Background

The Goodtimes Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children undergoing cancer treatment, along with their siblings and families. It provides critical resources, activities, and two weeks of summer camp where young participants can “just be kids,” supported by medical professionals. The organization’s funding primarily comes from two major annual fundraising events: the Spring Wine Auction and the Drive-A-Thon.

As a passionate volunteer, I joined the executive committee and quickly assumed the role of Communications Chair, overseeing all promotional materials, social media, and marketing efforts to elevate and unify the organization’s messaging and fundraising efforts.

Challenge

The Goodtimes Project struggled with structural and operational challenges that hindered effective communication and fundraising:

• Lack of a coordinated communications calendar, resulting in mixed timing, redundancy, and inconsistent messaging.

• Social media dispersed across three separate accounts managed by volunteers, leading to diluted engagement and brand confusion.

• Heavy reliance on just two fundraising events to cover the nonprofit’s full annual budget, a risky financial setup.

• Limited paid staff (two employees) combined with many volunteers, creating control and consistency issues.

• Events had no cohesive themes or professional hosts, reinforcing a low-budget appearance.

• Donation tracking and auction bidding were managed manually on paper, causing inefficiencies and errors.

• The Spring Wine Auction was narrowly focused on wine, excluding other high-potential donors such as breweries.

Solution & Approach

A comprehensive, phased approach was developed to revitalize the brand presence, streamline communications, and modernize fundraising efforts:

Phase 1: Branding and Communication Overhaul

• Established a unified brand kit including fonts, colors, and logos to ensure consistent look and feel across all platforms.

• Relaunched the website for a cohesive, on-brand experience that was easier to update and eliminated repetitive content management.

• Consolidated social media efforts to focus on the main “camp” account, primarily on Facebook and Instagram, retiring the other event-specific pages.

• Created a detailed communications calendar covering emails, meetings, and social content to streamline outreach.

Phase 2: Organizational and Staffing Enhancements

• Create an emphasis on growth, diversity, and fresh opportunities

• Focused on securing larger donors and sustaining fundraising independent of events.

Phase 3: Fundraising Modernization and Event Innovation

• Invested in professional fundraising software enabling digital donations and auctions, replacing outdated paper methods to speed up transaction flow and improve accuracy.

• Evolved the Spring Wine Auction theme to incorporate a broader beverage offering (including beer) to engage important donors like local breweries.

• Expanded the Drive-A-Thon by adding games, food offerings, and opening it to the public via donation-based participation to broaden reach and revenue.

Insights and Results

The multi-dimensional strategy yielded significant organizational and financial improvements:

• Branding consolidation unified all communications, strengthening public perception and volunteer alignment.

• Full-time staff grew from 2 to 4 employees, affording greater stability and capacity.

• Staff retention was achieved even through pandemic disruptions where live events were paused.

• Hiring a professional auctioneer enhanced event professionalism and attendee experience.

• The Gala Auction saw a 10–30% year-over-year increase in donated packages and bidding activity.

• Digital auction software shortened checkout times and expedited event closeouts, even with expanded participation.

• The introduction of games and live auction items encouraged spontaneous giving, including high-value priority seating and exclusive trips.

• Public participation and engagement rose through Drive-A-Thon expansion, creating new revenue streams beyond core event attendees.

Conclusion

By spearheading a deliberate branding alignment, operational modernization, and event innovation, the Goodtimes Project transformed its communications and fundraising ecosystem. The nonprofit evolved from a volunteer-heavy, segmented model to a professionalized, financially resilient organization better equipped to serve families facing childhood cancer. This case highlights how strategic marketing leadership, unified branding, and technology adoption can dramatically enhance mission impact while fostering sustainable growth.