VeloSano’s annual Bike to Cure event raises the bar to fund Cleveland Clinic’s cancer research
Mission
Caring for life, researching for health, educating those who serve.
Challenge
Sustain year-over-year growth of the annual Bike to Cure event by improving the participant experience and boosting conversion
Solution
Leverage GoFundMe Pro’s peer-to-peer platform for the flagship Bike to Cure event, using advanced reporting and customizable fundraising pages to empower individual fundraisers and drive growth
“We’re eagerly trying to match the pace of innovation with GoFundMe Pro. When we find opportunities to create new customizations or enhance the supporter experience, we take them. With increased admin access in the backend, we’ve freed up hours for our customer support team and reduced the time from first outreach to resolution.”
– Mo Farunia, Associate Director of Development
Bike to Cure 2025 results*:
3,100+
individual fundraising pages
160+
active fundraising teams
8% increase
in the total raised per active team year over year
7% increase
in average transaction size year over year
*Based on 2024-2025 GoFundMe Pro data
Streamlining the participant experience to maximize conversion
VeloSano, the year-round fundraising movement that connects the cancer community with Cleveland Clinic’s research, innovation, and care, began as the Bike to Cure fundraising event. It has since evolved into an umbrella program for all cancer research fundraising at Cleveland Clinic, but Bike to Cure remains the heartbeat of the movement.
The core strategy behind VeloSano’s success is staying relational rather than transactional, with a focus on empowering participants to share their personal ‘why’. For going on eight years, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation team has partnered with GoFundMe Pro, leveraging its peer-to-peer fundraising and fundraising event tools to streamline the participant experience and maximize conversion rates.
It’s a fine balance between streamlining the registration and fundraising experience to not inhibit conversion rates, while also getting all the information we want and need. With GoFundMe Pro, we’ve created a seamless and intuitive process that doesn’t overextend our supporters.
Leveraging data to understand and personalize participant engagement
Recognizing that the Cleveland Clinic Foundation team cannot speak to every participant individually, they utilize GoFundMe Pro’s reporting capabilities to monitor fundraising behaviors, see daily changes in raised amounts, and identify trends in fundraising and registration numbers. This approach helps:
- Identify and acknowledge top individual fundraisers to learn more about their successful strategies
- Understand participants’ ‘why’—is it for the love of cycling, a personal impact story, or to feel part of the community?
- Personalize messaging and segment communication to meet participants where they are
Making ‘data diving’ part of my everyday routine was a key to our success. I could look at my report in GoFundMe Pro, drill down into the data, and click into individual fundraisers to read people’s stories. It also helps to recenter and remind me that everything we do comes back to that mission.
This data-driven, supporter-first approach contributed to Bike to Cure’s success in 2025, reaching over 3,100 individual fundraisers and 160 active fundraising teams, increasing the total raised per active team by 8% year-over-year, and driving a 7% increase in average transaction size.
Raising the bar each year to continue funding the critical mission
This year, the team is aiming for 10% growth. A key part of their strategy is bringing in new supporters by engaging corporate teams, conducting personal outreach, testing new marketing channels, expanding email campaigns, and developing tailored messaging to rebalance the current 70/30 split between returning and new participants.
Cleveland Clinic Foundation treats participant and volunteer team captains as an extension of its core team, and after each Bike to Cure, the nonprofit actively seeks feedback via post-event surveys and dedicated meetings on what went well, what didn’t, and what future enhancements can be made. With Bike to Cure’s 2026 registration having launched in March, the team implemented feedback to enhance the experience of everyone involved and achieve their ambitious goals.*
Our success really comes from our overall structure. We treat team captains of participants and volunteers as an extension of our team. After Bike to Cure, we sit down with them and find out what went well, what didn’t go well, what we can improve on, so that we are always raising the bar.
*Results reflect Cleveland Clinic Foundation’s campaign strategy and may vary for other organizations.
Emily’s GoFundMe Pro tip:
- Tap into GoFundMe Pro’s reporting functionality to better understand campaign trends, adapt your strategy to supporter behavior, and strategically steer engagement where it matters most.
Mo’s GoFundMe Pro tip:
- Rely on GoFundMe Pro’s expertise and tap into its resources to develop customizations and solutions that are tailored to your needs to ultimately improve the user and admin experience.
Event ticketing & registration
Showcase your event and drive attendance with seamless registration and ticketing.
