Home > Resources > Articles > CLUB AWARDS TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH EDUCATION GRANTS

CLUB AWARDS TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH EDUCATION GRANTS

70 views

Two high school students in Sturgeon Falls are recipients of cash awards to make their post-secondary pursuits a little easier.  Both were given $250 during the celebration of La Francophonie in Sturgeon Falls.  Renee Lecuyer, who attends Ecole Secondaire Publique Northern was humbled to be one of the recipients.   Lecuyer will pursue the assistant physiotherapy program at College Boreal.

Spotlight

Kentucky Nonprofit Network

Founded in 2002, the KY Nonprofit Network is Kentucky's state association of nonprofits organizations. KNN serves as a resource for nonprofit board members, staff and other leaders; an information center on effective nonprofit organizational practices; and an advocate for the nonprofit sector.

OTHER ARTICLES
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Utilize an Email Marketing Strategy to Drive More Donations

Article | July 20, 2022

When creating your nonprofit fundraising and donations strategy, email marketing should be on the top of the list of channels to use to support your efforts. However, 70% of nonprofits do not have an email marketing strategy, despite 26% of online donors saying email marketing is what inspires them to give. Email marketing can help nonprofits reach their fundraising goals by helping expand reach, develop a loyal donor base and drive more donations. Build an Email Marketing Strategy Implementing email marketing may seem intimidating to some, but once you have an effective strategy in place, it will act as a blueprint and support all your goals moving forward. When you start building your strategy, it’s important to spend time developing a unique strategy that aligns with your mission and goals. Consider these questions: Who is your target audience? How are you collecting email addresses? What types of emails will you send? What types of content do you want to share in those emails? What will your emails look like? What is the layout? What is the design based on? How often do you plan to send emails? What platform will you use? Does it integrate with your donor database and have all the features you need to implement your strategy? Email marketing is the most effective and successful when there's a strategic plan in place. Creating a detailed strategy that answers the questions above will provide your nonprofit with the stepping stones needed to set your email marketing efforts up for success and help meet your overall fundraising goals. Send Emails Once you have a strategy and execution plan in place, you’re ready to start sending your messages to your audience. Email subscribers want to hear from you, but you need to be sure you are sending engaging messages to the right audiences. When you start sending your emails, plan to send a mix of different messages to your audience. Email marketing is an effective channel to not only fundraise but to help subscribers stay engaged and keep donor retention high. A great example would be to include advocacy emails in your plans. Advocacy emails include newsletters and impact stories. These types of emails help your subscriber feel valued as a donor as they’re seeing the direct impact of their support. As you start and continue to send emails, always track each email's performance. This helps you determine what is working and what is not working. By tracking key metrics, like click-through rates, conversation rates and donations per email, you will be able to continuously improve your strategy and the emails you are sending. Follow Best Practices As you begin to execute your email strategy, there are a few key best practices I recommend following to help increase engagement, donations, and overall performance of your emails. Personalize the email for your subscribers. Personalized emails can generate donations up to six times more compared to a generalized email. Make sure your emails are well-designed with compelling imagery that helps the donor visualize your mission and the impact of their donations. Provide clear calls to action in each email you send and always include a “Donate” button in all your communications. Include social sharing buttons and links to your social channels in all your email communications. Emails with social sharing buttons increase click-through rates by as much as 158% and help expand your reach by allowing donors to recommend and share your nonprofit with their network. Create an email cadence so you are regularly communicating with your audience throughout the year. For every 1,000 fundraising emails delivered, nonprofits raised $78, so it is in your best interest to continuously send messages to your subscribers. Start by sending emails monthly and then experiment with increasing the frequency of emails per month and see what works best for your nonprofit. Utilizing email marketing is key to having a successful fundraising strategy for your nonprofit. By building a well-thought-out strategy and implementing it, you will be able to engage, retain and convert subscribers into a loyal donor base.

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

The Psychology Behind Donations

Article | July 29, 2022

Are you expecting all donors to be the same? If you answered “no…well actually… kinda,” then you are not alone. It’s simple to send out the same fundraising message to everyone. However, you can transform your fundraising when you understand that there are many reasons why a person chooses to donate to a nonprofit. Once you understand the psychology of donating to charity, you can then best appeal to current and potential donors. Why do Donors Give? Along a spectrum, there are two extremes that prevent nonprofits from using donation psychology in their fundraising messages. On one end, the person making the ask – the Executive Director, Development person or Board member – assumes all donors have the same motivations for giving that they do. This translates into single-focused messaging that appeals to the person making the ask and to some donors, but not to others. On the other end of the spectrum when a nonprofit neglects philanthropy psychology, the person making the ask becomes paralyzed. They fear offending donors by asking at the “wrong” time. They focus on external, societal crises, such as the pandemic, wars, tragedies, and make a decision for the donor that this is the wrong time to be asked for a gift. They assume that the donor would be offended if asked. The Millennial Impact Project studied why donors across generations start giving. Unexpectedly, according to the researcher, Derrick Feldmann, donors first give because they want to belong. They desire to join their friends or be a part of a cause doing the good they wish to see in the world – this is before they understand what the cause or nonprofit is seeking to accomplish. As they gain that sense of belonging and begin believing in the cause, they can be motivated to continue to give when the nonprofit taps into their giving style. The Seven Faces of Philanthropy was groundbreaking research published in 1994 that has been updated and is still relevant today. In summary, the researchers found that donors give for different reasons. Some donors give because they enjoy the act of giving, especially through events. More donors prefer to donate to local charities or make a long-lasting impact through their investments. Other donors desire to repay or pay forward in gratitude through their giving. Others give because of religious or altruistic reasons. Then, there are donors who see giving as a family tradition and, if applicable, to teach their children generosity. Understanding the donor’s motivations for giving guides a nonprofit in developing the right message, using the right fundraising methods and segmenting to the right group of donors. How Can you Encourage Your Donors to Give? Now that you understand the psychology behind making a philanthropic gift, you can implement this knowledge to customize your fundraising appeals. First, you will need to determine why your donors give. This is done through discussions with Board members, personal conversations with donors, and through donor surveys. It begins with a simple question, “Why do you give to…?” The answers will assist you in creating donor identities; that is, the types of identities or groups where donors wish to belong. Sample identities could be “community leader” or “survivor” or “change maker.” Next, based on what you learned from your current donors, pick the top two or three donor motivations and associated identities. Alter your current messaging and fundraising methods to these giving reasons. The messaging and methods that inspire your current donors will likely attract more donors. Begin testing your messaging for these two to three reasons: Which message has the highest engagement in response and donation? This will be your primary message that you will rotate with the secondary messages. As you further explore your donor’s psychology for giving, you can advance to segmenting your communications based on what will motivate groups of donors to give. Once you understand donor psychology, you will wonder how you missed the clues to why your donors give – and be ready to catch future donors by staying one step ahead of their giving habits.

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

How Donor Data Can Inform Better Donor Experiences

Article | July 20, 2022

Although we recommend talking directly with your donors to learn what matters to them, one-on-one conversations aren’t the only way to gain valuable information about your donors. Through analysis of the donor data in your fundraising software, you can obtain insights that will help you create a better experience for your donors, and motivate them to give more over time. Here’s what you can learn from the numbers and how you can apply this knowledge to improve your donor experience. Biographic and Demographic Information: This particular donor data isn’t snazzy, but it provides you with important tools to use in donor communications. Here’s what you can do with it. Preferred Name: Even something as simple as addressing your donors by their preferred names or nicknames will go a long way toward building a meaningful relationship. Employment: Improve the timing of your emails by sending to full-time individuals when they’re at work. Age: Millennials are more likely to check social media or text messages for communications, while Baby Boomers are more likely to use email or even snail mail. A multi-channel communication strategy, however, is the best thing to help you reach your donors where they’re at. Educational Background: While someone’s education level may provide insights about their capacity to give, consider looking at what your contacts were involved in while in school. Did they join clubs that provide a clue about their interests? Did they hold certain leadership positions that tell you what they’re committed to? What community service projects were they active in? This information can help you customize your communications more meaningfully. Involvement History: Monetary giving isn’t the only indicator of a donor’s interest in your organization. When you’re putting together your campaign lists, don’t forget to look at other historical indicators as well. Note: If you’re already using Network for Good’s simple, smart fundraising software, demographic details, like the ones above, need to be individually added as “Custom Fields” to a constituent’s record. Involvement in Advocacy Work: If an individual advocates for charities or causes, he or she is usually serious about making a difference and seeks to do so in other ways. Corporate Sponsorships: If someone has organized a corporate sponsorship for her or his place of employment, the individual has demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile foryour organization. Showing Up at Events: If you have regulars who appear at your events, they’re prime candidates to get more involved. An events platform that integrates directly with your fundraising software can be a key tool here in making sure you’re following up with the right people. Network of Connections: Prospective donors will always be more willing to respond if a friend or business connection has introduced your organization to them. If you think an individual would be willing to contribute to your nonprofit, look at who in your donor database is connected to that person and ask for an introduction. This strategy can also be used for raising corporate sponsorships. Hobbies: Hobbies and interests will tell you who’s most likely to participate in your events. They’ll also give you ideas about what types of events will be most popular with your contacts. Here are a few ideas: Games: Trivia night, bingo, or board games. Outdoors: Run/Walk, golf or fishing tournament, or softball. Food & Drink: Wine tasting, celebrity chef or bartender, or profit share at a restaurant. Music: Benefit concert, talent show, or Battle of the Bands Arts & Culture: Group night at the theatre, charity poetry reading, or author meet-and-greet. Timing of Gifts: When do individuals give? If someone tends to make donations at a certain time of year, your request will probably be welcomed (and successful!) if you ask at that time. Using tools such as the “Giving” filters to conduct donor analysis can help determine if there are trends around a particular time of year for one (or multiple) donors – and knowing the timing of gifts will also help you spend your marketing dollars more wisely. If someone has given within a year-long time period, that person is much more likely to give again than someone who gave two years ago. You can allocate your marketing resources more intelligently if you know who is more likely to donate. These are just a few ideas on how to use your data to not only build a stronger donor experience but also increase your fundraising revenue. Learn why the donor experience is vital to a successful organization and how to implement an effective donor experience program by downloading “A Better Donor Experience: Is it the Cornerstone of Donor Loyalty?”

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

7 Reasons to Invest in a Volunteer Program

Article | May 20, 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

What Your Non-profit Should Know About Accepting Cryptocurrency Donations?

Article | July 20, 2022

When creating your nonprofit fundraising and donations strategy, email marketing should be on the top of the list of channels to use to support your efforts. However, 70% of nonprofits do not have an email marketing strategy, despite 26% of online donors saying email marketing is what inspires them to give. Email marketing can help nonprofits reach their fundraising goals by helping expand reach, develop a loyal donor base and drive more donations. Build an Email Marketing Strategy Implementing email marketing may seem intimidating to some, but once you have an effective strategy in place, it will act as a blueprint and support all your goals moving forward. When you start building your strategy, it’s important to spend time developing a unique strategy that aligns with your mission and goals. Consider these questions: Who is your target audience? How are you collecting email addresses? What types of emails will you send? What types of content do you want to share in those emails? What will your emails look like? What is the layout? What is the design based on? How often do you plan to send emails? What platform will you use? Does it integrate with your donor database and have all the features you need to implement your strategy? Email marketing is the most effective and successful when there's a strategic plan in place. Creating a detailed strategy that answers the questions above will provide your nonprofit with the stepping stones needed to set your email marketing efforts up for success and help meet your overall fundraising goals. Send Emails Once you have a strategy and execution plan in place, you’re ready to start sending your messages to your audience. Email subscribers want to hear from you, but you need to be sure you are sending engaging messages to the right audiences. When you start sending your emails, plan to send a mix of different messages to your audience. Email marketing is an effective channel to not only fundraise but to help subscribers stay engaged and keep donor retention high. A great example would be to include advocacy emails in your plans. Advocacy emails include newsletters and impact stories. These types of emails help your subscriber feel valued as a donor as they’re seeing the direct impact of their support. As you start and continue to send emails, always track each email's performance. This helps you determine what is working and what is not working. By tracking key metrics, like click-through rates, conversation rates and donations per email, you will be able to continuously improve your strategy and the emails you are sending. Follow Best Practices As you begin to execute your email strategy, there are a few key best practices I recommend following to help increase engagement, donations, and overall performance of your emails. Personalize the email for your subscribers. Personalized emails can generate donations up to six times more compared to a generalized email. Make sure your emails are well-designed with compelling imagery that helps the donor visualize your mission and the impact of their donations. Provide clear calls to action in each email you send and always include a “Donate” button in all your communications. Include social sharing buttons and links to your social channels in all your email communications. Emails with social sharing buttons increase click-through rates by as much as 158% and help expand your reach by allowing donors to recommend and share your nonprofit with their network. Create an email cadence so you are regularly communicating with your audience throughout the year. For every 1,000 fundraising emails delivered, nonprofits raised $78, so it is in your best interest to continuously send messages to your subscribers. Start by sending emails monthly and then experiment with increasing the frequency of emails per month and see what works best for your nonprofit. Utilizing email marketing is key to having a successful fundraising strategy for your nonprofit. By building a well-thought-out strategy and implementing it, you will be able to engage, retain and convert subscribers into a loyal donor base.

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Marketing Your Nonprofit Organization in 4 Simple Steps

Article | July 29, 2022

Are you expecting all donors to be the same? If you answered “no…well actually… kinda,” then you are not alone. It’s simple to send out the same fundraising message to everyone. However, you can transform your fundraising when you understand that there are many reasons why a person chooses to donate to a nonprofit. Once you understand the psychology of donating to charity, you can then best appeal to current and potential donors. Why do Donors Give? Along a spectrum, there are two extremes that prevent nonprofits from using donation psychology in their fundraising messages. On one end, the person making the ask – the Executive Director, Development person or Board member – assumes all donors have the same motivations for giving that they do. This translates into single-focused messaging that appeals to the person making the ask and to some donors, but not to others. On the other end of the spectrum when a nonprofit neglects philanthropy psychology, the person making the ask becomes paralyzed. They fear offending donors by asking at the “wrong” time. They focus on external, societal crises, such as the pandemic, wars, tragedies, and make a decision for the donor that this is the wrong time to be asked for a gift. They assume that the donor would be offended if asked. The Millennial Impact Project studied why donors across generations start giving. Unexpectedly, according to the researcher, Derrick Feldmann, donors first give because they want to belong. They desire to join their friends or be a part of a cause doing the good they wish to see in the world – this is before they understand what the cause or nonprofit is seeking to accomplish. As they gain that sense of belonging and begin believing in the cause, they can be motivated to continue to give when the nonprofit taps into their giving style. The Seven Faces of Philanthropy was groundbreaking research published in 1994 that has been updated and is still relevant today. In summary, the researchers found that donors give for different reasons. Some donors give because they enjoy the act of giving, especially through events. More donors prefer to donate to local charities or make a long-lasting impact through their investments. Other donors desire to repay or pay forward in gratitude through their giving. Others give because of religious or altruistic reasons. Then, there are donors who see giving as a family tradition and, if applicable, to teach their children generosity. Understanding the donor’s motivations for giving guides a nonprofit in developing the right message, using the right fundraising methods and segmenting to the right group of donors. How Can you Encourage Your Donors to Give? Now that you understand the psychology behind making a philanthropic gift, you can implement this knowledge to customize your fundraising appeals. First, you will need to determine why your donors give. This is done through discussions with Board members, personal conversations with donors, and through donor surveys. It begins with a simple question, “Why do you give to…?” The answers will assist you in creating donor identities; that is, the types of identities or groups where donors wish to belong. Sample identities could be “community leader” or “survivor” or “change maker.” Next, based on what you learned from your current donors, pick the top two or three donor motivations and associated identities. Alter your current messaging and fundraising methods to these giving reasons. The messaging and methods that inspire your current donors will likely attract more donors. Begin testing your messaging for these two to three reasons: Which message has the highest engagement in response and donation? This will be your primary message that you will rotate with the secondary messages. As you further explore your donor’s psychology for giving, you can advance to segmenting your communications based on what will motivate groups of donors to give. Once you understand donor psychology, you will wonder how you missed the clues to why your donors give – and be ready to catch future donors by staying one step ahead of their giving habits.

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

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

Article | July 20, 2022

Although we recommend talking directly with your donors to learn what matters to them, one-on-one conversations aren’t the only way to gain valuable information about your donors. Through analysis of the donor data in your fundraising software, you can obtain insights that will help you create a better experience for your donors, and motivate them to give more over time. Here’s what you can learn from the numbers and how you can apply this knowledge to improve your donor experience. Biographic and Demographic Information: This particular donor data isn’t snazzy, but it provides you with important tools to use in donor communications. Here’s what you can do with it. Preferred Name: Even something as simple as addressing your donors by their preferred names or nicknames will go a long way toward building a meaningful relationship. Employment: Improve the timing of your emails by sending to full-time individuals when they’re at work. Age: Millennials are more likely to check social media or text messages for communications, while Baby Boomers are more likely to use email or even snail mail. A multi-channel communication strategy, however, is the best thing to help you reach your donors where they’re at. Educational Background: While someone’s education level may provide insights about their capacity to give, consider looking at what your contacts were involved in while in school. Did they join clubs that provide a clue about their interests? Did they hold certain leadership positions that tell you what they’re committed to? What community service projects were they active in? This information can help you customize your communications more meaningfully. Involvement History: Monetary giving isn’t the only indicator of a donor’s interest in your organization. When you’re putting together your campaign lists, don’t forget to look at other historical indicators as well. Note: If you’re already using Network for Good’s simple, smart fundraising software, demographic details, like the ones above, need to be individually added as “Custom Fields” to a constituent’s record. Involvement in Advocacy Work: If an individual advocates for charities or causes, he or she is usually serious about making a difference and seeks to do so in other ways. Corporate Sponsorships: If someone has organized a corporate sponsorship for her or his place of employment, the individual has demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile foryour organization. Showing Up at Events: If you have regulars who appear at your events, they’re prime candidates to get more involved. An events platform that integrates directly with your fundraising software can be a key tool here in making sure you’re following up with the right people. Network of Connections: Prospective donors will always be more willing to respond if a friend or business connection has introduced your organization to them. If you think an individual would be willing to contribute to your nonprofit, look at who in your donor database is connected to that person and ask for an introduction. This strategy can also be used for raising corporate sponsorships. Hobbies: Hobbies and interests will tell you who’s most likely to participate in your events. They’ll also give you ideas about what types of events will be most popular with your contacts. Here are a few ideas: Games: Trivia night, bingo, or board games. Outdoors: Run/Walk, golf or fishing tournament, or softball. Food & Drink: Wine tasting, celebrity chef or bartender, or profit share at a restaurant. Music: Benefit concert, talent show, or Battle of the Bands Arts & Culture: Group night at the theatre, charity poetry reading, or author meet-and-greet. Timing of Gifts: When do individuals give? If someone tends to make donations at a certain time of year, your request will probably be welcomed (and successful!) if you ask at that time. Using tools such as the “Giving” filters to conduct donor analysis can help determine if there are trends around a particular time of year for one (or multiple) donors – and knowing the timing of gifts will also help you spend your marketing dollars more wisely. If someone has given within a year-long time period, that person is much more likely to give again than someone who gave two years ago. You can allocate your marketing resources more intelligently if you know who is more likely to donate. These are just a few ideas on how to use your data to not only build a stronger donor experience but also increase your fundraising revenue. Learn why the donor experience is vital to a successful organization and how to implement an effective donor experience program by downloading “A Better Donor Experience: Is it the Cornerstone of Donor Loyalty?”

Read More
NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

7 Reasons to Invest in a Volunteer Program

Article | May 20, 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
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Kentucky Nonprofit Network

Founded in 2002, the KY Nonprofit Network is Kentucky's state association of nonprofits organizations. KNN serves as a resource for nonprofit board members, staff and other leaders; an information center on effective nonprofit organizational practices; and an advocate for the nonprofit sector.

Related News

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

CD&R Foundation Makes Inaugural Grants to Non-Profit Organizations

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice | June 15, 2022

Clayton Dubilier & Rice announced that the CD&R Foundation, which launched last year to meaningfully expand the Firm's philanthropic, service, and educational efforts, has made inaugural grants totaling approximately $3 million to nine non-profit organizations in New York City. These diverse organizations, identified as CD&R's Talent Solution Partners (TSP), align with the Foundation's goal of supporting "Equity through Opportunity" by offering underserved and underestimated talent in CD&R's local communities access to job training, high-quality jobs, and ongoing professional development opportunities throughout their career journey. Each organization focuses on the Foundation's key levers for change, which include: Equity: Promoting equitable access to employment and advancement that is inclusive of all facets of diversity—with a focus on historically excluded talent Growth: Supporting economic growth efforts in CD&R's two local communities – New York City and London Skills: Strengthening and amplifying best-in-class job skills training and upskilling practices for underserved and underestimated talent across industries Systems: Building capacity and filling gaps in the local workforce development ecosystem to increase opportunity pathways and eliminate barriers faced by marginalized communities CD&R will work alongside the TSPs to strengthen these efforts throughout New York City. CD&R recognizes that the pool of talent in our communities is overflowing, but their access to opportunity is shallow. These nine non-profit organizations were selected based on a myriad of factors, including their vision/mission, leadership, and commitment to an equitable future. These represent some of the traits and goals that we believe are critical to creating greater economic opportunity and employment for people of all backgrounds. Moving forward, we look forward to continuing to identify other potential partners that share our mission and values." Randy Moore, President of the CD&R Foundation "Over the past 44 years, CD&R has built a reputation for driving positive impact and innovation throughout our portfolio and in our local communities," said Don Gogel, Chairman of both CD&R and the CD&R Foundation. "The CD&R Foundation meaningfully expands these efforts, and we look forward to working with our TSPs to move the needle on inclusive employment and advancement practices." Braven: Its mission is to empower promising, underrepresented young people with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs. The City University of New York: The largest public urban university in the country, serving 260,000 degree seeking students and 185,000 continuing education students. The CUNY Office of Careers and Industry Partnerships sits at the intersection of industry and higher education, building partnerships between employers and the university to align CUNY's academic preparation with in-demand jobs in growth industries. Genesys Works: This organization provides pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships. Grace Institute: The institute empowers low-income women in the New York area to achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency by providing job-skills training, counseling, placement services and continuous learning opportunities. Henry Street Settlement: The organization's mission is to create opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers with over 50 programs located in 18 program sites across four core divisions, including employment and education. The Marcy Lab School: This institution provides free technical training, leadership development, and direct access to high-growth technology careers for young adults from underestimated backgrounds.  Per Scholas: Its mission is to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled underrepresented talent to leading businesses. STRIVE: A nonprofit agency headquartered in East Harlem that provides a pathway to life-changing careers and opportunities through comprehensive professional training, intensive personal support and self-empowerment for those who face societal barriers to advancement. Upwardly Global: Its mission is to eliminate employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals and advance the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy through innovative skill-building and networking programs. About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses primarily in five industry sectors, including Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer, Technology and Financial Services. The CD&R Foundation was established with the goal of enabling "Equity through Opportunity" by strengthening the workforce development ecosystem at the local community, portfolio network, and employer level.

Read More

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

CyberGrants Kicks Off Social Impact Leadership Conference

CyberGrants | June 07, 2022

Today marks the beginning of the Social Impact Leadership Conference (SILC), hosted by CyberGrants, a Bonterra company. The event runs June 6-8 and is being held in Austin, Texas. For the first time since 2019, SILC returns in-person to bring together the corporate social responsibility (CSR) community, offering presentations from industry thought leaders, breakout sessions with professionals representing grant making, workplace giving, volunteerism, nonprofit engagement, and networking opportunities to reconnect with nonprofit and CSR leaders. SILC sessions and panels will be focusing on a variety of CSR topics, including nonprofit collaboration, employee and community engagement, grant management, disaster and crisis philanthropy, impact measurement perspective of corporations' nonprofits and investors, and data-driven corporate social responsibility. SILC will also feature a session with Bonterra's Chief People Officer, Terilyn Monroe, and CyberGrant's General Manager and Chief Product Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility, Pete Karns, to offer perspectives on how CSR is an essential element of high-functioning HR outcomes by turning the great resignation into an opportunity to attract and retain talent. Additionally, Bonterra CEO, Erin Mulligan Nelson, will speak regarding the recent announcement that the technology and people behind CyberGrants, EveryAction™, Network for Good®, Social Solutions®, and their respective entities, have come together as Bonterra. Announced in March, Bonterra is creating an industry-defining software platform to power those who power social impact, enabling unprecedented connectivity between social good organizations and their community of supporters and constituents. I'm excited to be reconnecting personally with our industry for SILC 2022. Corporate philanthropy is more critical now than ever to help raise the bar for how social change happens, and the insights, conversation, and connections happening at SILC are an important part of that ongoing mission. Our conference has always been about community and a forum for inspiration and empowerment. We are proud to serve those in need by supporting the corporate giving community with the tools, support, and knowledge required to achieve their missions." Erin Mulligan Nelson, CEO of Bonterra About Bonterra Bonterra is the second-largest and fastest-growing social good software company in the world with solutions from CyberGrants, EveryAction, Network for Good, Social Solutions, and their respective entities making up its product family. Bonterra, which stems from the French word for "good" (bon) and the Latin word for "land" (terra) represents the exponential good that can be accomplished with the right foundation and supports the company's purpose to power those who power social impact. Bonterra's differentiated, end-to-end solutions collectively support a unique network of over 19,000 customers, including over 15,000 nonprofit organizations and over 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. About CyberGrants CyberGrants is a leading provider of software-as-a-service solutions for corporate social responsibility. Since its founding in 1999, CyberGrants has delivered fully-hosted web-based SaaS solutions to many of the largest companies and foundations in the world, including 40% of the Fortune 100. Through its integrated grants management and employee engagement suite, CyberGrants connects companies, foundations, employees, and not-for-profits to support the delivery of more than $2.5 billion of charitable giving annually.

Read More

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

Republic Services Charitable Foundation Awards 10 National Neighborhood Promise Grants for 2022

Republic Services | May 17, 2022

The Republic Services, Inc. Charitable Foundation named 10 grant recipients for its 2022 National Neighborhood Promise program, a nationwide community revitalization initiative. The grants will primarily support local chapters of national nonprofit organizations – Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity International and NeighborWorks America – to build sustainable green spaces, refresh community spaces and provide housing for those in need. We believe it is essential to invest in the communities where our customers and employees live and work, so it's a privilege to support proven organizations delivering critical resources locally. These neighborhood revitalization projects strengthen both our communities and business for the long-term, which is why we've embedded charitable giving into Republic's sustainability goals." Jon Vander Ark, president and chief executive officer, Republic Services Since 2018, National Neighborhood Promise has provided partner organizations with funding, products and services, serving as an engine for local revitalization efforts. In addition, the Foundation prioritizes volunteerism by providing employees opportunities to give back to the communities in which they live and work. To date, the Foundation has funded nearly 70 National Neighborhood Promise projects and, across all Republic Services' charitable giving efforts, positively impacted nearly 6 million people. The 2022 Foundation recipients, receiving grants ranging from $125,000 to $250,000, include: California: Bracken's Kitchen, Orange County Colorado: Rebuilding Together Metro Denver Illinois: Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago Louisiana: Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge Massachusetts: NewVue Communities, Fitchburg North Carolina: Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte Ohio: Famicos Foundation, Cleveland Oregon: Mid-Willamette Family YMCA Pennsylvania: Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Texas: Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity This year's projects include the construction of community centers, the revitalization of neighborhood playgrounds and the expansion of a meals program for those experiencing food insecurity. In 2022, the Foundation's charitable projects include Baton Rouge, La., and Albany, Ore., for the first time. This year also represents the continuation of successful past relationships, including the Foundation's second project with Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago – an example of how Republic Services and community leaders are working together to leave a lasting legacy. "Our ongoing partnership with the Republic Services Charitable Foundation has brought so much joy and relief to Chicago's most vulnerable neighborhoods," said Wanda Ramirez, CEO of Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago. "With the Foundation's help, we plan to repair and revitalize Margaret's Village, a crucial community space for women and families seeking transitional housing. It's this kind of continued impact in the community that inspires our organization to continue to seek out invaluable partners like Republic Services." The National Neighborhood Promise projects support Republic's long-term sustainability goal to positively impact 20 million people through charitable giving by 2030 and are another way the Company is demonstrating sustainability in action. About Republic Services Republic Services, Inc. is a leader in the U.S. environmental services industry. Through its subsidiaries, the Company provides superior service offerings while partnering with customers to create a more sustainable world.

Read More

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

CD&R Foundation Makes Inaugural Grants to Non-Profit Organizations

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice | June 15, 2022

Clayton Dubilier & Rice announced that the CD&R Foundation, which launched last year to meaningfully expand the Firm's philanthropic, service, and educational efforts, has made inaugural grants totaling approximately $3 million to nine non-profit organizations in New York City. These diverse organizations, identified as CD&R's Talent Solution Partners (TSP), align with the Foundation's goal of supporting "Equity through Opportunity" by offering underserved and underestimated talent in CD&R's local communities access to job training, high-quality jobs, and ongoing professional development opportunities throughout their career journey. Each organization focuses on the Foundation's key levers for change, which include: Equity: Promoting equitable access to employment and advancement that is inclusive of all facets of diversity—with a focus on historically excluded talent Growth: Supporting economic growth efforts in CD&R's two local communities – New York City and London Skills: Strengthening and amplifying best-in-class job skills training and upskilling practices for underserved and underestimated talent across industries Systems: Building capacity and filling gaps in the local workforce development ecosystem to increase opportunity pathways and eliminate barriers faced by marginalized communities CD&R will work alongside the TSPs to strengthen these efforts throughout New York City. CD&R recognizes that the pool of talent in our communities is overflowing, but their access to opportunity is shallow. These nine non-profit organizations were selected based on a myriad of factors, including their vision/mission, leadership, and commitment to an equitable future. These represent some of the traits and goals that we believe are critical to creating greater economic opportunity and employment for people of all backgrounds. Moving forward, we look forward to continuing to identify other potential partners that share our mission and values." Randy Moore, President of the CD&R Foundation "Over the past 44 years, CD&R has built a reputation for driving positive impact and innovation throughout our portfolio and in our local communities," said Don Gogel, Chairman of both CD&R and the CD&R Foundation. "The CD&R Foundation meaningfully expands these efforts, and we look forward to working with our TSPs to move the needle on inclusive employment and advancement practices." Braven: Its mission is to empower promising, underrepresented young people with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs. The City University of New York: The largest public urban university in the country, serving 260,000 degree seeking students and 185,000 continuing education students. The CUNY Office of Careers and Industry Partnerships sits at the intersection of industry and higher education, building partnerships between employers and the university to align CUNY's academic preparation with in-demand jobs in growth industries. Genesys Works: This organization provides pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful work experiences, and impactful relationships. Grace Institute: The institute empowers low-income women in the New York area to achieve employment and economic self-sufficiency by providing job-skills training, counseling, placement services and continuous learning opportunities. Henry Street Settlement: The organization's mission is to create opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers with over 50 programs located in 18 program sites across four core divisions, including employment and education. The Marcy Lab School: This institution provides free technical training, leadership development, and direct access to high-growth technology careers for young adults from underestimated backgrounds.  Per Scholas: Its mission is to advance economic equity through rigorous training for tech careers and to connect skilled underrepresented talent to leading businesses. STRIVE: A nonprofit agency headquartered in East Harlem that provides a pathway to life-changing careers and opportunities through comprehensive professional training, intensive personal support and self-empowerment for those who face societal barriers to advancement. Upwardly Global: Its mission is to eliminate employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals and advance the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy through innovative skill-building and networking programs. About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses primarily in five industry sectors, including Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer, Technology and Financial Services. The CD&R Foundation was established with the goal of enabling "Equity through Opportunity" by strengthening the workforce development ecosystem at the local community, portfolio network, and employer level.

Read More

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

CyberGrants Kicks Off Social Impact Leadership Conference

CyberGrants | June 07, 2022

Today marks the beginning of the Social Impact Leadership Conference (SILC), hosted by CyberGrants, a Bonterra company. The event runs June 6-8 and is being held in Austin, Texas. For the first time since 2019, SILC returns in-person to bring together the corporate social responsibility (CSR) community, offering presentations from industry thought leaders, breakout sessions with professionals representing grant making, workplace giving, volunteerism, nonprofit engagement, and networking opportunities to reconnect with nonprofit and CSR leaders. SILC sessions and panels will be focusing on a variety of CSR topics, including nonprofit collaboration, employee and community engagement, grant management, disaster and crisis philanthropy, impact measurement perspective of corporations' nonprofits and investors, and data-driven corporate social responsibility. SILC will also feature a session with Bonterra's Chief People Officer, Terilyn Monroe, and CyberGrant's General Manager and Chief Product Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility, Pete Karns, to offer perspectives on how CSR is an essential element of high-functioning HR outcomes by turning the great resignation into an opportunity to attract and retain talent. Additionally, Bonterra CEO, Erin Mulligan Nelson, will speak regarding the recent announcement that the technology and people behind CyberGrants, EveryAction™, Network for Good®, Social Solutions®, and their respective entities, have come together as Bonterra. Announced in March, Bonterra is creating an industry-defining software platform to power those who power social impact, enabling unprecedented connectivity between social good organizations and their community of supporters and constituents. I'm excited to be reconnecting personally with our industry for SILC 2022. Corporate philanthropy is more critical now than ever to help raise the bar for how social change happens, and the insights, conversation, and connections happening at SILC are an important part of that ongoing mission. Our conference has always been about community and a forum for inspiration and empowerment. We are proud to serve those in need by supporting the corporate giving community with the tools, support, and knowledge required to achieve their missions." Erin Mulligan Nelson, CEO of Bonterra About Bonterra Bonterra is the second-largest and fastest-growing social good software company in the world with solutions from CyberGrants, EveryAction, Network for Good, Social Solutions, and their respective entities making up its product family. Bonterra, which stems from the French word for "good" (bon) and the Latin word for "land" (terra) represents the exponential good that can be accomplished with the right foundation and supports the company's purpose to power those who power social impact. Bonterra's differentiated, end-to-end solutions collectively support a unique network of over 19,000 customers, including over 15,000 nonprofit organizations and over 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. About CyberGrants CyberGrants is a leading provider of software-as-a-service solutions for corporate social responsibility. Since its founding in 1999, CyberGrants has delivered fully-hosted web-based SaaS solutions to many of the largest companies and foundations in the world, including 40% of the Fortune 100. Through its integrated grants management and employee engagement suite, CyberGrants connects companies, foundations, employees, and not-for-profits to support the delivery of more than $2.5 billion of charitable giving annually.

Read More

NONPROFIT TECHNOLOGY

Republic Services Charitable Foundation Awards 10 National Neighborhood Promise Grants for 2022

Republic Services | May 17, 2022

The Republic Services, Inc. Charitable Foundation named 10 grant recipients for its 2022 National Neighborhood Promise program, a nationwide community revitalization initiative. The grants will primarily support local chapters of national nonprofit organizations – Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity International and NeighborWorks America – to build sustainable green spaces, refresh community spaces and provide housing for those in need. We believe it is essential to invest in the communities where our customers and employees live and work, so it's a privilege to support proven organizations delivering critical resources locally. These neighborhood revitalization projects strengthen both our communities and business for the long-term, which is why we've embedded charitable giving into Republic's sustainability goals." Jon Vander Ark, president and chief executive officer, Republic Services Since 2018, National Neighborhood Promise has provided partner organizations with funding, products and services, serving as an engine for local revitalization efforts. In addition, the Foundation prioritizes volunteerism by providing employees opportunities to give back to the communities in which they live and work. To date, the Foundation has funded nearly 70 National Neighborhood Promise projects and, across all Republic Services' charitable giving efforts, positively impacted nearly 6 million people. The 2022 Foundation recipients, receiving grants ranging from $125,000 to $250,000, include: California: Bracken's Kitchen, Orange County Colorado: Rebuilding Together Metro Denver Illinois: Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago Louisiana: Rebuilding Together Baton Rouge Massachusetts: NewVue Communities, Fitchburg North Carolina: Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte Ohio: Famicos Foundation, Cleveland Oregon: Mid-Willamette Family YMCA Pennsylvania: Rebuilding Together Philadelphia Texas: Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity This year's projects include the construction of community centers, the revitalization of neighborhood playgrounds and the expansion of a meals program for those experiencing food insecurity. In 2022, the Foundation's charitable projects include Baton Rouge, La., and Albany, Ore., for the first time. This year also represents the continuation of successful past relationships, including the Foundation's second project with Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago – an example of how Republic Services and community leaders are working together to leave a lasting legacy. "Our ongoing partnership with the Republic Services Charitable Foundation has brought so much joy and relief to Chicago's most vulnerable neighborhoods," said Wanda Ramirez, CEO of Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago. "With the Foundation's help, we plan to repair and revitalize Margaret's Village, a crucial community space for women and families seeking transitional housing. It's this kind of continued impact in the community that inspires our organization to continue to seek out invaluable partners like Republic Services." The National Neighborhood Promise projects support Republic's long-term sustainability goal to positively impact 20 million people through charitable giving by 2030 and are another way the Company is demonstrating sustainability in action. About Republic Services Republic Services, Inc. is a leader in the U.S. environmental services industry. Through its subsidiaries, the Company provides superior service offerings while partnering with customers to create a more sustainable world.

Read More

Events

2022 Raise

Conference

2022 Raise

Conference