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How charities can boost their profile and fundraising efforts

March 5, 2018 | 71 views

Indeed, research by the New Philanthropy Capital1 has found charities in the UK are being forced to cut back on the services they offer as a result of reduced funding. Two-thirds of the charities surveyed in England and Wales admitted front-line services have been lost as a result of a lack of donations, while one in ten think they may have to close within the next 12 months.

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Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) is a non-profit organization that works to make Downtown a better place to live, work, play and do business. The PDP fosters a clean, safe, accessible, and vibrant Downtown through a wide range of strategies and advocacy for actions that will strengthen the city, enhance its beauty and vitality and make it a better place for business and pleasure.

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NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Utilize an Email Marketing Strategy to Drive More Donations

Article | July 29, 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.

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NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

The Psychology Behind Donations

Article | July 12, 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.

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NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

How Donor Data Can Inform Better Donor Experiences

Article | July 13, 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?”

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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.

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NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT

Marketing Your Nonprofit Organization in 4 Simple Steps

Article | July 29, 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

What Are the Top Five Lessons for Your Non-Profit This Year?

Article | July 12, 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

4 Challenges that Large Non-profit Organizations Face

Article | July 13, 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
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Spotlight

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) is a non-profit organization that works to make Downtown a better place to live, work, play and do business. The PDP fosters a clean, safe, accessible, and vibrant Downtown through a wide range of strategies and advocacy for actions that will strengthen the city, enhance its beauty and vitality and make it a better place for business and pleasure.

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CompTIA Member Communities and Councils Donate $240,000 to Technology-Focused Charity Programs in 2022

CompTIA | August 10, 2022

CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, today announced that its member communities and councils selected 16 technology-related charities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States to give $240,000 in donations this year. WonderKey Collective received the largest total donation of $70,000. As part of CompTIA Giving, contributions made by CompTIA's member communities and councils support local communities and improve education, access to resources and career options for individuals in need. CompTIA Giving designates $10,000 for each of CompTIA's communities and councils to give to their chosen charities each year. Each community and council can give the full $10,000 to one charity or split it among two charities. "CompTIA and our member communities and councils are committed to building a stronger and more diverse technology industry, This year's group of charities is a perfect example of how people are using technology to solve all sorts of challenges and support the dreams and capabilities of the people across the globe. I am honored to be part of an association that believes in giving back and proud to support these wonderful organizations." -M.J Shoer, chief community officer, CompTIA. The following charities have been selected by CompTIA's member communities and councils for donations this year: Ability Technology aims to increase the independence and productive potential of people with a disability by using computer and related technology. Aspire2STEAM provides educational scholarships to young, underserved women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Centrepoint provides housing and support for young people in the UK and aspires to end youth homelessness. Close the Gap aims to bridge the digital divide by offering high-quality, pre-owned computers donated by European and international companies to educational, medical and social projects in developing and emerging countries. Digitunity aims to eliminate the technology gap, through and with a network of stakeholders and solutions, so that everyone can thrive in a digitally connected society. Federation of Galaxy Explorers inspires youth in the fields of science and engineering by providing afterschool "mission team" meetings where students participate in hands-on lessons that support the National Science Education Standards. Foster Care to Success works with college-bound foster youth, helping them navigate the tricky waters of academia, understand the importance of personal fiscal responsibility, determine achievable career goals, and create networks of friendship and support. Future Possibilities for Kids focuses on building leaders through unique leadership programs, coaching children to believe in themselves and lead community change. Hire Heroes USA provides free, expert career coaching and job sourcing to transitioning U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses. iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions. Kids Help Phone Canada is a counseling center for Canadian kids which promises to listen without judgment 24/7. OMGTech! aims to open up the world of future tech to every Kiwi kid through award winning workshops and initiatives. Share Your Soles provides gently worn/new shoes to those in greatest need around the world. Starlight Children's Foundation aims to bring the very best in technology, play, and other fun experiences to distract and entertain pediatric patients. Women in Aerospace is dedicated to expanding women's opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community through networking and policy events that highlight issues relevant to the aerospace industry. WonderKey Collective exists to narrow the digital divide by providing hardware, internet access, and essentials for foster, emancipated, and homeless youth throughout the United States. CompTIA divides its philanthropic efforts along three main lines: 1) CompTIA Giving, which gives money and staff time to tech-related charities; 2) CompTIA Tech Career Academy, which provides grants to low-income individuals and those who are underrepresented in tech roles; and 3) CompTIA Spark, which researches and develops workforce development and tech education programs to build new pathways to IT careers. About CompTIA: The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce.

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FUNDRAISING

Messari Acquires Assets and Business of Dove Metrics to Expand Product Offerings

Messari | August 05, 2022

Messari, a leading provider of crypto market intelligence products, today announced its acquisition of the assets and business of Dove Metrics of Blackrose Capital. Dove Metrics is a leading provider of fundraising data and intelligence for the crypto fundraising landscape. "At Messari, we strive to be the leading data and research provider in the crypto space in order to create greater transparency around the industry, The acquisition of Dove Metrics will enable us to offer new datasets and tools that further allow our users to stay on top of industry trends and monitor, in real-time, the top projects and technologies that investors are backing." -Eric Turner, Vice President of Market Intelligence, Messari. Dove Metrics' database continuously monitors crypto funding rounds and offers insights into the portfolios of over 8,000 investors including VC funds, hedge funds, investment DAOs, corporate funds, and angels. The database additionally offers insight into approximately 3,000 funding rounds, covers over 300 fundraising rounds by funds themselves, and 200 crypto merger & acquisition transactions. "We started Dove Metrics to bring transparency to crypto fundraising. Messari has been focused on bringing transparency to the overall industry for years, so we're excited to see how Messari will expand and grow the product." -Pierre Chuzeville Co-Founder Dove Metrics. About Dove Metrics: Dove Metrics is crypto's leading fundraising database, with more than 3,200 funding rounds and 8,000 investors tracked. It is led by Regan Bozman and Pierre Chuzeville, who also run Lattice, an early-stage crypto VC fund. About Messari: Messari is the leading provider of market intelligence products that help professionals navigate crypto with confidence. For individuals and institutions alike, Messari combines deep analysis, data, news and powerful tools to improve industry transparency and drive smarter participation in crypto.

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FUNDRAISING,SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND COMMUNITY

AMERICAN AIRLINES PUSHING CANCER RESEARCH TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

standuptocancer | August 02, 2022

American Airlines, in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated actress, singer and songwriter Mandy Moore, is launching its annual campaign to raise funds for innovative and life-saving cancer research. Now through Sept. 30, customers will receive 25 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for every dollar they donate of $25 or more to Stand Up To Cancer. Additionally, anyone who uses their American Airlines AAdvantage Mastercard® credit card to contribute between $25 and $10,000, will receive 50 bonus AAdvantage miles per dollar until we reach $1 million in donations. "The outpouring of support from our generous team members and customers has been remarkable in our six-year partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, That's a testament to how passionate we are about Stand Up's mission to save lives by funding research that has led to groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. It's a disease that has impacted so many of us and our loved ones." -Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer American Airlines. Since first joining forces in 2016, American has raised more than $11 million to benefit SU2C through fundraising efforts. In 2019, American debuted a campaign that offered those who donate the chance to honor a loved one by including their name on an Airbus A321 aircraft wrapped in a special SU2C livery. "This year alone, nearly 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, Stand Up To Cancer is committed to funding innovative cancer research and dealing with health equity in cancer clinical trials to ensure treatments are accessible and beneficial to all patients. We are immensely grateful to American Airlines and their customers for their longstanding support and to Mandy Moore for her participation in this campaign. Together, we can and will end this terrible disease." -Rusty Robertson, Stand Up To Cancer Co-Founder. SU2C brings together the best and the brightest in the cancer community to help new therapies move from the laboratory to the patient quickly. By galvanizing the entertainment community, SU2C creates awareness and educates the public on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment and raises funds to support these efforts. I have supported Stand Up To Cancer since its inception and it has been truly amazing to see scientists, patients, actors, musicians and athletes all come together for one common cause — the fight against cancer, said Mandy Moore. To do this in partnership with them and American Airlines, a company so close to my heart, is truly a full circle moment. For many, cancer is a part of life's journey, and through this campaign, I hope we can raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer's groundbreaking cancer research programs, while inspiring cancer survivors, patients and those caring for a loved one facing the disease. About American Airlines Group: To Care for People on Life's Journey®. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. About Stand Up To Cancer: Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders who utilize these communities' resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of July 2022, more than 3,000 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects. Under the direction of our Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, SU2C conducts rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and ensure collaboration across research programs.

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FUNDRAISING,PHILANTHROPY

CompTIA Member Communities and Councils Donate $240,000 to Technology-Focused Charity Programs in 2022

CompTIA | August 10, 2022

CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, today announced that its member communities and councils selected 16 technology-related charities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United States to give $240,000 in donations this year. WonderKey Collective received the largest total donation of $70,000. As part of CompTIA Giving, contributions made by CompTIA's member communities and councils support local communities and improve education, access to resources and career options for individuals in need. CompTIA Giving designates $10,000 for each of CompTIA's communities and councils to give to their chosen charities each year. Each community and council can give the full $10,000 to one charity or split it among two charities. "CompTIA and our member communities and councils are committed to building a stronger and more diverse technology industry, This year's group of charities is a perfect example of how people are using technology to solve all sorts of challenges and support the dreams and capabilities of the people across the globe. I am honored to be part of an association that believes in giving back and proud to support these wonderful organizations." -M.J Shoer, chief community officer, CompTIA. The following charities have been selected by CompTIA's member communities and councils for donations this year: Ability Technology aims to increase the independence and productive potential of people with a disability by using computer and related technology. Aspire2STEAM provides educational scholarships to young, underserved women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Centrepoint provides housing and support for young people in the UK and aspires to end youth homelessness. Close the Gap aims to bridge the digital divide by offering high-quality, pre-owned computers donated by European and international companies to educational, medical and social projects in developing and emerging countries. Digitunity aims to eliminate the technology gap, through and with a network of stakeholders and solutions, so that everyone can thrive in a digitally connected society. Federation of Galaxy Explorers inspires youth in the fields of science and engineering by providing afterschool "mission team" meetings where students participate in hands-on lessons that support the National Science Education Standards. Foster Care to Success works with college-bound foster youth, helping them navigate the tricky waters of academia, understand the importance of personal fiscal responsibility, determine achievable career goals, and create networks of friendship and support. Future Possibilities for Kids focuses on building leaders through unique leadership programs, coaching children to believe in themselves and lead community change. Hire Heroes USA provides free, expert career coaching and job sourcing to transitioning U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses. iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions. Kids Help Phone Canada is a counseling center for Canadian kids which promises to listen without judgment 24/7. OMGTech! aims to open up the world of future tech to every Kiwi kid through award winning workshops and initiatives. Share Your Soles provides gently worn/new shoes to those in greatest need around the world. Starlight Children's Foundation aims to bring the very best in technology, play, and other fun experiences to distract and entertain pediatric patients. Women in Aerospace is dedicated to expanding women's opportunities for leadership and increasing their visibility in the aerospace community through networking and policy events that highlight issues relevant to the aerospace industry. WonderKey Collective exists to narrow the digital divide by providing hardware, internet access, and essentials for foster, emancipated, and homeless youth throughout the United States. CompTIA divides its philanthropic efforts along three main lines: 1) CompTIA Giving, which gives money and staff time to tech-related charities; 2) CompTIA Tech Career Academy, which provides grants to low-income individuals and those who are underrepresented in tech roles; and 3) CompTIA Spark, which researches and develops workforce development and tech education programs to build new pathways to IT careers. About CompTIA: The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce.

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FUNDRAISING

Messari Acquires Assets and Business of Dove Metrics to Expand Product Offerings

Messari | August 05, 2022

Messari, a leading provider of crypto market intelligence products, today announced its acquisition of the assets and business of Dove Metrics of Blackrose Capital. Dove Metrics is a leading provider of fundraising data and intelligence for the crypto fundraising landscape. "At Messari, we strive to be the leading data and research provider in the crypto space in order to create greater transparency around the industry, The acquisition of Dove Metrics will enable us to offer new datasets and tools that further allow our users to stay on top of industry trends and monitor, in real-time, the top projects and technologies that investors are backing." -Eric Turner, Vice President of Market Intelligence, Messari. Dove Metrics' database continuously monitors crypto funding rounds and offers insights into the portfolios of over 8,000 investors including VC funds, hedge funds, investment DAOs, corporate funds, and angels. The database additionally offers insight into approximately 3,000 funding rounds, covers over 300 fundraising rounds by funds themselves, and 200 crypto merger & acquisition transactions. "We started Dove Metrics to bring transparency to crypto fundraising. Messari has been focused on bringing transparency to the overall industry for years, so we're excited to see how Messari will expand and grow the product." -Pierre Chuzeville Co-Founder Dove Metrics. About Dove Metrics: Dove Metrics is crypto's leading fundraising database, with more than 3,200 funding rounds and 8,000 investors tracked. It is led by Regan Bozman and Pierre Chuzeville, who also run Lattice, an early-stage crypto VC fund. About Messari: Messari is the leading provider of market intelligence products that help professionals navigate crypto with confidence. For individuals and institutions alike, Messari combines deep analysis, data, news and powerful tools to improve industry transparency and drive smarter participation in crypto.

Read More

FUNDRAISING,SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND COMMUNITY

AMERICAN AIRLINES PUSHING CANCER RESEARCH TO NEW HEIGHTS WITH FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

standuptocancer | August 02, 2022

American Airlines, in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated actress, singer and songwriter Mandy Moore, is launching its annual campaign to raise funds for innovative and life-saving cancer research. Now through Sept. 30, customers will receive 25 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for every dollar they donate of $25 or more to Stand Up To Cancer. Additionally, anyone who uses their American Airlines AAdvantage Mastercard® credit card to contribute between $25 and $10,000, will receive 50 bonus AAdvantage miles per dollar until we reach $1 million in donations. "The outpouring of support from our generous team members and customers has been remarkable in our six-year partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, That's a testament to how passionate we are about Stand Up's mission to save lives by funding research that has led to groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. It's a disease that has impacted so many of us and our loved ones." -Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications Officer American Airlines. Since first joining forces in 2016, American has raised more than $11 million to benefit SU2C through fundraising efforts. In 2019, American debuted a campaign that offered those who donate the chance to honor a loved one by including their name on an Airbus A321 aircraft wrapped in a special SU2C livery. "This year alone, nearly 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, Stand Up To Cancer is committed to funding innovative cancer research and dealing with health equity in cancer clinical trials to ensure treatments are accessible and beneficial to all patients. We are immensely grateful to American Airlines and their customers for their longstanding support and to Mandy Moore for her participation in this campaign. Together, we can and will end this terrible disease." -Rusty Robertson, Stand Up To Cancer Co-Founder. SU2C brings together the best and the brightest in the cancer community to help new therapies move from the laboratory to the patient quickly. By galvanizing the entertainment community, SU2C creates awareness and educates the public on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment and raises funds to support these efforts. I have supported Stand Up To Cancer since its inception and it has been truly amazing to see scientists, patients, actors, musicians and athletes all come together for one common cause — the fight against cancer, said Mandy Moore. To do this in partnership with them and American Airlines, a company so close to my heart, is truly a full circle moment. For many, cancer is a part of life's journey, and through this campaign, I hope we can raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer's groundbreaking cancer research programs, while inspiring cancer survivors, patients and those caring for a loved one facing the disease. About American Airlines Group: To Care for People on Life's Journey®. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. About Stand Up To Cancer: Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders who utilize these communities' resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of July 2022, more than 3,000 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects. Under the direction of our Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, SU2C conducts rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and ensure collaboration across research programs.

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