How NEXT for AUTISM raised six figures in one night through Pledge

6 Figures
raised from ~400 donations
86%
donations completed via QR code on site

Overview

When A Night of Too Many Stars brought its iconic fundraising format to Los Angeles for the first time, the goal was simple: make every moment of generosity count. In partnership with Mattel Play It Forward and powered by Pledge, NEXT for AUTISM raised over half a million dollars in a single evening through a giving experience as seamless as it was meaningful.

The Challenge

Live events create a rare window of collective generosity. The challenge is capturing it. Donors are present, moved, and ready to give, but a clunky checkout experience breaks the moment. NEXT for AUTISM needed a donation flow that could meet that energy: instant, intuitive, and built for the way people actually give. They also wanted to deepen donor investment by rewarding those who stepped up with $100 or more.

The Solution

Live Event Displays Donation Form Text-To-Donate

Pledge built a custom donation form designed specifically for the NOTMS experience. Donors who gave $100 or more received a gift from Mattel Play It Forward — a meaningful way to celebrate generosity and keep donors connected to the cause. The form was mobile-first by design, with QR codes driving 86% of all donations and Apple Pay leading as the top payment method at 68% by volume. For in-person giving, PledgeTap terminals stepped up — three of the night's largest donations came through tap-to-give readers on the floor. Through Pledge's Free the Fee commitment, Pledge covered $1.6K+ in processing fees so NEXT for AUTISM could keep more of every dollar raised. Text-to-donate rounded out the experience, converting at 30% via a simple prompt: text NOTMS to 707070.