BloodHound and Thinking Outside the Fundraising Box

BloodHound is an open-source software program that helps businesses identify weaknesses within their internal computer security. After releasing the first version of BloodHound in 2016, programmer Andy Robbins set out to create custom merchandise and give back to the community with a BloodHound shirt fundraiser to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Now, after running multiple fundraisers and donating more than $18,000 dollars to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Andy and BloodHound prove that you can think outside the usual fundraising box and still connect with the people—even if the shirt for your fundraiser doesn’t feature your cause or charity.

The original BloodHound shirt design

When programmer Andy Robbins decided to celebrate the success of his web app BloodHound, he knew he wanted to help people. Since BloodHound was already set up as free software, it made sense that profits from any BloodHound merchandise sold could be used to give back to the community. Inspired by popular Twitch video streamers who were raising money for charity through sales of their custom merchandise, Andy decided to start a fundraiser to benefit both BloodHound’s user base and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Andy’s relationship with the Muscular Dystrophy Association goes further back than the launch of the first fundraiser. He’s been able to experience their positive impact firsthand as multiple members of his family have all dealt with the disease, including his mom. “My mother died in 2014 after suffering the effects of Muscular Dystrophy for many painful, frustrating years. The Muscular Dystrophy Association was there supporting our family with financial assistance, medical resources, and community support,” Andy says.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the largest source of funding for research into neuromuscular diseases outside of the federal government. Their research helps find better treatments for these diseases and creates technology to provide a resource for better health outcomes and drug development. In addition to research, they also provide affected individuals and families with care and resource centers to deal with neuromuscular diseases on a daily basis.

The variety of BloodHound designs makes for more reasons to donate

Being able to provide quality custom shirts to BloodHound’s users while raising money and awareness for the Muscular Dystrophy Association helped Andy decide to use the Custom Ink Fundraising platform for his cause. “I wanted to give back to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Custom Ink fundraising mechanism is the most effective tool I’ve found for doing so,” Andy explains.

With the first fundraiser raising almost $6,000, it made for an easy decision to continue offering BloodHound shirts this way. Andy cites his positive experiences as a factor in continuing to use Custom Ink Fundraising. “Working with Custom Ink is always a delight. Custom Ink reps always go the extra mile to make sure fundraiser organizers and customers are satisfied with their experience. Our users love the comfort, fit, and quality of the shirts.”

Since the initial fundraiser in 2018, the fundraisers’ custom shirt designs have changed with newer versions of BloodHound releases and for certain events. The variety of custom shirt types available has expanded with the additional fundraisers so that users and donors can continue to show their appreciation for BloodHound and their dedication to the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s cause.

This connection to the Muscular Dystrophy Association made for meaningful fundraisers and caught the attention of people beyond BloodHound users. While custom shirts are an incentive for those looking to donate, their fundraisers also give donors the ability to contribute to the cause without anything in return. In addition, anyone participating in the fundraisers can leave comments on the website and engage with Andy or other donors.

Due to the success of the fundraisers, Andy has been able to positively impact the community and give fans a way to showcase their appreciation for BloodHound. After setting up the fundraisers, Andy mentioned that now he notices people wearing the BloodHound shirts anytime he visits industry events. Being able to actually see the impact your product has on people beyond feedback on the internet makes for an awesome feeling. Even better are the personal cards the Muscular Dystrophy Association sends to thank Andy and his supporters for their donations.

The newest BloodHound shirt design looks pretty slick

Four years since its initial release in 2016, BloodHound is still going strong—it’s currently up to version 3.0. With its popularity and the popularity of the BloodHound shirts, Andy continues to give back to the Muscular Dystrophy Association with each new fundraiser he sets up.