Founded to meet the immediate needs of children facing abuse, abandonment, or neglect, Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR) provides emergency care kits with clothing, toiletries, school supplies, books, and comfort items. Serving nearly 50 schools in the Charleston area, LOR supports children during times of crisis, and works to connect them with supportive, lasting care.
The Challenge
While LOR’s mission was strong and community support steady, the small nonprofit team faced two big hurdles with their annual gala:
- Cumbersome, manual processes for check-in, bidding, and checkout left guests frustrated in prior years.
- Limited supporter data meant they couldn’t easily segment or engage attendees after the event.
Executive Director Sarah Wallace and Community Outreach & Events Manager Stephanie Mermott needed a way to run the event more smoothly, create a better guest experience, and capture detailed data they could use year-round.
The Solution
The LOR team implemented FrontStream to modernize their gala and auction:
- Mobile Bidding & Digital Auction: LOR transitioned both live and silent auctions to mobile, allowing for text bid alerts, instant outbid notifications, and real-time engagement tracking.
- Streamlined Check-In & Checkout: They eliminated long lines by collecting payment info at registration and delivering won items directly to tables.
- Integrated CRM: LOR automatically captured attendee and bidder information — including purchase history and interests — into FrontStream's CRM for future campaigns.
- Creative Fundraising: They introduced a “Backpack Auction” in the live program, where guests sponsored $50 backpacks for children in care. The fast-paced appeal raised $30,000 in just five minutes!
- Data-Driven Planning: LOR used past bidding data to tailor auction items to attendee preferences for future events.