Case Study: Special Olympics Maryland exceeds $5.48M in donations and boosts event fundraising with Classy

Maryland Exceeds $5M in Donations, Setting the Bar for 30 Fellow Special Olympics Locations on Classy

Special Olympics Maryland, which runs 27 sports programs and large community events like the annual Polar Bear Plunge, needed a scalable, ticketed fundraising strategy that would engage athletes, fundraisers, and local locations — and adapt quickly when the pandemic canceled in-person gatherings. The organization sought a donor-friendly platform that could simplify event registration and peer-to-peer fundraising while inspiring other Special Olympics locations.

By adopting Classy’s customizable campaign pages, templates, automated emails, social sharing, donation matching, and fundraiser toolkits, Maryland moved events online and standardized best practices across locations. Since switching in 2019 they’ve run 69 campaigns and raised $5,483,193 total (including $1M from virtual events during COVID), increased amount raised per fundraiser by about $150, and dramatically expanded outreach and fundraising volume.

Special Olympics

Alexa Carney

Vice President of Marketing & Communications