Case Study: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution achieves leadership in science crowdfundraising with Blackbaud's TeamRaiser and Luminate Online

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Customer Case Study

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the world’s largest private nonprofit oceanographic research institution, needed a platform that would let scientists and engineers run crowdfundraising and outreach while also supporting traditional communications (email campaigns, event registration, newsletters) and integrating with Raiser’s Edge. WHOI wanted a solution that preserved its brand and enabled new, creative forms of donor engagement beyond third‑party crowdfunding sites.

WHOI selected Blackbaud’s Luminate Online and TeamRaiser to build ProjectWHOI, a proprietary crowdfundraising site where project managers can create individual fundraiser pages and goals that roll up into a team target. The implementation standardized email outreach, maintained integration with Raiser’s Edge, provided an intuitive admin interface, broadened campaign reach, and freed communications and development staff to focus on mission‑driven engagement.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Ronald L. Timm

System Support Specialist