How the See It Through Foundation Reached a 90% Online Donation Rate and Scaled Their Impact

Executive Summary

For many growing nonprofits, paperwork and administrative tasks are the silent drains on the actual mission. The See It Through Foundation (SITF) realized that their old-school, paper-based way of fundraising was creating major roadblocks and limiting how much money they could raise. By moving to an online-first fundraising approach, SITF removed the barriers to giving, automated their biggest headaches, and saw an incredible 90% of their donors switch to online giving.

Here is a look at how SITF updated their operations to spark massive growth and get their time back.

The Challenge: The Hidden Costs of Doing Things the Old Way

Before making the jump to digital, SITF did things the traditional way. Like many nonprofits, they relied heavily on collecting physical checks and cash at in-person events. While these events were great for building a local community feel, the behind-the-scenes financial work was holding the organization back.

The foundation was dealing with four major roadblocks:

• Security Risks and Bank Run Hassles: Processing physical checks and cash meant money was changing hands a little too often before it ever hit the bank account. Plus, making constant trips to the bank with large sums of cash was a logistical headache and a physical security risk for the staff.
• The Tax Receipt Nightmare: They had no way to issue tax receipts on the spot. Instead, the foundation’s Secretary was stuck in a stressful cycle of manually tracking every single donation on spreadsheets. At the end of the year, this created a massive, labor-intensive pile of admin work just to get receipts out the door.
• Messy Donation Tracking: Trying to figure out donor retention rates or tracking funds that were meant for specific projects required tedious, manual data entry. Making smart, quick decisions was almost impossible when the data was buried in different spreadsheets.
• Missing Out on Bigger Sponsors: Because they relied on physical events, SITF could only reach donors who lived nearby. On top of that, modern corporate sponsors usually require secure, online payment methods before they write a check. Because SITF didn’t have this, they were missing out on major corporate partnerships.

The Solution: Building a Seamless Online Donation Experience

SITF knew they needed to update how they operated, so they brought in our team at ShaCa Gurus to help them make the shift. We knew they didn’t just need a software band-aid; they needed a completely modernized online presence.

ShaCa Gurus designed and built a brand-new, highly functional website for the foundation and seamlessly integrated Donorbox to handle all of their transactions. The goal was to make it incredibly easy for people to give, while automating the heavy lifting for SITF’s staff.

This digital upgrade replaced their biggest manual headaches with simple, automated solutions:

• Automated Tax Receipts: The end-of-year receipt nightmare is officially over. The new system instantly emails an automated tax receipt the second a donation is made, keeping SITF compliant and giving the donor immediate confirmation.
• Easy Fund Routing: Instead of throwing all donations into one general pot, we set up Donorbox Designations. Now, donors can easily choose exactly which initiative they want to support, and the backend software tracks it all automatically.
• Clear, Real-Time Data: We swapped the messy spreadsheets for a clean, unified dashboard. Now, SITF leadership can log in and instantly see how campaigns are performing and exactly where their funds are coming from.

The Results: Growing Beyond Local Borders

Moving to a professional, automated online system completely changed the game for the See It Through Foundation. By making it easier to give, SITF unlocked massive growth and won back plenty of hours of staff time.

Key highlights from the switch:

• 90% Digital Adoption Rate: This is the most important metric of SITF’s success. The vast majority of the foundation’s donors happily moved to the online channels. It proved that when you provide a smooth, secure online experience, people will embrace it.
• 461% Increase in Donation Volume: By removing the requirement to show up in person with cash, SITF was able to reach donors everywhere. Between 2023 and 2024, the total number of donations skyrocketed by 461% as they brought in a whole new crowd of remote supporters.
• Getting Funds Faster: Instead of waiting weeks to process checks and make deposits, SITF now has access to their online funds almost instantly, giving the foundation much better cash flow.
• Winning Corporate Sponsorships: With a professional website and secure digital tracking in place, SITF finally met the strict requirements of corporate sponsors, leading to a huge jump in corporate partnerships.

“The new online giving system has allowed us to stop worrying about managing cash and start focusing on fundraising initiatives.” – Antonio Holliday, See It Through Foundation

The Takeaway: Less Paperwork, More Impact

Ultimately, the biggest win for the See It Through Foundation wasn’t just the increase in funds—it was the time they got back. By letting the new website and Donorbox handle the tedious financial tasks, SITF dramatically reduced their Secretary’s workload and completely eliminated the stress of cash handling.

The foundation is no longer bogged down by administrative chores. The staff has successfully shifted their energy away from processing paperwork and back to what truly matters: running their programs, building stronger relationships with their donors, and making a bigger impact in the world.