For many students, attending an institution of higher education is a transformative experience. This is all thanks to the professors you hire, the programs you offer, the facilities you maintain, and the scholarships you grant. To continue presenting your students with the resources they need to fulfill all their academic and personal goals, however, you need funding.
Most schools immediately turn to alumni fundraising to acquire these funds—and it’s not hard to see why. Even though they’ve left your campus, your alumni will always have a special connection to your institution. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all you need to know to maximize alumni giving:
The more engaged your alumni are, the stronger your school’s community will be. Set your current and upcoming students for success by improving your alumni fundraising strategy.
Why is alumni fundraising important?
Colleges and universities undertake a variety of projects, initiatives, and improvements to create fulfilling experiences for their students. By securing alumni gifts, your school can:
Fund more scholarships. According to Hanover Research’s U.S. alumni survey, 74% of alumni indicate that their top inspiration for giving to their alma mater would be to either make education more affordable for other students or because they want to give back. Alumni donations are a stellar way for them to “pay it forward” and make your institution more accessible to aspiring scholars.
Create enriching programs and events. Alumni fundraising allows you to increase the value that students receive during their years of study. For instance, you might hire nutritionists to host informational healthy eating sessions, open up more study abroad opportunities, or expand your music program with new course offerings.
Improve campus facilities. Whether you’re seeking to construct a new dormitory building or renovate old classrooms, alumni gifts can provide you with the necessary funds to embark on such projects and improve the student experience on campus.
Upgrade technology. While new technology can be a considerable upfront investment, state-of-the-art tools like laser projectors, 360-degree lecture recording cameras, and interactive whiteboards can significantly boost student engagement.
Provide more student services. More students than ever are struggling with their mental health, with 44% reporting symptoms of depression and 37% indicating that they have experienced anxiety. Alumni gifts can go toward essential student support services such as mental health counseling, career planning, and tutoring.
It’s clear that alumni fundraising can have a significant impact on students and your institution as a whole, so much so that there are even higher education conferences dedicated to it. Understanding and communicating why gifts are so important can go a long way toward raising more from your graduates.
6 Strategies to Encourage Alumni Giving
Your school equips its students with the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive in the professional world. After they’ve received their diplomas and launched their careers, invite them to give back and set the next generation up for success. Follow these six strategies for requesting donations from alumni:
1. Conduct prospect research.
Your alumni are just as diverse as your student base. This means that, especially if you’re trying to secure a major or annual gift, some alumni will be more promising than others. Prospect research refers to the process of using philanthropic and wealth indicators to identify individuals who have both an affinity for your institution and the capacity to give.
Typically, you’ll search your alumni database for information such as:
Past engagement history with your institution, such as volunteering.
Personal interests related to your funding goals, such as an affinity for the arts.
Previous gifts made to your institution.
Real estate ownership.
Business connections.
Stock ownership.
By conducting prospect research, your school will determine which alumni to prioritize for your mid-size or major gift outreach. If this process seems too intensive for your team, there are plenty of prospect research services that can sift through your data and build a list of prospective donors for you to solicit.
2. Segment your alumni.
Before you begin crafting your fundraising messages and reaching out to alumni, take the time to segment your audience. This step involves separating your alumni into various groups based on shared characteristics so you can tailor your communications to resonate with each individual’s giving capacity, interests, and preferences.
An effective way to pinpoint the most promising groups for your segmented alumni outreach is to create a donor persona. According to Fifty and Fifty, a persona is useful for fleshing out your understanding of your target audience and pinpointing common overlapping traits. Here’s an example of a donor persona that could be useful for alumni fundraising:
Name: Melanie Martin
Age: 35-45
Gender: Female
Family Status: Married with young children
Location: Suburban
Education Level: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees
Occupation: Middle management in a marketing firm
Values: Community involvement, paying support they received in previous years forward
Interests: Connecting with fellow alumni, attending family-friendly events
Challenges/Pain Points: Limited time due to professional and family life, feels disconnected from the school since she graduated over ten years prior
From this persona, you could reasonably infer that Melanie’s main motivation for giving back is to support the programs that got her where she is today. Also, she would rather attend annual, family-friendly, reunion-style events. This allows her to reconnect with her alma mater while juggling the other important aspects of her life. Additionally, you could recommend that she signs up to donate smaller recurring gifts since they are much more convenient and manageable.
You can make personas like this for all your most influential donor segments. Just ensure you regularly revisit and update them with necessary information as your donor base evolves.
3. Promote matching gifts.
Your alumni give because they want to make an impact on your school and the students attending it. With matching gifts, they can double or even triple their donation amount at no additional cost. Many companies have a matching gift program as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, in which they’ll match employee gifts made to your institution at typically a 1:1 ratio.
However, an estimated $6-$10 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year, simply because donors aren’t aware of these opportunities. Ensure your alumni don’t miss out by promoting matching gifts across your various platforms. For example, consider:
Including basic information about these programs in a section of your email newsletter.
Sending follow-up emails after a match-eligible graduate makes a gift.
Producing eye-catching social media posts to spread awareness of matching gifts.
Creating a dedicated matching gifts page on your school website with detailed instructions about the process.
For alumni who are worried that they won’t be able to give enough to make a meaningful difference, learning about matching gifts could provide them with the motivation they need to follow through.
Check out our short video on matching gift best practices to unlock additional insights for improving your alumni fundraising strategy:
As the video suggests, your school can even turn to a matching gift expert for specialized assistance in using matching gifts to boost your fundraising efforts.
4. Invest in tools that facilitate alumni giving.
Modern technology has opened up many possibilities for your school to raise funds. The more options you provide your alumni, the more likely they are to donate. Some game-changing fundraising tools that are worth investing in are:
Matching gift software. A matching gift platform like Double the Donation makes it easy for your institution to identify match-eligible donors and send automated follow-up emails with all the information they need to request a match. Plus, with the latest auto-submission feature, alumni who work for a company with CSR software that integrates with Double the Donation can simply input their corporate email address when they donate and let the technology complete the entire request process for them.
Text-to-give platform. 85% of all Americans own a smartphone. Embrace the popularity of these devices by using a text-to-give platform that allows your alumni to donate directly from their phones. All they have to do is text your chosen keyword to your text-to-give number and receive a link that takes them to your mobile-responsive donation page.
Peer-to-peer fundraising software. Empower your most passionate graduates to fundraise on your behalf with peer-to-peer fundraising software. With this software, alumni can create individual branded donation pages to which they can direct their friends and family.
Event software. Hosting alumni events is an effective way to both keep them engaged and raise revenue for your school. By leveraging event planning and management tools, you can set up registration fees, plan in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, and create a memorable experience for all your attendees.
Online donation pages. Create a dedicated online donation page to house your alumni fundraising efforts. Include a matching gift FAQ, eligible funding programs, and an easy-to-use donation form. The philanthropic sectors of universities are also eligible for the Google Ad Grant, which you can use to enhance your donation page’s online visibility and appear on the top of Google’s search results page for keywords related to your institution.
Review your goals and budget before researching specific software solutions to implement for your institution. Take the time to read online reviews and request demos to determine which options will work best for your needs.
5. Provide a variety of opportunities to contribute.
Not every one of your graduates will be a major donor. However, that doesn’t mean many of them aren’t willing and eager to contribute in other ways. Keep these alumni involved by sharing a variety of opportunities for them to support your school, such as:
Planned giving. Alumni can set up planned, or legacy, gifts that your institution will receive after they pass. There are multiple types of planned giving, including bequests and charitable gift annuities. These gifts allow alumni donors to leave a legacy without having to worry about factoring donations into their day-to-day financial obligations.
Volunteering. While your recent graduates may not have the capacity to make large gifts, they can demonstrate their commitment to your school by contributing their time and skills instead. In fact, the average number of alumni who engage in volunteering is higher among those zero to five years out from graduating than any other cohort. Plus, if their employers offer volunteer grants, you can earn a certain amount of revenue based on the number of volunteer hours your alumni serve.
Fundraising. Encourage your alumni to participate in a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or start a birthday fundraiser on your school’s behalf. This way, they can support your fundraising efforts by reaching out to their friends and family members for donations.
Attending events. Alumni can register for your events or participate as speakers. For example, they could lend a hand by serving as a mentor for a current student or using their professional expertise to hold workshops on important topics such as financial literacy.
To open up more opportunities that appeal to your alumni, consider sending out a survey to find out what they’re most interested in. You could ask them about the types of events they prefer or what skills they would like to apply as volunteers.
6. Focus on building strong alumni relationships.
At the heart of it, alumni fundraising is anything but transactional. The key to success lies in building strong, meaningful relationships with your alumni. Start by collecting information on and abiding by their communication preferences. Hanover Research found that 7 in 10 alumni donors want to hear from their institution at least quarterly.
Stay connected beyond fundraising appeals by sharing relevant news, updating donors on the impact of their gifts, and interacting with graduates on social media. Remember to practice frequent, thoughtful recognition to demonstrate just how much alumni mean to your school. Rather than sending generic thank-you emails, consider these popular ideas to appreciate your alumni:
Send an eCard. Level up your thank-you’s by producing branded eCards that your team can effortlessly personalize with each recipient’s name and details related to their specific contribution. Dedicated eCard platforms like eCardWidget provide all the tools you’ll need to create your designs, add engaging animations, schedule your eCards, and more.
Gift branded merchandise. Whether you send them a t-shirt or a set of stickers, your alumni will be glad to have the chance to display their connection to your school. This type of appreciation has the added benefit of providing extra marketing for your institution as well.
Add spotlights to your website. Set up a dedicated page on your school’s website to publicly recognize some of your top alumni donors. Ask for permission to feature individual names, photos, and quotes to turn these spotlights into an inspiring resource for other alumni who are considering making a gift.
Whatever thank-you methods you choose, remember to emphasize how your alumni have made an impact on your institution and the lives of its current students to keep them continually invested in your success.
Alumni Fundraising Letter Template
When it comes time to reach out to your alumni, what do you say? Use this template as a jumping-off point for your alumni fundraising letter:
[School Letterhead/Logo]
Dear [Recipient’s Name],
We hope this letter finds you well. As a cherished alumn(us/a) of our [Institution Name] family, you know that we’re on a constant journey to provide our current and incoming students with the highest quality of education. In our pursuit of excellence, we’ve accomplished quite a lot in the past few years, including [one or two recent accomplishments].
This year, we’re taking on a new initiative to [fundraising goal]. By raising $[fundraising goal amount], we’ll be able to [impact on the institution and students].
Today, we kindly ask you to take a moment and reflect on your time at [Institution Name]. Will you join in our efforts to create more valuable experiences for our students, so that they can go on to pursue their career aspirations and lifelong dreams?
Any gift, no matter the size, will leave a lasting impact on our students, faculty, and institution as a whole. To make a contribution, [specific instructions on how to donate, such as visit your online donation page]. If you’d like to learn about other ways to support our initiative, please visit our website to explore volunteering opportunities, upcoming events, and more.
Thank you for being an integral part of our institution’s history and helping us shape a brighter future for [Institution Name] and our students.
Sincerely,
[Signature]
[Name]
[Title]
Popular Alumni Fundraising Ideas
Once you’ve developed a foundation of strong alumni relationships for your institution, get creative to maximize participation. Some popular alumni fundraising ideas to consider include:
Silent auction. Go beyond simply requesting donations from alumni by hosting a virtual or hybrid silent auction. No matter where they’re located, your attendees can bid on desirable items such as concert tickets, artwork, travel packages, and more—all while supporting your school. Procure items that you know will appeal to your alumni to encourage higher bidding and participation.
Cookbook. Your alumni may move away from campus, but that doesn’t mean they can’t feel close to your school’s community anymore. Ask your graduates to submit their best-loved recipes and compile them into a cookbook that you can sell to alumni, parents, and other supporters of your institution.
Sports watch party. Sports are a tried-and-true way to rally your alumni together and rekindle their love for your school. Organize watch parties for your next major sporting event and ask attendees to pay a small registration fee for the experience. These can be wonderful opportunities for alumni to bond and make connections with others in their area.
Brick fundraiser. Is your school planning to construct a new building or renovate an area on campus? Start a brick fundraiser that allows your alumni to purchase a personalized brick or tile with their name on it. You’ll be able to raise funds and your alumni will be able to leave a lasting, physical mark on your institution.
Alumni reunion. An alumni reunion gives your graduates a chance to reminisce about their time at your school and revisit old memories on campus. Beyond charging registration fees, you can earn additional revenue by selling branded merchandise and holding raffles during the event.
After each fundraiser, review key metrics such as your attendance rate and average gift amount to determine which ideas resonate most with your alumni. Use these insights to tailor your alumni fundraising strategy to increase participation moving forward.
Wrapping Up: Maximizing the Potential of Alumni Fundraising
The success of your alumni fundraising efforts depends upon building relationships that harken back to the value you provided graduates during their studies and call attention to the impact they can have on the students who come after them. Make all your alumni feel included by sharing a variety of ways they can contribute to your goals. Then, as they continue to grow and flourish in their lives, they’ll be able to respond to more opportunities to give.
To learn more tips and best practices for connecting with your alumni and raising funds for your school, check out these additional resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Alumni-Fundraising_Feature.jpg6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-25 19:23:382025-02-27 21:38:33Alumni Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Winning More Support
Well-managed finances are the backbone of successful nonprofits. To continue fulfilling your essential role in the community, you must meet IRS reporting requirements, build donor trust, and make informed decisions that contribute to your overall financial sustainability.
While assembling your nonprofit financial statements can seem like a mundane checkbox to mark off every year, they can be highly useful resources for refining your budget, enhancing your fundraising results, and more.
We’ll cover all the essentials about nonprofit financial statements in the following sections:
Many nonprofits include these statements in their annual reports to demonstrate accountability. By providing donors, volunteers, corporate sponsors, and other stakeholders with a clear window into your financial activities, you’ll enhance your credibility and increase your chances of securing even more support down the road.
The Importance of Nonprofit Financial Statements
According to a recent Independent Sector study, while most Americans trust nonprofits, 83% indicate that “Nonprofits must earn my trust before I support them” and 80% agree that “I need to see proof of an organization’s impact to continue my support for it.”
With so many pressing causes worth their attention, donors want to feel confident that your nonprofit will put their funds to good use. By sharing your financial statements, you can let them see for themselves just how effectively you’re working to accomplish your mission.
Beyond attracting and retaining donors, nonprofit financial reporting allows you to:
Improve financial decision-making. With a better understanding of your nonprofit’s financial situation and activities, you can make strategic adjustments to your budget and resource allocation. For example, you might decide to cut down on your event costs next year by investing in registration and planning tools that will allow you to host more virtual fundraising events.
Secure more major gifts. Major donors can provide substantial funding to power your programs, capital campaigns, or general operations. However, to cultivate these key individuals, you need to convince them that their gifts will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those you serve. Presenting them with your nonprofit financial reports is an effective way to demonstrate your track record and impact.
Build stronger corporate partnerships. Modern customer and employee expectations have led to a rise in corporate philanthropy initiatives such as matching gifts and event sponsorships. Your financial statements can convince companies that your nonprofit is a worthwhile investment. Plus, you can nurture long-term relationships by publicly recognizing your corporate partners in your annual report.
Win more grants. When applying for a grant, you’ll frequently have to include detailed financial information alongside your proposal. These statements prove that your organization possesses the fiscal stability necessary to make effective use of grant funding and carry out your proposed project.
Facilitate board financial oversight. Your board members have a fiduciary responsibility to monitor your nonprofit’s budget and financial health. This doesn’t mean they have to oversee every expenditure, nor do they need to be finance experts. Reviewing your financial statements allows them to ensure that your organization is managing its budget properly and complying with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which include consistent reporting for every period and honesty from all involved parties.
Evaluate your nonprofit’s performance. Since nonprofits are legally required to make their financial statements available to the public, you can use these resources to compare your performance with other organizations in your area of focus. In doing so, you’ll be able to identify ways to improve your strategies going forward.
Furthermore, charity watchdogs such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator often consider nonprofit financial reports when rating profiles on their website. Having clear and accurate statements can go a long way toward establishing trust in potential donors looking for new organizations to support.
4 Essential Types of Nonprofit Financial Statements
Nonprofits typically prepare four types of financial statements to visualize their financial health and communicate it to stakeholders:
1. Statement of Financial Position
Your nonprofit’s statement of financial position, or balance sheet, provides a summary of your organization’s financial health at a specific point in time. This document consists of three main elements: assets – liabilities = net assets. Let’s take a closer look at each element:
Assets. Assets refer to everything your organization owns, including cash, accounts receivable, investments, property, and office equipment. You’ll list these out in order of liquidity, or how quickly you would be able to convert them into cash. Cash requires no conversion, so you would record it first. Since you’d have to take the time to sell your property and office equipment to convert them to cash, these assets would be last.
Liabilities. Liabilities refer to everything your nonprofit owes to its employees, vendors, contractors, and other organizations. For example, you would catalog your accounts payable, loans payable, and other long-term obligations in this section. You’ll organize your liabilities by their due date, starting with the ones you must pay back first.
Net assets. To calculate your net assets, subtract your total liabilities from your total assets. While you don’t have to note down every item, you’ll split this section into net assets without donor restrictions and those with restrictions. For instance, a grantmaker might stipulate that you can only use grant funding for a specific project or purpose.
Many nonprofits often include a column for the current year and another for the previous year as a way to compare their financial performance. Feel free to use this template to start constructing your own nonprofit statement of financial position:
The details in your statement of financial position will come in handy when it’s time to file your Form 990. Additionally, you can use this report to learn more about your nonprofit’s liquidity. For instance, by dividing your total current assets by your total liabilities, you can calculate your current liquidity ratio. The higher the ratio, the better equipped you are to pay back all your liabilities.
2. Statement of Activities
Your nonprofit’s statement of activities, or income statement, details all your revenue and expenses throughout the fiscal year. Like your statement of financial position, this document contains three main elements:
Revenues. In this section, you’ll itemize all of your various revenue sources, such as cash donations, in-kind gifts, grants, membership dues, program fees, and investment returns. Your report will commonly include two categories to account for your restricted and unrestricted revenue.
Expenses. In this section, you’ll specify all the costs associated with running your nonprofit and carrying out your mission. For example, record staff salaries, facility rent, insurance, consulting services, supplies, and program-related expenses.
Net assets. Subtract your total expenses from your total revenue to calculate your net assets. You’ll typically indicate your net assets at the beginning of the year, your net assets at the end of the year, and your total change in net assets. A positive change in net assets means that your nonprofit is effectively managing its finances throughout the year.
Use our statement of activities template to hit the ground running with your nonprofit financial reporting:
By compiling a statement of activities, your nonprofit can evaluate the sustainability of its programs and determine whether you need to raise more funds to cover your projected expenses in the coming year. For instance, you might decide to focus on marketing matching gifts to generate the revenue you need to expand one of your core programs.
3. Statement of Cash Flows
A statement of cash flows provides your nonprofit with a more minute overview of the cash moving in and out of your organization. Your report will have three main sections:
Operating activities. These activities refer to the revenue and expenses associated with operating your nonprofit. You’ll log staff salaries, program fees, and donations in this section.
Investing activities. In your statement of cash flows, you’ll list information such as long-term investment purchases and sales, including property and equipment. Additionally, you’ll note down revenue such as interest earned on your investments.
Financing activities. Your financing activities refer to any revenue you generate from your savings and financial expenses, like credit card or loan payments.
Like your statement of financial position, it can be helpful to include a column for the current year and a column for the previous year in this report. This way, your leadership team, board members, and other stakeholders can have a better understanding of how your nonprofit generates and spends its cash from year to year.
Start assembling your nonprofit’s statement of cash flows using this template:
By consistently monitoring your cash inflows and outflows, you’ll be able to notice important trends and use them to adjust your financial strategy in the future.
4. Statement of Functional Expenses
A statement of functional expenses recounts all of your spending, categorizing each expenditure by the purpose it served for your nonprofit. You’ll break up this financial statement into three columns:
Program services. In this column, you’ll enumerate all the funds your nonprofit spent to provide its services and carry out its mission. For example, a hunger relief organization may note travel costs for food delivery while a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit may include animal care supplies as part of its program expenses.
Management. Your nonprofit’s management expenses refer to all the costs related to running and managing your organization. Some common management expenses would be employee salaries, office equipment, and rent.
Fundraising. In this column, you’ll identify all the expenses associated with raising funds for your nonprofit, including the costs of fundraising event planning, new software solutions, and marketing.
Form 990 includes a “statement of functional expenses” page for 501(c)(3) organizations to fill in. While each nonprofit will have different rows of specific expenditures depending on its activities and area of focus, you can use this basic template as a jumping-off point for your nonprofit functional expenses reporting:
You can use the insights from this nonprofit financial statement to guide your annual budget planning. Plus, this publicly available information can provide current and prospective donors with the context they need to decide whether they’d like to support your nonprofit based on how it employs its funds.
How to Prepare Your Nonprofit Financial Reports
Plan to compile these nonprofit financial statements well before the end of your fiscal year to ensure that you have all the time you need to fulfill your accounting requirements. Follow these general steps to start preparing your reports:
Assemble your financial data. Since your nonprofit financial statements offer a comprehensive rundown of various aspects of your operations and mission, you’ll need to reference receipts, bank statements, and records of other financial transactions to complete them.
Use dedicated nonprofit accounting software. Many nonprofit accounting solutions make it easy for your organization to manage its financial data, track real-time performance, and even automatically generate its financial statements.
Review and audit your nonprofit financial statements. Auditing your financial reports can go a long way toward increasing accountability and transparency in the eyes of your nonprofit’s stakeholders. Furthermore, an audit ensures that all your financial data is error-free, so you can confidently share it in your annual report and use it to inform your future strategies.
Consider partnering with a nonprofit accountant. With so much that needs to be done to fulfill your nonprofit’s mission, tax season and all its requirements might seem like an overwhelming addition to your to-do list. Fortunately, there are accounting experts with years of experience in helping nonprofits prepare their financial reports. Consider reaching out to these professionals to lighten your workload.
Ultimately, your nonprofit financial statements are snapshots of your financial health and activities that you can use to improve your decision-making and secure more support down the line. A nonprofit consultant can work with your team to interpret your financial data and harness it for future growth.
Strong Examples of Nonprofit Financial Reporting
Assembling your nonprofit financial reports may seem like an intensive process, but it’s perfectly feasible. Let’s take a look at some excellent examples that other nonprofits have produced and shared:
1. Feeding America
Feeding America includes a “Financials” section in its annual report and states upfront that “98% of contributions go directly to programs that serve people facing hunger.” The nonprofit’s statement of financial position and statement of activities provide the necessary details to back up this claim, which can increase trust among donors, volunteers, and other supporters in the community.
Plus, at the bottom of the page, Feeding America adds a link to view its audited financials for anyone interested in delving deeper into its financial situation and activities.
2. The World Wildlife Fund
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) features graphs alongside its statement of activities to present its annual report readers with a more visual perspective of its revenue and expenses. With just a glance, it’s easy to see that 85% of total expenses were program-related and that the majority (29%) of operating revenue came from individual contributors.
Furthermore, WWF adds graphs that illustrate the nonprofit’s operating revenue and program spending growth over the past decade.
3. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) shares its audited financial statements for the past five years on its website. Each report comes with a note from the independent auditor stating that they conducted the audit according to the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) to ensure that each document is free from any misstatement.
4. Heifer International
Similar to LLS, Heifer International has an entire page on its website devoted to sharing its financial information with stakeholders, including a graph that maps out its expenses over the fiscal year. The nonprofit even compares its results with the Better Business Bureau standard for charities, stating that it has gone above and beyond by allocating 75% of funds to program expenses and 21% to fundraising activities.
Wrapping Up: Understanding Your Nonprofit’s Financial Health
While preparing your nonprofit financial statements can feel like wrangling a bunch of numbers together, remember that your ultimate goal is to turn these data points into a story that donors, board members, corporate partners, and other stakeholders can understand.
Whether you add graphs to visualize your most important financial details or simply include your audited reports on your website, consider how you can cater to your audience’s interests and preferences. Engaging stakeholders in your financial reporting and providing transparency can turn reporting requirements into increased impact for those you serve.
For more information on how to improve your nonprofit’s financial situation and share better results year after year, check out these additional resources:
14 Types of Corporate Philanthropy You Should Know About. Companies are finding more and more ways to support nonprofits and make a difference in their communities. Explore popular types of corporate philanthropy and how to tap into them.
Matching Gift Videos | Examples and Best Practices. Matching gifts can bring in significant revenue for your nonprofit, at no additional cost to your donors. Discover how you can effectively use videos to promote these opportunities.
Nonprofit Basics: Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits. Want to expand your reach without straining your marketing budget? Learn all about Google Ad Grants and how you can unlock $10,000 to spend on Google Ads credits every month.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Nonprofit-Financial-Statements_Feature.jpg6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-25 19:05:072024-09-16 17:14:21How to Master the Art of Nonprofit Financial Statements
According to OneCause’s Fundraising Outlook Report, the percentage of organizations that identify donor retention as a critical priority has decreased from 57% to 51%. While it’s concerning that fewer nonprofits are trying to reduce costs and form lasting relationships by focusing on donor retention, this insight reveals an opportunity to get ahead and stand out from other organizations vying for attention in your sector.
While the average donor retention rate hovers around 40%, there are strategies your organization can implement to increase this number and secure more long-term support. The top way to keep donors coming back is to create a donor stewardship plan.
We’ll help you dive into donor stewardship by reviewing the following topics:
With a better understanding of donor stewardship and a dedicated plan, you can make stewardship an ongoing, iterative process at your organization and consistently build enduring donor relationships.
What is donor stewardship?
Donor stewardship is the process of extending a relationship beyond the donor’s gift. The ultimate goal of donor stewardship is to encourage them to give again by building a deeper connection with them. Developing that sense of loyalty will make your fundraising efforts more seamless in the future because you’ll have a strong supporter base to tap into.
For stewardship to be effective, nonprofits must form mutually beneficial relationships with their donors. While nonprofits receive financial support, donors get to feel good about the impact they’ve made and join a community of people passionate about your cause. To create these relationships, nonprofits implement stewardship strategies that keep donors updated on the impact of their gifts and provide them with additional engagement opportunities.
What is the relationship between donor stewardship and retention?
Donor retention is a measure of how many donors come back to contribute to your organization after their initial gift. You can calculate your donor retention rate by dividing the number of donors who gave again this year by the number of donors who contributed last year, then multiplying that number by 100.
In recent years, donor retention has been on the decline, with an overall donor retention rate of 42.6% in 2022, which was 3.5% less than the previous year. There are costs associated with acquiring new donors, and when your donor retention rate is low, your organization has to continuously maximize the time, effort, and resources it pours into donor acquisition.
Donor stewardship helps your organization conserve resources and build a more reliable donor pool. You need regular communication to remind donors of your cause and how vital their support is, and with a dedicated donor stewardship plan, you can keep in contact with donors and ultimately retain them.
Additionally, retained donors are more valuable to your organization because they give more, more often, and are more likely to engage with your nonprofit in other ways. Considering 94% of recurring donors prefer to give to their causes of choice monthly, stewarding these donors enables you to build a consistent community of supporters rather than a sporadic, constantly shifting list of one-time donors.
Lastly, you already have data stored for previous donors in your database or constituent relationship management platform (CRM). You can use this information to reengage and steward these relationships because you know more about their interests and preferences. With a data-driven stewardship approach, you can meet donors where they are and personalize your communications to retain their support.
The donor pyramid is a visual representation of different donor giving levels. Since first-time donors are likely your largest donor group, they occupy the bottom of the pyramid whereas the few major donors you have reside at the top. When you understand which category of the pyramid each donor fits into, you can better steward them up the pyramid and increase their support.
The main categories of the donor pyramid include:
Prospective donors. Some organizations include prospective donors at the bottom of the pyramid to represent all potential giving opportunities. You may omit this group or narrow it down to those who have shown interest in your cause but haven’t yet contributed monetarily, such as volunteers, social media followers, or newsletter subscribers.
First-time donors. Most nonprofits place first-time donors at the bottom of the pyramid. While these supporters have demonstrated interest in your mission, it’s crucial to follow up with them immediately after their initial gift to show your appreciation and share the impact of their contribution.
Recurring donors. Recurring donors may give on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or varying basis. You may create different segments for each of these groups and develop stewardship strategies depending on giving frequency.
Planned donors. Planned donors pledge gifts to be contributed to nonprofits once they pass away. These bequests are typically sizable donations, so it’s important to show your appreciation for planned donors’ contributions.
Major donors. The top of the pyramid is comprised of major donors who give the largest gifts to your organization. Depending on your nonprofit’s size and typical donation amounts, you may define your major gift threshold differently than other organizations do.
To form your nonprofit’s own donor pyramid, draw supporter insights from your donor database. This information will help you determine which categories to include, roughly how many donors are in each tier, and how to best steward each group to higher levels of the pyramid or larger commitments at their current tier.
How does donor stewardship fit into donor cultivation?
Donor cultivation is the process of acquiring new donors and strengthening relationships with them. While donor stewardship is the last step in the cultivation cycle, it’s important to understand each step in the process and how it informs your stewardship efforts:
1. Identification
The first step in the donor cultivation cycle is to identify potential donors. This step may involve reviewing your CRM for supporters who may be interested in donating, identifying previous or lapsed donors, or conducting outreach to those who are completely new to your organization and mission.
Some strategies for identifying prospective donors include:
Prospect research. When you’re looking for potential major donors, conducting prospect research can help you determine supporters’ giving capacity and willingness to contribute. That way, you can focus your outreach on those who are most likely to make a major contribution.
Existing connections. Current supporters and stakeholders in your organization can help you identify people in their networks who may be interested in contributing to your cause. Ask your board members, major donors, and staff if they have any connections they can leverage.
Surveys. Sometimes the best way to identify if someone would be interested in giving is to simply ask them. Send surveys to your supporter base asking them if they’re open to making a monetary contribution and what type of gift they would like to make.
In this stage, it’s important to emphasize your nonprofit’s mission and let potential donors know the impact their contributions could make.
2. Qualification
Now that you’ve identified potential donors, it’s time to narrow down that list further to prioritize those with the highest giving likelihood. Some factors you may assess to determine the most qualified potential donors are:
Previous engagement. Potential donors may have interacted with your organization in ways other than donating, such as attending an event, volunteering, following your social media accounts, or signing up for your newsletter. These interactions demonstrate potential donors’ interest in your nonprofit and may indicate their likelihood to donate.
Wealth markers. Identifying potential donors’ capacity to give is especially useful for determining who may become a major donor. These wealth indicators may include real estate ownership, stock holdings, and business affiliations.
Affinity markers. Just because someone has the capacity to give doesn’t mean they’re interested in contributing. Affinity markers such as political involvement and previous support for other charitable causes allow you to assess the alignment between a potential donor’s values and your organization’s mission.
While some of this information may be stored in your CRM or found in public records, it can be helpful to work with a fundraising consultant or data provider who can acquire this data for you.
3. Cultivation
The cultivation step involves laying the foundation for a long-term relationship with prospects. Before soliciting a donation, introduce potential donors to your organization and invite them to get involved with:
Educational materials. Allow prospects to learn more about your mission and work by providing them with educational materials. Send them introductory pamphlets, videos of your beneficiaries, and summaries of your services so they can become more familiar with your organization.
Volunteer opportunities. When prospects volunteer with your nonprofit, they’ll receive hands-on experience with your cause. As a result, they may develop a connection to your mission and be more open to donating.
Events. An event is a perfect opportunity for prospects to meet current donors and find out why they support your cause. Consider inviting prospects to your next fundraising or advocacy event so they can become immersed in your community and determine if they’d like to become more involved.
Personalizing your communications with prospects is also a powerful strategy for developing relationships with them. Use data from your CRM to learn more about your prospects and tailor your communications accordingly. For example, if a prospect recently volunteered with your nonprofit, thank them for their support and follow up with additional volunteer opportunities they may be interested in.
4. Solicitation
After getting to know potential donors and informing them about your organization, you can begin soliciting donations. When making your initial asks, keep these tips in mind:
Be specific. Using the data you’ve gathered about your prospects, suggest a specific donation amount that aligns with their giving capacity. You should also be clear about what that amount of money will allow your nonprofit to accomplish. For example, an animal shelter might specify that a $100 donation allows it to restock its pet food supply for one week.
Appeal to prospects’ emotions. Don’t be afraid to use emotionally charged language to show prospects why they should care about your cause and how they have the power to make an impact. Including a testimonial from a beneficiary or current donor can help make a prospect’s potential impact more tangible.
Mention matching gift opportunities. Did you know that 84% of people say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered, and 1 in 3 donors claim they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation? Informing prospects about matching gift opportunities in your ask can motivate them to donate and allow you to gain even more for your cause. Matching gifts occur when a company matches their employees’ donations to a nonprofit, usually at a 1:1 ratio. As a result, your nonprofit can double its donation revenue. Learn best practices for promoting matching gifts in the video below:
As the video states, raising awareness for matching gifts is key. Once potential donors know about the power of matching gifts, you can make the process easier by researching their eligibility for them or providing them with a matching gift database where they can easily find their employer’s matching gift policies.
If a prospect says “no” to your first ask, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed to garner their support. Continue cultivating a relationship with this individual until it’s appropriate to make another donation request. Even if they don’t end up contributing monetarily, they can still become an active member of your community by volunteering, attending events, and engaging with your content online.
5. Stewardship
You should begin the donor stewardship process immediately after a prospect becomes a donor. Follow these steps to kick off your stewardship efforts:
Thank donors for their support. Show donors your appreciation for their contributions. To quickly and efficiently thank donors, automate a thank-you eCard to be sent to each donor right after they submit their donation. For larger gifts, you may send a handwritten thank-you note or call major donors to demonstrate your appreciation.
Recognize your donors. Larger gifts may also warrant public recognition of your donors through plaques, donor appreciation events, or invitations to your nonprofit’s giving society. You can also recognize mid-level donors by creating social media or newsletter spotlights.
Report on their impact. No matter the size of their donation, donors want to know that your organization is using their funds responsibly. Update donors on the specific initiatives you’ve allocated their donations toward, whether that’s a new program, supplies, a fundraising event, or something else entirely.
While these steps are a great start to donor stewardship, you’ll need a dedicated stewardship plan to effectively sustain your relationships with donors.
Creating a Donor Stewardship Plan: 5 Steps
A systematic approach to donor stewardship ensures no donor gets left behind and that your team knows exactly how to uphold donor relationships. To create a donor stewardship plan, follow these essential steps:
1. Determine your donor stewardship goals.
The beginning of any plan should start with goal creation, and donor stewardship is no different. Goals developed using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal framework allow you to measure the success of your stewardship plan more easily.
For example, your nonprofit may want to grow its recurring giving program. Here’s how your team could incorporate each element of the SMART goal framework into your objectives:
Specific. Our fundraising team will reach out to first-time donors to introduce them to the recurring donor program and demonstrate how recurring gifts will maximize their impact.
Measurable. Our goal is to convert 20% of first-time donors into recurring donors.
Achievable. Considering 57% of donors are enrolled in a recurring giving program, and we had 10% of last year’s first-time donors become recurring donors, this is a challenging yet realistic goal.
Relevant. Growing our recurring donor program will allow us to develop a more consistent revenue stream for our nonprofit, empowering us to better serve our beneficiaries and fulfill our mission.
Time-Bound. Our goal is to convert these donors to recurring donors by the end of the year. We will start communicating with first-time donors next week and track monthly progress.
Other common goals may include increasing your donor retention rate, bolstering your major gift fundraising, or improving your post-event outreach. No matter what your goals are, setting clear objectives allows your team to stay on track and create progress benchmarks so you can make adjustments as needed.
2. Segment your donors.
While reaching out to each donor individually would be ideal for stewardship, it’s often unfeasible. When you segment your donors into relevant groups, you can personalize the donor stewardship process more efficiently.
Common ways to segment donors include grouping by:
Donation amount
Donation frequency
Donation recency
Engagement level
Communication preferences
Demographics
Then, you can reach out to each group with communications and engagement opportunities that they’ll resonate with. For example, you may create a special newsletter for monthly donors that lets them know about upcoming events and volunteer outings happening each month.
3. Develop an outreach cadence.
Using your segments, create an automated outreach cadence that keeps donors’ shared characteristics in mind. New donors should receive more in-depth information about your organization and mission that they may not have received in the initial cultivation process. Then, you can automate more specific communications to your segments to streamline your donor stewardship.
By integrating your email marketing software and your donor database, you can create personalized campaigns depending on donors’ interests and current stages in the stewardship process. For instance, during the cultivation stage, you may send prospects within a ten-mile radius of your organization’s headquarters information about in-person events and engagement opportunities in their community.
4. Offer additional engagement opportunities.
To maintain relationships with donors, you’ll need to offer engagement opportunities other than simply donating. While you may already have general fundraising events and volunteer opportunities planned, take the time to develop additional opportunities for donors to engage with your cause, such as:
Cause-related workshops and speaker sessions
Meetings with beneficiaries
Tours of your facility
Exclusive major donor events
Fundraising event planning committees
When you share activities with your donors that are unaccompanied by a donation ask, you prove to donors that you’re committed to providing them with a positive experience with your nonprofit. Through a variety of engagement opportunities, you can build a strong community of supporters and advocates for your cause.
5. Collect feedback.
You can (and should) measure progress using the key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals you identified early on in the stewardship process. However, qualitative data in the form of donor feedback can give you insight into what your donors enjoy about your stewardship efforts and what your team could improve.
Send regular surveys to your donors to gather feedback about your donor stewardship plan. The questions you may ask include:
How often would you like our nonprofit to communicate with you?
Is our current communication frequency too little, too much, or the right amount?
What engagement opportunities have you most enjoyed?
What additional engagement opportunities would you like to see offered?
Is there anything else our nonprofit can do to improve your experience with us?
Analyze donors’ responses with your team to glean any insights you can apply to your donor stewardship plan. For donors with multiple ideas or many points of feedback, consider calling them to hear more about their experience and gain an even more in-depth understanding of your stewardship efforts’ efficacy.
Wrapping Up
With a comprehensive donor stewardship plan, your nonprofit can build strong donor relationships, increase donor retention, and earn more for your cause. Whether you’re trying to grow your recurring donor program, acquire more major donors, or follow up with event attendees more effectively, a dedicated plan will assist you in reaching your goals and stewarding donors to higher levels of the donor pyramid.
To learn more about elements of the donor stewardship process, check out these resources:
Nonprofit Basics: The Donor Pyramid. When you develop a donor pyramid, you can more easily steward donors to higher engagement levels. This guide presents tips for how to personalize your donor pyramid to your organization.
Donor Recognition: When & How to Acknowledge Supporters. Recognizing your donors allows you to show your appreciation and strengthen your relationships with them. Dive deeper into donor recognition strategies with this guide.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Donor-Stewardship_Feature.jpg7502000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-24 21:15:242024-10-01 12:46:26Donor Stewardship: How to Retain Support Effectively
Whether it’s a sorority, a food bank, or a socially responsible business, some organizations require their members to volunteer to build their skill sets and give back to their communities. Many nonprofits benefit from the temporary extra hands that mandatory volunteering provides, but there are many ways that you can convert these short-term volunteers into committed supporters, even after they’ve hit their hourly quota.
In this guide, we’ll go over the basics of mandatory volunteering programs and how your nonprofit can leverage them. Specifically, we’ll cover:
Let’s explore how your nonprofit can help your mandatory volunteering program reach its full potential.
Mandatory Volunteering FAQ
What is mandatory volunteering?
Mandatory volunteering is when an organization requires individuals to volunteer for a certain amount of time to receive benefits. Some examples of mandatory volunteering in practice include:
Educational institutions require students to volunteer as a graduation requirement.
Membership-based organizations require individuals to volunteer as a membership requirement.
Social service organizations require individuals to volunteer to receive social services, such as food banks where beneficiaries contribute volunteer hours for meals.
Judicial systems require individuals to volunteer in the form of community service as rehabilitation or restitution for minor offenses.
Businesses require their employees to volunteer as a team-building exercise.
Chances are, your nonprofit has an organization in your area that mandates volunteering. Volunteers for these organizations can make great additions to your program—we’ll explore the benefits in-depth in a later section.
How does mandatory volunteering work?
Before you add mandatory volunteering outreach into your nonprofit’s recruitment strategy, you should understand how it works. While each organization is different, most mandatory volunteering programs function like this:
The organization providing volunteers defines the objectives, rules, and structure of its mandatory volunteering program to complement its overall goals. Program guidelines might include the number of required volunteer hours or the type of volunteering the participant must complete.
Often, the organization providing volunteers reaches out to a nonprofit and establishes a partnership. While a partnership isn’t required, it ensures that the nonprofit has a steady stream of volunteers while guaranteeing placements for those who are required to volunteer.
The nonprofit provides custom onboarding and training for mandated volunteers based on their skill set, experience, and motivation for volunteering.
Once the volunteers have hit their required hours, the nonprofit thanks them for their work and gives them an exit survey to see how it can improve their program.
As you can see, mandatory volunteer programs benefit from open communication and mutual understanding between nonprofits and the organizations that mandate volunteering.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of mandatory volunteering for nonprofits?
Recruiting mandated volunteers isn’t the best solution for every nonprofit. Before deciding to add it to your outreach strategy, take these pros and cons into account:
Pros:
Expanded volunteer base. Mandated volunteers can improve your recruitment efforts and fill out your work schedule.
Consistent availability. Mandated volunteers will make a greater effort to schedule and attend volunteer shifts so they can hit their hourly quota.
Enhanced donation potential. Showing the importance of your mission through mandatory volunteering can inspire them to donate to your cause.
Improved community engagement. Forming partnerships with volunteer providers can help you make connections with other organizations in your community.
Potential for a long-term commitment. By being exposed to your nonprofit and mission, mandated volunteers might genuinely appreciate your staff, beneficiaries, and other aspects of your nonprofit and become long-term supporters even after they’ve hit their hours.
Cons:
Lack of connection to your cause. Since mandated volunteers come to your nonprofit to fulfill a requirement, they might not have a strong affiliation with your cause, which can lead to burnout.
Capacity challenges. Depending on the size of your mandated volunteer base, you might have to turn people away to avoid overwhelming your team or depleting your resources.
Mismatch of skills and needs. Since your mandated volunteers might have specific hour requirements and limited choices in their placements, it’s possible that their skills won’t be a good match for your nonprofit’s needs.
Various reasons for participating. Some of your volunteers might feel more or less enthusiastic about volunteering with you depending on their reasons for being there, which can impact their productivity and your overall performance.
High turnover rate. Since many mandated volunteers are motivated by their hourly benchmark, they’re more likely to move on after they’re done working with your organization.
How can you gauge if recruiting mandated volunteers is right for your nonprofit?
Adding mandatory volunteering to your recruitment strategy can be a big decision. Use this decision tree to evaluate whether your nonprofit would benefit from recruiting mandated volunteers. Any “no” answers mean it might not be right for your nonprofit currently and any “yes” answers mean you should proceed to the next decision.
Do you have a consistent need for volunteers?
Can you accept the costs of training mandatory volunteers knowing that they may not stay engaged long-term?
Can you provide meaningful and varied volunteer opportunities?
Do you have the capacity to manage and train a large number of volunteers?
Are there businesses, educational institutions, or social services organizations nearby to partner with?
Can you ensure a positive experience for volunteers?
Can your nonprofit accept the increased liability of working with mandated volunteers, including those fulfilling volunteer hours as part of court-ordered community service?
Please note that this is only a baseline decision tree. Each nonprofit is unique, so you should incorporate your own needs, goals, and preferences into account and adjust accordingly. Also, work with your legal team to review any potential legal issues or risks.
How to Turn Mandatory Volunteers into Lifelong [or Long-Term] Supporters
Accepting mandated volunteers into your program provides new opportunities to convert casual audience members into passionate donors and volunteers. You can convert them, boost fundraising, and secure your long-term success with these tips.
1. Spread awareness of volunteer grants and other CSR programs.
Many companies that mandate or highly encourage volunteering also offer other corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, like volunteer grants and matching gifts. Mandated volunteers can amplify their positive impact by contributing volunteer grants to your nonprofit
Volunteer grants are a CSR program in which corporations promise monetary donations if an employee volunteers for a certain amount of hours with a nonprofit. Here’s how your nonprofit can promote and collect volunteer grants from mandated volunteers:
An individual volunteers extensively at your nonprofit
Your team identifies volunteer-grant-eligible participants with a CSR database like Double the Donation
Your nonprofit reaches out to them, promoting volunteer grants and providing instructions for researching their policy
The volunteer researches their company policy
If the volunteer has met the policy requirements, they submit volunteer grant forms
The company reviews the volunteer grant application
If the application is approved, the company donates funds to the nonprofit
Besides volunteer grants, you can also promote other CSR programs to boost support for your mission. For instance, you can spread awareness of matching gifts, a CSR program in which employees can get their charitable contributions matched by their employer if they meet the program’s criteria. Research the types of CSR programs that your mandatory volunteers might respond well to and spread the word at an upcoming shift.
2. Focus on making lasting connections.
While their reasons for supporting your nonprofit may differ, mandated volunteers should be treated the same as other volunteers, which means you should strive to forge a personal relationship with them. Furthermore, mandated volunteers who feel welcomed and valued are more likely to continue working with your nonprofit. Here are some ways you can make mandated volunteers feel like part of the team:
Get to know them personally. Simply learning all of your new volunteers’ names when they show up for their first shift demonstrates that you put effort into getting to know them as people. You can take it a step further by asking about your volunteers’ hobbies, experiences, and other personal information on their intake form.
Offer social activities. Facilitate a welcoming community by allowing your volunteers to get to know each other outside of their shifts. For instance, you could organize a dinner at the end of a shift so mandated volunteers can make connections while bonding over great food.
Invite them to fundraisers and other events. Introduce volunteers to new aspects of your organization by inviting them to fundraisers and other events. This can help them feel more connected to their work and gives you the chance to strike up a conversation with them.
Provide progress updates. Show your volunteers the real impact of their work by updating them on your nonprofit’s progress. For example, you could let food bank volunteers know that a week’s worth of work yields an additional three hundred meals.
Genuinely showing that you care about your mandated volunteers as people is the most important component of motivating them to stick around after they’ve hit their quota. Take every opportunity to talk to them, compliment them on a job well done, and integrate them into your volunteer community.
3. Show your appreciation.
Your nonprofit relies on the help of your volunteers to execute your programs and give back to your beneficiaries at a high caliber. Showing your appreciation for their efforts isn’t just a nice thing to do—it also improves volunteer satisfaction and retention. Try these strategies for showing your gratitude to mandated volunteers:
Create custom awards. Whether they’re performance-based or superlative, invite your volunteers to an awards ceremony where you recognize them for their accomplishments. Just make sure you get permission from each attendee to be recognized publicly.
Take extra steps to improve your program. Go above and beyond to make your program stellar so mandated volunteers will want to stay. Ask them for feedback once they’ve completed a few shifts with your nonprofit and keep them updated on which items you plan to implement. For instance, you might start offering snacks for shifts that occur around a meal or adjusting your shift times so more people can attend.
Offer volunteer development days. Skill development is a valuable perk that you can provide to show your thanks for their hard work and help them advance to a higher role within your program. For example, a food bank might offer training in floor management and more hours to high-performing individuals, giving them skills that they can add to their resumes.
Send personalized thank-you messages. No matter how long they work with your nonprofit, you should thank each volunteer for their time. A handwritten note adds a unique personal touch that can feel more authentic than an email, so try to send those when you can. If you can only send emails, make sure each one is addressed to the recipient by name and mentions the specific project they worked on.
Involve beneficiaries. Getting a thank-you message from a beneficiary can be an unexpected, yet welcome surprise for your mandated volunteers. Ask beneficiaries if they’d like to be part of a thank-you email or video. Your volunteers will feel more emotionally connected to your nonprofit when you match a face to the cause.
Thanking volunteers is a simple gesture that makes their work feel valued by your team and beneficiaries. Also, remember that not everything has to be a planned gesture—simply thanking volunteers verbally at the end of a shift can go a long way.
Wrapping Up + Additional Resources
Now that you know the details of mandatory volunteering, it’s time for your nonprofit to decide if adding it to your volunteer offerings is worthwhile. Once you’ve reviewed the pros and cons and conducted a needs assessment, evaluate your current community connections to gauge if you could easily forge any partnerships.
If you decide to integrate mandatory volunteers into your nonprofit’s ecosystem, personalize your stewardship approach and focus on providing a rewarding experience.
Looking for more information about how to incorporate corporate volunteerism into your nonprofit’s volunteer strategy? Start with these additional resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/What-to-Know-About-One-Off-Matching-Gift-Programs.png7201920Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-19 05:00:532025-04-08 15:52:53One-Off Matching Gift Programs | What to Know For Your Org
Trends in corporate philanthropy show that corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are on the rise among companies of all sizes. While large corporations have more resources to set aside for CSR, small and medium-sized businesses can also make meaningful impacts in their communities.
The first step for creating a winning CSR strategy is to know what’s possible for your business. That’s why business leaders who are serious about CSR should examine what other companies have accomplished through their social good programs.
To help your research, we’ll look at top companies with thriving CSR programs and provide insight into how you can incorporate their strategies into your initiatives. While many of these are large companies, even small businesses can adapt their practices to fit their resources and capabilities.
But first, let’s explore why companies offer CSR programs and the sheer variety of ways you can approach CSR at your business.
Why do companies participate in corporate social responsibility?
CSR benefits society. Through these programs, nonprofits receive donations, the environment gets cleaned up, and employees have safe and healthy working conditions. These are all obvious reasons why CSR is a positive force, but what do the companies paying for these initiatives get in return?
It turns out businesses committed to CSR can more than make up their investment. They can expect benefits like:
New marketing opportunities. Some CSR programs involve partnering with third-party organizations, usually nonprofits. To say thanks, these charitable organizations promote their business partners to their supporters, opening up new marketing channels and providing a foot in the door with new customers.
Easier recruitment. Along with holding on to the employees you have, CSR also helps businesses find and recruit top talent. For instance, if your company is committed to worker safety, health, and well-being, word-of-mouth about your positive work environment will likely spread, resulting in more qualified applicants.
Boosted reputation. Just as employees want to work for employers committed to social good, customers want to shop at ethical businesses. For example, let’s say you have the choice of buying two products of equal quality. One brand has a spotty history with CSR, while the other pledges to donate a portion of proceeds to good causes. In this situation, most buyers would select the business with a positive reputation.
Improved employee engagement. Employees tend to work harder, care more about the quality of their work, and stick with their employer longer when they feel like they are working for a good cause. By doing good in your community and implementing socially responsible internal practices, you’ll help employees feel more engaged, increasing productivity and loyalty.
The benefits your business gains depend on the types of CSR programs you offer. For example, will you focus on internal practices to engage employees, explore external philanthropy to connect with your community, or try a mix of both approaches?
What are the types of corporate social responsibility?
CSR is ultimately an umbrella term that consists of all the activities a company does to further social good. This includes both philanthropic donations and internal company conduct.
To give you a sense of the sheer variety of CSR programs, here’s a brief list of some of the most common types of CSR:
Employee giving. Workplace giving programs involve facilitating donations to nonprofits by encouraging your employees to donate. To encourage employee donations that align with their missions, many businesses provide recommendations for nonprofits to support. Corporations can also boost employee donations by offering to match their gifts, usually at a dollar-per-dollar rate. Although, some businesses match at a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.
Sustainability. Sustainable companies are positive for the environment and signal to investors that their businesses plan to operate for decades to come. CSR programs focused on sustainability usually involve reducing their carbon footprint, eliminating waste in the production process, taking accountability for any environmental clean-up needs, and using renewable energy sources.
Volunteerism. Rather than asking employees to donate their paychecks, businesses can enable them to donate their time. Volunteerism programs include team volunteer days wherein the business organizes a volunteer activity in partnership with a nonprofit, volunteer time off where employees can take paid time off to volunteer, and volunteer grants, where businesses donate to nonprofits based on how many hours their employees volunteer.
Adherence to workers’ rights. Treat workers with respect by providing fair wages, creating an equitable and diverse workplace, promoting employee health and wellbeing, and using supply chains that follow ethical labor practices.
Sponsorships. As mentioned, philanthropic donations fall under the umbrella of CSR. Sponsorship agreements typically involve monetary donations but may also include gifts of supplies or specialized services and promoting nonprofit causes.
Grantmaking. Some businesses, usually large corporations, establish grantmaking foundations as part of their CSR efforts. These organizations have a specific focus area for which they provide grants, such as advocacy, environmentalism, or economic equality.
Whether you plan to launch several or just one CSR initiative, software can help you organize and monitor your program. While CSR software providers have various focus areas, most solutions allow businesses to track employee donations, manage grants, facilitate nonprofit relationships, and oversee matching gift requests.
Examples of Corporate Social Responsibility
1. TOMs
Shoe retailer TOMs has made CSR a part of its brand to the point of becoming a Certified B Corporation, meaning the company meets high standards for social impact, environmental protection, and accountability. Not only has TOMs achieved this honor, but the organization has boosted its initial score of 96.3 in 2018 to 121.5 in 2021, all while the median score for businesses hovers at just 50.9.
TOMs takes a multi-pronged approach to CSR, dividing its efforts into three categories:
Purpose. TOMs aims to create a more equitable world by supporting grassroots nonprofits. As such, TOMs donates a third of its profits to nonprofit organizations dedicated to boosting mental health, increasing access to opportunities, and ending gun violence.
Planet. TOMs seeks to improve its environmental friendliness in multiple ways, specifically by using sustainable and recycled materials. Currently, 80% of TOMs’ packaging is made from recycled materials, and the company aims to use 100% sustainably grown cotton by 2025.
People. In addition to giving to nonprofits, TOMs aims to improve internally by positioning their organization as anti-racist, launching volunteer initiatives on GivingTuesday, and working with suppliers that share its values.
TOMs is proud of the impact it has made so far and only aims to improve its CSR programs in the future.
CSR Takeaway
There’s no need to choose just one type of CSR program for your business. Taking a multifaceted approach to CSR like TOMs allows your business to engage employees, build a positive reputation with customers, and connect with like-minded organizations.
Conduct an internal assessment and determine what improvements you can make immediately and what may take a few years for your company to accomplish. For instance, you may be able to set up a long-term partnership with a nonprofit organization within a few months but need several years to reduce your carbon footprint.
2. Checkr
Checkr, a leader in the background screening industry, exemplifies corporate social responsibility through its commitment to creating fairer employment opportunities and enhancing impact with generous giving. Recognized for its innovative approach and dedication to social good, Checkr has integrated CSR into its core values, earning accolades and driving significant positive change.
This company’s CSR initiatives are designed to promote social justice, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. Its matching gift program in particular stands out for the simplicity with which its staff can get involved through an auto-submission partnership with Double the Donation!
CSR Takeaway
Checkr is a CLMA-designated matching gift company, which means the company is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation. In other words, Checkr prioritizes accessibility and a streamlined submission process in its programming, making it easy for employees to engage.
Checkr’s comprehensive CSR strategy demonstrates that a business can drive meaningful change by addressing social, environmental, and community needs in a way that rallies the whole company.
3. PayPal
PayPal’s payment processing services need little introduction, but many may be less familiar with how they use this technology to help charities earn more donations through the PayPal Giving Fund.
Essentially, the PayPal Giving Fund supports charitable organizations through this four-step process:
Charities create a registered account with PayPal. Registered charities will receive PayPal’s low processing fee rates and access to donation opportunities on PayPal and its partner organizations, including GoFundMe, eBay, and Humble Bumble.
Supporters donate through PayPal, eBay, or another PayPal partner. Many PayPal partners will even cover processing fees for charities, making donations to nonprofits go even further.
PayPal receives the donation and provides the donor with a receipt. PayPal will use this information to provide participating charities with monthly donation reports.
The funds are added to the charity’s PayPal account. In addition to individual donors’ gifts, charities can receive grants and major gifts through PayPal.
Along with ensuring donations are securely processed, PayPal’s extensive partner network helps nonprofits receive funds from various sources.
CSR Takeaway
This CSR program takes advantage of the technology PayPal already has to help nonprofit organizations. Assess your business’s products and services and whether they would benefit charitable organizations in your community. If so, you can provide your offerings at a reduced cost or even for free to nonprofits for a philanthropic CSR program.
4. FP Markets
FP Markets is a financial trading service that allows customers to trade Forex, CFDs, Indices, Shares, Commodities, Metals, and Bonds. FP Markets is also committed to CSR, stating that its mission is to: “Actively contribute to the well-being of communities and the environment. Through sustainable practices, philanthropic initiatives, and ethical decision-making, we aim to make a positive impact on society, fostering a better future for all. Our projects across multiple sectors reflect this goal, promoting change and fostering a healthier, more equitable world.”
Currently, FP Markets has two unique CSR programs worth highlighting:
Men’s Health. FP Markets focuses on promoting advocacy for overlooked health issues that affect men, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health conditions.
Cricket Brazil Youth Development Programme. In this example of philanthropic CSR, FP Markets partnered with a Brazilian youth cricket organization to support young athletes and create a positive difference in their communities.
As these two causes show, FP Markets is interested in making a difference globally and partnering with a variety of charitable causes, no matter where they’re located.
CSR Takeaway
Your business doesn’t need to build an entirely new program to serve your community. Rather, try partnering with nonprofits in your area and support them through sponsorships and marketing assistance. These organizations already have the research, resources, and infrastructure to fulfill their charitable missions that align with your CSR goals.
5. Toast
Toast.org is the foundation founded by Toast, a point-of-sale software vendor for restaurants. Just as its products revolve around the food industry, Toast’s CSR program also revolves around food. Through its foundation, Toast aims to address hunger and provide access to healthy food.
Toast also encourages its employees and customers to participate in this mission. To motivate employees, Toast offers a matching gift program, which saw a 48% participation rate in 2022. Additionally, through its software, Toast provides restaurants with features to track and reduce food waste.
CSR Takeaway
When selecting your CSR mission, consider what focus areas make sense for your business. Determine what you have the resources to accomplish, what challenges your business and community face, and how your mission impacts your brand.
Many companies have CSR missions unrelated to their businesses. However, a mission that aligns with your products or services can make your brand memorable and allow you to better connect with new audiences that discover your business through your CSR program.
6. Amalgamated Bank
Amalgamated Bank brands itself as “America’s most socially responsible bank,” meaning CSR is a core part of its strategies. It focuses on a wide range of issues, including:
Climate Justice
Immigrant Rights
LGBTQ+ Rights
Anti-Violence & Gun Safety
Criminal Justice
Workers’ Rights
Reproductive Rights
Voting Rights
Racial Justice
Economic Justice
For each of these issues, Amalgamated Bank takes a proactive stance. Its CSR efforts range from offering pro-bono services to nonprofit organizations to not doing business with parties they feel are harmful, such as fossil fuel companies.
CSR Takeaway
Your business can conduct CSR in many ways. If there’s a focus area you care about but don’t have the resources to launch an entire program for, consider how else you can support it. For instance, if you’ve already used up your philanthropic budget by donating to economic equality groups, you might organize a corporate volunteer day with an environmental organization to plant trees.
Additionally, CSR benefits companies by associating their businesses’ names with good causes. There’s no need to be modest about your organization’s work to assist nonprofits, create a positive work environment for employees, and be a better corporate citizen. When you promote your CSR efforts, you’ll attract customers and employees who share your values, creating a positive and productive environment.
7. Ben & Jerry’s
Since its founding, Ben & Jerry’s has had two goals: provide quality ice cream and make the world a better place through activism.
Over the years, Ben & Jerry’s has expanded its activism into several focus areas, including ones both related and unrelated to its products. Currently, Ben & Jerry’s CSR programs center on these issues:
Racial justice
Fairtrade
Rights and dignity of refugees
Campaign finance reform
LGBTQ+ rights
Climate change
For examples of Ben & Jerry’s programs in action, it became the first ice cream maker to use Fairtrade Certified ingredients in 2005, and since 2014, all ingredients in Ben & Jerry’s products are Fairtrade Certified.
Or, in regards to climate impact, Ben & Jerry’s set climate goals approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. These include using 100% renewable energy and 40% greenhouse gas intensity reduction both by 2025.
CSR Takeaway
Ben and Jerry’s has evolved its CSR programs over time based on new urgent issues and its ability to meet goals. For instance, after the company achieved its Fairtrade-related goals, it continued the program and expanded its efforts to support Fairtrade Certified suppliers.
For your business, use this as inspiration to continue adjusting and expanding your goals. If you hit a target, consider how to push your company to do more.
8. Bombas
Specializing in socks, Bombas is a clothing company that gets its customers involved in its CSR initiatives. Workplace giving programs are popular because they allow employees to take an active role in making a difference, and the same principle applies to shop for a cause programs like the one Bombas offers.
Essentially, whenever a customer buys a t-shirt, pair of socks, or underwear—the three most requested items at homeless shelters—Bombas will donate the same item to one of their nonprofit partners, who then distribute the clothing to those in need.
CSR Takeaway
Determine how much you want your customers and employees to get involved in your CSR program. Some initiatives, like establishing a charitable foundation, are usually influenced very little by customers or employees, allowing the companies that operate them to act more independently.
However, programs that engage stakeholders are far more public and help businesses make CSR a part of their brand identities. Plus, initiatives like shop for a cause programs can lead to positive business outcomes. After all, if a buyer knows each item they purchase results in a donation, they’re likely to buy more than they normally would.
9. Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle, renowned for its commitment to fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients, exemplifies corporate social responsibility through its dedication to sustainability, ethical sourcing, and community support. Recognized for its forward-thinking approach and substantial impact, Chipotle has seamlessly woven CSR into its brand identity, garnering praise and driving considerable positive change.
Chipotle’s CSR efforts focus on promoting environmental sustainability, ethical farming practices, and community involvement. Notable among its initiatives is the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which supports sustainable agriculture, family farming, and education programs. Additionally, the company’s Harvest Program, which donates unused food to local communities, stands out as a testament to its commitment to reducing waste and supporting those in need.
CSR Takeaway
Chipotle’s comprehensive CSR strategy showcases the power of integrating employee-led philanthropy into a business model, and this is only reiterated by its status as a CLMA-designated (or Certified Leader in Matching Automation) employer. By prioritizing its matching gift program and enabling auto-submission for employees, Chipotle not only enhances its brand reputation but also sets a high standard for corporate responsibility and employee engagement in the food industry.
10. Land O’ Lakes
Founded in 1921, Land O’ Lakes is a farmer co-op that produces a wide range of agricultural goods, from dairy products to animal feed. As part of their co-op model, Land O’ Lakes is deeply committed to community and empowering farmers, stating: “We believe success shouldn’t only be measured in financials and figures, but also in stories told and lives changed. That’s why we’re using our voice to elevate the ongoing work our farmers, members and employees are doing in their communities and beyond.”
Along with an investment in sustainability, Land O’ Lakes is most notable for its recent work with the inventory management platform Spoiler Alert to increase timely food donations. Food companies that produce products with limited shelf lives, like Land O’ Lakes’ dairy products, often want to donate excess products but have challenges doing so in a timely manner.
By partnering with Spoiler Alert, Land O’ Lakes alleviated this problem, and in 2023, the company donated 3.6 million pounds of food, far surpassing its initial goal of donating 3 million pounds cumulative by 2030. With this new technology, Land O’ Lakes has updated its donation goal to 15 million pounds of donated food by 2030.
CSR Takeaway
Technology can dramatically improve your company’s ability to enact its CSR programs. From efficiency leading to increased productivity to organizational capabilities improving tracking, the right software can streamline your efforts.
11. PNC
PNC provides retail banking, asset management, and corporate banking services to customers across the United States. With over 1 million customers, PNC serves a wide range of communities and has CSR programs dedicated to meeting the unique needs of every location.
Specifically, PNC offers two major CSR programs dedicated to improving local communities:
The PNC Community Benefits Plan is a pledge to provide $88 in financial support over a five-year period to moderate and low-income communities. PNC has provided loans to small businesses, mortgage financing, community investments, and charitable donations.
PNC hosts multiple employee volunteerism programs, including skills-based and pro bono work programs that allow PNC legal professionals to lend their services to nonprofits in their local communities.
CSR Takeaway
If your business has multiple locations, consider CSR programs that allow you to address local needs. For example, employee volunteer programs enable employees to give back to their unique communities. This type of initiative allows you to adapt to a variety of situations and needs rather than creating one program with blanket policies.
Corporate Social Responsibility Examples: More Resources
There are as many ways to approach CSR as there are businesses operating. The examples in this guide are a strong place to start to inspire your own CSR efforts to positively impact your community, all while boosting relationships with customers and employees.
Of course, to create the transformative programs listed here, these companies started with a strong foundational knowledge of CSR best practices. Continue to expand your business’s expertise with resources like these:
CSR (or corporate social responsibility) platforms are the software companies use to manage their end of the matching gift process. When an employee wants to request a match from their employer, they are often directed to an online portal from a corporate giving platform, where they are encouraged to provide information about their charitable gift and request a corporate match.
The giving platform screens employee donations to ensure gifts meet the company’s specified matching criteria then approves the donation match and disburses the funds to the receiving organization.
Some of the largest CSR software providers include Benevity, YourCause, and CyberGrants, and these three manage a portion of the top matching gift companies. However, many other effective platforms exist as well, often working with small and medium-sized businesses—and you don’t want to neglect those providers, either. For this, consider names such as Millie, POINT, Selflessly, Givinga, America’s Charities, and Bright Funds.
In order to maximize matching gift revenue, each nonprofit should register its organization with as many CSR software platforms as possible.
And we’re here to help! In this resource, we’ll cover:
Ready to learn more about setting your organization up for continued corporate giving success? Let’s dive in with the key reasons why this is a priority.
3 Reasons to Register Your Nonprofit with CSR Platforms
There is a multitude of benefits as to why this is a corporate fundraising best practice, and our team dives into three of the most significant reasons in this guide. These include:
1. Increased Visibility as a Verified Cause
Picture this: a company just announced its new corporate giving initiatives, including matching gift and volunteer grant programs. One employee within the company is so excited to participate and make a positive difference on a worthwhile cause but doesn’t have a specific charity in mind.
The employee decides to leverage the provided CSR portal their company is partnering with to locate an organization to support. They conduct a quick search of the associated nonprofits, filtering by a favorite type of mission or location. For example, let’s say they search for the terms “animal shelter” and “Atlanta.” And your pet rescue shows up! The employee is drawn to your organization, decides to make a matchable donation to the rescue, and even reaches out to explore available volunteer roles.
If you hadn’t previously registered with the platform the employee’s company utilizes, your cause likely would not have shown up during the prospective donor’s search. And you might have missed out on powerful opportunities to reach new donors and volunteers!
But because you had previously taken a few minutes to register your organization with the corporate giving management company, you were able to increase visibility for your cause. And since you had already gone through the verification process, individuals being exposed to your nonprofit can trust in the legitimacy of your organization.
2. Higher Likelihood of Matching Gift Eligibility
When your donors participate in their employers’ matching gift programs, they’ll need to follow instructions provided by the employing company on how to submit their matching gift request. This often means completing and processing the request through a dedicated matching gift software portal. And while each company chooses its own criteria regarding matching gift-eligible nonprofits, some dictate that in order to be eligible for a match, the organization must be registered with their CSR management platform of choice.
In other words, when your nonprofit is registered with a CSR software platform, you’ll be eligible to receive matches from more companies. As a result, a higher percentage of your donors’ generous contributions will qualify to receive a matching donation on your behalf.
More companies equal more eligible donors equal more matching gift revenue overall.
And when your organization registers with as many giving management platforms as possible, your likely match-eligibility will only continue to grow!
3. Simplified Donor Request Processes
According to matching gift research, only 1.31% of donations are matched at an average nonprofit organization—despite more than 26 million individuals working for companies with matching gift programs. Two of the biggest obstacles to participation include a lack of awareness of these programs, along with the assumption of a complicated match request process.
Donors love participating in matching gift programs, but not even the most dedicated supporters are likely to jump through a thousand hoops to secure a match on your behalf. The more steps involved and the longer it takes to complete the process, the higher the chance is that donors will abandon their potential match altogether.
For this reason and more, it’s always a good idea to simplify and streamline the matching gift process for your donors whenever possible. And preregistering your organization with the CSR platforms used to manage their employers’ giving programs is one of the best ways to do so.
This way, donors can simply search your organization in the platform’s nonprofit database and provide information about the donation they made. On the other hand, if they don’t find your cause in the organization lookup tool, the submission process can be significantly delayed, and some donors might not come back to complete their request.
Even once the donor submitted the match request, not being registered with the CSR platform can cause additional delays in the match disbursement process, meaning it will be even longer before you receive your funding.
The simple solution? Register your organization with these CSR software platforms now!
P.S. If you’re looking to register your organization with the most intuitive and innovative platforms, specifically those that prioritize a seamless user experience, we recommend getting started with CLMA-certified tools. Select CSR vendors like Givinga, Millie, POINT, and Selflessly have been awarded for their devotion to seamless giving and matching, ensuring organizations’ corporate engagement efforts are effective and impactful.
CSR Platform Registration: Our Checklist of Key Steps To Get Started
By now, you should understand the critical importance of registering your organization with the top CSR platforms. But the next big question concerns how you do so—and how you can ensure you make the most of each platform you use.
We recommend following each of these essential steps to create and optimize your registration with top CSR portals:
1. Locate the application for each CSR platform.
Most CSR software providers aim to make this step as simple as possible for the nonprofits looking to verify their causes. For example, a quick online search for “registering a nonprofit with [CSR vendor name—e.g., Benevity, YourCause, CyberGrants, etc.]” should pull up relevant web pages pertaining to the platform in question.
You can also locate the links to common nonprofit portal registrations below:
Depending on the company, this will likely include an online application, step-by-step instructions, or a combination of both. If you have a hard time locating the process for a particular platform, click around their website or consider reaching out to the team to find out more.
2. Provide requested information about your nonprofit.
To register for any platform, you’ll need to provide details about your organization and its status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This may include your address, EIN, and/or copy of your Tax-Exempt Status Letter from the IRS.
Next, the CSR software company will review the included information to verify its accuracy. Upon approval, the company will provide your team with access to an online portal from which you will manage your nonprofit account.
3. Have a strategy for username and password management.
More than likely, you’ll have multiple team members managing accounts on multiple CSR platforms. Make sure you have a plan in place to grant easy access to anyone who should be utilizing the platforms on your behalf without compromising the security of your account.
For many organizations, this involves leveraging a secure password management and sharing system with intuitive access controls. Or, you may provision individual login access to individuals within the CSR platform itself. In this case, your organization will have a single account with multiple users (although not all providers have this functionality).
Alternatively, you might choose to establish a universal set of login credentials that you use across each portal you register for. Going this route can help avoid too many “forgot my username” and “reset my password” attempts. However, the practice also introduces a number of security risks that you might rather avoid, such as former employees retaining access to your nonprofit’s portal.
4. Establish a dedicated point of contact for matching gifts + volunteer grant management.
Matching gifts and volunteer grants are two nonprofit funding sources that are most likely to slip through the cracks. At smaller nonprofits, it can seem as if no one has the time or resources to devote to workplace giving opportunities, and at larger organizations, it often falls into a game of “I thought so-and-so was going to do that,” when so-and-so thought it was someone else’s responsibility altogether.
In order to avoid the resulting pitfalls, we recommend selecting a dedicated POC to be in charge of all things matching gifts and volunteer grants—including manually verifying donations and volunteer hours, managing the organization’s corporate giving portals (and understanding the nuances between platforms, as seen below), and more. And if your nonprofit is particularly large, you may even benefit from having a separate person responsible for volunteer grants than your same matching gift contact.
It’s critically important that your matching gift coordinator or team is thoroughly trained in all things matching gifts. But it’s a good idea to provide an overview of the basics for all team members, including paid staff and volunteers alike.
Portal-Specific Tips and Checklist Items for Top CSR Platforms
Each CSR platform is designed differently, which means each solution offers its own unique set of pain points for nonprofits looking to utilize the portal to manage their corporate fundraising.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of tips and best practices for nonprofit team members looking to get set up with each of the top three corporate giving vendors and overcome common roadblocks.
Designate a universal notification email for ALL correspondences (this should be something like matchinggifts@xyz.org rather than a personal email address).
Utilize Gift IDs and Access Codes when trying to locate an account.
Leverage the “Donation” tab in Project Front Door for a streamlined verification process.
Be prepared to manually verify donations with CyberGrants for matching gift requests in order for match funding to be approved.
Use the “Need Support?” link at the bottom of every company page for a more timely response.
Interested in even more CyberGrants management tips? Check out our more in-depth guide to the topic here.
YourCause Portal Management Tips
Register your organization with YourCause’s NPOconnect.
When checking for notifications, ensure you are under the Head Quarters account rather than a chapter or affiliate account.
Utilize the “MY WORKSPACE” tab, as all match requests and notifications will populate here.
Employ the “GIVING” and “ALL TRANSACTIONS” tabs to locate any gifts, grants, or donations.
Create your own “admin” account first, then add your organization account.
Don’t forget your EIN (or tax-exempt number. Hint: You can find this on the IRS website here).
Choose a few causes your organization supports and add a few sentences about your mission.
Use automatically generated reports on POINT to tell a story about your organization to potential donors and supporters.
Registering with CSR platforms is one of the best ways to ensure your organization receives as many matching gifts as possible while simultaneously streamlining the processes involved for your donors and your fundraising team. And this shouldn’t be an overly complicated task, either—so we suggest getting on it as soon as possible.
Interested in learning more about how to maximize your nonprofit’s matching gifts and corporate giving? Check out these other educational resources:
Top 30 Matching Gift Companies: Find Your Match. Tens of thousands of companies offer matching gift programs for their employees—but these 30 are some of the most generous and noteworthy. See what names to keep an eye out for!
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/DTD_Registering-Your-Org-with-CSR-Platforms-Key-Steps-For-Each_Feature.png7502000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-07 19:30:012024-07-29 18:21:19Registering Your Org with CSR Platforms + Key Steps For Each
Your association needs new members to grow, meaning your membership application form is a critical tool to promote this expansion. To ensure your association brings in as many members as possible, you need a membership application form that gets your community excited about joining.
Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered with some top changes you can make to your application form to boost membership enrollment.
Ready to revamp your form? Pull up your association’s member application as you follow along to improve it in real time.
1. Ensure your membership application is easy to access.
The first hurdle your potential members have to cross is locating your application form. Ensure new members can do this quickly and independently by making your form as accessible as possible.
Ensure prospective members can locate your application form on your website by:
Featuring it in your navigation: Your navigation is one of the first places new visitors to your website will look to explore your association’s offerings. Add a call-to-action button linking to your membership application form so it’s clearly visible in this location.
Using bold colors: Strategically use your brand colors to make your membership sign-up button stand out. For example, if your organization uses dark blue, purple, and white as brand colors, you might have white text on a dark blue or purple button. This contrast will draw users’ eyes to your membership button, driving traffic to your application form.
Providing clear directions: On your membership program page, provide clear directions about how to actually apply. This page should also include a link to your membership application so interested individuals can start the signup process right away.
Nonprofits with membership programs can follow these same strategies. While you may have other pressing actions to promote to supporters, like donating, consider how you can also make calls to action for your membership program. For example, you might include both a membership and donate option in your website’s navigation menu.
If your association sells products and services to non-members, your online checkout is another prime place to promote your membership. For example, if a non-member purchases access to a credentials course, you might offer a promotion for joining your membership program or a pop-up that reminds them that members get a discount on the products and services they’re purchasing.
Ensuring sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds
Using text indicators rather than solely color to mark required fields
Ensuring font size can be increased
Test if your forms are WCAG-compliant by using accessibility tools to view your form in grayscale and practice navigating it with just your keyboard. Remember, while for-profit organizations should create accessible websites to expand their user base, organizations that receive federal funding (like many nonprofits) are required to by law.
Takeaway: Make sure your supporters can find your membership application without having to search for it.
2. Implement intuitive formatting on your membership form.
Once users land on your form, your next challenge is keeping them there.
The easier you make your form to complete, the fewer potential members will abandon it, and the more users you’ll convert.
Keep your application form short and to the point to encourage users to complete all questions. There will be opportunities to ask members to provide more information later, such as when they fill out their community profile for networking purposes.
Some basics to ask for include:
Contact information, like the applicant’s name, email, phone number, and mailing address
Membership level to designate which membership tier they are applying for
Some trade and professional associations may also ask for employer information at this time to ensure interested individuals are members of their industry and weed out spam bots. However, others may find that it is not necessary to request this information at this time.
Additionally, make your online forms easy to fill out by leveraging application form-building tools like:
Conditional logic. Skip pages or populate information based on answers to previous questions.
Auto-population. Fill in information automatically from another profile or the supporter’s browser.
Long time-out. If your supporters leave the form without completing it, make sure they can pick back up later where they left off.
The trick is to collect the information you need without asking too much of your members.
Takeaway: Your membership application should be fast and easy to fill out.
3. Optimize your membership application form’s design.
Now that you know which fields you need to include on your membership form, it’s time to get into the design.
When creating the form itself, be sure to:
Brand your application. Include your association’s logo at the top of your membership application. Then, use your brand colors and imagery throughout your form to guide applicants through the submission process.
Emphasize membership benefits. Entice members to cross the finish line and complete their application forms by reminding them what benefits they’ll receive if they do. For example, in the section of your application that lists membership tiers, write out what each tier has access to.
Keep your form short. As part of limiting unnecessary information fields, your application form should be no more than one page in length on a desktop.
List contact information. Some prospective members may have questions about your application, like if certain information fields are required or if they can submit payment through an unlisted method. Ensure your association’s help email address is visible on the form so members can forward their questions to your staff.
Also, optimize your form for mobile so users can complete your form no matter what device they use.
Use AMS software with mobile-responsive forms that increase the size of fonts, buttons, and input fields to make them easier to read and press with a finger. You should also use multiple-choice drop-down menus in place of open fields when possible.
Splitting your application into multiple short pages instead of one long page, like in the example below, helps keep mobile users moving through the application process:
If you need help with this type of coding, reach out to a nonprofit IT consultant. It’s worth taking more time now to boost your membership program later!
Takeaway: Design your application with online and, especially, mobile views in mind.
4. Include strategic upsell opportunities.
Your membership application is a great opportunity to promote your association’s offerings. Ensure it emphasizes the benefits of higher membership tiers and encourages prospective members to apply for a high tier.
A few ways you can do this include:
List benefits. For each membership level, provide a brief overview of what benefits it provides.
Offer limited discounts. If your association offers any discounts or promotions to encourage higher membership tiers, be sure to include them on your application form. For example, new members might get the first month of higher membership tiers for free or at a discounted rate.
Add a check-out screen pop-up. When new members submit their applications, they’ve committed to joining your association. With this commitment fresh in their minds, give them one last opportunity to upgrade to a higher membership tier with a pop-up message on your confirmation screen sharing how easy it is to upgrade their membership.
Additionally, consider offering a free membership tier to bring in individuals who are on the fence about making a financial investment in becoming a member. Typically, free tiers offer limited benefits. For example, free members might have access to your online community platform and be able to post content and interact with members. However, they may lack the ability to send direct messages to members, attend events, or access your educational resources.
This partial access helps your association get your foot in the door with prospective members and push them to make the upgrade to a paid membership.
Takeaway: Your membership application is a marketing tool and can be leveraged to grow your association.
5. Follow up with applicants.
Your relationship with your members begins with your membership form, but it doesn’t stop there! Show your members you appreciate their commitment and that your association offers engaging content that’s well worth your membership fee.
An integrated membership application form sets your association up for success from the moment new members hit “submit” by:
Sending automatic welcome emails. The right software can pull contact information from the application form and populate the email with your new member’s name and membership level.
Populating a member profile. Especially if you provide a member directory and public milestone badges to your members, your platform should automatically set up a member profile for your new member and send them a link to begin personalizing it.
Streamlining payment processing. Link your application form to your chosen payment processing solution to begin the process automatically and avoid having to navigate outstanding fees.
The most effective (and popular!) of these strategies is a welcome email, like the one below:
While membership application forms often can’t send emails or process payments, you can integrate your application form with other features by leveraging the right software solution.
Takeaway: Make sure to follow up with your new members right away.
With these membership application form strategies under your belt, you’re ready to overhaul your application and boost participation in your program!
For more on membership, check out these additional resources on the topic:
Best 20 Membership and Association Management Software. A great membership application is only the beginning of your membership program’s operations. Support your program with the best membership and association management software!
Picture two imaginary employees who are both employed by the same company.
Employee A is an enthusiastic, hard worker who loves driving results in their role. They make an effort to contribute in meetings, bring creative ideas to the table, encourage their coworkers, attend company events, and more.
Employee B is also a hard worker and typically performs at a high level, but they seem to have lost some of their enthusiasm for their role. Over time, they’ve become less invested in the company’s goals and stopped actively participating in its internal culture.
The difference between Employee A and Employee B is that Employee A is fully engaged at work. This means Employee A is finding personal fulfillment and happiness in their job and feels good about what their company does and how it contributes to its community.
(Note: This doesn’t mean that Employee B is a “bad” worker by any means, just that their work experience could be improved, leading to better results for both them and the company.)
So, if Employee B was your employee, how could you encourage them to be more engaged at work? Or, thinking more broadly, how can your company hone its approach to employee engagement?
Here’s your answer: By tapping into the right employee engagement ideas!
There are dozens of ways to promote employee engagement in your workplace, all of which can help you take your productivity, profitability, and retention efforts to the next level. It’s a lot to sort through, which is why we’ve created this guide to help you explore your options. Here’s what we’ll cover:
As you learn more about employee engagement and the many ideas and programs you can launch to improve it at your company, remember to take into consideration your company’s specific needs and culture. This way, you’ll implement the engagement initiatives that will most resonate with your current and future employees and drive real results for your organization. Let’s begin!
Employee Engagement: A Quick Overview
Before we get into the specifics of effective employee engagement ideas your company can try, let’s go over some fundamentals.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement refers to the commitment employees show to their work, their team, and their employer. In practice, employee engagement looks a little different at every organization, depending on your company culture and the unique personalities on your team. In general, you can expect that an engaged employee will be:
Passionate and enthusiastic about their day-to-day tasks and how they contribute to the organization’s overall success
Loyal to the company
Consistently taking on additional responsibilities and strengthening their skills
Productive and delivering high-quality work
Adept at communicating
Resilient in the face of changes and challenges
Note that when an employee is fully engaged in their work, they are not sacrificing their mental, emotional, or physical health or their personal lives for your company. Engaged employees take a healthy approach to work-life balance and set clear boundaries so they can give their best efforts while at work.
Why is employee engagement so important?
Employee engagement is important for companies to pay attention to, as it can affect all facets of your business operations, not just individual employees’ experiences working for your company. Specifically, high levels of employee engagement can help your company in the following areas:
Retention. When your team members are satisfied with their jobs and feel loyal to your organization, you’ll be able to retain them for longer periods of time, saving your company time and money. Plus, when you need to recruit new employees, you’ll be better prepared to welcome them into a positive and productive culture backed by strong engagement strategies.
Productivity. As your organization takes steps to proactively engage its team members, you’ll find that your employees will be more committed to your company’s goals, enthusiastic about their roles, and more focused on not just their day-to-day responsibilities but also how they can drive the most value for your company. As a result, engaged employees will be more likely to go above and beyond and do their best work, resulting in higher productivity levels, better deliverables, and more efficiency.
Profitability. When your company isn’t worried about hemorrhaging talent and everyone feels empowered to do their best work, you’ll see higher revenue and decreased expenses all around. Plus, you’ll have the time and talent available to pursue new initiatives and offerings.
Any organization that employs people has a responsibility to its employees (and even its stakeholders) to ensure that it’s providing the best employment experience possible, as boosted retention, productivity, and profitability are wins for everyone involved.
The Current State of Employee Engagement
In recent years, employee engagement has been trending downward, according to Gallup. Engagement levels were at 36% in 2020 but dipped to 34% in 2021 and then 32% in 2022. Gallup notes employees’ reports of the following engagement elements declined during this period:
Clarity of expectations
Connection to the mission/purpose of the company
Opportunities to learn and grow
Opportunities to do what employees do best
Feeling cared about at work
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, employee expectations have shifted. For instance, Forbes reports that employees now expect more trust, more flexibility, and more work-life balance. And if the Great Resignation of 2021 and 2022 is any indication, employees are willing to leave their current employers to have these expectations fulfilled at other organizations.
In order to see some positive trends in employee engagement numbers, employers everywhere have to be willing to be open-minded and communicative, and those efforts will include implementing winning employee engagement initiatives.
The Special Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Employee Engagement Initiatives
One of the best ways to effectively engage your employees is to involve them in your organization’s corporate philanthropy efforts. Because corporate philanthropy is how your organization gives back to its community and works to leave a positive impact on the world, it can benefit your employees by:
Giving them a heightened sense of purpose. Though your company’s goals and mission likely already inspire your employees, furthering a charitable cause will give them a stronger sense of purpose in their day-to-day duties. Plus, they’ll feel good about what your company is doing to make a positive difference for others, strengthening their relationship with your organization as an employer.
Connecting with their personal values. Many of your employees likely have an affinity for a charitable cause, whether it’s animal welfare or protecting the environment. By showing them your organization also cares about charitable causes and can empower them to give to causes they support, you’ll connect with their personal values and interests, further strengthening your relationship with them.
Empowering them to connect with others. Many companies facilitate volunteer opportunities for their employees as part of their corporate philanthropy and employee engagement work. Volunteering allows employees to get to know their coworkers in different ways as they work together and provides them the chance to meet other people who are connected to your nonprofit partners.
Giving them the chance to develop new skills. Similarly, volunteering can help your employees strengthen their existing skills or develop entirely new skill sets. For example, a graphic designer may find they have a knack for helping plan nonprofit events, or a customer service representative may find they enjoy tutoring young children in reading.
Improving their health and wellbeing. According to the Cleveland Clinic, charitable giving can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, boost self-esteem, combat depression, and even help increase your lifespan.
If you’re looking for a way to help your employees make a positive difference in the world while simultaneously increasing their job satisfaction, involving them in corporate philanthropy is the answer!
In the spirit of getting your employees involved in your philanthropic efforts, let’s kick off our exploration of employee engagement ideas by exploring some of our favorite philanthropy-centered initiatives!
1. Matching Gift Programs
71% of employees think it’s important to work for companies that give back through philanthropy, making corporate giving a pivotal engagement tactic. One of the easiest and most impactful ways to involve your employees in corporate philanthropy is to start a matching gift program.
Corporate matching gift programs are a type of philanthropy in which companies financially match donations their employees make to nonprofits. Many companies match at a 1:1 ratio (dollar for dollar), but these ratios range anywhere from .5:1 to 3:1. That means employees have the opportunity to increase the impact of their charitable donations!
Why are matching gift programs a great employee engagement idea?
Matching gift programs are essential for employee engagement because they communicate that your company cares about the same causes your employees do. These programs amplify the charitable contributions of employees, making them feel their donations have a greater impact, which enhances their connection to your company.
Enhance workplace culture by giving employees a stronger sense of purpose through philanthropic giving.
Demonstrate your company’s values to the public by aligning corporate objectives with employee interests.
Attract talented employees who prioritize social responsibility, further enriching your company’s culture.
While most matching gift companies organize unrestricted programs (where the employer matches donations to almost any nonprofit), a “one-off” match initiative is a great way to ease into this engagement opportunity. In this case, your company would select one nonprofit to which you’d match donations, thus rallying your staff around a particular cause!
Although matching gifts are common workplace giving programs, many employees don’t know their companies even offer a program. That’s why your company should take the initiative to promote these programs. Whether that’s through onboarding or regular communications, alerting employees that they can double their donations to their favorite charities can inspire participation.
*While Double the Donation’s tool offers custom matching gift program management functionality, this feature is designed specifically for fundraisers looking to manage custom matching gift initiatives. Double the Donation does not work directly with corporations. If you’re a company interested in creating a matching gift program, contact us, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.
2. Corporate Volunteerism
Just as matching gifts are one of the most common types of corporate philanthropy programs out there, another common corporate philanthropy initiative is corporate volunteerism.
Through corporate volunteerism, companies encourage their employees to volunteer their time with local nonprofits.
Companies incentivize volunteerism in a number of ways, one of which is through offering paid time off during the year to volunteer (also known as volunteer time off or VTO). This is an extra incentive for employees because they get to support a charitable cause while still getting paid.
Many companies also offer volunteer days, such as a day of service, to promote team-building and give back to the community. This opportunity encourages coworkers to get to know one another and work as a team to help an organization.
Corporate volunteerism also benefits nonprofits because of the skills corporate employees bring to the table—which are often skills and expertise that the nonprofits may not otherwise be able to afford. Plus, employees may pick up new skills from their time volunteering with a nonprofit!
Why is corporate volunteerism a great employee engagement idea?
Companies that promote volunteer opportunities and actively encourage their employees to participate show that they care about giving back to the community, and some are even willing to offer paid time off to do so, demonstrating that they see volunteering as a priority. This initiative reflects well on companies and even encourages consumers to continue purchasing products and services from them.
When employees see the good their companies are doing in their communities, they are more likely to participate, think positively about their roles in the company, and be happier as a result.
3. Volunteer Grants
Corporate volunteerism doesn’t end with the time and effort that your employees offer nonprofits. There’s another type of workplace giving program directly related to volunteerism that can benefit nonprofits, reflect well on your company, and boost employee engagement.
Corporate volunteer grants turn volunteer hours into revenue for nonprofits. When employees at a company devote a specific number of hours to volunteering with a nonprofit, participating companies provide a set dollar amount for those hours to the nonprofit.
For example, this could look like:
$25 for every hour an employee volunteers
$15 per hour an employee volunteers, with a minimum of 20 hours
$500 after volunteering 20 hours with a nonprofit
Corporate volunteer grants essentially help nonprofits meet their fundraising and volunteer needs at the same time. Meanwhile, your employees can increase their impact on causes they care about.
Why are volunteer grants a great employee engagement idea?
Nearly 3 out of every 4 employees say it’s important to work where company culture supports volunteering. The more you encourage volunteerism and promote volunteer grant opportunities, the more employees will feel engaged with your company and its values. Plus, volunteer grants are a great way for an employee to secure a donation for a nonprofit they care about without spending a dime.
Here’s a rundown of how this type of program can transform your workplace:
Communicate your commitment to community involvement and social responsibility by financially supporting employees’ volunteer efforts.
Underscore the importance of giving back, enhancing employees’ sense of purpose and connection to the workplace.
Foster a positive work environment and strengthen team bonds through shared experiences in community service.
Improve your company’s image and resonate with employees’ desires to work for organizations that reflect their values.
Ultimately, volunteer grant programs not only contribute to societal well-being but also promote a more engaged, motivated, and satisfied workforce. Like with matching gifts, volunteers are often unaware that their employer even offers a volunteer grant program. That’s why it’s essential to actively promote these opportunities to employees and streamline facilitation with dedicated CSR software.
4. Employee Wellness Programs
Wellness programs are comprehensive initiatives designed to promote holistic health and well-being among your workforce. These programs encompass a wide range of activities and resources aimed at supporting physical, mental, emotional, and sometimes financial health.
Key components often include fitness challenges, mental health support, nutritional advice, and stress management workshops. While these programs can take many forms, the overarching goal is to create a healthier, more productive workplace by reducing health-related absences and enhancing job satisfaction.
Why are employee wellness programs a great employee engagement idea?
In essence, prioritizing employees’ health and happiness will contribute to a supportive work environment that reduces turnover. Better yet, you can leverage an app to run your entire program.
Designed to streamline program administration and boost employee participation, Givhero can significantly enhance your wellness program by integrating workplace giving into health and wellness challenges. This unique approach motivates employees to engage in healthy behaviors by linking their actions to a broader social impact.
Here’s an overview of how the app works:
Create challenges. Your team chooses from Givhero’s library of health and wellness challenges, whether you want to challenge people to walk 10,000 steps a day or sleep 8 hours each night.
Employees join the challenge. They’ll need to download the Givhero app and choose a nonprofit to support from Givehero’s Partner Network of over 2.3 million charitable causes.
Employees participate in the challenge you choose. As they achieve their goals, they’ll be rewarded with donations to their chosen charity.
It’s that simple! Employees can engage in activities that boost their mental and physical health while supporting causes they care about.
Overall, Givhero serves as a powerful tool for companies looking to deepen employee engagement through wellness initiatives that also support social responsibility goals.
5. Automatic Payroll Deductions
Another form of workplace giving that can lead to high employee engagement is automatic payroll deductions.
An automatic payroll deduction allows employees to set aside a small portion of each paycheck to donate to a charity.
Automatic payroll deductions are great options for employees because they can give to nonprofits in smaller increments—especially if they’re unable to donate a large sum at once. If their employer also offers a matching gift program, those donations can even be doubled.
Companies typically vet charitable organizations beforehand to ensure their employees’ automatic payroll contributions are going to reputable nonprofits. This measure will reassure employees that their donations are going to a good cause.
Why are automatic payroll deductions a great employee engagement idea?
By making it easy for employees to give to reputable organizations, your company accomplishes a few things:
Employees get to make a difference for the causes they care about.
The donations have no extra fees for the nonprofits (like credit card processing fees) and are still tax deductible for employees.
Employees will continue to participate in automatic payroll deductions long-term because of the ease and security associated with these programs.
The more options you offer as part of your workplace giving programs, the more likely employees will be to engage with and participate in those programs. Automatic payroll deductions are an excellent option to consider as a company.
6. Annual Giving Campaigns
The year-end giving season (generally October through December) is the most popular time for nonprofit donations. During this time, donation numbers are higher than all year round as people lean into the generosity they feel around the holidays and wrap up their charitable giving that will be deducted from their taxes in the spring.
Companies can use this time to encourage their employees to donate to important causes, either through monetary or time donations. When paired with matching gifts and corporate volunteer grants, the impact goes even further.
Many nonprofits run annual giving campaigns around this time of year to raise a large portion of the funds they need to continue serving their missions, especially on GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in the U.S. Encouraging your employees to give during these campaigns is especially important for the nonprofits they support but also for your company’s image.
Why are annual giving campaigns a great employee engagement idea?
If your company wants to boost engagement among its employees, be sure to encourage them to participate in annual giving. Promote specific opportunities to donate to nonprofits whose missions align with your company values. This practice reflects well on your company in the public eye, while also showing your employees that giving to worthy causes is an important component of your business practices.
7. Cause Marketing Campaigns
As a big part of corporate philanthropy, companies will often launch a cause marketing campaign in conjunction with a nonprofit cause. During a cause marketing campaign, a company increases its own profitability while also doing good in the communities in which it operates.
Here are some examples of cause marketing:
Businesses encourage customers to round up their purchases to donate to a specific charity or cause.
Businesses donate a portion of their profits to a specific charity or cause.
Businesses accept donated goods to provide to specific charities.
Both the for-profit and nonprofit sides benefit from cause marketing. For-profit businesses can see an increase in sales and exposure, while nonprofits receive more funding and goods that help them serve their constituents.
Why are cause marketing campaigns a great employee engagement idea?
Cause marketing is a great employee engagement idea because it actively encourages employee participation in promoting a nonprofit’s cause to the customers or clients they interact with. Remember that cause marketing works best if your company is helping a cause that your employees believe in. If your staff supports the idea, they’ll work harder and be more invested in helping drive results for both you and your nonprofit partner!
The Key to Making These Engagement Ideas Work: Corporate Giving Software
For all of these philanthropy-centered employee engagement ideas, you’ll want to have an organized system in place to facilitate your initiatives. With so many moving parts and workplace giving options, it can be challenging to consolidate donations, volunteer opportunities and hours, and matching gift requests in one place.
Track and review employee donations, including automatic payroll deductions.
View and approve employee matching gift requests.
Allow employees to log their volunteer hours.
View and approve volunteer grant requests.
Post and coordinate volunteer opportunities for your employees.
Organize team volunteer events.
These are just some of the ways corporate giving software can help keep your company on track.
A Must-Have Feature in Corporate Giving Software: Matching Gift Auto-Submission
The best corporate giving software will offer matching gift auto-submission that allows you to streamline the matching gift process for your employees and ensure that your matched donations get to nonprofits quickly.
Check out how our auto-submission feature works by watching the video below:
As explained in the video, when your company uses a corporate giving tool that offers auto-submission, donors can simply enter their corporate email address and have their match request submitted for them, with no extra steps required on their end.
Be sure to invest in the right software that will allow your company to benefit the most from the workplace giving programs you’ve already put so much effort into, and make sure your platform offers auto-submission capabilities.
Examples of These Employee Engagement Initiatives in Action
As you build out your own corporate philanthropy-centered engagement program, it will be helpful to get inspired by other companies’ programs so that you can ensure yours is poised to be as effective as possible. Here are two examples of companies that are doing good in their communities and getting their employees involved in their efforts!
Google: Matching Gifts
Google offers a matching gift program that its full-time and part-time employees, as well as its board members, are eligible for. It matches gifts up to $10,000 per year per employee at a 1:1 ratio.
In addition, Google also offers donation matching for any funds contributed for disaster or international relief and matches funds that employees personally raise for charitable events (such as walk-a-thons).
Walmart: Volunteer Grants
Walmart offers a volunteer grants program called Volunteerism Always Pays (VAP) that individuals or groups can participate in.
For the individual VAP grants initiative, Walmart gives $10 per hour to the nonprofit an employee volunteers with, up to $1,000.
For the group VAP grants initiative, Walmart offers groups that volunteer together or participate in fundraising runs or walks together grants for $500-$5,000 dollars, depending on the number of employees in the group.
Remember, your company’s own program will likely look a little different than any example you’re inspired by because you have your own values, priorities, and budget to keep in mind. Still, it’s handy to get an idea of what these programs look like at successful companies!
Want to dive into more examples of real-world corporate philanthropy-centered engagement programs?
Other Top Employee Engagement Ideas
Although corporate philanthropy initiatives are an excellent way to engage your employees, there are lots of other employee engagement ideas you can tap into, as well. Let’s explore some other options, all of which we’ve sorted into a few different categories:
You may decide to choose one or even several ideas from this list. Whatever you choose, remember to customize these ideas to fit your specific employees’ needs and expectations!
Employee Engagement Ideas for Recognition and Awards
Many employers make the mistake of assuming their gratitude for their employees is simply implied. However, the truth is that employees need consistent and genuine recognition to feel motivated and encouraged to perform to the best of their abilities.
In fact, according to Nectar HR, nearly 84% feel that recognition impacts their motivation to succeed in their jobs. In this section, we’ll look closely at some employee engagement ideas that involve recognition and awards.
1. eCards
Your employees’ contributions are valuable and deserve more recognition than an occasional pat on the back. Fold recognition into your everyday routine with custom eCards.
eCards are greeting cards’ virtual counterparts, making them easy to send and even easier to create. Plus, when you work with the right eCard site, you can customize your eCards to reflect your organization’s branding or the achievement you’re calling an employee out for reaching. Take this eCard for example:
Digital greeting cards have emerged as a versatile tool for employee recognition, enabling managers and employees alike to show appreciation for their coworkers. They offer several benefits to companies, like:
Immediate Recognition: Managers and peers can quickly acknowledge achievements, milestones, or contributions without the delays associated with traditional recognition methods. This ensures that recognition is timely, reinforcing positive behaviors and accomplishments as they happen.
Personalization: eCards can be customized to reflect the recipient’s personality, the specific achievement, or the company’s culture, adding a personal touch to the gesture. Send a personal message with each eCard to enhance the emotional impact of the recognition and make employees feel genuinely appreciated.
Accessibility and Convenience: Given the digital nature of eCards, they can be sent and received from anywhere, at any time. That makes it easy to fold recognition into everyday work routines, whether you’re working in person or remotely.
Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional recognition gifts, eCards don’t require physical materials or postage to send. That means you can cut down on costs.
If you’re more of a visual learner, check out this video that highlights our recommended eCard software, eCardWidget:
By integrating eCards into your recognition strategies, your company can foster a culture of appreciation that is continuous, inclusive, and aligned with modern work practices. This ongoing recognition can play a crucial role in enhancing employee engagement and motivation, ultimately contributing to a positive work environment.
2. Incentive Bonuses
Depending on the nature of your organization, giving an incentive bonus might be a natural extension of your employees’ work. For example, if your organization is a store that sells musical instruments, you might offer a commission system that incentivizes salespeople to work toward ambitious sales goals.
In other contexts, you may have to get creative with how you offer incentive bonuses. One popular way is to offer an annual holiday bonus, given at the end of the calendar year before the winter holidays, or as a retention award during performance reviews.
However you decide to offer bonuses, make sure you’re clear with your employees about who is eligible to receive a bonus, how much the bonus is worth, and how and when that bonus is paid out.
3. Employee of the Month Program
An employee of the month program is a popular way to thank your top performers for all of their hard work and show them just how much your organization benefits from their efforts. To set up a fair and sustainable program, follow these steps:
Define the criteria for becoming Employee of the Month.
Create a nomination process that managers or peers can use to nominate employees for the award.
Form a committee to choose the winner of the award.
Select rewards the Employee of the Month will receive, such as bonuses, gift cards, special parking privileges, etc.
Promote the program to your employees.
The key to a successful employee of the month program is consistency. Be consistent in how you administer the program and in how you incorporate it into your internal culture. If your employees are excited about the program, it will be a great motivator for solid performance!
4. Pass a Post-It
This recognition idea is a simple one but goes a long way. Simply hand out some Post-its and pens to your employees, and encourage them to write words of encouragement or kind messages to their coworkers, sticking the Post-its on their desks or cubicle walls.
This is a quick and easy way to foster a spirit of appreciation within your organization and to get employees involved in recognizing each others’ contributions.
5. Workaversary Celebrations
Work anniversaries (also known as “workaversaries”) are exciting professional milestones and represent an employee’s loyalty and dedication to your organization. Consider celebrating individuals’ workaversaries in small and meaningful ways. For example, you might post about an employee’s achievements in the last year on LinkedIn, or write them a thoughtful card.
You can also celebrate large lengths of tenure, like a 5-year or 10-year anniversary at your organization. Consider making these celebrations a bit bigger, like a catered lunch or an after-hours work party. This can be an excellent way to demonstrate to all of your employees just how important retention is to your organization and its goals.
6. Personal Milestone Celebrations
In addition to workaversaries, there are plenty of personal milestones that your employees might experience, including:
Getting married
Buying a house
Having a baby
Adopting a new pet
Educational achievements
Show your employees that you care about their personal achievements by celebrating these memorable milestones. For instance, if an employee adopts a dog, you might gift them a bag of dog treats. Or, if they have a baby, you might send them a custom baby blanket featuring their child’s name.
Team-Building Employee Engagement Ideas
For your employees to enjoy their work experience at your organization, they need to feel connected to the people they’re working with. It’s great if your organization can facilitate healthy working relationships between coworkers, but employees will also benefit from building genuine friendships. In fact, Gallup has found that employees who have a best friend at work are more likely to get more done in less time, innovate and share ideas, and have fun while working. These team-building ideas can help you create an environment where strong relationships can grow between team members.
1. Group Activities or Outings
Try hosting activities during or outside of work hours that allow your team members to get to know each other. These might include:
Sporting events
Museum, art gallery, or theater outings
Cooking classes
Art or craft workshops
Picnics, barbecues, or potlucks
To engage your employees in these activities even more, hand the brainstorming and planning over to them. Create an “extracurriculars” budget (i.e., $20-$30 per participant) and allow employees to plan company- or team-wide outings of their choice once per quarter or once per year. This way, you’ll get many activities on the calendar quickly as well as a variety of different activities for employees to choose from to attend.
2. Team-Building Exercises
Team-building exercises are fun activities that groups of employees participate in to strengthen their collaboration and communication skills and to build trust with each other. You’re likely familiar with some popular team building exercises, like The Human Knot or trust falls.
However, there are a number of other exercises to consider, such as playing Two Truths and a Lie, working through an escape room together, completing a ropes course, creating a collaborative art piece, or playing the Blind Obstacle course game, where everyone helps blindfolded team members navigate obstacles and make it to the finish line.
Each of these exercises encourages your employees to unite, talk to each other, and work through problems and challenges together, strengthening their connections to one another.
3. Company Retreat
A company retreat is more of a large-scale employee engagement idea that will require some planning. A retreat gives you the opportunity to get your team together all in one place to enjoy work- and non-work-related activities alike. The best thing about a company retreat is that it sets aside some time for all of your team members to focus on their work relationships and create a collective memory together.
You don’t even have to go far to have a successful company retreat—even a day-long retreat at a local park or events center can give you plenty of time to ensure all of your employees are forming strong connections with each other.
4. Office Competitions
An office competition allows you to tap into your employees’ competitive spirits and encourage them to work toward a common goal. Here’s how to set one up:
Divide your employees into groups. For example, you might make each department its own team or create groups at random to encourage employees to interact with coworkers they don’t usually work with on a daily basis.
Choose the type of competition. There are many different types of competitions you could run, from a desk decorating contest to a trivia contest. One of the most popular types of office competition is a fitness challenge, where team members work toward a goal related to fitness or exercise. For instance, you might challenge your employees to see which team can walk the most steps in a month.
Select a reward. Motivate your employees to participate in the challenge by offering some sort of reward or prize to the winning team, like a trophy, an extra vacation day, or a catered lunch at the office.
Once you’ve set up your competition, you’ll need to get your employees on board. Don’t forget to continue encouraging participation and spreading enthusiasm for the competition even after it starts so they stay engaged for the duration of the competition.
5. Office-Wide One-Off Projects
No matter what your company does, whether you’re a consulting firm or a retailer (or something else entirely!), you and your employees are used to working together toward a common goal. But there are likely projects or initiatives you wish you could get to that are frequently put on the back burner for the sake of day-to-day priorities.
Why not put your team’s regular synergy to good use on a one-off project to try to accomplish something out of the ordinary? For instance, you could choose one project or initiative each quarter that team members will contribute to outside of their usual tasks.
Not only does a one-off project change things up for your team, but it also allows them to work more closely with team members they don’t usually collaborate with.
6. Team Member Spotlights
It’s important to consistently build a strong internal community at your company. However, this is especially tricky at large organizations, where team members might not always have the opportunity to interact with each other often or get to know new hires right away.
Help your employees get to know each other by creating and sending out team member spotlights. A spotlight should walk through some simple get-to-know-you information for each employee, like their name, background, hobbies or personal interests, and a fun fact about them. It will also be helpful to include their professional headshot and a link to their LinkedIn profile.
You can easily incorporate employee spotlights into company-wide meetings or emails.
7. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives
How diverse is your team, and is your organization welcoming to all different types of people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences?
You can prioritize DEI in several ways, from adopting diverse hiring practices and establishing policies on gender- or race-based discrimination to conducting regular pay audits to ensure pay equity or making your office space more accessible for individuals with disabilities.
Each organization will have different DEI needs, so take into consideration where your own organization is starting from and how you can improve your efforts.
8. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Many employees may benefit from joining an ERG, which are groups employees form over a shared characteristic, whether that is gender, lifestyle, ethnicity, or something else. For instance, employees at your organization might be interested in creating a working mothers ERG, or a group for veterans.
ERGs allow employees to come together and support each other in workplace. They may also advocate for the development of new policies related to their ERG’s needs, help each other develop professionally, or host social outings for individuals in the group to get to know each other better.
9. Sports and Recreation Clubs
Many of your employees may enjoy getting together to participate in a sports or recreation activity, whether it’s soccer or rock climbing. Encourage employees to start clubs that meet outside of work hours where they can pursue these interests.
These types of clubs also ensure employees stay active, which is especially important if their jobs require them to remain stationary or sit at a desk for most of the day.
10. Book and Film Clubs
Similarly, employees may enjoy getting together to discuss literature or film. These are also activities that can be held after work or during a lunch break.
The important thing with clubs is to make sure that you let your employees know that you fully support them in getting to know each other over shared interests. You can even go the extra mile by joining or creating a club yourself!
11. International Day Celebrations
International Days like International Women’s Day or Human Rights Day can be great opportunities to recognize and celebrate people within your organization. On international days you choose to recognize, send out an educational email, and incorporate some sort of related activity into your workday.
For instance, on International Women’s Day, you might start your morning meeting by highlighting a few women who have made a big impact on your field or industry.
In some cases, you might also celebrate important holidays from a variety of cultures. For instance, you might recognize both Hanukkah and Christmas in December by putting up a variety of holiday decor around your office.
12. Birthday Celebrations
It’s important to celebrate individuals, too. In addition to celebrating workaversaries or personal milestones, don’t forget that celebrating birthdays can be a great way to help individual employees feel valued and seen.
Keep these celebrations simple by providing the employee’s favorite treat during lunch and giving them a birthday card signed by their peers.
Skill Development Employee Engagement Ideas
Some employee engagement programs can simultaneously increase your employees’ job satisfaction and help them further develop their professional skill sets.
It’s critical for your company to offer opportunities like these because most employees want to learn and grow at their jobs. According to Zippia, 49% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development, and 68% of employees say that training and development are the most important company policy.
Let’s look at some employee engagement ideas that will promote professional growth and skill development.
1. Strong Onboarding Process
You might be thinking, “Onboarding is already something we do. In fact, we have to do it every time we hire someone.”
That may be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think of onboarding as an opportunity to engage your employees, both old and new.
As you train new team members, involve long-time team members where you can. For instance, you might have current team members give presentations about their roles or departments to help orient the new team member.
This way, not only is the new team member learning from their manager, but they’re also getting the chance to interact with individuals from other areas of the company, growing their network and giving them a more expansive understanding of how the company works as a whole.
2. Job Shadowing
Job shadowing offers an opportunity for an employee to observe an employee in a different role and get an understanding of their responsibilities and daily tasks. This is a great way for a team member to explore different roles and consider their own options for their progression at your company.
For example, say an employee decides to shadow a manager on another team. They could observe the manager balancing their regular duties with management responsibilities, see how they communicate with their direct reports, and ask questions about why they decided to take a management path. With that information in their hands, the employee could then make informed decisions about the trajectory of their own career.
3. Mentorship Program
Try starting a mentorship program at your company, where senior team members mentor team members who are early on in their careers or new to your organization.
Through mentoring, your employees can learn new skills, get advice about their career paths, build friendships, and receive feedback on their performance. A mentoring relationship can also be a safe space for employees to voice ideas, concerns, and needs.
To identify team members who can serve as mentors in your program, look for individuals who:
Have substantial experience at your organization and in their field
Have the availability for regular meetings with their mentees
Are effective communicators
Are committed to your organization and its values
Though not every mentor needs to have management aspirations, it can be a great plus for those seeking management opportunities to be able to mentor other employees.
4. Skill or Knowledge Sharing
There’s likely a wealth of knowledge and skills in your company already. So, why not facilitate opportunities for employees to share their knowledge and skills?
Skill- or knowledge-sharing opportunities are presentations where an employee shares a skill they’ve learned in their role with the rest of your team. This is a great chance for employees to see what their coworkers’ roles are like and swap useful skills that make their work experience better.
For example, one employee might present their strategy for managing their email inbox. Another employee might discuss the sales process. No matter what your employees have to share, your entire team can learn something new.
These presentations are great to host as informal Lunch and Learn meetings.
5. Personal Training Budget
Every employee is different and will have unique professional development and training wants and needs. Empower your employees to pursue the professional development opportunities they’re most interested in by designating a personal training budget for each employee. For instance, you might cover $100 worth of training materials, conference registration fees, or online course costs for each employee each year.
As employees can choose which training opportunities they want to take advantage of, they’ll not only sharpen their skill sets but also learn skills that provide more value for your company. Don’t forget to encourage employees to share what they learn with the rest of your team.
6. Resource Library
Building and maintaining a resource library is an effective strategy for not only helping employees develop professionally but also preserving all the knowledge and skills that your team brings to the table.
Your resource library can include things like your employee handbook, online training courses, ebooks, podcasts, videos and webinars, training and safety manuals, and more.
To make sure your resource library is useful to your company, consistently direct your employees toward it when they have questions or when they express interest in professional development.
7. Personal Career Development Plans
Encourage your employees to work with their managers to develop a personal career development plan. These plans help employees visualize their professional futures and the steps they’ll need to take to achieve their long-term goals at your organization.
For instance, an employee may set a goal to become a manager, outlining the skills and attributes they’ll need to develop over a set amount of time to be eligible for a management position when the opportunity arises. Or, another employee may be interested in becoming a subject matter expert (SME) in a certain area, and, working with their manager, identify the online courses they need to take or conferences they need to attend to learn about a certain topic and become your organization’s go-to person for that subject.
8. Educational Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Some employers pay for employees’ education expenses through educational assistance programs. For instance, companies like McDonald’s and Walmart offer tuition assistance for eligible employees who want to pursue a college degree.
In addition to covering educational expenses like tuition, books, or online learning subscriptions, you can also provide flexible scheduling that allows employees to attend classes or study without sacrificing their work hours.
9. Leadership Training
Your employees may have aspirations to become managers or leaders themselves one day. Share your knowledge by hosting optional leadership training meetings consistently. You can cover topics like:
Delegation
Active listening
Problem-solving
Playing to your strengths
Strategic thinking
Influence and persuasion
You can also invite leaders from across the company to present on these and other topics. Make sure to provide plenty of personal experiences and anecdotes as you share how you’ve developed these skills over the years.
Health and Wellbeing Employee Engagement Ideas
Are your employees happy and healthy? Your employees’ physical, mental, and emotional health can all impact how they feel about their jobs and also affect other aspects of their lives (such as their relationships).
This next set of employee engagement ideas focuses on ways you can engage your team members through health and wellbeing initiatives and stresses the importance of the connection between employees feeling cared for at work and how engaged they are.
1. Stress Management Workshop
According to the American Institute of Stress, 83% of U.S. workers are stressed out by work, with 25% saying that their job is their number one stressor in life.
Even the best jobs and workplace situations can still leave employees feeling stressed out. This fact is important for you to acknowledge as an employer, and you can mitigate its negative impact by hosting a stress management workshop.
To host a workshop that will be useful to your employees, consider inviting someone with stress management experience (such as a therapist or psychologist) to lead the discussion. You’ll likely want your expert to cover the different types of stress, potential workplace stressors, how to gauge personal stress levels, and useful coping techniques.
Drive home the importance of stress management by following up with your employees after the workshop. For example, a few weeks after the workshop, you might invite people to report back on how their stress management efforts are playing out. Or, you might share a coping mechanism that recently worked for you.
2. Yoga or Meditation Sessions
Yoga and meditation are effective ways for people to focus on their mind and body connection and practice mindfulness.
Try hosting monthly, weekly, or even daily meditation or yoga sessions at your office. Thanks to technology like YouTube or mindfulness apps like Calm or Headspace, you don’t need to be a yoga or meditation expert to lead an effective session.
These sessions can be quick, giving you and your team just enough time to take a deep breath and center yourselves before diving back into your daily tasks.
3. Mental Health Support
A recent study by One Medical found that 64% of workers struggle with mental health issues. There are many ways your company can offer mental health support as part of its employee engagement efforts.
These include:
Launching an employee assistance program (EAP) focused on mental health
Providing mental health awareness training to managers
Offering a mental health stipend to help employees cover mental health costs like counseling
Developing policies that address mental health, such as a mental health day policy
Providing access to mental health resources like online self-help tools
Creating an inclusive, supportive culture and encouraging a healthy work-life balance
Though these methods can make a big difference to your employees, remember to emphasize the importance of working with a licensed mental health professional as needed.
4. Healthy Break Room Snacks
Who doesn’t enjoy a good snack during their workday?
Encourage your employees to stay on top of their physical health and eat a balanced diet by stocking your break room with healthy snacks. Granola bars, nuts, fruit and vegetable trays, and protein packs are all great options.
5. Field Day
A field day is a fun event where you and your employees can participate in fun field games and enjoy a day outside. You can host a field day at a local park, featuring activities like:
Three-legged races
Sack races
Egg and spoon races
Tug-of-War
Volleyball
Kickball
Your employees will enjoy spending time outdoors and working together to win each field game. Don’t forget to motivate your participants by offering fun prizes!
6. Stretching Sessions
Stretching relieves tension and stress built up throughout the work day.
Try scheduling a regular stretching session in the morning or afternoon and encourage employees to get up and stretch their arms and legs. This is also a great opportunity for employees to give their eyes, necks, and wrists a break from using a computer!
Work-Life Balance Employee Engagement Ideas
As an employer, it’s important to acknowledge that employees need balance in all areas of their life, especially when it comes to work and everything outside of work. You can do your part as an employer to encourage healthy boundaries between your employees and their jobs by employing the following engagement ideas.
1. Flexible Work Arrangements
Though a majority of workers still work in an office, 12.7% work from home and 28.2% work a hybrid model, according to Forbes. It’s clear that remote and hybrid work aren’t going anywhere, and there’s good reason for that.
Forbes also points out that a whopping 98% of employees want to work from home at least part of the time. Working from home offers a level of autonomy and flexibility that in-office workers just don’t experience.
Consider making your current work arrangements more flexible by offering more work-from-home time to your employees. However, remember that there is still value in having employees gather in an office.
You might help your employees get the best of both worlds by letting them choose which days of the week they’d like to work from home or requiring employees to come to the office on meeting-heavy days. This way, they can still socialize with their coworkers and work together face-to-face while also getting plenty of independent work time in at home on the other days of the week.
2. Paid Time Off (PTO)
PTO is likely a benefit you offer to your full-time employees, but what is your company’s culture like when it comes to actually using that PTO?
Make sure your employees feel comfortable taking advantage of their PTO and vacation days. Lead by example by using your own vacation time well, and make sure to discuss how time away from work can benefit employees both personally and professionally.
3. Family-Friendly or Plus-One Activities
If you choose to schedule fun activities for your employees to participate in outside of work hours, consider making some of those activities family-friendly or encourage employees to bring a plus one. This will encourage more people to attend, whether they feel more comfortable attending with a friend or partner, or aren’t able to attend regular activities due to childcare constraints.
Outdoor activities like field days or big events like your company’s holiday parties are great options for taking a family-friendly or plus-one approach.
4. Compressed Work Week
You’ve probably heard about the new trend in work scheduling, the four-day work week. This approach can look different depending on a company’s needs, whether employers choose to give employees one day off a week or just ask that employees work an average of 32 hours per week instead of 40.
A four-day work week trial in the U.K. resulted in increased revenue for participating companies and boosted employee well-being. If you’ve considered a compressed work week in the past, now may be the time to give it a try!
5. Encourage Breaks
We’ve all been there—feeling so busy at work that you opt to avoid conversations around the coffee pot, skip lunch, and hurry home just to work more after dinner. After all, it seems logical that more time spent on a task equals better results, but that’s not really the case.
In fact, working long hours on tasks without any breaks can leave employees feeling burnt out and frustrated with their jobs. Instead, research shows that planning and taking full advantage of breaks can help employees feel more energized and even boost their performance.
Make sure to encourage breaks in your workplace. You can do this in a number of different ways, from leading by example to encouraging employees to schedule regular breaks on their calendars. You can even ask managers to check in with their direct reports on a frequent basis to ensure they’re taking the breaks they need to do their best work.
6. Encourage Disconnecting After Work Hours
Especially in the day and age of smartphones, work can easily follow your employees home, making some feel like they have to respond to emails, calls, and text messages even when they’re not on the clock.
Boost engagement and encourage a healthy work-life balance by creating a workplace policy that encourages employees to disconnect after the work day. This practice can allow your employees to focus more fully on their friends, family, and hobbies outside of work.
Even if you expect your employees to keep up with their inboxes or answer the occasional call when on vacation, make it clear that you don’t expect them to be constantly available.
Communication and Feedback Employee Engagement Ideas
For your employees to feel truly involved and invested in your organization’s goals and overall success, you need to prioritize effective communication and feedback. The right strategies can help your team be more efficient and encourage individuals to grow and develop their skill sets. Check out the following employee engagement ideas related to communication and feedback.
1. Open-Door Communication Policy
When your employees know that you’re open to hearing their questions, suggestions, comments, and more, you’ll experience benefits like:
Better employee morale
Faster problem-solving and decision-making
More effective collaboration
Enhanced trust in leadership
To make your open-door policy efficient, let employees know when you’re available for discussions. You might even consider holding “office hours” once a week and encouraging team members to hold comments or questions until that time.
2. Frequent Surveys
Surveys are a great way to gauge how your employees are feeling about certain topics or to source new ideas for your organization to run with. For example, you might send out a quarterly survey that asks your employees to identify any inefficiencies they see in their workflow or ideas they have for increasing revenue or decreasing costs.
Surveys work well because they allow everyone the time and space to communicate their ideas in writing. Plus, if you make some of your surveys anonymous, you’ll get more candid responses that will give you an accurate view of what’s going on in your workplace.
3. Suggestion Box Program
Suggestion boxes encourage team members to share any time they have a great idea for improving a process or making your organization a better place to work.
Depending on the nature of your workplace, your suggestion box may be a physical box or an online spreadsheet where people can leave their ideas. Either way, make sure to check the “box” regularly.
It will also be important to respond to each idea so that individual contributors feel heard. Even if your organization won’t be running with an idea, it can be helpful to provide feedback on the idea and thank them for the suggestion.
4. Regular One-on-One Meetings
One-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports can be an effective way to encourage consistent communication between employees and company leadership.
Harvard Business Review recommends managers have one-on-one meetings with each employee for 30 minutes each week and that managers prioritize listening over speaking. This meeting is an employee’s opportunity to talk about what is going well in their role and seek guidance about how to improve or overcome challenges, so letting them lead the charge on what they want to talk about is crucial.
5. Performance Reviews
Chances are, your organization already holds regular performance reviews at least once each fiscal year. However, your performance review process is worth revisiting if you’re looking for ways to improve employee engagement. Follow these tips from RealHR Solutions to improve how you conduct reviews:
Identify what you want to accomplish by holding performance reviews.
Have managers share self-assessments with employees, as well as instructions for completing them.
Have employees complete and share their self-assessments.
Ask managers to gather feedback on each individual’s performance from their peers, clients, and others who work with them.
Have managers review employees’ self-assessments and complete performance review forms.
Hold performance reviews to cover key accomplishments and improvement opportunities, as well as any compensation changes.
Have managers and their direct reports consistently revisit goals set in the most recent round of reviews.
Remember, you can always improve your performance review process down the road. You might even ask your employees what they see as the most valuable parts of the process and what needs to be optimized further.
6. Internal Newsletters
Keep your employees in the loop by sending out a monthly internal newsletter. This is a great place to provide company-wide updates and celebrate things like birthdays, workaversaries, and more.
To ensure that your newsletters don’t go straight to your employees’ email trash bins, make them interesting to read. Include visuals like photos from your last company party or links to a recent TedTalk your organization’s leadership highly recommends.
Wrapping Up: Inspire Your Employees With a Solid Engagement Strategy
Fully engaging your employees is key to long-term organizational success, and there are dozens of ways to do so, from engaging in corporate philanthropy to starting a company book club or implementing an open-door communication policy.
In this guide, we’ve covered the ins and outs of employee engagement, as well as some of our favorite ideas for your organization to try. Consider your own organization’s engagement levels and culture, and pick a few ideas that you want to implement.
Don’t worry if there’s a bit of a learning curve as you get started—the best employee engagement strategies will take some tweaking to get right! However, your efforts will pay off down the road as you strengthen your workplace and retain your employees for the long term. You’ve got this!
Ready to keep learning about employee engagement opportunities? We recommend these resources:
The Ultimate Guide to Employee Engagement. Take a deep dive into employee engagement and its importance, as well as how you can measure employee engagement at your organization.
Top 20+ Matching Gift Companies: Leaders in Corporate Giving. If you’re interested in starting a matching gift program as part of your engagement efforts, it may be helpful to get inspired by other companies and their programs. Explore this list of 20+ leaders in corporate giving!
List of Top Volunteer Grant Companies. Similarly, you may want to model a volunteer grant program after an existing program. Check out our list of companies with great volunteer grant programs!
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