The title of the article next to an illustration of people putting a puzzle together, representing nonprofit capacity building.

Nonprofit Capacity Building: How to Grow Your Organization

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When researching nonprofit capacity building, the definitions you find may seem a bit vague. You may hear the term at a board meeting, fundraising team gathering, or networking event and wonder “What exactly defines my nonprofit’s capacity, and why is it so important to build?”

The truth is that many definitions of nonprofit capacity building are very generalized because the term means different things in the context of different organizations. What allows an animal shelter to grow and support its mission may look much different from what an environmental organization, museum, or public school needs to thrive.

No matter what type of nonprofit you run, here’s what you’ll need to know about capacity building:

To help your organization forge its own path, we’ll define what nonprofit capacity building may look like for different organizations and offer tips for creating a strong capacity building strategy that fits your nonprofit’s needs.Get a demo of our matching gift software to jumpstart your nonprofit capacity building.

What is nonprofit capacity building?

The National Council of Nonprofits defines nonprofit capacity building as “whatever is needed to bring a nonprofit to the next level of operational, programmatic, financial, or organizational maturity, so it may more effectively and efficiently advance its mission into the future.”

This definition is relative to your nonprofit’s unique goals and operations, but the ultimate objective is to realize your operational potential. That way, you can fulfill your mission to the best of your nonprofit’s ability.

To build capacity, your nonprofit may employ a mix of three approaches:

  • Individual. By investing in individual team members, you can ensure your team has the resources and training they need to be successful in their roles. For instance, you may offer a mentoring program to help new employees acclimate to your organization and get advice from their coworkers.
  • Organizational. Tools like office equipment and fundraising software help your organization run more effectively. To secure the resources needed for organizational capacity building, you may turn to corporate partnerships or brainstorm ways to diversify your revenue.
  • Systemic. At the systemic level, you may lobby for policy changes that will help your organization better fulfill its mission or strengthen your nonprofit’s board. Many nonprofits turn to a community of practice for assistance, which is a group bonded by a common goal that provides knowledge about nonprofit causes and helps organizations apply for grants.


When you combine individual, organizational, and systemic nonprofit capacity building, you fortify all areas of your organization and ensure each has the resources necessary to carry out mission-critical work.

Why is nonprofit capacity building important?

Nonprofit capacity building allows your organization to create a healthy infrastructure that supports future growth and longevity. Through capacity building, your nonprofit will receive a variety of benefits, including:The benefits of nonprofit capacity building, as outlined in the text below.

  • Enhanced impact. When you increase your nonprofit’s operational capacity, you can expand your nonprofit’s programs and services. As a result, you can make a greater impact on your community and beneficiaries. For example, an animal shelter’s increased capacity would enable it to offer additional spay and neuter services and rehome even more animals.
  • Improved sustainability. One of the top methods of nonprofit capacity building is diversifying your revenue streams. With funds flowing into your organization from different sources, your nonprofit will be more financially stable and sustainable.
  • Increased efficiency. Investing in tools and training that help team members perform their roles effectively makes day-to-day tasks more efficient. With less time going to logistics, you can spend more time on mission-critical activities.
  • Better adaptability. With funding from different sources and a variety of resources at your disposal, your nonprofit will be better equipped to take on challenges. Whether you’re trying to keep up with trends in your nonprofit’s sector, responding to crises, or adjusting to evolving community needs, your organization can quickly adapt and carry on with its mission.
  • Long-term viability. Ultimately, nonprofit capacity building sets your organization up for long-term success. It ensures you’re taking full advantage of all resources at your disposal to enact lasting change in your community.


Your nonprofit’s focus should be your mission. When you allocate time to capacity building, you strengthen your nonprofit’s operations so all underlying processes are as efficient as possible, allowing your mission to remain at the forefront.

How to Create a Strong Nonprofit Capacity Building Strategy

Like with any strategy, it’s essential to follow a systematic approach to building your nonprofit’s capacity. That way, you can craft a strategy that’s thorough and fits your organization’s unique needs.

To develop your nonprofit capacity building strategy, keep these steps in mind:The steps for creating a strong nonprofit capacity building strategy, as outlined in the text below.

1. Start with your mission.

As mentioned before, your mission is at the heart of your nonprofit’s operations. Think about how all elements of your organization come together to support your mission, and determine any areas you could improve to better achieve your goals.

For example, an organization for at-risk youth may have a mentoring program that has worked well for beneficiaries in the past but is currently understaffed. This nonprofit may look into hiring additional staff members or volunteers to manage the program so it can better fulfill its mission of providing a brighter future for at-risk students.

As your organization grows and changes, so may its priorities. Before diving into the nonprofit capacity building process, take a careful look at your mission to ensure it still reflects your organization’s current services and values. You may eliminate facets of your mission if they’re no longer relevant or make additions if your nonprofit has taken on new initiatives.

For instance, a healthcare organization may have added a focus on stopping the spread of COVID-19 to its mission in 2020 when the pandemic began but might have removed this element in May 2023 when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global Public Health Emergency (PHE) caused by the virus.

2. Evaluate your needs and current resources.

Next, assess your organization’s most pressing needs and whether you have the resources to address them. While some needs may be more readily apparent, others may require further investigation.

All staff members, board members, and volunteers have different perspectives on your organization that allow them to identify unmet needs. Send periodic surveys that invite these stakeholders to provide feedback on your nonprofit’s operations. You may also host discussions during team meetings to obtain more candid feedback on your organization’s needs.

Once you’ve compiled a list of your nonprofit’s highest-priority needs, evaluate your current resources’ ability to fulfill them. You may consider the following questions when assessing your needs and resources:

  • Is there a deadline for addressing this need?
  • What are the costs associated with addressing this need?
  • How many team members do we need to address this need?
  • Do we have the appropriate equipment to address this need?

If your nonprofit has some resource gaps to fill, brainstorm how you can efficiently acquire the tools you need at a low cost.

For instance, you may find that your organization is eligible for a grant that would help you cover the costs of obtaining fundraising software. Additionally, if you don’t have enough staff to address a pressing need, you may tap into your corporate partnerships to see if they’re willing to donate their services pro bono or leverage your volunteer network.

3. Get your team involved.

Your team’s involvement in nonprofit capacity building shouldn’t end with them offering their initial input. Lean on the support of staff, board members, and volunteers to implement your capacity building plans.

Your board in particular should have a role in creating your capacity building strategy. As the governing body of your organization, your nonprofit board can decide how to best allocate resources for capacity building and successfully address each need.

If you need additional support in developing your nonprofit capacity building strategy, enlist the help of a nonprofit consultant. An outsider’s perspective may be just what your organization needs to provide an objective opinion about your capacity building priorities.

4. Determine your goals and timeline.

Clear goals and metrics will break your needs down into manageable goals and help you evaluate your progress. Stick to the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal framework to ensure your goals are actionable.

Let’s say that your nonprofit is looking to develop a new onboarding process that better informs team members of their responsibilities, company culture, and your mission. Take a look at how your team may qualify and quantify this objective using the SMART goal framework:The SMART goal framework for creating useful nonprofit capacity building goals, as outlined in the text below.

  • Specific. Our human resources team will create and implement new onboarding materials that give a more holistic, comprehensive view of each team member’s role, the organization’s culture, and the underlying nonprofit mission and services.
  • Measurable. Our goal is to increase new team member efficiency by 20% by providing them with the resources they need to succeed from the start.
  • Achievable. In the past, we’ve made slight improvements to our onboarding process and have seen small gains in new team member efficiency. We’re hoping that a larger-scale revamp of the new hire onboarding process will allow us to see even greater results in employee motivation and productivity.
  • Relevant. When team members have a better understanding of their roles and how they contribute to the organization’s purpose, they’ll work more efficiently and effectively. Consequently, we’ll spend less team member time on logistical tasks and more on urgent, mission-critical work.
  • Time-Bound. Our human resources team will develop this new program over the course of the next quarter. Then, we’ll roll it out to the next batch of new hires and measure their subsequent performance.

Applying the SMART goal framework to your nonprofit’s needs can also help you determine which ones to address first. You may be able to address multiple needs at once or have to prioritize certain needs over others in order to commit your full attention and resources to each one.

5. Invest in the right tools.

Once you’ve further defined your goals, you may notice you’re missing some of the tools or software you need to succeed. For instance, if you’re launching a campaign to promote a new service your nonprofit is offering, you may need to invest in new marketing software that will automate your outreach.

Although it’s best to take full advantage of the resources you currently have, an investment in the right tools is an investment in your nonprofit’s future. To increase your nonprofit’s capacity, it may be worth it to purchase new software or obtain additional resources that will make your nonprofit’s operations more efficient.

6. Track your progress.

Before you embark on your nonprofit capacity building efforts, set up benchmarks that allow you to mark your progress. You may schedule monthly check-ins with the appropriate team, take notes on the state of each project, or survey those involved with each endeavor to see where you can improve your efforts.

For all goals with clear performance metrics, make sure to check your campaign data regularly to ensure you’re on track. For example, if you’re running a capital campaign and intend to raise $10,000 overall, download reports from your fundraising software each month that indicate how much money you’ve raised in the past month and how much you’ve raised throughout the campaign.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Nonprofit’s Capacity

Now that we’ve covered the basics of nonprofit capacity building, it’s time to dive into some specific strategies you can implement to enhance your nonprofit’s capacity. While your organization’s specific plan will depend on your goals and resources, here are some ways nonprofits in a variety of sectors can expand their operations and increase efficiency:Ways to build your nonprofit's capacity, as outlined in the text below.

1. Invest in matching gift software.

Our top recommendation is to invest in matching gift software. Companies that offer matching gift programs match their employees’ donations to eligible nonprofits. While most companies match employee contributions at a 1:1 ratio, some match at a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.

However, 78% of donors are unaware if they’re eligible for matching gift opportunities. As a result, they don’t fill out matching gift requests, and nonprofits collectively miss out on $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds each year.

Matching gift software resolves this matching gift gap by automatically informing donors of their matching gift eligibility and prompting them to fill out a matching gift request form. Nonprofits can embed this type of tool right on their donation pages so that donors can submit their requests immediately after contributing. Check out the video below to learn more about how our matching gift software, helps nonprofits earn more:

As the video explains, Double the Donation users raise 20-50% more in matching gifts each year. This passive income allows charitable organizations to expand their programming and ultimately help more beneficiaries.

To make the matching gift process more efficient and help your nonprofit earn even more, some matching gift platforms offer auto-submission. Instead of donors filling out a matching gift request form, all they have to do is input their company email address and check a box indicating they’d like to opt into auto-submission. Then, the platform creates and sends the request to the donor’s employer on the donor’s behalf, driving even more matches to completion.Click through to get a demo of our matching gift software and build your nonprofit's capacity.

2. Provide professional development opportunities.

When you invest in each individual staff member at your nonprofit, you fortify the team as a whole. Professional development opportunities allow team members to hone their skills and build confidence.

The types of opportunities you may offer include:

To ensure team members are motivated to participate in professional development opportunities, survey them to see which they’d be most interested in. Then, implement the most popular methods to begin growing your staff’s skills while measuring the opportunities’ engagement and impact.

3. Diversify revenue streams.

Imagine your nonprofit’s only source of revenue is from individual donations. You have a large donor base with many generous recurring donors. However, the economy starts to decline, and you notice donation revenue is decreasing as a result. Suddenly, you begin to worry that you won’t have enough funds to cover all of your programming and have to start cutting important services that your beneficiaries depend on.

Building your nonprofit’s capacity should make your organization more sustainable. However, if you rely on one main revenue source, you put your nonprofit at risk.

Tapping into a variety of revenue streams allows your nonprofit’s finances to remain steady, even if one source dries up. We recommend leveraging a combination of the following revenue streams:Different revenue streams for building your nonprofit's capacity, as outlined in the text below.

  • Individual donations. These may include one-time donations, recurring donations, planned gifts, major gifts, and in-kind donations.
  • Corporate philanthropy. Charitably-minded companies contribute to nonprofits through matching gifts, volunteer grants, community grants, event sponsorships, automatic payroll deductions, annual giving campaigns, and more.
  • Earned income. Your organization can earn funds by selling merchandise, charging membership dues, and selling event tickets.
  • Investments. Sometimes, nonprofits receive major gifts in the form of endowments that they can deposit into an investment account. Your organization can also open and invest in a brokerage account, just like individuals can.
  • Grants. There are all sorts of different grants out there that government entities, corporations, and foundations provide to nonprofits. You can even apply for specific nonprofit capacity building grants.

Once you’ve properly diversified your nonprofit’s revenue streams, keep track of how much you’re earning from each method for internal and tax filing purposes. If you need help reporting your nonprofit’s revenue, partner with a nonprofit accountant.

4. Rework your strategic plan.

Your nonprofit’s strategic plan serves as your roadmap for success. It aligns your organization’s goals with its values to provide a strong foundation for decision-making.

Since your strategic plan helps you prioritize projects and navigate challenges, it’s a good idea to revisit it when trying to build your nonprofit’s capacity. You may find that your organization’s initial strategic plan is not comprehensive enough to cover all of your current operations or that the goals outlined in your plan no longer reflect your nonprofit’s current priorities.

When you update your strategic plan, you can get all your team members on the same plan and provide more direction to your nonprofit capacity building efforts.

5. Network with other industry professionals.

From time to time, you may feel stuck with how to properly build your nonprofit’s capacity. Luckily, there are many nonprofit professionals out there who have gone through the process and can provide advice on how to improve your organization’s operations.

Networking is essential to gaining insider industry knowledge and building inter-organizational relationships. Start networking with other nonprofit professionals by:

By connecting with others in your industry, you can help each other navigate challenges and learn from each other’s experiences. Along the way, you’ll acquire tips that will help you build your nonprofit’s capacity and operate more efficiently.

Wrapping Up

Nonprofit capacity building is an ongoing process. As your organization grows and changes, new ways to scale your operations or function more efficiently will emerge. It’s up to your team to build a strong foundation for building capacity by evaluating your organization’s values, goals, and resources. Then, develop a strategy based on your nonprofit’s current needs and work with staff, board members, and volunteers to implement it.

Want to dive deeper into some of the nonprofit capacity building strategies we’ve covered? Check out the following resources:

Discover everything nonprofits should know about creating donor recognition, walls, and signs.

Donor Walls, Plaques, & Signs: The Best Recognition Strategy

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Well-conceived donor recognition invites a stronger community around your mission, leading to more support and awareness for your work. Recognizing donors is an art form, and your supporters’ contributions can be immortalized through donor walls, plaques, and signs. Expressing gratitude in this manner is more than a courtesy—it’s a catalyst for continued philanthropy.

This guide will help you fully understand these symbols of gratitude, from their basic concepts to the intricate process of designing them. We’ll explore the following:

Whether you work for a nonprofit, an educational institution, or a healthcare facility, understanding donor recognition is key to fostering lasting relationships with those who support your mission. In no time, you’ll create a recognition space that honors donors and inspires future generosity.

Download our matching gift guide, so you can increase fundraising outcomes and add more supporters to your donor walls.

FAQs About Donor Recognition Walls, Signs, and Plaques

What’s A Donor Recognition Wall?

This is an example of a donor recognition wall, showing how you can recognize donors by featuring their names.

A donor recognition wall is a wall that displays the names of donors and supporters who have made an impact on your organization. For instance, you might feature supporters who contributed a major gift, donated to a particular campaign, or joined your legacy program.

Donor walls typically fall into one of three types:

  • Traditional: When most people think of donor walls, they think of elaborate physical displays installed in a nonprofit’s facilities. A traditional donor wall is physically tangible and usually permanent, often featuring engraved names.
  • Digital: Like traditional donor walls, digital donor walls are physical installations. Where they differ is that digital walls prominently feature large digital screens, allowing organizations to incorporate vivid imagery and interactive media. This also makes digital walls easier to update without installing new permanent displays.
  • Virtual: Virtual walls are an excellent option for organizations without the space for a physical wall. These donor walls are displayed online, typically on the organization’s website. Virtual donor walls are also the most cost-effective option of the three, making them well-suited to organizations with lower budgets.

What’s A Donor Recognition Sign?

This is an example of a donor sign that a nonprofit might display at a 5K fundraiser.

Similarly to a donor recognition wall, a donor recognition sign often lists the names of donors who contributed to a particular campaign. A sign is usually portable and printed on a plastic or vinyl banner instead of metal or brick. As such, donor recognition signs are better choices for charity walks and other off-site or outdoor sponsored events.

What’s A Donor Recognition Plaque?

This is an example of a donor plaque, which can either be sent to the donor or displayed on a nonprofit's recognition wall.

When an individual, organization, or small group of people is the sole or lead donor to a particular campaign, honor them with a donor recognition plaque. Plaques are often posted outside doors in buildings that a major contribution helped build. Donors can also take their plaques home with them if you don’t have a permanent place to house them.

How Do You Make A Donor Wall, Sign, Or Plaque?

To make a donor wall, sign, or plaque, you’ll need to work with a professional designer or signage company to design and manage the fabrication and installation process, ensuring that the final product aligns with the intended aesthetic and quality standards. For a more cost-effective solution, you might work with a local artist to hand paint a donor wall.

How Much Do Donor Recognition Walls, Signs, Or Plaques Cost?

The cost of donor recognition walls, signs, or plaques can vary widely depending on factors such as:

  • Materials:Common materials include acrylic, glass, metal, and wood. Higher-end materials like bronze, tempered glass, or digital screens will be more expensive. Simple acrylic or wood plaques can start below a hundred dollars, while premium materials can run into thousands.
  • Size and Complexity: A small, basic plaque might cost as little as $50 to $200, while larger, intricate wall installations can cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands, especially for custom designs or interactive digital displays.
  • Design and Customization: Custom designs, including engraving, intricate patterns, or digital elements like screens or interactive features, will add to the cost.
  • Updateability: If you want a donor wall that’s easily updated with new donor names, that will also increase the cost of the solution. Static walls tend to be cheaper, but are much less flexible.
  • Installation: Professional installation can also increase costs, especially for larger or more complex structures. You may also need to budget for permitting, depending on the installation requirements—for example, electrical work may require you to obtain a permit.

As an estimate, small to medium-sized organizations might spend anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars on donor recognition, while larger institutions with extensive customization and high-quality materials could see costs exceeding $10,000.

Get quotes from multiple vendors and consider the balance between cost, durability, and aesthetic appeal to find the best solution.

Learn how to conduct a feasibility study, so you can make sure you're prepared to pay for a donor wall, signs, or plaques.

What Should Donor Recognition Walls, Signs, And Plaques Say?

When deciding what to write on your donor recognition walls, signs, and plaques, aim for grateful language that highlights your donors, not your own efforts.

Remember, the purpose of plaques is to reward your current donors and encourage prospective donors to give to future campaigns.

Think about phrases like:

  • “Donated in honor of her grandmother, Sarah.”
  • “Made possible by the generosity of Jenna Smith and her family.”
  • “In recognition of the charitable spirit of Matt Jones.”

Especially when creating plaques for individual donors, ask the honorees how they’d like to be acknowledged.

Why Donor Walls, Plaques, and Signs Are Effective

Donor walls, plaques, and signs all provide a tangible way to thank donors and create a sense of community. Each one serves as a visual testament to the generosity of the individuals and corporate sponsors who contribute to a cause or institution. Most commonly, organizations create these recognition installations to:

  • Show donor appreciation. A key element of effective donor retention is showing your supporters you appreciate their contributions. An easy way to celebrate your donors is to post their names publicly!
  • Build a legacy. A wall, sign, or plaque sticks around for a long time, sometimes as long as the building is still standing. This long-term expression of gratitude speaks to donors, especially those leaving planned gifts to your organization.
  • Inspire others to give. It’s not just your past donors who see your walls, signs, and plaques — prospective donors also see them as they walk by or scroll by them online. Seeing the public commendation a donation receives will encourage others to give!

By showcasing names and contributions prominently, a donor wall, plaque, or sign fosters a sense of community and investment among stakeholders.

Get a demo of our matching gift software, so you can drive donations and add more names to your donor recognition wall.

When to Recognize Donors on Walls, Signs, and Plaques

Organizations that want to honor donors meaningfully can create donor recognition walls, signs, or plaques. This includes nonprofits, foundations, higher education institutions, faith-based organizations, athletic associations, and medical facilities.

In other words, recognize your donors if you have them! It’s just a matter of determining who you’ll recognize. Here are some types of impactful supporters to thank with your display or plaque:

Make sure you thank all sorts of donors on your donor wall, such as those who giving major donations or recurring gifts.

  • Your major donors deserve to have their names posted somewhere prominent. For example, you might name a certain hallway or room after a major donor who helped build it by donating to a capital campaign. If you raised money to construct or renovate a building, you’ve got a natural place to post your donor recognition wall or plaque permanently.
  • Planned gifts are often among the largest that a nonprofit receives, so planned givers should definitely be included in donor recognition walls, signs, and plaques. Prominently placing their names can even encourage others to leave planned gifts.
  • Matching gift donors put in the extra effort to request matches from their employers, so commemorate their efforts by featuring them on a donor wall or sign or by sending them a plaque.
  • In-kind donors are equally important to your other supporters. Especially if you host events, you’ve likely received some in-kind gifts from sponsors, such as a venue, equipment, or staffing. You can specify the kind of donation you received on your donor recognition wall, sign, or plaque.
  • Thank your crowdfunders by posting your donor recognition wall, signs, and plaques online! Many crowdfunding websites offer this feature.
  • Individuals aren’t the only ones who donate. Chances are, you rely on sponsors for revenue, too, so don’t forget to thank companies and organizations that sponsor your events or contribute to your campaigns!

Of course, you’ll want to set a threshold for how much someone needs to donate to earn a spot on your donor wall. Determine your contribution levels and what kind of reward will be associated with each one. Leverage your donor database to determine who meets each threshold. Then, add each contributor to your display.

How to Design Your Donor Recognition Displays

Now that you understand the fundamentals, let’s delve into the process of creating impactful and memorable recognition pieces, complete with examples and design tips.

Follow this process to create a standout donor recognition wall, sign, or plaque.

Choose A Style.

Start by considering where you’ll build your display. Your donor wall, sign, or plaque should complement its surroundings. In a historic building, traditional materials might blend in better, whereas in a new, minimalist space, contemporary designs could be more fitting.

In terms of materials, here are some common styles of donor recognition walls, signs, and plaques to consider:

  • Glass: For a clean, classic way to show appreciation for donors, glass is a great choice. However, glass walls and plaques aren’t as portable as other materials, so use glass for capital campaign donors who helped build a new building or another stationary object. Just make sure your glass wall is in a safe place, away from children or machinery that could break it!
  • Stone: Marble or granite creates a sense of permanence and prestige, making it ideal for monumental or commemorative displays.
  • Brick: When organizing a capital campaign for a building, especially for a school or hospital, a sentimental way to recognize your donors is with brick. The symbolism is obvious: your donors are the building blocks to your success. You could make an entire donor recognition wall sidewalk out of brick, or post plaques on individual bricks for your donors to take home with them.
  • Metal: Brass, bronze, and other metals are durable and versatile. That makes them suitable for both traditional and contemporary designs.
  • Acrylic: This is a versatile, cost-effective option that can mimic glass or be used in colorful designs.
  • Digital: What if you want to keep a running tally of your donors’ gift amounts, incorporating healthy competition into your donor recognition wall? What if you want to use your wall for more than one campaign? By installing a digital donor recognition wall, you can! Though it might be more expensive in the short term, you can reuse a digital wall more easily than permanent materials.

Each material has its unique qualities and can be chosen based on the desired aesthetic, durability, maintenance requirements, and budget.

Know What Elements to Include.

When designing a donor wall, sign, or plaque, incorporating key elements is crucial to effectively acknowledge contributions, show impact, and convey the right message. Depending on which type of display you choose, here are the fundamental components to include:

  • Fundraising Campaign Name: Clearly display the name of the fundraising initiative. This connects each donor’s contributions to the specific project they supported.
  • Donor’s Preferred Name: This personalizes the recognition and honors the individual or entity making the contribution.
  • Gift Amount: Listing the gift amount is optional, depending on your organization’s policy and donors’ preferences. When included, it can highlight the level of support and encourage others to contribute.
  • Organization’s Name and Logo: Feature your organization’s name and logo prominently to reinforce brand identity.
  • Timeframe of the Gift: Indicate the period during which the donations were made. This contextualizes the support and can be particularly relevant for ongoing or annual campaigns.

Each of these elements is vital for creating a meaningful, effective donor recognition display, ensuring that contributors feel valued and appreciated for their support.

Create A Strong Layout.

How you arrange elements on a donor recognition wall, plaque, or sign is a critical aspect of its design. For starters, ensure the layout strikes the right balance and avoids an overly cluttered or excessively sparse appearance. The layout must enhance the overall design and harmonize with the architectural characteristics of the surrounding space.

Above all, it needs to resonate with your organization’s purpose and align with your campaign’s objectives. For example, a sleek, minimalist arrangement might represent vibrancy, whereas a detailed, gallery-like setup could reflect the rich heritage of your organization’s endeavors.

Moreover, the layout offers an excellent chance to differentiate between various donor tiers through varying sizes and prominence. For instance, matching gift donors or top matching gift companies that support your nonprofit could have a special designation.

Infuse Your Nonprofit’s Branding.

Infusing your branding into a donor wall, sign, or plaque display is crucial for maintaining a consistent identity. For instance, a modern, tech-focused company might prefer a sleek, digital display, while a traditional academic institution might prefer classic materials like wood or brass.

To effectively incorporate your organization’s brand, consider the following elements:

  • Color Scheme: Utilize your organization’s color palette in the display. Consistent use of brand colors strengthens recognition and ties the donor wall to your nonprofit’s overall identity.
  • Logo and Typography: Incorporate your nonprofit’s logo prominently in the design. Ensure the typography used for other text matches or complements your official fonts.
  • Brand Messaging: Include key phrases or a mission statement that encapsulates your organization’s ethos. This reinforces your nonprofit’s purpose in the display.
  • Imagery and Graphics: If your brand has specific icons or graphic styles, integrate these elements into the design. This could be through background images, borders, or decorative elements.
  • Material and Style Consistency: Choose materials and a style that resonates with your nonprofit’s character. For instance, a modern, tech-focused nonprofit might opt for sleek, contemporary materials like glass or metal, while a community-oriented organization might prefer warm, natural materials like wood.

By following these guidelines, you can create a donor recognition display that not only honors contributors but also serves as an extension of your organization’s brand, enhancing its visibility and impact.

Working With A Donor Recognition Wall Agency

Working with a donor recognition wall, sign, or plaque agency can streamline and enhance the process of creating an impactful, professional display. These agencies specialize in understanding each organization’s unique needs and vision. They bring their expertise through the following services:

Donor wall agencies can assist in several areas, including everything from selecting material to unveiling.

  • Design Expertise: These agencies offer professional design services to create visually appealing and memorable donor walls. This includes innovative layouts, strategic use of color, and incorporation of the organization’s branding.
  • Material Selection: Agencies will choose the right materials for the donor wall, such as glass, metal, wood, or digital displays. They understand the durability and maintenance requirements of different materials, ensuring that the wall remains attractive over time.
  • Digital Integration: For a modern touch, agencies can incorporate digital elements such as touch screens, allowing for interactive experiences and easy updates as new donors contribute. Some agencies also offer services to extend the donor wall experience to online platforms.
  • Scalability: If your nonprofit values having an easily updatable wall, your agency can design a wall that is scalable and allows for easy updates as more donors contribute over time without compromising the overall design integrity.
  • Installation and Maintenance: They manage the installation process, ensuring that the donor wall is securely and properly installed in compliance with your preferences and local regulations. They can also provide guidance on how to maintain the wall.
  • Unveiling Events: Agencies can assist in planning unveiling ceremonies to celebrate and acknowledge donors, making the donor wall a focal point of these events.

For instance, OmniAlly designs and installs beautiful, modern digital donor walls that incorporate visual storytelling. They take donor walls beyond lists of names, featuring dynamic donor lists, different giving tiers, donor highlights, and even Why I Give options. If you’d like to show your appreciation for your volunteers, that’s an option as well.

OmniAlly’s digital walls aren’t just a solution for showing appreciation for your constituents. Due to their digital nature, they can easily be adjusted to demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact, too. This agency will work with you to help you recap fundraising campaigns, announce events, feature key statistics, and even highlight ways to give through your donor wall.

No matter what type of digital installation your organization is looking for, OmniAlly can help you do it.

Explore OmniAlly’s Offerings

Additional Donor Recognition Resources

A well-branded donor wall, sign, or plaque can act as a powerful marketing and engagement tool. You’ll not only acknowledge donors but also communicate your organization’s values to visitors, potential supporters, and the wider community. This invites greater support and interest in your mission.

To continue learning about powerful fundraising and donor recognition ideas, explore these carefully curated resources:

Get a demo of our matching gift software, so you can drive donations and add more names to your donor recognition wall.

The title of the article next to an illustration of a nonprofit board orientation.

Nonprofit Board Orientation: How to Get New Members On Track

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Imagine this: you’ve been a passionate advocate and donor for a nonprofit’s cause for many years. When the organization reaches out with an invitation to join its board, you’re ecstatic about the opportunity and eagerly accept.

However, when you show up to your first board meeting, you quickly realize that your role as a nonprofit supporter has not adequately familiarized you with the ins and outs of the organization. Suddenly, your excitement for this new opportunity turns to nervousness and frustration. You don’t feel prepared enough to contribute during the meeting and instead wonder how and when you’ll be brought up to speed about the board and the nonprofit’s general operations.

As a nonprofit board chair or president, it’s your job to avoid scenarios like these and ensure your board operates effectively. By holding a proper nonprofit board orientation, you create a smooth transition for new board members and simplify board management.

In this guide, we’ll cover the following nonprofit board orientation topics:

Throughout the article, we’ll answer all of your nonprofit board orientation questions and offer tips to ensure it’s a positive experience for all parties involved, including new board members, existing board members, and board leadership.Introduce new board members to matching gifts during your nonprofit board orientation with our ultimate guide.

What is nonprofit board orientation?

Nonprofit board orientation is the process of informing new board members about your board’s structure and policies, as well as your organization’s mission and overarching goals.

While nonprofit board orientations are typically in-person, single-session meetings, nonprofits have adapted their board orientation formats in recent years. You may choose to host your orientation in multiple in-person sessions or through live virtual, asynchronous virtual, or hybrid sessions.

No matter which format you implement, your nonprofit board orientation should review the following information:Nonprofit board orientation checklist of what organizations should cover, as outlined in the text below.

  • Your nonprofit’s mission, history, and values
  • Your nonprofit’s strategic goals
  • Your nonprofit’s budget
  • Your board’s structure
  • Your board’s bylaws and key policies
  • The roles and responsibilities of board members
  • The frequency and format of board meetings

At the end of orientation, new board members should feel prepared to attend their first meeting, equipped with the knowledge they need to succeed in their new role. Even if your orientation materials are extremely thorough, be sure to leave time for questions to clear up any confusion and ensure new board members fully understand their responsibilities.

Who should participate in a nonprofit board orientation?

New board members are the main audience of your nonprofit board orientation. However, you should incorporate other team members into your orientation to provide a holistic experience for new members.

Here are the main groups that should participate in your orientation, as well as their roles:The people who should participate in your nonprofit board orientation, as discussed in the text below.

  • New board members. New board members should attend your nonprofit board orientation ready and eager to learn about your organization. They should review all relevant materials, take notes, and ask any questions they may have about your organization or board.
  • Current board members. Your orientation is a great chance for new and current board members to get to know each other. Current board members may also help lead presentations during orientation and act as mentors for the new members. Additionally, they may benefit from going through the orientation process again to reinforce their background knowledge of your nonprofit.
  • Board chair or president. The board chair or president should attend to welcome new board members and manage the orientation experience. They may lead sessions and provide information about board members’ roles and responsibilities.
  • Executive director or CEO. Since the executive director or CEO is the most knowledgeable about your nonprofit’s mission, history, and goals, they should present this information to the new board members. They may also help organize the logistics of your nonprofit board orientation.

If your nonprofit is interested in hiring a third party to lead your board orientation, you may also have facilitators lead certain sessions. External facilitators specialize in encouraging participation and fostering valuable discussions. They also bring a neutral perspective to your nonprofit board orientation.

Why is holding a nonprofit board orientation important?

On the surface, it may seem that a nonprofit board orientation’s only purpose is to acquaint new board members with your organization and board. While that is one benefit of holding an orientation, there are several other advantages your organization will receive.

Holding a nonprofit board orientation is important for any charitable organization welcoming new board members because it:The benefits of holding a nonprofit board orientation, as outlined in the text below.

    • Introduces new board members to your organization’s goals. Let’s say your organization has traditionally given new board members a welcome packet instead of a full orientation. While this packet likely covers a lot of the information board members need to succeed, it may not get to the heart of why board members’ roles are so important and what they’re striving to help the organization achieve. With a nonprofit board orientation, you can take the time to cover your nonprofit’s strategic plan and goals so board members have more context for their decisions.
    • Clarifies expectations for each board member. A welcome packet alone may lay out the responsibilities of each board member. However, when you interact with new board members in an orientation setting, you can more clearly set your expectations for them and answer any lingering questions.
    • Increases accountability. With a clear understanding of their responsibilities, new board members will be more likely to take accountability for their actions and fulfill their commitment to your organization.
    • Encourages team building. During in-person nonprofit board orientations or synchronous virtual sessions, new board members can get to know existing board members and organizational leadership. As a result, they can start to build working relationships that will enhance their collaboration and teamwork down the line.
    • Leads to more efficient decision-making. When each new board member enters their first board meeting with a thorough understanding of your nonprofit, they can make well-informed judgments, speeding up the decision-making process.
    • Improves board effectiveness. Overall, nonprofit board orientations make boards run more smoothly. New board members who are well-prepared through orientation are more willing to engage in board discussions, make strategic decisions, and act in the best interest of your organization.

While holding a nonprofit board orientation takes up more team member time and resources than a welcome packet, it’s well worth the investment to have fully informed board members who are ready to take on important decisions on your organization’s behalf.

How to Prepare for Your Nonprofit Board Orientation

Like any type of meeting, nonprofit board orientations require extensive preparation to ensure they’re effective. Your goal should be to develop an engaging and informative experience for new members that begins the moment they accept your invitation to join the board.

To prepare both new members and facilitators for your orientation, treat the following as your board orientation checklist:The steps to prepare for a nonprofit board orientation, as outlined in the text below.

1. Announce your new board members.

Kick-off orientation preparation by announcing your new board members to your organization. That way, staff and existing board members can familiarize themselves with the new individuals. Additionally, creating an official announcement will help new board members feel valued by your organization and start your relationships with them on the right foot.

While you may first send an internal announcement via email, inform the public about your new board members through social media and your website to keep external stakeholders in the loop.

2. Host a welcome event for new board members.

Shortly after you officially announce the arrival of your new board members, host an event to welcome them to the team. This meet-up will demonstrate your appreciation for your new board members’ commitment to your nonprofit.

A welcome event is also a chance for new board members to mingle with each other and current board members, allowing them to start forming working relationships that will strengthen your board.

3. Add new board members to necessary communications.

Make sure new board members start receiving necessary organizational communications by adding them to your email lists. For instance, you may have a general email list for your entire nonprofit, as well as a board-specific email list that informs members of upcoming meeting dates and offers previews of each meeting’s agenda.

4. Schedule a tour of your facility.

Becoming comfortable with your facility will help new board members determine the logistics of where to meet and how best to get there before their first meeting. While you should introduce them to the boardroom, show them other parts of your facility as well to help them get a better sense of your organization’s activities and what different staff members and volunteers do each day.

5. Create a new member welcome packet.

As mentioned before, a new member welcome packet should not be the end-all-be-all of your nonprofit board orientation. However, it can serve as a jumping-off point to help summarize key information for new board members.

If possible, distribute your new member welcome packets before your first orientation session. That way, new board members can review the contents ahead of time and note any questions they’d like to ask during orientation.

6. Delegate orientation responsibilities to different team members.

To ensure your board chair or president isn’t doing all the heavy lifting, distribute the responsibilities of leading your nonprofit board orientation to different team members. You may have current board members and senior staff members volunteer to lead certain sessions or delegate them based on each team member’s area of expertise.

7. Pair up new and current board members.

New board members may be hesitant to speak up in their initial board meetings. To help new board members acclimate to the board, pair them with current board members who can serve as mentors.

These board member mentors can meet with their new member mentees one-on-one to discuss any concerns and answer any questions. New board members may feel more comfortable going to a singular point person for advice than voicing their doubts in front of the entire board. As a result, they’ll get the information they need to feel confident in their abilities and become effective board members.

 

Watch This Panel by NXUnite for More Nonprofit Board Best Practices

Wrapping Up

While it can be stressful to switch up the composition of your board and incorporate new members, holding an effective nonprofit board orientation helps to create a smooth transition for everyone involved. With a dedicated process for acclimating new members, you can quickly familiarize new board members with your organization, helping them step into their new roles and build relationships with other board members. Consequently, you’ll have a more well-informed, effective board governing your organization.

If you’re looking for more tips to help your nonprofit board run efficiently and effectively, check out the resources below:

Teach your new board members about matching gifts during your nonprofit board orientation with the help of our guide.

The Complete Guide to Celebrating Matching Gift Month

Here’s How You Can Celebrate Matching Gift Month This February

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February is a time to celebrate love and happiness⁠—and matching gifts. That’s why it’s been dubbed the official Matching Gift Month. This year, we recommend taking the opportunity to scale up your matching gift promotional efforts accordingly.

We’ll cover everything you need to know to celebrate corporate giving and drive action (and matches) this February.

This includes:

Looking for new and exciting ways to amplify your nonprofit’s matching gift efforts leading up to Match Month? You’ve come to the right place. At Double the Donation, we’re experts at matching gifts, and we’ve compiled a list of suggestions sure to elevate your engagement efforts this February.

Ready to bring your matching gift fundraising to the next level? Let’s explore top recommendations for making the most of Match Month⁠—and see what your team can do to bridge the knowledge and funding gaps alike.

What is Matching Gift Month?

Matching Gift Month is an annual celebration of corporate donation matching, often used to increase awareness and usage of match programs. Held in February each year, Match Month is an opportunity to recognize the extensive impact that corporate philanthropy programs, like matching gifts and more, can have on nonprofit fundraising groups.

Celebrating matching gift month with internal refresher courses

And what is that impact? Research indicates that an estimated $2 to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs each year. That’s a substantial source of funds provided to charitable causes like yours. Not to mention, the mere existence of a match incentivizes individual donors to give at new heights, too. The same reports state that 84% of donors are more likely to give if a match is available, while 1 in 3 would give a larger amount if a match were to be applied.

However, an additional $7 billion goes unclaimed by qualifying nonprofits and their donors each year⁠—largely due to a lack of information surrounding the programs. That’s why many mission organizations and schools are taking the opportunity to elevate their matching gift fundraising and push the initiatives forward this year. And Match Month is the perfect chance to begin.

10+ Powerful Ways to Celebrate Matching Gift Month This Year

These smart marketing and engagement ideas inhabit a fun sense of novelty this month. But they’re also impactful for long-term engagement in your organization’s overall strategy.

For the best results, we suggest integrating multiple of the following methods—both this month and beyond.

1. Give your internal team a refresher course.

Before ramping up your organization’s matching gift efforts for Match Month, it’s a good idea to take a look inward. Hopefully, your internal fundraising team should be well-versed in matching gift information. But perhaps you’ve had a few new team members join since your last group training. Or maybe your staff (and volunteers!) could just use a refresher.

The solution? Start the month off right with your own team. Take the time to reiterate the importance of corporate matching gift programs. Practice asking common matching gift questions, ensuring that all individuals have the knowledge and assets to answer them.

You can even provide your team with access to educational resources and other materials to help grow their knowledge and preparedness for the celebrations ahead.

We have some fantastic free eBooks, blog posts, templates, webinars, and more at Double the Donation.

Plus, we offer the industry’s first-ever Matching Gift Academy—an online learning hub encompassing 45 lessons and more than 7 hours of informational video content across 10+ modules.

When it comes to driving matching gift revenue, your internal team encompasses your greatest assets. Make sure they’re equipped to advocate for the opportunities as best they can!

Top tip:

Though the Academy is valued at $199 per year, current Double the Donation clients can access the learning system at no cost. Just head to the back-end of your matching gifts portal to locate your organization’s unique coupon code!

2. Share on social media.

Your organization likely has at least one, but likely a number of profiles on popular social media sites. Whether it’s a Facebook page, an Instagram profile, or even a TikTok account, your strategic web presence can go a long way toward marketing matching gifts online.

And what better time is there to begin (or to elevate your strategy) than a month dedicated to all things matching gifts?

To get started, consider sharing the following types of content on your nonprofit’s social profiles:

Images and videos

Social media platforms are increasingly visual-focused. If you want to grab⁠—and maintain⁠—your audience’s attention as they scroll through their feeds, research indicates that incorporating eye-catching images and videos is the way to go. In fact, studies show that image-based social posts receive 2.3 times more engagement than those without, and posts with video content can see up to 10 times higher engagement levels.

That said, Match Month is an optimal time to produce and share matching gift marketing videos and imagery. Or get started with our pre-made social media graphics here!
(Hint: click each image to enlarge the attachment and download a copy.)

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Matching gift month sample graphic
An overview of the matching gifts process to share for Matching Gift Month
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Matching gift month sample graphic
Matching gift month sample graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic

Double the Donation users:

For more templates and sample matching gift posts, head to “Marketing Assets” within the “Resources” tab in your matching gift portal. Then, explore our customizable social media designs for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more⁠—including graphics specifically for celebrating Match Month.

Sample Matching Gift Month posts

Not a client yet? Get a demo to see if Double the Donation is right for your team and gain access to a range of tools and resources!

Industry research

Highlight key statistics that effectively demonstrate the potential that corporate matching brings. Double the Donation has compiled some of our favorite metrics, including an overview of unclaimed funding and a wide range of participating companies.

Check out these examples:

65%

of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.

26 million+

individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.

11%

of corporate cash donations are made through matching gift programs.

$2.86 billion

was contributed through corporate matching gift programs last year.

$4-$7 billion

in matching gift funds are left unclaimed by eligible donors each year.

BROWSE OTHER MATCHING GIFT STATISTICS HERE

Success stories

Social media is driven by connectivity, networking, and social proof. That’s why case studies, testimonials, and other success stories can be some of the most influential content you can share!

Take a look at a few examples here:

  • Sharing the total sum of matching gift revenue (e.g., “Our organization collected more than $50,000 in matching gift funds in the past year from donors like you”).
  • Highlighting specific examples from prior match donors (ex: “Sarah from Home Depot secured a corporate match on our behalf equaling $5,000, bringing her total contribution value to more than $10,000”).
  • Spotlighting user-generated content from prior match donors (“According to Jennifer, long-time matching gift donor, ‘I love having the chance to stretch the value of my donation, and getting my employer to support my favorite cause is great!’”)
  • Showcasing historic community impact (“Thanks to generous matching gift donors last year, we were able to feed an additional 1,000 families in need through corporate match funding we received.”)

Your supporters care about the impact your organization (and, by extension, their donations) brings. When your followers see the influence that other matching gifts have had, they’ll be more likely to take steps to do so themselves.

Reiterate that donation-matching programs enable donors to double their impact without reaching back into their own wallets. If you can put it in terms of tangible impact (e.g., feed two shelter cats for the cost of one), even better!

3. Optimize your site for matching gifts.

Social media marketing is great⁠—but there’s only so much you can share in each post. So, how can you ensure your audience can easily access the information they need to take action? Be sure every matching gift-related item you share links back to additional resources for learning more.

The best place to house those resources is your organization’s website. If you already have a built-out matching gift web page (which you should), consider driving traffic to the page for supporters to learn more about the opportunity. And if you don’t have an existing matching gifts page, Match Month is the perfect time to build that online hub.

Here’s an example of a well-designed matching gifts page to consider:

Matching Gift Month - Match Page Example

This inspiring sample follows all of our recommended practices. Take a look at the embedded matching gift search tool (which empowers donors to locate the information they need in seconds), a helpful infographic to visualize the involvement process, a detailed FAQ section, and information about the institution required for donors’ requests. Not to mention, it’s prominently located on the school’s navigation menu!

From there, we also suggest integrating matching gifts directly into your online donation process. Ideally, this should include an employment data widget to your giving form and company-specific program details on the confirmation screen.

Consider adding a separate page about one-off matching gift programs, too. (We’ll talk more about those below!)

4. Send a Matching Gift Month newsletter.

Does your organization send regular newsletters as a way to keep donors and other supporters in the know about upcoming events and opportunities? A matching gift-focused newsletter—whether physical or digital—can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness of matching gift opportunities.

And it’s a great way to elevate engagement with the annually celebrated Match Month.

Matching gift month newsletter

At the very least, consider adding a section about Matching Gift Month involvement in your standard newsletter. But an entire edition dedicated to matching gifts can go a long way toward inspiring participation in the programs!

5. Look for fundraising match opportunities.

Some companies extend their programs to encompass gifts collected by an employee through a peer-to-peer fundraising effort on behalf of a nonprofit organization—even if the funds didn’t come directly from the employee’s own wallet.

Programs like these are known as fundraising match programs. And since these initiatives can also be considered a form of donation-matching, they can fit perfectly into a well-rounded Matching Gift Month plan!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Your organization facilitates a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in conjunction with Matching Gift Month (February).
  2. Your team screens your donors’ employment information to locate supporters who work for companies with fundraising match programs.
  3. Your team reaches out to fundraising match-eligible contacts and encourages them to fundraise on your nonprofit’s behalf. (Be sure to mention your Matching Gift Month celebrations and the opportunity for their total funds to be doubled by their employer!)
  4. Volunteer fundraisers solicit donations from their family and friends and participate in any associated event or campaign activity.
  5. At the conclusion of the campaign, fundraisers submit requests for their companies to match the sum of their funds raised.
  6. Fundraisers’ employers review the requests and verify that submissions adhere to program criteria.
  7. Fundraisers’ employers approve the requests and disperse funding to the organizations for which their employees fundraised.

For example, let’s imagine that John Doe of State Street Corporation raises $1,572 for your organization. This is collected from 15 peers and associates through a social fundraising effort your team hosts this Match Month. When John requests a match from his employer, State Street supplies an additional $1,572 for your cause. This brings the total value of John’s fundraising efforts to $3,144!

Fundraising match example for Matching Gift Month

That’s a lot of extra funding for your mission—all while engaging your donors at new heights and growing corporate support.

Top tip:

Use your matching gift database tool to uncover fundraising match opportunities in your donor network. Platforms like Double the Donation supply information about many types of corporate giving programs—including volunteer grants and fundraising matches when available.

6. Encourage non-eligible donors to advocate for new programs.

Unfortunately, not all companies match employee donations (though new programs are added every day). And some employers are likely interested in getting started⁠—they might just need a little push to do so.

Luckily, your existing (and non-match-eligible) donors can be some of your best champions for inspiring new matching programs. Sometimes, all it takes is an email from a philanthropic employee to get the ball rolling for a new corporate program. And Matching Gift Month can be the perfect time to begin laying a foundation.

Consider sharing a template like this to provide a baseline for supporters considering advocating on your behalf this month:

Matching gift advocacy template

Subject line: Request for a corporate matching gift program

Hi [manager or HR representative name],

I am writing to request the addition of a corporate matching gift program at [company name].

Thousands of companies across the globe have established employee matching gift programs, agreeing to match gifts made by their employees to qualifying nonprofit causes with their own corporate donations.

This is an extremely beneficial program to host for every party involved⁠—including the company, its employees, and the nonprofits they support. If you’d like to take steps to establish a matching gift program for the company, Double the Donation has provided a number of detailed guides that walk corporate leaders through the process.

Thank you for your consideration!

P.S. ⁠— February is National Matching Gift Month, so it’s a great time to get started!

We’ve even written a dedicated blog post on the topic. Feel free to send this article⁠—How to Advocate for a Matching Gift Program to Your Employer⁠—to your donors to guide them through the process of proposing programs for their companies.

Top tip:

Use Double the Donation’s “Leading Companies” tool, which showcases the employers most often searched by donors using your company database tool, to identify businesses in your network without existing match programs! Then, craft a personalized plan for pitching a matching gift program or encouraging your donors to do so themselves.

7. Pursue one-off matching gift program opportunities.

Most companies that match employee donations agree to do so to most nonprofit causes. However, if an organization has an existing partnership with a corporation, it may seek a one-off (or unique) matching gift program that is exclusive to the cause.

In some cases, this type of offering can be an ongoing sponsorship opportunity. But it also may be limited to a particular period of time⁠—such as Matching Gift Month! Thus, February (and/or the weeks leading up to February) can be a great chance to begin pursuing such a relationship.

One-off matching gift program for Match Month

There are a few types of one-off matching gift programs to consider. These include…

  • One-off match initiatives with companies that do not yet offer complete matching programs. (For example, Carl’s Computer Company does not have an established matching gift program but agrees to match donations solely made to Atlanta University.)
  • Agreements with companies that do offer traditional matching gift program⁠s but want to match donations to your organization at a higher rate. (Ex: Carl’s Computer Company matches employee donations to all 501(c)(3) nonprofits at a dollar-for-dollar rate and matches gifts made to Atlanta University at a 2:1 ratio for the duration of Matching Gift Month.)

Keep in mind that both types of programs can be beneficial to your cause, your donors, and your corporate partners. In either case, your donors’ employing companies can be some of your most valuable prospects!

Top tip:

Once you’ve established a one-off match with a corporate partner, add the program details (including eligibility criteria and submission instructions) to your company search tool using Double the Donation’s custom matching gift management feature. This way, the program will populate in your employer search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to access the information they need to participate.

8. Follow up on previously made donations.

Your organization’s work promoting Matching Gift Month might very well drive a number of new donations⁠—and matches⁠—to your cause. But another strategy you can employ involves following up on previously made gifts. Then, encouraging still-eligible donors to submit their requests retroactively.

Here’s a sample follow-up email you might send:

Donation follow-up example for Matching Gift Month

Not to mention, Match Month falls just a few weeks after the year-end giving season when most organizations see elevated giving. Many of those donations may still qualify for corporate matching, even into the first few months of the new year.

In fact, tons of companies set generous matching gift request deadlines⁠—often accepting submissions for up to a year after the initial donation is made. Take this opportunity to remind eligible donors about their employers’ matching gift programs and how they can get involved.

Top tip:

Use a matching gift automation tool (like Double the Donation Matching) to automate outreach and trigger personalized donation follow-ups!

9. Include matching gifts in staff email signatures.

This is perhaps our simplest suggestion for celebrating Match Month, but it can be particularly effective when paired with some of our other top ideas. We recommend adding a quick line mentioning matching gift opportunities to all of your team members’ email signatures.

Matching gift month email signature sample

More than likely, your organization sends a ton of emails⁠—from donation appeals to thank-you messages and even nonprofit programming outreach. By incorporating matching gifts in automatic signatures, you can use every piece of communication with your cause as a way to promote donation-matching.

While you could add a simple blurb beneath an individual’s name and contact information, making it stand out can produce great results. For that reason, consider getting a graphic made and added to each person’s signature.

You can even use the space to link to additional resources where recipients can learn more.

10. Consider matching challenge grants.

Corporate matching gifts aren’t the only type of match opportunity your organization should keep an eye out for⁠—they’re just the most widely available. But other match-based initiatives⁠, like challenge grants⁠, also have the potential to multiply the impact of a group’s fundraising success.

Rather than a company matching the donations its employees make to charitable causes, challenge grants are facilitated as a way to offer a donation match to all of a nonprofit’s supporters. Typically offered by a generous major donor, corporation, or foundation, these programs are generally organized according to a set time frame (e.g., a 24-hour period) or predetermined threshold (such as up to $10,000). Then, any individual who gives within the time frame prior to the match fund being depleted will have their gift doubled for your cause by the challenge grant supplier.

It’s important to remember, too, that challenge grants and matching gifts are usually not mutually exclusive. That means you can layer a few matching gift opportunities on top of one another (for example, a donor’s gift being matched through a challenge grant and by their employing company) to further amplify your efforts.

Challenge grant example for Matching Gift Month

And that’s what we recommend doing to celebrate Matching Gift Month!

Bonus: Make matching easy.

Our final idea for celebrating Matching Gift Month is one that will benefit your organization well beyond the 28 (or 29) days of February. A lot of our previous recommendations involve raising awareness of program opportunities in the first place. Now, we suggest going a few steps further and driving matches by simplifying the processes involved.

After all, donors love matching gifts. They love getting the opportunity to multiply their contribution impact. But even your most dedicated supporters might not follow through when the process is too complicated or time-consuming.

That’s why we recommend fundraising organizations employ matching gift software to streamline and simplify the process. For example, Double the Donation empowers nonprofits to:

  • Identify eligibility with the industry’s most comprehensive matching gift database and corresponding search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to locate the information they need to participate.
  • Provide employer-specific matching gift program guidelines (minimum and maximum donation amounts, qualifying employees and nonprofit causes, match ratios, and more) and direct links to online submission forms, thus driving more requests to completion with actionable next steps.
  • Enable innovative auto-submission capabilities, allowing eligible donors to complete the match request process directly from the organization’s giving page and removing critical roadblocks facing traditional matching gift submissions.
  • Trigger automated and personalized matching gift follow-up messaging to remind donors about matching gift availability and encourage them to take the next steps in their companies’ request processes.
  • Seamlessly implement a matching gift solution into their existing fundraising ecosystem thanks to ready-built integrations with nearly all leading donation tools, peer-to-peer platforms, CRMs, and more⁠—empowering organizations to get up and running with gift-matching strategies in minutes!

This image lists how Double the Donation can add value to nonprofits. It also depicts a line graph that is meant to represent increasing donations.

Not only does this benefit your donors by making matching programs more accessible, but it also ensures more back-end efficiency for your internal team and results in matching gift revenue growth of more than 61%.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A PERSONALIZED DOUBLE THE DONATION DEMO

Inspiring Matching Gift Month Examples to Review

Drawing inspiration from other nonprofits’ Matching Gift Month efforts can be highly beneficial for organizations strategizing their own campaigns. Not only can successful examples provide invaluable ideas and insights, but they can also spark creativity among your team and establish a deeper understanding of what resonates with nonprofit audiences.

That said, take a look at these Match Month campaigns to aspire to.

Example #1: Matching Gift Month Social Media Post

This independent Massachusetts private school took to Facebook and other social media platforms to promote the corporate matching gift opportunity last Match Month.

Sample Matching Gift Month marketing by the Rashi School

This institution uses the post as a way to promote matching gifts and encourage unprecedented individual giving. Not to mention, it links to the school’s matching gifts page and company search tool. These resources can supply additional information and assist supporters in getting started!

Example #2: Matching Gifts Web Page

One university opts to use its matching gift web page as a way to increase awareness about Match Month celebrations.

Sample Matching Gift Month marketing by CWRU

The blurb, which is embedded in the web page, encourages users to research their companies’ matching gift programs and double their giving impact if they qualify. It also includes an informational matching gift video that uses animated graphics to visualize the institution’s matching gift efforts.

Example #3: Match Month Landing Page

This organization published a dedicated landing page on its website as a way to drive awareness of Matching Gift Month among its supporters.

Matching Gift Month example campaign

The page begins with a flashy and eye-catching graphic, shares specific performance metrics that reiterate matching gift impact, and implements an embedded company search tool. It even includes a template supporters can use to advocate for matching gift efforts when their employers lack such programming.

Example #4: Matching Gift Month Blog Post

In order to encourage Match Month participation among its supporters, this nonprofit published an informational blog post on its website.

Matching Gift Month example campaign

The article outlines the basics of Matching Gift Month, emphasizes the importance of matching gifts for the organization’s mission, and shares additional resources donors can use to pursue matching gift opportunities (such as a direct link to the dedicated Match Page and integrated search tool). Plus, it uses illustrated statistics to communicate the availability of employee gift-matching in a user-friendly way!

Looking for more matching gift success stories?

GET THE CASE STUDIES HERE

Wrapping Up

Matching gifts have the potential to elevate your organization’s fundraising, bringing your overall community impact to new heights. February’s celebrations can be a fantastic opportunity to jumpstart or scale up your efforts⁠. But it’s certainly not the only time to pursue this funding source.

As you aim to drive awareness of (and participation in⁠) the programs this month, remember that the value of a long-term matching gift strategy can boost your fundraising for years to come. Keep in mind that the practices outlined above—and powering your team with the right tools and resources—can help!

Get started with Double the Donation this month

Looking for more helpful matching gift resources? Check out our other recommended blog posts to continue learning:

Complete Guide to Matching Gifts

Matching Gift Programs Additional Resources for Matching Gift Month

Dive into the basics and beyond with this complete guide to corporate matching gift programs.

Find out everything from common guidelines and well-known programs to streamlining your efforts with matching gift software.

READ NOW

How to Encourage Matching Gifts

How to Encourage Matching Gift Requests This Match Month

Not all match-eligible donors will complete their submission processes right away. Discover several impactful strategies for driving more matches to completion with this smart guide.

Then, incorporate these methods to raise more!

READ NOW

eBook: Matching Gift Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Matching Gifts This Match Month

Learn everything there is to know about marketing matching gift programs effectively with our free downloadable resource.

This guide covers top strategies for raising awareness and elevating matching gift fundraising with ease.

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The Ultimate Guide to Employer Appends for Fundraisers

The Ultimate Guide to Employer Appends for Fundraisers

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You likely gather many details about your donors⁠—those who support your cause with their funds, time, or resources. Perhaps you collect names, contact information, engagement history, interests, and hobbies. The more comprehensive an understanding you have of each supporter, the better you can tailor your fundraising strategy to effectively reach your target audience.

However, one critical piece of the puzzle that’s often overlooked is employment data. Knowing where your donors work can play a significant role in how you relate to them in terms of fundraising, corporate giving opportunities, and more. And if you don’t already have this data point on file? That’s where employer appends come in.

In this guide, we’ll provide a walkthrough of all things employer appends⁠—including:

Understanding your donors’ employment status can elevate your fundraising efforts in huge ways. You won’t want to discard the wealth of information gathered through employer appends, nor the amplified impact it brings.

Let’s get started!

Leverage well-built donor profiles with Double the Donation.

The Basics of Data Appends

The Basics of Data Appends

Data appends are a particular type of data enhancement strategy that allows nonprofits and other fundraising groups to learn more about the individuals in their networks. These efforts aim to provide organizations with more comprehensive and up-to-date information, often concerning their donors and other supporters. This empowers fundraisers to adjust their messaging and overall engagement strategies by better discerning who a donor is and what makes them tick.

Organizations typically provide the information they do have to a company dedicated to data enhancement services. The company then compares donor information against a mega-database of individual data, filling in the details the organization lacks as they go.

Types of data appends
Employer appends, in particular, empower organizations to collect new and optimized data regarding the companies their supporters work for. Beyond employer information, other common types of data appends include mailing addresses, email addresses, birth dates, and phone numbers.

As you’ll notice, these types of appends primarily fill in missing or outdated contact information. That makes connecting with supporters easy for email outreach, phonathon fundraisers, direct mail solicitations, and other campaigns.

What Are Employer Appends?

What Are Employer Appends?

Employer appends are one of the most common types of data appends for nonprofits, schools, and other fundraising organizations. In this case, the unknown information an organization seeks is that of a donor’s employer.

By providing other data points⁠—such as the person’s name, location, phone number, education experience, etc.—the intended result is to locate the company that the individual works for (and sometimes even their job title!). In the end, the organization receives invaluable insights that can help uncover matching gift and other workplace giving opportunities, estimate wealth data, and more.

How Employer Appends Work for Fundraisers

The employer appends process is simple. After locating a data appending service (we’ll cover what to look for below), you’ll want to collect as much data about your donors as possible. This should include:

  • Name
  • Unique ID number
  • Mailing address (home, business, or both)
  • Region (state, city, and country)
  • Email address(es)
  • Phone number(s)
  • College or university (along with class year and major/degree, if available)
  • Last gift amount
  • Date of last donation
  • Date the entry was last updated

You will likely not have every data point available for each donor. And that’s okay! However, starting with as much information as possible increases the likelihood that the appending service provider can locate and match supporter records to the right employer information.

The employer appends process

From there, the appending service will conduct its own research, typically scanning a number of public and privately held databases, which may include government records, SEC filings, social media profiles, business registrations, and more.

When the service provider is able to match a donor record with an employing company, they make a note of the identified information, check the newly collected data for accuracy, and share their findings with the organization. Ultimately, the organization is able to utilize the information to its best advantage in terms of optimal fundraising and donor relations.

Enhance nonprofit fundraising with an employer append from Double the Donation.

Benefits of Employer Appends

Benefits of Employer Appends for Nonprofits and Universities

Employer appends can bring big results to nonprofit fundraising. Knowing where your donors and other key supporters work plays a significant role in overall engagement strategies, not to mention enabling targeted efforts regarding available workplace giving opportunities.

Benefits of employer appends
Specifically, employer appending can help your team:

Determine matching gift eligibility ⁠—

Thousands of companies offer matching gift programs where they agree to match employee donations to charitable organizations.

However, you likely won’t know which donors are eligible for (and, as a result, which to follow up with about) matching opportunities if you don’t know where they work. In fact, this knowledge gap even results in over $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funding going unclaimed each year!

Once you have the information you need, however, you’ll be able to prompt qualifying donors to complete the match process and secure additional funding on your organization’s behalf⁠. This is true not only in the form of corporate match revenue but in elevated individual giving (and donor engagement), as well.

Keep in mind that matching gift services⁠—like Double the Donation—can help nonprofits target and follow up with matching gift opportunities as well. However, employer appends are often able to provide additional data points with which to guide an organization’s strategy, allowing fundraisers to capture supporter information even if the individual is not currently in the donation pipeline.

Here’s an example: “Jody, did you know that your employer, the Home Depot, matches full- and part-time employee donations up to $3,000 per person each year? Click here to request your matching gift!”

Uncover volunteer grant opportunities ⁠—

Similarly, if your organization has a supporter base of dedicated volunteers, corporate volunteer grants can help stretch their donated time even further. These are additional giving programs offered by philanthropic-minded businesses, the difference being that employers contribute monetary funds to the organizations with which their employees volunteer their time. Volunteer grants, which are also referred to as “dollars for doers,” can be an excellent way to multiply the impact of volunteer time for your organization, and supporters love being able to get involved in that way as well.

But again, you’ll need to know which companies your volunteers work for, which is where your employer appends come in. That way, you can be sure to inform them about the opportunities, encourage participation, and direct them to their employers’ request processes to get involved.

Here’s an example: “Thanks for all of your help at the shelter this weekend and over the past several months, Sam! As a Verizon employee, your volunteer hours likely qualify you to request a corporate volunteer grant on our behalf. Click here to learn more about how to request your grant!”

Identify potential corporate sponsorships ⁠—

Corporate sponsors can bring your nonprofit’s next fundraising event to the next level, and knowing which companies your supporters work for can aid in determining top prospective sponsors and help get your foot in the door! Once you know where your donors work, leverage the information as an in with a potential sponsor or encourage donors to advocate for a partnership on your behalf.

Here’s an example: “Ashley, it’s great to connect with the Microsoft team. More than 100 of our nonprofit’s donors work for Microsoft, and we’ve received thousands of dollars in matching gifts from your company in the past. As it’s clear that we already have a lot in common, would you be interested in sponsoring our upcoming event?”

Estimate wealth data ⁠—

Your donors’ wealth levels can play a significant role in their ability to give charitably, and understanding their limits can help organizations determine ideal fundraising asks. Knowing which companies your donors work for, their roles in the businesses, and more can help shed light on their estimated incomes and, by extension, giving abilities.

Here’s an example: “Sarah, we thank you for your continued support of our nonprofit cause. Will you consider making a $10,000 donation to help us reach our year-end giving goal?”

Tailor donor communications ⁠—

You want your donor outreach to be as personal and targeted as possible. Including direct references to donor-specific information helps develop relationships and shows that you’re not sending the same copied-and-pasted message to each person in your contacts. And, as you likely know, targeted messaging can be one of the best ways to develop strengthened, beyond-surface-level donor relationships, build connections with the cause, and ultimately drive more nonprofit involvement among supporters.

Highlighting an individual’s employing company can be a great way to do so, especially regarding getting involved with workplace giving programs. And if you don’t already have your donors’ employment information, that’s where employer appends can help.

Here’s an example: “Jeffrey, the Walt Disney Corporation offers a range of corporate giving opportunities that can benefit our organization in big ways. As a member of the Disney team, you have the chance to participate in matching gifts, volunteer grants, and more.”

Learn more about your supporters ⁠—

The more you know about your supporters⁠—donors, volunteers, and prospects alike⁠—the better you can connect with the individuals who make your mission possible. Since most people’s careers are a key component of their lives and what makes them who they are, understanding where they work and what they do can be a key piece of the “getting to know your donors” puzzle. Plus, it can even help shine a light on their own interests and hobbies.

Here’s an example: “As a Petco employee, you likely care about the wellbeing of the little, furry friends in our community. That’s exactly what our organization, the Atlanta Animal Shelter, is dedicated to, as well. Learn more about how you can get involved with the cause here!”

A sample donor dashboard with profiles completed using a data append

Overall, employer records are an extremely beneficial tool for designing targeted and effective outreach⁠. However, you likely don’t have that information on file for all of your supporters. By leveraging employer appends, you can collect the information you need to guide your organization’s engagement efforts toward success.

Leverage well-built donor profiles with Double the Donation.

Employer Appends Services

Employer Appends Services | What to Look For

It’s possible to conduct donor research on your own; however, your organization is significantly more likely to uncover accurate and up-to-date information about more donors more quickly when you outsource the efforts to a third-party provider. And employer appends services are dedicated to doing just that in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

So how can you select the right employer (or other donor data) appends provider for your needs? Be sure to do your research beforehand.

For example, here’s how it works with Double the Donation:

  • Organizations typically see successful appends rates between 20% and 50% of the records they provide to the appending service (which is significantly higher than the industry average).
  • Employer appends are typically completed and provided within a few days of the organization submitting their inputs.
  • Appends records are assigned an accuracy rating. This takes into account the uniqueness of a donor’s name and the level of detailed inputs initially provided, as well as the comprehensiveness and recency of the data source used.
  • As an added bonus, previously unknown corporate executives are often identified and flagged as potential major donors.
  • Multiple appending options are available, including real-time employer appends for Double the Donation users, as well as one-time bulk appends services for any organization.
  • Employer appends can be uploaded into Double the Donation to trigger matching gift emails and other automated donor outreach.

Employer appends - inputs and outputs

Questions About Employer Appends

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Our propriety screening method combines data from both publicly and privately available sources. These sources include public government records, SEC filings, social media profiles, business registrations, and a variety of other sources.

We typically see append rates which range from 20%-50%. This is based on a variety of factors such as:

  • Donor demographics (higher append rates among organizations which have a greater percentage of donors still in the workforce)
  • Average donation amount (higher append rates for wealthier donors)
  • Type of nonprofit (higher append rates for higher education)

Our accuracy score is based on a number of factors including:

Uniqueness of donor names:
With only a name it can be tough to determine whether we’ve identified the correct individual. The number of individuals with the same name plays a role in our accuracy score. A search for a common name such as “Steve Smith” will have a much lower accuracy score than a more unique / one of a kind name.

Level of detail provided on a record:
The more information that you provide on each record, the greater the accuracy score. Even though there may be 1,000 individuals named “Steve Smith” if we’re able to match additional fields such as a phone number or mailing address it increases the accuracy score for that record.

Our data source / date the data source was updated:
We recognize that not all of our data sources are created equal. The data source, as well as the update frequency, plays a role in each individual record’s accuracy score.

Our ability to append employer data is dependent upon the input file an organization provides to us. Organizations which keep their databases up-to-date see the best results.

For instance:

  • Do you have an up-to-date email address?
  • Do you have an up-to-date mailing address?
  • For higher education institutions, can you provide us with the years your donor / alumni graduated?

It depends. Very rarely does an organization have comprehensive data on all of its donors, especially when you consider an organization which raises funds from multiple channels (mail, online, phone, in-person, etc.)

We do request that you provide us with as much data as you can as it helps us locate and match your records to the appropriate individual.

Our matching gift database is comprised of the following two tables:

  1. A table mapping subsidiaries to parent companies
  2. A table mapping all company details to a single parent company

These tables are then joined using a unique ID that ties all the data together.

Yes — though this feature is currently exclusive to Double the Donation Enterprise.

Here’s how it works:

  1. An organization navigates to the “import wizard” to upload its employer appends CSV file.
  2. The organization previews record uploads to ensure the data has been mapped properly.
  3. The organization leverages employer append workflows to match Unknown Eligibility donors with the correct employers.

You can learn more about leveraging bulk employer appends files alongside Double the Donation with our Knowledge Base article on the topic here.

Concluding Thoughts

The more you know about your donors, the more effectively you can target and attract them to your cause. Not to mention, having employment data on file empowers organizations to seek workplace giving opportunities as well.

You may have a solid base of information pertaining to donors’ employing companies already. However, employer appends can go a long way toward filling in the blanks and connecting the dots⁠. This is especially true in terms of matching gift programs, volunteer grants, and more.

Interested in further developing your organization’s donor data strategy? Dive into these other forms of data appends services⁠—and how they can benefit your team⁠—below:

Enhance nonprofit fundraising with an employer append from Double the Donation.

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Alumni Fundraising: A Complete Guide to Winning More Support

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For many students, attending an institution of higher education is a transformative experience. This is all thanks to the professors you hire, the programs you offer, the facilities you maintain, and the scholarships you grant. To continue presenting your students with the resources they need to fulfill all their academic and personal goals, however, you need funding.

Most schools immediately turn to alumni fundraising to acquire these funds—and it’s not hard to see why. Even though they’ve left your campus, your alumni will always have a special connection to your institution. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through all you need to know to maximize alumni giving:

The more engaged your alumni are, the stronger your school’s community will be. Set your current and upcoming students for success by improving your alumni fundraising strategy.
Download our free guide to learn how your school can double its alumni fundraising revenue with matching gifts.

Why is alumni fundraising important?

Colleges and universities undertake a variety of projects, initiatives, and improvements to create fulfilling experiences for their students. By securing alumni gifts, your school can:

  • Fund more scholarships. According to Hanover Research’s U.S. alumni survey, 74% of alumni indicate that their top inspiration for giving to their alma mater would be to either make education more affordable for other students or because they want to give back. Alumni donations are a stellar way for them to “pay it forward” and make your institution more accessible to aspiring scholars.
  • Create enriching programs and events. Alumni fundraising allows you to increase the value that students receive during their years of study. For instance, you might hire nutritionists to host informational healthy eating sessions, open up more study abroad opportunities, or expand your music program with new course offerings.
  • Improve campus facilities. Whether you’re seeking to construct a new dormitory building or renovate old classrooms, alumni gifts can provide you with the necessary funds to embark on such projects and improve the student experience on campus.
  • Upgrade technology. While new technology can be a considerable upfront investment, state-of-the-art tools like laser projectors, 360-degree lecture recording cameras, and interactive whiteboards can significantly boost student engagement.
  • Provide more student services. More students than ever are struggling with their mental health, with 44% reporting symptoms of depression and 37% indicating that they have experienced anxiety. Alumni gifts can go toward essential student support services such as mental health counseling, career planning, and tutoring.

It’s clear that alumni fundraising can have a significant impact on students and your institution as a whole, so much so that there are even higher education conferences dedicated to it. Understanding and communicating why gifts are so important can go a long way toward raising more from your graduates.

6 Strategies to Encourage Alumni Giving

Your school equips its students with the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to thrive in the professional world. After they’ve received their diplomas and launched their careers, invite them to give back and set the next generation up for success. Follow these six strategies for requesting donations from alumni:

Six strategies for requesting donations from alumni, explained in more detail below.

1. Conduct prospect research.

Your alumni are just as diverse as your student base. This means that, especially if you’re trying to secure a major or annual gift, some alumni will be more promising than others. Prospect research refers to the process of using philanthropic and wealth indicators to identify individuals who have both an affinity for your institution and the capacity to give.

Typically, you’ll search your alumni database for information such as:

  • Past engagement history with your institution, such as volunteering.
  • Personal interests related to your funding goals, such as an affinity for the arts.
  • Previous gifts made to your institution.
  • Real estate ownership.
  • Business connections.
  • Stock ownership.

By conducting prospect research, your school will determine which alumni to prioritize for your mid-size or major gift outreach. If this process seems too intensive for your team, there are plenty of prospect research services that can sift through your data and build a list of prospective donors for you to solicit.

2. Segment your alumni.

Before you begin crafting your fundraising messages and reaching out to alumni, take the time to segment your audience. This step involves separating your alumni into various groups based on shared characteristics so you can tailor your communications to resonate with each individual’s giving capacity, interests, and preferences.

An effective way to pinpoint the most promising groups for your segmented alumni outreach is to create a donor persona. According to Fifty and Fifty, a persona is useful for fleshing out your understanding of your target audience and pinpointing common overlapping traits. Here’s an example of a donor persona that could be useful for alumni fundraising:

Name: Melanie Martin

Age: 35-45

Gender: Female

Family Status: Married with young children

Location: Suburban

Education Level: Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees

Occupation: Middle management in a marketing firm

Values: Community involvement, paying support they received in previous years forward

Interests: Connecting with fellow alumni, attending family-friendly events

Challenges/Pain Points: Limited time due to professional and family life, feels disconnected from the school since she graduated over ten years prior

From this persona, you could reasonably infer that Melanie’s main motivation for giving back is to support the programs that got her where she is today. Also, she would rather attend annual, family-friendly, reunion-style events. This allows her to reconnect with her alma mater while juggling the other important aspects of her life. Additionally, you could recommend that she signs up to donate smaller recurring gifts since they are much more convenient and manageable.

You can make personas like this for all your most influential donor segments. Just ensure you regularly revisit and update them with necessary information as your donor base evolves.

3. Promote matching gifts.

Your alumni give because they want to make an impact on your school and the students attending it. With matching gifts, they can double or even triple their donation amount at no additional cost. Many companies have a matching gift program as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives, in which they’ll match employee gifts made to your institution at typically a 1:1 ratio.

However, an estimated $6-$10 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year, simply because donors aren’t aware of these opportunities. Ensure your alumni don’t miss out by promoting matching gifts across your various platforms. For example, consider:

  • Including basic information about these programs in a section of your email newsletter.
  • Sending follow-up emails after a match-eligible graduate makes a gift.
  • Producing eye-catching social media posts to spread awareness of matching gifts.
  • Creating a dedicated matching gifts page on your school website with detailed instructions about the process.

For alumni who are worried that they won’t be able to give enough to make a meaningful difference, learning about matching gifts could provide them with the motivation they need to follow through.

Check out our short video on matching gift best practices to unlock additional insights for improving your alumni fundraising strategy:

As the video suggests, your school can even turn to a matching gift expert for specialized assistance in using matching gifts to boost your fundraising efforts.

Explore real-life case studies to learn how higher education institutions leverage matching gift software to boost their alumni fundraising results.

4. Invest in tools that facilitate alumni giving.

Modern technology has opened up many possibilities for your school to raise funds. The more options you provide your alumni, the more likely they are to donate. Some game-changing fundraising tools that are worth investing in are:

Several tools that can support a higher education institution’s alumni fundraising efforts, detailed below.

  • Matching gift software. A matching gift platform like Double the Donation makes it easy for your institution to identify match-eligible donors and send automated follow-up emails with all the information they need to request a match. Plus, with the latest auto-submission feature, alumni who work for a company with CSR software that integrates with Double the Donation can simply input their corporate email address when they donate and let the technology complete the entire request process for them.
  • Text-to-give platform. 85% of all Americans own a smartphone. Embrace the popularity of these devices by using a text-to-give platform that allows your alumni to donate directly from their phones. All they have to do is text your chosen keyword to your text-to-give number and receive a link that takes them to your mobile-responsive donation page.
  • Peer-to-peer fundraising software. Empower your most passionate graduates to fundraise on your behalf with peer-to-peer fundraising software. With this software, alumni can create individual branded donation pages to which they can direct their friends and family.
  • Event software. Hosting alumni events is an effective way to both keep them engaged and raise revenue for your school. By leveraging event planning and management tools, you can set up registration fees, plan in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, and create a memorable experience for all your attendees.
  • Online donation pages. Create a dedicated online donation page to house your alumni fundraising efforts. Include a matching gift FAQ, eligible funding programs, and an easy-to-use donation form. The philanthropic sectors of universities are also eligible for the Google Ad Grant, which you can use to enhance your donation page’s online visibility and appear on the top of Google’s search results page for keywords related to your institution.

Review your goals and budget before researching specific software solutions to implement for your institution. Take the time to read online reviews and request demos to determine which options will work best for your needs.

5. Provide a variety of opportunities to contribute.

Not every one of your graduates will be a major donor. However, that doesn’t mean many of them aren’t willing and eager to contribute in other ways. Keep these alumni involved by sharing a variety of opportunities for them to support your school, such as:

  • Planned giving. Alumni can set up planned, or legacy, gifts that your institution will receive after they pass. There are multiple types of planned giving, including bequests and charitable gift annuities. These gifts allow alumni donors to leave a legacy without having to worry about factoring donations into their day-to-day financial obligations.
  • Volunteering. While your recent graduates may not have the capacity to make large gifts, they can demonstrate their commitment to your school by contributing their time and skills instead. In fact, the average number of alumni who engage in volunteering is higher among those zero to five years out from graduating than any other cohort. Plus, if their employers offer volunteer grants, you can earn a certain amount of revenue based on the number of volunteer hours your alumni serve.
  • Fundraising. Encourage your alumni to participate in a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or start a birthday fundraiser on your school’s behalf. This way, they can support your fundraising efforts by reaching out to their friends and family members for donations.
  • Attending events. Alumni can register for your events or participate as speakers. For example, they could lend a hand by serving as a mentor for a current student or using their professional expertise to hold workshops on important topics such as financial literacy.

To open up more opportunities that appeal to your alumni, consider sending out a survey to find out what they’re most interested in. You could ask them about the types of events they prefer or what skills they would like to apply as volunteers.

6. Focus on building strong alumni relationships.

At the heart of it, alumni fundraising is anything but transactional. The key to success lies in building strong, meaningful relationships with your alumni. Start by collecting information on and abiding by their communication preferences. Hanover Research found that 7 in 10 alumni donors want to hear from their institution at least quarterly.

Stay connected beyond fundraising appeals by sharing relevant news, updating donors on the impact of their gifts, and interacting with graduates on social media. Remember to practice frequent, thoughtful recognition to demonstrate just how much alumni mean to your school. Rather than sending generic thank-you emails, consider these popular ideas to appreciate your alumni:

An example of an eCard that schools can use to express their gratitude for alumni giving.

  • Send an eCard. Level up your thank-you’s by producing branded eCards that your team can effortlessly personalize with each recipient’s name and details related to their specific contribution. Dedicated eCard platforms like eCardWidget provide all the tools you’ll need to create your designs, add engaging animations, schedule your eCards, and more.
  • Gift branded merchandise. Whether you send them a t-shirt or a set of stickers, your alumni will be glad to have the chance to display their connection to your school. This type of appreciation has the added benefit of providing extra marketing for your institution as well.
  • Add spotlights to your website. Set up a dedicated page on your school’s website to publicly recognize some of your top alumni donors. Ask for permission to feature individual names, photos, and quotes to turn these spotlights into an inspiring resource for other alumni who are considering making a gift.

Whatever thank-you methods you choose, remember to emphasize how your alumni have made an impact on your institution and the lives of its current students to keep them continually invested in your success.

Alumni Fundraising Letter Template

When it comes time to reach out to your alumni, what do you say? Use this template as a jumping-off point for your alumni fundraising letter:

A template that colleges and universities can use to craft compelling alumni fundraising letters, included in the text below.

[School Letterhead/Logo]

Dear [Recipient’s Name],

We hope this letter finds you well. As a cherished alumn(us/a) of our [Institution Name] family, you know that we’re on a constant journey to provide our current and incoming students with the highest quality of education. In our pursuit of excellence, we’ve accomplished quite a lot in the past few years, including [one or two recent accomplishments].

This year, we’re taking on a new initiative to [fundraising goal]. By raising $[fundraising goal amount], we’ll be able to [impact on the institution and students].

Today, we kindly ask you to take a moment and reflect on your time at [Institution Name]. Will you join in our efforts to create more valuable experiences for our students, so that they can go on to pursue their career aspirations and lifelong dreams?

Any gift, no matter the size, will leave a lasting impact on our students, faculty, and institution as a whole. To make a contribution, [specific instructions on how to donate, such as visit your online donation page]. If you’d like to learn about other ways to support our initiative, please visit our website to explore volunteering opportunities, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for being an integral part of our institution’s history and helping us shape a brighter future for [Institution Name] and our students.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

[Name]

[Title]
Download our free guide to learn how your school can double its alumni fundraising revenue with matching gifts.

Popular Alumni Fundraising Ideas

Once you’ve developed a foundation of strong alumni relationships for your institution, get creative to maximize participation. Some popular alumni fundraising ideas to consider include:

  • Silent auction. Go beyond simply requesting donations from alumni by hosting a virtual or hybrid silent auction. No matter where they’re located, your attendees can bid on desirable items such as concert tickets, artwork, travel packages, and more—all while supporting your school. Procure items that you know will appeal to your alumni to encourage higher bidding and participation.
  • Cookbook. Your alumni may move away from campus, but that doesn’t mean they can’t feel close to your school’s community anymore. Ask your graduates to submit their best-loved recipes and compile them into a cookbook that you can sell to alumni, parents, and other supporters of your institution.
  • Sports watch party. Sports are a tried-and-true way to rally your alumni together and rekindle their love for your school. Organize watch parties for your next major sporting event and ask attendees to pay a small registration fee for the experience. These can be wonderful opportunities for alumni to bond and make connections with others in their area.
  • Brick fundraiser. Is your school planning to construct a new building or renovate an area on campus? Start a brick fundraiser that allows your alumni to purchase a personalized brick or tile with their name on it. You’ll be able to raise funds and your alumni will be able to leave a lasting, physical mark on your institution.
  • Alumni reunion. An alumni reunion gives your graduates a chance to reminisce about their time at your school and revisit old memories on campus. Beyond charging registration fees, you can earn additional revenue by selling branded merchandise and holding raffles during the event.

After each fundraiser, review key metrics such as your attendance rate and average gift amount to determine which ideas resonate most with your alumni. Use these insights to tailor your alumni fundraising strategy to increase participation moving forward.

Wrapping Up: Maximizing the Potential of Alumni Fundraising

The success of your alumni fundraising efforts depends upon building relationships that harken back to the value you provided graduates during their studies and call attention to the impact they can have on the students who come after them. Make all your alumni feel included by sharing a variety of ways they can contribute to your goals. Then, as they continue to grow and flourish in their lives, they’ll be able to respond to more opportunities to give.

To learn more tips and best practices for connecting with your alumni and raising funds for your school, check out these additional resources:

Get a free demo of 360MatchPro to learn how this matching gift software can help your school earn more through alumni giving.

The title of the article beside an illustrated nonprofit professional preparing nonprofit financial statements.

How to Master the Art of Nonprofit Financial Statements

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Well-managed finances are the backbone of successful nonprofits. To continue fulfilling your essential role in the community, you must meet IRS reporting requirements, build donor trust, and make informed decisions that contribute to your overall financial sustainability.

While assembling your nonprofit financial statements can seem like a mundane checkbox to mark off every year, they can be highly useful resources for refining your budget, enhancing your fundraising results, and more.

We’ll cover all the essentials about nonprofit financial statements in the following sections:

Many nonprofits include these statements in their annual reports to demonstrate accountability. By providing donors, volunteers, corporate sponsors, and other stakeholders with a clear window into your financial activities, you’ll enhance your credibility and increase your chances of securing even more support down the road.

Download our free matching gifts guide to raise more funds and improve the results you report in your nonprofit financial statements.

The Importance of Nonprofit Financial Statements

According to a recent Independent Sector study, while most Americans trust nonprofits, 83% indicate that “Nonprofits must earn my trust before I support them” and 80% agree that “I need to see proof of an organization’s impact to continue my support for it.”

With so many pressing causes worth their attention, donors want to feel confident that your nonprofit will put their funds to good use. By sharing your financial statements, you can let them see for themselves just how effectively you’re working to accomplish your mission.

Beyond attracting and retaining donors, nonprofit financial reporting allows you to:

  • Improve financial decision-making. With a better understanding of your nonprofit’s financial situation and activities, you can make strategic adjustments to your budget and resource allocation. For example, you might decide to cut down on your event costs next year by investing in registration and planning tools that will allow you to host more virtual fundraising events.
  • Secure more major gifts. Major donors can provide substantial funding to power your programs, capital campaigns, or general operations. However, to cultivate these key individuals, you need to convince them that their gifts will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those you serve. Presenting them with your nonprofit financial reports is an effective way to demonstrate your track record and impact.
  • Build stronger corporate partnerships. Modern customer and employee expectations have led to a rise in corporate philanthropy initiatives such as matching gifts and event sponsorships. Your financial statements can convince companies that your nonprofit is a worthwhile investment. Plus, you can nurture long-term relationships by publicly recognizing your corporate partners in your annual report.
  • Win more grants. When applying for a grant, you’ll frequently have to include detailed financial information alongside your proposal. These statements prove that your organization possesses the fiscal stability necessary to make effective use of grant funding and carry out your proposed project.
  • Facilitate board financial oversight. Your board members have a fiduciary responsibility to monitor your nonprofit’s budget and financial health. This doesn’t mean they have to oversee every expenditure, nor do they need to be finance experts. Reviewing your financial statements allows them to ensure that your organization is managing its budget properly and complying with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which include consistent reporting for every period and honesty from all involved parties.
  • Evaluate your nonprofit’s performance. Since nonprofits are legally required to make their financial statements available to the public, you can use these resources to compare your performance with other organizations in your area of focus. In doing so, you’ll be able to identify ways to improve your strategies going forward.

Furthermore, charity watchdogs such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator often consider nonprofit financial reports when rating profiles on their website. Having clear and accurate statements can go a long way toward establishing trust in potential donors looking for new organizations to support.

4 Essential Types of Nonprofit Financial Statements

Nonprofits typically prepare four types of financial statements to visualize their financial health and communicate it to stakeholders:

1. Statement of Financial Position

Your nonprofit’s statement of financial position, or balance sheet, provides a summary of your organization’s financial health at a specific point in time. This document consists of three main elements: assets – liabilities = net assets. Let’s take a closer look at each element:

  • Assets. Assets refer to everything your organization owns, including cash, accounts receivable, investments, property, and office equipment. You’ll list these out in order of liquidity, or how quickly you would be able to convert them into cash. Cash requires no conversion, so you would record it first. Since you’d have to take the time to sell your property and office equipment to convert them to cash, these assets would be last.
  • Liabilities. Liabilities refer to everything your nonprofit owes to its employees, vendors, contractors, and other organizations. For example, you would catalog your accounts payable, loans payable, and other long-term obligations in this section. You’ll organize your liabilities by their due date, starting with the ones you must pay back first.
  • Net assets. To calculate your net assets, subtract your total liabilities from your total assets. While you don’t have to note down every item, you’ll split this section into net assets without donor restrictions and those with restrictions. For instance, a grantmaker might stipulate that you can only use grant funding for a specific project or purpose.

Many nonprofits often include a column for the current year and another for the previous year as a way to compare their financial performance. Feel free to use this template to start constructing your own nonprofit statement of financial position:

A statement of financial position template that nonprofits can use to jumpstart their nonprofit financial reporting.

The details in your statement of financial position will come in handy when it’s time to file your Form 990. Additionally, you can use this report to learn more about your nonprofit’s liquidity. For instance, by dividing your total current assets by your total liabilities, you can calculate your current liquidity ratio. The higher the ratio, the better equipped you are to pay back all your liabilities.

2. Statement of Activities

Your nonprofit’s statement of activities, or income statement, details all your revenue and expenses throughout the fiscal year. Like your statement of financial position, this document contains three main elements:

  • Revenues. In this section, you’ll itemize all of your various revenue sources, such as cash donations, in-kind gifts, grants, membership dues, program fees, and investment returns. Your report will commonly include two categories to account for your restricted and unrestricted revenue.
  • Expenses. In this section, you’ll specify all the costs associated with running your nonprofit and carrying out your mission. For example, record staff salaries, facility rent, insurance, consulting services, supplies, and program-related expenses.
  • Net assets. Subtract your total expenses from your total revenue to calculate your net assets. You’ll typically indicate your net assets at the beginning of the year, your net assets at the end of the year, and your total change in net assets. A positive change in net assets means that your nonprofit is effectively managing its finances throughout the year.

Use our statement of activities template to hit the ground running with your nonprofit financial reporting:

A template for a statement of activities, one of the most common types of nonprofit financial statements.

By compiling a statement of activities, your nonprofit can evaluate the sustainability of its programs and determine whether you need to raise more funds to cover your projected expenses in the coming year. For instance, you might decide to focus on marketing matching gifts to generate the revenue you need to expand one of your core programs.

Explore our matching gift case studies to learn how other nonprofits have achieved financial success with this corporate philanthropy opportunity.

3. Statement of Cash Flows

A statement of cash flows provides your nonprofit with a more minute overview of the cash moving in and out of your organization. Your report will have three main sections:

  • Operating activities. These activities refer to the revenue and expenses associated with operating your nonprofit. You’ll log staff salaries, program fees, and donations in this section.
  • Investing activities. In your statement of cash flows, you’ll list information such as long-term investment purchases and sales, including property and equipment. Additionally, you’ll note down revenue such as interest earned on your investments.
  • Financing activities. Your financing activities refer to any revenue you generate from your savings and financial expenses, like credit card or loan payments.

Like your statement of financial position, it can be helpful to include a column for the current year and a column for the previous year in this report. This way, your leadership team, board members, and other stakeholders can have a better understanding of how your nonprofit generates and spends its cash from year to year.

Start assembling your nonprofit’s statement of cash flows using this template:

A statement of cash flows template that can be a helpful resource for nonprofit financial reporting.

By consistently monitoring your cash inflows and outflows, you’ll be able to notice important trends and use them to adjust your financial strategy in the future.

4. Statement of Functional Expenses

A statement of functional expenses recounts all of your spending, categorizing each expenditure by the purpose it served for your nonprofit. You’ll break up this financial statement into three columns:

  • Program services. In this column, you’ll enumerate all the funds your nonprofit spent to provide its services and carry out its mission. For example, a hunger relief organization may note travel costs for food delivery while a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit may include animal care supplies as part of its program expenses.
  • Management. Your nonprofit’s management expenses refer to all the costs related to running and managing your organization. Some common management expenses would be employee salaries, office equipment, and rent.
  • Fundraising. In this column, you’ll identify all the expenses associated with raising funds for your nonprofit, including the costs of fundraising event planning, new software solutions, and marketing.

Form 990 includes a “statement of functional expenses” page for 501(c)(3) organizations to fill in. While each nonprofit will have different rows of specific expenditures depending on its activities and area of focus, you can use this basic template as a jumping-off point for your nonprofit functional expenses reporting:

A statement of functional expenses template that nonprofits can use to put together this essential nonprofit financial statement.

You can use the insights from this nonprofit financial statement to guide your annual budget planning. Plus, this publicly available information can provide current and prospective donors with the context they need to decide whether they’d like to support your nonprofit based on how it employs its funds.

How to Prepare Your Nonprofit Financial Reports

Plan to compile these nonprofit financial statements well before the end of your fiscal year to ensure that you have all the time you need to fulfill your accounting requirements. Follow these general steps to start preparing your reports:

  • Assemble your financial data. Since your nonprofit financial statements offer a comprehensive rundown of various aspects of your operations and mission, you’ll need to reference receipts, bank statements, and records of other financial transactions to complete them.
  • Use dedicated nonprofit accounting software. Many nonprofit accounting solutions make it easy for your organization to manage its financial data, track real-time performance, and even automatically generate its financial statements.
  • Review and audit your nonprofit financial statements. Auditing your financial reports can go a long way toward increasing accountability and transparency in the eyes of your nonprofit’s stakeholders. Furthermore, an audit ensures that all your financial data is error-free, so you can confidently share it in your annual report and use it to inform your future strategies.
  • Consider partnering with a nonprofit accountant. With so much that needs to be done to fulfill your nonprofit’s mission, tax season and all its requirements might seem like an overwhelming addition to your to-do list. Fortunately, there are accounting experts with years of experience in helping nonprofits prepare their financial reports. Consider reaching out to these professionals to lighten your workload.

Ultimately, your nonprofit financial statements are snapshots of your financial health and activities that you can use to improve your decision-making and secure more support down the line. A nonprofit consultant can work with your team to interpret your financial data and harness it for future growth.

Download our free matching gifts guide to raise more funds and improve the results you report in your nonprofit financial statements.

Strong Examples of Nonprofit Financial Reporting

Assembling your nonprofit financial reports may seem like an intensive process, but it’s perfectly feasible. Let’s take a look at some excellent examples that other nonprofits have produced and shared:

1. Feeding America

A screenshot of Feeding America’s annual report, a top example of sharing nonprofit financial statements with stakeholders.

Feeding America includes a “Financials” section in its annual report and states upfront that “98% of contributions go directly to programs that serve people facing hunger.” The nonprofit’s statement of financial position and statement of activities provide the necessary details to back up this claim, which can increase trust among donors, volunteers, and other supporters in the community.

Plus, at the bottom of the page, Feeding America adds a link to view its audited financials for anyone interested in delving deeper into its financial situation and activities.

2. The World Wildlife Fund

A screenshot from the World Wildlife Fund’s annual report, another excellent example of nonprofit financial reporting.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) features graphs alongside its statement of activities to present its annual report readers with a more visual perspective of its revenue and expenses. With just a glance, it’s easy to see that 85% of total expenses were program-related and that the majority (29%) of operating revenue came from individual contributors.

Furthermore, WWF adds graphs that illustrate the nonprofit’s operating revenue and program spending growth over the past decade.

3. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

A screenshot of the audited nonprofit financial reports that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society included on its website.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) shares its audited financial statements for the past five years on its website. Each report comes with a note from the independent auditor stating that they conducted the audit according to the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) to ensure that each document is free from any misstatement.

4. Heifer International

A screenshot of one of Heifer International’s nonprofit financial statements.

Similar to LLS, Heifer International has an entire page on its website devoted to sharing its financial information with stakeholders, including a graph that maps out its expenses over the fiscal year. The nonprofit even compares its results with the Better Business Bureau standard for charities, stating that it has gone above and beyond by allocating 75% of funds to program expenses and 21% to fundraising activities.

Wrapping Up: Understanding Your Nonprofit’s Financial Health

While preparing your nonprofit financial statements can feel like wrangling a bunch of numbers together, remember that your ultimate goal is to turn these data points into a story that donors, board members, corporate partners, and other stakeholders can understand.

Whether you add graphs to visualize your most important financial details or simply include your audited reports on your website, consider how you can cater to your audience’s interests and preferences. Engaging stakeholders in your financial reporting and providing transparency can turn reporting requirements into increased impact for those you serve.

For more information on how to improve your nonprofit’s financial situation and share better results year after year, check out these additional resources:

Get a free demo of our matching gift software to learn how you can start sharing better results in your nonprofit financial reports.

One-Off Matching Gift Programs | What to Know For Your Org

One-Off Matching Gift Programs | What to Know For Your Org

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This article explores real world examples of companies' CSR programs.

Companies Committing Social Good: Real-World CSR Examples

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Trends in corporate philanthropy show that corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are on the rise among companies of all sizes. While large corporations have more resources to set aside for CSR, small and medium-sized businesses can also make meaningful impacts in their communities.

The first step for creating a winning CSR strategy is to know what’s possible for your business. That’s why business leaders who are serious about CSR should examine what other companies have accomplished through their social good programs.

To help your research, we’ll look at top companies with thriving CSR programs and provide insight into how you can incorporate their strategies into your initiatives. While many of these are large companies, even small businesses can adapt their practices to fit their resources and capabilities.

But first, let’s explore why companies offer CSR programs and the sheer variety of ways you can approach CSR at your business.

Explore the technology you need to start a CSR program. Discover matching gift auto-submission.

Why do companies participate in corporate social responsibility?

CSR benefits society. Through these programs, nonprofits receive donations, the environment gets cleaned up, and employees have safe and healthy working conditions. These are all obvious reasons why CSR is a positive force, but what do the companies paying for these initiatives get in return?

It turns out businesses committed to CSR can more than make up their investment. They can expect benefits like:

Four ways CSR impacts businesses are listed, written out below.

  • New marketing opportunities. Some CSR programs involve partnering with third-party organizations, usually nonprofits. To say thanks, these charitable organizations promote their business partners to their supporters, opening up new marketing channels and providing a foot in the door with new customers.
  • Easier recruitment. Along with holding on to the employees you have, CSR also helps businesses find and recruit top talent. For instance, if your company is committed to worker safety, health, and well-being, word-of-mouth about your positive work environment will likely spread, resulting in more qualified applicants.
  • Boosted reputation. Just as employees want to work for employers committed to social good, customers want to shop at ethical businesses. For example, let’s say you have the choice of buying two products of equal quality. One brand has a spotty history with CSR, while the other pledges to donate a portion of proceeds to good causes. In this situation, most buyers would select the business with a positive reputation.
  • Improved employee engagement. Employees tend to work harder, care more about the quality of their work, and stick with their employer longer when they feel like they are working for a good cause. By doing good in your community and implementing socially responsible internal practices, you’ll help employees feel more engaged, increasing productivity and loyalty.

The benefits your business gains depend on the types of CSR programs you offer. For example, will you focus on internal practices to engage employees, explore external philanthropy to connect with your community, or try a mix of both approaches?

Make giving back as easy as possible for your employees with matching gift auto-submission. Discover auto-submission.

What are the types of corporate social responsibility?

CSR is ultimately an umbrella term that consists of all the activities a company does to further social good. This includes both philanthropic donations and internal company conduct.

An umbrella labeled "Corporate Social Responsibility" has both internal actions, activities businesses conduct internally to be better corporate citizens, and corporate philanthropy, donations to external organizations, under it.

To give you a sense of the sheer variety of CSR programs, here’s a brief list of some of the most common types of CSR:

  • Employee giving. Workplace giving programs involve facilitating donations to nonprofits by encouraging your employees to donate. To encourage employee donations that align with their missions, many businesses provide recommendations for nonprofits to support. Corporations can also boost employee donations by offering to match their gifts, usually at a dollar-per-dollar rate. Although, some businesses match at a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.
  • Sustainability. Sustainable companies are positive for the environment and signal to investors that their businesses plan to operate for decades to come. CSR programs focused on sustainability usually involve reducing their carbon footprint, eliminating waste in the production process, taking accountability for any environmental clean-up needs, and using renewable energy sources.
  • Volunteerism. Rather than asking employees to donate their paychecks, businesses can enable them to donate their time. Volunteerism programs include team volunteer days wherein the business organizes a volunteer activity in partnership with a nonprofit, volunteer time off where employees can take paid time off to volunteer, and volunteer grants, where businesses donate to nonprofits based on how many hours their employees volunteer.
  • Adherence to workers’ rights. Treat workers with respect by providing fair wages, creating an equitable and diverse workplace, promoting employee health and wellbeing, and using supply chains that follow ethical labor practices.
  • Sponsorships. As mentioned, philanthropic donations fall under the umbrella of CSR. Sponsorship agreements typically involve monetary donations but may also include gifts of supplies or specialized services and promoting nonprofit causes.
  • Grantmaking. Some businesses, usually large corporations, establish grantmaking foundations as part of their CSR efforts. These organizations have a specific focus area for which they provide grants, such as advocacy, environmentalism, or economic equality.

Whether you plan to launch several or just one CSR initiative, software can help you organize and monitor your program. While CSR software providers have various focus areas, most solutions allow businesses to track employee donations, manage grants, facilitate nonprofit relationships, and oversee matching gift requests.

Examples of Corporate Social Responsibility

1. TOMs

Shoe retailer TOMs has made CSR a part of its brand to the point of becoming a Certified B Corporation, meaning the company meets high standards for social impact, environmental protection, and accountability. Not only has TOMs achieved this honor, but the organization has boosted its initial score of 96.3 in 2018 to 121.5 in 2021, all while the median score for businesses hovers at just 50.9.

TOMs takes a multi-pronged approach to CSR, dividing its efforts into three categories:

  • Purpose. TOMs aims to create a more equitable world by supporting grassroots nonprofits. As such, TOMs donates a third of its profits to nonprofit organizations dedicated to boosting mental health, increasing access to opportunities, and ending gun violence.
  • Planet. TOMs seeks to improve its environmental friendliness in multiple ways, specifically by using sustainable and recycled materials. Currently, 80% of TOMs’ packaging is made from recycled materials, and the company aims to use 100% sustainably grown cotton by 2025.
  • People. In addition to giving to nonprofits, TOMs aims to improve internally by positioning their organization as anti-racist, launching volunteer initiatives on GivingTuesday, and working with suppliers that share its values.

TOMs is proud of the impact it has made so far and only aims to improve its CSR programs in the future.

CSR Takeaway

There’s no need to choose just one type of CSR program for your business. Taking a multifaceted approach to CSR like TOMs allows your business to engage employees, build a positive reputation with customers, and connect with like-minded organizations.

Conduct an internal assessment and determine what improvements you can make immediately and what may take a few years for your company to accomplish. For instance, you may be able to set up a long-term partnership with a nonprofit organization within a few months but need several years to reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Checkr

Checkr, a leader in the background screening industry, exemplifies corporate social responsibility through its commitment to creating fairer employment opportunities and enhancing impact with generous giving. Recognized for its innovative approach and dedication to social good, Checkr has integrated CSR into its core values, earning accolades and driving significant positive change.

This company’s CSR initiatives are designed to promote social justice, environmental sustainability, and community engagement. Its matching gift program in particular stands out for the simplicity with which its staff can get involved through an auto-submission partnership with Double the Donation!

CSR Takeaway

Checkr is a CLMA-designated matching gift company, which means the company is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation. In other words, Checkr prioritizes accessibility and a streamlined submission process in its programming, making it easy for employees to engage.

Checkr’s comprehensive CSR strategy demonstrates that a business can drive meaningful change by addressing social, environmental, and community needs in a way that rallies the whole company.

3. PayPal

PayPal’s payment processing services need little introduction, but many may be less familiar with how they use this technology to help charities earn more donations through the PayPal Giving Fund.

Essentially, the PayPal Giving Fund supports charitable organizations through this four-step process:

  1. Charities create a registered account with PayPal. Registered charities will receive PayPal’s low processing fee rates and access to donation opportunities on PayPal and its partner organizations, including GoFundMe, eBay, and Humble Bumble.
  2. Supporters donate through PayPal, eBay, or another PayPal partner. Many PayPal partners will even cover processing fees for charities, making donations to nonprofits go even further.
  3. PayPal receives the donation and provides the donor with a receipt. PayPal will use this information to provide participating charities with monthly donation reports.
  4. The funds are added to the charity’s PayPal account. In addition to individual donors’ gifts, charities can receive grants and major gifts through PayPal.

Along with ensuring donations are securely processed, PayPal’s extensive partner network helps nonprofits receive funds from various sources.

CSR Takeaway

This CSR program takes advantage of the technology PayPal already has to help nonprofit organizations. Assess your business’s products and services and whether they would benefit charitable organizations in your community. If so, you can provide your offerings at a reduced cost or even for free to nonprofits for a philanthropic CSR program.

4. FP Markets

FP Markets is a financial trading service that allows customers to trade Forex, CFDs, Indices, Shares, Commodities, Metals, and Bonds. FP Markets is also committed to CSR, stating that its mission is to: “Actively contribute to the well-being of communities and the environment. Through sustainable practices, philanthropic initiatives, and ethical decision-making, we aim to make a positive impact on society, fostering a better future for all. Our projects across multiple sectors reflect this goal, promoting change and fostering a healthier, more equitable world.”

Currently, FP Markets has two unique CSR programs worth highlighting:

  • Men’s Health. FP Markets focuses on promoting advocacy for overlooked health issues that affect men, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health conditions.
  • Cricket Brazil Youth Development Programme. In this example of philanthropic CSR, FP Markets partnered with a Brazilian youth cricket organization to support young athletes and create a positive difference in their communities.

As these two causes show, FP Markets is interested in making a difference globally and partnering with a variety of charitable causes, no matter where they’re located.

CSR Takeaway

Your business doesn’t need to build an entirely new program to serve your community. Rather, try partnering with nonprofits in your area and support them through sponsorships and marketing assistance. These organizations already have the research, resources, and infrastructure to fulfill their charitable missions that align with your CSR goals.

5. Toast

Toast.org is the foundation founded by Toast, a point-of-sale software vendor for restaurants. Just as its products revolve around the food industry, Toast’s CSR program also revolves around food. Through its foundation, Toast aims to address hunger and provide access to healthy food.

Toast also encourages its employees and customers to participate in this mission. To motivate employees, Toast offers a matching gift program, which saw a 48% participation rate in 2022. Additionally, through its software, Toast provides restaurants with features to track and reduce food waste.

CSR Takeaway

When selecting your CSR mission, consider what focus areas make sense for your business. Determine what you have the resources to accomplish, what challenges your business and community face, and how your mission impacts your brand.

Many companies have CSR missions unrelated to their businesses. However, a mission that aligns with your products or services can make your brand memorable and allow you to better connect with new audiences that discover your business through your CSR program.

6. Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank brands itself as “America’s most socially responsible bank,” meaning CSR is a core part of its strategies. It focuses on a wide range of issues, including:

  • Climate Justice
  • Immigrant Rights
  • LGBTQ+ Rights
  • Anti-Violence & Gun Safety
  • Criminal Justice
  • Workers’ Rights
  • Reproductive Rights
  • Voting Rights
  • Racial Justice
  • Economic Justice

For each of these issues, Amalgamated Bank takes a proactive stance. Its CSR efforts range from offering pro-bono services to nonprofit organizations to not doing business with parties they feel are harmful, such as fossil fuel companies.

CSR Takeaway

Your business can conduct CSR in many ways. If there’s a focus area you care about but don’t have the resources to launch an entire program for, consider how else you can support it. For instance, if you’ve already used up your philanthropic budget by donating to economic equality groups, you might organize a corporate volunteer day with an environmental organization to plant trees.

Additionally, CSR benefits companies by associating their businesses’ names with good causes. There’s no need to be modest about your organization’s work to assist nonprofits, create a positive work environment for employees, and be a better corporate citizen. When you promote your CSR efforts, you’ll attract customers and employees who share your values, creating a positive and productive environment.

7. Ben & Jerry’s

Since its founding, Ben & Jerry’s has had two goals: provide quality ice cream and make the world a better place through activism. 

Over the years, Ben & Jerry’s has expanded its activism into several focus areas, including ones both related and unrelated to its products. Currently, Ben & Jerry’s CSR programs center on these issues:

  • Racial justice 
  • Fairtrade
  • Rights and dignity of refugees 
  • Campaign finance reform
  • LGBTQ+ rights
  • Climate change

For examples of Ben & Jerry’s programs in action, it became the first ice cream maker to use Fairtrade Certified ingredients in 2005, and since 2014, all ingredients in Ben & Jerry’s products are Fairtrade Certified. 

Or, in regards to climate impact, Ben & Jerry’s set climate goals approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. These include using 100% renewable energy and 40% greenhouse gas intensity reduction both by 2025.

CSR Takeaway

Ben and Jerry’s has evolved its CSR programs over time based on new urgent issues and its ability to meet goals. For instance, after the company achieved its Fairtrade-related goals, it continued the program and expanded its efforts to support Fairtrade Certified suppliers.

For your business, use this as inspiration to continue adjusting and expanding your goals. If you hit a target, consider how to push your company to do more.

8. Bombas

Specializing in socks, Bombas is a clothing company that gets its customers involved in its CSR initiatives. Workplace giving programs are popular because they allow employees to take an active role in making a difference, and the same principle applies to shop for a cause programs like the one Bombas offers.

Essentially, whenever a customer buys a t-shirt, pair of socks, or underwear—the three most requested items at homeless shelters—Bombas will donate the same item to one of their nonprofit partners, who then distribute the clothing to those in need.

CSR Takeaway

Determine how much you want your customers and employees to get involved in your CSR program. Some initiatives, like establishing a charitable foundation, are usually influenced very little by customers or employees, allowing the companies that operate them to act more independently.

However, programs that engage stakeholders are far more public and help businesses make CSR a part of their brand identities. Plus, initiatives like shop for a cause programs can lead to positive business outcomes. After all, if a buyer knows each item they purchase results in a donation, they’re likely to buy more than they normally would.

9. Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle, renowned for its commitment to fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients, exemplifies corporate social responsibility through its dedication to sustainability, ethical sourcing, and community support. Recognized for its forward-thinking approach and substantial impact, Chipotle has seamlessly woven CSR into its brand identity, garnering praise and driving considerable positive change.

Chipotle’s CSR efforts focus on promoting environmental sustainability, ethical farming practices, and community involvement. Notable among its initiatives is the Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, which supports sustainable agriculture, family farming, and education programs. Additionally, the company’s Harvest Program, which donates unused food to local communities, stands out as a testament to its commitment to reducing waste and supporting those in need.

CSR Takeaway

Chipotle’s comprehensive CSR strategy showcases the power of integrating employee-led philanthropy into a business model, and this is only reiterated by its status as a CLMA-designated (or Certified Leader in Matching Automation) employer. By prioritizing its matching gift program and enabling auto-submission for employees, Chipotle not only enhances its brand reputation but also sets a high standard for corporate responsibility and employee engagement in the food industry.

10. Land O’ Lakes

Founded in 1921, Land O’ Lakes is a farmer co-op that produces a wide range of agricultural goods, from dairy products to animal feed. As part of their co-op model, Land O’ Lakes is deeply committed to community and empowering farmers, stating: “We believe success shouldn’t only be measured in financials and figures, but also in stories told and lives changed. That’s why we’re using our voice to elevate the ongoing work our farmers, members and employees are doing in their communities and beyond.”

Along with an investment in sustainability, Land O’ Lakes is most notable for its recent work with the inventory management platform Spoiler Alert to increase timely food donations. Food companies that produce products with limited shelf lives, like Land O’ Lakes’ dairy products, often want to donate excess products but have challenges doing so in a timely manner.

By partnering with Spoiler Alert, Land O’ Lakes alleviated this problem, and in 2023, the company donated 3.6 million pounds of food, far surpassing its initial goal of donating 3 million pounds cumulative by 2030. With this new technology, Land O’ Lakes has updated its donation goal to 15 million pounds of donated food by 2030.

CSR Takeaway

Technology can dramatically improve your company’s ability to enact its CSR programs. From efficiency leading to increased productivity to organizational capabilities improving tracking, the right software can streamline your efforts.

11. PNC

PNC provides retail banking, asset management, and corporate banking services to customers across the United States. With over 1 million customers, PNC serves a wide range of communities and has CSR programs dedicated to meeting the unique needs of every location.

Specifically, PNC offers two major CSR programs dedicated to improving local communities:

  • The PNC Community Benefits Plan is a pledge to provide $88 in financial support over a five-year period to moderate and low-income communities. PNC has provided loans to small businesses, mortgage financing, community investments, and charitable donations.
  • PNC hosts multiple employee volunteerism programs, including skills-based and pro bono work programs that allow PNC legal professionals to lend their services to nonprofits in their local communities.

CSR Takeaway

If your business has multiple locations, consider CSR programs that allow you to address local needs. For example, employee volunteer programs enable employees to give back to their unique communities. This type of initiative allows you to adapt to a variety of situations and needs rather than creating one program with blanket policies.

Corporate Social Responsibility Examples: More Resources

There are as many ways to approach CSR as there are businesses operating. The examples in this guide are a strong place to start to inspire your own CSR efforts to positively impact your community, all while boosting relationships with customers and employees.

Of course, to create the transformative programs listed here, these companies started with a strong foundational knowledge of CSR best practices. Continue to expand your business’s expertise with resources like these:

Ready to boost employee donations with auto-submission? Discover if your CSR software has auto-submission functionality! Get in touch.