Case Study: HEADstrong Foundation raises $90K in 3 weeks with Classy

How HEADstrong Foundation Planned a Virtual Event That Raised $90K in 3 Weeks

HEADstrong Foundation, which provides supportive services to families fighting cancer and routinely mobilizes college athletes for peer-to-peer fundraising, had to rapidly pivot when the NCAA canceled the 2020 season. The organization needed a fast, simple way to keep student-athletes engaged and sustain revenue despite in-person events being canceled.

Using Classy, HEADstrong launched The Last Shift Virtual 5K as a Registration-with-Fundraising event: a $20 registration gave participants personalized fundraising pages and a social media toolkit, with outreach focused on Instagram. The campaign activated 2,039 participants (1,200 registrations in the first 48 hours) and raised over $90,000 in under three weeks, with average gifts around $40–$42.

HEADstrong Foundation

Jeff Baxter

Director of Fundraising