Picture this: Your wildlife conservation foundation is gearing up for an email marketing campaign. Your marketing team composes an engaging series of emails, complete with stories about real beneficiaries you’ve helped, statistics that illustrate your impact, and testimonials from donors and volunteers. Once the materials are ready, you send out the first batch of emails to your supporters.
However, when you check the open and click-through rates of your email, they’re much lower than you anticipated, and your bounce rate is way too high. What could have gone wrong?
While it’s possible your email didn’t catch your audience’s attention, it’s perhaps more likely that many of your supporters didn’t receive your email in the first place due to typos in your saved email addresses, switches to new email addresses, or a multitude of other reasons.
This scenario demonstrates the importance of keeping your database organized and up-to-date through data hygiene best practices. In this guide, we’ll equip your team with the skills they need to clean up your constituent data by covering the following topics:
With these tips, you’ll be prepared to maintain a clean database filled with information that can help you get in touch with your audience and earn more support.
What Is Data Hygiene?
Data hygiene refers to the process of cleaning your database. In this context, “cleaning” refers to updating, verifying, and supplementing the supporter information you’ve stored so it’s accurate and actionable.
While clean data is error-free, up-to-date information, “dirty data” refers to outdated, incomplete, duplicated, or incorrect information. During the data hygiene process, your team will remove and correct as much dirty data as possible to ensure you’re basing decisions on accurate information and preserving resources for the right people with viable contact information.
In the case of our opening example, the organization’s email address data was “dirty” because it contained outdated and incorrect supporter email addresses, preventing their messages from reaching supporters and limiting their fundraising potential.
Data hygiene best practices provide a framework for fixing errors and filling in gaps so you have your database is a comprehensive, reliable source of truth for supporter information.
Benefits of Following Data Hygiene Best Practices
Most organizations know that data is a useful tool for making decisions and reaching supporters. Even so, this information is only helpful to your nonprofit’s team if it’s accurate and up-to-date, and data can quickly become outdated.
In fact, data decays at an average rate of 30% per year. This means that every year, nearly a third of the information you have stored about your supporters, finances, marketing efforts, fundraising campaigns, and any other area of your nonprofit is no longer viable.
That’s why it’s so important to keep your data clean. By updating outdated information and removing incorrect data, you can prevent data decay. The benefits of following data hygiene best practices include:
Improved decision-making. When you regularly update your database, you can be confident you’re basing decisions on accurate information. Without following data hygiene best practices, you’re more likely to launch campaigns that don’t reach your audience, resonate with them, or generate a positive return on your investment.
Higher engagement. Not only does clean data help you personalize your campaigns to your current audience, but it also encourages your supporters to interact with your content as it’ll be more relevant and engaging to them. For instance, if the nonprofit in the opening example were to append email addresses to their database, segment supporters into groups based on shared characteristics, and send targeted communications, they could potentially increase their open rate by 82% and their click-through rate by 75%.
Enhanced stakeholder relationships. Data-driven campaigns can help you build stronger relationships with prospects, donors, volunteers, and sponsors. Targeted, personalized messages make people feel seen and heard as individuals, enticing them to continue supporting your organization long-term.
Increased fundraising efficiency. Just like a for-profit organization, you have to spend money to make money, expending resources on marketing materials and staff member time. With clean data, you’ll reach the right people the first time, allowing you to reserve time and resources for those most likely to convert.
Reduced costs. With more efficient fundraising operations, you’ll naturally save on costs associated with dirty data, such as sending materials to the same people multiple times and managing returned mail.
Compliance with data regulations. Following data hygiene best practices ensures compliance with data laws and regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). You can highlight your compliance with these regulations on your website to build trust with donors and demonstrate your commitment to protecting their sensitive information.
More accurate reporting. Updated, organized information makes it easier to compile accurate reports about your programs’ impact and share them with stakeholders like donors and board members.
Streamlined internal collaboration. Keeping your database up-to-date improves internal communication and team member collaboration. For instance, if your fundraising team determines your organization’s major gift range based on recent fundraising data, your marketing team can develop branded outreach materials that are aligned with your major donors’ giving capacity.
Leveraging clean data creates a better experience for everyone involved in your nonprofit—from donors to staff members to sponsors to beneficiaries to volunteers.
Top Data Hygiene Best Practices for Your Nonprofit
Now that you understand the importance of proper data hygiene, it’s time to dive into some data hygiene best practices your nonprofit can implement.
Audit your database or CRM.
You can’t start fixing data errors if you’re not sure what’s wrong. Start your data hygiene process strong with a database audit.
An audit provides an opportunity to survey your database or CRM and identify potential problem areas. It allows you to focus your data hygiene efforts and establish a clear plan of action.
During your audit, make sure to follow these steps:
Clarify your goals. Your current fundraising campaign or marketing initiative’s goals should guide your data hygiene process. For example, if you’re running a direct mail campaign, focus on updating your supporters’ mailing addresses. This way, the process is more manageable, especially if you’re tackling data hygiene for the first time.
Move all data to a central location. If you have any information stored in spreadsheets or physical forms, consolidate it in one platform for easier organization and analysis.
Seek out inaccuracies. Lastly, identify any data inaccuracies, and form a plan for how you’ll resolve them.
Once your audit is complete, share the results with your team to get everyone on the same page about your data priorities and data hygiene plan.
Assign data responsibilities.
Once you have a clear data hygiene plan, it’s time to assign specific responsibilities to your team members. You may select a main data steward in charge of overseeing all data hygiene procedures and separate supporting roles amongst your staff.
For example, you may have team members responsible for verifying supporter mailing addresses, merging duplicate records, researching mailing address append services, and segmenting your supporters into relevant groups. As a result, you’ll streamline the data hygiene process and complete your objectives more efficiently.
Reevaluate your data collection strategy.
You likely collect data from your supporters through multiple methods, such as donation forms, surveys, and newsletter signups. Additionally, your organization generates data from its fundraising, marketing, and program activities.
While much of this information is helpful, more is not always better. Prioritize what information you need to collect and store to fuel your mission. This way, you’ll prevent unnecessary data buildup and make your database easy to navigate.
Common types of data you’ll likely gather include:
Supporter information. When you know who your supporters are, you can personalize your messages to them. Supporter information you collect may include name, age, gender, employer data, and contact information.
Giving data. Basing donation requests on donors’ giving history can help you retain their support and encourage them to make larger contributions. Store information related to donors’ giving amounts and frequency so your communications match their level of commitment to your organization. Additionally, identify whether any of your donors are also involved in your nonprofit as volunteers, event attendees, or cause advocates so you can reference their nonmonetary contributions to your organization as well.
Campaign metrics. Keep track of the outcomes of your marketing and fundraising campaigns so you know which techniques resonate with your audience. This data may include event attendance rates, fundraising revenue, campaign conversions, and donor and volunteer retention rates.
Financial data. Planning a feasible budget depends on storing and analyzing accurate financial data. Pay attention to the revenue you generate from donations, membership fees, merchandise sales, sponsorships, and other revenue streams, as well as the expenses you incur for costs like staff compensation, marketing material production, and program expenses. Updated, accurate financial data is also important for filing your Form 990 correctly to maintain your 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
Marketing metrics. Assess your marketing strategy with data like email open rate, ad click-through rate, website engagement rate, and social media likes, comments, and shares. Storing this information helps you identify successes and establish appropriate benchmarks for future campaigns.
When discussing your data priorities with your team, review each data category and which metrics are essential to monitor. For example, if you’re running an email marketing campaign aimed at recurring donors, you’ll likely want to focus on tracking gift amounts and email open rates.
Develop data standards.
To avoid data errors and disorganization in the future, create data standards that determine how team members should input information. These rules will ensure everyone is on the same page and make it easy to find the data points you need within your CRM.
For example, you may develop standardization rules for inputting:
Mailing addresses. While some organizations may like to use the abbreviations “St,” “Rd,” and “Ln,” others may spell out “Street,” “Road,” and “Lane.” Neither option is wrong—it just depends on your team’s preferences!
Phone numbers. You may put parentheses around the area code or use dashes between each number sequence. Additionally, nonprofits with international constituents may opt to add the country code while local organizations may omit that detail.
Titles and abbreviations. Job titles or name titles like “Chief Financial Officer” or “Senior” can also be entered as their abbreviations “CFO” or “Sr.”
In addition to data input rules, you’ll also need to develop standards for how to fix problems as they arise. For example, would you like your staff to merge duplicate records or just delete extraneous entries? When everyone knows exactly how to respond to different data errors, they’ll work more efficiently and effectively.
Continuously update and validate your data.
Considering how often people move, change email addresses, and switch jobs, it’s essential to stay on top of your data and develop a plan for regularly updating it. This is the best way to ensure your database reflects your everchanging supporter base.
One of the most common ways to update your database is through data appends. A data append involves supplementing your current database with supporter information from third-party sources. Organizations use data appends to keep their supporter data up to date and fill in gaps in their CRM.
While the types of data you can append with depend on your provider, most data append companies will offer:
Address appends. With an address append filling in missing or outdated postal addresses in your database, you can be confident that your direct mail will reach your supporters, whether you’re sending newsletters, thank-you notes, fundraising appeals, or event invitations.
Employer appends. Appending employer data to your CRM can help you identify corporate giving opportunities and encourage your supporters to help you earn more for your cause.
Email appends. As we mentioned before, email addresses can quickly become outdated, between supporters switching email addresses, changing jobs or schools, or even inputting their addresses wrong. An email append ensures you can reach your supporters via this channel.
Phone number appends. Soliciting donations via text-to-give, running phone-a-thons, and thanking major donors through phone calls all require updated supporter phone numbers. Through a phone number append, you can fuel these outreach efforts.
Date of birth appends. When you know how old your supporters are through date of birth appends, you can segment them by age and send them relevant communications through their preferred channels. Additionally, you can send them birthday messages and well wishes to build strong relationships with them.
When investing in data appending, seek out a provider that works with nonprofits. That way, you can be confident they’ll understand your organization’s needs and work diligently to help you reach your goals.
How Does Nonprofit Data Hygiene Relate to Matching Gifts?
At Double the Donation, our specialty is helping nonprofits like yours earn more in matching gift revenue. If you’re not familiar, matching gifts are contributions that employers make when their employees donate to a charitable cause. They’re called “matching” gifts because companies typically match their employees’ contributions at a 1:1 ratio, but they may have a higher or lower match ratio depending on their matching gift policies.
You may be wondering, “How exactly does nonprofit data hygiene relate to matching gifts?” When you adhere to data hygiene best practices, you’ll see the following benefits for your matching gift process:
Easier identification of matching gift opportunities. Storing accurate, updated employer information in your database simplifies the process of assessing your supporters’ eligibility. Using a combination of precise employer data and Double the Donation’s matching gift software, 360MatchPro, you can help donors recognize matching gift opportunities and how they can act on them.
Timely follow-up. When you already have up-to-date donor contact information, you can quickly follow up with them about matching gift opportunities and encourage them to send matching gift requests to their employers. Additionally, 360MatchPro automates these communications so you can focus on your mission.
Maximized matching gift revenue. With more donors checking their matching gift eligibility and receiving communications about matching gifts, you’ll increase your matching gift revenue. As a result, you’ll unlock valuable funding for your organization at no additional cost to your supporters, helping you strengthen your mission and donor relationships.
Overall, clean data streamlines the matching gift process from beginning to end and ensures you get the most out of this giving channel.
Wrapping Up and Additional Data Hygiene Resources
While you might have once thought data was the key to a successful marketing or fundraising strategy, it should now be clear that clean data is the true driving force behind powerful nonprofit communications. Remember that nonprofit data hygiene is an ongoing process. Continue following data hygiene best practices, and update your procedures as needed.
If you’re looking to learn more about nonprofit data management, check out these additional resources:
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In today’s business landscape, corporate social responsibility (or CSR) is more than just a buzzword—it’s a crucial aspect of how companies operate and influence the world. Leading CSR companies are recognizing the importance of giving back to their communities, investing in sustainable practices, and driving positive change. This commitment not only enhances their brand reputation but also attracts conscious consumers and employees who value ethical practices.
In this post, we’ll highlight nine exemplary companies that are setting the standard in CSR. From innovative environmental initiatives to impactful social programs, these businesses are making a significant difference in their industries.
What is CSR?
Corporate Social Responsibility is a business model that helps companies be socially accountable—to themselves, their stakeholders, and the public. By practicing CSR, companies can be conscious of the impact they have on all aspects of society, including the environment, the economy, and beyond.
Critical aspects of CSR include:
Philanthropic Responsibility: Businesses engage in activities that benefit society. This can involve community development programs, charitable donations, volunteer efforts, and supporting social causes like education, health, and equality.
Ethical Responsibility: Organizations operate in a fair and ethical manner. This involves treating employees fairly, ensuring product safety, and conducting business with integrity.
Legal Responsibility: Businesses comply with all relevant laws and legal regulations, ensuring they operate safely and fairly on a consistent basis.
Economic Responsibility: Companies adopt practices that ensure fair trade, ethical labor practices, and transparent business operations. They strive to create economic value while also producing value for society.
All in all, CSR initiatives help companies build a positive brand image, foster customer loyalty, attract and retain employees, and ultimately contribute to long-term business success.
What defines the best CSR companies?
The best CSR companies are defined by key characteristics that demonstrate their commitment to philanthropic, ethical, economic, and legal responsibilities. These companies go beyond mere compliance with legal requirements and actively seek to make a positive impact.
Wondering if your company meets the criteria? Looking for leading businesses to seek support for your nonprofit? No matter your intent, here are the defining attributes of the best CSR companies to consider:
They have a well-defined CSR vision and strategy that aligns with their core business values and goals, and their CSR initiatives are integrated into their overall business operations. This information should be available online, in employee-facing materials, and more.
They invest in community development and social programs that address local and global challenges such as education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and more.
They prioritize employee welfare and active involvement in CSR activities such as giving and volunteerism.
They collaborate with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other businesses to amplify their impact.
They maintain transparency in their CSR efforts by regularly reporting on their progress and outcomes.
They demonstrate a long-term commitment to CSR by continuously evaluating and improving their initiatives with measurable goals and plans for achieving tangible results.
By embodying these characteristics, the best CSR companies create value not only for their business but also for society and the environment, setting a powerful example for others to follow.
And we’ve compiled a list of companies by which to be inspired below!
How does the CLMA designation reflect CSR efforts?
One of the greatest indicators of a company’s CSR efforts is its devotion to matching employee gifts. As a result, the CLMA designation, which is awarded to Certified Leaders in Matching Automation, reflects a company’s commitment to ongoing philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.
This certificate directly reflects a company’s devotion to CSR by showcasing its dedication to facilitating seamless and accessible support for a wide range of nonprofit causes. Top companies that hold this designation exemplify the integration of automated processes to foster a culture of giving and social responsibility.
Why does this matter for nonprofits and other fundraisers?
Understanding the offerings of top CSR companies and other CLMA-certified employers is essential for nonprofits, schools, and fundraisers for several reasons. First, familiarity with companies offering standout matching gift programs allows organizations to effectively double or even triple the donations received, significantly boosting fundraising efforts.
These companies can also be significant suppliers of grants, sponsorships, volunteer services, and more, making them valuable targets for establishing lucrative long-term partnerships.
Top Companies with Standout CSR Strategies & More
Familiarity with top CSR companies can help nonprofits and schools identify partners committed to the greater good. At the same time, understanding the successes of leading examples can provide invaluable insights and ideas for improving a business or organization’s own practices and initiatives.
Read on to explore our selection of standout CSR initiatives and see which elements you can adopt in your efforts.
Top CSR Company #1: Chipotle
Company Overview:
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a renowned fast-casual restaurant chain headquartered in Newport Beach, California. It is best known for its focus on serving high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients in its customizable burritos, bowls, and tacos.
Chipotle currently operates over 2,800 restaurants across the world, with more than 120,000 employees, and continues to expand its global footprint.
CSR Focus:
Chipotle’s CSR efforts primarily revolve around sustainability (including responsible sourcing and healthy living) and employee giving. The company places a strong emphasis on food with integrity, as well as giving to a variety of nonprofit causes its team members support.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
By integrating sustainability and giving into its core business model and engaging with stakeholders transparently, Chipotle sets a benchmark in the restaurant industry for socially conscious practices. This commitment not only enhances its brand reputation but also contributes positively to the communities it serves.
In doing so, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become a CLMA-certified leader in the matching gift industry. By partnering with Double the Donation-integrated corporate giving solution, Chipotle has implemented matching gift auto-submission functionality, making the request process seamless and accessible for its staff. This efficient system not only simplifies the donation matching process but also significantly boosts CSR by growing the amount of corporate funding paid out through successful matches and more.
Top CSR Company #2: Danone
Company Overview:
Danone is a multinational food-products corporation headquartered in Paris, France, with nearly 90,000 employees worldwide. It operates in four main business segments: Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Waters, Early Life Nutrition, and Advanced Medical Nutrition.
Globally, Danone is known for its dairy and plant-based products, including brands like Activia, Evian, and Alpro.
CSR Focus:
Danone’s CSR efforts are centered around sustainability, nutrition, and social innovation. The company aims to promote healthier eating habits, support the communities in which its staff live and work, and reduce its environmental impact across operations.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Danone actively engages its employees in promoting sustainable practices through philanthropy, volunteerism, and other initiatives.
As a result, the food company is also CLMA-certified for its exemplary matching gift program. With the help of Double the Donation, Danone has integrated matching gift auto-submission into its CSR initiatives, providing an effortless experience for employees looking to double their charitable contributions. This streamlined approach enhances Danone’s CSR efforts by maximizing the impact of corporate funding through successful donation matches.
Top CSR Company #3: BerlinRosen
Company Overview:
BerlinRosen is a leading strategic communications firm based in New York City, specializing in PR, media relations, and digital strategy. With over 400 employees across New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and more, the firm serves nonprofits, advocacy organizations, progressive campaigns, and corporate entities.
CSR Focus:
BerlinRosen’s CSR efforts are centered around social justice, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment through effective communication strategies. The firm leverages its expertise in public relations to amplify voices and advocate for positive social change.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
BerlinRosen distinguishes itself by actively supporting organizations that drive meaningful community impact. This includes offering pro-bono services to nonprofits, advocacy groups, and more.
BerlinRosen is also recognized as a CLMA-certified employer due to its outstanding matching gift program. By collaborating with Double the Donation, BerlinRosen has implemented a user-friendly matching gift auto-submission system, simplifying the process for its employees.
Overall, the company’s commitment to supporting employee philanthropy—as well as its dedication to communication as a tool for social good—sets it apart as a leader in CSR within the public relations industry and beyond.
Top CSR Company #4: Creative Circle
Company Overview:
With more than 18,000 employees, Creative Circle is a specialized staffing agency headquartered in Los Angeles, California. This company focuses on connecting creative professionals with businesses in various industries, such as advertising, marketing, and design.
CSR Focus:
Creative Circle’s CSR efforts are centered around promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the creative industry, supporting creative professionals, and fostering inclusive workplaces.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Creative Circle stands out for its commitment to CSR, supporting philanthropic initiatives that advance equality and equity in the creative sector.
As a CLMA-certified company, Creative Circle has implemented a robust matching gift program. Partnering with Double the Donation, Creative Circle offers a seamless matching gift auto-submission process, which makes it easy for employees to participate in corporate philanthropy. This innovative approach drives more revenue through the programs, focusing on facilitating employee generosity and reflecting its dedication to social responsibility and community engagement.
Top CSR Company #5: Toyota Connected
Company Overview:
A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Connected focuses on developing data-driven mobility solutions and connected vehicle technologies to enhance customer experiences and drive innovation in the automotive industry.
CSR Focus:
Toyota Connected’s CSR efforts revolve around sustainable mobility, environmental stewardship, and leveraging technology for social good. The company aims to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable transportation solutions for all.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
By integrating data-driven insights and technology with sustainability goals, Toyota Connected demonstrates leadership in CSR by driving positive social, environmental, and economic impacts through its innovative initiatives.
The company is also a pioneer in matching gifts, establishing a CLMA-certified program designed to provide its employees with a seamless and hassle-free matching experience that boosts their impact for their favorite causes (like yours!).
Top CSR Company #6: Teachable
Company Overview:
With over 1,500 employees worldwide, Teachable is an online platform that empowers individuals and organizations to create and sell online courses. This company’s efforts ultimately provide tools and resources to facilitate online learning and entrepreneurship.
CSR Focus:
Teachable’s CSR efforts center on educational equity, supporting online educators, and empowering diverse voices in online learning and digital entrepreneurship.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Teachable, which stands out for its commitment to democratizing education and empowering educators from diverse backgrounds, is also CLMA-certified for its exemplary matching gift program. In collaboration with Double the Donation, Teachable offers a hassle-free matching gift auto-submission process, making it simple and straightforward for employees to enhance their charitable donations. This streamlined system amplifies Teachable’s CSR efforts by maximizing the corporate funding distributed through successful matches.
Overall, Teachable’s focus on facilitating employee generosity and supporting various causes demonstrates its strong commitment to social responsibility and community impact.
Top CSR Company #7: Microsoft
Company Overview:
Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. With more than 220,000 employees across the world, Microsoft is known for its software products, cloud computing services, and hardware devices.
CSR Focus:
Microsoft’s CSR efforts focus on digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, and leveraging technology for social impact. The company aims to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more through its technology and initiatives.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Matching gifts up to $15,000 per employee on an annual basis, Microsoft devotes significant resources to its corporate matching gift program. Plus, it offers each team member a full week’s worth of paid VTO and supplies volunteer grants equal to $25 for each hour an employee spends volunteering with nonprofit causes.
Microsoft also stands out for its comprehensive approach to CSR, integrating sustainability into its core business strategy and promoting ethical AI and data privacy practices. The company leads initiatives to address global challenges such as environmental sustainability, accessibility, and humanitarian crises, too. Plus, it offers free and reduced technology services for nonprofits and schools!
Top CSR Company #8: Google
Company Overview:
Google LLC is a multinational technology company (with an employee count greater than 180,000 worldwide) that specializes in Internet-related services and products. This includes search engines, cloud computing, software, hardware, and more.
CSR Focus:
Google’s CSR efforts encompass environmental sustainability, digital literacy, and empowering businesses and individuals through technology. The company strives to make a positive impact on the world through innovation and responsible business practices.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Google stands out for its commitment to sustainability and philanthropy, exemplified by its matching gift program, volunteer grant initiative, VTO offering, and more. Each year, employees can request up to $10,000 in matching gifts, $10 for each hour they volunteer, and 8 hours of volunteer time off.
The company also supplies free advertising credits to registered nonprofits, providing access to its paid advertising platform, and empowering nonprofit teams to promote their efforts, at no cost.
Top CSR Company #9: Disney
Company Overview:
The Walt Disney Company is a global entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California, known for its iconic film studios, theme parks, media networks, and consumer products. Inclusive of its subsidiaries, which include ABC, Hulu, Marvel, and more, Disney employs more than 225,000 people worldwide.
CSR Focus:
Disney’s CSR efforts focus on environmental stewardship, community engagement, and promoting creativity and innovation through entertainment and education.
What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:
Disney matches gifts up to $25,000 per employee, encouraging its full-time and part-time employees to double their charitable donations to the organizations they care about. At the same time, the company promotes volunteerism through its EARs to You grant program (worth up to $2,000 each) and by offering up to 8 hours of paid VTO each year.
The company also stands out for its commitment to environmental conservation, exemplified by its goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and zero waste across its operations. By integrating CSR into its business practices and entertainment offerings, Disney not only entertains audiences but also contributes to societal progress and environmental preservation on a global scale.
Final Thoughts & Next Steps
In an era where CSR is no longer an option but a necessity, the companies highlighted in this post stand out as true leaders, setting benchmarks for others to follow. Their commitment to philanthropy partnerships, volunteerism, and beyond not only enhances their brand reputation but also drives meaningful change in the world.
For businesses, emulating these strategies can lead to improved stakeholder relationships, enhanced employee engagement, and increased consumer loyalty. For nonprofits, forming partnerships with these companies and others like them will allow you to unlock funding, leverage new resources, and foster long-term innovation.
Interested in learning more about CSR and how it can impact businesses and organizations like yours? Check out these additional resources:
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Securing corporate sponsorships involves building relationships with corporate prospects on top of all the other important work you’re doing to raise support for your nonprofit. But these partnerships are well worth it, as corporate giving can be an invaluable source of revenue, positive social image, and ongoing support.
In this article, we’ll discuss some corporate sponsorship best practices your organization can leverage to secure the best partnership suited to your cause, as well as some of the top corporate sponsors. We’ll cover the following topics:
Understanding the importance of corporate sponsorships is just the beginning. Securing the right corporate sponsorship is another story entirely. Let’s get started!
What is a Corporate Sponsorship?
A corporate sponsorship is a form of support nonprofits receive from corporations to fund events, nonprofit programs, or specific projects. The benefits are twofold: nonprofits receive the help they need to continue serving their missions, while the company receives tax deductions and a positive reputation for its brand.
Corporate Sponsorship Types
Corporate sponsorships can take many forms. Here are a few examples of the most common types:
Financial
This is when a company donates money to sponsor an event or program. Generally, nonprofits recognize the company through various event materials, such as signage, merchandise, and online advertising, in exchange for its support.
In-Kind
An in-kind sponsorship involves a company donating goods or services to an event or project. For example, a restaurant might provide catering services, or a spa may donate free spa packages as a raffle prize.
Media
Some companies cover the cost of promoting a nonprofit event through media sponsorships. This could include radio promotions, TV ads, or printed advertisements.
Corporate and Employee Giving
Beyond typical corporate sponsorships, other forms of corporate giving can help your nonprofit. These include automatic payroll deductions, volunteer programs, and corporate matching gifts. Read more about these below!
Match More Gifts With Double the Donation
Get a sneak peek of the industry-leading matching gift automation solution, 360MatchPro.
Corporate sponsorships benefit both companies and nonprofits in the following ways:
Benefits for Nonprofits
Increased awareness. By leveraging a company’s audience, nonprofits can share their mission with more people.
Acquisition of new supporters. Corporate sponsorships can transform a company’s customers into their nonprofit partner’s supporters.
Boosted credibility. If potential supporters see a well-known company supporting your nonprofit, they can be confident they’re contributing to a legitimate cause and organization.
Benefits for Companies
Positive brand recognition. Helping nonprofits gives companies a chance to live up to their proclaimed values and demonstrate their community involvement.
Attracting new customers. Just as a company’s customers can turn into a nonprofit’s supporters, a nonprofit’s supporters can also be converted into the corporate sponsor’s customers.
Happy employees. When companies practice social responsibility, their employees can feel good knowing they’re working somewhere that honors their values and supports worthy causes.
Considerations to Keep In Mind Before Getting Started
Clearly, corporate sponsorships benefit all parties. But before getting started, there are a few things to be aware of to prepare for a sponsorship:
Legal compliance. Depending on what kind of agreement you make with a business, the sponsorship may be qualified as a commercial co-venture. This usually occurs during cause marketing campaigns that involve sharing revenue (e.g., a retailer selling a shirt and giving your organization part of the proceeds). However, it’s best to check with a lawyer to ensure you are complying with the law and meeting your state’s licensing requirements.
Dependency. Relying too heavily on support from sponsors, particularly just one or two businesses, could leave your nonprofit financially vulnerable if a business cannot or decides not to continue supporting your organization. Build a robust network of corporate connections and diversify your revenue sources to ensure your nonprofit is sustainable.
Potential conflicts. Conflicts are a possibility in any relationship, ranging in seriousness from a misread email to ethical concerns. You can limit conflicts by selecting corporate sponsors with values that align with yours and clearly communicating shared responsibilities and expectations early in the relationship. Ensuring all sponsorship agreements are detailed in writing can be useful for preventing and navigating conflicts that may occur.
Don’t let these factors prevent your nonprofit from taking advantage of the benefits of a corporate sponsorship. Proper due diligence, careful documentation, and clear communication can help you manage and even prevent these concerns altogether.
How to Find Corporate Sponsorships
When it comes to asking for corporate sponsorships, be intentional about who you choose to work with. As you research potential partners, consider the following tips to narrow down your search:
Contact Local Businesses
Start local! Approach the businesses in the immediate area of your event. To find candidates, use resources like:
Your local chamber of commerce directory
Networking events
Professional networking sites like LinkedIn
Social media platforms
These businesses are more likely to see the value in sponsoring an event in their own community, which can greatly impact their decision to partner with you.
Seek Out Shared Values
A corporate partner should align with your organization’s mission. For instance, if you’re an environmental organization, you should work with a corporation that values sustainability, environmental conservation, and other related issues. Your organization could end up losing credibility if you partner with a corporation that substantially harms the environment or has received bad press.
Browse a business’s website, social media platforms, and other resources to get a feel for its values. Many companies list their values publicly. Then, discuss these values with the company’s point of contact before confirming the sponsorship to ensure you understand what they mean in practice.
Look Online
Search for lists of companies that donate to nonprofits online. These companies have a reputation for their philanthropic behaviors, so they might be more interested in forming a partnership than a business with no previous interest in charitable giving. You might find one you haven’t thought of before.
Leverage Points of Contact
If your board members or other members of your organization have connections or contacts at a particular company, ask them to directly reach out and request a sponsorship. Additionally, companies may be looking to fulfill the ethical and philanthropic obligations laid out in the pyramid of CSR.
Top 10 Companies With Excellent Corporate Sponsorship Programs
Zipsprout’s guide to corporate sponsors shares some interesting corporate sponsorship statistics. We’ve combined these statistics with insights from our robust database of matching gift and volunteer grant programs to highlight the best corporate sponsorship and relationship opportunities.
Wells Fargo has sponsored 2.89% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #1 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“Wells Fargo is committed to building an inclusive, sustainable future for all through a focus on opening pathways to economic advancement, championing quality, affordable homes, empowering small businesses to thrive, and driving an equity-focused transition to a low-carbon economy.”
State Farm has sponsored 1.07% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #5 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“With more than 19,000 agents around the country, State Farm is a committed member of your community and we welcome any opportunities that build our brand and tie into our marketing strategies on both a local and national level.”
State Farm offers both a matching gift program and volunteer grant opportunities. The company matches up to $4,500 at a 1:1 ratio for full-time employees.
PepsiCo has sponsored 0.98% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #6 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“At the heart of the PepsiCo Foundation is our belief in the potential possessed by the people and communities we serve. There are far too many communities around the world, however, that are systemically excluded from access to the essential resources they need to grow, prosper and thrive — like nutritious food, safe water and economic opportunity. That is why the PepsiCo Foundation’s work focuses on the creation of sustainable and innovative solutions to these three critical socioeconomic issues.”
U.S. Bank has sponsored 0.97% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #7 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“Nonprofit donations and sponsorship are an integral part of our company’s philanthropic initiatives. In 2022, U.S. Bank contributed more than $32 million in corporate contributions and nonprofit sponsorships.”
U.S. Bank matches up to $3,000 in donations made by active full- and part-time employees at a 1:1 ratio. The company also offers a “Dollars for Doing” volunteer grant program.
Bank of America has sponsored 0.92% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #8 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“We have countless strong nonprofit alliances around the country, which include grants and sponsorships to local organizations that help improve financial lives and entire communities. Some areas we concentrate on are workforce development and education, basic needs like food and housing, and community development.”
Bank of America offers matching gifts and volunteer grant opportunities. The company matches up to $5,000 in donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio.
Budweiser has sponsored 0.76% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #9 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“We are business partners, collaborators, and community leaders working to make a difference around the corner and around the globe. We create jobs. We help our neighbors when natural disasters strike. We remain unwavering in our advocacy for responsible drinking. We put sustainable innovation at the center of our business by reducing our use of precious natural resources and continuously striving to leave our world a cleaner place for the future.”
Clif Bar has sponsored 0.74% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #10 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“From the volunteer work we do locally to the way we source ingredients globally, our commitment to the communities we touch is an important part of who we are.”
The Coca-Cola Company has sponsored 0.72% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #11 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“Our mission is to make a difference in communities around the world by investing in transformative ideas and institutions that address some of our most pressing global challenges.”
The Coca-Cola Company offers a very generous matching gift program. The company contributes up to $20,000 per employee per year, matching at a 2:1 ratio.
Walmart has sponsored 0.68% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #12 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“We seek to create value in the communities around the world where we operate, strengthening them through local grants supporting programs that help them thrive.”
McDonald’s has sponsored 0.67% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #14 on the list of top corporate sponsors.
“We show our commitment to helping others by facilitating fundraising and engaging volunteers for Ronald McDonald House Charities® programs and the McDonald’s® HACER® National Scholarships. Through involvement in youth sports, local charities and events that inspire the world, giving back is an essential part of the way we operate every day.”
Once you’ve identified corporations you want to partner with, it’s time to plan how you’ll approach them. Forming the right ask depends on your goals, who you’re reaching out to, and when you plan to make contact. Here’s a helpful list of strategies to help you make the ask:
Promote Your Sponsorship Page
Creating a sponsorship page on your nonprofit’s website is a great way to condense the must-know information about sponsoring your organization. Include information like:
Your sponsorship levels
A case for support that explains why you need sponsors
How an interested company can reach out to your team
Then, promote this page across different channels, such as social media and paid advertising platforms like Google Ads. You can tap into paid advertising for free with the Google Ad Grant! If you apply and are approved, you can promote content like your sponsorship page on Google Search Results for relevant keywords.
Finding the right keywords can take some work, but you can always turn to a professional to handle the work for you. A Google Ad Grants expert like Getting Attention can help you optimize your sponsorship landing page and promote it using Google Ads.
Be Creative
You can ask a company to sponsor just about anything. Use aspects of your event that already exist, and turn them into sponsorship perks. Then, be sure to position them as excellent sponsorship opportunities for your potential partners.
Set the Right Sponsorship Levels
Just like you receive a variety of donation amounts from individual supporters, establish multiple levels of sponsorship for corporations to agree to. If you have an event with hundreds or thousands of people, make sure your sponsorship levels are high enough (such as $1,000 and up). You don’t want sponsorship to be priced so high that no one will want to participate, but by keeping levels elevated, sponsors will feel like the event is well-run and that you have confidence in what you’re doing.
On the other hand, if you’re planning a smaller event and have difficulty securing a large sponsorship, consider offering a lower sponsorship level with fewer perks. For instance, you could offer a $100 level for smaller businesses not interested in the larger sponsorship opportunity.
Explain Why You’re a Perfect Fit
As you make your ask, explain how this corporate partnership will contribute to building up the company’s brand. Do your missions align? What will working with your nonprofit help the company achieve in terms of its own goals? Keep these in mind and communicate them as clearly as possible.
Ask About the Company’s Objectives
That said, asking the company directly about its objectives and priorities demonstrates that you’re genuinely interested in bringing value to the partnership. Remember, your corporate sponsors have objectives, or “missions,” of their own. They’ll want to know they’re supporting a nonprofit that aligns with these goals and that the sponsorship can help them achieve them.
Tell a Story
Explain to potential sponsors how their sponsorship and support can directly impact someone as part of your mission. For instance, “$1,000 will help us provide meals to 5 families of 4 for a week.” Additionally, share how last year’s sponsors were able to help your organization accomplish its goals.
Tailor Your Ask
Rather than using one main template and filling in names, make your ask personal and write individualized letters. These should be addressed to a relevant person at the company who is most likely to be receptive to hearing about your cause. Make sure you do your research on who to ask. Go beyond just marketing contacts and speak to anyone who will sympathize with your mission and also be in a position to create a plan of action!
Consider In-Kind Donations
If a business declines to offer a monetary sponsorship, consider asking for a non-monetary sponsorship instead, such as coupons for free services on event day. You can also request that a portion of their proceeds on the event day be donated back to the organization. A business in the area could serve as a location for the kick-off party, packet pick-up, or after-event party.
You can also reach out to companies to provide services you’ll need at the event, such as photography, DJ/entertainment, signage, food, portable toilets, and tent/chair rentals. The value of their goods or services can certainly equate to a sponsorship level.
Leverage Your Data
Always back up your corporate sponsorship asks with supporter data! Determine what demographics a sponsor is targeting, and provide them with information about your event that would be relevant. For example, if a company tends to target women aged 50 to 60, let the company know how many people or what percentage of participants attending your event fall into that group.
Find the Right Timing
The timing of your sponsorship ask is important. A lot of larger companies earmark a specific amount of money each calendar year for charitable giving, so be sure to ask when is the best time for them to consider a sponsorship.
Oftentimes, you have to get your ask in very early to even be considered. Other times, you have to adjust your strategy to the business you’re reaching out to. For instance, if you’re reaching out to an accounting firm during tax season, you’re most likely not top-of-mind, and your request may go unanswered.
Propose a Plan
Part of crafting an appealing sponsorship ask means outlining your campaign initiatives and success metrics. This means defining your fundraising goal and the impact it will have first and foremost.
As mentioned before, use numbers and data to support your proposal. But also be sure to define your success metrics and use KPI benchmarks that show when you’ve achieved your fundraising goals. Be specific about how your organization plans to meet its objectives, and link this process to ongoing projects, as well.
Draft a Sponsorship Agreement
The biggest thing that will demonstrate that you’re professional and committed to the partnership is a sponsorship agreement. It should be written down to outline your goals, expectations, and other deliverables for your organization and the company. It’s also a good idea to include how you’re going to recognize the company for its support, such as through advertising materials, merchandise, or event printouts.
Follow Up
Haven’t heard back? Don’t give up! Continue to communicate with companies after you’ve reached out with a corporate sponsorship request. Always check back to ensure someone has received your call, email, or letter. If not, ask to speak to the appropriate person at the company, and/or resend your ask to that person.
How to Cultivate Relationships with Corporate Sponsors
Once you’ve secured your corporate sponsorship, don’t let the relationship fall by the wayside! In addition to presenting your partnership in a professional light, continuing to recognize and work with your sponsor can have a huge impact on your organization.
Here are some effective ways to work with a sponsor after they’ve agreed to support your cause:
Treat Them Like Part of the Team
Treat your corporate sponsors like part of the team, because they are part of the team. Many sponsors will feel more engaged and recognize that they’re getting more from their sponsorship if they hear from you often. This doesn’t mean sending them an email every day, but rather, treating them like a team member.
Use the same engagement tools and approaches you use with participants to connect with your sponsors. For fundraising events, offer them a free team captain registration, help them get their page set up, and provide fundraising coaching. The more a sponsor raises and the larger their team, the more exposure they will get. This will in turn make them feel like they’re getting more out of the sponsorship.
Pay Attention to the Little Things
Yes, big perks matter, but the little touchpoints make a big difference, too. Send a handwritten thank-you letter or a note from a participant or beneficiary of your cause’s work. If the sponsor also fundraised for your campaign, create a top fundraisers certificate that you send to them by mail.
These little touchpoints show that you acknowledge the importance of their support, yet the cost is minimal, which demonstrates good stewardship by not wasting the sponsor’s money.
Thank Your Sponsors Publicly
Feature sponsor logos and information in your event materials, such as merchandise, pamphlets, and online advertisements and emails. Then, give a shoutout on social media! Tag their company or business page, and publicly thank them in a post.
This will help your sponsor gain exposure as a reward for supporting your event, and it will also help solidify your partnership as beneficial and worthwhile in terms of the company’s branding. Most likely, the company will then re-post your original post to its full audience to help your event reach new constituents.
Additional Corporate Giving Programs
Corporate sponsorships are a fantastic source of funding and support for your nonprofit’s events and projects. But you should also research other forms of corporate philanthropy. Especially when combined with a corporate partnership, other types of philanthropy can maximize your fundraising revenue and keep your supporters engaged.
Of course, managing different areas of workplace giving like matching gifts, volunteer grants, payroll giving, and more can be tricky if you don’t have a centralized platform. Seek out software that can help you identify opportunities, collect data, and share insights for oft-overlooked types of corporate giving. This way, you’ll be able to capitalize on more opportunities for support, growing your funding and support through one organized database.
Here are a few of the different types of corporate giving opportunities your nonprofit can seek out and manage with software:
Through these programs, companies match the donations their employees make to eligible nonprofits. Typically, these matching gifts occur at a 1:1 ratio, but some companies will match at a higher rate. This means that your donors’ gifts could be doubled (or even tripled!) at no additional cost to the supporter.
Additionally, some employers match funds their employees raise on behalf of a nonprofit. For example, if you hold a walk-a-thon and an employee raises $250 in pledged donations, the match would bring it to a grand total of $500!
If you’ve already set up a partnership with a company, their employees will be encouraged to donate to your cause. While they are a popular form of corporate giving, matching gifts are still an overlooked revenue source. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness among all of your donors and supporters, whether they’re connected to known sponsors or not.
To help raise awareness among your supporters about matching gifts, consider investing in matching gift software. A solution like 360MatchPro by Double the Donation offers:
A comprehensive matching gift database that houses information about thousands of companies and their corporate giving programs. Donors can search for their employers using a straightforward search tool, which can be easily embedded into your website.
Email tools that help you identify matching gift opportunities within your existing donor database and trigger emails to relevant donors.
Email address detection tools that can identify opportunities based on a donor’s email domain. For example, 360MatchPro can automatically pick up that an email address like donorname@wellsfargo.com means the donor likely works for Wells Fargo.
Follow-up emails that remind donors to check with their employer for matching gift opportunities.
Automatic match request submission for donors whose employers use a CSR software vendor that partners with Double the Donation.
These are just a few of the features that 360MatchPro offers to spread awareness of matching gifts, remind employees to apply for them, and allow you to take advantage of this key revenue stream.
Corporate Grants
Corporate grants are gifts that businesses make to nonprofit organizations, usually for a specific purpose. Like other grants, these may involve an application process and often require your nonprofit to report how the grant was spent and the impact that funding had.
These grants can vary in size and scope, and they may be given in the form of:
When it comes to finding corporate grants for your nonprofit, start with corporations you’ve already worked with during event sponsorships or other partnerships. Additionally, check online grant directories to source new funding opportunities.
Volunteer Grants
When you’re running your mission-relevant programs or any kind of fundraising event, it’s likely that your team will need volunteer assistance. But what if there was a way to turn these already beneficial volunteer hours into another source of fundraising revenue?
Volunteer grants are another common form of corporate philanthropy in which companies provide monetary grants to organizations where their employees regularly volunteer. If you fold this into your already established corporate partnerships, you may very well end up with extra funds for your mission!
Ask corporate sponsors to encourage their employees to volunteer at your event—especially if those volunteers offer specific skill sets that can benefit your cause. If the company also offers a volunteer grant program, this means you’ll get much-needed help at the event itself and you’ll raise more money.
Even if your volunteers don’t come from corporate partners, encourage them to look up their eligibility for a volunteer grant. Many matching gift databases also offer information about volunteer grants! 360MatchPro’s search tool allows volunteers to find their employers’ volunteer grant program details. Embed the search tool into your volunteer page for easy access.
Volunteer Time Off (VTO)
Volunteer time off (VTO) is paid time off that employees can use to volunteer. VTO hours are designated specifically for volunteer opportunities with registered nonprofit organizations, meaning employees can take time off during the workday to help your organization.
These programs provide employees with flexibility and help them fulfill their desire to better their communities. For your nonprofit, VTO policies can bring significant benefits like:
Providing more volunteers without investing time and resources into recruiting.
Expanding your volunteer pool can lead to more regular volunteers, a boost in volunteer referrals, and additional support for future events, programs, and campaigns.
Attracting volunteers with diverse skill sets (e.g., professional services like graphic design) to help you accomplish more with just the help of your supporters.
Boosting retention by giving these new volunteers an easy way to fit future volunteer shifts into their busy schedules.
Similar to volunteer grants, you can leverage your partner company’s VTO policy during the sponsorship. For example, employees might take an afternoon off of work to visit your facility the day before an event and help set up. Or, they might return after the event to help you write thank-you notes for donors.
Payroll Giving
Payroll giving, sometimes called automatic payroll deductions, is another perk of building relationships with companies. Employees can arrange to have a certain amount deducted from their paycheck and automatically donated to a nonprofit of their choice.
Some of the top advantages of encouraging employees to engage in payroll giving include:
A lack of transaction fees.
The ability to build long-term relationships (particularly if you provide updates about the impact of these gifts).
Funding you can count on.
These recurring donations can make a huge difference for your organization. Like a monthly giving program, they provide sustainable, reliable funding that you can expect each month. This makes budgeting easier and more accurate, helping you plan projects to fulfill your mission and maximize your funding.
In-Kind Donations
As you probably guessed from reading about in-kind sponsorships above, in-kind donations involve companies donating equipment, products, or services, rather than money. This expands beyond your fundraising events. Maybe your team needs marketing or tax assistance. Many companies are willing to provide these services to nonprofits free of charge!
Educating your organization about the various corporate giving programs out there can help boost your fundraising revenue. Pair that with strong corporate partnerships, and you’ll have the resources you need to continue serving your mission!
Developing Mutually Beneficial Partnerships with Auto-Submission
The most successful corporate partnerships are built on a mutually beneficial foundation between charitable organizations and for-profit companies. One of the best ways to improve both parties’ sponsorship outcomes is to make the process as easy as possible for everyone involved. That’s why we recommend implementing corporate giving auto-submission!
Double the Donation’s auto-submission functionality is a groundbreaking development in the world of matching gifts and corporate partnerships. And it can aid nonprofit fundraising in a few key ways.
How Auto-Submission Improves Standard Matching Gift Experiences
Auto-submission makes matching gifts easier than ever for nonprofit organizations, their donors, and the companies that support them. Specifically, it enables eligible individuals to complete their match requests in significantly fewer steps—meaning more matches are ultimately completed and fulfilled.
It also reduces the administrative workload for the nonprofit and business, which allows each group to make a larger impact. Not to mention, auto-submission capabilities include improved reporting practices, complete with new data points that allow organizations to better track matches through the process.
Introducing Custom Matching Gift Partnerships
On the other hand, there’s a wide range of companies that may not feel prepared to jump into a full-fledged matching gift program for their staff. However, they want to find a way to support nonprofit causes and inspire their employees to do the same.
Our recommendation for these types of partnerships is a custom (or “one-off”) matching gift program—where a company will agree to match employee donations to a single organization. These are typically more targeted partnerships than a standard matching gift program, which allows for deepening relationships between a nonprofit and a corporate sponsor. And auto-submission allows these partners to facilitate their offering with minimal lift.
Organizations that use 360MatchPro can create custom match programs that are exclusive to their own database tool. And when auto-submission is enabled, employee giving transaction details are automatically passed from the nonprofit’s donation page to the business offering the program.
Additional Resources on Corporate Sponsorships
Corporate sponsorships can have a huge impact on more than just the money your organization brings in. They also affect your organization’s brand recognition, exposure, and credibility. Be sure to choose the right corporate partners for your sponsorships and put in the required research to find the best match.
Looking for even more information about corporate philanthropy? Check out these resources below:
Double the Donation’s Matching Gift Academy. Learn how matching gifts can inform your corporate sponsorship approach! Dive into Course 1, Module 11 of our Matching Gift Academy.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Corporate-Sponsorships_Feature.jpg7602000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-07-10 13:00:502024-11-18 14:46:28How to Unlock Corporate Sponsorships: Get More Support
Volunteer grants, also known as “dollars for doers” programs, are a form of corporate giving that rewards employees’ volunteerism by providing monetary donations to the organizations they support.
These programs supply an invaluable source of funding for nonprofits and schools—however, identifying, pursuing, and managing funding through the programs can be challenging without the right tools and strategies in place. So, if you’re looking for new insights to help track volunteer grants effectively for your team, you’ve come to the right place.
In this guide, we’ll explore the essential tools and metrics needed to track and report on volunteer grant opportunities—from identification through completion. Empowering your organization with the following information will ensure your team maximizes its potential from the programs with ease:
Corporate volunteer grants offer immense potential for nonprofits, but few organizations are making the most of the opportunities before them. Why? A lack of an established volunteer grant tracking process can certainly play a role. Meanwhile, tracking volunteer grants effectively allows fundraisers to supercharge their corporate giving and volunteer engagement efforts alike.
If you’re wondering why your team should invest in revamping its volunteer grant tracking system, our leading reasons include:
Increasing Financial Support: Volunteer grants provide additional funding, which can be significant for nonprofits relying on external support. Tracking volunteer grants through completion allows organizations to increase revenue ultimately collected through the programs. More money = more beneficiaries receiving value from your services!
Enhancing Volunteer Engagement: Encouraging volunteers to apply for grants increases their commitment and engagement with your organization. By tracking volunteer grants—and your volunteers’ involvement in the programs—you can grow stronger relationships with supporters who participate.
Building Corporate Relationships: Strengthening ties with corporations that offer dollars for doers programs can lead to further partnership opportunities as well. Source tailored insights from tracking volunteer grants to demonstrate employees’ devotion to their causes. For example, you can let a company that has already contributed volunteer grant funding to your organization know that you appreciate their existing support—and that of their staff—and recommend additional ways they can get involved.
Powering Tangible Impact Measurement: Tracking volunteer grants helps measure the financial impact of volunteer efforts, ultimately showcasing the value of each contribution. When volunteers see that their efforts are being appreciated and converted into nonprofit funding, they’ll be more likely to remain dedicated to the cause.
Key Volunteer Grant Metrics & KPIs to Monitor
The best way to determine the success of your organization’s volunteer grant marketing efforts is to track select KPIs (or key performance indicators). The metrics you choose to measure can help your team assess its overall impact, improve outreach efforts, demonstrate value to stakeholders, and more.
Here are a few metrics we recommend tracking within your volunteer grant strategy.
Recommended KPI: Volunteer Grant Eligibility Rate
Why it Matters: This metric represents the portion of your volunteer network identified as eligible for a volunteer grant program through their employers. The figure allows your team to better understand and pursue the volunteer grant opportunity.
How to Track This Volunteer Grant Metric: Use a volunteer grant database tool to triage volunteers based on whether their employers offer volunteer grant programs. Then, divide the number of volunteers who work for participating companies by the total number of volunteers in your community.
Recommended KPI: Volunteer Grant Completion Rate
Why it Matters: This metric represents the portion of your volunteer-eligible supporter base that ultimately submit in a volunteer grant. Understanding this figure allows you to measure the efficiency of the full volunteer grant process and identifies areas for improvement in your strategy.
How to Track This Volunteer Grant Metric: Divide the number of volunteer-grant eligible individuals who ultimately produce a volunteer grant for your organization by the total number of volunteer-grant eligible individuals.
Recommended KPI: Total Volunteer Grant Funding Received
Why it Matters: This metric represents the direct financial benefit from companies through volunteer grant programs, indicating the overall level of support.
How to Track This Volunteer Grant Metric: Add the sum of each volunteer grant you receive in a given time period.
Recommended KPI: Grant Amount per Volunteer
Why it Matters: This metric represents the average value a volunteer grant brings. It also allows you to more accurately forecast incoming grant revenue and aids in tailoring realistic targets and expectations for the results of your implemented strategies.
How to Track This Volunteer Grant Metric: Add the sum of each volunteer grant you receive in a given time period, then divide the total amount of funds by the number of volunteer grants received.
Recommended KPI: Number of Companies Providing Volunteer Grants
Why it Matters: This metric represents the extent of your organization’s current corporate volunteer grant contributor network, and demonstrates your potential for future growth.
How to Track This Volunteer Grant Metric: Count each company that contributes one or more volunteer grants to your organization in a given time period. See if these top volunteer grant companies are supporting your efforts!
Top Tools to Track Volunteer Grants Accurately & Efficiently
Equipping your team with the right tools to track volunteer grants is an essential component of the process. After all, doing so allows for increasingly accurate and efficient management of volunteer data. Plus, innovative technology allows you to enhance reporting capabilities and strengthen relationships with individual volunteers and corporate partners alike.
Effective tracking tools will help your organization streamline volunteer grant identification and promotional efforts, too, ultimately leading to increased funding, improved engagement, and better, more-informed decision-making.
Here’s what we suggest:
A specialized volunteer grant database
For example, Double the Donation can provide exclusive access to forms and guidelines for thousands of companies that provide volunteer grants (and matching gifts, VTO, etc.). This ultimately simplifies the process of securing volunteer grants, making it easier for volunteers to do their part in the request and driving more volunteer grants to completion.
Comprehensive volunteer time-tracking tools
For volunteers to submit grant requests to their employers, they’ll generally need to supply some sort of record of their activities.
For that purpose, you’ll want to ensure you’re making it easy for volunteers by equipping them with tools to track and verify the hours they spend with your organization.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) portals
Many companies facilitate volunteer grants through their CSR platforms. In that case, your team will need to log in to the portals to verify volunteer hours. (Don’t worry—we have a handy guide here on navigating those platforms.)
These portals will also allow you to see how many volunteer grants have made it to this step!
Remember: the right tools can go a long way. Effective tracking tools will help streamline your identification and promotional efforts, too. In the end, it ultimately leads to increased funding, improved engagement, and better, more-informed decision-making.
Next Steps for Tracking More Volunteer Grants
Tracking and reporting on volunteer grant opportunities is a vital component of a successful corporate engagement strategy. With the right tools and key metrics, your team can track volunteer grants more seamlessly than ever before.
As a result, your organization can boost its financial resources, strengthen relationships with corporate partners, and encourage greater volunteer involvement.
Interested in learning more about how you can track volunteer grants and other forms of corporate giving? Check out these recommended resources:
Volunteer grants (also known as dollars for doers programs) present a lucrative opportunity for nonprofits to maximize their available resources and bolster their impact. However, navigating the complex world of research, engagement, eligibility guidelines, and submissions can be daunting. Lucky for you, that’s where our complete guide to volunteer grant research comes into play.
Designed to demystify volunteer grant research and more, this resource equips nonprofits with the knowledge and tools they need to identify, pursue, and secure more dollars for doers revenue than ever before.
In order to build much-needed familiarity with the programs, we’ll walk you through each step of the volunteer grant research process here. These phases include:
Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer manager or new to the corporate volunteerism sector, our guide will help you uncover more funding opportunities, allowing your organization to thrive.
Let’s begin!
Understanding the Volunteer Grant Opportunity 🧠
Volunteer grants are financial contributions provided by corporations to nonprofits where their employees volunteer. These programs are offered by thousands of businesses of all shapes, sizes, and sectors—including IBM, Google, Home Depot, Starbucks, Microsoft, Disney, and 40% of the Fortune 500.
However, a lack of volunteer grant awareness among teams and supporters alike has resulted in a significant gap in the programs being utilized and funding being secured. Therefore, for the best results, it’s crucial that a nonprofit’s team has a solid understanding of the volunteer grant opportunity before it can maximize its funding potential. After all, a well-informed team can more effectively communicate the benefits to volunteers, encouraging greater participation and maximizing the organization’s grant earnings.
Familiarity with companies offering these programs—and the specific eligibility criteria for each—is also essential for effectively targeting the right opportunities. Since each volunteer grant program is unique, having extensive knowledge of the programs allows nonprofits to tailor their outreach and engagement strategies according to each supporter’s eligibility.
Recommended resource to take your corporate volunteer knowledge to the next level: Double the Donation’s free downloadable Ultimate Guide to Volunteer Grants
Identifying Your Organization’s Needs & Goals 🎯
For a nonprofit to effectively pursue volunteer grants, it should first identify the unique needs and goals related to these grants. What, specifically, is holding your organization back from reaching its volunteer grant potential?
Perhaps you need better data on where your supporters work.
Or, if you do have accurate and up-to-date employment information for your volunteers, perhaps the roadblock is determining which individuals qualify for volunteer grant programs.
Or maybe you experience drop-off getting supporters to complete the request process on your behalf.
Regardless of the reason, once you’ve determined what’s stopping you from fully leveraging the opportunity, make a plan for overcoming the challenge. Clearly defined goals provide a roadmap for targeting volunteer grants in a way that will have the most significant impact on your cause. We recommend establishing goals that are SMART—or Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example: “To secure $1,000 in volunteer grant funding by the end of the fiscal year.”
A detailed understanding of your objectives allows your team to craft compelling narratives for volunteer grant-related content. As a result, you can better demonstrate how a volunteer’s participation enables your organization to achieve tangible outcomes, thus making a stronger case for engagement.
It also ensures that everyone—staff, volunteers, and beyond—is working toward a common objective: maximizing the potential for volunteer grant success.
Collecting Employment Information from Supporters 💼
Collecting employment information from supporters is a strategic approach for nonprofits to identify and leverage volunteer grant opportunities to their greatest potential. By understanding which companies their supporters work for, organizations can pinpoint potential sources of volunteer grants.
Fortunately, there are a few ways for fundraisers to source this information. For the best results, we recommend implementing a combination of the following methods:
Ask volunteers to share their employers’ names on volunteer sign-up forms
Conduct email domain screening (or enlist a tool that does!) to scan for corporate email addresses
Once you have this employment information on hand, you can use it to tailor your outreach and engagement efforts. For instance, knowing that a significant number of volunteers are employed by a company with a grant program might lead you to focus on building relationships with the business.
Uncovering Eligible Volunteers in Your Network 🔎
Volunteer grants are a specific type of grant generally tied to an employee engagement program offered by the company. As a result, an employer donates money to the nonprofit based on the number of volunteer hours contributed by their employees.
Recognizing which volunteers work for participating companies allows nonprofits to strategically identify and pursue the opportunities available to them.
Ultimately, this targeted strategy leverages existing volunteer efforts to generate more substantial funding, enabling the nonprofit to further its mission and enhance its programs and services.
You might want to scan your entire database for opportunities, too—including existing volunteers, donors, and prospects. From there, you can alert current volunteers of their eligibility while informing donors and other non-volunteers about how they can provide more comprehensive support for your cause, empowering them to get involved in a new way.
Encouraging Volunteers to Pursue Corporate Grants ✍️
Once you know who qualifies for volunteer grants from your network, it’s important to take time to encourage them to actually participate. By motivating eligible supporters to apply for said grant opportunities, nonprofits can unlock significant funding and supercharge their volunteer engagement.
Many volunteers are unaware that their employers offer such programs, so simply providing information on eligibility and involvement can inspire volunteers to take action. Help supporters navigate the submission process and remind them to take advantage of their eligibility before it expires. By encouraging volunteers to pursue corporate grants, your organization can significantly increase its funding, thereby enhancing its ability to fulfill its mission and expand its reach in the community.
Encouraging volunteers to log their hours and apply for grants can lead to substantial financial contributions from their employers. This approach not only boosts the organization’s funding but also strengthens volunteer engagement, as volunteers see a direct impact of their work being amplified through additional resources.
Bonus: Enlisting a Volunteer Grant Database Tool 🦾
Our final recommendation is one that is powered by innovative technology: a corporate giving or volunteer grant database.
Enlisting a volunteer grant solution like 360MatchPro in your nonprofit’s engagement strategy is an excellent way to efficiently manage and maximize volunteer grants. A database tool can centralize information, provide direct links to online submission forms and eligibility criteria, and streamline the grant application process for volunteers.
By aggregating all the information you need in one place, the tool saves time and effort for both the nonprofit team and its supporters. Volunteers can easily access up-to-date information about available grants, application deadlines, and eligibility requirements, and being equipped with the right information makes them more inclined to complete the process.
Next Steps & More Volunteer Grant Resources
Securing funding through volunteer grants can be transformative for mission-focused organizations. Not only do the programs provide access to new streams of corporate philanthropy revenue, but they also incentivize greater levels of engagement among volunteers in the first place.
By leveraging this guide, nonprofits like yours can systematically approach the grant research and application process with greater confidence and efficiency. Remember, the key to success lies in thorough preparation, a clear understanding of the opportunity before you, and a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.
Let this guide be your roadmap to making a greater difference in the communities you serve. Good luck!
Interested in learning more about volunteer grant research and other workplace giving programs? Check out these recommended resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DTD_The-Volunteer-Grant-Research-Guide-Finding-More-Funding_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-06-24 22:20:482024-10-01 15:36:07The Volunteer Grant Research Guide | Finding More Funding
Employee matching gifts are one of the most popular forms of corporate philanthropy. Still, the source is widely untapped, largely due to a lack of knowledge surrounding the programs. If you’re looking to drive participation at your organization (in order to maximize funding and elevate donor engagement), it’s time to get matching gifts trending among supporters.
But how can you go about doing so? Start a buzz around matching gifts at your nonprofit with these helpful tips:
Our hope is that, by incorporating our recommended practices, matching gifts will become a well-known and fully utilized source of support among you and your supporters.
Let’s jump in with our first trick.
1. Share a blog post.
Blog articles are an effective medium for marketing matching gifts and other employee giving forms to your
supporters. A well-written post provides an opportunity to share an in-depth explanation of the philanthropy programs, along with showing donors that your organization is focused on maximizing fundraising from every source.
Not sure where to get started? We’ve written the following article that your team can use to kick off your matching gift blogging strategy. From there, you can send a link to the newly published resource in your newsletters and other communications to ensure donors know about this opportunity to increase their impact.
Corporate Employee Matching Gift Programs: The Secret to Boosting Revenue
For nonprofit organizations, every dollar counts. Corporate employee matching gifts offer the opportunity to turn one dollar donated by a match-eligible employee into two, three, or even four dollars!
Did you know that more than 26 million employees work for companies with matching gift programs? You might be one of them!
In this article, we’re going to explore exactly what to expect when working with matching gifts and how to make the most of this incredible fundraising opportunity.
What are corporate matching gift programs?
Employee matching gift programs are a type of corporate philanthropy set up to encourage employees to give back to their communities. These companies encourage community outreach by making donations to the same nonprofits that their employees have donated to.
These programs have become quite widespread, but many donors have not heard of them or aren’t aware of their own match-eligibility. $4-7 billion in matching gift revenue is left on the table each year, and we want to work with our donors to claim as much of it as possible.
While the specifics of these programs vary from company to company, the elements that shape these guidelines are generally the same:
Match ratio: This defines what kind of donation the company will make in relation to the employee’s initial contribution. A 1:1 ratio indicates that the company will donate the exact same amount, doubling the contribution to the employee’s chosen nonprofit.
Minimum and maximum: The minimum refers to the amount an employee must donate to qualify for a matching gift. The maximum is the total amount that a company will donate in matching contributions per employee annually.
Employee status: Sometimes, the employee’s role at the company can affect the match that they qualify for. For example, Gap Inc. offers a $1,000 maximum to part-time employees and a $10,000 maximum to Senior VP’s.
Nonprofit eligibility: Some programs offer different matches based on the mission of the organization being donated to. However, most companies offer “unrestricted” programs where any registered nonprofit can receive funds.
Submission deadline: Every program identifies a deadline when the matching gift request must be submitted by the employee. This deadline can be either a firm date (December 31st is common) or a threshold based on the date of the initial donation (90 days after donation is made).
Here are a few examples:
Johnson & Johnson — Triples donations with a 2:1 match up to $20,000 for current employees, while also doubling donations (1:1 match) for retirees
Bank of America — Matches donations 1:1 between $24 and $5,000 annually per employee
Home Depot — Matches donations 1:1 up to $3,000 annually per employee
The impact of these programs can be substantial! In fact, Microsoft has been known to match over $48 million worth of employee donations to schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits in a single year.
Want to help [your organization’s name]?
Increasing revenue with matching gifts isn’t too tricky, but we need our donors’ help. Last year we received [insert number] matching gifts, which helped us raise [insert dollar amount]. We’ve set a goal of raising [insert dollar amount] from these programs.
If we meet our goal, we’ll be able to better [insert organization’s mission and how the organization would use the additional funding].
You can help us reach these goals by searching for your own match-eligibility. Immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed information about your employer’s corporate giving program by searching our database of companies with matching gift programs [link to your dedicated matching gifts page or Double the Donation hosted URL].
We’ll provide you with as much of the following as possible:
Up-to-date, company-specific program guidelines for your employer
Links to the correct online matching gift request forms or downloadable PDFs
Our contact information (Tax ID, address, fundraising contact), which you may need for your matching gift request
If your company isn’t listed, make sure to check with your company’s HR department. We appreciate you taking a few minutes to double the impact of your donation!
Meanwhile, if you choose to write a blog post from scratch, we recommend:
Providing an overview of employee matching gift and/or volunteer grant programs
Sharing examples of companies that offer employee giving programs
Explaining the positive impact these additional funds will have on your organization’s work
Requesting that donors and volunteers search for their employer’s matching gift information using your matching gift search tool from Double the Donationa
2. Use hashtags on social media.
Your organization likely relies on social media as a core tenet of your digital marketing strategy. But do you have a plan in place to maximize your reach and engagement on key networking platforms?
Research indicates that incorporating hashtags in your posts goes a long way in terms of visibility, audience engagement, and more. A hashtag, which is essentially an octothorpe symbol followed by a key word or phrase, is a social media tool used to organize posts based on content topic. And including one or more in your postings can drive engagement by up to 100% compared to posts without hashtags.
In your next social media post about matching gifts for your organization, consider utilizing a few related hashtags and see how your audience responds. Here are a few examples you can use:
#match
#matchinggifts
#doubleyourdonation
#donationmatch
#amplifyingimpact
#[nonprofit name]matchinggifts
#getyourgiftmatched
#nonprofitmatching
#matchingdonations
#corporatematching
#doyoumatch
#doublethelove
#corporatephilanthropy
#employeegiving
#makeyourmatch
It’s also important to note that the way you use hashtags can and should vary depending on the social platforms you use. For example, studies show that Tweets with 1-2 hashtags see more than twice as much engagement as those without hashtags. But Tweets with more than two hashtags actually see a drop in engagement.
Meanwhile, the most-interacted-with Instagram posts typically include 11+ hashtags!
3. Prioritize video content.
According to content marketing research for nonprofits, video content is one of the most essential components of an optimized engagement plan. In fact, 66% of individuals find short-form videos to be the most engaging type of material published on social media.
Not to mention, of an organization’s audience…
Over 75% find videos useful when determining whether to give;
57% then go on to donate;
39% purposefully research the nonprofit within 24 hours of watching a video.
In the age of YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Snapchat, and more, video-sharing is becoming an increasingly integral part of nonprofit marketing. And when it comes to matching gifts, producing video content can play a critical role in informing and inspiring action among donors.
For example, check out this exemplary matching gift video that demonstrates the ease with which a donor can complete the process to amplify their impact on behalf of a cause they care about:
Once they had the video created, the organization opted to share the content on both its website and social media channels to further its reach.
Take a look at the Facebook post here:
Want to make your own video? Here’s a sample script you can use to get started:
“Increasing revenue with matching gifts isn’t too tricky, but we need our donors’ help. Last year we collected $[total revenue] worth of matching gifts. This year, we’d like to receive even more. We’ve set a goal to raise over $[revenue goal] from these programs by the end of the year. If we meet our goal, we’ll be able to [summary of your nonprofit mission and/or specific project or programming].
You can help us reach these goals by searching for your own match eligibility. Immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed information about your employer’s corporate giving program. All you have to do is search our database of companies with matching gift programs. Click the link in the caption [to your organization’s dedicated matching gift page] to learn more.”
4. Explore artificial intelligence and technology for content creation.
A significant roadblock facing all sorts of nonprofits is a lack of time and effort dedicated to their marketing strategies—especially when it comes to matching gifts. In fact, Nonprofits Source finds that over 80% of nonprofits report difficulty building strong workplace giving strategies due to limited staff and resources.
One unique and innovative solution? Artificial intelligence and smart technology.
AI-powered tools are currently sweeping the nation, particularly in regard to brands streamlining content creation while putting more time back into the hands of staff members. To provide some examples of how this can impact matching gifts, we tested a few artificial intelligence tools to see what they could come up with.
Here’s a sample social media caption written by one AI chatbot tool, ChatGPT (from the emojis to the hashtags and everything in between):
“Did you know that matching gifts can double or even triple your impact as a donor? 💰💸 Not only does this benefit your favorite nonprofit, but it also shows your employer’s commitment to supporting causes that matter to their employees. 🤝 Learn more about the power of matching gifts and how you can get involved to make a difference today!
Not to mention, our very own 360MatchPro can help streamline donor communications while maintaining targeted and personalized efforts. With this tool, you can easily collect and track donor employment data, identify match-eligible donations, and trigger automated email follow-ups that drive more matching gifts to completion. And it can all take place without your fundraising team having to lift a finger!
5. Host a real-time Q&A online.
From the perspective of a donor who has never requested a matching gift, the entire process can seem a bit overwhelming. What your team can do, as the nonprofit they’re supporting, is make an effort to answer any questions your supporters may have.
And what better way to do so than with a real-time Q&A session? According to recent live-streaming research, real-time content generates 27% more watch time per viewer than on-demand video. Users like interacting with their favorite organizations, and doing so as a nonprofit can help facilitate deeper relationships with donors. In fact, 79% of marketers indicate that a more authentic interaction with their audience is a top benefit of live-streamed video.
While you’ll likely aim to answer a number of questions in any pre-recorded content you share, it can be hard to predict what exactly your donors will want to know. So let them tell you in real time. We recommend:
Sharing the date and time beforehand so supporters can plan accordingly;
Accepting matching gift Q&A submissions ahead of time through email or an online form on your site;
Encouraging live viewers to ask questions in real-time using the streaming site’s chat or comment functions;
Preparing your team with a number of in-depth resources on corporate matching gift programs (hint: check out our webinars, blog posts, and free eBooks here);
Posting your live-stream recording to your website and/or social media pages, so those who missed the real-time engagement can still savor the insights shared.
Today, most social media platforms offer some sort of live-streaming option—including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even Twitter. So pick your favorite platform (ideally one that already sees a lot of user engagement with your nonprofit) and go live!
6. Consider influencers and peer advocates.
Influencer marketing and peer-to-peer fundraising are based on a shared principle: social proof. Social proof revolves around the psychological finding that people are more likely to assume the actions of others when making their decisions.
Luckily, you can use this idea in your next matching gifts campaign!
The first step in leveraging social proof for matching gifts involves locating a number of individuals who you’d like to promote matching gifts to your audience. When donors see other supporters participating in matching gift initiatives, it can be the inspiration they need to get involved themselves.
These so-called “influencers” might be someone closely associated with your nonprofit cause, such as:
Major donors to your organization
Well-known board members
Dedicated volunteers
Well-connected P2P fundraisers
Your nonprofit’s executive director, president, or CEO
Or, you might even be able to get a popular influencer (or micro-influencer) on board! For the best results, look for individuals who share a similar target audience to your nonprofit. Plus, existing connections to your organization or its mission can go a long way toward making that connection.
Regardless of who you choose to get involved, encourage these individuals to share information about gift-matching opportunities—such as your new matching gift videos—on their personal social media pages. Provide them with pre-made images, suggested captions, video scripts or outlines, and more, empowering champions to advocate for matching gifts and encourage others to get involved.
From there, your nonprofit can typically re-post the content to your own pages (depending on the platform or platforms used), furthering the reach of the posts.
7. Make the most of free advertising with Google Grants.
Another marketing strategy that you won’t want to overlook is paid search engine advertising. And don’t be alarmed by the word “paid,” either. Google offers nonprofits access to a generous in-kind grant in the form of free ad space (the equivalent of up to $10,000 per month), known as the Google Ad Grant.
Now, why should you promote matching gifts to your audience with the Google Grant? First of all, it’s a free marketing opportunity. Of course you want to make the most of it! Not to mention, research indicates that search advertisements (such as Google Ads) have the highest ROI for nonprofit paid advertising—with an average value of $4.78 for every dollar.
When you participate in the Google Ad Grant, you essentially choose a page (or pages) and the keywords you’d like to advertise for. Then, when a donor or prospect searches the phrase (e.g., matching gifts for Cat Rescue Club), they’ll be met with your relevant sponsored content (i.e., your donation form, dedicated match page, ways to give page, blog article) at the top of the results page.
The Google Grant is a great way to increase visibility and expand the reach of your organization’s fundraising efforts. And when done well, it can drive more match-eligible donors through the giving—and matching—processes.
When it comes to getting donation-matching (or just about anything else) “trending” at your organization, it’s important that you have a solid understanding of current trends. After all, trends can change fairly quickly, along with the introduction and development of new technology, changing consumer—and supporter—preferences, and more.
And in order to get matching gifts trending effectively, there are a few key types of trends to consider as you craft your strategy. These include…
Marketing and engagement trends — Things like new social media platforms emerging, communications best practices (e.g., optimal number of hashtags per post), etc.
It ultimately boils down to this: just because something is a key trend today doesn’t mean it will necessarily be the same five years from now. So keep an eye out, make a note of any significant shifts you see, and reconvene with your marketing team on a regular basis.
And if you’re a Double the Donation user, we’ll always keep you up to date with the latest trends that our team is seeing! Check back with our blog, attend upcoming webinars, or explore our online Matching Gift Academy to stay at the forefront of matching gift innovation.
Next Steps
You’ve heard the tips. Now, get started by implementing these tried-and-true practices in your own organization’s strategy.
Just remember: the more familiar your audience is with the idea of matching gifts, the more likely they are to partake in their employers’ programming. And the more funding you’ll ultimately receive from corporate philanthropy opportunities available to your cause.
Want to learn more? Explore additional resources and discover how you can double your organization’s fundraising impact with matching gifts:
Matching Gift Process | A Complete Step-by-Step Guide. Dive into a comprehensive overview of the corporate matching gifts process. Understanding what’s involved can lead to higher success rates and better outcomes for both donors and recipients.
Top Matching Gift Practices | Actionable Insights & Examples. Learn from and be inspired by some of the leading nonprofits’ matching gift strategies. Check out these top tips and practices from real-world organizations that you can incorporate into your own matching gift plan.
Winning Workplace Giving Strategies For Nonprofits. There’s more to workplace giving than just matching gifts, too! Expand your knowledge of other available workplace giving programs—from corporate volunteer grants to annual fundraising campaigns and more.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DTD_How-to-Get-Matching-Gifts-Trending-at-Your-Organization_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-06-24 07:53:202024-06-24 14:41:13How to Get Matching Gifts Trending at Your Organization
In the dynamic landscape of nonprofit operations, organizations constantly face the challenges of recruiting and retaining dedicated volunteers, sourcing sufficient funds, and maintaining high levels of engagement. Various strategies have been devised to overcome these challenges, but one opportunity stands out as a potent yet often underutilized resource: corporate volunteer grants.
What are Volunteer Grants?
Volunteer grants, which are also known as “Dollars for Doers” or employer-sponsored volunteer programs, are corporate giving initiatives in which companies provide monetary donations to nonprofits where their employees volunteer. These grants can significantly enhance a nonprofit’s funding while also fostering a culture of collaboration between corporations, nonprofits, and their shared teams.
As a result, the approach you take to marketing volunteer grants to supporters is crucial. In order to drive the best results, the marketing process generally includes the following steps:
In this guide, we’ll walk you through each item so you can ensure your team is marketing volunteer grants effectively. Plus, create the greatest positive impact for your cause.
Let’s begin!
Segmenting your volunteer grant marketing approach
In the realm of nonprofit fundraising, a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing rarely yields optimal results. Marketing volunteer grants is no different.
Therefore, understanding your nonprofit’s audience is crucial for effectively promoting the opportunities to your supporter base. By tailoring your communications with a data-driven strategy, you can increase engagement, awareness, and participation in the revenue-generating programs.
For example, existing volunteers could receive one piece of content asking them to see if their employer will match their time. Meanwhile, volunteer prospects might receive another message informing them about the opportunity and encouraging them to sign up for a volunteer shift to get started.
If you know the supporter’s company, you can also segment your marketing based on a recipient’s likely eligibility for a grant. And, if there’s a history of eligibility for—or participation in—other forms of workplace giving programs (such as matching gifts or volunteer time off), this can also be helpful information to note.
Creating and sharing useful volunteer grant marketing content
Creating and sharing volunteer grant-related content through your marketing efforts is pivotal for nonprofits aiming to promote the opportunity to their supporters. By providing clear, informative, and engaging materials, you can educate volunteers about the programs, demystify the process, and invite supporters to get involved.
When done well, your content should strengthen the connection with volunteers by highlighting the dual value of their time alongside financial support from their employers. This targeted approach not only raises awareness but also empowers volunteers to take action, leading to increased participation in the programs.
Check out the following content topics and ideas for marketing volunteer grants to your audience:
Highlight examples of top companies with volunteer grant programs, including Microsoft, Disney, Allstate, Dell, Aetna, and more. Then, encourage supporters to look into their employers’ participation.
Offer an interactive volunteer grant database like 360MatchPro on your nonprofit website, and direct your audience to engage with the tool to locate their volunteer grant eligibility. This allows supporters to access company-specific program criteria to get started!
Share testimonials that demonstrate the positive impact volunteer grants have had on your cause in the past. Invite real volunteers to share their experiences with the programs, too!
Supplement text with multimedia content such as photos, videos, infographics, and more to attract and retain your audience’s attention.
💡 Top tip: Looking to up your workplace giving marketing? Double the Donation supplies its users with pre-made, customizable graphic templates within 360MatchPro.
Just log into the platform → navigate to the Resources tab → select Marketing Assets → browse our library of free materials for clients to utilize → personalize your selected template to match your organization’s unique branding style, objectives, and more.
Here’s an example of an email header graphic we edited to promote volunteer grants:
Not yet a 360MatchPro client? Get started with a demo of our complete volunteer grant and matching gift automation tool here.
Marketing volunteer grants with multi-channel promotions
There’s no one perfect platform through which your organization can market volunteer grants to reach 100% of your audience. That’s why we recommend taking a multichannel approach, ensuring your message has a broader reach, and you expose a greater percentage of your audience to the opportunity.
While the specific means you use will vary according to your existing promotional plans and resources, we recommend marketing volunteer grants across the following channels:
1) Your website
Your website can serve as a central hub for providing detailed information about volunteer grants to your supporters. We recommend establishing a dedicated page to explain what these are, how supporters can apply for them, and the impact they have on your mission. You’ll also want to embed a volunteer grant database in the page to ensure users have easy access to program guidelines and next steps.
Plus, add a section about the opportunity on your website’s Ways to Give hub. However, you may decide to combine your Match Page and Volunteer Grants Page, creating a complete workplace giving resource instead.
2) Social media
Social media platforms are excellent for raising awareness and driving traffic to your website. Regular posts, stories, and updates about grant opportunities, testimonials, and submission tips can reach a wide audience and encourage eligible volunteers to get involved. Meanwhile, interactive content like polls and Q&A sessions can also boost engagement and get supporters excited about the opportunity. Then, link back to your dedicated volunteer grants page so you can supply hyper-personalized information even from your broader marketing efforts.
3) Email
Email campaigns can deliver personalized and targeted information directly to your supporters’ inboxes. Digital newsletters can feature detailed step-by-step walkthroughs, reminders about submission deadlines, and success stories to encourage participation.
At the same time, more segmented emails can ensure each volunteer receives targeted content relevant to them, their engagement history, and their employing company.
4) Text messages
Text marketing offers a powerful opportunity for sharing short, sweet, and to-the-point messages with your audience. When it comes to marketing volunteer grants, it’s a direct, quick, and easy way to remind supporters about volunteer grant opportunities.
For the best results, we recommend prioritizing brief, concise messages linking out to additional information to prompt quick and tangible next steps from supporters.
5) Volunteer sign-up forms
Integrating information about volunteer grants into your organization’s volunteer sign-up forms ensures that new and existing volunteers are exposed to the programs.
Even better, volunteers expect to share a good amount of information about themselves when they sign up to donate their time to your cause. As each volunteer completes an online sign-up form, your team has a unique opportunity to promote volunteer grant opportunities and source employment data that can help uncover funding in your network.
💡 Top tip: Embed a company database tool in your sign-up forms by integrating your volunteer registration platform with 360MatchPro! Make it easy for supporters to learn about the opportunity and provide invaluable employment insights.
6) Paid advertising
Our final recommendation is what is often referred to as paid advertising. However, don’t let the “paid” part hold you back. Sites like Google and Microsoft each offer registered nonprofits free access to their platforms, meaning you’ll benefit from sponsored search listings at no cost.
In doing so, you can effectively target specific demographics likely to be interested in volunteer grants. Plus, drive new qualified traffic to your website, raise awareness among a broader audience, and attract new supporters to your cause.
💡 Top tip:Request a free consultation with our recommended paid advertising consultant, Getting Attention, to initiate the Google Grant application process today.
Marketing volunteer grants with one-off corporate partnerships
More than likely, a lot of your supporters already work for companies with volunteer grant programs. For those who don’t, however, custom or “one-off” partnerships can offer an excellent way to begin facilitating relationships with employers in your network.
This targeted approach allows nonprofits to build a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with a specific company, fostering a sense of exclusivity and dedicated support. It can even lead to increased volunteer engagement from the company’s employees, who may feel more connected and committed to the cause due to their employer’s direct involvement.
Check out this example of marketing a custom volunteer grant partnership in action:
The Central Texas Food Bank is the Largest hunger relief agency in the region, serving nearly 46,000 individuals across 21 counties each week. In order to meet the immense needs of its communities, tech giant Oracle has supported the organization for nearly three decades, encouraging its employees to support the cause since 2007.
Recently, the company awarded the Food Bank a $35,000 grant in response to nearly 3,000 volunteer hours its employees contributed toward the inspection, packing, and distribution of food items. An article regarding the partnership even describes the company’s team as a common and welcome sight at the organization, further demonstrating the deep and ongoing impact it has on the cause.
💡 Top tip: Reach out to existing supporters’ employers to pitch a volunteer grant partnership. You may even be able to source a warm introduction from a donor or volunteer to help break the ice!
Sourcing inspiration from real-world examples of marketing volunteer grants
Sourcing inspiration from real-world examples of volunteer grant marketing efforts can help nonprofits promote the opportunities to their own audiences more effectively than ever before. Examining case studies, testimonials, and best practices in action from fundraising peers allows nonprofits to identify innovative approaches and avoid common pitfalls.
By adapting and implementing these tested methods, nonprofits can enhance their outreach efforts, increase awareness of volunteer grant programs, and ultimately boost their results.
Check out the following examples of nonprofits marketing volunteer grants well:
Organization A 🐶
In our first example of standout volunteer grant marketing, one animal welfare nonprofit has effectively harnessed the potential of volunteer grants through a multi-faceted and user-friendly online approach. Specifically, this team created a dedicated employee giving page and embedded Double the Donation’s database tool. This way, they can provide real-time information on thousands of companies’ volunteer grant programs with just a few clicks.
But the nonprofit didn’t stop there, either! Instead, this team also integrated employment-related questions directly within their volunteer application forms. As an individual completes the sign-up process, they are prompted to supply details such as their company name, role, and knowledge of workplace giving (matching gift) program availability. Thus, by gathering this information upfront, the organization can identify potential grant opportunities and proactively assist volunteers in applying for them.
Organization B 🩺
Our next example is an organization that focuses on health and medical support. This nonprofit’s strategy for marketing volunteer grants is built around detailed guidance and robust information. The organization has built out a dedicated volunteer grants page with an embedded company search tool, making it easy for volunteers to find out if their employers offer grant programs.
The online resource also features a step-by-step walkthrough of the process for requesting a volunteer grant, ensuring that volunteers understand each stage and what is required. Plus, to further underscore the value of volunteer grants, this team highlights statistics that showcase the prevalence of these programs with concrete data.
Organization C 🩺
Another health and medical nonprofit has also developed a multi-channel approach to promoting volunteer grants. This organization’s dedicated employee giving page includes everything an individual would need to know to get involved—from an embedded company search tool with a detailed FAQ section to information about the nonprofit and more.
Additionally, the organization prominently mentions volunteer grants on its “Ways to Give” page, ensuring potential donors and volunteers are aware of this opportunity and encouraged to participate.
Organization D 🥫
For this food bank, promoting volunteer grants begins with visibility on crucial web pages—including a prominent mention on the organization’s “Ways to Give” page. This ensures visitors are made aware of this opportunity and encouraged to get involved. They’ve even embedded 360MatchPro’s search tool right within the page, providing information on thousands of companies’ programs and making it easy for volunteers to see if their employers participate.
Organization E 🧪
This research foundation leverages a combined approach to marketing volunteer grants with informational content, practical tools, and more. In a detailed blog post, the team illustrates the power of volunteer grants and matching gifts, explaining the process and encouraging supporters to get involved.
From there, the blog links to the organization’s workplace giving page, which provides extensive information on various companies’ volunteer grant programs and is complete with a company search widget.
Organization F 🌳
Organization F, an environmental nonprofit, has used a digital newsletter to educate and motivate its supporters about volunteer grant opportunities amongst other content. This sample newsletter included a section dedicated to the impact of workplace giving and other unique fundraising opportunities and encouraged readers to look into their volunteer grant eligibility to strengthen their impact even further.
Organization G 🧒
This organization, which is focused on youth mentorship opportunities, ensures that information about volunteer grants and other workplace giving opportunities is easily accessible by mentioning them directly on its donation page. This strategic placement means that anyone considering a financial contribution is also made aware of the potential for additional support through volunteer grants.
By integrating this information into a key page, the nonprofit increases the likelihood that visitors will explore and take advantage of volunteer grant opportunities, enhancing their overall fundraising efforts.
Organization H 🐶
Another animal welfare nonprofit designed a “pawsitively” adorable employee giving page that overviews the top types of workplace philanthropy. Of course, this includes volunteer grants!
By offering a comprehensive overview complete with eye-catching facts and figures, the team is able to educate its supporters about various ways to contribute through their workplace. This increases participation in volunteer grant programs and maximizes funding potential overall.
Organization I 🧒
This youth-focused organization’s workplace giving page prominently highlights Dollars for Doers as a key opportunity for corporate involvement. In order to foster a complete understanding of the programs, the nonprofit’s online resource includes alternative names for these programs and details how participation can benefit both the organization and its supporters on a personal level.
Organization J 🧒
Social media can also be a great tool for marketing volunteer grants, as demonstrated by this youth and community organization. To increase awareness of the opportunity and inspire participation through social proof, the nonprofit took to Facebook to celebrate a successful volunteer grant received. The post thanks the grant-giving institution, thus fostering greater engagement, and outlines the intended use for the funding. It’s a great way to inspire others to seek volunteer grant funds on your behalf, too!
Organization K 🧒
Another Facebook post, this youth and community organization utilizes social media to raise awareness and share informational content regarding volunteer grants. Specifically, the post highlights the growing trend of such grants, details how supporters can get involved, and provides specific next steps to encourage participation.
By using social media to educate and motivate their audience, the fundraiser increases volunteer grant visibility and drives more supporters to take the intended action.
Wrapping up & additional volunteer grant marketing resources
Volunteer grants represent a tremendous opportunity for nonprofits to enhance their funding and engagement simultaneously. By educating supporters, partnering with companies in your network, and powering your promotional efforts with the right tools, your organization can optimize its volunteer grant marketing efforts with ease.
Now, it’s time to embrace the potential of volunteer grants for your cause. Incorporate the above tips and tricks in your strategy, then sit back and watch it thrive as you harness the power of corporate partnerships for your nonprofit’s mission.
Interested in learning more about leading employee philanthropy opportunities? We recommend the following resources:
Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Matching Gifts. It’s just as crucial to market matching gifts as it is for volunteer grants! Get our free comprehensive guide to see how your team can promote donation-matching opportunities to supporters.
Volunteer Time Off | The Ultimate VTO Guide For Nonprofits. Another way to incentivize volunteers is with paid volunteer time off. Tons of companies offer these programs, and this guide shares how you can increase participation among your supporter base.
Volunteer grants are a vital source of funding for nonprofits, enabling them to maximize their impact and encourage their supporters to do the same. However, navigating the various programs available to your organization can be challenging. That’s where volunteer grant databases come in!
If you’re looking to expand your organization’s fundraising toolkit with a volunteer grant database, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about top volunteer grant databases and how they can benefit your mission.
By incorporating a database tool into your tech stack, your nonprofit can streamline its fundraising, better engage its volunteer base, and support its mission more effectively than ever before.
A volunteer grant database is a specialized tool designed to help nonprofits identify and manage volunteer grant opportunities. These grants, which are also known as “dollars for doers,” are offered by businesses as a way to provide monetary donations to nonprofits based on the volunteer hours their employees contribute.
Tons of companies offer the programs, but keeping track of each one’s criteria and submissions can quickly become an overwhelming task for nonprofit teams. Supporters often lack knowledge of their companies’ programs, too, so it often falls on the organization to uncover qualifying opportunities.
Fortunately, volunteer grant databases do it for you!
How? A volunteer grant database tool compiles comprehensive information on thousands of corporate giving programs (including volunteer grants, matching gifts, and volunteer time off). Each listing supplies company-specific eligibility criteria (e.g., qualifying employees, minimum number of hours, grant thresholds, etc.), links to online submission forms, and more.
How Does a Volunteer Grant Database Impact Fundraising?
Incorporating a volunteer grant database into your fundraising strategy can significantly enhance your supporter engagement, financial health, and more.
Here’s how it can do so.
More Identified Dollars for Doers Opportunities 🔍
By providing access to a centralized repository of grant opportunities, a volunteer grant database can help your team quickly screen for eligible volunteers. Even if supporters are unaware of their grant potential, your team can flag eligible individuals to pursue a more personalized approach and encourage their submissions.
Simplified Request Process for Volunteers ✍️
Speaking of submissions, each volunteer is generally required to complete a request form for their employer in order to secure grant funding on your organization’s behalf. Providing access to a volunteer grant database is one of the best ways to streamline submissions and reduce unnecessary friction in the process. All an individual has to do is enter their employer’s name and navigate to the provided request form.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency ⚡
Manually identifying and researching volunteer grant opportunities requires a lot of organizational bandwidth. By automating the process with a volunteer grant database tool, you can free up your team’s time for other high-value activities.
Improved Grant Tracking 📌
Volunteer grants follow a multi-step process from identification to submission and through the disbursement of funds. A volunteer grant tool like 360MatchPro offers tracking functionality that helps monitor the status of available grants and address any issues that may arise.
Increased Funding through Corporate Giving Opportunities 🏢
The easier it is for volunteers to request funding from their employers, the more likely they are to do so. That means more corporate giving revenue making its way to your organization.
But it’s not just volunteer grants, either. A volunteer grant database will often supply resources on matching gifts and other corporate giving programs, too!
Our Volunteer Grant Database Recommendation: 360MatchPro
When selecting a volunteer grant database for your nonprofit, it’s important to consider several key factors. After all, you want to ensure the tool effectively supports your fundraising efforts and organizational needs—both now and in the time to come.
Lucky for you, we’ve explored potential database options and would like to supply you with our top recommendation: 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.
Now, let’s see why this tool stands apart as the leading solution:
Comprehensive Database: Double the Donation maintains the industry’s most extensive collection of corporate volunteer grant programs, making it easy to locate accurate and up-to-date information about your supporters’ companies.
User-Friendly Interface: The platform is designed with ease of use in mind, allowing users to quickly search for and access the right information. For this reason, the tool includes auto-completing search functionality and automatically accounts for subsidiaries and spelling variations, too!
Integration Capabilities: Double the Donation integrates seamlessly with a wide array of CRM systems, fundraising tools, and volunteer management platforms. When you add the tool to your website, donation forms, and more, you can also determine an individual’s eligibility for a match as they give!
Support and Resources: The platform provides a wealth of resources and support to get your nonprofit up and running. This includes personalized onboarding experiences, educational webinars, and more to help your team maximize its use of the database.
Other Top Tools & Resources For Growing Volunteer Grants
In addition to volunteer grant databases, there are a number of other handy tools and resources that can help supercharge your organization’s volunteer grant strategy.
These include:
Volunteer grant compilations
If your team has yet to make the leap to a volunteer grant database—which we highly recommend doing—free online resources (such as those offered by Double the Donation) can help identify select opportunities in your database.
For example, this compilation of top volunteer grant programs highlights several generous companies’ initiatives. It provides an excellent chance to cross-reference your supporter data and see if any existing or prospective volunteers work for these well-known examples.
Volunteer time-trackers
Time-tracking tools are generally software applications that help nonprofits record and manage the hours contributed by their team members. When volunteers are encouraged (or required) to track the time they spend with your cause, you’ll find it’s easier than ever to streamline volunteer grant requests.
Keep in mind that these tools can also vary greatly in their level of sophistication. Some organizations manage hour-tracking efforts with paper forms, others employ spreadsheets, and others still invest in dedicated solutions.
Volunteer management tools
You may already have a Volunteer Management System, or VMS, in your nonprofit toolkit. This type of tool is designed to help nonprofits organize, recruit, and manage their volunteer workforce, typically offering features for scheduling, communication, task assignments, and more. When it’s easy for supporters to sign up and partake in volunteer activities, you’ll have more eligible individuals to pursue volunteer grants in the first place!
Not to mention, a well-managed volunteer program can typically provide the necessary documentation and proof of volunteer hours needed for grant applications.
CSR platforms
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platforms are comprehensive solutions that assist companies in managing their employee giving and volunteer programs. These platforms also facilitate collaboration between companies and nonprofits, making it easier to coordinate philanthropic efforts for both teams.
As a result, most CSR platforms incorporate a nonprofit-facing portal that organizations can access for free. From there, they can manage their side of the programs (i.e., reviewing and verifying volunteer requests).
Final Thoughts on Volunteer Grant Databases & More
Investing in a volunteer grant database can significantly boost your nonprofit’s fundraising capabilities. By streamlining the volunteer grant discovery and submission processes, dedicated tools like Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro can help maximize the value of volunteer grants for your cause.
Integrating these tools into your tech stack allows you to ensure your nonprofit is well-equipped to leverage the full potential of volunteer grants, ultimately powering organizational growth.
Continue growing your corporate giving knowledge. Read up on these recommended resources to learn more:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DTD_Top-Volunteer-Grant-Databases-to-Grow-Your-Tech-Stack_Feature2.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-06-19 20:52:372024-09-27 19:15:51Top Volunteer Grant Databases to Grow Your Tech Stack
Did you know that the value of a single volunteer hour (according to the benefit it produces for an organization) is estimated to be $29.95? Or that thousands of companies offer generous volunteer grant programs to encourage staff to support philanthropic efforts? Volunteerism trends like these can shed significant light on an invaluable opportunity for your team.
To help your nonprofit understand your volunteers a bit more, this guide will conduct a deep dive into the following essential volunteer trends and patterns:
Volunteers play an integral role in your nonprofit, handling responsibilities from behind-the-scenes bookkeeping to on-the-ground work at your program sites. When solidifying your volunteer program’s recruitment strategies, understanding the nonprofit landscape allows you to source powerful insights from broader trends in volunteer behavior and motivations. Then, you can use the insights to adjust your strategy and better attract and retain a solid group of volunteers.
Ready? Let’s begin with the first trend!
One-third of the nonprofit workforce is made up of volunteers.
For U.S.-based nonprofits, volunteers are everywhere. In fact, recent reports indicate that an estimated 63 million Americans volunteer their time and energy with organizations like yours.
That said, your nonprofit’s staff is instrumental in providing beneficiaries with the services they need. However, most nonprofits have tight budgets and often rely on volunteer labor to get work done. This is so much the case that an astounding one-third of all nonprofit workers are volunteers.
Of course, the ratio of paid employees to volunteers will vary from one nonprofit to the next. For example, many small organizations do incredibly important work but are entirely made up of volunteers. In contrast, enterprise-size nonprofits often have entire departments of paid employees.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
Because so much labor at charitable organizations goes unpaid, calculations of the nonprofit sector’s economic value will always be off. Don’t let this impact how your nonprofit values your volunteers. Instead, show your appreciation and ensure your volunteer staff feel like they’re a real part of your team. Ultimately, they are!
This also means that, by sourcing new volunteers, organizations can often expand their capabilities and do even more for their missions.
Most U.S.-based volunteers are between the ages of 35 and 44.
Reports show that the average U.S. volunteer is a woman between the ages of 35 and 44, usually with a child less than 18 years of age.
It’s important to recognize that non-women, along with people of other age groups, certainly volunteer, as well. However, there are a few key assumptions we can draw from the average organization’s volunteer profile.
For example, middle-aged mothers are likely to volunteer at their children’s school, church, and neighborhood activities. This assessment also holds true for reports of informal volunteering—such as cooking for neighbors, taking care of children, and improving the state of their communities.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
Assess your current supporter base to see if your nonprofit’s average volunteer fits this profile. Then, use the information to tap into audiences your nonprofit may have previously neglected.
For example, how can you reach more families? Do you offer volunteer positions that are convenient for working professionals? Be sure to assess not just your volunteer marketing but the overall accessibility of your volunteer program for individuals with differing circumstances, needs, and opportunities.
Regular volunteerism offers numerous benefits for individuals.
Partaking in volunteerism provides numerous and widespread benefits for volunteers, the organizations with which they devote their time, and their communities as a whole. For volunteers themselves, the value includes personal fulfillment, a deepened sense of purpose, and professional skill development.
When asked why they volunteer, 35% of individuals indicated their primary reason was to socialize. However, the majority of volunteers (83%) say their main motivator is helping a cause they care about.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
It’s easy to focus solely on how volunteering helps the nonprofit recruit supporters. However, while volunteers do want to help causes they care about, it never hurts to mention the benefits they can receive in addition to making a positive impact.
Be upfront about the skills and experience supporters can gain from volunteering. This can include anything from customer service experience, data management, specific labor and technical skills, or anything else related to your programs that’s also applicable in the workplace.
Formal volunteerism rates are declining in most states.
Nonprofits need volunteers to staff events, help during fundraisers, and complete tasks that keep their programs running. However, finding enough people to fill all available volunteer positions isn’t always easy, and 62% of nonprofit CEOs state that recruiting enough volunteers is an issue. This goes hand-in-hand with additional data reporting that the demand for many nonprofit services is up.
If your nonprofit has had trouble filling volunteer positions, know that you’re not alone. The majority of U.S. states have seen a decrease in the percentage of their population that formally volunteers. How much volunteering has declined varies from state to state, with some following routine ebbs and flows, while others have experienced as much as a 10% drop. For example, in Florida, already a state with low volunteering rates, 22.8% of the population volunteered in 2017. Four years later, it’s just 15.9%.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
While volunteer rates can shift for a number of reasons, there are several factors your nonprofit can control. For example, consider what roles you have open for volunteers. How do you promote these opportunities? Are these roles volunteers would be interested in, or are they positions that are mostly rote work? Is your team sourcing support through corporate volunteer initiatives?
Additionally, if you’re constantly having to find new volunteers, that might be a sign to take a step back and assess your volunteer retention strategy. Talk with these volunteers about improvements to your program they’d like to see and show your appreciation. Even if you’re low on staff, make sure not to overwork them to avoid volunteer burnout, too.
Companies are increasingly encouraging their staff to partake in volunteerism.
More and more, companies are actively encouraging their employees to engage in volunteerism, recognizing the benefits of such initiatives for team building, employee satisfaction, corporate social responsibility, and more.
For example, 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grants, where they encourage their employees to volunteer by donating to the nonprofits their employees support. It generally works like this:
An employee volunteers at an eligible nonprofit.
The employee reports their volunteer hours and other needed information. Most employee volunteer grant programs are based on the hours an employee volunteers. Some provide a per-hour rate, while others require a certain number of hours to be met before donating a flat amount. Additionally, employers often require the nonprofit’s name, tax ID, and mailing address.
The company donates to the nonprofit. Once a volunteer grant application is submitted, the company reviews it. If the nonprofit and hours requirements have been met, the grant application is improved, and the nonprofit receives a donation.
While the amount offered will vary from one company to another, 80% of employers report offering grants worth $8 to $15 per hour a team member volunteers.
Another way companies incentivize volunteerism is through volunteer time off (VTO), generally offering between 8 and 40 hours each year. Around 60% of companies currently provide employees with paid VTO, with an additional 21% planning to implement a VTO policy in the coming months.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
Your supporters’ time is already an invaluable resource for your organization. When you consider that your nonprofit may qualify for grant funding in addition to the hours volunteers donate, you’re presented with an excellent opportunity to maximize this group’s support. Every hour a volunteer spends with your organization not only contributes their time and skills (which is currently worth an estimated $29.95), but also translates into direct financial support.
Therefore, start educating your volunteers about the power of volunteer grants and other incentives. Keep careful track of their hours, and help them discover if they’re eligible for employer-sponsored programming. Most companies will have the relevant information accessible through their CSR portal or in their office handbook. If you can’t find any information there, it also never hurts to ask!
Meanwhile, Volunteer Time Off programs provide employees with the opportunity to volunteer during work hours without sacrificing their income. And 67% of survey respondents say having paid time off to volunteer would make for a positive engagement experience! Take a look at the supporters in your network, and see if any work for companies that offer these programs.
There’s a significant overlap between companies offering matching gifts and ones offering volunteer incentives.
You may have heard that more than 24,000 companies offer matching gifts for their employees. But did you know that companies contributing matching gifts often overlap significantly with those offering volunteer grant programs? In fact, recent studies indicate that over 85% of the top matching gift companies also offer volunteer grants.
In other words, philanthropic-minded employers generally offer more than one opportunity for staff to get involved. If you know a company matches monetary donations, the chances are good that it’ll match volunteer time as well—and vice versa!
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
If you’re looking for volunteer grant opportunities to pursue, identifying well-known matching gift companies can give your organization the boost you need. This can also provide an excellent chance to pitch volunteer activities to matching gift donors and matching gift opportunities to “Dollars for Doers” volunteers.
This also means that a dual approach to marketing can further amplify fundraising efforts. When engaging with donors, it’s beneficial to educate them about both matching gift and volunteer grant opportunities. You don’t want to let either program fall by the wayside!
Many corporate volunteer incentives continue to be underutilized.
Despite the rise in corporate encouragement for volunteerism, many corporate volunteer incentives remain underutilized. Why? Unfortunately, awareness rates are often low, suggesting a need for better promotion around the program to maximize the opportunities.
Today, the average employee participation level for volunteer grants, or Dollars for Doers, is a mere 3%. Like matching gifts, there’s a significant knowledge gap when it comes to eligible volunteers being aware of the opportunities.
Meanwhile, the average corporate volunteer participation rate stands at 33%. Although not all employees participate in existing volunteer incentive programs, it’s worth noting that companies with fewer than 10,000 employees achieved a higher-than-average participation rate of 39%. At the same time, those with more than 50,000 employees had a participation rate of 24%.
What does this volunteerism trend mean for your nonprofit?
For nonprofits, a steadily low participation rate represents an opportunity to increase awareness and, subsequently, engagement in the programs. Volunteers who don’t know about their companies’ existing programming won’t know to request volunteer grant funding on your organization’s behalf, thus leaving dollars on the table.
By actively promoting the benefits of volunteer grants and other corporate incentives to volunteers, donors, and partners alike, your nonprofit can encourage higher participation and secure more employee giving revenue than before.
Wrapping Up & Additional Philanthropy Resources
As the volunteer landscape continues to evolve, nonprofits like yours face a unique opportunity to make the most of your supporter base. Companies are recognizing the dual benefits of volunteer programs: enhancing corporate social responsibility while fostering employee engagement. Meanwhile, innovations in technology are making it easier than ever for individuals to find and participate in volunteer activities that align with their passions and skills.
Incorporating these trends into your organization’s volunteer strategy can lead to more robust and effective programs. By staying ahead of these developments, businesses and nonprofits alike can maximize their impact, build stronger communities, and create a more engaged and fulfilled workforce.
Interested in learning more about volunteerism trends and other philanthropy opportunities? Check out these recommended resources:
Essential Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics. Dive into the world of corporate giving and employee matching gifts with a look at our key research. Uncover must-know statistics and see how these findings can impact your team.
Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to Volunteer Grants. Make the most of volunteerism for your organization by leveraging corporate volunteer grants. Learn everything you need to know about Dollars for Doers programs, and how your cause can benefit.
Winning Workplace Giving Strategies & How to Leverage Them. Explore top workplace giving strategies offered by companies across the globe. From volunteer incentives to matching gifts and more, these programs can significantly elevate your fundraising.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DTD_Volunteerism-Trends-in-2024-Corporate-Incentives-and-More.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-06-19 02:10:082024-07-23 12:43:24Volunteerism Trends in 2024 | Corporate Incentives and More
Strapped for resources but still want to make a big impact? Effective nonprofit marketing doesn’t have to break the bank. There are so many exciting marketing ideas for nonprofits that can attract supporters, raise awareness, sell your offerings, and grow your impact.
In this article, we’ll share over 40 budget-friendly nonprofit marketing ideas to help you maximize your existing resources and discover new, affordable tools. Get ready to elevate your marketing game with these creative and cost-effective strategies. Here’s a sneak peek at the categories we’ll cover:
At Double the Donation, we connect nonprofits with matching gift opportunities. Since we work with organizations looking to maximize their fundraising potential, we know just how important every last penny in your budget is. That’s why we’ve created this guide of marketing ideas for nonprofits that will help you promote your organization at little to no cost.
Now, let’s jump right into these proven marketing ideas for nonprofits!
Nonprofit Marketing Basics
What Is Nonprofit Marketing?
The term “nonprofit marketing” refers to the marketing strategies you use to amplify your organization’s mission, attract donations, promote your products and services, and recruit volunteers.
To achieve your organization’s mission, you need help. It takes donors, volunteers, board members, event attendees, sponsors, and other constituents to ensure that your nonprofit can serve its community and beneficiaries.
Letting others know about the great work you’re doing requires a combination of proven nonprofit marketing ideas. From emails to search ads, choosing the right marketing strategies, tools, and channels will empower you to promote your cause to your target audiences.
The Benefits of Effective Nonprofit Marketing
It’s easier said than done to pull off a nonprofit marketing campaign. As part of your marketing plan, you’ll need to consider your organization’s unique needs, goals, and available resources to ensure the most effective outreach possible.
Despite the challenges that come with nonprofit marketing, the resulting benefits will help your organization soar. Effective nonprofit marketing can empower your organization to:
Rally support for your cause. Educating people about your mission is a crucial part of nonprofit marketing. It allows people to understand not only the work your organization does but also why you do it and how they can help.
Fundraise. Perhaps the most concrete way to measure your organization’s success is by the amount of money raised for your cause. Raising awareness for your nonprofit will help your fundraising efforts immensely.
Foster donor relationships. One-time donations are not a sustainable fundraising source for your organization. Resources indicate that recurring donations are better for maximizing your fundraising potential since they have a compounding effect. The best way to ensure regular donations is to curate good relationships with donors through consistent marketing.
Recruit other supporters. While donors are great assets to your organization, they’re not the only people who can help. Volunteers, board members, and event attendees all serve important roles in your organization. Marketing your nonprofit effectively will allow you to gather all the support you need.
Promote your products and services. Effective nonprofit marketing can help you promote your organization’s products and services, drawing more attention and boosting sales.
It’s clear that nonprofit marketing offers many advantages. However, you might be wondering where to start in the marketing process. To help you out, we’ll go over the best marketing ideas for nonprofits.
Top Nonprofit Marketing Idea 1) The Google Ad Grant
When looking for more information about a nonprofit, a cause, or truly anything, most people turn to Google first. That’s what makes the Google Ad Grant program so powerful. If you’re a qualifying nonprofit, Google will give your organization $10,000 per month in ad credits for free. With these funds, you can create Google Ads promoting any of your website’s content, including:
Educational content
Upcoming events
Volunteer registration forms
Advocacy activities
Donation and sponsorship opportunities
Nonprofit products and services
Your educational content and involvement opportunities are likely to see the best results, because these types of content attract individuals interested in information about and getting involved with your cause. Promoting informative content and available opportunities will position your nonprofit as a trusted resource and encourage deeper engagement.
Making The Most of The Google Ad Grant
Of course, you can promote more than just that content, and most nonprofits using the Google Ad Grant do! Google Ad Grant campaigns allow nonprofits to create ads targeting multiple goals at once. Here’s a breakdown of the Google Ad structure:
As the image depicts, each Google Ad Grant account can run multiple campaigns. Each of these campaigns has an overarching goal, like educating supporters, attracting volunteers, or raising funds. In each of these campaigns are ad groups. Each ad group focuses on a specific keyword, like “volunteer opportunities,” “pet adoptions,” “Chicago homelessness,” and so on depending on the ad campaign’s goal.
Finally, each ad group contains multiple ads which are different messages targeting the ad group’s keyword. Individual ads use different language and strategies to appeal to different audiences, helping you attract a variety of supporters searching your target keyword
To get started with Google Ads, all you have to do is apply and follow the program requirements.
If you need help wielding this amazing resource, reach out to a Google Grants agency. We recommend Getting Attention! They’ll assist you with every step of the process, including applying for the program, choosing keywords to target, and making sure your account complies with all requirements.
Top Nonprofit Marketing Idea 2) SEO
If you’re looking for an organic way to reach supporters and beneficiaries, experiment with search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. This nonprofit marketing idea involves optimizing your website’s content to rank higher in search engine results, allowing you to connect with people searching for keywords related to your nonprofit. This approach involves:
Creating high-quality, informative, and multimedia-rich content related to your cause and services
Researching and using relevant keywords
Ensuring your website is user-friendly and mobile-responsive
Building links back to your SEO content from relevant, trustworthy sites
When done effectively, SEO drives organic traffic to your website without the need for significant advertising spend. This increased visibility will boost cause awareness, sales for revenue-generating programs and services, registrations for annual events, and overall support for your work. Plus, SEO will help build credibility with both search engines and users, as higher-ranking websites are often perceived as more authoritative and reliable.
The ROI for this channel is exceptionally high, because it allows you to target highly qualified audiences. Let’s say someone searches for a niche service or program you sell. If your content related to that offering is optimized for search engines and has built backlinks from external sources, your nonprofit will ideally appear toward the top of search results. Then, potential customers can click through to learn more.
Making The Most of SEO
While it’s possible to make big SEO gains for free, many organizations partner with SEO agencies to reduce their workload and skip the learning curve. We recommend the nonprofit SEO experts at Nexus Marketing!
Unlike generic marketing agencies, Nexus Marketing specializes in the unique challenges and opportunities nonprofits face and has marketing strategies tailored to meet these specific needs. Their team of experts is skilled in optimizing content to resonate with nonprofit audiences and leveraging industry knowledge.
To improve search engine rankings and drive organic traffic, they use proven best practices, such as:
High-quality content creation: The Nexus content team crafts SEO content that delivers results based on extensive keyword research. Between years of experience in writing for the mission-driven sector and a deep understanding of your brand, their content captures attention and converts visitors into supporters.
Connections in the mission-driven space: Nexus has a proprietary network of 500+ partners in the nonprofit, association, faith-based, education, and healthcare sectors. By tapping into this existing network, you can say goodbye to cold emailing authoritative websites and instead scale your organization’s authority-building strategy.
Focus on ROI: Their client engagements are designed for immediate results and long-term success by growing revenue through search engines, industry promotion, and near-term demand generation opportunities. With Nexus, most organizations see qualified leads within 3 to 6 months and achieve a 2x – 5x ROI within 12 to 18 months.
Why You Can Trust This Agency: Nexus Marketing has a proven track record of success. For example, one of their nonprofit clients ranked for only 5 tracked keywords before the partnership began. Today, they rank for 185+ of their most important tracked keywords. As a result, they’ve experienced steep growth in organic search traffic and have sold more of their online curriculum. You can read the complete case study to learn more.
Note that they specifically help nonprofits looking to raise money via revenue-generating programs, services, products, revenue streams that pay royalties, and annual events that attract broad audiences.
By continuously staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices, Nexus Marketing ensures that nonprofits not only increase their online visibility but also effectively boost product and service sales. If you’re ready to harness the power of SEO, reach out to our friends at Nexus Marketing.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits Building Their Missions
As we’ve mentioned before, your nonprofit’s mission is central to its goals and aspirations. It should also be one of the main focuses of your marketing efforts. Since it lays the groundwork for your organization’s values, your mission should inform your branding, outreach tactics, and promotional content.
If you don’t have a well-developed mission or want to give yours a refresh, try some of these nonprofit marketing ideas for building your organization’s mission:
Write a powerful tagline. When it comes to marketing, people absorb more information when it’s concise. Your mission is one of the most important aspects of your organization, so you’ll want prospective supporters to understand it right away. Take the time to condense your mission into a short tagline that you can use in your marketing materials.
Establish standards for design, personality, and attitude. Make a good first impression with cohesive branding. From the way your website looks to the way your employees act, every aspect of your organization should work together to form a perfect picture of your nonprofit.
Rework your nonprofit’s appearance. Speaking of branding, changing yours up can bring new life to your organization. A funky new logo or elevated graphics can entice potential supporters and demonstrate your willingness to improve your nonprofit. You can even reach out to a graphic design company for help with your organization’s new look.
Be upfront about your organization’s goals and results. People interested in your organization want to know what you’re trying to accomplish and what you’ve been able to achieve so far. Being open about your nonprofit’s operations lays a solid foundation for great supporter relationships.
Share what you do well. Don’t be afraid to brag a little! Your organization is doing amazing work, and people should see that. If you show confidence in your nonprofit and highlight its strengths, people will be more eager to get involved.
Use storytelling. Giving people specific examples of individuals you’ve helped fosters deeper connections between your supporters and your organization. Stories make your marketing more personal and digestible for prospective supporters.
Create a marketing plan. To stay focused and organized, you’ll need a comprehensive marketing plan. That way, you’ll have all of your goals and intentions in one place for you to easily go back and reference.
Your mission is the foundation of your marketing efforts, but now it’s time to expand them! Head to your nearest computer or phone to start sharing your incredible organization with others.
Bonus Tip: Include your nonprofit’s values in all your marketing efforts, including ads, to ensure your messaging reflects your mission and resonates with potential supporters.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits Advertising Their Services
Letting others know what your organization does is essential to earning their support. Your nonprofit does great work, so why not show it off? Advertise your services with the following online and offline marketing ideas for nonprofits.
Online Advertising Ideas
The internet allows you to share your services with the click of a button. Whether you want to invest in paid advertising or create eye-catching merchandise, there are endless ways to stand out in the digital space. In addition to the Google Ad Grant, try these online marketing ideas for nonprofits:
Optimize your website content for search engines. Your search engine advertising and SEO campaigns can support one another. By incorporating SEO best practices into your content, you can increase your nonprofit’s visibility and attract organic traffic before you even start advertising. That means you’ll build a sustainable, cost-effective foundation for long-term audience engagement. Use relevant keywords, create high-quality content, and ensure your website is user-friendly to rank highly on search engine results pages. Plus, following SEO practices gives you high-quality content you can use as landing pages for your ads.
Track your analytics. Data is the key to figuring out which of your marketing efforts are effective. Use Google Analytics or another similar tool to track and review website traffic and the actions people take on your site. That way, you can see if there are any patterns or areas where you can improve. For example, if a certain landing page on your site has a high bounce rate, it might be time to refresh it to make it more worthwhile for your supporters.
Sell branded merchandise. Turn your supporters into walking advertisements with branded merchandise! It’s a win-win situation where you raise more for your cause and receive free advertising, while your supporters get to show the world what they believe in. Branded t-shirts are always a great idea, but you could also go with hats, tote bags, or mugs depending on your audience’s preferences. Once you work with a graphic design company to bring your merchandise to life, you can set up an online store and let your supporters know all about it!
Advertise your products and services. If your nonprofit sells products or services, leverage digital advertising to promote these offerings. Showcase them prominently on your website. Then, also turn search engine traffic into a revenue-generating channel with high-value content targeting the keywords your customers are searching for, driving additional revenue and expanding your reach.
Online advertising is a proven way to connect with larger audiences than ever before. Break down geographical barriers by leveraging these marketing strategies.
Digital marketing is all the rage these days, and for good reason. However, that doesn’t mean that more traditional offline marketing efforts should go extinct. While online marketing can expand your reach, offline marketing can help create a personal experience for your supporters. Use these offline marketing ideas for nonprofits in conjunction with your online ones:
Create flyers. A good old-fashioned flyer is a great way to grab potential supporters’ attention. It allows you to fit an abundance of information about your organization into a small, foldable, and engaging handout. You can send fundraising flyers in your direct mail campaigns, hand them out at events, or keep them in your organization’s office for walk-ins. People will love the opportunity to learn about your organization’s services in an easily digestible format.
Recruit brand ambassadors. Influencer marketing is a fairly new yet powerful way to promote your organization. Finding people with an online presence who truly care about your nonprofit’s mission and are willing to spread the word can help you reach new audiences quickly. These brand ambassadors can also help you host in-person events or sell your branded merchandise to get people excited about your organization.
Research larger organizations. If you want to be the best, you’ll have to learn from the best. Look into what larger, more experienced nonprofits are doing and attempt to replicate it. You can even reach out to a team member at an organization you admire and ask if they’d be willing to give your nonprofit some advice.
Personalize your outreach. Reaching out to people using offline methods allows you to establish more personal connections with them. For example, you could go up to a volunteer at an event to learn more about them or promote matching gifts to your donors in a customized postcard. People will appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into these outreach methods and associate that quality with your organization.
For the best results, use a combination of online and offline marketing ideas. That way, you’ll reach different audiences and see which methods work best for which supporter segments.
Your mission is the foundation of your marketing efforts, but now it’s time to expand them! Head to your nearest computer or phone to start sharing your incredible organization with others.
Bonus Tip: Use your Google Ads to support other marketing efforts! Direct traffic to your peer-to-peer ambassador page and merchandise store, increasing visibility and engagement for these initiatives.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits Leveraging Technology
These days, there’s so much technology to help us improve and innovate our everyday lives. For nonprofits, leveraging technology appropriately can expand impact and help reach new audiences through different channels.
To make sure your nonprofit knows how to use each type of technology effectively, we’ve split our technology nonprofit marketing ideas into three separate categories.
Website
Like all organizations, nonprofits use their websites to teach others about what they do, what they stand for, and how visitors can get involved. Ensure your organization’s website is the best it can be with these website nonprofit marketing ideas:
Update your nonprofit’s website. From Squarespace to Wix to WordPress, there are so many website building platforms that make updating and maintaining your site easy. Include information about current events and initiatives and provide the latest updates on your service offerings to entice potential supporters to get involved with your organization.
Make SEO a habit. For nonprofit websites, SEO is crucial for increasing visibility and attracting supporters. Even if you’re leveraging the Google Ad Grant, optimizing your website is essential for a strong ad strategy, helping searchers find your content and inspiring them to convert (AKA donate, register for an event, buy your products, and so on). Regularly research and create content targeting relevant keywords to stay current with trends. Additionally, ensure your website is mobile-friendly to improve rankings in mobile search results, making it easier for users to access your information on any device.
Start a blog.Keeping an up-to-date blog allows you to display news about your organization and industry with long-form, informative content. Writing blog content about nonprofit-related topics also establishes your organization as a reputable source of information in the field.
As you create informational pages and blog articles for your nonprofit’s website, focus on quality content creation. Make sure your copy is clear and concise, and break text up with graphics wherever possible to create a user-friendly experience.
If you have the resources, hiring a qualified copywriting team will help make sure the copy across your site is strong and cohesive. For instance, working with a nonprofit marketing agency that fully understands your brand and is knowledgeable about the nonprofit sector can ensure your messaging is both impactful and focused on generating high-quality sales leads.
Event Landing Pages
Your nonprofit may already use event management software to plan and execute its fundraisers. Depending on the type of fundraiser and the software you use, you’ll be able to use different features to promote your fundraising initiatives.
Oftentimes, these platforms can help you build customized event landing pages to spread the word about your upcoming events. These pages can include:
Information about the event: This can include anything from the fundraiser’s date and time to event-specific details. For example, where will your annual walk-a-thon be held this year? Will your charity auction involve mobile bidding or physical bid sheets?
Forms to take action: Registration and donation forms can easily be embedded into your event landing page. This way, supporters can immediately commit to a donation or participation in your event.
Information about your nonprofit: Include your mission or vision statement, a synopsis of your work, and other information about your nonprofit on your landing page. This draws visitors in and urges them to continue exploring your nonprofit’s website to learn more about the cause they’ll support by participating in your event.
Plus, the customizable nature of these landing pages allows you to incorporate your nonprofit’s branding, reinforcing supporters’ trust in your organization. By associating your brand with your fundraising events, you’ll attract attention to the heart of your fundraising and outreach efforts: your mission.
Social Media
Social media is not only how people stay connected to their family and friends, but also to the companies and organizations they care about. With nearly every organization maintaining a social media presence, it’s important to understand how you can make yours stand out. Here’s what we suggest:
Use different platforms. To connect with as many people as you can, your organization should create social media accounts on several different platforms. Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube are great places to start. X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and Snapchat also offer unique ways to engage with your younger supporters.
Participate in trends. Perhaps the most important part of your social media presence is playing into current trends like using humor and short videos over images. That way, your content stays fresh and engaging for your supporters.
Create marketing videos. While images can be very informative, videos are better for eliciting emotion. Creating and sharing videos about your mission on social media will allow you to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Take advantage of social media advertising. If you don’t feel that you’re reaching the correct audience organically, you can create ads on the social media platforms you’re using. For example, Facebook’s advertising platform allows you to set up campaigns that target people based on a variety of factors such as age, gender, location, and interests. This approach can help you segment your supporters into different groups and communicate with them accordingly.
Connect your online assets. To promote your online presence, make it easy for people to jump from platform to platform. For example, you can create a social media post about a new blog article and add a link to the article in your social media account’s bio. That way, you’ll drive traffic from your social media page to your website’s blog. Doing so can allow people to interact with your organization in a different way and perhaps learn more about what your nonprofit does.
Your nonprofit’s website and social media accounts are your biggest online assets. Now that we’ve covered them, it’s time to learn some general online marketing ideas for nonprofits.
General Online Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits
To get the most out of your online presence, it’s important to follow general digital marketing best practices. Check out these marketing ideas for nonprofits looking to rule the marketing game online:
Leverage multi-channel marketing. To increase your online visibility, tap into digital marketing channels like search ads, social media, and texting. Use these channels alongside traditional marketing methods such as emails, phone calls, and direct mail. This will increase your chances of reaching supporters on their preferred communication method.
Encourage your supporters to take action. Informing your supporters about your organization is great, but what exactly do you want them to do to help you out? Use calls to action across your marketing materials to work towards your goals. For example, include the link to your donation page in your Instagram bio and create a post encouraging people to contribute. To help promote your events, add your event registration link to your regular email newsletter. Note that the most effective calls-to-action start with determining what actions you want your supporters to take and making it easy for them to do so.
Host virtual events. Hosting events online, such as webinars and panels, allows more people to participate than ever before. Since no physical space is required, guests can easily participate in virtual events from wherever they are, presenting a unique opportunity to engage with all different types of supporters at once.
Learn more about supporters with data appends.Data enhancement services add information to your existing database, such as email addresses, phone numbers, and demographic details, to create a more comprehensive profile of your contacts. This enriched data helps improve the accuracy and effectiveness of your marketing campaigns by allowing you to better segment your audience. With detailed insights about your supporters, you can personalize your outreach, enhance engagement, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates.
Leveraging technology effectively allows you to reach your intended audience and rally support for your cause. We know that your nonprofit is likely working with a tight marketing budget, though. To make sure your organization has the resources it needs to create the best online content possible, we’ll teach you how to save money in other marketing areas.
Bonus Tip: Leverage content marketing to enhance your nonprofit’s online presence. Create high-quality, informative, and engaging content that addresses your audience’s interests. By consistently publishing valuable, keyword-optimized content, you can boost your organic search rankings, attract more visitors, boost sales, and increase support for your cause.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits On a Budget
Marketing can get expensive. However, there are ways that nonprofits can promote their organizations while still keeping costs low. Maximize your marketing potential while minimizing your spending with these marketing ideas for nonprofits on a budget:
Determine your marketing budget. It’s easiest to keep costs down when you have a clear budget in mind. That way, you’ll know exactly how much you can spend on your nonprofit’s marketing and allocate your resources accordingly. Include costs such as those for physical marketing collateral, marketing software, and staff time.
Plan your printing. Printing can get expensive very quickly. Besides, there are so many digital marketing methods your organization can leverage. Only print what needs to be printed, and try to print double-sided and in batches.
Use unbranded envelopes for direct mail. If you do need to print materials for a direct mail campaign, there are ways to keep your costs down. Sending unbranded envelopes will help you save money. Just remember to indicate that the mail is from your organization in a different way so recipients don’t mistake it for junk mail.
Add a “Donate Now” button to your Facebook page. As we mentioned before, calls to action are key to motivating your supporters to contribute to your cause. Adding a “Donate Now” button to your nonprofit’s Facebook page is an easy way to encourage donations. The best part is that it’s free as long as your nonprofit qualifies for Facebook’s fundraising tools.
Work with a local business. Many companies are happy to pair up with a nonprofit, helping you out financially. While you get extra funding or resources for your marketing efforts, they get to give back to their community and improve their reputations. Before you look for a local business willing to work with you, determine what you want to get out of the partnership. Examples of corporate philanthropy include companies donating money directly to your organization, keeping a donation bucket in their store, or contributing food or supplies for your event.
It’s important to create a marketing budget and try to conserve resources when possible to save up for more expensive marketing efforts. These budget-friendly marketing ideas for nonprofits are a great place to start to maximize every dollar your organization earns!
Bonus Tip: The Google Ad Grant provides free ad credits, making it a low-cost way to attract attention to your website. All you need to do is put in the initial effort to get your site up to Google’s quality standards and complete the application process. From there, you’ll just need to create and maintain your ads.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits Forming Stakeholder Relationships
There are so many different stakeholders involved in your organization. Donors, corporate partners, volunteers, board members, sponsors, and event attendees all play a huge role in your nonprofit’s success. With that, it’s important to form good relationships so you can build a strong support network.
In this section, we’ll go over some marketing ideas for nonprofits starting and stewarding relationships with their stakeholders.
Starting Stakeholder Relationships
Building a good foundation for your relationships with stakeholders is essential to making sure your connections are long-lasting. Here are some marketing ideas for nonprofits beginning new stakeholder relationships:
Look for opportunities to form new connections. Finding stakeholders to work with can be tough, especially for newer nonprofits. Leverage any connections you may already have and form new ones by reaching out on social media or attending a nonprofit conference in your industry. That way, you can start to meet people who may be potential stakeholders and have their own network of potential stakeholders they’re willing to share with you.
Create a welcome package. Once you initiate a relationship with a new stakeholder, it’s time to make them feel welcome in your community. Curate a package of information and branded merchandise to introduce new stakeholders to your nonprofit. You can include items as small as stickers of your logo to yard signs they can display to show their support for your organization. No matter what you send your new stakeholders, you’re showing them that you care.
Treat them to a meal. To form a more personal connection with a stakeholder, take them out to lunch or coffee. Teach them more about your organization, answer any questions they have, and gather feedback about their work with you so far. Not to mention, this is a great opportunity to learn more about who they are and what drives them to support your cause.
Inform new donors of matching gift opportunities. Some of your new donors may not know what matching gifts are or if they’re eligible to participate. Make it easy for donors to identify matching gift opportunities by providing matching gift software that shows if their employers are willing to match their donations. That way, you can earn more, and your new donors can feel good about making an even bigger impact on your organization.
Now that you know how to start your stakeholder relationships off strong, it’s time to learn how to keep them that way with effective stewardship.
Stewarding Stakeholder Relationships
Maintaining relationships with your stakeholders requires care and commitment. You must communicate with them well and respond to their needs. That way, you can build long-lasting connections that drive your work forward.
Practice good supporter stewardship with these marketing ideas for nonprofits:
Communicate regularly and strategically. Like with any relationship, maintaining supporter relationships requires communication. Establish effective communication habits with your stakeholders by reaching out to them individually, sending email newsletters, and reconnecting with them at conferences and other events. You may want to assign different people to manage different stakeholder relationships so you don’t overwhelm any one person on your team. Additionally, you’ll want to choose an opportune time to communicate. Factors that might influence the messages, timing, and platforms you use might include their age, career, lifestyle, or time zone.
Reach out to lapsed donors. Sometimes, donors will only contribute to your organization once. If so, you can encourage them to continue their support, or inform them of different ways they can still support your nonprofit without contributing monetarily, such as by volunteering or sharing your social media posts. For recurring donors who haven’t contributed in a while, try sending them a gift or explaining new features of your donor program to spark that relationship once again.
Collect feedback. Listen to your stakeholders and any feedback they give you, whether it’s solicited or not. Stay true to your organization’s stakeholder guidelines, but also hear your stakeholders out. You want to provide them with a positive experience with your organization, and they may have some valuable suggestions for how to improve that experience.
If you’ve learned anything from this section, it should be that stakeholder relationships require effective communication. In the next section, we’ll dive into more nonprofit marketing ideas specifically focused on improving your organization’s communication skills.
Bonus Tip: Google Ads are an opportunity to make a first impression on a large number of potential supporters. Start off on the right foot with strong ad copy, high-quality content, and a modern website.
Marketing Ideas for Nonprofits Staying in Touch with Their Supporters
It takes a lot of effort to maintain relationships with your supporters. With effective and regular communication, your nonprofit can keep supporters around and continue to grow your network. We’ll give you some marketing ideas for nonprofits working on their communication style and supporter involvement.
Communication Style
You already know that the messages you communicate to your supporters are vital, but how you communicate those messages is just as important. Here are a few pointers to make sure you send the right messages to the right people in ways that will resonate with them:
Be timely. Simply responding to your supporters’ messages quickly shows that you care. Not only does it communicate that you want to address their concerns, but also that you want to respect their time.
Stay positive. Keeping a positive attitude in your communications will help supporters form a positive association with your nonprofit. Besides, it’s always more enjoyable to interact with organizations that have an optimistic outlook and kind employees.
Store individuals’ preferences in your supporter database.Organizing your supporters’ information in a database not only helps you learn more about them but also how they like to communicate. If you ask for supporters’ communication preferences and store that information in your database, then you can interact with supporters in the ways they prefer.
Create supporter segments. Segmentation is when you divide your supporters into categories based on shared characteristics in order to communicate with each group more effectively. There are various ways to segment your supporters. You may choose to divide them by stakeholder type with categories like donors, partners, clients, and board members. Another way to group supporters is by age, location, or length of involvement with your organization. That way, you can send relevant messages to the right people without flooding their inboxes with unnecessary messages.
Communicating with your supporters effectively will create a better reputation for your organization and lead to stronger stakeholder relationships.
Supporter Involvement
Communication goes both ways. You inform your supporters about what’s going on within your organization, but they report back to you with their thoughts and feelings about your nonprofit. These marketing ideas for nonprofits will help you get supporters more involved in your organization:
Survey your supporters. Your staff can brainstorm ways to make your organization better, but you’ll never know what more your supporters need unless you ask them. Sending out a survey will allow you to collect valuable feedback and show that you care about improving your supporters’ experiences with your organization.
Engage supporters on social media. Social media is built to help people create connections with each other. Strengthen your bonds with your supporters by making your social media presence interactive. For example, take advantage of polls, live stream capabilities, and Q&A features in the platforms you use.
Host events. What better way to get people involved than by gathering together in person? Hosting an event allows you to show off your organization and get your supporters excited about it. Deck out your event in branded materials such as table runners for a cohesive look. You can also plan activities such as raffles and games to make the event fun for everyone involved.
Interview supporters. As we discussed before, storytelling is a great way to make your marketing personal. For storytelling to work, you’ll need to collect stories from real people involved in your organization. Interview interested supporters so you can learn more about their experiences with your organization and use their quotes to promote your nonprofit across different channels.
Peer-to-peer fundraising. Your supporters can help fundraise, engage supporters, and market your nonprofit in the process. With peer-to-peer fundraising, people raise money by collecting donations from their friends and family. To encourage your supporters to participate, teach them how to set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page. An even easier method is to leverage the built-in peer-to-peer fundraising options on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. This fundraising option is especially popular around holidays and birthdays, so if you know your supporters’ birthdates, you can proactively reach out and encourage them to create a fundraiser on your nonprofit’s behalf.
Treating your supporters with the utmost care and respect begins with proper communication. You should use a give-and-take approach in which you update supporters about your organization and they give you feedback about your nonprofit in response. That way, you can work together with your supporters to constantly improve your organization.
Bonus Tip: As part of maintaining your website, continue posting high-quality content. Valuable research reports and blog posts are likely to get shared around, improving your nonprofit’s search ranking placements. And be sure to incorporate SEO best practices, to get that content in front of as many people as possible!
Conclusion & Additional Resources
Nonprofit marketing encompasses a range of considerations. In addition to the regular business concerns of how to promote your organization effectively, nonprofits must also worry about how to do so on a budget. With these marketing ideas for nonprofits, we’ve given you a head start on your marketing strategy to save you time and money.
This guide explored a ton of marketing ideas for nonprofits, but there may be some that you want to learn more about. To help you out, we’ve provided some resources that will allow you to dive deeper into some of our favorite ideas, including:
Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits: The Complete Guide. The Google Ad Grant program is a proven way to push your cause forward. Learn more about marketing your cause using paid advertising with this guide from Getting Attention.
SEO for Nonprofits: Crash Course & Get-Started Guide. SEO is one of the most effective nonprofit marketing ideas for enhancing your online presence. Discover how to optimize your website’s content and dominate search results pages with this comprehensive guide from Nexus Marketing.
12 Best Nonprofit Graphic Design Tools. A huge element of nonprofit marketing is creating a cohesive experience for your supporters. Using the right graphic design tools will allow you to create images that align with your organization’s branding and design standards.
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