Case Study: Smith College scales campus events from 70 to 500+ with Blackthorn

Smith College scales events from 70 to 500+ with Blackthorn

Smith College faced a challenge with its previous event management platform, Cvent, which operated as a separate database from its Salesforce CRM. This disconnect required manual data syncing, created a significant administrative burden for tracking attendance and payments, and limited the number of events the college could feasibly run. The situation was particularly difficult for complex events like Reunion, where manual payment reconciliation was a source of major frustration for staff.

The college implemented Blackthorn Events and Blackthorn Payments, a native Salesforce solution that provides real-time data visibility. This allowed over 12 different departments across campus to manage their own events directly within the CRM. As a result, Smith College scaled from about 70 events per year to over 500. Blackthorn saved staff significant time, enabled the integration of donations into event registration, and transformed event management into a streamlined, efficient process.

Smith College