Case Study: Cayuga Health System achieves $155,260 in Giving Day funds and new donor growth with Bonterra GiveGab

Cayuga Health builds a new fundraising strategy mid-pandemic

Cayuga Health System faced the sudden loss of revenue when the COVID‑19 pandemic forced cancellation of its two in‑person galas. To recover funds and maintain donor engagement, Cayuga Health System partnered with Bonterra GiveGab’s Giving Days solution to pivot quickly to a virtual, centralized Giving Day campaign.

Using Bonterra GiveGab’s Giving Day platform and peer‑to‑peer tools, Cayuga ran a 24‑hour online event with extensive video content, integrated check and card donations, and prompts for Grateful Patient self‑identification to streamline stewardship. The campaign raised $155,260—exceeding a $100,000 goal—with 233 donors (42 new donors and 72 self‑identified Grateful Patients), while reducing planning time and costs (3–4 months and about $7k) versus prior galas (8 months and about $83k).

Cayuga Health System

Steve Savage, Steph Bailey, and Tiffany Bloss