payment. No manual matching. No post-event cleanup sessions.
For Goodwill's integration with Raiser's Edge, the HelloFund team built custom report outputs to match the organization's field requirements. The only input Goodwill needed to provide was a report template or field list. HelloFund handled the rest.
How Did Goodwill Get Their Auction and Guest Data Into the Platform?
They put it in a shared spreadsheet and sent it over. That was the full lift.
HelloFund imported the auction item catalog and guest list on the backend. No CSV wrangling, no formatting requirements, no back-and-forth. The team arrived at the event with everything already loaded.
What Drove Revenue on Event Night?
Goodwill used HelloFund's Paddles Up appeal display during the live program. The Paddles Up feature puts a real-time donation board on screen during the fund-a-need portion of the gala, letting donors see participation build in the room as it happens.
That live visibility creates momentum. When donors see the number climbing, they participate. It is one of the highest-leverage tools in a gala program and it runs entirely from within HelloFund.
What Did the Goodwill Team Say?
Sarabeth D. from Goodwill Central Texas put it directly:
"My overall experience with HelloFund for our gala was great. They are very organized and don't mind getting things taken care of in advance, which is how we are most successful. The customer service led by Phil and the handholding to make sure the job gets done timely and efficiently was fantastic."
Why Do Nonprofits with Raiser's Edge Choose HelloFund?
Raiser's Edge organizations need fundraising software that speaks the same language. That means consistent transaction IDs, configurable report outputs, and a setup process that doesn't require a data migration project.
HelloFund's team works directly with Raiser's Edge users to build the report templates before the event, so there is no cleanup afterward. Everything maps the first time.
FAQ
How long does it take to get auction items and guest lists into HelloFund? Most organizations are fully loaded well before event day. You can enter items and guests directly in HelloFund, or drop everything into a shared Google Sheet and the HelloFund team takes it from there.
Does HelloFund integrate with Raiser's Edge? Yes. HelloFund has a native Raiser's Edge integration, so your donation and transaction data moves over without manual cleanup. The team can also walk you through setup if you need it.
What is Paddles Up and how does it work? Paddles Up is HelloFund's appeal display for live gala programs. It shows real-time donation totals on screen during your fund-a-need segment. Donors see the number grow and participate at higher rates. It runs inside HelloFund with no extra setup.
Is HelloFund mobile-first? Yes. Bidding, giving, and checkout all happen on donors' phones. No paper bid sheets, no card swipe terminals.
What size galas is HelloFund built for? HelloFund is designed for events raising $25,000 or more, including benefit galas at nonprofits, private schools, and Catholic schools.
The Bottom Line
Goodwill Central Texas raised $385,000 because they walked into their gala with clean data, a configured platform, and a live appeal tool that drove real-time donations from the stage.
That is what gala software should do. Reduce the lift before the event and maximize what happens in the room.
HelloFund is a flat fee auction and fundraising software platform built for nonprofits, private schools, and Catholic schools. Questions? Email phil@hellofund.com.
