Forest Park Forever is a private nonprofit conservancy that partners with the City of St. Louis to restore, maintain, and sustain Forest Park as one of America’s great urban public parks. When a spring tornado hit Forest Park, it caused heavy damage to trees and infrastructure just weeks before Forest Park Forever’s largest annual fundraising luncheon.

The organization faced a dual challenge, addressing recovery needs while staying sensitive to the wider impact, especially in the northside of St. Louis, where the storm also destroyed many homes. Mindful of the urgent community recovery needs, Forest Park Forever intentionally slowed its initial fundraising efforts. In the months that followed, restoration work was sustained through grassroots generosity, with community members stepping in to support the park they loved. Once the organization established a dedicated recovery fund, the team used Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT to track contributions, record gifts, and report how funds were used. These efforts strengthened stewardship, helped the organization connect with first-time donors, and brought many of them into the membership pipeline—turning one-time gifts into sustained support for the park’s long-term care.

Ashley Budde, data operations manager, explained that the software also enhances the donor experience. “We created a specific tornado recovery fund, and we saw both new and long-time supporters stepping up with gifts of every size,” she said. “If the giving experience is simple and clear, donors feel good about their gift and are more likely to keep supporting us. Raiser’s Edge NXT helps us do just that.”

At the same time, Forest Park Forever continued its preparations for their largest annual fundraising event, The Hat Luncheon, that attracts more than 600 attendees. Despite the park’s condition, the team worked to keep this critical event on track. Raiser’s Edge NXT played a vital role in maintaining donor engagement and managing communication. “We utilized Raiser’s Edge NXT’s membership tools and forms to encourage recurring gifts, ensuring the luncheon remained a financial success even amidst recovery efforts,” said Budde.

Driving Engagement and Fundraising Success

A late fall fundraiser combined a specific mailer and digital collateral geared toward tornado recovery. This effort saw more than $150,000 from 338 gifts and added donors to a pipeline to be invited to join as a member at year-end and during its annual A Day 4 Forest Park telethon. “We used a lot of donor data housed in Raiser’s Edge NXT to segment audiences to make sure we were engaging with tornado recovery donors effectively,” said Budde. “The campaign not only raised $23,000 but also helped us engage and capture new supporters.”

Blackbaud Donation Forms, which mirrored the look and feel of Forest Park Forever’s website, offered a seamless experience for donors. “We used Blackbaud Donation Forms because we wanted donors to be able to sign up for recurring memberships right away—with fewer clicks and a more efficient experience,” Budde said. “Because those gifts flowed into Raiser’s Edge NXT and were tied to the telethon, we could quickly isolate them and tally the results.”

To manage the influx of donations and questions, staff used Raiser’s Edge NXT’s dashboards and Insight Designer to monitor tornado-related giving in real time. “People can ask a real-time question—like how much is in the tornado fund—and pull it themselves. That reduces those frantic, last-minute data asks on my plate,” Budde explained. “With faster access to data, the team focused more time on donor conversations and provided clear accountability for recovery work.”

Advancing Future Park Improvements

Forest Park Forever is preparing to launch the public phase of its $100 million capital campaign, The Glade, focused on revitalizing the iconic Steinberg Rink and nearby community spaces. The project will turn the 1950s-era rink into a year-round destination with new rooftop terrace and dining, community living space, and improved outdoor areas. Using Raiser’s Edge NXT, the team will simplify pledge management and donor engagement with automated payment setups and customized donation forms, creating a simple giving experience. Additionally, the team will easily track gifts and pledges, manage action lists and reminders, and give frontline staff the ability to handle stewardship and reporting themselves.

“We’re using Blackbaud Donation Forms to accept public gifts, manage pledges, and automate recurring payments, which is critical for a long-term campaign with so many moving parts,” Budde said. “It gives donors a clearer, more intuitive giving experience while helping us capture the information we need to steward them well.”