Case Study: Shedd Aquarium achieves 104% of its fundraising goal and simplifies social giving with OneCause

How Ambassador Fundraising™ Made the Giving Experience Easy

Shedd Aquarium faced the challenge of engaging time‑pressed, digitally connected supporters and meeting Auxiliary Board “give & get” fundraising requirements with a small events staff and a crowded calendar. To expand reach ahead of its Out of the BLU event, Shedd Aquarium partnered with OneCause and used its Ambassador Fundraising™ peer‑to‑peer platform and social fundraising tools to mobilize board members as online fundraisers.

OneCause supplied participant pages, a Social Toolkit, leaderboards, automated communications and social recruitment features so Ambassadors could easily share mission stories, solicit donations and track progress. The campaign surpassed its goal—raising $31,276 (104% of goal) with 61 active Ambassadors, 324 social donors and 220 donations—demonstrating clear, measurable impact from OneCause’s solution.

Shedd Aquarium

Abby Siwak

Manager