Crowdfunding for Nonprofits: What You Need to Know

Crowdfunding has proven to be a game-changer for intrepid entrepreneurs looking to raise funds to get their business off the ground. But, crowdfunding for nonprofits is also becoming something of a trend. With many nonprofit organizations needing different ways to raise funds, crowdfunding has become a major lifeline that helps them keep their operations going. In fact, many nonprofits function purely on the money they raise through crowdfunding. There are around 191 crowdfunding platforms in the US alone, and this has contributed nearly US$65 billion to the global economy.

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International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

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Nonprofit Management

7 Benefits of Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud’s New Program Management Module

Article | July 20, 2022

Salesforce.org has just released a whole slew of new products and feature enhancements that have generated a lot of excitement here at Vera. One of these, the Program Management Module (PMM), has been in the works for a while – we are delighted to see it brought to life and hope it helps many more nonprofits realize the benefits of using Salesforce for program management. On the surface, the PMM may sound redundant or even competitive with Amp Impact – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Whereas Amp Impact offers a portfolio management and portfolio-level impact measurement solution (using logframes, indicators, targets, and results), the PMM is focused on tracking individual beneficiaries and their engagement with programs and services. For organizations working across multiple geographies, tracking at both of these levels is crucial, and data can automatically ‘roll up’ from the PMM objects into Amp Impact’s Indicators and Results.

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Nonprofit Management

5 Ways Nonprofits can Access Corporate Philanthropy

Article | July 20, 2022

Most nonprofits know about corporate sponsorship, but have you tried matching gifts and volunteer grants? Has a business ever donated goods or services to your nonprofit? What about a business donating to a cause or capital campaign? If you haven’t explored corporate philanthropy options, chances are you’re leaving money on the table. Corporate philanthropy programs are a great way for nonprofits to raise crucial funds. Plus, there are often non-monetary benefits that add additional incentive to embrace a business’s social responsibility program.

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Nonprofit Management

5 Rules for Adjusting Your Nonprofit Marketing

Article | July 12, 2022

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

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3 Soft Skills Every Fundraiser Needs

Article | April 22, 2020

"Soft skills" are a hot topic of discussion in recent years, especially in the business world. Many companies are beginning to prioritize hiring candidates with these interpersonal attributes because it’s easy to teach someone how to do a task. It’s much harder to teach people communication, problem-solving, and relational skills. Nonprofits are no exception. "Soft skills" are the unquantifiable abilities that help you build healthy relationships, communicate effectively, and make you an excellent fundraiser. Lacking these attributes could cause you to miss or misunderstand important things in conversations with current and potential donors (and your staff). Because so much fundraising happens online now (via websites, social media, and the telephone), it’s easy to assume that these soft skills are less valuable. On the contrary, they’re actually more important because every interaction carries more weight. We rounded up three soft skills every development professional should cultivate to boost your online fundraising.

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Spotlight

International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

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Fundraising, Nonprofit Technology

FrontFundr raises over $140 million for more than 100 campaigns and launches new fundraising campaign

FrontFundr | September 22, 2022

FrontFundr, Canada’s leading equity crowdfunding platform, announced a significant growth milestone today—the company has surpassed 100 successful closes and processed over $150 million in investments for startups in Canada. To mark this momentous occasion, FrontFundr also launched its own fundraising campaign today, giving everyone the opportunity to invest in the platform itself. Equity crowdfunding allows anyone to invest in private companies and provides an alternative way for companies across a range of funding stages to raise capital. Since launching in 2015, FrontFundr has become the leading platform to invest in the growth of Canada’s most exciting startups and growth stage companies regardless of whether you are a beginner or a seasoned investor. Today’s milestone announcement comes at a time when many Canadians are feeling the pressures of inflation, rising costs and uncertainty in public markets. As wallets and traditional investments dwindle, investing in the private markets are becoming more attractive. They enable people, small and larger investors, to participate in early-stage investment opportunities that could potentially generate high returns while being mostly sheltered from external pressures like market volatility. When someone invests through FrontFundr, the return on those investments are driven by the success of the company, rather than public market sentiment. People can invest in companies they believe in and align with their values and interests. Some companies who have had campaigns on FrontFundr include CAARY, Manzil, Joni, Tiptap and Ecologyst. FrontFundr experienced strong business growth over the summer months and delivered several record results: The platform reached the same number of successful closes in the month of August, as in its entire previous record quarter: 5.5x the number of successful closes of the previous month and 117% higher than the same previous year-to-date period Investor activity increased by 25% quarter-over-quarter in 2022 Revenue increased by 94% quarter-over-quarter in 2022 (almost double from the previous calendar year) “We’re incredibly excited to see equity crowdfunding succeeding here in Canada and poised to go mainstream as we’ve seen in other countries Now that we’ve surpassed 100 successful raises on our platform, we see FrontFundr becoming the go-to platform for people to invest in Canada’s innovation economy while providing promising Canadian private companies access to capital from the public — and this is only the beginning.” -Peter-Paul Van Hoeken, Founder and CEO of FrontFundr. FrontFundr also announced the launch of its own fundraising campaign on the platform today. By listing itself on the marketplace, people have the unique opportunity to directly invest in the Canadian startup ecosystem. The campaign is now open to the public, and anyone can make an investment until Friday, November 4th, 2022. About FrontFundr: FrontFundr is Canada’s leading online private markets investing platform and an exempt market dealer. It provides startups and growth companies access to capital, and gives investors access to private companies they believe in and want to support. With a community of over 30,000 users, FrontFundr gives everyday investors the chance to review and complete private placements on one digital platform. The company’s revolutionary technology allows Canadians to invest in innovative growth businesses in under 12 minutes, starting from as little as $250.

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Feenix: A crowdfunding initiative for university students in debt

The Citizen | July 22, 2019

Statistics from the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (Unesco) have revealed that only 23% of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (Stem) talent is female, which is something a South African crowdfunding startup is working toward changing. The UN’s findings have been supported by reports that indicate that the male to female Stem graduate ratio in South Africa is as imbalanced as it is in the rest of the world, according to Feenix. According to Leana de Beer, chief operating officer at Feenix, the aim of the organisation is to connect communities in a bid to promote a world in which debt-free education is more than just a dream.

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Economic development nonprofit offering prizes for transportation solutions

Crain's Cleveland | June 03, 2019

The Fund for Our Economic Future is putting $1 million behind an effort to help solve what it calls the Transportation Paradox: "No car, no job; no job, no car." The economic development nonprofit has created what it's calling the Paradox Prize to reward ideas that help Northeast Ohioans stranded economically by geography connect to open job positions. Using a web portal which opened June 3, the organization is soliciting ideas to help more people access or keep high-quality jobs. Unfavorable land-use patterns and the outmigration of jobs, the organization said, have contributed to a spatial mismatch that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for some people to find or keep a job. Most jobs now require employees to have a car. Without a car, they face a commute by public transit that can be as long as three hours a day or significantly limited, often lower-paying, employment options. "Too many residents find themselves stuck in an intractable scenario," said Bethia Burke, vice president of the fund, in a press release. "No car, no job; no job, no car."

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Fundraising, Nonprofit Technology

FrontFundr raises over $140 million for more than 100 campaigns and launches new fundraising campaign

FrontFundr | September 22, 2022

FrontFundr, Canada’s leading equity crowdfunding platform, announced a significant growth milestone today—the company has surpassed 100 successful closes and processed over $150 million in investments for startups in Canada. To mark this momentous occasion, FrontFundr also launched its own fundraising campaign today, giving everyone the opportunity to invest in the platform itself. Equity crowdfunding allows anyone to invest in private companies and provides an alternative way for companies across a range of funding stages to raise capital. Since launching in 2015, FrontFundr has become the leading platform to invest in the growth of Canada’s most exciting startups and growth stage companies regardless of whether you are a beginner or a seasoned investor. Today’s milestone announcement comes at a time when many Canadians are feeling the pressures of inflation, rising costs and uncertainty in public markets. As wallets and traditional investments dwindle, investing in the private markets are becoming more attractive. They enable people, small and larger investors, to participate in early-stage investment opportunities that could potentially generate high returns while being mostly sheltered from external pressures like market volatility. When someone invests through FrontFundr, the return on those investments are driven by the success of the company, rather than public market sentiment. People can invest in companies they believe in and align with their values and interests. Some companies who have had campaigns on FrontFundr include CAARY, Manzil, Joni, Tiptap and Ecologyst. FrontFundr experienced strong business growth over the summer months and delivered several record results: The platform reached the same number of successful closes in the month of August, as in its entire previous record quarter: 5.5x the number of successful closes of the previous month and 117% higher than the same previous year-to-date period Investor activity increased by 25% quarter-over-quarter in 2022 Revenue increased by 94% quarter-over-quarter in 2022 (almost double from the previous calendar year) “We’re incredibly excited to see equity crowdfunding succeeding here in Canada and poised to go mainstream as we’ve seen in other countries Now that we’ve surpassed 100 successful raises on our platform, we see FrontFundr becoming the go-to platform for people to invest in Canada’s innovation economy while providing promising Canadian private companies access to capital from the public — and this is only the beginning.” -Peter-Paul Van Hoeken, Founder and CEO of FrontFundr. FrontFundr also announced the launch of its own fundraising campaign on the platform today. By listing itself on the marketplace, people have the unique opportunity to directly invest in the Canadian startup ecosystem. The campaign is now open to the public, and anyone can make an investment until Friday, November 4th, 2022. About FrontFundr: FrontFundr is Canada’s leading online private markets investing platform and an exempt market dealer. It provides startups and growth companies access to capital, and gives investors access to private companies they believe in and want to support. With a community of over 30,000 users, FrontFundr gives everyday investors the chance to review and complete private placements on one digital platform. The company’s revolutionary technology allows Canadians to invest in innovative growth businesses in under 12 minutes, starting from as little as $250.

Read More

Feenix: A crowdfunding initiative for university students in debt

The Citizen | July 22, 2019

Statistics from the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (Unesco) have revealed that only 23% of science, technology, engineering, mathematics (Stem) talent is female, which is something a South African crowdfunding startup is working toward changing. The UN’s findings have been supported by reports that indicate that the male to female Stem graduate ratio in South Africa is as imbalanced as it is in the rest of the world, according to Feenix. According to Leana de Beer, chief operating officer at Feenix, the aim of the organisation is to connect communities in a bid to promote a world in which debt-free education is more than just a dream.

Read More

Economic development nonprofit offering prizes for transportation solutions

Crain's Cleveland | June 03, 2019

The Fund for Our Economic Future is putting $1 million behind an effort to help solve what it calls the Transportation Paradox: "No car, no job; no job, no car." The economic development nonprofit has created what it's calling the Paradox Prize to reward ideas that help Northeast Ohioans stranded economically by geography connect to open job positions. Using a web portal which opened June 3, the organization is soliciting ideas to help more people access or keep high-quality jobs. Unfavorable land-use patterns and the outmigration of jobs, the organization said, have contributed to a spatial mismatch that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for some people to find or keep a job. Most jobs now require employees to have a car. Without a car, they face a commute by public transit that can be as long as three hours a day or significantly limited, often lower-paying, employment options. "Too many residents find themselves stuck in an intractable scenario," said Bethia Burke, vice president of the fund, in a press release. "No car, no job; no job, no car."

Read More

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