Stories from Our Clients...

One of the best parts of our job is seeing the different ways our clients use Swell to support their work.

This month, we're sharing stories from two Alabama organizations.

• National Veterans Day Foundation has spent the past few years updating how it manages a longstanding community event.

• Children's Aid Society of Alabama recently saw an incredible response when one supporter invited her community to help graduating foster youth.

We love to help you find creative ways to use Swell. Got an idea you want to talk through? 

National Veterans Day Foundation: Making a Longstanding Tradition a Little Easier

National Veterans Day Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama has been honoring veterans for decades.

Its annual Veterans Awards Dinner typically brings together 500 to 600 guests. As I'm sure you can imagine,  organizing an event of that size takes a lot of coordination.

For years, the organization managed ticket sales with paper tickets, checks, phone calls, and volunteers delivering tickets to attendees.

Liz Carey, who has worked with the organization since 2013, helped move the event to online ticketing with Swell in 2023. It wasn't an easy sell to everyone.

After all, they'd been doing things the same way for years, and some attendees really liked their paper tickets.

One of the biggest changes was how the committee handled seating.

Instead of laying out and assigning tables in advance, they began waiting until tickets were sold to finalize table assignments. That meant fewer changes to the seating chart as the event approached.

Now preparing for their fourth year using Swell, they're still finding ways to improve their process.

Liz says one of the biggest advantages is knowing how many people to expect.

She can see who's purchased tickets, who's paid, and how many seats are accounted for. 

“Confidence in my headcount is a major advantage of using the site.”

— Liz Carey, National Veterans Day Foundation

They've also started recording check payments as manual transactions, making it easier to keep their records together.

And those attendees who weren't sure about buying tickets online? Most have made the adjustment. Liz says she receives far fewer calls for assistance than she did in the first year.

Now,  several years in, the National Veterans Day Foundation has a process that's easier to manage, and they never have to guess how many tickets are left or who's seated at the head table.

Children's Aid Society of Alabama: $53,958 in 30 Hours

Each year, approximately 110 young people in Alabama's foster care system graduate from high school.

Children's Aid Society of Alabama (CAS) celebrates these graduates through its Grad Bag campaign.

Graduates receive luggage filled with practical items like bedding, towels, kitchen supplies, and personal care essentials to help them prepare for college, work, or their first apartment.

This year, CAS received some unexpected help spreading the word.

Jamie Golden, co-host of The Popcast with Knox and Jamie, has a personal connection to CAS. She asked her community to give $15 toward a $15,000 goal.

The response was remarkable.

In about 30 hours, the campaign raised $53,958 and brought nearly 600 new supporters to CAS.

That's more than three times the original fundraising goal, but the impact went beyond the dollars raised.

"Seeing people rally around young people they had never met was moving. Beyond filling a suitcase, their generosity reminded these graduates that their achievements matter and that a community believes in their future."

— John Stone, Children's Aid Society of Alabama

And for CAS, the campaign brought hundreds of people into its circle of supporters, many of whom were learning about the organization for the first time.

Resources from Swell

Giving Tuesday

If you need a little inspiration for your Giving Tuesday/Year-End Campaign, these recordings are a great place to start.

• 2025 Just 1 Thing from Swell: Giving Tuesday

•  2024 Just 1 Thing from Swell: Giving Tuesday

The 10,000 Decision
Did you know Swell has a display tool to help with in-room engagement at your next event? Clients who use it regularly see it add an average of $ 10,000 to their in-the-room totals. Find out more here.

Have You Checked Out Your Help Guide Lately?

You can get there by clicking "Help Desk" in the left menu or footer when you're logged into Swell. Use the search bar to find answers to commonly asked questions.

If you don't have a specific question, these setup guides are a good  first stop.

The Resources section is another great place to browse. You'll find printables and resource guides, email samples, and more. We're even working on a new AI tips section there to help you get the most out of your favorite LLM.