Case Study: Merit School of Music achieves a 47% increase in donations with Bloomerang Fundraising

Merit School of Music Chooses Qgiv over Network for Good to Increase Funding for Music Education in Chicago

Merit School of Music is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1979 to restore music education for youth and now serves over 6,000 students, including a tuition-free Conservatory. Facing donor confusion from unrecognizable credit-card descriptors and slow, inflexible updates with its previous platform (Network for Good), the School needed a customizable, mobile-friendly solution that could support event ticketing, branded donation pages and faster turnaround for campaign changes.

Merit switched to Qgiv (including Hobnob for events) in early 2013, implementing branded online donation pages, recurring giving and mobile options. The change was seamless and quickly boosted engagement: a 16% increase in general gifts in the first year, roughly 47% more donations than in 2012, and online giving now accounts for 35% of its budget, with major donors and younger supporters adopting the platform.

Merit School of Music

Jennifer Ridder

Gift manager