As companies like yours strive to meet their sustainability goals, track their environmental impact, and demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR), the need for efficient and effective reporting software has never been more crucial. That’s where CSR reporting software comes in.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about CSR reporting software, including:
Whether you’re a small business looking to get started with CSR reporting or a multinational corporation seeking to enhance transparency and accountability for your existing programs, these insights will help you maximize the value of your chosen software.
Understanding CSR Reporting Software: 3 FAQs
Before we dive into the specifics of CSR reporting software, explore these frequently asked questions to ensure you have all the foundational knowledge you need:
What is CSR reporting software, and why do companies use it?
CSR reporting software refers to a set of specialized tools designed to help organizations track, manage, and report on their philanthropic initiatives.
Companies of all sizes use CSR software and reporting features to streamline the process of collecting and analyzing data related to these efforts. It enables them to generate comprehensive reports that showcase their commitment to responsible business practices, transparency, and accountability.
Is CSR reporting mandatory?
In most countries, companies are not legally obligated to produce reports related to their philanthropic, ethical, and environmental initiatives. However, many organizations still choose to engage in CSR reporting to demonstrate their commitment to becoming a more socially conscious organization.
Keep in mind that regulatory landscapes can change over time, so it’s important for companies to stay informed on CSR standards in their jurisdictions and industries.
How can CSR reporting software benefit my organization?
CSR reporting software offers several benefits, including:
Enhanced efficiency: These tools streamline data tracking, management, and analysis, reducing manual effort and the risk of errors.
Data-driven insights: The software provides valuable insights into CSR performance, helping your business identify areas for improvement.
Stakeholder engagement: CSR reports can be shared with stakeholders, including investors, customers, and employees, to demonstrate responsible business practices and build trust.
While implementing new software requires an investment of time and resources on your company’s part, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
4 Features to Look for in CSR Reporting Software
Prioritize these four features in your search for the best CSR reporting software:
1. Customization
Every organization’s CSR initiatives, objectives, and data requirements are unique. Customizability allows your company to tailor the software to align with your specific sustainability goals, industry standards, and regulatory compliance needs.
Work with developers to ensure that the software can accommodate your operational nuances. For example, if your organization decides to focus on environmental sustainability, you might require custom fields to track greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and water usage to assess and reduce your environmental impact.
2. Integration
Integration allows for a seamless exchange of data between CSR reporting software and other systems. Combining financial, operational, and sustainability data can provide a more complete picture of your CSR performance and facilitate improved decision-making.
Prioritize integrations that are relevant to your CSR-related goals. For instance, businesses that have robust matching gift programs should ensure that their CSR software integrates with a nonprofit-facing matching gift platform with auto-submission capabilities, such as Double the Donation Matching. Auto-submission streamlines the process of requesting, submitting, and reporting on matching gifts. As a result, you can increase your company’s philanthropic impact in less time.
For more information on matching gift auto-submission, watch this video:
3. Automation
Prioritize automation in your search for CSR reporting software, as it can significantly streamline the reporting process, enhance data accuracy, and save valuable time and resources. This makes it easier to meet reporting deadlines and focus on strategic sustainability initiatives.
Consider investing in software that has AI-driven analytics and reporting tools that can identify trends and insights automatically, reducing the need for manual data analysis. It’s also important to seek references or testimonials from current users who can attest to the software’s automation capabilities and its effectiveness in simplifying their CSR reporting processes.
4. Scalability
As your business evolves and expands, your CSR reporting needs may increase. Scalable software can handle large data volumes, accommodate additional users, and adapt to changing reporting requirements without compromising performance or data integrity.
Start by clearly defining your current and future reporting needs. Consider factors like the number of data sources, the volume of data, the complexity of reporting, and any potential growth projections.
Then, review the software’s architecture. Scalable software should be designed to handle increased loads by distributing resources efficiently. Prioritize cloud-based solutions as they can often handle large amounts of data without significant performance degradation.
How to Make the Most of CSR Reporting Software
If CSR reporting software seems like it would be a positive investment for your organization, follow these tips to ensure that its implemented correctly.
Define Clear Objectives and Metrics
Before using CSR reporting software, define clear objectives for your reporting efforts. Determine what you want to achieve through CSR reporting, whether it’s improved transparency, compliance with reporting standards, or better stakeholder engagement.
Then, identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that are relevant to your organization’s CSR goals. These may include:
Number of volunteer hours: Track the total number of hours volunteered by employees to understand their level of commitment to your corporate volunteerism initiatives.
Donations raised: Determine how much money has been raised through your CSR initiatives, whether that be through fundraising events, donation drives, or employee matching gifts.
Organizations or causes supported: Keep track of the number of organizations or causes supported through volunteering efforts to demonstrate the full extent of your impact.
Employee engagement: Measure employee satisfaction with and participation in CSR initiatives to understand how these initiatives have affected your work environment and morale.
When measuring the impact of CSR initiatives, a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics can provide a comprehensive understanding of your programs’ outcomes.
Leverage Data Visualization Tools
Most CSR reporting solutions come with data visualization tools that allow you to create visually appealing charts, graphs, and dashboards. These visuals can help stakeholders understand your performance at a glance.
Keep these tips in mind as you visualize data:
Choose the right visualization type. Selecting the appropriate visualization type is crucial for effectively conveying information. Consider the nature of the data and the story you want to tell. Common visualization types for CSR reporting include bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, maps, and infographics. Each type has its strengths and is suitable for different types of data.
Keep it simple and clear. Avoid cluttering the visualizations with excessive information or unnecessary design elements in your reports. Keep the visuals clean, uncluttered, and easy to understand.
Add context and storytelling. Use visualizations to tell a compelling story about your CSR initiatives. Incorporate narratives or descriptions to provide additional context and explanations for the data being presented. Use annotations, titles, and captions to guide the viewer’s attention and highlight key insights.
Remember that your choice of visualization techniques should align with the specific data and objectives of your CSR reporting.
Provide Comprehensive Training
Take these steps to ensure that your company’s staff members are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively use your CSR reporting software:
Provide comprehensive training materials. Develop training materials that cover all aspects of using the CSR reporting software. Consider providing both written and visual resources to accommodate diverse learning preferences, such as user manuals, video tutorials, step-by-step guides, and FAQs.
Hands-on training and practice. Offer hands-on training sessions where employees can actively engage with your CSR reporting software. Provide opportunities to practice inputting data, generating reports, and navigating different features. Address any questions or challenges that arise during the training sessions.
Ongoing support and resources. Establish a support system to assist employees after the initial training. This can include a dedicated help desk or support team that they can reach out to for assistance or troubleshooting.
Effective training is a continuous process. Regularly assess staff needs, gather feedback, and refine training materials and sessions accordingly.
A Final Note About CSR Reporting Software
As you embark on your journey toward effective CSR reporting, remember that the right software is not just a tool—it’s a strategic asset that can drive positive change and elevate your organization’s reputation in an increasingly socially conscious world. Use this foundational knowledge to guide your search and invest in the right solution for your organization.
For more information on CSR, check out these additional resources:
There are many markers of a successful business—from pulling in huge profits to maintaining highly engaged employees. To truly stand out in today’s society, however, companies must have a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. They must demonstrate to employees, customers, and other stakeholders that they are not merely service or product providers, but upstanding corporate citizens with a duty to make the world a better place.
Ready to become a leading company in CSR? We’ll cover everything you need to know about creating an impactful CSR strategy in the following sections:
Your company’s reputation depends on not only how much you make but also how much you give. Philanthropy has become an increasing priority, with corporations donating over $21 billion to nonprofits just in the last year—a 13.4% increase from the previous year. To ensure your long-term success and sustainability, it’s time to solidify what CSR means for your company.
What is a CSR Strategy?
For starters, corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to a company’s responsibility to operate in a way that enhances the welfare of society rather than harms it. To do so, many companies take conscious steps in areas such as accountability and environmentalism.
A company’s CSR strategy, in turn, outlines the various initiatives and programs it will undertake to improve its social impact. What do these initiatives and programs typically entail? Let’s take a look at four main categories of CSR:
Environmental Responsibility
Environmental responsibility refers to your company’s impact on the health of the environment, from its energy use to waste production. Several common activities that businesses can adopt to increase their environmental responsibility include:
Implementing more sustainable business practices to reduce pollution and waste.
Creating a company-wide recycling program.
Investing in alternative energy sources.
Reducing water use in the workplace.
Educating employees about sustainability best practices.
Patagonia is an outstanding company in the realm of environmental responsibility, with an entire page on its website dedicated to its programs and goals. By 2025, the company aims to use only preferred materials, such as organic cotton, that are better for the environment and produce 100% eco-friendly packaging. By 2040, Patagonia aspires to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire value chain.
Ethical Responsibility
Ethical responsibility refers to your company’s treatment of its employees, customers, and other stakeholders. To embrace ethical responsibility, businesses can commit to the following endeavors:
Increasing transparency surrounding business decisions and finances.
Prioritizing safe working conditions and fair labor practices.
Providing all employees with competitive compensation and benefits.
Sourcing all materials in the supply chain ethically.
Establishing anti-corruption policies.
Starbucks makes its dedication to ethical responsibility known on its website by including numerous documents on its policies and impact, from its Global Anti-Bribery Standard to data on its workforce diversity. Making all of this information available to stakeholders allows the company to enhance its reputation and build more trust within its communities.
Philanthropic Responsibility
Philanthropic responsibility refers to how your company contributes to making the world a better place. To boost their philanthropic responsibility, many businesses launch the following initiatives:
Encouraging volunteerism among employees through company volunteering days and volunteer time off (VTO).
Partnering with nonprofit organizations to fund their events and programs.
Providing pro bono services to support nonprofit missions.
Helping nonprofits raise awareness by collaborating in cause marketing campaigns.
TOMS is a noteworthy company that excels in corporate philanthropy, investing one-third of its profits to promote grassroots good. The company partners with nonprofits to support mental health, increase access to opportunity, and end gun violence through cash grants, volunteering, and more. In the last year, TOMS has contributed $1.7 million to its focus areas and impacted 147,510 lives.
Economic Responsibility
Economic responsibility refers to how your company grounds its financial decisions in advancing social good. A few basic ways businesses can enhance their economic responsibility include:
Investing in sustainability research related to their products or services.
Maintaining compliance with tax and financial reporting requirements.
Promoting financial transparency with stakeholders.
Adopting processes that may be more expensive but are more sustainable.
Launching training initiatives to educate employees on areas such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmentalism.
For example, LEGO places significant emphasis on researching ways to increase its sustainability. Over the past few years, the company has collaborated with suppliers and research institutions to create LEGO bricks from more sustainable sources—testing over 300 recycled materials and even creating a prototype brick from PET plastic bottles.
Why is Developing a CSR Strategy Important?
Creating a CSR strategy for your company is not as simple as checking off a box on your to-do list. Considering all the planning and effort involved, is such an endeavor really worth it? The simple answer is yes. By designing a thoughtful CSR strategy, your company can:
Enhance its reputation. A CSR strategy demonstrates your company’s commitment to creating lasting social change, rather than merely securing profits. This can go a long way toward generating a sense of respect and admiration in the eyes of your stakeholders.
Attract more customers. As your reputation for social good spreads, you’ll catch the attention of more socially conscious customers interested in supporting your company and its CSR initiatives. Additionally, you’ll be able to win the loyalty of existing customers who share similar values with your company.
Recruit more top talent.PwC reports that 86% of employees prefer to work for companies that care about the same issues they do. By placing more of a focus on CSR at your company, you’ll be able to better appeal to job seekers who are motivated to make the world a better place.
Improve employee engagement. Keeping employees engaged has become a major priority for many companies, considering Gallup’s finding that only 32% of full- and part-time employees are engaged, while 18% are actively disengaged. Having an effective CSR strategy allows your employees to take pride in their work and find a larger sense of purpose in their roles. In turn, this can lead them to stick around for the long term.
Lower its operational expenses. By prioritizing CSR at your company, you can make progress in areas such as energy efficiency, resource consumption, and waste management. With these improved processes, you’ll be able to reduce your operational expenses over time.
Beyond these immediate benefits, a CSR strategy ultimately empowers your company to boost its impact on the world. Your efforts will provide nonprofits with critical funding to fulfill their missions, employees with a healthy and fulfilling work environment, and communities with the support they need to thrive.
How to Create Your CSR Plan
While there are many facets of a CSR strategy, building one doesn’t have to be a complicated task. Follow these eight steps to hit the ground running with your company’s strategy:
1. Set relevant CSR goals.
When building a CSR strategy, it’s important to set clear, relevant goals to maximize your results and avoid overwhelming your team. Think about any existing CSR initiatives you may have within your company. Then, review them alongside your mission and values. Do your activities align with your values? How do they relate to your company’s overarching purpose?
After reflecting on these points, consider setting goals in areas such as:
Before you can launch your strategy, you’ll need to secure support from members of your board and leadership. Be sure to emphasize the benefits of creating a CSR strategy, including how it will contribute to your business goals as a whole. Reference examples of other successful companies to serve as models for your proposed undertaking.
2. Conduct research and collect feedback.
As you develop your strategy, research relevant topics and issues that your company can have a meaningful impact on. Several frameworks exist to inform your decision-making, such as the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include:
Zero hunger
Good health and well-being
Quality education
Gender equality
Affordable and clean energy
Decent work and economic growth
Furthermore, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created a standard to guide companies in developing social responsibility programs. Combine these resources with stakeholder feedback to produce a CSR strategy tailored to your company’s goals and priorities.
To collect this information, send out surveys to your employees, customers, and other community members to learn more about how they view your current CSR standing and what causes are important to them. After all, 84% of consumers and 85% of employees agree that the more a business engages them in charitable giving decisions, the more trust they have in that business.
3. Involve employees with a workplace giving program.
A successful CSR strategy depends on the combined efforts of everyone at your company. Present your employees with direct ways to contribute by creating a workplace giving program. Some basic opportunities you can provide are:
Matching gifts. This initiative is popular among many businesses, with 65% of Fortune 500 companies offering matching gift programs. When an employee donates to an eligible nonprofit, they’ll submit a request to your company. Then, your company will make a donation of its own, matching the employee’s gift amount at a 1:1 ratio or more. This is a stellar way for employees to secure more revenue for causes they care about.
Volunteer grants. The process for volunteer grants is similar to that of matching gifts, except your company will make a donation after an employee volunteers a certain number of hours with a nonprofit. Once they pass the minimum hours threshold, they’ll submit a request, and you’ll contribute a certain amount of funds per hour volunteered.
Payroll deductions. Automatic payroll deductions make it easy for employees to give to nonprofits on a recurring basis. To participate, they’ll select an organization to support and how much they would like to contribute out of their paychecks.
Pave the way for additional team-building by planning volunteer days for your company to take part in. In doing so, you’ll be able to encourage more employees to join in your philanthropic initiatives and cultivate stronger relationships with their peers.
4. Partner with nonprofit organizations.
Enhance your CSR strategy by seeking out partnerships with nonprofits. With the right approach, these partnerships can turn into long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Beyond organizing regular volunteer opportunities with them, you can sponsor their events in exchange for a mention in their marketing materials. Reach out to nonprofits with missions and values that align with yours to ensure that both parties get the most out of the partnership.
For instance, General Mills has been a partner of Feeding America for over 40 years. The company has supported the nonprofit through a variety of initiatives, such as charitable giving, product donations, volunteerism, and more. Since their partnership first began, General Mills has contributed a total of $37 million to advance Feeding America’s hunger relief goals.
Whirlpool, a kitchen and laundry appliance company, focuses its social responsibility on affordable housing. For 23 years, the company has collaborated with Habitat for Humanity by contributing funds, donating products, and creating support programs in 45 different countries.
Both partnerships illustrate the power of collaborating with nonprofits that share similar values and goals with your company.
5. Adopt CSR software.
Since there are many moving parts to an effective CSR strategy, you’ll need to invest in a toolkit to streamline your processes. A comprehensive CSR software solution should equip your company with features that streamline:
Donation management. Your company should be able to provide its employees with multiple ways to participate in your corporate giving initiatives, including making donations directly through your CSR platform. Additionally, the software should allow you to manage your matching gifts program and automatically approve requests based on your guidelines.
Volunteer management. Your CSR software should supply your company with tools for planning and promoting corporate volunteer opportunities. Furthermore, look for the ability to accept volunteer grant requests and process them based on the number of hours logged by each employee.
Tracking and reporting. A key aspect of CSR involves sharing your initiatives and impact with stakeholders. With CSR tools, you can easily generate reports and maintain transparency about your efforts. This information can also prove useful for refining your strategy going forward.
If you’re looking for a new CSR solution to invest in, be sure to conduct thorough research, request demos, and consider integrations that will enable your company to use its technology to the fullest. For instance, CSR providers that offer an auto-submission integration make it easier than ever before for employees to participate in your matching gifts program.
Check out this quick video to learn more about this cutting-edge feature:
As the video explains, auto-submission is an innovative tool that allows employees to automatically submit matching gift requests after they make a donation to a nonprofit. All they need to do is input their company email address, and the technology takes care of the rest—leading to more employee engagement in your workplace giving efforts and a larger impact on your community.
6. Communicate your CSR strategy with stakeholders.
Once you’ve laid a foundation for your CSR initiatives by setting goals, researching nonprofit partnerships, and equipping the tools you need to succeed, it’s time to formalize the details and share them with your stakeholders. Draft a CSR policy that explains your company’s approach to CSR, including:
Goals and relevant metrics
Focus areas
Opportunities for employee participation
Methods for reporting
Think back to your goals and stakeholder feedback to produce a policy that speaks to their most important interests, priorities, and concerns. Then, share this documentation on multiple platforms for easy access, including your website, employee portal, and social media pages.
7. Prioritize transparent reporting.
Demonstrate to employees, customers, and other community members that your CSR strategy is more than just performative by implementing thoughtful reporting procedures. By leveraging CSR reporting tools, your company can track and report on its:
Corporate philanthropy funds and impact.
Workplace giving participation.
Environmental sustainability.
Internal business practices.
Make your reports accessible to all stakeholders by producing different versions for different audiences. For instance, rather than forcing your customers to read dozens of pages regarding your CSR impact, design a summary sheet with infographics illustrating the key points of your report. In additional documents, include all the details for those who need or want to know more about your initiatives.
8. Recognize employees for their participation.
Keep your company’s employees invested in your CSR strategy by consistently recognizing them for their participation. Doing so reinforces the value of their contributions and ensures that they continue engaging with your initiatives year after year.
Several effective ways you can cultivate a culture of recognition at your workplace include:
Sending eCards commending employees for contributing to your CSR efforts.
Posting social media shoutouts featuring employee names and pictures.
Adding a section on your website showcasing top employee contributors.
Presenting awards to the most involved employees in your CSR activities.
Expressing appreciation to employees is an essential practice that benefits your company as a whole. Open up opportunities for peer-to-peer recognition and reach out on important holidays to establish a close-knit community of loyal employees.
4 Top CSR Strategy Examples
As your company embarks on its CSR journey, know that you don’t have to travel it alone. Many other businesses have taken their own endeavors to improve their impact on society and have succeeded with flying colors.
As a consumer’s co-operative, REI’s CSR initiatives focus on improving the working conditions of its employees, the experiences of its members, the well-being of society, and the success of the company. REI’s most recent efforts include:
Sourcing recycled and renewable materials within the company’s product supply chain.
Using less energy in stores and distribution centers through smart building design and energy-efficient measures.
Encouraging product reuse by creating a Re/Supply program for members to participate in.
Requesting that vendor partners use alternatives to individual plastic bags for product shipping.
In the last year, REI Co-op has contributed $6.9 million to 503 nonprofit partners. Additionally, the company has engaged over 78,000 members of its community in its grassroots advocacy program, sending more than 250,000 messages to state and federal decision-makers. Stakeholders can find key data related to REI’s impact summarized in a straightforward scorecard online.
Microsoft
Microsoft is a top CSR company that focuses its strategy on four commitments:
Expanding economic growth and opportunity.
Earning trust through responsible artificial intelligence (AI) usage, privacy protections, and cybersecurity.
Protecting people’s fundamental rights through responsible business practices and accessibility initiatives.
Advancing sustainability through technological innovation.
The company allows employees to take part in its philanthropic efforts by offering matching gifts and volunteer grants in its workplace giving program. These opportunities have led to $255 million in contributions to over 32,000 nonprofits in just the past year.
HP
As another company dedicated to CSR, HP produces three separate reports based on its main pillars of focus:
Climate action
Human rights
Digital equity
These reports reveal the extent of the company’s tree-planting efforts, investment in minority- and women-owned businesses, and educational programs to promote digital literacy around the world.
Google
Google is a dominant technology company that has set ambitious goals for its CSR, including:
Diverting all office food waste from landfills by 2025.
Making product packaging 100% plastic-free by 2025.
Running data centers and offices on carbon-free energy 24/7 by 2030.
Furthermore, the company gives $200 million to charitable organizations every year and offers a pro bono program that empowers employees to support nonprofit technical projects full-time for up to six months.
Wrapping Up: Emerging as a Top CSR Strategy Leader
As you work on your company’s CSR strategy and continue researching other examples to learn from, remember that the path to excellent corporate citizenship takes time. Take your resources into account and start small with setting goals and launching workplace giving opportunities. Be open to collecting feedback from stakeholders, and identify ways to refine your strategy year after year.
For more information on where CSR fits into your company’s priorities and success, check out these additional resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/CSR-Strategy_Feature.jpg6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2023-11-17 16:42:312025-08-08 15:31:37Creating a CSR Strategy: How to Forge a Lasting Impact
Thanks to the growing movement toward increased corporate citizenship, combined with innovative new technology, many companies are stepping up their employee-giving game like never before.
Businesses interested in creating or improving their workplace giving programs—as well as nonprofits eager to engage donors and corporate partners in new ways—will find inspiration in these versatile employee giving campaign ideas.
Before we dive into ideas your business can use for employee giving, let’s explore the basics.
The Importance of Employee Giving
The framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming increasingly popular across many sectors. It’s even inspiring employers to provide a variety of ways for their company to give back to the community in the form of philanthropic donations, volunteerism, and proactive policies that put people and the environment first.
Take a look at these statistics to understand the power of CSR:
77% of consumers aim to support socially responsible companies.
93% of employees believe companies must lead with purpose.
92% of consumers would buy a product that supports a good cause.
A welcome shift from the “greed is good” mindset of past generations, corporate citizenship promotes commitment to sustainability both inside and outside corporate office walls.
Employee giving (also called workplace giving) is one of the most popular CSR strategies. It creates opportunities for everyone in a corporate environment to support charitable organizations and causes in a collective effort, making a much greater impact than what most individuals can do alone. From annual fundraisers and donation drives to giving days and volunteer programs, employee giving campaigns will (and should!) look different in every workplace, depending on your unique company culture and values.
However, there is one aspect of employee giving every workplace campaign should include: matching donations.
When individual employees give from their own pockets to eligible nonprofits, their companies should match those donations. Through matching gift programs, companies can double their employees’ impact on the causes they care about. This kind of support and commitment builds buy-in, signals to employees that their company is just as committed to this work as they are, and affirms that their participation is seen and celebrated.
The Benefits of Workplace Giving Campaigns
Employee giving initiatives backed by matching donations can do a whole lot of good—and not just for your nonprofit beneficiaries and the communities they serve.
A company’s public image, for example, can undoubtedly improve with well-documented charitable contributions. Plus, the tax incentives for large philanthropic gifts are nothing to shrug at. Still, it’s the impact that workplace giving campaigns have on employee morale that cannot be understated.
Generosity, science tells us, is tied to human happiness. Creating meaningful opportunities for employees to build relationships and contribute to good causes alongside their peers leads to a greater sense of belonging, stronger engagement in future activities and projects, and higher staff retention. It’s a win-win-win!
With the help of automated systems, giving can become an integral part of the culture of your workplace. Imagine an environment where giving is as much a part of your work week as logging into your email in the morning—not just once a year, but throughout! That’s achievable by implementing matching gift programs and hosting regular employee giving campaigns.
9 Employee Giving Campaign Ideas to Try Throughout the Year
We’ve gathered some of our favorite workplace giving campaign ideas you can implement year-round at your office. Plus, each idea features an example from a real nonprofit that nailed it.
Every workplace is different, so think creatively about how you can customize and adjust these ideas based on your company’s size, time constraints, interests, and areas of specialty. The possibilities are endless—just like your potential for making a positive impact in your community.
1. Prepare for winter with in-kind donations.
Winter is a particularly difficult time of year for many nonprofit beneficiaries, especially if they’re individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty. Encourage your employees to make in-kind donations, which are any non-monetary gift, to organizations that need them. This is an especially great idea for employees with tighter budgets who may not be able to justify a monetary donation.
To make the donation process easier for your employees, partner up with one or a few specific nonprofits. Ask them what donations would be most helpful to them, and then provide your employees with that list of items. Organizations might be searching for items that directly help their beneficiaries, such as canned food or winter clothing, or they might be searching for items to empower them to more effectively help their beneficiaries, such as computers, printers, or fundraising event decorations.
Real-world example: Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit food rescue organization whose mission is to reduce hunger and food waste in the Metro Atlanta area. It rescues healthy, nutritious, surplus food and distributes it to those in need.
They’ve created a network with over 75 food donor organizations across Atlanta, including businesses such as Chick-Fil-A, Mercedes Benz, Pizza Hut, and Publix. These businesses work with Second Helpings Atlanta as part of their CSR and employee giving initiatives to use food for good in the local community.
2. Lean into the competitive spirit for Giving Tuesday.
Year-end is a popular time of year for nonprofit fundraising, and it all begins with Giving Tuesday. This global day of generosity happens the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving and is meant to channel the shopping madness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday toward a worthy cause instead.
A virtual peer-to-peer or team fundraising Giving Tuesday campaign is an easy and fun way to foster friendly competition as individuals or staff teams try to out-raise one another for their cause.
The secret to a successful peer-to-peer fundraiser? Keep spirits high and be a cheerleader for your fundraisers! Celebrate everyone’s hard work by shouting out teams at various times throughout the campaign and offering prizes for the teams with the most donations, the highest amount raised, or even the most team spirit.
Real-world example: For the Together Housed campaign, participants created personal or team fundraising pages to raise money over three weeks for women in Los Angeles experiencing homelessness.
This virtual effort raised over $155K for the Downtown Women’s Center and culminated in a live-streamed celebration to thank individual fundraisers and corporate sponsors.
3. Turn your holiday party into an opportunity to give back.
The holidays bring out the giving spirit in even the Grinchiest among us—especially if the food and drinks are free. If you’ve already budgeted for a staff gathering or outing for the holidays, think about adding on a party-worthy fundraising element like a silent auction to benefit a local nonprofit. This is also an excellent time to celebrate your Giving Tuesday teams or winners with silly prizes or awards!
Depending on the size of your staff, a team can volunteer to source auction items or request that everyone (CEO included) contribute an item, experience, or basket to auction off during the party.
Sourcing items can be work-intensive, so make the rest of the process easy on your team by using an online silent auction platform that partygoers can use to bid right from their smartphones. Mobile bidding also makes it easy to create a hybrid or virtual auction experience if your remote employees want to start a bidding war for a good cause.
Real-world example: The Ultimutt Auction fundraiser for the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation offered bidders a range of fun experiences and items from local businesses. To reach a wider audience and build momentum to raise more funds, the organizers had the online auction open for a week, enabling them to raise over $21K!
4. Kick off the new year with a monthly giving program.
With everyone energized by your Giving Tuesday and holiday party success (and hopefully some time off), build on this momentum to get employees excited about giving back regularly.
A great place to start is by hosting a casual “Lunch and Learn” once a month, where a guest speaker or representative from a local nonprofit gives an informal presentation about their impact and need.
The actual giving part can happen in a few different ways:
A monthly stipend from the company that employees can donate
Informal monthly contributions matched by the company
Automated payroll deductions (also matched by the company)
Build buy-in by providing incentives like a catered lunch for those who attend and asking staff to nominate organizations or community groups that are meaningful to them. National celebrations like Black History Month (February), Women’s History Month (March), Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May), etc., can be a great guidepost for causes to highlight if you’re not sure where to start.
Be sure that your company’s matching gift program is set up before you begin your new monthly giving program. That way, you’ll be able to engage your employees through philanthropy and increase the impact of gifts to your local nonprofits.
Real-world example: Clothing retailer rue21’s annual giving campaign organizes staff fundraising teams by department (Marketing, Merchandising, Human Resources, and so on). Each year, they have raised more funds for their nonprofit partner organization, Foster Love Project, which serves youth in foster care.
5. Spring into volunteering.
Financial contributions aren’t the only way to make a difference in your place of work. Harness the power of your team’s talents to give back through volunteer hours or pro bono projects in partnership with a local nonprofit, school, or other community organization.
Volunteering can be skill-based work (graphic design, tutoring, or even accounting!) or just helping with whatever is needed (envelope stuffing, serving meals, or checking people in). It’s all about meeting the needs of your particular community partner.
The key to success here is to incentivize volunteering, which can happen in many ways.
Some companies, including 40% of the Fortune 500 list, give volunteer grants to employees who put in a certain number of hours, and others offer perks like additional vacation time. You can even liven things up by making it a competition to see who can give the highest number of hours by a specific date.
Real-world example: Chicago-based software company Sprout Social organized Philanthropy Week, which combined volunteering and team-based fundraising for local nonprofits.
Teams of employees chose an organization in their community, created fundraising pages, and volunteered on-site to foster deeper connections with their partners.
6. Create your own workplace giving day in May.
Aside from being a great help to nonprofits, volunteering is also one of the most effective team-building activities. Hosting a workplace giving day can empower your company to build connection and belonging amongst your staff—and contribute to a good cause at the same time.
As the weather warms up, partner with a local nonprofit that needs a lot of hands for a park cleanup, meal prep, material assembly, mural painting, or other beautification projects. Make sure everyone on your staff is able and incentivized to attend, get t-shirts made for the occasion, and cap it all off with a celebration and big group photo.
If all goes well, try to make it an annual event that employees look forward to, your nonprofit partners can plan around, and the entire community can feel proud of.
Real-world example: When pandemic restrictions made in-person activities impossible, Presence Marketing organized a virtual 5k and complementary fundraiser in partnership with a charitable foundation to help build a Kindergarten in the West African nation of Togo.
The event was so successful that they organized a second annual day of giving the following year to benefit another charity project!
7. Celebrate summer with sponsorship.
June is the start of summer and Pride Month, a great time to support organizations that serve the LGBTQ+ community. Give your coworkers a special night out together and raise some serious money by sponsoring a fun fundraising event, like a standup comedy, drag show, or a combination of the two!
Planning events is a lot of work, so if that’s not something you can take on, seek out a nonprofit partner already planning a benefit event that you can sponsor. Or enlist the help of a local venue that can help match you with a good cause. If a virtual or hybrid event can help you reach your community better, livestream it!
Real-world example:Platinum Top 50, an industry organization for real estate professionals in Texas, organized a comedy show fundraiser featuring standup and improv from some talented local realtors. In addition to ticket sales, extra donations from individuals and corporate sponsorships helped them to raise over 200% of their original goal for their hunger-fighting nonprofit partner.
8. Go virtual with a back-to-school drive.
Drives for essential items like jackets, toys, and perishable goods are popular for workplace giving campaigns for many reasons. For one, those who are making donations can immediately see the real-life impact of their gifts, which is sometimes harder to communicate with solely monetary asks.
With a virtual drive, donors can still understand exactly where their money is going and, at the same time, give the nonprofit beneficiary more oversight and flexibility to order the items they need and get them directly to the people who need them.
This campaign idea is also great for remote office teams, as virtual drives open up donations to a broader pool of people and save the time and energy it can take a team of employees to collect, organize, and transport items.
Real-world example: With several businesses participating, Teachers’ Treasures organized the Gr8 Paper Push Virtual School Supply Drive and enabled donors to select specific classroom items or just make a flat donation to the campaign.
This campaign also had an added team fundraising element. Local businesses competed with one another to raise the most, which created a lively, fun atmosphere.
9. Make a No Shave November everyone can join in on.
Movember and No Shave November, popular social challenges to see who can grow the most facial hair, were created to raise awareness and funds for men’s health and cancer prevention. Anyone can play on this idea for a good cause of their choosing—just make sure to take lots of photos!
Real-world example: For their annual Let It Grow! campaign, Vermont-based victims’ services agency Windham County Safe Place engaged teams from the police departments, hospitals, and legal groups that they work with for a light-hearted competition. Each team was encouraged to grow facial hair or rock colorful hair extensions and bright nails for the month. Inclusivity for the win!
Every participant received a special pin for joining the campaign. They created their own individual or team fundraising page, donated $25 or more, and encouraged their friends and family to help them reach their goal. The top three earners even won a special prize at the end of the competition! The novelty of this campaign drew attention to their cause from local media and helped them to raise thousands of dollars.
Additional Resources
From selling tickets and making donations to administering payroll deductions and matching contributions, automating as much of your workplace giving campaigns as possible will save you a lot of time and energy. CSR platforms can free you up to focus on what really matters—engaging your workplace community and creating meaningful ways to give back together.
Looking for more inspiration? Dive deeper into these additional resources:
Cause marketing is a great way for nonprofits and corporations to join together for a similar mission. As a result, it’s becoming a key way for corporations to express their philanthropic side while also benefiting their own bottom line.
And if you’re a business or fundraising organization looking for some of the best cause marketing examples to get inspired by, you’ve come to the right place!
In this guide, we’ll walk through several standout campaigns and the ideas that brought each one success. But first, we have to cover the basics.
What is cause marketing?
Falling under the umbrella of corporate philanthropy, cause marketing (or cause-related marketing) looks something like this:
Corporations partner with nonprofit organizations to help them raise money and awareness. In return, this publicly philanthropic action generates more business for the company.
In other words, it’s a win-win situation!
What is corporate philanthropy?
Corporate philanthropy encompasses any actions a business takes to benefit the world around them. Along with (and sometimes in tandem with) cause marketing, corporate donations through matching gift programs are another popular arm of this generosity.
When a company offers a matching gift program, it essentially pledges to match the donations their employees contribute to qualifying nonprofit organizations. Effectively functioning as a “buy one, get one free” sale on nonprofit fundraising, matching gifts allow organizations and their donors to double (and sometimes even triple!) the impact of the original donation.
How to implement smart corporate giving strategies
For nonprofits
The easiest way for nonprofits to capitalize on corporate giving programs is by investing in workplace giving automation. When you leverage an automation platform like Double the Donation, you can scale up your revenue while minimizing the operational lift required of your team.
This allows you to screen your supporter information to uncover available opportunities, trigger personalized outreach that drives participation in such programs, and track and report on corporate giving impact from start to finish.
Plus, you can even use the data collected through matching gift efforts to inform your broader corporate partnerships, such as identifying ideal prospects for which to pitch cause marketing initiatives and more.
For companies
There is also a range of corporate giving management software designed to aid companies in organizing and facilitating their end of a philanthropic partnership. These tools, also known as CSR or social impact platforms, can streamline management of initiatives like matching gifts, corporate volunteerism, annual giving campaigns, nonprofit sponsorships, cause marketing campaigns, and more.
Plus, it’s important to seek the right mission-driven partners and build strong relationships with the organizations a business chooses to support. While Double the Donation is not a corporate-facing vendor, feel free to contact us and we’d love to get you in touch with one of our CSR partners!
With that, let’s dive into some of the most inspirational examples cause marketing that we’ve seen in recent years. Take notes from these successful partnerships, and see which strategies might benefit your team.
Danaher Corporation hosted a custom matching gift program in partnership with LLS as a way to give back to its community while engaging with its employees. As a part of the company’s Giving Tuesday Now campaign, the company encouraged team members to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night fundraising walk. And in return, Danaher matched employees’ contributions dollar-for-dollar to double team members’ giving impact and grow support for the organization.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
Danaher’s support of LLS started out as a custom matching gift partnership. But since the success of their original initiative, the company decided to establish a standard matching gift program that’s open to nearly all nonprofit causes!
This inspiring cause marketing example illustrates the way that a one-off campaign can develop into a long-term, widely impactful opportunity for both the company and the organizations it supports.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also boasts a complete matching gift strategy in partnership with Double the Donation’s automation platform. This empowers the team to raise even more for their cause through all sorts of corporate giving opportunities available to them.
Interested in learning more? Check out our LLS case study to see how matching gift automation brought the organization’s corporate fundraising strategy to new heights.
You’re probably familiar with The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, which usually takes place during the holidays. Typically, these red kettles or buckets are placed outside department stores and other shops to receive donations.
While this tried-and-true cause marketing strategy has been successful for many years, The Salvation Army realized they were missing out on a large pool of potential donors that don’t carry cash.
To improve their Red Kettle campaign, they partnered with the giving kiosk company DipJar so that they could start accepting donations via credit cards.
The branded DipJars were placed beside registers at local coffee shops and other retail partners. With these, The Salvation Army was able to gather donations from all interested donors, cash-carrying or not.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
This campaign makes our top spot because The Salvation Army saw a gap in their fundraising potential amidst a significant digital shift, and effectively provided donors with a quick and easy solution. And the companies that partnered with The Salvation Army were happy to implement the new and forward-thinking ideas!
Not to mention, online donations pair well with corporate matching gifts, and The Salvation Army Southern Territory employs Double the Donation to effectively pursue donation-match opportunities without lifting a finger!
This iconic cause marketing campaign originated in the United Kingdom and is now taking the United States by storm.
Last year, the campaign raised a record-breaking $49 million through the sale of over 12 million “red noses” at 9,000+ Walgreens stores nationwide.
The six-week campaign starts with Walgreens customers purchasing red noses and wearing them to pose for and share pictures as well as to other Red Nose Day fundraising events to spread awareness.
The proceeds from the red nose sales, and additional fundraising events orchestrated by companies and individuals during the campaign, go toward helping lift children out of poverty in the United States.
The campaign is held yearly and experiences great success.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
The Red Nose Day cause marketing campaign stands out because of its fun and playful nature. Plus, it’s so shareable. Donors want to buy a red nose (and many look forward to the campaign each year!) so that they can take pictures and share them with the hashtag #rednoseday.
4. 100% for the Planet
Who are the partners?
Patagonia organized this cause marketing campaign with various grassroots environmental organizations.
Campaign Overview
For Black Friday, Patagonia announced that they would give 100% of the day’s sales to support grassroots organizations working to protect our air, water, and soil.
To help support the planet, customers just needed to make a purchase at one of Patagonia’s many stores on Black Friday. With the help of many loyal customers as well as first-time shoppers, the company was able to raise more than $10 million in sales.
The funds were then contributed to numerous underfunded and off-the-radar nonprofits, ultimately going a long way to make a positive difference for our planet.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
Donating to the cause took no additional effort—donors just had to shop at Patagonia on Black Friday to show their support. Since all the money spent was going toward a good cause, it’s likely that many people purchased more than normal just to support the environmental organizations.
Not to mention, Patagonia demonstrates its devotion to social and environmental good all year round, too. Although the 100% For The Planet campaign was a single-day event, the company commits to contributing 1% of all sales to environmental causes. Plus, Patagonia offers up to $10,000 in matching gifts for all current employees year-round, empowering their own workforce to give back in impactful ways!
As a multi-faceted campaign, the ADA’s Promotions That Give Back involves several key partnerships with companies’ whose mission statements align with the organizations’ own values. Each partnership is structured in a slightly different way, though they generally all follow a ‘portion of sales’ model of cause marketing.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
This campaign stood out because of the successful collaboration between the American Diabetes Association and their range of corporate partners. Because their missions and visions align so well, each team is able to benefit greatly from the overlapping audiences reached through their ongoing cause marketing efforts.
Plus, the ADA takes a proactive approach to employee matching gift opportunities, too, using Double the Donation’s automation system to identify, tailor outreach for, follow up with, and track available corporate gifts.
6. Buy a Pair, Give a Pair
Who are the parnters?
Warby Parker partners with various healthcare and medical-related organizations, including VisionSpring.
Campaign Overview
Warby Parker uses the buy-one-give-one model to promote the company’s philanthropic side and give back to communities in need.
The premise is very simple: for every pair of glasses that Warby Parker sells, the company donates to cover the cost associated with sourcing a pair for someone who would otherwise be unable to obtain them.
In addition to the donation, their nonprofit partners train individuals in developing countries on how to give basic eye exams and sell glasses at affordable prices, thus making vision care more readily available in the long run.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
The Buy a Pair, Give a Pair campaign is so successful because of its marketing strategy and the ability to capture donors’ attention and raise awareness. And Warby Parker has pulled off one of the most well-known instances of this particular cause marketing strategy!
To market the effort, the company shares information about the program, along with beneficiary stories, on its website and other promotional materials.
7. PurposeFULL
Who are the partners?
The PurposeFULL cause marketing campaign is a collaboration between Arby’s and Share Our Strength.
Campaign Overview
Since the establishment of the program, Arby’s restaurants across the nation have raised more than $27 million for the organization Share Our Strength. Centered around four key pillars of corporate giving, the PurposeFULL program is designed to support YouthFULL, SkillFULL, ResourceFULL, and FlavorFULL efforts for social and environmental good.
PurposeFULL is a point of sale campaign, meaning that Arby’s asks for donations during the sale of an item usually through a screen prompt, sign, or a direct ask from the cashier.
The money raised through its PurposeFULL campaign each year goes to provide meals to youth in need throughout America. And it has an overall vision of eradicating childhood hunger and food insecurity!
Why Their Campaign Made the List
Because the PurposeFULL campaign lets donors know how much just $1 can contribute (up to 10 meals!), supporters are able to visualize and understand the tangible impact of their monetary donations.
The Soar With Reading campaign is a partnership between JetBlue and the nonprofit organization FirstBook.
Campaign Overview
The Soar With Reading program was designed to inspire and encourage children’s imaginations.
JetBlue donates money to FirstBook to help provide books to children in low-income neighborhoods, including through free book vending machines.
Additionally, the Soar With Reading program helps provide schools and educators with diverse reading materials to promote and encourage learning among students.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
The Soar With Reading campaign is successful because the whole company is involved in supporting JetBlue’s partner organization. JetBlue employees are encouraged to volunteer with the Soar With Reading program and make a difference in children’s lives, or even donate toward the cause themselves.
And the company also offers a unique volunteer grant program in which team members are eligible to request free flight vouchers on behalf of the organizations (FirstBook and others) with which they volunteer! So not only are JetBlue employees empowered to get involved with their cause marketing partner in a hands-on way, but they’re also able to provide additional resources at no cost.
Coca-Cola has used polar bears as their unofficial mascot for years, so it makes sense that they would partner with World Wildlife Fund to support the conservation of the polar bear and its habitat.
Thus, the Arctic Home campaign was all about building awareness and raising funds through merchandise and online fundraising.
Coca-Cola introduced Arctic Home Coke cans to raise funds and awareness for the organization. With a package code leading to an online donation form, consumers could quickly and easily make a gift to the organization. And Coca-Cola stretched these gifts even further by matching every donation its buyers made!
Why Their Campaign Made the List
By matching the $1 donations of customers who purchased an Arctic Home can, Coco-Cola financially supported and motivated its own audience to give to the World Wildlife Fund. Those small-dollar donations added up quickly, especially since they were being doubled.
Coca-Cola also matches gifts made by its employees of up to $10,000 per team member per year at a 2:1 ratio—effectively tripling its workforce’s donation impact year-round!
Tito’s Handmade Vodka started their partnership with Emancipet to help care for dogs. And out of that relationship, with a goal to raise both money and awareness for the organization, Tito’s cause-related website, Vodka for Dog People, was born.
On the site, supporters can purchase Tito’s-branded items such as leashes, toys, and t-shirts, making it the perfect pairing of product fundraising and cause marketing.
For the Tito’s product fundraising campaign, all the proceeds from the website go to Emancipet. Meanwhile, the added benefit of fundraising through the sale of branded items means that after someone makes their purchase, they’re promoting the branded nonprofit any time they use the product.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
The Vodka for Dogs campaign uses both online and local fundraising efforts to raise money and awareness for pet care. In addition to the website, Tito’s works with bars and liquor stores to host yappy hour fundraisers for its nonprofit partner. And the company matches donations its employees make to qualifying organizations—including Emancipet and beyond!
The Miracle Balloon campaign has been an ongoing partnership between Walmart (and Sam’s Club) and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals for years.
For six weeks of every year, Walmart employees ask for donations from customers at checkout. If donors contribute a dollar or more, they can place their names on a paper Miracle Balloon and place it on the honor wall.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
This cause marketing campaign is effective because it leverages the idea of social proof particularly well. When customers see how many donors have already supported the cause, they’ll be increasingly motivated to participate themselves.
Additionally, while most Walmart and Sam’s Club locations participate, the campaign focuses on locations near a Children’s Miracle Hospital. That way, the organization can encourage grateful patientsor those with a loved one who received care at one of the hospitals to donate.
Since the inception of the campaign in 2006, Dawn Dish Soap has helped save 150,000 marine animals (and counting!) through its generous and ongoing support of the International Bird Rescue and Marine Mammal Centers. And the support the company offers takes place in a few key ways: including donating more than 50,000 bottles of its product and over $4.5 million in cash gifts.
Dawn’s donated dish soap is then used by its environmental partners in direct rescue and rehabilitation efforts of aquatic birds and mammals in need. This includes the organizations’ responses to oil spills and other wildlife emergencies!
Why Their Campaign Made the List
Over the years, Dawn’s cause marketing efforts, specifically in the realm of environmental conservation and wildlife care, has become so completely engrained into its brand. In fact, many of the company’s products now feature the wildlife it’s devoted to—including seals, ducklings, and more. This goes on to further demonstrate Dawn’s commitment to making a difference in the long-term.
13. Empower Mint
Who are the partners?
Empower Mint is a key element of Ben & Jerry’s cause marketing campaign designed to benefit the NAACP.
Campaign Overview
Ben & Jerry’s launched a limited-time ice cream flavor that was marketed as a “flavor to benefit democracy.” The campaign that went along with the treat was developed as a way to fight against a voter suppression law and aid in the restoration of the Voting Rights Act.
During the time that the flavor was offered, a portion of proceeds from each sale was donated to the NAACP.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
In addition to its punny naming conventions, Ben & Jerry’s is well-known for being a particularly opinionated brand. And the company has been willing to stand up to its beliefs by supporting a variety of nonprofit causes in order to do so. This is just one example!
Held during National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month each year since 2002, Create-A-Pepper is an interactive fundraising campaign taking place at the Tex-Mex dining chain nationwide. Over the last few decades, the initiative has raised more than $100 million for St. Jude, enabling the research hospital to make great strides in its research, treatment, and support of those affected by life-threatening childhood illnesses.
Why Their Campaign Made the List
Kids and adults of all ages love the opportunity to complete a coloring sheet while waiting for their meals at a restaurant. This cause marketing campaign turns a fun and simple activity into a profitable fundraising initiative that goes to support the patients and families at St. Jude hospital.
St. Jude Hospital also makes it easy for individual donors and corporate partners to get involved in supporting their efforts. This includes a dedicated matching gifts page to promote workplace giving on an individual basis and a corporate sponsorship interest page that promotes mutually beneficial partnerships like cause marketing efforts, one-off match programs, and more!
Wrapping Up
As you can see from these examples, cause marketing is an effective way to raise both funding and awareness for a nonprofit cause. Plus, the nonprofit and the for-profit business involved receive significant benefits from the relationship.
If you’re ready to begin seeking such corporate giving initiatives for your organization, we recommend pulling ideas and inspiration from the above successes. And existing donor data—such as your supporters’ employer information and matching gift eligibility—can help you uncover and pursue the best opportunities for your team.
To learn about more nonprofit funding strategies, check out these bonus resources:
Full List of Fundraising Ideas.Didn’t find what you were looking for? Check out our complete list of more than 200+ fundraising ideas. You’re bound to find the perfect fundraiser for your organization!
Top Companies for Donation Requests. Whether you’re looking for businesses with which to organize a cause marketing campaign or seeking sponsors for an upcoming event, check out this list of over 30 companies that have existing philanthropic programs in place.
The Complete Guide to Matching Gift Automation. Many cause marketing programs include matching gift components. Corporate donation-matches are a great way to partner with businesses, engage individual donors, and double your funds! Learn more with this ultimate guide.
The list of matching gift companies is endless—and not exclusive to one region, business size, or corporate sector. Instead, employers all over the world opt to match their employees’ charitable donations. Doing so results in elevated corporate philanthropy, team-wide engagement, and even positive brand image.
So what makes one company’s program stand out over another? There are a lot of factors that go into a top matching gift company, including donation (low) minimums and (high) maximums, open eligibility, seamless donor experiences, and more.
One that stands out in all areas is legal services company Innovative Discovery. And we’ll tell you why!
Ready to get started? Dive in and see what makes Innovative Discovery’s matching gift program top-tier.
Fun Fact: By working with a CLMA-certified matching gift platform, Innovative Discovery has become a Certified Leader in Matching Automation. That means it’s recognized for its dedication to providing the best possible experience for its employees participating in the program.
What to Know About Innovative Discovery
Founded in 2005 in Arlington, Virginia, Innovative Discovery is a strategic consulting firm and legal services provider to a wide range of corporations and groups. The company partners with government agencies, construction and manufacturing businesses, energy and utility companies, financial services, healthcare and life sciences providers, and more.
Innovative Discovery employees—a combination of technologists, lawyers, and cybersecurity experts—work as strategic consultants to provide authoritative guidance throughout the litigation processes and information lifecycles. Specifically, the consulting group aims to offer unique insights into cybersecurity, data breaches, digital forensics, and high-stakes litigations to set their clients up for maximal success.
This corporation also places a significant emphasis on giving back to the communities in which they operate, including offering community service, nonprofit sponsorships, and more. Plus, they support nonprofit organizations of all shapes and sizes through their generous matching program.
Current Matching Gift Program Guidelines
Innovative Discovery employees have the opportunity to double their charitable giving impact by participating in the company’s matching initiative. Personal gifts made by Innovative Discovery team members of between $25 and $2,500 are eligible to be matched at a 1:1 rate.
Even better, nearly all nonprofits qualify for the program. This includes K-12 and higher education institutions, arts and cultural institutions, environmental nonprofits, and other registered 501(c)(3) organizations.
And the company makes it as easy as possible for employees to take part, driving participation and overall program usage with auto-submission, a new solution from Double the Donation.
Here’s a quick overview of the Innovative Discovery corporate matching gift program eligibility requirements:
Matching gift ratio – 1:1 (or dollar for dollar)
Qualifying employees – Current full-time and part-time Innovative Discovery team members qualify to request corporate matching donations.
Eligible nonprofit recipients – Most nonprofit mission types qualify for Innovative Discovery matching, which includes:
Educational institutions (K-12 included)
Health and human services
Arts and cultural organizations
Civic and community groups
Environmental nonprofits
And most other 501 (c)(3) organizations
Submission process – Employees may complete their match request directly following their initial donation on the organization’s giving form using auto-submission or navigate to Selflessly’s online matching gift portal to fill out a brief application.
Standing Out With Matching Gift Auto-Submission Through Selflessly and Double the Donation
The #1 thing that makes Innovative Discovery’s matching gift program so innovative is its participation in newly developed matching gift auto-submission. By partnering with Double the Donation and corporate giving platform Selflessly, ID is streamlining the process for employees getting involved.
Enabling the solution, which recently came out of beta, significantly reduces the time and effort involved in completing a matching gift request. And it can all be done directly from a nonprofit’s website—driving more ID employees to participate. With increased program participation, more funding goes to the nonprofit causes their employees care about. Not to mention, the company itself receives elevated benefits from its corporate giving offerings. It’s a win-win-win—and it’s easier than ever before!
Here’s how the matching process works for Innovative Discovery team members using auto-submission:
An ID employee makes a donation directly on their favorite nonprofit’s website and enters their company name—Innovative Discovery—in a donation form field.
On the confirmation screen, the employee enters their corporate email address. They then check a box and authorize Double the Donation to submit the match request on their behalf.
Innovative Discovery facilitates its matching gifts and other corporate giving initiatives by leveraging a CSR management software company, Selflessly. Selflessly is framed as an “all-in-one giving platform for CSR,” offering both corporate giving and volunteerism features.
Through this software solution, companies like Innovative Discovery are able to:
Elevate corporate giving and employee matching with ease;
Simplify corporate volunteering and organize team and individual volunteer opportunities;
Increase employee engagement by participating in social good;
Make the most of purposeful reporting and impact assessments.
Recently, Selflessly was also one of the first providers to participate in the beta program for auto-submission functionality with Double the Donation, making corporate matching gifts easier than ever before.
Other Innovative Giving Initiatives
Innovative Discovery’s website shares that “the primary focus of ID’s corporate philanthropic efforts are nonprofit organizations valued by our employees.” This idea is reflected in the company’s matching gift program as well as additional team-wide efforts for various charitable causes.
This includes:
ID Civic Day — Innovative Discovery’s Civic Day offers an annual opportunity for team members to engage in their communities. Beyond typical PTO, the company offers an additional paid day off work for employees to volunteer with community service projects.
Employee volunteer grants — ID states that the company supports team member philanthropy through matching donations and investments of their time with corporate volunteer grants. When employees volunteer with various causes, the company pays out grants to the organizations to which they dedicate their time and efforts.
Steps for Autism team challenge — Every April, Innovative Discovery employees take part in a workplace giving campaign on behalf of the Autism Society. During World Autism Month, team members compete by department to see who can get the most steps. At the end of the month, ID makes a donation to the Autism Society on behalf of the winning group.
Sponsorship for Climbing Blind: Tibet Expedition — In 2004, Innovative Discovery aided groundbreaking Climbing Blind’s Tibet Expedition. The company sponsored the event by building essential technical infrastructure. With their newly developed interactive website and intuitive web content management system, Climbing Blind had access to the tools they needed to connect climbers with their growing online community.
Innovative Discovery leadership has made it a point time and time again to invest in giving back to their communities. We’re excited to see what they roll out next!
Wrapping Up
Companies like Innovative Discovery are paving the way for more businesses—and the nonprofits, donors, and communities they support—to benefit from groundbreaking matching gift programs with ease. As more and more corporations roll out innovative auto-submission functionality by leveraging partnerships between corporate giving and matching gift-specific technology, the results will continue growing to new heights.
Ready to learn more about standout matching gift companies and practices? Explore other Double the Donation resources here:
Matching Gift Auto-Submission + CSR Platforms | What to Know. Auto-submission functionality enables companies like Innovative Discovery to streamline the experience for employees and ultimately get more out of their giving programs. And the nonprofits involved benefit as well! Learn more with this comprehensive guide.
Selflessly Launches Auto-Submit Match Requests. Companies can bring their philanthropic programming to the next level thanks to the integration between Selflessly and Double the Donation. Find out how auto-submission helps improve programs and how your company can benefit here.
How to Start a Matching Gift Program [For Companies]. Are you a corporate executive looking to launch an employee matching gift program at your company? This step-by-step walkthrough provides unique insights into how your team can develop the most impactful initiative possible.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DTD_Company-Spotlight-Article-Selflessly-Innovative-Discovery_Feature-1.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2023-11-10 15:48:382024-08-02 21:24:56Company Spotlight: Maximizing Matching Gift Innovation with Innovative Discovery
A thoughtful and robust fundraising strategy is key to any nonprofit’s success. As a nonprofit professional, you’re probably always on the lookout for new ideas and strategies to spice up your organization’s fundraising efforts. That’s where challenge gifts come in—when done correctly, this fundraising idea can supercharge your mission with increased gifts.
In this guide, we’ll go over the basics of challenge gifts and empower you to leverage them by covering the following topics:
Challenge gifts offer a dynamic way to elevate your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy. By leveraging the power of these incentivized donations, you can boost donor engagement, drive higher contributions, and create a sense of urgency that propels your mission forward.
Whether you’re new to this strategy or looking to refine your approach, this guide will equip you with the tools to maximize your fundraising efforts and achieve greater success.
What is a challenge gift?
A challenge gift is a donation that is contingent on another goal, usually another donation. Typically, the donor will commit to contributing a certain amount to a nonprofit if the organization or its other donors fulfill a certain goal or take an action within a certain amount of time. Only then is the donation made.
Common challenge gift goals include:
Total money raised. This goal is fairly self-explanatory—essentially, the donor’s gift hinges on the nonprofit reaching a fundraising goal. For example, a major donor might commit to donating $20,000 if the nonprofit raises $40,000 worth of other donations during their next fundraising campaign.
Total number of donors. Instead of committing a donation based on the amount raised, some donors choose instead to base it on the total number of donors that give during a set amount of time. The goal for this type of challenge gift is to help the nonprofit recruit more donors. Some challenge donors may specify that they only count first-time donors, while others will count donations made by any donors.
Matching gifts. For a matching donation challenge, a major donor or sponsor will commit to matching gifts made by other donors. For instance, a major donor may match gifts at a 1:1 ratio up to $30,000. That means that if you raise $30,000 from other donors, then you’ll receive $60,000 in total. However, if you raise less than the match amount, such as $10,000, then you’ll only receive the match up to that amount, or $20,000 total.
Challenge gifts are a great way for a major donor to inspire and encourage other donors to give, resulting in greater fundraising success for the nonprofit. When handled properly, these challenges can be used to secure future support and improve the sustainability of your organization.
What are the benefits of challenge gifts?
At this point, you may be thinking: Aren’t challenge gifts just donations with strings attached? Why would I want those instead of straightforward donations?
Although you might feel that way, challenge gifts bring your nonprofit a variety of game-changing benefits. Some of these include:
Increase fundraising impact. The most obvious benefit of challenge gifts is that they incentivize supporters to give. Your supporters are invested in your nonprofit’s success, which makes it more likely that they’ll donate so that you can secure challenge gift funds.
Attract new donors. If the challenge gift is contingent on acquiring a certain number of donors, it will be especially useful in attracting new donors. Plus, challenge gifts inspire a sense of urgency, providing a compelling reason for potential supporters to engage through donations.
Engage board members. Board members who are passionately invested in your nonprofit’s cause may inspire and engage their fellow board members by making a challenge gift for them. For example, a board member might say that they will give an extra $30,000 if the board as a whole gives $200,000 by a certain date.
Strengthen existing relationships. The urgency from the time-sensitive nature of challenge gifts will also help you secure donations from previous donors. Alongside a great stewardship plan, challenge gifts can greatly contribute to engaging previous donors and increase retention rates.
Form corporate partnerships. Although challenge gift donors don’t have to be businesses, if they are, it presents an opportunity for you to form partnerships with companies that are invested in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Having such a partnership may lead to future support through initiatives such as employee matching gifts, volunteer grants, in-kind donations, and more.
Secure long-term support. Aside from short-term support for immediate fundraising campaigns, certain challenge gifts can also help your nonprofit secure long-term funding. For example, a challenge donor may create a bequest challenge for $50,000. Every time someone submits a signed statement that they have put your nonprofit in their estate plan, the donor will release $2,000 from the challenge gift total.
When it comes to boosting your fundraising and securing support, challenge gifts are a valuable opportunity for nonprofits to reliably meet their goals. While the donor dictates the terms of the challenge, the concept itself has a lot of flexibility, as it accommodates multiple types of challenges.
What are the drawbacks of challenge gifts?
We’ve already touched on the main drawback of challenge gifts—the inability to fulfill the challenge, and therefore the loss of the challenge gift funds. The most common restrictions on a challenge gift include:
Goal amount. Whether it’s the number of donors or the donation amount, each challenge gift comes with a goal that the nonprofit must reach. Without reaching this objective, part or all of the challenge gift might be forfeited.
Time. That challenge gifts are time-sensitive creates a great sense of urgency that propels supporters to give. However, that same benefit is also a restriction—your nonprofit only has a set amount of time to reach your goals. This duration can vary greatly, based on the challenge the donor has set.
Donation requirements. These refer to any extra requirements that the challenge donor places on gifts that count toward the challenge gift goal. We’ve discussed that the challenge donor might choose to restrict the type of donor that can participate in the challenge, but they can also restrict the type of donation that qualifies. For example, they might specify that the challenge only applies to direct donations and specify that purchases made at a fundraising auction don’t qualify.
Another challenge nonprofits face with these types of gifts surrounds identifying the right donor to fulfill the pledge. After all, it can be difficult to find the right individuals or companies that are willing and able to offer a meaningful challenge gift. However, with careful planning and the right tools, this process becomes much easier. By leveraging donor data, analyzing past giving history, and using tools to identify potential high-value donors, you can quickly locate the ideal candidates for challenge gift campaigns. Additionally, clear communication and compelling reasons for their involvement can motivate the right donors to step forward.
Although challenge gifts have their drawbacks, with proper planning and consideration, you can mitigate their disadvantages. While they might put your nonprofit’s fundraising and donor acquisition strategies to the test, the result will be well worth it—a large amount of funds that you can leverage to support your beneficiaries.
Acquiring Support for Challenge Gifts: 5 Tips
To help you make the most of any challenge gifts your nonprofit receives, we’ll go over five tips for acquiring support to fulfill your challenges. Let’s dive in!
1. Create a challenge gift proposal.
While some donors may make a challenge gift unprompted, it’s more likely that your nonprofit will need to specifically seek out challenge donors, much like you seek out sponsorships. To do so, you’ll want to draft a challenge gift proposal to pitch to potential donors.
As you create your proposal, be sure to:
Introduce your nonprofit. Provide a general overview of your nonprofit’s mission, beneficiaries, and the purpose of the challenge gift that you’re requesting.
Give any relevant context. If there’s any relevant information that would help contextualize your proposal, add it. For example, if your nonprofit works with individuals experiencing homelessness and the weather is much colder than usual in winter, you may say that you’re fundraising for warm winter clothing.
Outline your goals. Whether your goal is to obtain funds, new donors, or bequests, outline it in your proposal. Be specific—for instance, you may say that you want to raise $100,000, attract 500 new donors, or obtain 300 bequests.
Determine the challenge details. Lay out the general details of your challenge so your potential challenge donor knows exactly what is expected of them. Let’s say you want to raise $100,000. In your proposal, detail that you want to do this through a matching donation challenge, where your challenge donor matches $50,000 worth of donations at a 1:1 ratio to help you meet your overall goal of $100,000.
Detail the benefits. Aside from describing what you need from your challenge donor, let them know what they’ll be getting from your partnership as well. For instance, if you partner with a company, include their logo and branding on your promotional materials. That way, they can access potential customers amongst your nonprofit’s supporters.
Keep in mind that your challenge gift proposal should look different depending on which potential donor you’re trying to connect with. Just as you would segment your regular donors based on their interests and preferences, make sure to tailor your proposal based on the donor’s gift capacity and previous engagement with your nonprofit.
2. Strategically connect with challenge gift donors.
There are different types of potential donors that you can connect with to pitch challenge gifts to. When first starting, we recommend reaching out to similar types of potential donors to get a better feel of interacting with them and minimize the number of proposals you need to customize.
In general, most challenge gift donors fall into one of the following groups:
Local businesses. When connecting with local businesses, focus on the benefits that you bring to the local community and how that will bring greater success for the business. For instance, your nonprofit’s environmental focus might enhance a business’ neighborhood and bring in more customers.
Large corporations. Large corporations will likely have more money to donate as a challenge gift to your cause but require more effort when forming a partnership. Keep your pitch focused on the benefits that they receive from the partnership. This could look like a shoutout from your nonprofit or a mutually beneficial CSR partnership. A corporate giving database like Double the Donation’s can help you identify companies that make a habit out of giving back, too!
Major donors. Especially if they’ve previously made donations to your nonprofit, major donors are invested in your mission and strongly want you to succeed. For these pitches, you can discuss more in-depth the benefits that your nonprofit will receive while emphasizing how their previous support impacted your success.
Foundations and grantmakers. For this group of potential challenge donors, you’ll likely go through a rigorous application process to be considered. However, foundations and grantmakers exist to provide support to nonprofits, so you can focus your application on what your nonprofit gains.
Celebrities and influencers. Celebrities and influencers receive a large boost in reputation for being associated with charitable causes such as your own. Plus, their influence will greatly increase the visibility of your challenge. Be sure to take both of these factors into consideration as you craft your appeal to this group of potential donors.
To help you narrow down the potential donors you should connect with, focus on those who have already indicated a philanthropic interest in some way. For example, businesses with existing corporate citizenship or CSR initiatives that align with your cause will be more open to aiding your nonprofit.
3. Thoroughly promote your challenge gifts.
Ensure that your challenge gifts drive the impact you desire by thoughtfully promoting them to all of your nonprofit’s supporters. Use the following marketing channels to do so:
Your website
Direct mail
Email
Text or SMS
Social media
Send communications before and during the challenge to drum up excitement and secure support. Provide all relevant details to supporters so they know how they can help. For example, if your goal is to acquire 100 first-time donors, ask your supporters to reach out to their friends and family to appeal for first-time donations. Provide templates for social media posts and emails that they can use to make their appeals easier.
Additionally, be sure to focus your messaging on urgency and speed. Emphasize the approaching deadline and don’t be afraid to send multiple messages during the challenge as reminders. To make this process more efficient, consider using a marketing tool to streamline your promotional efforts.
4. Maximize your gift impact with employee matching.
When properly planned and marketed, one of the great benefits of challenge gifts is a boost in the number of donations made during the challenge. Maximize the impact of gifts by diving into employee matching gifts.
If you’re new to matching gifts, they are a form of corporate philanthropy where employers match their employees’ donations to nonprofits. Although most match at a 1:1 ratio, particularly generous companies may match at a higher ratio, such as 2:1 or even 3:1.
This is how it works:
An employee donates to a nonprofit.
The employee submits a donation match request to their employer.
The employer reviews the request.
The employer approves the match and donates the matching funds to the nonprofit.
As around $4-7 billion of matching gift funds is estimated to go unclaimed every year, it’s clear that one of the biggest obstacles to obtaining matching gift funds is awareness.
During a donation challenge period, you’ll be sending out many communications to supporters to urge them to donate. Maximize the impact of those donations by also reminding supporters to look into their employers’ matching gift programs. With a small amount of effort from them, they’ll be able to greatly increase the funds that you raise. Plus, it won’t require them to gift more of their money!
5. Celebrate achievements and goals.
When the period set by your challenge gift has ended, be sure to celebrate all achievements and goals met with your supporters. Recognize all the donors that have given during this time and thank them for participating in the challenge. Even if you didn’t meet your goals, saying a simple thank you goes a long way toward facilitating long-lasting and fruitful relationships.
If you did meet your goals, then consider hosting a celebration! This can take the form of a donor appreciation event, where you invite all those who gave to come and have fun. Or, if your donors are spread all over the country or the globe, send gifts to them instead. These don’t have to break your budget, as they can be small trinkets or merchandise branded to your nonprofit.
Just don’t forget to celebrate the challenge gift donor, too! After all, this individual or group played a pivotal role in your success, so make sure they feel valued in your efforts. Recognize their contribution publicly and privately, whether through a personal thank-you letter, a shout-out on social media, or a special mention at your appreciation event. Highlighting their generosity not only expresses gratitude but also strengthens the relationship, making them more likely to support future campaigns.
The most important thing is to let your individual and challenge gift donors know that your success would not have been possible without them. Show your genuine gratitude so that donors are incentivized to continue supporting your mission.
Wrapping Up & Additional Resources
Challenge gifts are an incredible opportunity for your nonprofit to buckle down and meet its goals. They also incentivize increased giving from your supporters through gamification, making them a worthwhile gift to receive.
If you’re interested in learning more about nonprofit fundraising opportunities, check out the following resources:
How to Unlock Corporate Sponsorships: Get More Support. While not all challenge gift donors are corporations, there’s a possibility that you’ll need a business sponsorship to acquire these gifts. In this guide, you’ll discover how to unlock corporate sponsorships.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Challenge-Gifts_Feature.png8801680Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2023-11-10 13:46:562025-08-19 20:43:29What are Challenge Gifts? A Guide to High-Speed Fundraising
Planned giving is an important part of a robust nonprofit fundraising strategy. This diverse category of gifts can unlock growth for your organization, help you reach new prospects, and deepen your ties with donors.
Getting started with planned giving is challenging for many organizations since this form of fundraising is unlike typical campaign-based and annual fundraising. However, the benefits of launching even a small-scale preliminary planned giving program are worth the effort and will scale over time to drive even greater results for your nonprofit.
To get started, you must understand the basics. This quick guide will cover the essentials by answering the following key questions:
Planned giving consists of donations to nonprofits made through donors’ estates or financial plans. Organizations that pursue these gifts consistently do so through dedicated planned giving programs, which are often managed as part of or alongside their other development efforts like major gift fundraising.
Most planned gifts are bequests established in donors’ wills and disbursed after their passing. But planned giving is much more than bequests—it’s an extremely diverse category of gifts.
What are the common types of planned gifts?
In addition to bequests, planned giving includes donations like:
Retirement plans and life insurance: A donor chooses to name a nonprofit as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or unused retirement assets.
Charitable gift annuities: A donor gives a large donation in exchange for a fixed income payment. The nonprofit can invest these funds and keep any remaining funds when the annuity’s terms are up or the donor passes away.
Charitable remainder trusts: A donor gives a gift of cash or securities in exchange for an income payment of a percentage of the principal amount, which can be revalued and increased annually depending on the type of trust created.
Charitable lead trusts: A donor makes payments to the nonprofit for a certain number of years or their lifetime. At the end of that term, the payments are returned to the donor or their beneficiaries.
Each type of planned gift brings different requirements and benefits, so the gift that a donor ultimately decides to make will hinge on several factors including their financial situation and giving motivations. Some gifts will also work best for only certain types of high-impact donors.
Many nonprofits also pursue a variety of non-cash gifts alongside their planned giving programs since the processes of identifying these donors and setting up their gifts can be fairly similar. Popular non-cash gift options include:
Grants from donor-advised funds
Donations of real estate
Gifts of private or public stock or mutual funds
Gifts of cryptocurrency
Explore the additional resources at the end of this article to start learning more about these types of donations.
What is the state of planned giving today?
How much opportunity is there for nonprofits in planned giving today? Who creates planned gifts? Understanding the context and trends of this type of giving will empower your organization to create the best possible strategy.
Consider these 2023 statistics from FreeWill, a will creation and planned giving platform for nonprofits:
The total number of estate plans created increased by 12% over the previous year.
15% of those users chose to create a bequest gift—a total of 40,123 bequests adding up to a value of over $2.36 billion.
The average size of a charitable bequest was $46,594.
Younger will-makers are expressing an increased interest in bequests. Those aged 18-24 were the most likely to include a bequest in a will, and their average gift increased by over $9,000. Those aged 25-44 were the only other age segment to also increase their average gift value.
Older will-makers still represent the largest groups involved in planned giving, with adults aged 65-84 committing 38% of all bequest dollars.
These trends are occurring within the larger phenomenon of the “Great Wealth Transfer,” an unprecedented transfer of assets from the aging Baby Boomer population to their heirs and charitable organizations—estimated to be around $68 trillion over the next 25 years.
Key takeaways: Donors are making wills and estate plans, especially as they age. If you’re not asking them to consider creating a planned gift, you’re missing out. Considering the giving patterns of older donors, the Great Wealth Transfer, and younger generations enjoying or entering their prime working years, a robust planned giving strategy can generate significant revenue for your organization. You’ll just need to know how to talk about planned giving effectively, starting with its benefits.
What are the benefits of planned giving?
Planned giving can help both the donor and the nonprofit in significant ways. Let’s take a closer look.
Benefits for Donors
Planned gifts allow donors to create lasting legacies and impact on the missions that they care about and/or have been meaningful for their families.
These donations are also highly flexible, giving donors the option of designating specific purposes for the funds and updating their instructions over time.
Planned gifts often also bring significant tax benefits for donors, usually relating to estate taxes, which can be a major motivator for some. However, the exact tax implications of planned gifts can vary widely, so it’s crucial to avoid giving donors explicit advice and instead direct them to professionals to confirm the specifics.
Benefits for Nonprofits
Planned giving is inherently meaningful and can greatly deepen relationships between your organization and its donors when thoughtfully stewarded.
Financially speaking, planned gifts can be extremely helpful for nonprofits. They’re often much larger than typical cash donations, and they’re usually unrestricted. A planned giving program can create a projectable, dependable source of general funding.
Planned gifts are also more accessible to more donors than cash gifts of the same values—while you might have only a handful of donors who can give a major cash gift, there’s a good possibility that you have more donors who could give the equivalent through saved assets.
Effective stewardship strategies have also been shown to increase annual donations from committed planned donors over time.
How do you get started with planned giving?
Your organization should spend time creating a strategy for its planned giving program before getting started asking for these gifts. Follow these steps to successfully execute your program:
Educate and organize your teams. Decide your goals and determine who will lead your planned giving efforts (usually a member of your development or fundraising department). Educate the members of your fundraising, marketing, or communications teams and any other staff who will play roles in your program.
Gather the right tools. You’ll need tools to market your program, track donation data, and help donors set up their planned gifts. Look for a planned giving platform that gives donors free will creation tools and provides you with the data you need to follow up and steward your relationships with them over time.
Identify potential donors. When looking for prospects, start with those most dedicated to your cause, including board members, volunteers, and longtime donors. Ask about their awareness of and interest in planned giving (and if they’ve already created a planned gift). Use these responses to build an initial prospect list, get a sense of their shared characteristics, and refine your approach as you learn more.
Create a legacy giving society. This can cultivate a feeling of community and inclusion in your organization, especially if it comes with perks like public acknowledgment or access to special events.
Outline a marketing strategy. Use multiple marketing channels to explain what planned giving is and why it’s so beneficial for both donors and your mission. Make it easy for donors to access information about planned giving, ideally by adding it as a section on your Ways to Give page or on a dedicated planned giving microsite.
Steward and learn more about planned donors over time. As you begin asking for and receiving planned gifts, actively work to keep those donors involved and engaged. Learn more about why they choose to give to inform your future strategies.
Don’t be afraid of starting small—your planned giving program can grow over time. By beginning with a targeted focus on simpler gifts like bequests, you can lay out an effective framework for eventually asking for more complex planned gifts or different types of non-cash gifts over time.
The key is to keep learning more and refining your approach as you go. Your development team already likely follows best practices for conducting prospect research, qualifying donors, building relationships, and stewarding donors. Use and adapt these strategies to your new planned giving goals.
Additional Planned Giving Resources
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more nonprofit management essentials by exploring our other introductory guides and glossary entries.
Planned Giving Marketing – Here are seven strategies to get your donor base on board with planned giving.
Donor-Advised Funds — Check out this complete introduction to DAFs, a type of philanthropic fund that’s skyrocketed in popularity in recent years.
Moves Management — Learn the basics of how to keep track of donor interactions as you work towards a specific goal like creating a planned gift.
Double the Donation and CrowdChange is excited to announce their new partnership and unveil a technical integration between Double the Donation and the CrowdChange fundraising platform. This collaboration equips nonprofit organizations to take advantage of the underutilized fundraising avenue that is corporate matching gifts.
“CrowdChange is committed to providing an intuitive, comprehensive fundraising platform for our partners,” says Marni Wiener, Chief Revenue Officer at CrowdChange. “By integrating with Double the Donationby Double the Donation, we enhance our existing fundraising platform and give our clients the tools they need to raise more from matching gifts.”
Leveraging Double the Donation and CrowdChange, organizations will be able to identify more match-eligible donors during the donation process and drive those matches to completion with Double the Donation’s customizable, automated workflows. This technology simplifies the matching gift process for donors and nonprofits alike, making it that much easier to bring in revenue from corporate matching programs.
“Double the Donation is excited to launch this partnership and add Double the Donationto CrowdChange’s powerful fundraising suite,” said Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “Nonprofit organizations often miss out on valuable matching gift funds, but with this technical integration CrowdChange users are equipped to make the most of matching gifts and raise more for their mission.”
The seamless integration between Double the Donation and CrowdChange equips fundraisers with the industry-leading matching gift software, effortlessly connecting donors to the next steps and raising more for the causes that matter most.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
With this seamless integration and streamlined activation process, you can connect your CrowdChange and Double the Donation instances in minutes.
Once you’ve connected your CrowdChange and Double the Donation accounts, all that is left to do is add the Double the Donation search tool to your donation forms! Donors can identify their employer on the donation form and be met with actionable next steps on the thank you page.
Double the Donation also sends automated email notifications to donors following the donation to reconnect donors to their matching gift application form based on their employer information, making it even easier to drive revenue with matching gifts.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Double the Donation ensures your matching gift opportunities don’t fall through the cracks.
Take advantage of this solution to:
Identify more matching gift revenue opportunities: Double the Donation enables you to automatically collect matching gift eligibility from donors using email domains, within donation forms, on confirmation screens, or by email. The more matching gift opportunities Double the Donation discovers and shares with donors, the more matching gift requests your donors will successfully submit.
Drive more matches to completion, from form submission to corporate payment: Direct donors immediately to their matching gift forms after the donation process is complete. Then, provide the right information to the right donors at the right time with custom emails based on match eligibility. Target follow-ups drive more completed submissions than ever before, bringing exponentially more matching gift checks from companies through your door.
Reallocate your time from routine follow-up to your top opportunities: Your time is valuable, so why spend it chasing small dollar-value matching gifts? Let Double the Donation automate your matching gift outreach while flagging your highest-value opportunities, allowing your team to personalize follow-ups to the most valuable match-eligible donations. Rest easy knowing that Double the Donation can handle the rest.
Ready to get started with matching gifts automation using CrowdChange? Request a demo today.
About CrowdChange: CrowdChange is a comprehensive events and fundraising software platform in the market. With an easy-to-use, no-coding design and features to cater to all your fundraising needs. Whether you’re planning signature events, DIY, or peer-to-peer campaigns, their platform provides the perfect tools for seamless execution. Ideal for non-profits, hospital foundations, universities, schools, and other impactful organizations, CrowdChange empowers you to take charge of your fundraising. To learn more visit https://www.crowdchange.co/home-og#Talktous
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more, visit https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DTD_CrowdChange-partnership-announcement.png290775Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2023-11-09 11:00:202025-07-27 20:37:40Double the Donation and CrowdChange Partner to Debut Innovative Matching Gift Integration
Expectations of the modern company have changed. To many people, a successful, noteworthy company is not just one that earns profits or offers enticing employee benefits. To win the support of employees, consumers, and other stakeholders, you must also stand as an advocate for social change. That’s where corporate volunteering comes in.
77% of consumers are more motivated to purchase from companies with CSR initiatives. By facilitating corporate volunteering, your company can power social good while engaging your employees in meaningful, rewarding activities. Whether you already have an established philanthropy program, or you’re just looking to launch one, you’ll need to build a repertoire of compelling volunteer ideas to inspire employees to participate.
We’ve compiled over 25 inspiring in-person and virtual ideas, along with tips on making the most of each corporate volunteer experience, in the following sections:
Chances are, many of your employees enter their roles expecting more than just responsibilities and a paycheck. Through corporate volunteering, you can help them find a larger purpose in their roles and encourage them to stay with your company for the long term.
Corporate Volunteer Activities: FAQs
Before we explore corporate volunteer ideas to engage your employees, let’s answer some frequently asked questions to get you started on the right foot.
What is corporate volunteering?
Corporate volunteering, or employee volunteering, refers to the time and skills that a company’s employees dedicate to charitable causes as part of their combined corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.
Since the estimated national value of every volunteer hour is $31.80, corporate volunteering allows companies to make a substantial difference in supporting nonprofit missions worldwide and leave a lasting impact on society. The most common types of corporate volunteering programs are volunteer time off (VTO) and volunteer grants.
VTO is a form of paid time off that employees must use to volunteer, thus allowing them to volunteer for their favorite causes during standard work hours. Volunteer grants are financial contributions awarded to the organizations that employees volunteer with the most (most companies have a minimum hours threshold to determine eligibility). To learn more about corporate volunteer programs and see how solutions like Double the Donation Volunteering can help your nonprofit take advantage of them, check out this video:
What are the benefits of corporate volunteering?
While it’s clear that volunteering brings significant benefits to nonprofits, it can be very rewarding to your company as well. By incorporating corporate volunteering ideas into your philanthropic initiatives, you can:
Promote team-building. A winning company culture relies on team-building. By assembling employees for a corporate volunteer event, you’ll help them develop collaboration and communication skills that they can then apply to their roles.
Boost employee retention. It’s one thing to have your employees show up for work every day. It’s another to have them fully invested in their roles and your company’s overall success. Corporate volunteering enables you to better engage your employees by creating a sense of community and purpose among them. This makes them more likely to stick around year after year.
Increase talent acquisition. According to a survey conducted by Paul Polman, 76% of U.S. employees want to work for a company that is trying to have a positive impact on the world. If your company makes it clear, through its corporate volunteering efforts, that it’s committed to the common good, then you’ll attract many more socially conscious job seekers to your roles.
Elevate your reputation. Ultimately, corporate volunteering demonstrates that your company is interested in more than making profits. This can go a long way toward building trust and cultivating support within your community.
While other corporate giving initiatives, such as community grants, can lead to similar benefits, corporate volunteering is one of the most popular and effective ways to directly engage employees in your social impact.
15 In-Person Corporate Volunteering Ideas
In-person corporate volunteer activities allow your employees to get directly involved in their local neighborhoods. Consider the following ideas to start engaging employees and strengthening connections with your community:
1. Organize a community cleanup.
Keep America Beautiful estimates that there are nearly 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S. roadways and waterways. Gather your employees to clean up a local park, beach, or other public space in your local area. This will not only create a more beautiful place for everyone to appreciate, but it will also reduce pollution and protect wildlife in the area.
Furthermore, this corporate volunteering idea can inspire local residents to pay more attention to their carbon footprint and how they can take better care of the community in which they live.
2. Spend a day at an animal shelter.
Enlist your employees to help out at an animal shelter for a win-win corporate volunteer activity. They’ll improve the lives of animals in need of homes, and at the same time, experience a boost to their mental health. Studies indicate that spending time with dogs can raise oxytocin and dopamine levels in people, which promote happiness and reduce anxiety.
There are a variety of volunteer roles that your corporate employees can fill at an animal shelter, such as walking dogs, taking pictures of adoptable animals, and cleaning up the shelter.
3. Build homes for people in need.
If your employees spend much of their time sitting in front of a desk, this corporate volunteering idea provides a wonderful opportunity for them to get active for a worthy cause. To organize this activity, you’ll typically partner with a nonprofit, such as Habitat for Humanity, that can oversee your employees’ efforts and guide them through the construction process.
Bank of America is one standout company that champions affordable housing, with a 30+ year partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Their employees spend about 35,000 a year supporting the nonprofit’s initiatives and making a difference in the lives of people facing housing insecurity.
4. Visit a senior center.
There are numerous roles that corporate volunteers can fill at a senior center. Depending on your employees’ skills and interests, they can:
Speak with and provide companionship to residents.
Lead arts and crafts activities.
Help with administrative tasks.
Assist with meal preparation.
Beyond lending a hand with daily activities, your employees can even plan and host a holiday party or another type of special event to brighten up residents’ lives.
5. Partner with a homeless shelter.
Last year, homelessness in the United States reached record highs. Support your local homeless shelter and assist an increasingly vulnerable population by:
Preparing and serving meals.
Helping children with their homework.
Sorting donated clothes and other goods.
Leading life skills workshops, such as resume writing.
Planning a corporate volunteer event at a homeless shelter is an opportunity for your employees to make a direct impact on the lives of other people in their community. They can not only help raise awareness about homelessness, but also build meaningful relationships with people in need of compassion and support.
6. Help out at a food bank.
Visiting a food bank is a popular volunteering activity for companies and individuals alike. Employees can work together to sort food at the facility, and then transport and distribute these supplies to support hunger relief in the community.
Disney is another company that has a particularly impactful corporate volunteering program. Employee participants in Disney’s VoluntEARS program often team up with food backs to address the needs of thousands of food-insecure community members. Beyond that, they get involved in initiatives ranging from making blankets to recording bedtime stories for children living in rural areas.
7. Support a school improvement project.
Engage your employees in enhancing the education of local students by participating in a school improvement project. These projects might involve:
Renovating classrooms.
Making improvements for accessibility.
Beautifying the school through landscaping and gardening.
Expanding and updating a school library.
This corporate volunteering idea is a stellar way to invest in the future generations of your community. To get started, reach out to local schools and identify those in need of support. With a thoughtful approach, your company can build lasting partnerships and set up more corporate volunteering opportunities in the future.
8. Donate blood.
According to the American Red Cross, someone in the United States needs blood and/or platelets every two seconds. Your company can either host its own blood donation drive or encourage employees to attend one that another organization is holding in the local area.
Before the event itself, be sure to provide educational materials to employees to highlight the importance of donating blood and include basic details on how the process works. This ensures that more employees feel comfortable participating when the day rolls around.
9. Run a donation drive.
Beyond donating blood, your employees can arrange and run a donation drive for a range of essential supplies and resources. For instance, your company could collect:
Clothing
Food
Books
School supplies
Pet supplies
In addition to encouraging employees to give their new and gently used items, you can invite everyone in your community to get involved. This can help your company cultivate new relationships with potential customers and job seekers while furthering your CSR goals.
10. Start or maintain a community garden.
Establishing or maintaining a community garden allows your company to leave a lasting impact on its community. If there isn’t currently one in your local area, consider renting out a vacant lot and creating a plan for how the garden will benefit everyone in the neighborhood.
If there is an existing community garden nearby, assemble a team of corporate volunteers to help with weeding, planting, and harvesting.
11. Plant trees as a team.
80% of consumers are more likely to buy from and 84% of employees are more likely to work for a company that stands up for the environment. Demonstrate your company’s commitment to the environment and engage your employees in a team-building exercise with tree planting.
One of the easiest ways to organize a tree-planting activity is to partner with a nonprofit or local conservation group dedicated to the environment and reforestation. They’ll have the expertise to guide your employees on how and where to plant saplings.
12. Offer a mentorship program.
Consider launching a mentorship program to facilitate connections between your employees and community members. Employees can volunteer their time to support mentees in areas such as:
Resume writing
Job interviews
Career advancement
Your company can choose to offer a virtual mentorship program as well. This would enable more people outside of your local area to participate, including remote employees.
13. Participate in a literacy program.
Literacy programs are essential resources that empower people of all ages to improve their communication skills and set a foundation for their future success. There are numerous ways your employees can support a literacy program, from serving as a reading buddy to creating educational resources for participants. Or, your company can even create its own.
Costco has its own Volunteer Reading Program that allows employees to support students in schools, community centers, and after-school programs. The company engages over 2,600 volunteers and even provides all the reading materials for the program.
14. Prepare and distribute care packages.
Throughout the year, or following a specific incident such as a natural disaster, your employees can assemble and distribute care packages to people in need. These can include anything from hygiene supplies to first aid kits.
Last year, for example, Delta volunteers delivered grocery boxes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and care packages for service members during USO Fleet Week events.
15. Host a sports clinic.
By hosting a sports clinic, your company can encourage both its employees and community members to engage in physical activity to promote well-being. The process is simple:
Choose a specific sport or activity based on employee or community interests.
Find a suitable location for the clinic.
Promote the event in your community.
Enlist employee volunteers to run the clinic.
With this corporate volunteering idea, your company can demonstrate its dedication to health and wellness in society.
11 Engaging Virtual Corporate Volunteer Ideas
For companies with remote or hybrid employees, putting together in-person corporate volunteer events may not be as practical or effective. Plus, some employees may want to participate in social change beyond just their local communities. In these cases, consider incorporating some of the following virtual corporate volunteer activities into your program:
1. Tutor students online.
About one-third of school leaders indicate that they don’t have the capacity to provide frequent, one-on-one tutoring to all students who need it, and nearly 20% report that they can’t even provide regular tutoring. By engaging your employees in online tutoring, your company can alleviate staff and resource shortages at educational institutions.
With video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, your corporate volunteers can offer one-on-one tutoring sessions with students. In doing so, they’ll be able to support academic excellence and make a tangible difference in the lives of individual students.
2. Provide translation services.
This virtual corporate volunteering idea is ideal for multilingual employees. Many nonprofits serve diverse populations, which means they may interact with people who prefer communicating in another language. In fact, nearly 66 million people, or around 21.6% of the U.S. population, speak a language other than English in their homes.
To help nonprofits make their services more accessible to everyone, your employees can translate documents, website content, and more.
3. Teach language classes.
Encourage your company’s multilingual employees to teach language classes as part of your corporate volunteering activities. They can conduct these classes over Zoom and facilitate practice discussions among online participants.
To make it easy for your employees to get involved, consider creating language learning materials that they can use in their classes. This way, they can dedicate their time to teaching without having to worry about creating a comprehensive curriculum or worksheets.
4. Plan skills-based workshops.
Your employees are a diverse group of individuals with their own interests, skills, and hobbies. Empower them to share their expertise by hosting workshops for people who are interested in learning a new skill. As a form of skills-based volunteerism, these workshops could focus on topics such as:
Business management
Art
Cooking
Leadership
Financial Literacy
If these workshops are related to employees’ roles, they can have the added benefit of reinforcing their skills and knowledge to boost their performance in the workplace.
5. Create content for nonprofits.
To secure enough support for their missions, nonprofits need to produce content to spread awareness and solicit donations. Your employees can assist nonprofits with their marketing efforts in various ways. For instance, they can:
Write blog articles.
Craft social media posts.
Produce short videos.
This corporate volunteering idea leaves employees with a finished product that they can look back on with pride.
6. Pitch in with graphic design.
If your employees have an eye for graphic design, consider having them offer their services to nonprofits. There are many areas where having well-designed images and graphics can come in handy, including:
Whether a nonprofit is looking to redesign its logo or revamp its website, having graphic design services can go a long way toward reaching and engaging new supporters.
7. Help with social media management.
According to Nonprofit Tech for Good, 87% of nonprofits regularly use social media for digital marketing and fundraising. However, with so much activity on social media, it can be a challenge for them to stand out among all the noise. Enlist your social media-savvy employees to help nonprofits by:
Creating eye-catching social media content.
Scheduling posts to maximize engagement.
Interacting with followers.
Doing so will free up more time and energy for nonprofits to focus on other mission-critical activities, such as delivering services to their beneficiaries.
8. Assist with grant writing.
Nonprofits need to seek funding from a variety of sources to continue fulfilling their missions. Many foundations and corporations offer grants to cover program or project expenses—however, a nonprofit must submit a compelling application before they can access those funds.
Since effective grant writing takes time and effort, this is an excellent opportunity for your company to pitch in, especially if you have employees with strong writing and communication backgrounds. They can research grantmakers, help write proposals, and proofread everything before submission.
9. Coordinate remote volunteers.
A nonprofit organization may have plenty of volunteers willing to dedicate their time and skills. Without proper volunteer management, however, they won’t be able to make the most of the resources at their disposal.
Recruit your employees to take over some key remote volunteer coordination responsibilities by onboarding, communicating with, and organizing volunteers in other areas of the world. This creates impactful, satisfying experiences that encourage volunteers to continue supporting a nonprofit time after time.
10. Offer coding support.
If your employees have coding experience, bring them together to offer coding assistance to nonprofits. They can lend a hand with:
Cybersecurity best practices
Web development
General IT support
Staff training
Additionally, consider opening up support beyond nonprofits and planning workshops for those interested in developing their programming skills.
11. Host virtual fundraising events.
Encourage your employees to take the lead in fundraising for nonprofits by hosting online fundraising events. Doing so allows them to tap into their personal networks and cultivate new supporters for a nonprofit’s mission. Get creative as you determine which types of fundraisers will appeal most to your employees and be sure to poll them on which organization or cause should receive the funds raised.
For instance, you could plan a virtual walk- or run-a-thon that employees can participate in by using their treadmills at home. Additionally, consider hosting silent auctions, raffles, and other contests such as a trivia night.
How to Put Your Corporate Volunteering Ideas into Action
Now that your company has some engaging corporate volunteer ideas up its sleeve, it’s time to start planning an experience that employees will be excited to take part in. Follow these steps to set your next event up for success:
Gather employee feedback. Survey your employees in advance to determine which types of corporate volunteer events, activities, and nonprofit causes resonate most with them. Use these insights to guide your planning.
Spread the word about upcoming opportunities. Ensure that your employees are aware of upcoming opportunities, so they can make room in their schedules to participate.
Communicate about nonprofit causes. One effective way to engage more employees in corporate volunteering is to share more information about the nonprofit causes that they’ll have an impact on. This may inspire them to sign up for your next event and make a difference in the community.
Consider offering incentives. For employees who are on the fence about participating, add an extra incentive such as paid volunteer time off (VTO) or a free lunch after volunteering to encourage them to get involved.
If you haven’t already, consider investing in workplace giving software to make planning and participating in corporate volunteer activities easier for everyone. A high-quality solution will streamline processes such as promoting volunteer opportunities and tracking employee hours.
Maintaining Momentum After a Corporate Volunteer Activity
For your corporate volunteer program to be successful in the long term, it’s important to understand that each event is not a one-and-done activity. Consider these tips to maintain momentum and keep your employees engaged after volunteering:
Practice recognition
Show employees that you value their participation by recognizing them for volunteering. There are several effective ways to do so, including:
Social media shoutouts
eCards
Branded merchandise
Furthermore, invite employees to give feedback on their experiences to demonstrate your commitment to providing them with more enticing volunteer opportunities in the future.
Share impact
Don’t leave your employees wondering whether their volunteer efforts actually left a meaningful impact on the world. According to VolunteerMatch, 66% of volunteers are motivated by making a difference in their community. Use multiple channels to celebrate the results of each volunteer event, including:
Website
Email newsletter
Social media
Doing so will both maintain employee engagement within your company and boost your reputation among customers and other stakeholders in the community.
Promote other corporate giving opportunities
Beyond taking part in your corporate volunteer activities, there are many ways employees can contribute to your philanthropic goals. For instance, consider offering volunteer grants to nonprofits after employees volunteer a certain number of hours with them.
Matching gifts are another popular program among many businesses, offered by 65% of Fortune 500 companies. Whether your company already has one in place or is considering starting one of these programs, check to see whether your corporate giving software integrates with the latest matching gift tools. Innovative features such as auto-submission, for example, make it easier than ever for employees to submit matching gift requests.
Wrapping Up: Enhancing Your Company’s Social Impact
As with any company initiative, remember to adopt an improvement mindset from the get-go. Identify and track relevant metrics to unearth insights for improving your corporate volunteer program over time. This ensures that you engage more employees and power more impact year after year.
To learn more about corporate philanthropy and employee engagement best practices, take a look at these additional resources:
Fun Fact: By working with a CLMA-certified matching gift platform, Innovative Discovery has become a 
Matching gift ratio – 1:1 (or dollar for dollar)
