Today’s marketers rely on customer data to make informed decisions to inspire interest, increase engagement, and ultimately sell their products and services.
In the nonprofit space, nonprofit marketing and fundraising professionals stand to gain from strategically collecting, maintaining, and leveraging the donor data stored in their organization’s CRMs. But your supporters move, get new email addresses, and their information changes over time. That means your data can quickly become outdated, which is where data appending swoops in to save the day.
Updating and gathering data manually can be a taxing process, but data appending uses automation to streamline the work for you. We’ll clear up confusion surrounding the process to help you transform your CRM into an effective tool your nonprofit’s fundraising and marketing efforts can rely on.
What Is A Data Append?
A data append is the process of adding missing or updating existing data points in an organization’s database. The process involves comparing the information in the nonprofit’s current database to that stored in a larger, more comprehensive data source. Data append services use external data sources to fill gaps in data, including:
- Contact details
- Demographic data
- Behavioral information
- Employment details
All kinds of organizations use data appends, including for-profit businesses, charitable nonprofits, and political campaigns. For example, have you ever gotten a text message promoting a candidate in an upcoming election even though you can’t recall sharing your phone number with any political causes? Chances are they got your information—your name, phone number, and political party registration—from a data append.
For nonprofits, specifically, data appends allow them to maintain clean donor data and gain more comprehensive insights into their supporters when they have limited information. Ultimately, accurate data can help your organization learn more about your supporters, leading to better tailored fundraising and donor cultivation strategies.
Why Is Data Appending Important?
At its core, data appending enhances your data quality by filling in gaps and correcting inaccuracies. With this information, you can strengthen your donor management and make the most of each dollar spent on your data append.
There are all sorts of situations nonprofits might find themselves in where a data append is the right answer, including:
- Missing key information. Do all of your nonprofit’s various forms require supporters to complete all core fields? For instance, your email newsletter subscription might only ask supporters for their name and email, meaning you’ll miss all of those supporters’ phone numbers. Not to mention information you’re unlikely to ask supporters for but is still useful, like demographic data.
- Current information is outdated. As mentioned, your supporters aren’t static, and many donors aren’t going to think to update your nonprofit when they change addresses, start using a new email, or even change their names. An append keeps you up to date, helping you maintain your connections to each supporter over time.
- Data got lost. It’s not ideal but it happens: your nonprofit lost data when migrating systems, something with your technology went wrong and information needs to be deleted, or someone just made a mistake and got rid of data you needed. Appends are your nonprofit’s lifeline in these scenarios.
But beyond simply cleaning up your donor database, you stand to benefit a lot from the appending process. Backed by accurate and complete data from the append, you can:
- Personalize outreach: Marketers use data to personalize communication, content, and offers to match each recipient’s needs and preferences. Customizing outreach to suit individual donors makes for a memorable supporter experience. Appending demographic and behavioral data can help nonprofits personalize communication.
- Update contact information: When a supporter’s information does change, appending emails, phone numbers, and other contact information allows you to stay connected without needing to get in touch with them.
- Cultivate donor relationships: Sending appeals based on accurate data allows you to present valuable engagement opportunities and communicate that you care about each individual donor. When you send messages that fit donors’ interests and demographic details, they’re more likely to respond positively to your outreach.
Ultimately, data appending can enhance your understanding of supporters, which will shine through in your outreach. With your append, you get the data you need to drive greater fundraising outcomes and forge stronger supporter relationships.
How Data Appending Works
At the surface level, data appending seems like a simple process, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure accuracy and completeness. For the most part, your provider will take care of all the nitty-gritty details, such as gathering the data, ensuring it’s accurate, and formatting it to easily fit into your CRM.
Here, we offer a look behind the scenes of what your provider will do to make sure the data will be usable for your nonprofit:
- Format the data from the nonprofit to be consistent, usually in a comma-separated value (CSV) format, in order to be analyzed correctly.
- Upload the data into a single file and send it via the service’s secure file transfer protocol.
- Match the organization’s database with the data in the external source by using your donors’ unique identifiers, such as their names, addresses, and phone numbers.
- Enhance the data by filling in missing information and correcting inaccurate data based on the corresponding records in the organization’s database.
- Verify and validate the appended data to ensure accuracy and completeness. This ensures the supplemental data is high-quality and will be useful for the client, which in this case is your nonprofit.
- Send the data file to the client to be downloaded for their use. The file can be offered in essentially any format your nonprofit needs.
On your nonprofit’s end, the process is much simpler. From the nonprofit perspective, all you need to do is send your constituent information to a provider. You can streamline the process by taking the time to clean your database beforehand by removing duplicate information, unnecessary data, and donor profiles you don’t need (such as the information of deceased and long-since lapsed donors).
But if you just want to send your data append provider your database information in its current state, you can do that, too. Whatever the state of your database, your service provider will take it from there!
Types of Data You Can Append
As a nonprofit marketer, you’re likely flooded with new data points at every turn. With all the constituent data you collect through volunteer registrations, event sign-ups, and donations, it can be challenging to filter it down to the most helpful details.
When it comes to data appending, we already know the burning question on everyone’s mind: What information is actually worth appending?
Before getting an append, ensure you know which information will actually propel your marketing and fundraising efforts forward. While the append service will be happy to take you as a client, purchasing data you don’t need is far from the best use of your nonprofit’s resources.
Of course, what is the right data depends on your nonprofit’s unique situation. To help you get an idea of what you should request, here’s an overview of the most common types of data nonprofits need from appends:
As the graphic shows, there are a wide number of specific data points you can get from an append, but all of these can be sorted into roughly three categories.
Contact Information
Like we’ve touched on, your constituents move, change their phone numbers, and get new email addresses all the time. Having accurate contact information allows you to successfully deliver appeals and stay in contact without interruption.
Leverage data appending to verify contact information, including:
- Phone numbers. Contacting donors via text or phone call is one of the most personal ways you can connect with your supporters. It also opens the door to innovative fundraising strategies like text banking and text-to-give. Phone number appends ensure you have the right phone number for each supporter at all times.
- Email addresses. Email marketing remains one of the most lucrative digital marketing avenues for nonprofits. Whether you’re making fundraising appeals, sending out volunteer schedules, or providing an update on your latest project, make sure you have the right email addresses for supporters with this data append.
- Postal addresses. Digital marketing might be the default for your outreach, but some supporters still prefer the personal touch of direct mail. Plus, knowing people’s addresses allows you to send them engagement opportunities based on their location, such as inviting nearby supporters to in-person events and remote ones to virtual activities. Ensure your solicitations, thank-you letters, and event invitations are delivered to the right addresses with a postal address append.
- Social profiles. As a marketer, you know the immense power that social media holds to connect you with a global audience. Get in touch with current supporters and inspire them to share your cause online by finding their social media profiles. Boost your presence online by reaching out to loyal supporters to ask them to follow you and share your posts.
Communication is the foundation of nearly all nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, making this one of the most helpful types of data appends. If your email bounce rates have skyrocketed or you get sent straight to voicemail, a data append can verify whether you have the right contact details for constituents.
Employer Data
We can’t emphasize the importance of corporate philanthropy enough. Between matching gifts and volunteer grants, your nonprofit has a lot to gain from promoting these opportunities to supporters.
However, to promote these opportunities to the right supporters who actually qualify, you need accurate employer data for constituents. That’s where an employer append comes in handy. NXUnite’s guide to data appending explains that knowing employment details empowers your team to:
- Uncover corporate giving opportunities. Knowing where your donors and volunteers work enables you to find their employers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines. Then, you can determine your supporters’ eligibility for matching donations and volunteer grants.
- Identify corporate partnerships. If several of your supporters work for the same company, that’s an indicator that the business might be a strong candidate for a corporate partnership, such as a sponsorship or an arranged corporate volunteer day. Use that information to kickstart a conversation with the company. You might even have supporters facilitate introductions with company leaders.
- Estimate wealth data. While not a direct wealth indicator, knowing who employs your donors and what their roles are can help you estimate their incomes and giving abilities. Though append services can’t provide you with donors’ salary information, some may be able to provide job titles, which at the very least lets you know if a donor is working in an entry-level position or has risen to a senior management position.
Between driving donor engagement and establishing meaningful corporate partnerships, employer appending has quite a few benefits worth looking into. We recommend pulling this information if you’re looking to tap into the world of corporate giving or need help identifying major giving prospects.
Demographics
A supporter’s demographics can give you insight into their backgrounds, values, and philanthropic priorities. This type of data append allows you to extract important background details like:
- Net worth
- Ages and dates of birth
- Gender
- Ethnicity and race
- Marital status
- Political affiliation
- Lifestyle attributes like hobbies and interests
Whether you want to send a birthday gift or verify contacts have a certain political affiliation, demographic data appends allow you to deliver highly personalized outreach that speaks to supporters’ interests.
Other Resources to Explore
Appends provide nonprofits with the data they need to strengthen their support relationships, build lasting connections, and make strategic marketing decisions. Supplement and update your database with the information you need to stay current with your supporters’ busy lives.
The right append for your nonprofit depends on your engagement strategy and current data-gathering practices. Curious to learn more about data appending? Check out these breakdowns on specific append types:
Double the Donation & Neon CRM Enhance Integration to Further Fuel Matching Gift Success with Donation Form Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerNeon CRM and Double the Donation are excited to announce their recent integration enhancement. These partners have collaborated to help drive greater matching gift success for organizations that utilize their integration.
Double the Donation and Neon CRM’s integration helps nonprofits initiate the matching gift conversation with donors. That powerful CRM integration continues to automate personalized, tailored, and effective matching gift outreach to donors following their contribution. With this enhancement and expanded functionality, Double the Donation can now also integrate directly into Neon CRM donation forms. By integrating Double hte Donation into those forms, organizations can identify eligible donors earlier on in the donor journey and provide personalized matching gift next steps in a timely, efficient manner.
This integration captures employment data during the giving process, helping organizations more easily discover their donors’ match eligibility. Once donors enter their employment information on Neon CRM’s giving forms, Double the Donation prepares to present eligible donors their matching gift next steps on the confirmation page. Because the integration delivers those matching gift next steps close to the actual point of donation, the chances a donor completes those steps and organizations receive that revenue increases multifold.
“Donors often lack awareness of their matching gift eligibility and matching gift next steps. As a result, nonprofits often miss out on valuable matching gift opportunities,” says Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “This enhanced integration with Neon CRM will close that matching gift revenue gap by allowing organizations to engage donors in the matching gift process earlier.”
Double the Donation and Neon CRM donation forms integrate seamlessly to elevate fundraising success. By leveraging this enhanced integration, organizations will drive more matching gifts to completion with less effort and manual steps required.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
Activating Double the Donation on Neon CRM donation forms is a quick process. Once organizations navigate to the integration section within the Neon CRM global settings tab, they just need to retrieve their public and private API keys from their Double the Donation account and plug them into the Double the Donation Integration section. From there, organizations can drag and drop the search field onto their existing forms to begin leveraging the integration!
Once the integration is active on organizations’ donation forms, their donors will be able to determine their eligibility and receive their matching gift next steps on the confirmation page.
Organizations that use this integration can expect to streamline the matching gift process and earn more from this funding source.
Want to learn more? Check out our in-depth integration guide to get started.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Double the Donation ensures your matching gift opportunities don’t fall through the cracks.
Take advantage of this solution to:
Ready to drive matching gifts for your next fundraising effort? Schedule a personalized demo to learn how matching gifts can fund your mission.
About NeonOne: Neon provides technology with a purpose to further your mission. Their nonprofit tech solutions help grow communities, inspire audiences, and scale impact. To learn more, visit: https://neonone.com/get-started/
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more visit https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
Nonprofit Basics: Employee Engagement Ideas
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerAs a mission-driven organization, it’s important for your nonprofit to have employees that are invested in and passionate about their work. In other words, it’s critical to the nature of nonprofit work to have engaged employees who want to drive your mission forward and deliver results for your beneficiaries.
While that might seem obvious, it is a little easier said than done. According to Gallup, only 36% of U.S. employees are engaged at work. Nonprofits face unique challenges when it comes to employee engagement, not the least of which is that they have to compete with the for-profit sector for talent and often have limited resources to work with when honing the employee experience. Actively pursuing ways to engage your employees can help with this issue.
What is nonprofit employee engagement?
Employee engagement refers to how your employees feel about their jobs and how invested they are in your organization’s larger goals. Engaged employees are passionate about their work, enjoy their jobs, and feel satisfied with how they are valued and compensated for their efforts. They’re also very loyal to the organizations they work for and are more likely to stay retained in their roles.
Fostering employee engagement and overall satisfaction is an important part of nonprofit HR, which manages all aspects of the employee lifecycle. From recruiting to exit interviews, keeping the entire employee experience in mind can help you strategize to come up with employee engagement ideas that boost employee retention and help you meet employee needs.
6 Ideas for Engaging Your Nonprofit Employees
Nonprofit employee engagement is essential for building up a strong internal team that can drive your mission forward. These ideas can help you fine-tune your own organization’s strategy:
Give Them Meaningful and Challenging Work.
Menial, repetitive tasks aren’t fun for anyone. Employees should be doing meaningful work that challenges them and helps them tap into their strengths and build new skills. Employees won’t be innovative and excited about their work if they feel their skills are undervalued or that they aren’t really contributing to a larger purpose.
Make sure you give them meaningful work that puts their skills to use. They’ll feel much more fulfilled this way!
Provide Opportunities For Continued Learning And Career Development.
Employees don’t want a stagnant experience at your organization. To encourage continued growth, provide them with opportunities to do things like:
There should also be a clear-cut path for career development and growth so that employees know how they can advance in their roles. For example, employees should have access to knowledge about how they could pursue becoming a manager or director and feel able to discuss those opportunities with their manager.
Start An Employee Recognition Program.
An employee recognition program sets up a formal framework for acknowledging staff members for their work and accomplishments. Implementing these programs shows your employees that you see the hard work they’re doing on your nonprofit’s behalf. Some common examples of these programs include:
Regularly recognizing employees’ accomplishments and progress lets them know you’re paying attention and value their hard work. Plus, don’t forget to appreciate your remote employees as well. Since these staff members work virtually, it’s easy for them to feel disconnected from the workplace. Implementing a recognition program for them can make them feel more engaged in their jobs and help them form connections with other employees.
Celebrate Milestones and Special Days With eCards.
Recognizing milestones and reaching out on special occasions communicates that you care about employees beyond their day-to-day work at your company. From celebrating anniversaries to spreading cheer during the holidays, online greeting cards have so many great uses, which is why they make the perfect addition to your employee engagement program.
Not to mention, they’re incredibly low-cost, so this initiative won’t take much to fund. Here are some special occasions that you might celebrate for your employees:
Create work eCard designs for different occasions like these. Then, personalize the message you send with each one. Employees will feel appreciated and engaged in no time!
Hone Your Organization’s Internal Culture.
Liven up your work atmosphere and make sure employees have fun. Encourage employees to get to know their coworkers by hosting parties and events. Surprise your employees with fun perks to make them feel appreciated.
Cultivate an atmosphere of positivity and openness so that concerns don’t fester and employees are comfortable in their work environment.
Be Transparent With Your Employees.
Being honest about the good and the not-so-good will show your employees that you see them as valuable team members that should be included in organizational happenings. Show your employees that you care about them by addressing issues honestly and focusing on solutions for moving forward.
If employees feel like they can bring up issues with management, then you’re more likely to catch potential problems before they’ve fully evolved. Not to mention, employees who feel cared for are more likely to care about their work.
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more about nonprofit management essentials by exploring other expert resources.
Working With a Nonprofit Human Resources Consultant – An HR consultant can provide a third-party perspective on how your nonprofit handles employee relationships and help you to improve. Learn more in this guide.
Compensation Consulting: The Ultimate Guide (+ Top Firms!) – Compensation affects employee satisfaction. Working with a compensation consultant is a great option for nonprofits looking to hone their approach. Start exploring these recommendations!
11 Exceptional Capital Campaign Consulting Firms to Consider
/in Learning Center, Corporate Consulting /by Adam WeingerPlanning for a capital campaign is a huge endeavor, and even the most experienced nonprofits need some assistance. Your nonprofit can get help by hiring a capital campaign consultant or a capital campaign consulting firm.
To make sure we’re on the same page, a capital campaign consultant is a professional adviser that can provide counsel on how to plan for your campaign. Consultants can help complete common capital campaign tasks, such as performing a feasibility study, writing a case for support, and training your leadership.
You can hire a consultant to assist you throughout the duration of the campaign or for just a few small tasks here and there.
If you’re not sure who to hire, we’ve compiled the top capital campaign consulting firms that you can consider.
In case you were wondering, we picked these top capital campaign consulting firms based on client satisfaction, knowledge of capital campaigns, and strength of approach.
1. Convergent Nonprofit Solutions — Top Capital Campaign Consultant for Hands-On Fundraising
Overview
Convergent Nonprofit Solutions is a capital campaign consulting firm with decades of experience meeting nonprofit fundraising goals and fulfilling visions. Their team constantly strives to exceed funding expectations by positioning your organization as a valuable community asset that positively impacts the community and warrants large-scale investment.
Convergent’s team combines their expertise in nonprofits, fundraising, and business principles to engage funders’ rational decision-making and demonstrate your organization’s value.
A cornerstone of Convergent’s strategy is the belief that your organization is worthy of funding because of the good work you do. Instead of using the term “donors,” they refer to them as “investors” to reflect the relationship between your nonprofit and individuals who are passionate about your organization’s work and willing to contribute. Convergent is dedicated to aiding your nonprofit in delivering the results and impact your investors expect.
Services
Convergent offers many services, including:
What sets Convergent apart from other capital campaign consultants is their hands-on approach to fundraising. They don’t just coach you through the process—they handle it for you, including making asks from your nonprofit’s investors. Convergent leverages their Investment Driven Model™ for fundraising to help clearly articulate the value each nonprofit delivers to various stakeholders and funders to cultivate a deeper understanding of each nonprofit’s value proposition to their community.
Type of Client
Convergent works with nonprofits that need to secure significant funding for capital projects, operational sustainability, or program expansion, as well as comprehensive campaigns that align various funding streams and priorities. Some of their most prestigious clients include The Rodale Institute, Alamo Colleges District, various YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs chapters, and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce.
This capital campaign consulting firm is proud to work with organizations of all sizes in all sectors.
Location
Convergent is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, but works with organizations nationwide in the U.S.
2. Orr Group – Top Capital Campaign Consultant for End-to-End Campaign Support
Distinguishing feature: Full-service nonprofit expertise
Overview
Orr Group provides end-to-end campaign strategy and management, helping nonprofits move seamlessly from feasibility through completion. Acting as an extension of your team, their fundraising experts build comprehensive campaign plans and provide hands-on support to ensure successful execution.
They approach capital campaigns holistically, recognizing that the strongest campaigns are integrated with an organization’s overall fundraising and strategy. By drawing on expertise in areas such as fundraising, planned giving, HR, strategic planning, and more, Orr Group ensures campaigns align with broader mission goals and use every available lever to maximize long-term impact.
At the heart of their approach is embedded partnership, data-informed solutions, and a business mindset that drives sustainable impact. Orr Group balances immediate fundraising results with long-term sustainability, delivering campaigns that amplify mission outcomes well beyond the campaign’s close.
Services
Orr Group’s key capital campaign offerings include:
Type of Client
With more than 30 years of experience, Orr Group has a proven track record of leading transformational campaigns from $10 million to over $1 billion. They specialize in engaging high-potential donors, developing compelling cases, and designing strategies that build lasting relationships. Their tailored, relationship-based approach helps ambitious organizations of all types achieve sustainable growth aligned with mission and values. Clients span sectors including education, healthcare, arts and culture, animal welfare, the environment, and human services.
Location
Orr Group is comprised of comprised of smart, hardworking people who share a passion and vision for a better, more equitable world. With 75+ staff members and offices in Washington, DC and New York City, Orr Group has helped more than 1,000 nonprofits locally, nationally, and globally advance their missions.
3. BWF – Top Capital Campaign Consultant for Data-Driven Insights
Overview
BWF is a trusted fundraising consulting partner for nonprofits in the higher education, healthcare, faith-based, public and human services, environment and animals, and arts and culture sectors. For over 40 years, BWF has worked with purpose-driven organizations to build capacity and achieve long-term goals.
Organizations turn to this fundraising partner when they’re ready to launch their most ambitious campaigns yet—and the results speak for themselves. With BWF’s help, one client saw year-end fundraising revenue increase by 51% and first-time donor retention increase by 25%.
Driven by values like tenacity, optimism, and collaboration, BWF’s team manages all partner relationships with transparency and respect.
Services
BWF’s core capabilities include:
BWF leverages capacity-building and data science services to help organizations get campaigns up and running smoothly.
Type of Client
BWF offers both a global and local perspective as well as extensive practical experience working with a variety of sectors, allowing them to partner with nonprofit organizations from diverse backgrounds. Hospitals, universities, foundations, arts and culture organizations, and other purpose-driven organizations have all found success from partnering with BWF.
Location
BWF is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but they are proud to work with local, national, and international organizations.
4. Aly Sterling Philanthropy — Top Capital Campaign Consultant for Assessments
Overview
Aly Sterling Philanthropy is a full-service consulting firm, with years of experience guiding organizations through capital campaigns.
Their team is comprised of experienced professionals that understand the importance of strong leadership and a solid infrastructure.
When working with Aly Sterling Philanthropy, the consultants will conduct a Philanthropy Blueprint, which is a 6-step process that assesses your organization to pinpoint where you need the most help.
Services
Aly Sterling offers services, such as:
In addition to the services listed above, their website includes resources to help nonprofits navigate the planning process for capital campaigns (and other fundraisers!).
Type of Client
Aly Sterling Philanthropy, a member of The Giving Institute, has worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Toledo, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia, and Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity.
They are proud to work with organizations of any size that serve a range of causes, including arts and culture, healthcare, and social justice advocacy.
Location
While headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Aly Sterling welcomes clients located anywhere in the United States.
5. Donorly – Top Capital Campaign Consultant for First Campaigns
Overview
Donorly was founded on the idea that small and mid-size nonprofits should have access to the same resources as larger organizations, especially when it comes to donor research.
The capital campaign consultants at Donorly specialize in helping smaller nonprofits launch their very first capital campaigns. And they’re good at it—they’ve helped organizations raise over $300 million and triple their fundraising revenue.
With their human-centered approach, the Donorly team can be by your side throughout every phase of your campaign, ultimately helping you kickstart your nonprofit’s long-term growth.
Services
Donorly’s main services include:
Along with capital campaigns, Donorly specializes in major donor research and cultivation strategies. If you’re worried about finding enough major donors for your campaign, Donorly is the perfect choice.
Type of Client
Donorly’s capital campaign consultants work most often with small to mid-size nonprofits, especially those launching their first major campaigns.
Some of Donorly’s notable past clients include the New York Theatre Workshop, RIP Medical Debt, the Seattle Children’s Museum, and Playwrights Horizons.
Location
The Donorly team is headquartered in New York City, but they work with nonprofits across the country.
6. Averill Fundraising Solutions — Top Capital Campaign Consultant for Capacity Building
Overview
When you hire Averill Fundraising Solutions to serve as your capital campaign consultant, you can trust you’re gaining a partner that has diverse experience throughout the nonprofit sector.
Averill’s consultants can help your team during the pre-planning phase by developing key collateral (like case statements and prospect lists), or they can stay on for the whole campaign as your capital campaign’s director.
Since they have over 75 years of experience working with charities, faith-based organizations, schools, and other nonprofits, they’ll be ready to take on any challenge your capital campaign presents.
Depending on your needs, they may even embed a capital campaign consultant in your organization to provide extra guidance from the inside out.
Services
You can rely on Averill for:
With any of these services, Averill’s capital campaign consultants will stay with you every step of the way as partners.
Type of Client
Large organizations representing a wide variety of interests have consulted with Averill in the past, including the Salvation Army in Sierra del Mar, California, and the Boys and Girls Club in Newark, New Jersey.
Averill also partners with mature organizations at a smaller scale to help them grow into the institutions they want to become.
Location
Located in New York, Averill is in the neighborhood of some of the top major gift giving prospects in the United States. However, the firm works with organizations all across the U.S. and Canada.
7. Capital Campaign Pro — Our Top Pick for Digital Resources & Advising
Overview
We understand that not every campaign director will desire the assistance of traditional capital campaign consulting. For those nonprofit professionals, we recommend Capital Campaign Pro.
Capital Campaign Pro is the only fully online, virtual campaign resource for nonprofits.
Their system breaks capital campaigns out into a seven-phase plan, spanning from pre-campaign planning to post-campaign analysis. Along the way, it empowers nonprofit professionals with the knowledge, confidence, resources, and expert support needed to hold an effective capital campaign.
Services
Capital Campaign Pro includes the following features and services:
Capital Campaign Pro (as well as comprehensive free resources on its website, such as this guide to capital campaigns) empowers nonprofit professionals to successfully navigate their next capital campaign on their own terms. However, you can also work with their team of expert advisors for additional support.
Type of Client
Capital Campaign Pro was created for leaders of all size nonprofits who:
Whether due to budgetary constraints or poor experiences with consultants in the past, this system was created for those seeking a refreshing campaign experience.
Location
Capital Campaign Pro is a fully online, virtual resource that is incredibly accessible for nonprofit leaders across the country and around the world. This means that regardless of location, your organization can make the most of the its resources.
8. Alexander Haas
Overview
As one of the leading fundraising consulting firms in the nation and a member of The Giving Institute, Alexander Haas has years of experience planning capital campaigns.
In their own words, they “know what it takes to be successful in today’s philanthropic marketplace and how to help you get the results it takes to prosper.”
Services
Nonprofits interested in Alexander Haas will find services that include:
They provide services for more than just capital campaigns; nonprofits can get assistance with their annual fund or donor stewardship.
Type of Client
Educational and faith-based institutions are some of the common types of clients that the consultants at Alexander Haas work with. Plus, they work with any size organization, large or small.
Location
The Alexander Haas consulting firm is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
9. Brian Lacy and Associates
Overview
Brian Lacy and Associates is a fundraising and data services consulting firm with 3 decades of experience providing “leading industry resources and veteran talent to maximize what your [nonprofit] team can do across the giving spectrum.”
They have helped over 400 organizations raise more than $1 billion in contributions.
Services
If you need help with your capital campaign, Brian Lacy and Associates offers many different services for your nonprofit.
They cover services like:
Type of Client
Some of their clients include Brooklyn College Foundation, Appalachian State University, and Mississippi State. In addition to educational institutions, they aid healthcare and art and culture organizations.
Location
Brian Lacy and Associates is located in Houston, Texas.
10. J.F. Smith Group
Overview
The J.F. Smith Group has over 25 years of capital campaign experience to help guide nonprofits throughout their fundraising.
Their goal is “helping clients fulfill their dreams through a unique, professionally directed development partnership.”
Services
One of the most important parts of a capital campaign is the feasibility study, and J.F. Smith Group will conduct interviews with participants so you don’t have to!
Additionally, J.F. Smith Group can also help with:
Aside from capital campaigns, nonprofits can hire J.F. Smith for other fundraising projects as well.
Type of client
The J.F. Smith Group works with medium-sized organizations. They’ve worked with clients such as Auburn Humane Society, Jacksonville State University, and Auburn University.
Location
J.F. Smith Group is headquartered in Auburn, Alabama.
11. The Curtis Group Consultants
Overview
Founded in 1989, The Curtis Group has over 25 years of experience working with nonprofits to improve their fundraising.
Their philosophy is “To be there. For you. With you. Working alongside you in every phase of the campaign until you reach your goal.”
Services
The Curtis Group can handle many aspects of a nonprofit’s capital campaign, from the initial planning to training your board of directors.
Along with creating a unified brand for a capital campaign, The Curtis Group can help design and create:
Type of client
The Curtis Group has worked with over 150 arts and culture, educational, and healthcare organizations. While they work with any size organization, The Curtis Group finds that they can provide the best services to small and medium size nonprofits.
Location
The Curtis Group is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
12. Gail Perry Group
Overview
Founded in 1994, the Gail Perry Group has spent over 25 years helping nonprofits of all kinds reach their goals through effective capital campaigns, major giving programs, and fundraising strategies.
The Gail Perry Group uses a proprietary data-driven methodology, Campaigns by the Numbers, to identify hidden major gift opportunities for clients. GPG also helps clients learn the easy Conversational Ask method of securing transformational gifts from happy donors.
Services
Gail Perry Group offers services such as:
Type of client
The Gail Perry Group worked with nonprofits of all sizes. Former clients include schools and universities, health organizations, foundations, arts and culture institutions, and many other nonprofits.
Location
The Gail Perry Group is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and works nationally.
Additional Capital Campaign Resources
Guide to Capital Campaigns
Brush up on capital campaign basics and best practices before hiring a consultant. This guide provides the strategies to help you raise more money during your campaign.
Keep reading if you want to learn the ins and outs of capital campaigns!
Planning a Capital Campaign
Launching a capital campaign requires a lot of planning. That’s why we’ve found this guide so helpful! It details every step to help you get through the planning phase.
Keep reading if you’re looking for a step-by-step guide to planning your capital campaign.
Capital Campaign Consultant
Finding the best-fit capital campaign consultant for your nonprofit isn’t always easy, and you’ll want to know what to expect during this comprehensive hiring process.
Averill Fundraising Solutions has the guide you need to make your decision.
Keela Chooses Double the Donation for Advanced Matching Gifts Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Keela are excited to announce a new integration between Keela’s online donation forms and Double the Donation. The new integration and partnership will empower nonprofits of all sizes to seize their opportunity to raise more from matching gifts, engage with their donor base, and benefit from advanced tracking.
With an activated integration, donors can search their company name on the donation page and discover their match eligibility details on the confirmation page. Nonprofit organizations can then see where their supporters work and stay up-to-date with matching gift submission progress. Together, the two solutions create value for nonprofits looking to increase their matching gift revenue.
“We’re thrilled to provide eager nonprofit clients with the integrated solution they’ve been asking for between Keela and Double the Donation,” says Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Nonprofits were confident about the value this integration would bring them, and we can’t help but agree!”
Read on to find out more about how this integration helps nonprofits raise more from matching gifts.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
Getting started with the Double the Donation and Keela integration only takes a few minutes and a couple of steps. When a nonprofit organization is ready to start their integration, they can activate using their unique Double the Donation API keys.
Once these keys are placed and verified in Keela, orgs can easily add Double the Donation tools to any desired forms to maximize matching gift potential.
Toggle on the Double the Donation feature to add Double the Donation functionality to donation forms.
After this step is complete, the fundraising begins! Donors will then be able to navigate their giving experience with matching gifts in mind, thanks to the Double the Donation auto-complete search tool and matching gift plugin present on Keela donation forms and confirmation pages.
Donors can learn more about matching gifts, discover their eligibility, and take next steps to getting their gift matched – whether that be via a direct link to their matching gifts experience or an opportunity to automatically submit their match from the confirmation page.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Keela and Double the Donation are proud to provide a solution that makes matching as easy as 1-2-3: activate, search, match!
Check out these additional features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Keela and Double the Donation.
About Keela: Keela is a fundraising-focused software company on the cutting edge of innovation in the sector. Our mission is to serve and support every organization that is empowering positive change. Our uniquely powerful solution bridges the gap between fundraising and communications that exists in other solutions. This allows nonprofits to improve donor relations through a targeted, multi-channel approach. Keela is officially certified as a B-Corp. This means we’re always prioritizing people over profit and never forgetting our commitment to the communities in which we operate.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.
How to Collect, Manage, and Use Your Nonprofit’s Donor Data
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerBetween donations, events, and volunteer participation, you collect donor data constantly. The rise of fundraising technology and nonprofit digital marketing has only made data more accessible, and that can be a great thing for professional fundraisers!
Your donor data is incredibly valuable. It provides you with insight into who your donors are, what motivates them to support your cause, and how you can keep your cause top of mind.
In this quick guide, we’ll share the fundamentals of managing your nonprofit’s donor data, so you don’t let yours go to waste!
What Is Donor Data?
Donor data refers to the information that nonprofits collect about their individual donors. The most common types of supporter data organizations store include:
To organize this information, nonprofits typically store data in a donor database or a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Nonprofits can integrate external tools (such as online donation forms and event management software), so new donor details will automatically be added to supporters’ profiles within the main database.
Why Is Donor Data Important?
Data fuels today’s fundraising efforts. As we mentioned, you collect data at every turn. When you leverage this data thoughtfully, your nonprofit can experience these benefits:
Between highlighting the right engagement opportunities and communicating impact, your organization stands to gain a lot from effective donor data management practices. Of course, to properly manage donor data, you first need to collect the right details.
What Donor Data Should We Collect?
The more information you have about your donors, the better prepared your organization will be to tailor your fundraising efforts and communication strategies to meet individual needs and preferences. This ultimately fosters deeper donor engagement and maximizes philanthropic support for your cause!
Understanding giving histories, communication preferences, interests, and more enables your organization to craft targeted appeals that foster long-term donor loyalty. While we briefly touched on common types of supporter data nonprofits gather, it’s worth a closer look. There is a range of data you should collect to set your team up for success.
Some of the highlights include:
Storing this kind of information will empower you to separate your community into meaningful segments and deliver targeted fundraising appeals to each group.
Knowing who your supporters are depends on your ability to collect and synthesize the right data. Doing so will ultimately empower you to experience the benefits we mentioned earlier.
How to Effectively Manage Donor Data
You know why you should collect details and have all the right information about supporters. Now, how can you leverage that data to drive deeper relationships?
Let’s take a look at three recommendations for maintaining a clean CRM and ensuring your donor relationships thrive.
Use Data Appends to Build Stronger Profiles.
You won’t know everything about your supporters. But did you know you can use reliable data sources to enhance your donor profiles and append missing or outdated data elements in your database?
When you leverage a trustworthy data append service, you can pull details like these to inform your strategy:
Then, backed with these fresh new donor insights, your team will be empowered to…
Luckily, the appending process is fairly straightforward. Your team will send a file with donor data for each constituent to your appends provider. Then, the appending company matches the information you supply to a larger, external database with updated information. Some providers will even conduct manual checks to make sure the appended data is accurate!
Use Your Donor Data to Personalize Communication.
Donor relationships are built on establishing personal connections. Show individuals that you care about them individually by using donor data to:
Your donor data can take your nonprofit marketing up a notch. Today’s CRMs allow you to store pretty much any information you want, so you can form meaningful segments and deliver the right messages to the right groups.
Protect Donor Data By Taking Security Precautions.
When someone gives to your organization, they’re entrusting you with their personal information. Failing to take proper security precautions can result in a violation of that trust. If your donor data falls into the wrong hands, you might even lose some of your donors altogether.
To avoid this, here are a few security steps any nonprofit should take when handling donor data:
Increased reliance on technology can be a benefit and a challenge all at once for nonprofits. While you can gather more information than you ever thought possible, unauthorized users can exploit system vulnerabilities to steal that information. Make sure to take every precaution you can to protect your donor data, and it’ll pay off!
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more nonprofit management essentials by exploring other expert resources.
Prospect Research: The Ultimate Guide for Nonprofits – Prospect research is the process of gathering information about your donors and prospects. Explore our prospect research guide to learn more.
What is a Data Append and Why Does it Matter for Nonprofits?
/in About Double the Donation, Learning Center, Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerToday’s marketers rely on customer data to make informed decisions to inspire interest, increase engagement, and ultimately sell their products and services.
In the nonprofit space, nonprofit marketing and fundraising professionals stand to gain from strategically collecting, maintaining, and leveraging the donor data stored in their organization’s CRMs. But your supporters move, get new email addresses, and their information changes over time. That means your data can quickly become outdated, which is where data appending swoops in to save the day.
Updating and gathering data manually can be a taxing process, but data appending uses automation to streamline the work for you. We’ll clear up confusion surrounding the process to help you transform your CRM into an effective tool your nonprofit’s fundraising and marketing efforts can rely on.
What Is A Data Append?
A data append is the process of adding missing or updating existing data points in an organization’s database. The process involves comparing the information in the nonprofit’s current database to that stored in a larger, more comprehensive data source. Data append services use external data sources to fill gaps in data, including:
All kinds of organizations use data appends, including for-profit businesses, charitable nonprofits, and political campaigns. For example, have you ever gotten a text message promoting a candidate in an upcoming election even though you can’t recall sharing your phone number with any political causes? Chances are they got your information—your name, phone number, and political party registration—from a data append.
For nonprofits, specifically, data appends allow them to maintain clean donor data and gain more comprehensive insights into their supporters when they have limited information. Ultimately, accurate data can help your organization learn more about your supporters, leading to better tailored fundraising and donor cultivation strategies.
Why Is Data Appending Important?
At its core, data appending enhances your data quality by filling in gaps and correcting inaccuracies. With this information, you can strengthen your donor management and make the most of each dollar spent on your data append.
There are all sorts of situations nonprofits might find themselves in where a data append is the right answer, including:
But beyond simply cleaning up your donor database, you stand to benefit a lot from the appending process. Backed by accurate and complete data from the append, you can:
Ultimately, data appending can enhance your understanding of supporters, which will shine through in your outreach. With your append, you get the data you need to drive greater fundraising outcomes and forge stronger supporter relationships.
How Data Appending Works
At the surface level, data appending seems like a simple process, but there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure accuracy and completeness. For the most part, your provider will take care of all the nitty-gritty details, such as gathering the data, ensuring it’s accurate, and formatting it to easily fit into your CRM.
Here, we offer a look behind the scenes of what your provider will do to make sure the data will be usable for your nonprofit:
On your nonprofit’s end, the process is much simpler. From the nonprofit perspective, all you need to do is send your constituent information to a provider. You can streamline the process by taking the time to clean your database beforehand by removing duplicate information, unnecessary data, and donor profiles you don’t need (such as the information of deceased and long-since lapsed donors).
But if you just want to send your data append provider your database information in its current state, you can do that, too. Whatever the state of your database, your service provider will take it from there!
Types of Data You Can Append
As a nonprofit marketer, you’re likely flooded with new data points at every turn. With all the constituent data you collect through volunteer registrations, event sign-ups, and donations, it can be challenging to filter it down to the most helpful details.
When it comes to data appending, we already know the burning question on everyone’s mind: What information is actually worth appending?
Before getting an append, ensure you know which information will actually propel your marketing and fundraising efforts forward. While the append service will be happy to take you as a client, purchasing data you don’t need is far from the best use of your nonprofit’s resources.
Of course, what is the right data depends on your nonprofit’s unique situation. To help you get an idea of what you should request, here’s an overview of the most common types of data nonprofits need from appends:
As the graphic shows, there are a wide number of specific data points you can get from an append, but all of these can be sorted into roughly three categories.
Contact Information
Like we’ve touched on, your constituents move, change their phone numbers, and get new email addresses all the time. Having accurate contact information allows you to successfully deliver appeals and stay in contact without interruption.
Leverage data appending to verify contact information, including:
Communication is the foundation of nearly all nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, making this one of the most helpful types of data appends. If your email bounce rates have skyrocketed or you get sent straight to voicemail, a data append can verify whether you have the right contact details for constituents.
Employer Data
We can’t emphasize the importance of corporate philanthropy enough. Between matching gifts and volunteer grants, your nonprofit has a lot to gain from promoting these opportunities to supporters.
However, to promote these opportunities to the right supporters who actually qualify, you need accurate employer data for constituents. That’s where an employer append comes in handy. NXUnite’s guide to data appending explains that knowing employment details empowers your team to:
Between driving donor engagement and establishing meaningful corporate partnerships, employer appending has quite a few benefits worth looking into. We recommend pulling this information if you’re looking to tap into the world of corporate giving or need help identifying major giving prospects.
Demographics
A supporter’s demographics can give you insight into their backgrounds, values, and philanthropic priorities. This type of data append allows you to extract important background details like:
Whether you want to send a birthday gift or verify contacts have a certain political affiliation, demographic data appends allow you to deliver highly personalized outreach that speaks to supporters’ interests.
Other Resources to Explore
Appends provide nonprofits with the data they need to strengthen their support relationships, build lasting connections, and make strategic marketing decisions. Supplement and update your database with the information you need to stay current with your supporters’ busy lives.
The right append for your nonprofit depends on your engagement strategy and current data-gathering practices. Curious to learn more about data appending? Check out these breakdowns on specific append types:
Double the Donation and Fundmetric Answer the Call for Advanced Matching Gifts Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation is proud to unveil a new partnership with the fundraising AI ecosystem Fundmetric to provide integrated matching gifts functionality to schools, universities, and nonprofits. Fundmetric and Double the Donation’s integration combines the power of the world’s leading matching gift automation platform with the modern flow Fundmetric’s fundraising environment.
If organizations’ donors have trouble navigating the world of matching gifts, or maybe don’t even know about matching gifts in the first place, this could mean thousands upon thousands of dollars of lost revenue for the nonprofits these donors support. Fundmetric and Double the Donation disrupt the status quo by introducing donors to their matching gift potentials.
“Schools and nonprofits miss out on billions of dollars each year in matching gift revenue, and we’re here to change that,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “We’re proud to offer our mutual clients an answer to their request for functionality that shakes up the matching gifts process for the better.”
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts
The activation process for organizations looking to activate their integration between Fundmetric and Double the Donation is quick and easy. All a verified user has to do is retrieve their public and private API keys from their Double the Donation account, plug them into their Fundmetric integration settings, and add Double the Donation’s tools anywhere they’d like within their desired Fundmetric donation forms.
Enter your public and private API keys to activate the integration.
Once this is complete, donors will be able to discover their match eligibility during their giving flow and take their next actions directly from the confirmation page.
Donors can discover details on their chosen company’s matching gift program.
Actionable analytics and real-time data flow into the organizations’ connected accounts so they can continue their matching gift strategy with personalized follow ups and more.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
Double the Donation and Fundmetric set out to complete an integration that utilized smart data, helped orgs get set up easily, and took donor impact to the next level. See more value from the integration with the following features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Fundmetric and Double the Donation.
About Fundmetric: Fundmetric is an AI data ecosystem that connects siloed data, enabling teams to maximize lifetime giving and increase predictability of revenue. Build your highest-converting lists and cultivate constituent interests using behavioral data and machine learning. Fundmetric’s flexible infrastructure leverages the ability to execute optimized campaigns and capture the attention of your donors in a noisy world. To learn more about Fundmetric visit https://www.fundmetric.com/ and request a demo at https://www.fundmetric.com/demoform.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com and request a demo at https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
Double the Donation and Givecloud Debut Matching Gifts Integration for Nonprofits
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation is proud to announce our new integration in partnership with Givecloud, making the matching gift process easier for nonprofits and donors alike.
The integrated solution offers an answer to nonprofits asking for a solution to streamline their matching gifts strategy for their online donors, closing the awareness gap that normally prevents nonprofit organizations from seeing matching gift success.
“Far too many donors are unaware of their matching gift potential when they make a gift to a nonprofit organization,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Our integration with Givecloud will help donors deepen their impact by enabling them to pursue a match with confidence.”
Read on to learn more about the new integrated solution!
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
The activation process for mutual users of 360MatchPro by Double the Donation and Givecloud is simple. All nonprofit organizations need to do is retrieve their API keys from their 360MatchPro account, plug them into their Givecloud settings page, and start raising more from matching gifts right away!
Simply enter your public and private API keys to activate your integration.
For donors who give on a Givecloud Fundraising Form, they’ll be presented with the opportunity to search their company name directly after making a payment. Then, they’ll receive automated emails from 360MatchPro prompting them to take their next steps and drive their match to completion.
Allow your donors to search their employer to find their eligibility.
The process is seamless from start to finish, making matching gifts as easy as making the initial donation. From here, nonprofits can track and manage their matching gifts strategy from their 360MatchPro platform.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with 360MatchPro!
The integration between Givecloud forms and 360MatchPro and Double the Donation unlock the door for nonprofit organizations to claim more matching gift revenue made available to them by their donors’ employers. Check out these additional features:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Givecloud and 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.
About Givecloud: Nonprofits use Givecloud’s innovative Trustraising™ platform to create digital fundraising experiences that excite donors and increase donations, advocacy and loyalty so they can spend more time and money on their mission and less on administration. Established nonprofits can easily integrate Givecloud with their existing donor management systems.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The 360MatchPro platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com and request a demo at https://360matchpro.com/demo-request/.
Haku Integrates with Double the Donation for Advanced Matching Gifts Functionality
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Haku have joined in collaboration to bring the power of matching gifts to nonprofit organizations by implementing integration between Haku donation forms and Double the Donation.
The new integration allows nonprofits to interact with their donors directly after a gift is made, presenting them with information about their company’s matching gift program and encouraging them to take their next steps toward matching gift request submission.
“Double the Donation has been the leader in matching gifts automation software for years now, and we’ve found that the most effective way to get more from matching gifts is by meeting donors where they are,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “Our integration with haku allows nonprofits to engage with new donors and raise awareness about matching gifts in an exciting way.”
The integration is now available for all mutual clients of Haku and Double the Donation to activate on their various donation forms.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts
The activation process is incredibly easy thanks to the native integration between Double the Donation and haku. Organizations who have a Double the Donation account can enter their haku account and enter their API keys into whichever donation form builder they’d like and toggle the integration to active.
Once this step is complete, orgs are ready to go with their matching gift outreach! Directly after the giving process, donors will be able to easily find if they are match eligible through the auto-complete search field on the Double the Donation matching gifts plugin.
From here, donors can immediately take their next steps toward getting their gift matched, and the nonprofit is apprised of updates along the way in real time!
Looking to learn more? Check out our in-depth integration guide to get started!
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with Double the Donation!
haku and Double the Donation’s integrated solution aims to provide nonprofits with an easy-to-use and intuitive solution to their matching gift outreach needs. Some more features allow organizations to:
Interested in increasing your fundraising revenue with matching gifts? Request a demo today to get started with corporate gift matching through Haku and Double the Donation.
About haku: haku is a technology platform enabling non-profits to more effectively and efficiently grow their impact. Through our innovative all-in-one platform and unwavering customer service, non-profits have an easy, effective, and customizable way to engage supporters through a myriad of fundraising channels with haku.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The Double the Donation platform provides nonprofits with tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. Double the Donation integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts. To learn more about Double the Donation, visit https://doublethedonation.com/get-a-demo/
Nonprofit Basics: Charity eCards
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerNonprofits are challenged to capture and maintain their supporters’ attention every day. If your standard development efforts aren’t measuring up to expectations, it might be time to rethink your online fundraising strategies. Try creating charity eCards to reinvigorate your supporters and provide an interactive way to support your work.
From environmental organizations to churches, any cause can get in on the action and create charity eCards. They’re a fantastic way to raise extra revenue and spread awareness for your mission without requiring too much extra work for your team.
If this sounds like an exciting opportunity, we’re here to help. Before diving into crafting your nonprofit eCards, let’s review the fundamentals!
What Are Charity eCards?
Charity eCards are digital greeting cards that supporters can send to loved ones to celebrate special occasions and spread awareness for an organization. Some nonprofits even create virtual greeting cards for staff to show appreciation for committed supporters and corporate partners.
Perfect for any organization, they’re a low-cost, eco-friendly way for donors to make a difference without having to spend a lot of money. They also serve as a powerful source of peer referrals. Whenever someone purchases a nonprofit eCard, they can create a personalized message to go along with it. This allows them to express their love for the cause and encourage their loved ones to look into the nonprofit, too. All you need to power these campaigns is an online greeting card website.
Types of Charity eCards
What makes nonprofit eCards so valuable is their versatility. Whether you’re creating a few for a cause awareness campaign or offering a year-round collection, there are countless ways you can incorporate them into your work.
Let’s take a look at a few ideas and examples that’ll supercharge your approach to nonprofit eCards!
Cause Awareness Campaign eCards
Environmental organizations can celebrate Earth Day. Mental health organizations can boost awareness during Suicide Prevention Week and World Mental Health Day. Homeless prevention organizations can amplify their work during Poverty in America Awareness Month or Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Do some research and see if there’s a day, week, or month connected to your work.
Even if there’s not one associated with your mission, you can launch an awareness campaign to gain support and credibility. This is a great way to position your organization as a pioneer in the space.
Either way, there are two approaches you can take when offering these nonprofit eCards:
To spark inspiration, we’ve pulled an example from Peace Winds. For World Refugee Day, the organization offered a collection of Father’s Day cards that highlighted refugees’ situations. Since the two holidays fall near each other each year, supporters could select an eCard to send to a father figure in their life while also spreading awareness for the cause.
Invitations
When planning your next event, create virtual invitations your supporters can send to their loved ones. Invitations can help boost registrations, whether it’s a massively-attended 5K or a small volunteer appreciation event. Especially when sent by a loved one or someone at the organization, invitations can add a personal touch to your event promotion.
You’ll want to offer this type of nonprofit eCard for free. Include key details like the date, time, and location of your nonprofit’s event, either in the message that populates with each eCard or on the card itself. Make it incredibly apparent the event is associated with your nonprofit by using your nonprofit’s branding, such as your logo, colors, and fonts.
For this example, we’ve grabbed a church service invitation from Vineyard Vines. At any point during the year, church members can grab their favorites and send them to invite someone to the next service personally. The church keeps its strategy fresh by creating new nonprofit eCards for special services, like Easter.
Birthday and Holiday eCards for Nonprofits
Spread some birthday and holiday cheer with personalized eCards for your cause. Birthdays and holidays happen year-round, so you can create digital greeting cards for every occasion. Best of all, people already send personalized cards during these special days, making them the perfect fundraising opportunity. After all, who wouldn’t want to send a card that’s also associated with a cause the recipient cares about?
Beyond birthdays, some holidays that lend themselves well to cards include:
This strategy works especially well for holidays associated with gifts. Instead of finding the perfect gift to celebrate a birthday or holiday, the sender can simply donate in the recipient’s name. Then, they’ll select a nonprofit eCard, letting them know. Either create generic cards for holidays or tailor them to your cause.
Let’s look at a Valentine’s Day charity eCard example from One Tail At A Time. As an animal rescue organization that supports under-resourced animal shelters and pet families, they connected the holiday to their furry friends. As part of their Puppygram campaign, they created a series of charity eCards that featured One Tail’s rescue animals. Supporters could purchase each card for $25.
Supporters could also donate $500 to have a “puppygram” delivered directly to someone. With this option, the organization would show up with a couple of rescue pups directly to someone. To take the puppy cuddles up a notch, a donor could give $1,000 to have a whole litter of pups show up. What an innovative way to spread cause awareness and love on Valentine’s Day!
Appreciation Charity eCards
Thank-you cards are a time-tested tradition for expressing gratitude for someone’s generosity and growing relationships. There are a few approaches you can take with this type of nonprofit eCard:
As explained in eCardWidget’s guide to employee engagement, getting creative with your appreciation tactics allows you to form interpersonal connections and celebrate major milestones. It doesn’t matter if they’re donating, volunteering, or working hard every day as a staff member. Everyone deserves some recognition, no matter how they support your mission!
To get your creativity flowing, let’s look at an example from Youth For Understanding. This card was part of a collection that was launched for a specific appreciation campaign but offers a generic design you can emulate.
While each example we’ve explored has been tailored to each organization, this design is a great example of a generic charity eCard you can offer. It suits every occasion, no matter who’s sending it. Whether you send these greeting cards internally or let supporters get in on the action, a thank-you card is a must for your nonprofit eCard collection.
How to Create Spectacular Nonprofit eCards
Even if you’re not an expert graphic designer, you can create charity eCards that generate more awareness and donations for your cause. So long as you use an intuitive eCard service, you’ll have access to every design tool you’ll need, whether you want to work off a template or start from scratch.
Here are a few ways to make engaging eCards that excite your team and supporters:
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more nonprofit management essentials by exploring other expert resources.
Donation eCard Examples that Share the Joy of Giving – Explore other charity eCard examples from real organizations and start brainstorming how you’ll use your cards to boost your fundraising revenue.
Birthday Fundraisers: How to Secure Year-Round Support – Birthday eCards are a great way to bring in donations. Get guidance for your birthday eCards and dive into some other tried-and-true birthday fundraisers with this guide.