Summit Center streamlined their walkathon and raised nearly $300K

For the team at The Summit Center, a nonprofit serving individuals with autism and developmental disabilities in Buffalo, NY, pulling off a large-scale fundraising walk meant juggling spreadsheets, registration tools, and CRM exports—twice. Every donation had to be manually entered into multiple systems, wasting valuable time and increasing the risk of error.

That all changed when they switched to Givebutter.

🎥 Hear from Hayley Joyce, Development Coordinator at The Summit Center, as she shares how Givebutter made a difference 👇

One event, one platform, one big win

Before Givebutter, Summit relied on multiple platforms to power their events, but none of these tools talked to each other. Their team faced clunky integrations, inconsistent data, and countless hours of duplicate entry. Hayley shared, 

We needed a solution that could integrate with our CRM and eliminate all the extra admin work.

With Givebutter, they found more than just a workaround. They found a way to elevate their biggest fundraising event—and connect their community in a deeper, more joyful way.

A one-stop shop for registration 

In 2025, Summit used Givebutter’s brand-new registration fundraising flow for the very first time. It was a game-changer.

✅ Participants could register, donate, and join or create a team—all in one go
✅ Families could encourage each other with real-time messages on the supporter feed
✅ Campaign updates and event-day logistics were all shared directly on the fundraising page

The results?
✨ 189 teams activated
✨ 2,800+ donors and participants
✨ $296K raised (and still climbing)

It was seamless. Everyone who wanted to participate could do everything they needed to in one place. And for our team, it was just as smooth on the backend. — Hayley Joyce, Development Coordinator, The Summit Center

See for yourself

Explore The Summit Center’s Autism Walk campaign →

Real-time engagement = real community

One of the team’s favorite Givebutter features was the supporter feed.

It wasn’t just a comment box—it became a space for encouragement, gratitude, and stories. Family members posted words of support. Donors left shoutouts. The whole event came alive online.

That spirit of connection continued through campaign updates, which Hayley’s team used to keep supporters informed and excited. 

It was so easy to share new resources, let folks know about logistics, and keep everyone in the loop.

Supported from start to finish

Hayley and her team worked closely with Givebutter’s Customer Education team to get everything up and running. They even created a peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit (check it out here!) with instructional videos to help participants navigate the new platform. Thanks to the intuitive interface and thoughtful setup, only a handful of users needed extra guidance.

And when it came to integrations? Givebutter’s API connection with their CRM took care of it—saving the team hours of manual work and ensuring accurate donor records.

Make your own

Download your free peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit →

Givebutter every step of the way

From GIF-based sponsor logos to post-event donations, The Summit Center didn’t just run a successful event—they set a new standard for what’s possible.

We used to rely on separate tools for registration and fundraising. Now, everything lives on our Givebutter page. Our community shows up, and we get to meet them right where they are—with a beautiful, easy-to-use platform. — Hayley Joyce

Ready to simplify your next event?

Summit Center’s story shows what’s possible when you combine powerful tools with passionate people.

Create your free Givebutter account today and start building your own success story. 💛