Peppermint Ridge

Peppermint Ridge Love Walk Falls for Sphere® Events™

Founded in 1959, Peppermint Ridge is a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing loving homes and empowering support services for individuals with developmental disabilities, gently guiding these special people toward greater independence and fuller community participation. Today, there are five homes on the main campus and six homes in the community. The Ridge offers a wide variety of residential options and training opportunities for its clients.

The Love Walk for the Ridge is designed to bring community members and "Ridgers" together to celebrate some of the richness that life can bring. The one-mile walk helps the organization raise money to bridge the gap between what the State pays for and what Peppermint Ridge defines as quality care. This includes a variety of social activities, safe transportation, and providing a sense of community for the Ridgers.

The Challenge:

• Peppermint Ridge had been using an events software that wasn’t intuitive and was extremely difficult to navigate.
• The platform was too complicated for users, and professionals at Peppermint Ridge think the system may have actually caused some donors to drop off.
• Additionally, the platform was costing Peppermint Ridge extensive administrative and support time.

The Solution:

• Friends Asking Friends® has provided Peppermint Ridge with an events software solution that is easy to use for both administrators and participants.
• The Friends Asking Friends technology has enabled Walk participants to solicit friends and family directly and create their own personalized fundraising pages.

The Results:

• The organization almost doubled the amount raised with the previous solution used in 2006.
• From 2007 to 2008, Love Walk participants increased by 50 percent.
• Online donations accounted for 25 percent of overall fundraising for the organization (an increase from 0 percent) in 2006.