Organization Overview
Special Olympics transforms lives through the power of sport, providing year-round athletic training and competitions for individuals with intellectual disabilities. With programs serving athletes across over 200 countries around the world, the organization relies on multiple revenue streams to fund its mission-driven work. Recurring donations through their sustainer program represent a growing segment of their fundraising portfolio—one that requires reliable payment infrastructure to maximize donor retention and program stability.
When those recurring payments fail, the loss goes far beyond dollars—it disrupts donor relationships, creates operational friction, and threatens the stability of programs that depend on consistent funding.
The Challenge: Donor Revenue Lost to Failed Payments
Like many nonprofits, Special Olympics was quietly losing donor revenue to preventable payment failures.
For years, the assumption was simple—if a payment failed, the donor had probably moved on. But behind the scenes, the real issue was often technical: expired cards, temporary holds, or processor errors that blocked valid transactions.
“We just didn’t really know what we didn’t know,” said Monica Muten, Vice President, Direct Response Marketing. “We wanted to be more mindful about what was happening on the back end and find better ways to recover those gifts.”
Each failed transaction represented not just lost funding, but an interruption in a trusted relationship.
The Solution: Intelligent Recovery Powered by Revaly
When Special Olympics partnered with Revaly, the goal was clear: replace outdated retry logic with an intelligent, data-driven recovery engine that maximizes legitimate approvals and protects donor trust.
Revaly’s AI-orchestrated treatments identify the true cause of each decline and retry only when issuer and network signals indicate a high likelihood of success. The result: fewer wasted attempts, cleaner processor reputations, and more recovered donations — without adding friction for donors.
“It was actually pretty seamless, which was awesome and appreciated. Revaly coordinated beautifully with our CRM and WorldPay teams. It was quick and easy.”
— Monica Muten, Vice President, Direct Response Marketing
Implementation Highlights
A frictionless setup allowed the fundraising team to stay focused on what matters most—supporting athletes and building stronger donor relationships.
Results: Smoother Operations, Stronger Retention
Within just a few months of going live, Special Olympics saw measurable improvement across donor experience and payment performance.
“Anytime we can cut back on donor concerns or follow-up calls, that’s a big win,” Muten shared. “It feels like everything is running more smoothly now.”
Beyond Recovery: Building Donor Trust Through Performance
For Special Olympics, better payment performance meant more than operational efficiency —it meant protecting donor confidence. Revaly ensured every legitimate contribution reached the programs that rely on it, transforming back-end optimization into front-end trust.
“Payment processing is the backbone of our sustainer program,” said Muten. “Having a reliable, intelligent system behind it gives us peace of mind and lets us focuson growing the mission.”
The Long-Term Vision: Expanding Their Scope
With early results demonstrating meaningful impact, Special Olympics continues to refine its sustainer program operations. The partnership has become a proof point for how smarter infrastructure strengthens both revenue and relationships.
"We're always open to bold ideas that help improve our program," said Muten."Revaly proved that even small changes on the back end can make a big difference in donor retention and overall impact."
Turning Payment Performance into Donor Confidence
Revaly helped Special Olympics transform failed payments from a hidden loss into an opportunity for stronger donor relationships. What began as a technical improvement evolved into a proof point for how using the right technology can impact revenue and donor retention.
