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1 Way to Get Repeat Donations

Connection is about feeling wanted. We tend not to stay in groups or relationships that make us feel unwanted. So how do you make donors feel wanted? Thank them well for their donation. Make them the hero for providing the resources needed to change lives. Tell them stories about lives that have been changed because of their generosity. The more you can make them feel wanted and needed, the more likely they are to stick around. Most people want to be with others who are real. We don’t like phonies and fakes. So, be real. Be you. Don’t try to show up as a ginormous organization if yours is a start-up and you’re the only employee. It may actually be more attractive to your donors to find out that you’re doing so much with so little. They may see more clearly how their donation will make a difference in a small organization and want to give to help you achieve your mission. Be who you are and own it.

Spotlight

Asia New Zealand Foundation

Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to building New Zealanders’ knowledge and understanding of Asia. Established in 1994 we represent a unique partnership between the public and private sectors. As the leading non-government organisation on Asia-New Zealand relations we work in five main areas business, culture, education, media and research. In addition, we run the Young Leaders Network and take a lead role in Track II bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific.

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Nonprofit Management

Business Continuity Plans for Nonprofits

Article | July 29, 2022

Many organizations have found themselves in a “gotcha” moment. Business continuity plans are what nonprofits use to make sure operations are uninterrupted during unexpected circumstances. You knew that a business continuity plan was essential. Yet, you put it off because it didn’t seem urgent. Suddenly you are faced with a pandemic and you had to figure out how to operate when offices closed, people had to work from home, clients still needed services, and the board needed to make decisions. You aren’t alone. Many organizations face the same dilemma. How do you operate if there is a catastrophic situation that disrupts everything you do?

Read More
Nonprofit Management

7 Reasons to Invest in a Volunteer Program

Article | July 14, 2022

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any nonprofit. Your services, fundraising campaigns, and even day-to-day operations of your nonprofit can depend on volunteers. An estimated 30 percent of Americans or 77.9 million people reported they volunteered for an organization or association.” AmeriCorps published survey So, if people want to volunteer, the key to garner willing volunteers is to: Communicate your needs Share your “why” Make it easy While all nonprofits know they need volunteers, investing time and energy into building a program can naturally fall by the wayside. As you look to recruit and retain volunteers, a best practice is to put a strategic volunteer program in place. You may be asking, “What’s the benefit to me, the nonprofit?” Let’s dive into it! First, let’s start with the basics — what are the top reasons to invest in a volunteer program? We’ve got you covered. A dynamic volunteer program: Creates ambassadors for your mission. Volunteers spread the word in your community and increase your community engagement. They can advocate for you with their friends, family, and local and state legislatures. Provide your volunteers with messaging so they can share their “why” on social media and by word of mouth. One pro tip shared by Points of Light is to provide a digital badge to add to your volunteer leaders’ email signatures. Develops new funding sources. The line between a volunteer and donor should be fluid, not separate. A 2014 study by Fidelity Charitable found that 83% of volunteers report supporting the same nonprofits with their donations. Don’t silo your volunteers and your donors! Reduces your operating costs. According to the Independent Sector, the value of a volunteer hour was estimated at $28.54 in 2020. Since payroll is often the largest expense for a nonprofit, volunteers provide essential support to your cause with minimal costs to you. Increases the quantity and quality of your programs and services. It’s a win-win situation for professional development and your lengthy project list! That list will be met by an eager, talented volunteer, and your volunteer will improve their professional skills at the same time. Maximizes your limited staff resources. We’re sure there’s been a few items on your wish list that you’d love to check off if you had more resources, like being open on holidays or offering more services to your community. Volunteers can fill in those gaps! Maybe they are looking for ways to give back over a holiday, or they may have the connections to develop a new service opportunity for you. Increases your diversity and brings in new ideas. Although your nonprofit may always strive to diversify or get out of the “we’ve always done it this way” rut, you may not meet the potential of those goals with your staff. Volunteers can provide unique perspectives, different experiences, and even that spark of excitement that comes with a new idea. Minimizes volunteer turnover.Just like staff onboarding, volunteer onboarding takes time and money. If you recruit and onboard well with easy-to-access opportunity matching, training, and tracking mechanisms in place, your volunteers will be well on their way to a successful experience. Build on that by learning more about your volunteers’ interests and skills, and they will feel seen and appreciated. An upfront investment will pay off in years of dedicated service. Are you convinced? If so, it’s time to take the next step of how to start putting a volunteer program into place. Then you can scale your volunteering as your nonprofit grows! Here are our 5 fundraiser-approved steps to developing a bullet-proof volunteer program. Step 1: Quantify your current volunteer impact. Gather data on number of volunteers, hours and skills contributed. Measure the return on investment (ROI) including your program cost and total estimated volunteer value (# of volunteer hours x est. volunteer wage per hour). You can even take it a step further and consider the monetary savings to the community when volunteers provide the service or in-kind donation versus a private provider (e.g. number of children tutored or trees planted). Step 2: Educate your staff and board on the benefits of volunteering. Share your ROI and other data with your executive team and board and garner to get them on board. Recruiting, onboarding, engaging, and retaining your volunteer base will be much smoother when you have their support. Step 3: Purchase or build a volunteer management software system. Track volunteer hours, record your volunteers’ information, and create reports. Your software/tracking system should include a personalized volunteer dashboard where they can track their hours and volunteer services provided, demonstrating to them their impact in real-time. Step 4: Develop a plan for recruitment, training, and growth opportunities for your volunteers. Share the plan with your current volunteer leaders and solicit their feedback before rolling out to the community. Step 5: Make the case for even more investment in your program next year. Give insight into how your efforts to recruit, engage, and retain volunteers positively impact your mission and your bottom line.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

5 Rules for Adjusting Your Nonprofit Marketing

Article | July 28, 2022

It’s not business as usual, which means that your nonprofit marketing efforts have to adjust and change. Dynamism and adaptability are necessary for every organization in the current environment, especially for nonprofits. We understand that the need in our communities is only going to increase in the weeks and months ahead, which means nonprofits have to nurture relationships — and strengthen them.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

What Does the Health of Your Nonprofit Website Mean and How Can You Improve It?

Article | July 20, 2022

Poor website health may be impacting your non-profit organization's business. Without a question, the basis of your digital presence is a high-performing website. However, it is easy to let other concerns take precedence over website health, especially if it is not your area of expertise. Healthy websites guarantee long-term success, increased reach, and more engagement. This is critical for organizations in terms of community involvement and giving. Healthy sites are also optimized for all users and free of flaws that might degrade the user experience. Poor website health, on the other hand, might result in a loss of visitors and search engine ranks. When it comes to search engine optimization, website health is equally vital (SEO). Sites that load quicker and have fewer difficulties will rank higher in search. How to Improve Website Health? Speed up your site pages: Visitors will not wait for a sluggish site to load in this day of immediate gratification. If your pages do not load immediately, you will make a poor first impression. Fix 404 errors and reduce redirects: Broken links are ones that produce the error message "404 Page Not Found." Error pages might disrupt the crawling of your website, lowering your search ranks. This informs search engines that you are not giving a decent user experience, which will lower your search rankings. Decrease image file sizes: Image files are huge and consume a lot of storage space. Large files might cause your site to slow down and take a long time to load. Reduce file sizes and compress all photos to enhance website health. Optimize for mobile: Google has stated that mobile speed is taken into account by the ranking algorithm. Your website should ideally operate on all devices. Create grammar-free, relevant content: Content is important in all marketing activities, so it's no surprise that it affects website health. Great content is the key to success since search rankings, engagement, and conversions are all dependent on it. Optimize for search: SEO is the process of improving your website's ranking on search engines. This is one of the most crucial aspects of maintaining a good website. A good SEO strategy brings traffic to your website without costing any money.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Marketing Your Nonprofit Organization in 4 Simple Steps

Article | July 29, 2022

Many organizations have found themselves in a “gotcha” moment. Business continuity plans are what nonprofits use to make sure operations are uninterrupted during unexpected circumstances. You knew that a business continuity plan was essential. Yet, you put it off because it didn’t seem urgent. Suddenly you are faced with a pandemic and you had to figure out how to operate when offices closed, people had to work from home, clients still needed services, and the board needed to make decisions. You aren’t alone. Many organizations face the same dilemma. How do you operate if there is a catastrophic situation that disrupts everything you do?

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Non-Profits Impacting the Economy

Article | July 14, 2022

Volunteers are the lifeblood of any nonprofit. Your services, fundraising campaigns, and even day-to-day operations of your nonprofit can depend on volunteers. An estimated 30 percent of Americans or 77.9 million people reported they volunteered for an organization or association.” AmeriCorps published survey So, if people want to volunteer, the key to garner willing volunteers is to: Communicate your needs Share your “why” Make it easy While all nonprofits know they need volunteers, investing time and energy into building a program can naturally fall by the wayside. As you look to recruit and retain volunteers, a best practice is to put a strategic volunteer program in place. You may be asking, “What’s the benefit to me, the nonprofit?” Let’s dive into it! First, let’s start with the basics — what are the top reasons to invest in a volunteer program? We’ve got you covered. A dynamic volunteer program: Creates ambassadors for your mission. Volunteers spread the word in your community and increase your community engagement. They can advocate for you with their friends, family, and local and state legislatures. Provide your volunteers with messaging so they can share their “why” on social media and by word of mouth. One pro tip shared by Points of Light is to provide a digital badge to add to your volunteer leaders’ email signatures. Develops new funding sources. The line between a volunteer and donor should be fluid, not separate. A 2014 study by Fidelity Charitable found that 83% of volunteers report supporting the same nonprofits with their donations. Don’t silo your volunteers and your donors! Reduces your operating costs. According to the Independent Sector, the value of a volunteer hour was estimated at $28.54 in 2020. Since payroll is often the largest expense for a nonprofit, volunteers provide essential support to your cause with minimal costs to you. Increases the quantity and quality of your programs and services. It’s a win-win situation for professional development and your lengthy project list! That list will be met by an eager, talented volunteer, and your volunteer will improve their professional skills at the same time. Maximizes your limited staff resources. We’re sure there’s been a few items on your wish list that you’d love to check off if you had more resources, like being open on holidays or offering more services to your community. Volunteers can fill in those gaps! Maybe they are looking for ways to give back over a holiday, or they may have the connections to develop a new service opportunity for you. Increases your diversity and brings in new ideas. Although your nonprofit may always strive to diversify or get out of the “we’ve always done it this way” rut, you may not meet the potential of those goals with your staff. Volunteers can provide unique perspectives, different experiences, and even that spark of excitement that comes with a new idea. Minimizes volunteer turnover.Just like staff onboarding, volunteer onboarding takes time and money. If you recruit and onboard well with easy-to-access opportunity matching, training, and tracking mechanisms in place, your volunteers will be well on their way to a successful experience. Build on that by learning more about your volunteers’ interests and skills, and they will feel seen and appreciated. An upfront investment will pay off in years of dedicated service. Are you convinced? If so, it’s time to take the next step of how to start putting a volunteer program into place. Then you can scale your volunteering as your nonprofit grows! Here are our 5 fundraiser-approved steps to developing a bullet-proof volunteer program. Step 1: Quantify your current volunteer impact. Gather data on number of volunteers, hours and skills contributed. Measure the return on investment (ROI) including your program cost and total estimated volunteer value (# of volunteer hours x est. volunteer wage per hour). You can even take it a step further and consider the monetary savings to the community when volunteers provide the service or in-kind donation versus a private provider (e.g. number of children tutored or trees planted). Step 2: Educate your staff and board on the benefits of volunteering. Share your ROI and other data with your executive team and board and garner to get them on board. Recruiting, onboarding, engaging, and retaining your volunteer base will be much smoother when you have their support. Step 3: Purchase or build a volunteer management software system. Track volunteer hours, record your volunteers’ information, and create reports. Your software/tracking system should include a personalized volunteer dashboard where they can track their hours and volunteer services provided, demonstrating to them their impact in real-time. Step 4: Develop a plan for recruitment, training, and growth opportunities for your volunteers. Share the plan with your current volunteer leaders and solicit their feedback before rolling out to the community. Step 5: Make the case for even more investment in your program next year. Give insight into how your efforts to recruit, engage, and retain volunteers positively impact your mission and your bottom line.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

Non-Profits Cannot Afford to Ignore These Business Practices

Article | July 28, 2022

It’s not business as usual, which means that your nonprofit marketing efforts have to adjust and change. Dynamism and adaptability are necessary for every organization in the current environment, especially for nonprofits. We understand that the need in our communities is only going to increase in the weeks and months ahead, which means nonprofits have to nurture relationships — and strengthen them.

Read More
Nonprofit Management

What Does the Health of Your Nonprofit Website Mean and How Can You Improve It?

Article | July 20, 2022

Poor website health may be impacting your non-profit organization's business. Without a question, the basis of your digital presence is a high-performing website. However, it is easy to let other concerns take precedence over website health, especially if it is not your area of expertise. Healthy websites guarantee long-term success, increased reach, and more engagement. This is critical for organizations in terms of community involvement and giving. Healthy sites are also optimized for all users and free of flaws that might degrade the user experience. Poor website health, on the other hand, might result in a loss of visitors and search engine ranks. When it comes to search engine optimization, website health is equally vital (SEO). Sites that load quicker and have fewer difficulties will rank higher in search. How to Improve Website Health? Speed up your site pages: Visitors will not wait for a sluggish site to load in this day of immediate gratification. If your pages do not load immediately, you will make a poor first impression. Fix 404 errors and reduce redirects: Broken links are ones that produce the error message "404 Page Not Found." Error pages might disrupt the crawling of your website, lowering your search ranks. This informs search engines that you are not giving a decent user experience, which will lower your search rankings. Decrease image file sizes: Image files are huge and consume a lot of storage space. Large files might cause your site to slow down and take a long time to load. Reduce file sizes and compress all photos to enhance website health. Optimize for mobile: Google has stated that mobile speed is taken into account by the ranking algorithm. Your website should ideally operate on all devices. Create grammar-free, relevant content: Content is important in all marketing activities, so it's no surprise that it affects website health. Great content is the key to success since search rankings, engagement, and conversions are all dependent on it. Optimize for search: SEO is the process of improving your website's ranking on search engines. This is one of the most crucial aspects of maintaining a good website. A good SEO strategy brings traffic to your website without costing any money.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Asia New Zealand Foundation

Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-partisan and non-profit organisation dedicated to building New Zealanders’ knowledge and understanding of Asia. Established in 1994 we represent a unique partnership between the public and private sectors. As the leading non-government organisation on Asia-New Zealand relations we work in five main areas business, culture, education, media and research. In addition, we run the Young Leaders Network and take a lead role in Track II bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific.

Related News

Nonprofit Management, Financial Management

U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union Demonstrates Commitment to Community with $65,000 in Charitable Contributions

PR Newswire | January 03, 2024

Recognizing the escalating demands faced by community nonprofits, the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union (USSFCU) in Alexandria, Virginia, proudly announces its recent distribution of $65,000 to seven deserving nonprofits. These funds are poised to amplify the significant impact these organizations have both locally in the metropolitan Washington region and on a broader national scale. USSFCU President and CEO, Timothy L. Anderson, emphasized the credit union's longstanding commitment to community welfare, stating, "Giving back to the communities in which we live and work has always been integral to our mission. Through these donations, we aim to express our gratitude to these organizations for their tireless efforts in strengthening our communities." The donations, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, have been strategically allocated to support regional food pantries, shelters, and disaster relief programs. Each beneficiary was carefully chosen by USSFCU's leadership team, reflecting a deep connection to the hearts and minds of credit union staff. The initiative commenced in mid-December, as Anderson and a select group of USSFCU representatives embarked on a series of check presentations at local locations. During these visits, they gained insights into the impactful work undertaken by each organization and presented them with a symbolic check. Beneficiary organizations and their respective donations include Capital Area Food Bank - $20,000 SOME (So Others Might Eat) - $10,000 Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation - $10,000 ALIVE! (Alexandria) - $5,000 Carpenter's Shelter - $5,000 American Red Cross – $15,000 In addition to the monetary contributions, USSFCU actively engaged in hosting holiday donation drives, collecting toys, food, and winter essentials for the mentioned organizations. USSFCU members and staff were encouraged to participate by bringing their donations to the Credit Union's Bowman Branch location. The collected items will be delivered to the respective beneficiaries in the coming weeks, further reinforcing USSFCU's commitment to community support and well-being.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

The Vonage Foundation Partners with Girls Who Code to Expand Opportunities in Tech

Girls Who Code | March 17, 2023

Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, announced that the company has partnered with Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in tech. The Vonage Foundation will support Girls Who Code through sponsorship of its Summer Immersion Program 2023, which is focused on building tomorrow's diverse tech workforce through education. The two-week Summer Immersion Program provides free, virtual opportunities for students in 9th through 12th grade and is a vital part of Girls Who Code's continuous efforts to make coding education accessible and flexible for students of all backgrounds, including those from historically underrepresented groups in Black, Latinx, and low-income communities. The program provides opportunities for young people to expand their technical knowledge and learn more about the computer science field through curriculum tracks that include Game Design, Web Development and Data Science. "Our flagship Summer Programs have historically been a huge stepping stone for our students and have turned their early interest in computer science into lifelong curiosity and even careers. Last year, we served over 7,000 students across our summer programs alone," said Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code. "We're grateful for the support from our partners, like Vonage, as we continue to expand our reach. Our curriculum must reflect the immense possibilities that exist within a tech career, so students know that there is room for their passions in tech and that they have the resources to discover new ones." The Vonage Foundation supports global initiatives dedicated to bringing technology access to communities through partnerships, charitable contributions and donations of services for nonprofits. The core of this mission focuses on the advancement of global connectivity - bringing people and technology together for the greater good. By partnering with organizations like Girls Who Code, Vonage is working to bridge the digital divide by using technology to unlock creative minds and open doors to pathways into a STEM career. "We are excited to stand alongside Girls Who Code in this mission to ensure young girls today have the opportunities to chart a course for the future through a career in tech," said Joy Corso, Chief Marketing Officer for Vonage. "Women are vital to the sustainable future of our industry. Through the work of The Vonage Foundation, and partnerships like this, we at Vonage are channeling our passion for education, innovation and the power of communications to provide greater access to technology resources for all." About Girls Who Code Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st-century opportunities. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has served 500,000 students through in-person and virtual programming, and 115,000 of our alumni are college or career-aged. Girls Who Code has sparked culture change through marketing campaigns and advocacy efforts, generating 14 billion engagements globally. In 2019, the organization was named the #1 Most Innovative Non-Profit on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list, and in 2022 was named one of NonProfit Times' Best Nonprofits to Work For. About The Vonage Foundation The Vonage Foundation is focused on the power of communications and connectivity to bridge the digital divide by using technology to unlock innovation and drive creative minds with grants for curriculum, research, technical advancements, knowledge sharing and financial support, aiming to make the world we live in a vibrant interconnected community by ensuring a digital-first future is possible today. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage's Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage's fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely - providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

Snappy Celebrates $1M Donation Milestone to Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish | November 16, 2022

Today, Snappy, the New York-based tech start-up revolutionizing gifting, announced the company has reached a donation milestone of $1 million to Make-A-Wish® through customer donations via the company’s gifting platform, which equates to granting more than 100 life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses. This accomplishment comes one year after launching its partnership with Make-A-Wish in November 2021. “Our initial goal was to help raise $250,000 for Make-A-Wish in our first year of partnership. We are proud to say we’ve quadrupled our goal, Kindness and giving have always been at the heart of Snappy, and this partnership means so much to us. We hope to continue granting as many wishes as we can.” -Hani Goldstein, co-founder and CEO of Snappy. Eight-year-old Connor, who is currently fighting cancer, is interested in space engineering. Thanks to the generosity of Snappy’s gift recipients, Snappy and Make-A-Wish will be fulfilling Connor's wish. The Snappy team, Connor’s medical staff, Make-A-Wish representatives, and close family and friends came together at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York to celebrate Connor’s 9th birthday and upcoming wish trip to Kennedy Space Center with a celebratory sendoff party. "A wish can be a pivotal moment in a child's healing journey, bringing joy and a sense of normalcy back into their lives, Our goal to grant the wish of every eligible child battling a critical illness is only possible because of partners like Snappy. We're thrilled to be celebrating this incredible milestone and thankful for their support, helping us deliver hope to wish families nationwide." -Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. About Snappy: Snappy is an award-winning gifting company with platforms that combine fun, personal experiences with advanced technology to take the guesswork out of gifting. Founded in 2015, Snappy completed a $70M Series C funding round in May of 2021. It was named Inc.’s fastest-growing company in the Northeast in 2021 and 2022 with two-year revenue growth of 5184%. With over 50,000 five-star reviews, Snappy has become the trusted partner to over 2,500 enterprise customers and has sent millions of gifts worldwide. Snappy is committed to enhancing the joy of gift-giving. It recently expanded its offerings to include a consumer-facing gifting platform, Snappy Lite, the self-service solution for small businesses to send gifts to employees and customers. Snappy is headquartered in New York City and has a team of more than 300 people across four countries. Snappy is featured on Fortune’s "Best Small & Medium Workplaces," “Best Workplace for Millennials,” and “Best Workplace in Tech” lists. Snappy's stance on diversity and inclusion, its active focus on give-back programs, and its fundamental mission to spread happiness through fun, thoughtful gifts lead the way in unlocking the power of human kindness. About Make-A-Wish: Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff, and more than 24,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 520,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries worldwide; more than 350,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone.

Read More

Nonprofit Management, Financial Management

U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union Demonstrates Commitment to Community with $65,000 in Charitable Contributions

PR Newswire | January 03, 2024

Recognizing the escalating demands faced by community nonprofits, the U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union (USSFCU) in Alexandria, Virginia, proudly announces its recent distribution of $65,000 to seven deserving nonprofits. These funds are poised to amplify the significant impact these organizations have both locally in the metropolitan Washington region and on a broader national scale. USSFCU President and CEO, Timothy L. Anderson, emphasized the credit union's longstanding commitment to community welfare, stating, "Giving back to the communities in which we live and work has always been integral to our mission. Through these donations, we aim to express our gratitude to these organizations for their tireless efforts in strengthening our communities." The donations, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000, have been strategically allocated to support regional food pantries, shelters, and disaster relief programs. Each beneficiary was carefully chosen by USSFCU's leadership team, reflecting a deep connection to the hearts and minds of credit union staff. The initiative commenced in mid-December, as Anderson and a select group of USSFCU representatives embarked on a series of check presentations at local locations. During these visits, they gained insights into the impactful work undertaken by each organization and presented them with a symbolic check. Beneficiary organizations and their respective donations include Capital Area Food Bank - $20,000 SOME (So Others Might Eat) - $10,000 Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation - $10,000 ALIVE! (Alexandria) - $5,000 Carpenter's Shelter - $5,000 American Red Cross – $15,000 In addition to the monetary contributions, USSFCU actively engaged in hosting holiday donation drives, collecting toys, food, and winter essentials for the mentioned organizations. USSFCU members and staff were encouraged to participate by bringing their donations to the Credit Union's Bowman Branch location. The collected items will be delivered to the respective beneficiaries in the coming weeks, further reinforcing USSFCU's commitment to community support and well-being.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

The Vonage Foundation Partners with Girls Who Code to Expand Opportunities in Tech

Girls Who Code | March 17, 2023

Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, announced that the company has partnered with Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in tech. The Vonage Foundation will support Girls Who Code through sponsorship of its Summer Immersion Program 2023, which is focused on building tomorrow's diverse tech workforce through education. The two-week Summer Immersion Program provides free, virtual opportunities for students in 9th through 12th grade and is a vital part of Girls Who Code's continuous efforts to make coding education accessible and flexible for students of all backgrounds, including those from historically underrepresented groups in Black, Latinx, and low-income communities. The program provides opportunities for young people to expand their technical knowledge and learn more about the computer science field through curriculum tracks that include Game Design, Web Development and Data Science. "Our flagship Summer Programs have historically been a huge stepping stone for our students and have turned their early interest in computer science into lifelong curiosity and even careers. Last year, we served over 7,000 students across our summer programs alone," said Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code. "We're grateful for the support from our partners, like Vonage, as we continue to expand our reach. Our curriculum must reflect the immense possibilities that exist within a tech career, so students know that there is room for their passions in tech and that they have the resources to discover new ones." The Vonage Foundation supports global initiatives dedicated to bringing technology access to communities through partnerships, charitable contributions and donations of services for nonprofits. The core of this mission focuses on the advancement of global connectivity - bringing people and technology together for the greater good. By partnering with organizations like Girls Who Code, Vonage is working to bridge the digital divide by using technology to unlock creative minds and open doors to pathways into a STEM career. "We are excited to stand alongside Girls Who Code in this mission to ensure young girls today have the opportunities to chart a course for the future through a career in tech," said Joy Corso, Chief Marketing Officer for Vonage. "Women are vital to the sustainable future of our industry. Through the work of The Vonage Foundation, and partnerships like this, we at Vonage are channeling our passion for education, innovation and the power of communications to provide greater access to technology resources for all." About Girls Who Code Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st-century opportunities. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has served 500,000 students through in-person and virtual programming, and 115,000 of our alumni are college or career-aged. Girls Who Code has sparked culture change through marketing campaigns and advocacy efforts, generating 14 billion engagements globally. In 2019, the organization was named the #1 Most Innovative Non-Profit on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list, and in 2022 was named one of NonProfit Times' Best Nonprofits to Work For. About The Vonage Foundation The Vonage Foundation is focused on the power of communications and connectivity to bridge the digital divide by using technology to unlock innovation and drive creative minds with grants for curriculum, research, technical advancements, knowledge sharing and financial support, aiming to make the world we live in a vibrant interconnected community by ensuring a digital-first future is possible today. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation. Vonage's Communications Platform is fully programmable and allows for the integration of Video, Voice, Chat, Messaging, AI and Verification into existing products, workflows and systems. The Vonage conversational commerce application enables businesses to create AI-powered omnichannel experiences that boost sales and increase customer satisfaction. Vonage's fully programmable unified communications, contact center and conversational commerce applications are built from the Vonage platform and enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or remotely - providing the flexibility required to create meaningful engagements.

Read More

Nonprofit Technology

Snappy Celebrates $1M Donation Milestone to Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish | November 16, 2022

Today, Snappy, the New York-based tech start-up revolutionizing gifting, announced the company has reached a donation milestone of $1 million to Make-A-Wish® through customer donations via the company’s gifting platform, which equates to granting more than 100 life-changing wishes for children battling critical illnesses. This accomplishment comes one year after launching its partnership with Make-A-Wish in November 2021. “Our initial goal was to help raise $250,000 for Make-A-Wish in our first year of partnership. We are proud to say we’ve quadrupled our goal, Kindness and giving have always been at the heart of Snappy, and this partnership means so much to us. We hope to continue granting as many wishes as we can.” -Hani Goldstein, co-founder and CEO of Snappy. Eight-year-old Connor, who is currently fighting cancer, is interested in space engineering. Thanks to the generosity of Snappy’s gift recipients, Snappy and Make-A-Wish will be fulfilling Connor's wish. The Snappy team, Connor’s medical staff, Make-A-Wish representatives, and close family and friends came together at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York to celebrate Connor’s 9th birthday and upcoming wish trip to Kennedy Space Center with a celebratory sendoff party. "A wish can be a pivotal moment in a child's healing journey, bringing joy and a sense of normalcy back into their lives, Our goal to grant the wish of every eligible child battling a critical illness is only possible because of partners like Snappy. We're thrilled to be celebrating this incredible milestone and thankful for their support, helping us deliver hope to wish families nationwide." -Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. About Snappy: Snappy is an award-winning gifting company with platforms that combine fun, personal experiences with advanced technology to take the guesswork out of gifting. Founded in 2015, Snappy completed a $70M Series C funding round in May of 2021. It was named Inc.’s fastest-growing company in the Northeast in 2021 and 2022 with two-year revenue growth of 5184%. With over 50,000 five-star reviews, Snappy has become the trusted partner to over 2,500 enterprise customers and has sent millions of gifts worldwide. Snappy is committed to enhancing the joy of gift-giving. It recently expanded its offerings to include a consumer-facing gifting platform, Snappy Lite, the self-service solution for small businesses to send gifts to employees and customers. Snappy is headquartered in New York City and has a team of more than 300 people across four countries. Snappy is featured on Fortune’s "Best Small & Medium Workplaces," “Best Workplace for Millennials,” and “Best Workplace in Tech” lists. Snappy's stance on diversity and inclusion, its active focus on give-back programs, and its fundamental mission to spread happiness through fun, thoughtful gifts lead the way in unlocking the power of human kindness. About Make-A-Wish: Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the #1 most trusted nonprofit operating locally in all 50 states throughout the U.S. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff, and more than 24,000 volunteers across the country, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 520,000 wishes in nearly 50 countries worldwide; more than 350,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone.

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