SignUpGenius Helps Stanford University Museum Raise $250,000

Volunteer scheduling tool leads to fundraising success

The Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University's only museum, is a vital and dynamic institution that was founded in 1891 with the university. In the 1950's, the need to raise funds for the museum's collections prompted volunteers to launch Treasure Market. This renowned annual event is an opportunity for individuals and collectors to purchase fine furniture, china, crystal, silver, books, art works and more.

In recent years, Volunteer Ticket Sales Chair Janet Tang was tasked with organizing approximately 350 volunteer shifts for the Treasure Market, and was concerned that her group would not respond well to a new technology system. Nonetheless, after seeing how easy it was to coordinate with SignUpGenius, she signed up for a Pro account and dove in.

SignUpGenius eliminates the confusion

"[SignUpGenius] has saved me so much time! I just set up the schedule on the site and did not have to do much of anything," says Tang. "All the department chairs thought that I was such a techy person because everything they requested I was able to say yes, I can do it. Your site was so easy to manage."

Tang was more than pleased with the feedback from her group, too. "I have received positive responses from everyone, even the individuals that are not tech-savvy."

Recruiting year-after-year can be a challenge, so Tang knows it's important to keep up with past volunteers. "I was able to easily create a complicated schedule and most importantly, I can have the volunteers e-mail addresses for future contact," she notes.

Online scheduling paid off. The Treasure Market netted $250,000 in 2014, and was a success on many levels.

If you are looking for ways to improve your next fundraiser, let SignUpGenius help. Check out our latest Fundraising Resources!