Top Volunteer Grant Databases to Grow Your Tech Stack

Top Volunteer Grant Databases to Grow Your Tech Stack

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Volunteer grants are a vital source of funding for nonprofits, enabling them to maximize their impact and encourage their supporters to do the same. However, navigating the various programs available to your organization can be challenging. That’s where volunteer grant databases come in!

If you’re looking to expand your organization’s fundraising toolkit with a volunteer grant database, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about top volunteer grant databases and how they can benefit your mission.

This includes:

By incorporating a database tool into your tech stack, your nonprofit can streamline its fundraising, better engage its volunteer base, and support its mission more effectively than ever before.

In a hurry? Skip ahead to learn about our top recommendation, 360MatchPro⁠—or request a demo of the volunteer grant and matching gift database here.

Otherwise, let’s begin with the basics!

What Is a Volunteer Grant Database?

A volunteer grant database is a specialized tool designed to help nonprofits identify and manage volunteer grant opportunities. These grants, which are also known as “dollars for doers,” are offered by businesses as a way to provide monetary donations to nonprofits based on the volunteer hours their employees contribute.

Tons of companies offer the programs, but keeping track of each one’s criteria and submissions can quickly become an overwhelming task for nonprofit teams. Supporters often lack knowledge of their companies’ programs, too, so it often falls on the organization to uncover qualifying opportunities.

Fortunately, volunteer grant databases do it for you!

Top Volunteer Grant Databases to Grow Your Tech Stack

 

How? A volunteer grant database tool compiles comprehensive information on thousands of corporate giving programs (including volunteer grants, matching gifts, and volunteer time off). Each listing supplies company-specific eligibility criteria (e.g., qualifying employees, minimum number of hours, grant thresholds, etc.), links to online submission forms, and more.

How Does a Volunteer Grant Database Impact Fundraising?

Incorporating a volunteer grant database into your fundraising strategy can significantly enhance your supporter engagement, financial health, and more.

Here’s how it can do so.

Benefits of volunteer grant databases

 

More Identified Dollars for Doers Opportunities 🔍

By providing access to a centralized repository of grant opportunities, a volunteer grant database can help your team quickly screen for eligible volunteers. Even if supporters are unaware of their grant potential, your team can flag eligible individuals to pursue a more personalized approach and encourage their submissions.

Simplified Request Process for Volunteers ✍️

Speaking of submissions, each volunteer is generally required to complete a request form for their employer in order to secure grant funding on your organization’s behalf. Providing access to a volunteer grant database is one of the best ways to streamline submissions and reduce unnecessary friction in the process. All an individual has to do is enter their employer’s name and navigate to the provided request form.

Enhanced Operational Efficiency ⚡

Manually identifying and researching volunteer grant opportunities requires a lot of organizational bandwidth. By automating the process with a volunteer grant database tool, you can free up your team’s time for other high-value activities.

Improved Grant Tracking 📌

Volunteer grants follow a multi-step process from identification to submission and through the disbursement of funds. A volunteer grant tool like 360MatchPro offers tracking functionality that helps monitor the status of available grants and address any issues that may arise.

Increased Funding through Corporate Giving Opportunities 🏢

The easier it is for volunteers to request funding from their employers, the more likely they are to do so. That means more corporate giving revenue making its way to your organization.

But it’s not just volunteer grants, either. A volunteer grant database will often supply resources on matching gifts and other corporate giving programs, too!

Our Volunteer Grant Database Recommendation: 360MatchPro

When selecting a volunteer grant database for your nonprofit, it’s important to consider several key factors. After all, you want to ensure the tool effectively supports your fundraising efforts and organizational needs⁠—both now and in the time to come.

Lucky for you, we’ve explored potential database options and would like to supply you with our top recommendation: 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.

Now, let’s see why this tool stands apart as the leading solution:

  • Comprehensive Database: Double the Donation maintains the industry’s most extensive collection of corporate volunteer grant programs, making it easy to locate accurate and up-to-date information about your supporters’ companies.
  • User-Friendly Interface: The platform is designed with ease of use in mind, allowing users to quickly search for and access the right information. For this reason, the tool includes auto-completing search functionality and automatically accounts for subsidiaries and spelling variations, too!
  • Integration Capabilities: Double the Donation integrates seamlessly with a wide array of CRM systems, fundraising tools, and volunteer management platforms. When you add the tool to your website, donation forms, and more, you can also determine an individual’s eligibility for a match as they give!
  • Support and Resources: The platform provides a wealth of resources and support to get your nonprofit up and running. This includes personalized onboarding experiences, educational webinars, and more to help your team maximize its use of the database.

    Double the Donation's volunteer grant database

Other Top Tools & Resources For Growing Volunteer Grants

In addition to volunteer grant databases, there are a number of other handy tools and resources that can help supercharge your organization’s volunteer grant strategy.

These include:

Volunteer grant compilations

If your team has yet to make the leap to a volunteer grant database⁠—which we highly recommend doing⁠—free online resources (such as those offered by Double the Donation) can help identify select opportunities in your database.

For example, this compilation of top volunteer grant programs highlights several generous companies’ initiatives. It provides an excellent chance to cross-reference your supporter data and see if any existing or prospective volunteers work for these well-known examples.

Supplement your volunteer grant database with top company compilations

Volunteer time-trackers

Time-tracking tools are generally software applications that help nonprofits record and manage the hours contributed by their team members. When volunteers are encouraged (or required) to track the time they spend with your cause, you’ll find it’s easier than ever to streamline volunteer grant requests.

Keep in mind that these tools can also vary greatly in their level of sophistication. Some organizations manage hour-tracking efforts with paper forms, others employ spreadsheets, and others still invest in dedicated solutions.

Time-tracking tools are a key addition to any volunteer grant database

Volunteer management tools

You may already have a Volunteer Management System, or VMS, in your nonprofit toolkit. This type of tool is designed to help nonprofits organize, recruit, and manage their volunteer workforce, typically offering features for scheduling, communication, task assignments, and more. When it’s easy for supporters to sign up and partake in volunteer activities, you’ll have more eligible individuals to pursue volunteer grants in the first place!

Not to mention, a well-managed volunteer program can typically provide the necessary documentation and proof of volunteer hours needed for grant applications.

Supplement your volunteer grant database with volunteer management systems

CSR platforms

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platforms are comprehensive solutions that assist companies in managing their employee giving and volunteer programs. These platforms also facilitate collaboration between companies and nonprofits, making it easier to coordinate philanthropic efforts for both teams.

As a result, most CSR platforms incorporate a nonprofit-facing portal that organizations can access for free. From there, they can manage their side of the programs (i.e., reviewing and verifying volunteer requests).

Supplement your volunteer grant database with CSR platforms

Final Thoughts on Volunteer Grant Databases & More

Investing in a volunteer grant database can significantly boost your nonprofit’s fundraising capabilities. By streamlining the volunteer grant discovery and submission processes, dedicated tools like Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro can help maximize the value of volunteer grants for your cause.
Integrating these tools into your tech stack allows you to ensure your nonprofit is well-equipped to leverage the full potential of volunteer grants, ultimately powering organizational growth.

Continue growing your corporate giving knowledge. Read up on these recommended resources to learn more:

Benefit more from 360MatchPro's volunteer grant database.