In October 2018, Classy, a social enterprise that creates world-class online fundraising software for nonprofits, reached the incredible milestone of $1 billion raised on the platform by organizations funding programs around the world that provide disaster relief, advocate for human rights, cure disease, fight injustice, protect our environment, and so much more.
In the midst of the exciting celebration we shared with our customers, we discovered that The Sheridan Story, a Classy customer in Minnesota committed to fighting child hunger, received the billionth dollar raised. While we were considering the best way to celebrate their impact, we saw this as an incredible opportunity to honor our Pledge 1% commitment just ahead of the peak charitable giving season by visiting The Sheridan Story and getting a hands-on look at their mission. So, leveraging our volunteer time off (VTO) and our partnership with Southwest Airlines, we flew out to the Twin Cities.
Once there, we joined their team to learn more about their mission and programs. Rob Williams, the founder and executive director of The Sheridan Story, explained that they address child hunger in their community through food packing events and weekend delivery programs. The organization began because Rob saw a huge need in their community, where more than 90% of the students were on reduced lunches and often taking food home to eat during the weekends. The Sheridan Story now serves more than 5,400 students in 144 schools and continues to grow through a combination of grassroots events, online fundraising, and local business partnerships.
While in Minnesota, we attended a bag packing event where local volunteers meet at The Sheridan Story warehouse to fill bags with nonperishable food to be delivered to schools the next day. The energy in the warehouse was palpable, and with everyone pitching in, it took less than two hours for the team to pack 7,600 meals.
The next day, we joined the organization’s volunteers at a local elementary school to distribute the meals to their students. It was inspiring to see how passionate their volunteers were as they served their community.
We were even lucky enough to speak with the donor who made the billionth-dollar donation and learn why she got involved with The Sheridan Story as a recurring donor. Overall, it was a rewarding opportunity to see Classy’s mission—to mobilize and empower the world for good—come to life in such a tangible way.
The Sheridan Story is just one of the thousands of organizations that helped raise $1 billion for social impact on the Classy platform. The sky’s the limit, and we are so thankful to be on this journey to the next $10 billion with some of the most dedicated nonprofits—and alongside innovative partners like Pledge 1%.
To get a peek into our trip to The Sheridan Story, watch this video and visit the classy blog at https://www.classy.org/blog/. This piece was written by Stacy Meyer, Customer Success Manager at Classy.
