Virtue in Solace Wished for a platform that included membership and marketing tools. Plus, they wanted every penny to go towards their mission.

Tragically, housing insecurity is a significant problem for many in the U.S. According to research, over 771,000 people experienced homelessness on one single night in 2024 – the highest number ever on record. But Virtue in Solace is on a mission to change this. The organization’s goal is to support people facing housing insecurity, neglect, and the challenges associated with aging. 

Every day, Virtue in Solace aims to provide vulnerable populations with proper care and support. They work tirelessly to build a world where everyone feels properly supported and embraced by society.

‍

Background

During his 15 years as a nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Sovereign De Pointe du Beaux noticed a housing shortage problem. More specifically, she saw how difficult it was for disabled people and their carers to find and afford proper homes. Sovereign knew that without this essential foundation, it’s incredibly challenging for people to feel truly safe and secure, and live a full life. 

“This initiated the mission of the Virtue in Solace Foundation: To foster solace and nurturing hope by providing compassionate support, essential resources, and a sanctuary for veterans, the abused, elderly, impoverished, disabled, and unhoused.” - Sovereign De Pointe du Beaux, President & CEO

Just two years later, Virtue in Solace is proud to offer invaluable support and essential resources for vulnerable populations. The organization provides an impressive range of programming, including housing, transportation, counseling, and rehabilitation services. No matter the project, empathy, safety, and accessibility are always the guiding principles.

Virtue in Solace began their fundraising efforts using Venmo. This worked well enough for collecting donations, but they soon needed more features to fully maximize their donations. The organization wanted to create a monthly donation membership program, and the ability to review individual donor profiles to assist with their marketing strategy. 

“Our previous software lacked innovation and charged fees that took from our availability to provide charitable assistance for those in need.” - Sovereign De Pointe du Beaux, President & CEO

Plus, Sovereign wanted to find an affordable solution. In their first few months of fundraising, she’d spent over $200 on platform fees; funding that could have gone towards feeding one person for two weeks.

Sovereign stumbled upon Zeffy online while searching for a different fundraising platform he’d heard of. Zeffy caught her eye, and after a little research, she realized it came with the tools she needed to create the membership program she’d envisioned. Excitingly, Zeffy appeared to be 100% free. Still, Sovereign was skeptical. 

“I was hesitant about the legitimacy of Zeffy because it was “free” to nonprofits. Most things advertised as free include a fee after a limited time.” - Sovereign De Pointe du Beaux, President & CEO

But Sovereign had always been a curious person, excited by innovations. She decided to put his concerns aside and give Zeffy a try.

Since choosing Zeffy, Sovereign hasn’t looked back. True to its word, it offers the tools Virtue in Solace needs without costing the organization a penny. Zeffy continues to be Virtue in Solace’s go-to fundraising too. Since making the switch, the organization has raised over $26,000, and saved a significant $1,311 in platform fees. Now, every single dollar raised goes towards supporting vulnerable populations. And Virtue in Solace’s membership program for monthly donors is still going strong. 

“We have seamlessly integrated Zeffy into our donation procedures. Zeffy is an integral resource to enhance our ability to support vulnerable members of our community.”  - Sovereign De Pointe du Beaux, President & CEO