In the modern philanthropic landscape, the competition for funding is more intense than ever. While individual giving remains the backbone of most charitable organizations, sponsorships represent a massive, often untapped opportunity for growth. However, the days of sending generic cold emails to local bank managers and hoping for a check are gone. Today, successful nonprofit partnerships are built on data, alignment, and strategic outreach. And the right corporate sponsorship search tools are here to help!
In this guide, we’ll explore the top platforms every fundraising professional should know. These include:
LinkedIn (the ultimate relationship and networking tool)
To secure a high-value corporate sponsor, you need to know who is giving, how much they are giving, and, most importantly, what they expect in return. By leveraging specialized tools and databases, nonprofits can move from a “shotgun” strategy to a “sniper” approach, identifying the companies most likely to say yes.
Let’s dive in with our first recommendation!
1) Double the Donation: The Gold Standard for Corporate Giving
When it comes to understanding corporate philanthropy, Double the Donation stands in a league of its own. While many know it primarily as the leading platform for employee matching gifts, its continuously growing database serves as the most comprehensive and targeted resource for identifying corporate sponsorship opportunities today.
Platform Overview
Double the Donation hosts the industry’s most extensive source of corporate giving programs. With information on over 24,000 companies, the Double the Donation database tracks everything from matching gift programs and volunteer grant initiatives to specific corporate sponsorship opportunities.
Unlike general business databases, Double the Donation is built specifically for the nonprofit sector. This means the data is filtered through the lens of social impact. It doesn’t just tell you that a corporation is profitable; it tells you exactly how that company chooses to distribute its wealth back into the community (such as through grants, in-kind donations, workplace giving programs, and beyond).
Using Double the Donation as a Sponsorship Search Tool
While many organizations use Double the Donation to recapture low-hanging fruit via matching gifts, savvy development directors are also leveraging it as a strategic prospecting tool for major sponsorships.
Here’s how it works:
Targeted Corporate DNA Mapping: Double the Donation provides a granular view of a company’s philanthropic offerings. If a business has a robust matching gift program, it is an objective indicator that it values employee engagement and community support. This makes it a prime candidate for a deeper sponsorship relationship.
Identifying Open Applications: By using the database to see which companies offer existing sponsorship programs (often with open applications available online), you can easily identify top prospects to engage. From large-scale event sponsorships to generous corporate grants, Double the Donation even provides direct links to application forms to further streamline the process.
The “Inside Track” via Existing Donors: One of the most effective ways to use Double the Donation for sponsorship is by looking at your current supporter base. The fundraising platform (when integrated with your donation forms, volunteer management systems, and more) identifies where your donors and volunteers work. If you notice that a number of loyal supporters all work for a specific tech firm, you now have the hard data to approach that firm’s CSR department. You can say, “50 of your employees are already invested in our mission; let’s formalize this through a corporate sponsorship.” This turns a cold lead into a warm, data-backed proposal.
Comprehensive CSR Profiles: The database includes specific details on corporate giving guidelines. This allows nonprofits to see whether a company’s philanthropic mission aligns with their own (e.g., environmental focus, education, or healthcare) and what types of giving they offer (in-kind, grants, sponsorships, etc.) before they ever send an introductory email.
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
Nonprofits should view Double the Donation not just as a tool for revenue recovery, but as a central hub for corporate intelligence. To get the most out of it, we recommend:
Integrate With Your Donation Forms & CRM.Ensure Double the Donation is integrated with your full fundraising tech stack, including your donation forms and donor management system. This allows the tool to collect and tag employment information as supporters engage with your organization, creating a hot list of potential corporate sponsors based on existing affinity.
Leverage the Pre-Made Reports.Use the data found in the platform to craft your sponsorship pitch. For example, Double the Donation’s “Leading Companies” report automatically compiles a list of top employers selected by your donors and volunteers. When you can show a company exactly how many of their employees are engaged with your cause, your sponsorship proposal moves to the top of the pile.
Conduct Regular Database Audits. Periodically dive into the database to research local businesses and national companies alike. Look for those that have recently expanded their giving programs, as this often signals a shift in their marketing or CSR strategy that may include new sponsorship slots.
If you’re interested in exploring Double the Donation’s corporate sponsorship search tools and more, request a personalized demo here to get started.
2) Instrumentl: The Institutional Funding Powerhouse
While Double the Donation excels at the intersection of individual donors and their employers, Instrumentl is a premier tool for organizations looking to bridge the gap between corporate grants and corporate sponsorships.
Platform Overview
Instrumentl is an all-in-one institutional fundraising platform that combines effective grant prospecting, tracking, and management. It is designed to help nonprofits find funders that match their specific projects, locations, and missions.
What sets Instrumentl apart is its ability to aggregate data from 990 forms, foundation websites, and corporate giving pages into a single, searchable interface.
Using Instrumentl as a Sponsorship Search Tool
Many corporate sponsorships are funneled through a company’s private foundation or its community benefit department. Instrumentl allows you to find these opportunities with precision.
Here’s how it works:
Mission-Based Matching: Instrumentl uses an algorithm to match your nonprofit’s “Project Profile” with funders who have a history of supporting similar work. If you’re seeking a sponsor for a STEM education program, Instrumentl will surface corporations that have specifically earmarked funds for such initiatives.
990 Analysis for Sponsorship Capacity: For companies that sponsor nonprofits through corporate foundations, Instrumentl provides a simplified view of their IRS Form 990s. This is crucial for sponsorship research because it shows you exactly who they’ve given to in the past and even how much they gave. If you see a company recently sponsored a similar event at the $10,000 level, you know exactly what to ask for in your proposal.
Geography-Specific Filtering: If your nonprofit operates at the local level, Instrumentl allows you to filter for businesses that focus their giving on specific states or ZIP codes. This prevents you from wasting time on national corporations that only sponsor events in their headquarters’ city.
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
Instrumentl is best used as a pipeline management tool. For this reason, nonprofits leveraging this platform are encouraged to:
Set Up Active Searches.Create specific projects within the platform for your different sponsorship needs (e.g., “Annual Gala” or “Summer Youth Camp”). Instrumentl will then automate alerts when a new corporate funder matching that project’s criteria is found.
Evaluate Funder Reliability. Use the “Funder Openness” metrics to see if a corporation accepts unsolicited proposals. Many sponsorships accept proposals by invitation only, and Instrumentl helps you distinguish between a closed door and a wide-open opportunity.
Track Deadlines. Corporate sponsorship cycles often operate on a different calendar than the fiscal year. For this reason, Instrumentl helps you track these deadlines, ensuring you never miss a sponsorship application due date.
If you’re interested in exploring Instrumentl’s corporate sponsorship search tools and more, sign up here to get a 14-day free trial.
3) LinkedIn: The Ultimate Relationship & Networking Tool
While the previous tools provide the “what” and the “how much,” LinkedIn provides the “who.”
Corporate sponsorships are, at their core, relationships between people. LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools available for identifying and reaching the actual decision-makers within a corporation.
Platform Overview
LinkedIn is a professional networking site with over 900 million active members. For a nonprofit, this site serves as a live, self-updating database of corporate hierarchies. It allows you to move past the “info@company.com” email address and find the specific individuals responsible for CSR, marketing, and community relations.
Using LinkedIn as a Sponsorship Search Tool
LinkedIn is the perfect tool for the “discovery” and “outreach” phases of a corporate sponsorship search, making it easy to connect with the best prospects.
Here’s how it works:
Identifying the Right Decision-Maker: Depending on the company’s size, sponsorship decisions may be made by the Head of CSR, the Marketing Director, or even the CEO. LinkedIn’s filters allow you to search by job title and company to find the exact person who holds the checkbook.
Making the Most of Mutual Connections: The most effective way to secure a sponsorship is through a warm introduction. LinkedIn shows you if any of your board members, volunteers, or current donors are connected to the decision-makers at your target company. A 2nd-degree connection can be the difference between an ignored email and a signed contract!
Researching Corporate Values: Companies often post about their recent community involvements on LinkedIn. By following a company’s “Life” page or subscribing to its executives’ posts, you can gain valuable insights into what they currently care about. If a CEO is posting about their commitment to sustainability, you can tailor your sponsorship pitch to highlight your organization’s green initiatives.
Leveraging Sales Navigator for Nonprofits: For larger organizations, LinkedIn Sales Navigator (available at a lower cost for nonprofits) offers advanced search features. This allows you to save lists of corporate leads and receive alerts when they change jobs or post relevant content.
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
LinkedIn should be used as a social listening and active connection tool. For this reason, nonprofits seeking sponsorships are encouraged to:
Optimize Their Organization’s Page. Before you reach out to a corporate executive, ensure your nonprofit’s LinkedIn page is professional, up to date, and showcases the impact of your current corporate partners.
Perform a Board Mapping Exercise.Regularly sit down with your board of directors and have them scroll through their LinkedIn connections. When you find them, ask the board member to facilitate a warm introduction rather than making a cold call.
Implement Personalized Outreach. When reaching out on LinkedIn, never send a generic “InMail.” Rather, reference a specific project the company recently completed or a post the executive shared. Show that you have done your homework and demonstrate how the partnership would tie into their corporate giving motivations.
Strategic Synthesis: How to Combine These Tools for Maximum ROI
While each of these sponsorship search tools is powerful on its own, the most successful nonprofits use them in concert to create a seamless partner acquisition strategy.
Here’s what a master workflow can look like:
Strategic Discovery With Double the Donation: Start by reviewing your current donor list in Double the Donation. You discover that you have a high concentration of donors who work for “Global Tech Corp.” You then use the sponsorships database to see that Global Tech Corp has a massive social impact budget and an open application online for event sponsorship. You have now identified a Hot Lead.
Smart Vetting Through Instrumentl: You then take “Global Tech Corp” over to Instrumentl. You look up their foundation’s 990 data. You see that they have previously sponsored an arts festival in your city for $25,000. You also see that their grant cycle for the upcoming year opens in three months. You now know both the price point and the timeline.
Targeted Outreach Via LinkedIn: Finally, you go to LinkedIn. You search for “Global Tech Corp” and filter by “People” and “Community Relations.” You locate the Director of Social Impact, and discover that your Board Treasurer is a 1st-degree connection with this individual. You ask your Treasurer to send a brief introductory message. You now have the relationship that will make your sponsorship pitch stand out!
By following this data-driven path, your chances of securing the sponsorship increase exponentially. You aren’t just guessing; you are using the most robust tools available to build a case that is impossible to ignore.
Strategic Considerations for the Modern Fundraiser
As you integrate these tools into your sponsorship-seeking workflow, keep in mind that the nature of corporate partnerships is shifting. Many companies are moving away from philanthropy (or giving money away) and toward shared value (or investments that benefit both the community and the business).
These are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
The Power of Targeted Data
Double the Donation is highlighted as the most robust tool in this list because it provides the most targeted data for this “shared value” model. By identifying which companies have employee-led giving programs, you are identifying companies that have already decided to let their values be driven by their people. This is the ultimate “targeted info.”
A company that matches employee gifts is a company that listens to its employees, and if your nonprofit has those employees as donors, you have a built-in advocacy group within the corporation.
Moving Beyond the Logo on a T-Shirt
In the past, sponsorship search databases were used just to find someone to pay for a banner at a 5K race. Today, these tools should be used to find long-term partners whose missions closely align with your own.
The shift from transactional to transformational partnerships is driven by a change in how businesses view their social impact. More and more, corporate leaders are under pressure from both consumers and employees to prove that their commitment to a cause is more than just a marketing gimmick. They want to show that they are actively helping to solve a problem.
Prioritizing Regular Data Updates
The corporate world moves fast. Mergers, acquisitions, and leadership changes happen daily. This is why using a live (and regularly updated) database like Double the Donation is so critical. Static lists of “Top Corporate Givers” from three years ago are largely useless. Rather, you need tools that reflect the current market reality.
Conclusion
Securing corporate sponsorships is both an art and a science. The “art” lies in the storytelling and the relationship-building, or the ability to convey your mission in a way that resonates with a corporate executive’s vision. But the “science” lies in the technology you use to find those executives in the first place.
By equipping your development team with the right tools, you can gain easy access to companies ready and eager to support organizations like yours.
In an era where every dollar must be fought for, you cannot afford to work with incomplete information. These top-recommended platforms provide the transparency and the insights needed to turn corporate sponsorship from a game of chance into a predictable, scalable revenue stream for your nonprofit.
Start with the data, build the relationships, and watch your organization’s impact grow.
A nonprofit board is a governing body responsible for strategic decisions and oversight at a charitable organization. One of the best-known duties of a board is to appoint a nonprofit executive director or CEO who will then keep the board informed about day-to-day operations and vital information needed to make decisions.
Another key responsibility of nonprofit board members is to manage organizational risk. Nonprofits face some of the same risks that for-profit businesses do, but there are also some risks unique to tax-exempt organizations, and each nonprofit will have its own unique risk profile based on operations, revenue, location, and other factors. Risks are inescapable, but unmonitored risks can quickly go from bad to worse if nothing has been done to prepare for potential issues.
In this guide, we’ll cover what board members should know about managing risk at the nonprofit they serve. Let’s dive in!
Who is responsible for nonprofit risk management?
For risk management to be effective, all staff and board members at the organization need to be involved. The proper policies apply to everyone, from staff members remembering to lock the office door at the end of the day to the financial team properly recognizing revenue to a volunteer properly reporting a safety incident.
To ensure all stakeholders (employees, board members, volunteers, donors, etc.) are equipped to minimize risk, effective risk management begins with crafting policies and procedures that prepare for potential situations. Let’s take a look at each stakeholder’s role in risk management:
As a board member, you will supervise and direct the creation and implementation of risk management policies and procedures.
Your nonprofit may bring in external financial professionals to consult on the design of your risk management process, since many potential nonprofit risks impact your finances.
Staff members implement the policies and procedures and ensure that the guidance is shared with other stakeholders (such as volunteers) who might be affected by the risk management policies.
While you may not have frequent interactions with all of the nonprofit’s staff as a board member, setting a culture of policy compliance and risk minimization begins with the board. By prioritizing risk management and making policies clear and achievable, you set the tone for everyone else’s efforts.
What does proactive risk management look like?
Policies and procedures are the first step in risk management, but they don’t fix everything by themselves. We’ll cover policy examples in more detail below, as well as two other ideas to evaluate as a board member.
Establish policies and procedures
As a nonprofit grows larger and more complex, there will likely be more and more policies that need to be established to account for new incidents that may arise. But every nonprofit board should consider the following areas of risk and corresponding policies and procedures:
Financial management: Internal controls, which we’ll discuss in more depth in another section, fall into this category, but outlining how money is handled (where any cash is stored, who signs off on big purchases) and spent within the organization is crucial. A few financial policies to consider specifically are:
Gift acceptance so team members understand what monetary and in-kind contributions they can and can’t accept
Staff compensation so that all employees (especially leaders) are paid fairly but not excessively in the eyes of the IRS
Expense reimbursement so staff and volunteers know when they’re eligible to be paid back after spending their own money on your nonprofit’s behalf
Data privacy: Outline clear guidelines for the collection, use, and storage of personal data. This is particularly delicate as nonprofits receive financial information from donors. A data breach could expose sensitive details and compromise supporters’ trust in your organization.
Workplace harassment: Even if the nonprofit is relatively small, implementing workplace harassment awareness and prevention training is crucial. Boundaries can sometimes blur in smaller work environments, and communicating ethical and legal standards can mitigate harm to employees and stakeholders.
Background checks: Particularly if your organization serves vulnerable populations, implement background checks for anyone who works with those groups. For example, you’ll want to run a check for a volunteer who helps in the nursery during a service at a faith-based organization or anyone who handles your nonprofit’s money.
Conflicts of interest: This policy often applies to board member activities like voting. Your guidelines should require board members to disclose any potential conflicts of interest and outline next steps (such as that member abstaining from a certain vote or the whole board re-evaluating a decision).
This is not a definitive list of potential risk areas and mitigating guidelines that your nonprofit may face. Consulting with a nonprofit financial advisor can illuminate risks unique to your organization and provide guidance for how to begin preventative measures.
Diversify your nonprofit’s team
For both the board and staff, if everyone has the same set of skills, you’re exposing your organization to additional risks, because you’re not accounting for the diverse range of abilities that are required to successfully operate a nonprofit. Part of this is also staffing your nonprofit sufficiently. When employees are overwhelmed with tasks, things are more likely to fall through the cracks, especially tasks that employees don’t have the skills for.
When you’re recruiting new board members, keep in mind what skills and experience might be lacking on your board, but would help steer the nonprofit. A few skills or occupations that might be useful to have include a lawyer, a financial professional, and a development professional.
Additionally, for your nonprofit executive team, you’ll want to make sure you have the right person in crucial positions, like a Chief Financial Officer role. Jitasa recommends working with a fractional CFO if your nonprofit doesn’t have the resources to hire someone full-time for this position.
Across the organization, it’s a good idea to have a clear delegation of duties based on areas of expertise and clear training protocols for when team members take on new duties. Having owners of tasks holds team members accountable and increases the likelihood that they will be completed to the highest standard of quality.
Implement internal controls
Internal controls are policies and procedures that your nonprofit implements on top of legal and financial standards. Controls safeguard against intentional and unintentional fraud, like having two employees sign off on cash deposits, which can catch any counting errors.
Some internal controls will affect day-to-day activities, like storing any cash in a locked drawer or safe, and some might occur less frequently, like conducting an audit or determining what percentage of reserve funds should be invested. As a board member, this is another area to review with financial consultants to make sure proper controls are in place.
How should you mitigate and respond to risks?
A lot of the battle when it comes to risk management is planning for the worst, ahead of time. This includes being on the same page with the executive team about what board members’ roles are when it comes to a risky situation actually occurring.
Outline who should be alerted to risks and within what time frame. Triaging the risk according to pre-determined categories, like the severity of consequences, can inform communication procedures.
Once you’ve been informed of the risk, as a board member, it’s your responsibility to ensure that policies are followed, and you support the nonprofit executive team if complications arise.
Preparing for the worst might be uncomfortable, but implementing risk management is necessary for any organization’s health and sustainability. As a board member, your risk management leadership is crucial to ensuring that your nonprofit’s mission is carried out no matter what circumstances come its way.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/nonprofit-risk-management_feature-1.png7201890jamie.anglehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgjamie.angle2026-02-26 09:20:402026-02-26 09:20:41Managing Risk at Nonprofits: What Boards Need to Know
For the modern nonprofit professional, the quest to find corporate grants often feels like a perpetual uphill climb. You have the mission, the passion, and the boots on the ground, but the financial fuel required to scale that impact can be elusive.
The transition from “accidental revenue,” or relying on one-off donations, to a “predictable revenue” model requires a sophisticated approach. Before you apply, ensure your team is equipped with the right grant-seeking tools to implement such a strategy.
To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve compiled a list of the most effective ways to identify, vet, and secure corporate grant opportunities. These include:
In 2026, corporate social responsibility has moved from a “nice-to-have” marketing footnote to a core business operation. Companies are no longer just selling products; they’re selling their values. This shift has resulted in a staggering amount of capital being earmarked for social good.
In fact, recent data from Giving USA indicates that annual corporate giving has surpassed $44 billion. Yet, a significant portion of these funds remains on the sidelines. Why? Nonprofits often lack the framework required to bridge the gap between their needs and a corporation’s goals. To overcome this hurdle, organizations must prioritize efficiency and accuracy in their research phase, which is exactly where technology comes into play.
1. Leverage a Specialized Corporate Grant Database
If you’re still manually scouring the “About Us” pages of every company in your zip code, you’re likely losing dozens of hours every month to inefficient research. In the digital age, the most successful fundraisers use dedicated technology to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. For this reason, a curated corporate grant database is the single most important investment a development department can make.
A grant database isn’t just a list of company names; it’s a strategic fundraising intelligence tool. Unlike a standard search engine, these platforms are built specifically for the nuances of the nonprofit sector.
Why a Grant-Seeking Database is Essential
When you use a professional database, you aren’t just looking for “who has money.” You are looking for the perfect match. Most high-end databases provide:
Archival Giving Data: You can see exactly which organizations a corporation has funded over the last five years. If a company only funds healthcare initiatives and you manage an arts organization, you can likely cross them off your list, saving you hours of wasted application time.
Grant Ranges: There’s no point in writing a 20-page proposal for $50,000 if a company’s maximum grant size is $5,000. Databases provide the “sweet spot” for request amounts, allowing you to cater your pitch appropriately.
Direct Application Access: Many corporate grants are hidden behind proprietary portals. A database provides the direct access links, bypassing the generic “contact us” forms that often lead nowhere.
Top Corporate Grant Tools to Consider
Double the Donation: If your goal is to capture the “low-hanging fruit” of corporate giving, including matching gifts and volunteer grants, this is the premier tool. It also allows you to identify which of your existing donors work for companies with robust giving programs, putting your data to good work.
Candid (Foundation Directory): For those looking for the “big fish,” Candid’s Foundation Directory offers unparalleled depth. It includes detailed profiles of corporate foundations and their 990 tax forms, allowing you to see their historical commitment to specific causes.
GrantStation: This is an ideal resource for nonprofits seeking a structured, step-by-step approach to grant seeking. Beyond its searchable database of private and corporate funders, it offers a “Decision Matrix” to help your leadership prioritize opportunities and expert tutorials on crafting winning proposals.
Choosing the right database is about matching the tool to your internal capacity. By selecting a platform that offers both high-quality leads and the frameworks to organize them, you move from simply “finding” grants to actually winning them.
2. Tap Into Your “Warm” Network with Employee-Led Giving
One of the most common mistakes nonprofits make is looking outward before they look inward. Your donor database is likely a goldmine of corporate connections you haven’t yet explored.
Modern corporate grants are increasingly “bottom-up” rather than “top-down.” This means that instead of a CEO deciding where the money goes, employees often drive the company’s philanthropy.
The Employee-Nominated Grant
Many companies have “Employee-Nominated Grant” programs. In these scenarios, a corporation sets aside a budget (often $5,000 to $25,000) that can only be accessed if an employee advocates for the nonprofit.
The Strategy: Use your CRM to identify your most consistent donors. Even if they only give $25 a month, their status as an employee makes them a “gatekeeper” for their company’s corporate grant program.
The Action: Send a targeted email to these donors. Say: “We are so grateful for your personal support. Did you know that [Company Name] often supports the causes its employees care about? We would love to talk to you about how you could nominate us for a community grant.”
Volunteer Grants (Dollars for Doers)
Another “easy” win is the volunteer grant. If a corporate employee volunteers a certain number of hours at your nonprofit, their company will issue you a check for those hours (often at $20 to $50 per hour). While these are smaller than a traditional multi-year grant, they are a fantastic way to build your track record with a company.
Once you’ve received several volunteer grants from a business, you are in a much stronger position to apply for a larger corporate foundation grant.
3. Focus on Local “Community Impact” Funds
While the “Google.orgs” and “Walmart Foundations” of the world generally get all the headlines, they are also the most competitive when it comes to grant-making. For many nonprofits, the best path to success is through local and regional businesses. Mid-sized companies (i.e., those with 100 to 500 employees) are often desperate to locate reputable local nonprofits with which to partner in order to boost their brand reputations.
Identifying Local Prospects
The Chamber of Commerce: Your local Chamber is the ultimate directory. Don’t just look for the biggest names. Look for companies that are expanding. A business that has just opened a new warehouse or headquarters is often looking for a “splashy” way to introduce itself to the community through a grant or major donation.
Local Business Journals: Subscribe to your city’s business journal. Look for companies that have recently won awards or celebrated anniversaries. These “feel-good” moments for a company are the perfect time for them to announce a new grant cycle.
The “Branch Manager” Strategy
For national brands with local footprints (such as banks or retail chains), the local branch manager often has a discretionary budget between $500 and $2,500 that they can allocate without approval from the national headquarters. These aren’t just “donations.” They are mini-grants. Securing five of these is often easier and more effective than spending 40 hours on a single massive national application with a 1% chance of success.
4. Utilize “In-Kind” Grants and Pro Bono Support
In the nonprofit world, we often fall into the trap of thinking that “revenue” only means “cash in the bank.” However, an in-kind grant that provides you with $20,000 of professional services or needed equipment can be just as impactful as a $20,000 check, especially if it offsets a cost you were already going to incur.
The Google Ad Grant
Perhaps the most famous “easy” grant is the Google Ad Grant. Through this program, Google.org provides eligible nonprofits with up to $10,000 per month in free search advertising credits. This allows your organization to appear at the top of relevant search results for terms like “donate to animal shelters” or “volunteer in Atlanta,” ultimately getting more eyes on your mission.
Other Tech + Service Grants
TechSoup: As the primary portal for corporate product grants, the platform is used by companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco to distribute their software to nonprofits (often at no cost or at a 90% discount).
Professional Service Grants: Many accounting firms, law firms, and marketing agencies have established “Grant of Services” programs. Rather than cash donations, they might offer 50 hours of their experts’ time. If you need a new website or a legal audit, this is a “grant” type you should be actively pursuing.
In-kind support is ultimately about operational sustainability. While cash grants are essential for funding specific programs, pro bono services and product donations provide the foundational infrastructure that enables those programs to run efficiently, effectively stretching every dollar of your existing budget further.
5. Monitor CSR and ESG Reports
If you want to win a corporate grant, you have to speak the corporation’s language. That language is found in their annual CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reports. These documents are essentially a “cheat sheet” for grant seekers. They tell you exactly what the company’s priorities are for the coming year.
Decoding the CSR Report
When you open a CSR report, look for the “Strategic Pillars.” Most companies focus on three or four key areas, such as:
Sustainability: Reducing carbon footprints, protecting local waterways, or supporting renewable energy infrastructure.
Equity and Inclusion: Supporting minority-owned businesses, providing STEM education for girls, or funding workforce development for underserved communities.
Community Health: Food security, mental health initiatives, or increasing access to preventative care in rural areas.
Economic Empowerment: Financial literacy programs for youth, small business incubators, or providing microloans to low-income entrepreneurs.
Education and Literacy: Early childhood development programs, adult education initiatives, or bridging the “digital divide” through technology grants.
Disaster Relief: Providing emergency funding for natural disasters or helping communities build climate-resilient infrastructure.
Top tip: If your nonprofit’s mission aligns with one or more of a company’s pillars, your grant proposal should use the exact same phrasing found in the report. If the corporation refers to it as “Sustainable Urban Agriculture,” don’t call it “Community Gardening” in your application. Using their established terminology positions your organization as a strategic partner who can help them achieve their specific corporate goals.
6. Implement Automated Grant Alerts
The biggest reason nonprofits miss out on grants isn’t that they aren’t qualified; it’s because they missed the deadline. And unfortunately, corporate grant cycles are notoriously inconsistent. Some open in January, while others only open when the company has an “excess” of profit at the end of a quarter.
Setting Up Your “Early Warning System”
To stay ahead of the curve, you need to automate your discovery process. Here are a few tried-and-true tactics for doing so:
Google Alerts: Set up alerts for specific phrases like ” [Your City] Corporate RFP,”“[Your Niche] Grant Opportunity,” or “[Company Name] Foundation.”
Grant Discovery Platforms: Dedicated tools like GrantWatch or Instrumentl often allow you to save “searches.” For example, you might save a search for “Veterans’ services grants in Florida.” The moment a new grant matching that description is added to the platform’s database, you can expect to receive an email about it.
This proactive approach allows you to be the first one to the table. In many cases, corporate grants are reviewed on a rolling basis. If you apply in the first week, your proposal will likely attract more attention than if you apply in the final hour before the deadline.
Summary Table: Which Grant-Finding Method Is Right for You?
To help you prioritize your efforts, refer to this breakdown of our recommended discovery methods:
The Art of the Ask: Tips for Crafting a Winning Grant Proposal
Once you have identified a potential grant using the methods above, you need to ensure your proposal stands out to increase your chances of winning the funds. Corporate grant reviewers are often business professionals, not social workers. They look for different things than a government agency or a private foundation might. Here are a few best practices to consider!
1. Leverage the Power of the Executive Summary.
Most corporate reviewers will spend less than three minutes on your initial application. Your first page (or even your first paragraph) must contain the “Who, What, Where, and Why.” If the grant-maker can’t understand the impact the funding would have within the first 60 seconds, you’ve likely lost them.
2. Focus on Mutually Beneficial Impact.
A corporation isn’t just “giving money away.” Rather, they are investing in a community outcome that benefits their brand. In your proposal, clearly state how the partnership will be publicized.
Would their logo be included in your marketing materials?
Will you mention the company’s contributions in a press release?
Will employees be invited to a VIP volunteer day?
The exact benefits offered can vary, but the important thing is to focus on the offerings in your pitch.
3. Use “Hard” Metrics.
Avoid flowery language. Instead of saying, “We hope to help many families,” say, “This $10,000 grant will allow us to purchase 400 ‘Backpack Meals,’ ensuring that 100 students have food every weekend for the entire school year.”
4. Demonstrate Sustainability.
Corporations hate the idea of their money being a “band-aid.” Rather, they want to see that their grant is helping you build a system that will last. Explain how this grant will help your team reach a new level of efficiency or how it will help you attract other donors in the future.
Conclusion: Your Path to $44 Billion in Corporate Funds
The world of corporate grants is often viewed as a closed club, but the reality is much more inviting. Corporations are actively searching for reputable, data-driven, and organized nonprofits to partner with. They want to give this money away; it’s good for their brand, their employees, and their tax status.
By moving away from manual, “shotgun-style” searching and embracing a strategic, technology-based approach, you can transform your corporate fundraising department. Start by investing in a high-quality database to understand the landscape. Then, look inward at your existing donors to uncover the hidden connections to major businesses in your network.
The $44 billion is out there. With the right tools in your pocket and a proactive mindset throughout your team, your nonprofit can secure its fair share and turn those funds into real, lasting impact.
According to Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable Report, 30% of the fundraisers surveyed identified donor fatigue as a challenge they face, and 87% of donors who stop or reduce their support do so due to financial strain. What if there were a way to continuously engage donors and have them contribute meaningfully to your cause without requiring them to make additional monetary donations?
Look no further than an ambassador program. Ambassadors can take the reins during fundraising or marketing campaigns, promoting your organization to their personal networks and expanding your reach.
This form of peer-to-peer marketing is highly compelling because people are more likely to support a cause that’s recommended by someone they know and trust. Additionally, donors and other supporters can unlock another opportunity to help your cause without reaching back into their wallets.
To ensure your ambassador program gets up and running quickly and yields a high return on investment, we’ll explore top tips for developing an effective program.
1. Identify the right recruits.
Supporters often want more than just to help promote your nonprofit’s cause—they want to feel like members of your community. An ambassador program gives them an outlet to express their passion for your mission and share their enthusiasm with others.
Search for individuals who have a strong existing relationship with your organization and are particularly vocal about their love for your cause. Potential ambassadors could be:
Long-time or highly regular donors, such as monthly donors
Dedicated volunteers
Peer-to-peer fundraisers
Program beneficiaries
Social media followers
Use your nonprofit CRM to identify long-time, highly engaged supporters. Filter your database by length of involvement or number of interactions to find your top supporters. You may also look for supporters with strong community connections—such as local business owners or microinfluencers—who have built-in audiences with whom they could share your cause.
Then, personally reach out to these individuals with an invitation to join your ambassador program. Reference their past involvement to explain why you’re reaching out. For example, you might say something like:
Eliza, we are so excited to invite you to join our new ambassador program. Your passionate volunteer involvement and past peer-to-peer fundraising experience make you a perfect fit for our new program.
2. Brand your ambassador program.
People will be more likely to sign up for your ambassador program if it looks professional and matches your organization’s current branding. They’ll be confident the program belongs to your nonprofit and feel encouraged to sign up.
While you may use the same colors, visual style, and messaging as your overarching nonprofit brand, develop the following unique brand elements for your program:
Name
Logo
Tagline
Then, incorporate these brand elements into your promotional materials, such as your social media posts and personal emails to potential participants, ensuring everything matches.
For example, here’s a flyer for a fictional environmental nonprofit ambassador program with a cohesive brand:
This flyer features the organization’s brand name, logo, and a QR code that potential participants can scan for more information.
You can also boost the sense of community by creating branded merchandise for your program, such as hats, T-shirts, or name tags. Offering new ambassadors matching items will help them feel like members of an exclusive team.
3. Create clear roles and expectations.
Ultimately, your ambassador program shouldn’t just provide new engagement opportunities for supporters. It should also tangibly support your marketing and fundraising efforts.
Take the following steps to ensure your ambassador program bolsters your existing strategies:
Set internal goals for your ambassadors. Determine the metrics you will track to assess your ambassador program’s effectiveness. For instance, you may track key performance indicators (KPIs) like peer-to-peer fundraising participation rates, donations that can be attributed to ambassadors’ influence, or social media engagement rates.
Define responsibilities. For example, will ambassadors promote your peer-to-peer fundraisers? Will they share social media content? Will they speak on your behalf at events or even step in to help handle some event challenges? Create clear role descriptions so potential participants understand what you’ll expect of them.
Establish guidelines for program membership. Once ambassadors enter your program, develop standards they should follow when acting on behalf of your cause. For example, establish rules regarding the type of content ambassadors can share on behalf of your organization, such as pre-approved images or messages.
When potential ambassadors understand what your program entails, you can narrow down your recruit list to just individuals who feel comfortable with the role expectations. And with clear metrics to guide your program, you can determine whether it’s a worthwhile use of your time and resources.
4. Provide proper training and resources.
Invite your ambassadors to a training session to help them get up and running in their new roles. Depending on where your ambassadors are located, you might host a virtual or in-person meeting. Reiterate the role expectations and let ambassadors get to know one another through some icebreaker activities.
Additionally, craft a training manual for ambassadors to follow while promoting your organization. Your manual should include your brand guidelines, ambassador program regulations, and marketing materials that ambassadors can use in their promotional efforts, such as:
Customized donation page links. Let ambassadors create and personalize their own donation pages with information about their connection to your cause and photos of themselves participating in your events or volunteer opportunities. Bloomerang’s donation page guide emphasizes “incorporating evergreen design trends that make your page timeless,” such as white space, strong color contrast, and large buttons, so consider passing these tips along to your ambassadors.
Custom graphics. Create branded graphics that ambassadors can use in their promotional materials, such as fundraising thermometers or infographics. Accompany these graphics with appropriate alternative text that ambassadors can embed to make their content accessible.
Messaging guidelines. Provide ambassadors with tone and brand voice guidelines. For example, suggest that they strike a friendly, approachable tone in their social media posts. Additionally, you may create message templates for social media posts or emails that they can fill in to make them their own while still adhering to your standards.
Let ambassadors know that they can come to you at any time with questions or concerns. You may even set up a mentorship or buddy program within your ambassador group to ensure each participant has at least one peer they can turn to for support.
5. Build community among ambassadors.
Fostering a strong community among your ambassadors can encourage program retention. Plus, when ambassadors have fun supporting your mission and feel engaged in your cause, their promotional efforts will be much more genuine.
Spark connections within your ambassador program by:
Offering ambassadors-only communication avenues, such as a Facebook group or group chat
Hosting ambassador meet-ups and events, such as happy hours or picnics
Enabling peer-to-peer recognition mechanisms like eCards that let ambassadors acknowledge each other’s achievements
In addition to letting ambassadors recognize each other, implement appreciation strategies like publicly shouting out ambassadors on social media and within blog posts, sending thank-you gifts, and sharing personalized messages to demonstrate your gratitude for their contributions.
6. Evaluate and adapt your program as needed.
As your ambassador program gets underway, you might find that certain strategies aren’t working out as expected. Remain flexible and adjust your program when necessary to continue offering a high-quality experience to participants and ensure that your program effectively supports your nonprofit.
Continuously evaluate your program by taking the following steps:
Survey ambassadors to ask for their feedback on your program. Ask questions about their level of satisfaction with the program, any suggestions they have for improving it, and areas where they may need additional support. Highlight any trends in their responses and incorporate their feedback as applicable.
Track metrics to assess progress made toward your goals. Monitor the key performance indicators you identified during the planning process. Note any drastic increases or decreases in your metrics, investigate potential causes, and adjust your approach accordingly.
Supporting your ambassadors every step of the way is one of the most effective ways to ensure a high ROI for your program. Take ambassadors’ feedback seriously to ensure you’re continuing to meet their needs and providing a positive experience.
An ambassador program presents a win-win situation. While your ambassadors can help you connect with new potential donors, spread awareness of your mission more effectively, and help sustain your current fundraising and marketing efforts, they also receive a fulfilling experience that allows them to meet new people and drive greater impact. Promote your ambassador program across channels, and as your program grows, collect ambassador testimonials you can use as social proof to recruit even more program participants.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Bloomerang_NXUnite_6-Tips-to-Create-an-Ambassador-Program-for-Your-Nonprofit_Feature.png7401400wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-12-18 09:09:432025-12-18 09:09:456 Tips to Create an Ambassador Program for Your Nonprofit
Is your organization fully utilizing the most reliable form of recurring revenue available? For many nonprofits and universities, the search for sustainable funding is a daily priority. Payroll giving offers a distinct solution by allowing your supporters to automate donations directly from their corporate paychecks, providing your nonprofit with a steady stream of unrestricted funds.
The potential here is massive, yet largely untapped. According to statistics gathered by Double the Donation, employees contribute over $173 million annually through payroll giving programs worldwide. However, a significant barrier remains: 59% of people have never heard of payroll giving. This lack of awareness presents both a challenge and an opportunity. While the revenue potential is high, supporters cannot sign up for programs they do not know exist.
In this guide, we will address the most common questions regarding workplace giving and how it functions alongside other corporate giving programs, like matching gifts. We will also examine how fundraising software can help you identify eligible donors, streamline the giving process, and ultimately increase the revenue necessary to support your mission.
1. What is payroll giving, and how does it benefit nonprofits?
Payroll giving allows employees to donate directly from their paycheck using automatic deductions set through their employer. Often, these programs are open choice programs, meaning that employees have the option to support any nonprofit or school of their choice through their payroll giving program. As a result, these programs provide sustainable funding opportunities for a large number of nonprofits.
While many companies promote payroll giving through their employee portal (commonly a workplace giving platform), many employees are unaware of the option, meaning that nonprofits miss out on potential revenue opportunities. To increase participation and benefit from these funds, nonprofits should educate supporters about payroll giving and encourage supporters to check their eligibility.
2. Why is payroll giving important for my nonprofit?
Payroll gifts often produce consistent revenue at scale because many donors prefer simple, recurring deductions, and if their employer offers one of these programs, this is an easy way for them to get involved. If you have a medium to large nonprofit, you will likely see strong results because of your larger supporter base. You can also benefit from higher brand awareness which encourages employees to enroll.
Payroll giving programs typically attract long-term donors who value easy automated contributions. Your nonprofit can support these donors by providing workplace giving information on your website and using fundraising tools to help donors confirm eligibility quickly.
3. What types of companies typically offer payroll giving programs?
Payroll giving has evolved into a benefit offered by businesses of all sizes, industries, and regions. Today, companies ranging from local mid-sized firms to global leaders in technology, finance, healthcare, and retail (such as Microsoft and The Home Depot) provide these programs to boost employee engagement. Some employers combine payroll giving with matching gift programs which doubles donor impact.
Because the opportunities are so widespread, the barrier to entry is not finding a company that offers it, but ensuring you are visible within their system.
Most of these companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) platforms to process the deductions and distribute the funds. Therefore, a critical operational step for your team is to ensure your nonprofit is registered and capable of receiving electronic transfers (EFT) on these major platforms. If you are not in the system, a willing donor often cannot select you as a beneficiary.
Once you are registered, you can use a corporate giving database like Double the Donation to help your supporters identify their eligibility and guide them to the correct portal to set up their deduction.
4. How much revenue can payroll giving generate for my nonprofit?
Revenue varies widely depending on organization size and the number of your supporters that are eligible. However, many nonprofits see consistent monthly contributions that accumulate significantly across large donor bases.
Payroll gifts often remain active for years because deductions feel manageable for donors. This creates long-term revenue streams that support ongoing programs.
Your nonprofit can increase revenue by simplifying supporter discovery through payroll giving tools. Most nonprofits see meaningful results when payroll giving is promoted consistently.
5. How does payroll giving differ from traditional recurring donations?
To put simply, payroll giving happens through employer systems while recurring donations are set up directly through the nonprofit.
However, the most significant difference for the donor is the tax advantage. For payroll giving, donations are often deducted from an employee’s salary before tax is applied (pre-tax). This provides immediate tax relief for the donor, meaning it costs them less to give more. Because the funds are deducted before they ever hit the employee’s bank account, it simplifies financial planning and budgeting. Meanwhile, recurring gifts are typically paid from post-tax income, requiring the donor to claim tax deductions manually at the end of the year.
For the organization, the difference lies in retention. Traditional recurring gifts often churn due to expired credit cards or changed bank details. Payroll gifts, however, remain active as long as the employee stays with the company, providing a much more stable and long-term revenue stream. Additionally, because these gifts are routed through corporate systems, they are frequently bundled with matching gift opportunities, doubling the value of the donation automatically.
6. Are payroll giving donations tax deductible for employees?
Most payroll gifts are tax deductible because they are treated as charitable donations. Employees receive documentation through employer payroll systems, and this simplifies tax preparation for many donors.
While you do not need to issue separate receipts for payroll gifts, your nonprofit should still acknowledge gifts to support donor stewardship and engagement.
7. What challenges do nonprofits face when managing payroll giving?
The primary challenge is data inconsistency. Unlike recurring giving where you instantly receive the donor’s name, email, and amount, payroll giving funds are often disbursed through third-party corporate social responsibility (CSR) platforms that handle data very differently.
Nonprofits often face the “lump sum” reality, where they receive a single aggregate check for a certain amount that represents contributions from different employees, with little to no individual identifying information. This happens for two reasons: platform variance and privacy settings.
Every CSR platform has different reporting standards. Some provide detailed breakdowns, while others provide minimal aggregate data. Additionally, employees often have the option to give anonymously through their workplace portal, meaning the funds arrive without a name attached.
This lack of visibility makes donor stewardship incredibly difficult. If you cannot identify the individual behind the donation, you cannot thank them, which risks future retention.
To solve this, your nonprofit can use fundraising software to capture employment data. By using tools to identify where your supporters work (via search tools on your website or employer appends), you create a separate data stream. This allows you to identify potential payroll donors and steward them proactively.
8. How can my nonprofit know if a supporter is eligible for payroll giving?
Eligibility depends on employer benefit policies which vary widely across industries. Donors often do not know whether payroll giving exists at their company.
Your nonprofit can guide supporters by directing them to a payroll giving search tool. With a dedicated payroll giving plugin, you can help supporters confirm available programs quickly and give them a direct link to their next steps for payroll giving enrollment, while reducing staff workload and increasing overall participation.
9. How does my nonprofit get payroll giving funds?
Funds are usually distributed through workplace giving platforms on a scheduled basis, and payments may be bundled with other workplace donations.
With payroll giving, nonprofits receive aggregate transfers rather than individual donor payments. These transfers include basic remittance details which vary by platform. We recommend monitoring recurring reports to improve tracking and support accurate donor stewardship.
10. What misconceptions do nonprofits have about payroll giving?
Misconceptions often prevent nonprofits from pursuing payroll giving, causing them to leave significant revenue on the table. Here are the two most common myths and the data that debunks them:
Myth #1: Payroll giving programs are uncommon and don’t generate much revenue. The Reality: Payroll giving is a significant source of funds across the globe. According to statistics gathered by Double the Donation, employees contribute over $173 million annually through payroll giving programs. This demonstrates the worldwide potential of payroll giving programs as a reliable revenue stream for nonprofits like yours. Far from being “niche,” thousands of employers, from the Fortune 500 to local businesses, also offer these programs as a standard benefit.
Myth #2: Payroll giving requires a complex setup. The Reality: The technical setup is generally straightforward because the heavy lifting is done by the corporate CSR platforms. The real challenge is simply getting donors to notice it. This proves that the challenge and the opportunity is the lack of marketing and visibility of payroll giving programs.
It is also common for nonprofits to overlook payroll giving as a pipeline for matching gifts. By using a fundraising tool like Double the Donation, you can help supporters discover both opportunities easily. A clear promotion and marketing plan will help your nonprofit overcome these misconceptions.
Payroll Giving At A Glance
Implementing a strategy to capture payroll giving can help you secure immediate funds and build a foundation of financial stability for your organization. By understanding the mechanics of payroll match programs and utilizing the right fundraising software, you can transform sporadic donors into long-term partners in your mission.
We encourage you to audit your current donation forms to see if you are adequately capturing employment data. Small adjustments to your donor journey can reveal significant opportunities for workplace giving growth.
To learn more about payroll giving and other forms of workplace giving, explore more resources from Double the Donation and implement best practices, streamline processes, and capture more payroll gifts today.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NXUnite-Payroll-Giving.png3931030wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-12-12 21:55:492025-12-12 22:36:34Payroll Giving Essentials FAQ: How Nonprofits Can Unlock Recurring Revenue
The golden rule of fundraising is that supporters who give a second time are far more likely to give long-term. Subsequently, many nonprofit fundraising strategies focus on encouraging new supporters to commit to future gifts.
While a certain percentage of new donors are only interested in making one-time gifts, nonprofits that employ the right strategies can turn many of them into recurring supporters. To help your nonprofit create lasting supporter relationships, this guide will explore five strategies for connecting with new donors.
1. Deliver prompt, personal acknowledgements.
After a supporter donates, send them a thank-you message within 48 hours. Many nonprofits leverage automated thank-you messages to ensure donors are recognized promptly, but generic emails only go so far in making donors feel appreciated.
Start your relationship with new donors off on the right foot by sending them gift acknowledgment messages that:
Feel personal. Create message templates that can be filled in with personal details for each supporter. For example, you might reference their donation amount or the projects the donation will support. Additionally, have a notable member of your team—like a board member or executive director—sign letters, cards, and other materials you send supporters to give these messages a human touch.
Show impact. Reinforce donors’ decision to give by sharing the potential impact their gift will make. For example, you might provide impact statistics or a story of an individual who will receive help, such as how your animal shelter provided life-saving care for a kitten that needed emergency surgery.
Invite further engagement. While a thank-you message is not the place to ask for another gift, you can use them to promote other involvement opportunities. For example, you might invite new supporters to subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media, read program updates, or check out your upcoming events.
All donors should receive a thank-you message, but you may go the extra mile for major giving prospects. For these supporters, you might send a handwritten note, a gift like a bouquet of flowers, or even give them a call to start building a personal connection.
2. Create a welcome series.
New donors have made an investment in your organization, and want to continue supporting you in other ways. Create a welcome series to steward these donors and guide them on how to get further involved in your nonprofit’s cause.
A welcome series usually refers to a series of emails delivered over the course of a few weeks. However, some nonprofits experiment with other types of welcome materials, such as short videos or digital tours. Others will even mail welcome packages to promising major giving prospects that include gifts like branded merchandise.
3. Maintain consistent communication.
The donation lifecycle relies on maintaining regular contact with supporters. After new supporters make their first gift, your messages should help move them through the donor journey until they are ready to contribute again.
Maintaining a newsletter. Send a routine newsletter that provides updates about your nonprofit’s programs, highlights upcoming events, spotlights supporters, and reports any other interesting developments at your organization. Nonprofit newsletter schedules vary, but are usually delivered on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. Choose whatever delivery cadence your nonprofit can reliably maintain.
Creating donor segments. Regular messages will only have an impact if they cater to donors’ interests. Create support segments based on relevant characteristics and preferences. For example, you might have a segment for donors who made their first gift within the last six months. The donors on this emailing list would receive communications introducing them to your nonprofit and helping them discover ways to get involved, rather than thanking them for their long-time support.
Encouraging feedback. Ensure you meet donor communication preferences by checking in with them about your outreach efforts. Ask them what channels they would like to be contacted on, what types of content they want to receive from you, and whether your messaging frequency helps them stay informed without getting overwhelmed.
Your other marketing efforts aimed at acquiring new donors will also help you maintain your current supporters. New and existing donors will see your social media posts, paid ads, and other external content, building brand awareness and reminding them to check in on your nonprofit.
4. Demonstrate donors’ impact.
If donors feel like their contributions are not making a difference, they may stop giving. Prevent this by ensuring donors understand how their gifts are being used and the impact they have on your cause.
Facts and statistics provide the hard numbers donors need to quantifiably know their gifts matter. However, stories, testimonials, and anecdotes are often more useful at helping donors visualize their impact. These emotional appeals can also encourage donors to take a personal investment in your cause, increasing the chances they will support you long-term.
Interview your staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, and other program participants to gather stories you can share with your donors. When possible, take pictures and videos to add a visual element. Pairing images of your nonprofit in action with emotional stories lets donors see exactly what kind of work your organization does and envision how their specific gifts might contribute.
5. Offer multiple engagement opportunities.
Lifelong supporters need engagement opportunities outside of donating. While these supporters will still donate, if monetary transactions are their only interactions with your nonprofit, they will likely feel less invested in your organization.
Here are a few engagement opportunities you might offer:
Events. Events are an opportunity to raise awareness and revenue for your cause and bring your supporters together in one place to make face-to-face connections. Host a range of events every year, from galas aimed at building relationships with major donors to community picnics that help your supporters connect with one another.
Volunteering. Volunteers often make the best, most loyal donors. Promote volunteer opportunities that align with your donors’ interests—such as opportunities to help the programs they contributed to—and reach out to your volunteers with donation appeals.
Alternative ways to give. While your primary focus might be turning new one-time supporters into recurring donors, do not overlook other giving opportunities that might inspire support. For example, keep a running list of in-kind donation items your nonprofit needs or make it possible for supporters to donate stock and cryptocurrency.
Ensure that getting involved with your nonprofit outside of donating is easy. Your website should provide information about various opportunities and instructions on how to participate, and your communications should regularly promote these programs.
Lifelong supporters are essential for providing sustainable revenue, and the key to turning first-time donors into these valued supporters is consistent communication, personal connection, and an engaging donor experience. Start improving your new donor retention and lifetime value by creating a prompt, consistent supporter communication strategy.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/new-donors-support_Feature.png7201890wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-12-04 16:32:192025-12-04 16:32:525 Tips for Turning New Donors into Lifelong Supporters
That’s a massive opportunity for nonprofits to boost revenue and engagement, but only if you know what to do after the attendees go home and the tables are cleared.
Considering all the planning that goes into your fundraiser, from choosing a venue to securing sponsorships, it’s easy to look at the end of the event as a finish line. However, it’s actually a starting line for long-term relationships, and your post-event strategy is what truly converts a one-time attendee into a long-term donor.
There’s a three-stage framework you can follow to keep your momentum strong: Connect, Share, and Invite. Let’s break it down.
Connect With Attendees Through Personalized Gratitude
The clock starts the moment your event ends. The most effective follow-up happens within 24 to 48 hours, and it starts with a heartfelt “thank you.”
Send a short, personalized email or letter that addresses recipients by name and acknowledges their specific role, whether they attended, volunteered, donated, or sponsored. Sincere appreciation sets the tone for ongoing engagement.
According to CharityEngine, event software can streamline this follow-up through features, such as:
Attendee communication tools: Automate personalized thank-yous and follow-ups using pre-tagged lists of attendees, donors, and volunteers, ensuring no one is forgotten. If you use event management tools integrated into your nonprofit’s CRM, you’ll ensure that your communications include all the relevant data for the recipient.
Reporting and analytics: Evaluate the event’s performance, including detailed data on individual guests’ participation. That way, you can send personalized messages that recognize each attendee’s unique interaction with the event! For example, you might thank James for participating in the raffle games, but share with Jackie how impactful her non-cash donation was.
Guest portals: Provide attendees with access to post-event materials, including receipts, donation summaries, and upcoming opportunities, all in one convenient location.
Add a short highlight reel or photo gallery to your message to enhance its visual appeal. Let your attendees relive the magic and reinforce the positive emotions tied to your mission.
Share Your Mission and Impact Story
After your thank-yous are sent, shift the focus from the event to your impact. You’re now moving from gratitude to storytelling and stewardship.
Your post-event communications should include:
Impact data: Use data analytics to calculate meaningful metrics that connect your event and impact data. For example, calculate the amount your organization raised through the event, how much was spent on a particular program, and that program’s reach in terms of the number of beneficiaries served.
Repurposed event content: Turn your event into ongoing content that reinforces the learning or emotional takeaways. This could be a blog post summarizing the keynote speaker’s key points, a photo gallery, or a link to a recorded session.
Personalized storytelling: To effectively steward relationships with donors, your nonprofit should share information that resonates most with them. Segment event attendees based on their actions, motivations, and any other information stored in your database. Then, share stories from volunteers or beneficiaries that most align with attendees’ interests.
Finally, send a short, focused post-event survey (no more than 10 questions). Ask what resonated most, what could be improved, and whether they’d like to be more involved. This shows you value their opinion, and it gives you data to make your next event even stronger.
Invite Donors to Deeper Involvement
Now that your audience feels connected and informed, it’s time to invite them further into your mission. Resist the urge to jump straight to another donation request! Many have likely already contributed through tickets or gifts.
Instead, offer low-friction engagement opportunities that build loyalty:
Exclusive learning: Certain events, such as conferences or professional development workshops, are sources of revenue for your organization and conducive to providing exclusive, on-demand content. Implement a learning management system (LMS) to host recorded keynotes, presentation slide decks, and bonus materials that attendees can access after the event concludes.
One-on-one engagement: According to BWF, events are a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with your donors and set up times for one-on-one engagement with them. Offer VIP Q&As with your board, coffee chats with your executive director, or behind-the-scenes tours of your programs.
Branded merchandise: When event attendees purchase items through your nonprofit’s online store, they don’t feel like they’re making a donation, because they’re receiving something in return. Your inventory could include branded merchandise, such as t-shirts and mugs, that will also turn event attendees into brand ambassadors after your fundraiser concludes.
Each follow-up should include a clear call to action (CTA)—join a volunteer team, subscribe to your monthly giving program, or register for the next event. Keep it simple, specific, and easy to act on.
The event itself may end in one night, but the momentum you build afterward determines your long-term success. Post-event engagement is the real engine of ROI; it’s the disciplined, personalized, and strategic follow-up that transforms fleeting excitement into lasting loyalty.
So, the next time you’re wrapping up a big fundraiser, remember: this isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a deeper connection between your supporters and your mission.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/post-event-engagement_feature.png6381678wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-11-14 15:07:162025-11-14 15:07:18Post-Event Engagement Plans: How to Keep the Momentum Going
Data is an invaluable asset for decision-making in any sector. Considering that the healthcare industry produces approximately 30% of the world’s data, health professionals are well-equipped to make informed, reliable decisions.
Here’s the kicker: The value you derive from your data depends on the way you collect, manage, and analyze it. If you’re a healthcare association leader, it isn’t enough to simply advise members to use their data—you need to explain how they should use it.
In this guide, we’ll cover a few practical ways your healthcare association can train its members to use data wisely and glean meaningful insights from it. More than teaching members how to put their data to work, these tips will help you steward relationships with members who value relevant, actionable insights.
Aggregate and Organize Data
Imagine you’re writing a review of a movie, but you only watched one scene. Or, let’s say you stopped reading a book after finishing the first chapter. Would you feel prepared to summarize the plot to a friend?
Just as you can’t fully analyze a movie or a book without having all of the necessary information, health data won’t provide useful insights without comprehensive and accurate data points.
According to Arcadia, healthcare data aggregation is the process of consolidating different data into one place. By enabling health professionals to review data in its full context, this practice helps to identify widespread patterns and trends, plan next actions accordingly, and even forecast future events to allow for early interventions.
Here are a few ways to educate association members on aggregating health data effectively:
Provide data platform recommendations. We’ll cover training association members in health technology shortly, but healthcare data platforms are essential for automating the aggregation process. Showcasing a few available solutions and demonstrating how they work can kickstart members’ search for a platform that meets their needs.
Teach data hygiene best practices. Although technology can do a lot of the heavy lifting, members should still have a general understanding of data entry and management best practices. Recurring webinars or written guides can be helpful formats for sharing top strategies, such as standardizing data formats and implementing role-based access.
Cover relevant data privacy regulations. While most members should already be familiar with industry standards, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), covering these regulations in your training can serve as helpful reminders of all these rules entail. It also provides an opportunity to cover recent changes to industry standards, keeping your association’s learning materials fresh and relevant.
Lean on your learning management system (LMS) to integrate these tips into your broader teaching materials. Since data aggregation is a fairly high-level topic to cover with members, it’ll be useful to share relevant tips in numerous formats and provide plenty of recurring opportunities to learn about it.
Monitor Emerging Analytics Trends and Tech
Healthcare technology innovations are constantly evolving as software adapts to the growing amount of health data generated each year. Members depend on your association to share new developments that can impact their workflows, such as:
Artificial intelligence (AI): The development of AI tools in healthcare impacts patient care, medical research, and even general administrative tasks. Provide resources for members to learn about different AI models and their applications to specific workflows.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): RPM is becoming increasingly critical to proactive patient care. Show members how to integrate RPM data into their existing data platforms for more comprehensive insights into patient health. You might share best practices such as establishing secure and efficient data pipelines, standardizing data formats, and developing robust analytical tools to effectively interpret RPM data.
Real-time, customizable dashboards: Health data platforms not only gather, aggregate, and organize important information, but also help users gain valuable insights through easily digestible dashboards. Use hands-on workshops to train members on creating dashboards unique to their needs.
To demonstrate your association’s commitment to providing the most up-to-date insights into healthcare trends, consider hosting a recurring workshop or ongoing webinar series that presents new insights each week. This can also serve as a sustainable fundraising tool for your association, since constant updates can incentivize membership renewals in addition to providing non-dues revenue if you charge fees for these sessions.
Differentiate Between Operational and Performance Insights
The tips you share with association members depend on their unique roles, data needs, and the types of data you’re discussing. Keep in mind that some data (like clinical notes and socioeconomic data) influence the way members serve their patient populations. Other data, such as hospital readmission rates or cost savings, are more directly tied to internal operations.
Let’s look at the difference between insights from operational data and performance data.
Operational Data Insights
Operational data provides insights that inform decision-making in members’ respective fields. This could include information like:
Social determinants of health (SDoH) data (e.g., access to transportation or nutritious food)
Train members to make the most of operational data by sharing systems for analyzing this information and drawing important insights. Depending on members’ data literacy levels, they may also benefit from high-level training, such as an introduction to third-party data or methodologies for extracting insights.
Performance Data Insights
Performance data helps organizations evaluate their effectiveness over time, offering visibility into areas for improvement. Think about this data the same way you’d assess the most popular items in your online store or which fundraiser raised the most money. Members will similarly measure their performance in the healthcare industry—they’ll just use different metrics, such as:
Care quality data, like hospital-acquired conditions or readmission rates
Patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment plans
Financial health, such as the cost per episode for a specific condition
Analytics tools are also important for supporting members’ performance improvement efforts, but make sure that any tools you recommend can tap into market intelligence and benchmark data. This technology will help members compare their performance against other organizations in the industry and identify opportunities to do better.
Note that there may be some overlap between operational and performance-related metrics. For example, a patient’s readmission rate could indicate the potential need for a different treatment plan, but it could also contribute to insights into the quality of care delivered.
Data is a powerful asset in the healthcare industry, and your association’s members are likely looking for new ways to interact with it. Whether they’re starting from scratch and need an introductory overview of data analytics or want a community where they can constantly stay up-to-date on the latest data innovations, your association can deliver what they’re looking for and ensure they see their membership as valuable.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/health-data-utilization-tips_feature.png6301660wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-10-24 09:32:112025-10-24 09:32:133 Data Utilization Tips for Healthcare Association Members
From field trips to libraries to sports equipment, fundraisers support a wide variety of programs that make your school a place where students can learn and thrive. However, experienced school fundraisers know that launching a successful fundraising campaign is easier said than done, and that just a few core elements can make all the difference.
To help your elementary school’s next fundraiser go off without a hitch, this guide will break down four essential components of a successful school fundraiser and how to implement them.
1. Clear Goals
When it comes to fundraising goals, you may think the answer is obvious: your school wants to raise money for its programs, of course. However, goals like this often lack clarity about what success looks like, which makes executing an organized fundraiser and gathering useful data from it a challenge.
Specific. Instead of your goal being “to host a successful fundraiser,” you should specify what that fundraiser is, how much you aim to raise, and what you will use the funding for. For example, a specific goal would be something like, “At this year’s annual Walk-A-Thon, our goal is to raise $15,000 that will be put toward purchasing new equipment for our school’s sports teams.”
Measurable. While you might also have qualitative goals, like establishing trust and connections in your community, your school should aim to establish concrete, quantifiable goals when possible. For example, you might translate building community connections to “Expanding our mailing list by 20% and starting five new partnership conversations with local organizations.”
Achievable. Challenging goals can help your school grow, but impossible goals can depress your team. Assess your past fundraisers’ achievements to set goals that are ambitious yet feasible.
Relevant. Ensure your goal is relevant to your school and immediate goals. Being able to explain exactly why and how a fundraiser supports your school can help you get buy-in from donors.
Time-bound. Even if your school accepts donations all year-round, each fundraiser should have a definitive endpoint. This allows you to assess its overall impact and results.
Once you have a clear goal, break it into a series of smaller, individual aims. These should be specific tasks, like “assemble a fundraising team” or “research fundraising software.” These help you stay on track and can make a large, challenging goal seem feasible.
2. Fundraising Ideas That Excite Students
If your fundraising idea aligns with students’ interests, you’ll have a far easier time attracting participants and volunteers. For instance, one popular fundraiser for elementary school students is hosting a Read-A-Thon.
Read-A-Thon’s guide to these fundraisers explains how they work and can inspire a love of reading in students. The guide also recommends the following tips to make your fundraiser a success:
Use a Read-A-Thon platform. Modern Read-A-Thons can highly benefit from being taken online. With a virtual Read-A-Thon platform, students can update their reading progress no matter where they are, and don’t need to worry about losing paper tracking sheets for donations and their reading progress.
Choose a prize model. While some students will participate due to their natural love of reading, it doesn’t hurt to incentivize them by implementing a prize model. For example, reward students who read or raise the most with prizes like gift cards, books, and games.
Measure student progress. Read-A-Thons are incredibly effective fundraisers due to how they essentially run themselves after your initial launch. However, this doesn’t mean you should be completely hands-off. Throughout your Read-A-Thon, check in on your fundraising progress to adjust your goals, encourage students, and share updates with your community.
Essentially, a Read-A-Thon succeeds as a fundraiser due to its accessibility, connection to activities students and families already support, and potential for prizes to increase motivation. When choosing a fundraising idea for your elementary school, consider your students and community’s interests.
3. Easy Participation
Elementary school fundraisers rely heavily on support from your community and school staff. However, teachers and families of young children lead busy lives, and it can be difficult to squeeze in more than a handful of hours a week to help your fundraiser.
Meet your community where they’re at by making your fundraiser as easy to participate in as possible. For example, to make planning your fundraiser easier on your volunteers, you might leverage pre-made templates and software with out-of-the-box functionality. While platforms with extensive customization can be useful, prioritizing solutions that promise speed and ease of use is just as valid.
Additionally, the more flexible your fundraiser is with how individuals participate, the more participants you’ll attract. For instance, you could host a hybrid fundraiser that allows individuals to join in at any time of day from the comfort of their homes. Or, to accommodate parents and guardians who work during the day, you might host events exclusively at night or on weekends.
4. Community Support
When your community comes together to support your fundraiser, your chances of success skyrocket. Attract and retain community support by:
Recruiting volunteers early and consistently. Maintaining a reliable pool of volunteers will help all of your initiatives in the long run. Whenever you’re planning a new fundraiser, use it as an opportunity to get more people involved with your school and encourage them to sign up to volunteer. Then, using volunteer management software, you can easily stay in touch with these supporters to re-engage them when it’s time for your next fundraiser.
Partnering with local organizations. Pooling your resources with other organizations in your community helps all groups host bigger and better fundraisers and events. For instance, you might ask businesses to sponsor your school’s next event, and in exchange, you’ll promote the business as a supporter of your school to drive customers their way.
Expressing appreciation. Your community helps your school due to its dedication to your students. However, community members certainly appreciate being thanked for their efforts. Thank supporters with personalized messages, cards signed by students, and celebration events that the whole community is invited to.
Chances are, your school will develop a small group of dedicated supporters who run most fundraisers and a larger community of donors and volunteers who drop in and out based on their interest and availability. Ensure you go the extra mile to appreciate the individuals putting in the extra effort to make your fundraisers happen, while also continually marketing your fundraisers to the wider community to retain their support.
When it comes to putting together an effective elementary school fundraiser, nailing down the essentials should be your first priority. Set a goal you know your school can achieve, make participation as fun and easy as possible, and start reaching out to your community to make your next fundraiser a team effort.
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/elementary-school-fundraiser-elements_Feature.jpg360945wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-09-17 16:49:342025-09-17 16:49:354 Elements of an Effective Elementary School Fundraiser
https://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/NXUnite_How-to-Apply-for-Corporate-In-Kind-Donations-An-Overview_Feature.png7501400wpenginehttps://nxunite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/NXUnite-by-nexus-marketing-White-3.svgwpengine2025-09-08 14:50:562025-09-08 14:53:05How to Apply for Corporate In-Kind Donations
Top Corporate Sponsorship Search Tools & Databases to Know
In the modern philanthropic landscape, the competition for funding is more intense than ever. While individual giving remains the backbone of most charitable organizations, sponsorships represent a massive, often untapped opportunity for growth. However, the days of sending generic cold emails to local bank managers and hoping for a check are gone. Today, successful nonprofit partnerships are built on data, alignment, and strategic outreach. And the right corporate sponsorship search tools are here to help!
In this guide, we’ll explore the top platforms every fundraising professional should know. These include:
To secure a high-value corporate sponsor, you need to know who is giving, how much they are giving, and, most importantly, what they expect in return. By leveraging specialized tools and databases, nonprofits can move from a “shotgun” strategy to a “sniper” approach, identifying the companies most likely to say yes.
Let’s dive in with our first recommendation!
1) Double the Donation: The Gold Standard for Corporate Giving
When it comes to understanding corporate philanthropy, Double the Donation stands in a league of its own. While many know it primarily as the leading platform for employee matching gifts, its continuously growing database serves as the most comprehensive and targeted resource for identifying corporate sponsorship opportunities today.
Platform Overview
Double the Donation hosts the industry’s most extensive source of corporate giving programs. With information on over 24,000 companies, the Double the Donation database tracks everything from matching gift programs and volunteer grant initiatives to specific corporate sponsorship opportunities.
Unlike general business databases, Double the Donation is built specifically for the nonprofit sector. This means the data is filtered through the lens of social impact. It doesn’t just tell you that a corporation is profitable; it tells you exactly how that company chooses to distribute its wealth back into the community (such as through grants, in-kind donations, workplace giving programs, and beyond).
Using Double the Donation as a Sponsorship Search Tool
While many organizations use Double the Donation to recapture low-hanging fruit via matching gifts, savvy development directors are also leveraging it as a strategic prospecting tool for major sponsorships.
Here’s how it works:
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
Nonprofits should view Double the Donation not just as a tool for revenue recovery, but as a central hub for corporate intelligence. To get the most out of it, we recommend:
If you’re interested in exploring Double the Donation’s corporate sponsorship search tools and more, request a personalized demo here to get started.
2) Instrumentl: The Institutional Funding Powerhouse
While Double the Donation excels at the intersection of individual donors and their employers, Instrumentl is a premier tool for organizations looking to bridge the gap between corporate grants and corporate sponsorships.
Platform Overview
Instrumentl is an all-in-one institutional fundraising platform that combines effective grant prospecting, tracking, and management. It is designed to help nonprofits find funders that match their specific projects, locations, and missions.
What sets Instrumentl apart is its ability to aggregate data from 990 forms, foundation websites, and corporate giving pages into a single, searchable interface.
Using Instrumentl as a Sponsorship Search Tool
Many corporate sponsorships are funneled through a company’s private foundation or its community benefit department. Instrumentl allows you to find these opportunities with precision.
Here’s how it works:
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
Instrumentl is best used as a pipeline management tool. For this reason, nonprofits leveraging this platform are encouraged to:
If you’re interested in exploring Instrumentl’s corporate sponsorship search tools and more, sign up here to get a 14-day free trial.
3) LinkedIn: The Ultimate Relationship & Networking Tool
While the previous tools provide the “what” and the “how much,” LinkedIn provides the “who.”
Corporate sponsorships are, at their core, relationships between people. LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools available for identifying and reaching the actual decision-makers within a corporation.
Platform Overview
LinkedIn is a professional networking site with over 900 million active members. For a nonprofit, this site serves as a live, self-updating database of corporate hierarchies. It allows you to move past the “info@company.com” email address and find the specific individuals responsible for CSR, marketing, and community relations.
Using LinkedIn as a Sponsorship Search Tool
LinkedIn is the perfect tool for the “discovery” and “outreach” phases of a corporate sponsorship search, making it easy to connect with the best prospects.
Here’s how it works:
How Nonprofits Are Encouraged to Use It
LinkedIn should be used as a social listening and active connection tool. For this reason, nonprofits seeking sponsorships are encouraged to:
If you’re interested in exploring LinkedIn’s corporate sponsorship search tools and more, check out their nonprofit discount here.
Strategic Synthesis: How to Combine These Tools for Maximum ROI
While each of these sponsorship search tools is powerful on its own, the most successful nonprofits use them in concert to create a seamless partner acquisition strategy.
Here’s what a master workflow can look like:
By following this data-driven path, your chances of securing the sponsorship increase exponentially. You aren’t just guessing; you are using the most robust tools available to build a case that is impossible to ignore.
Strategic Considerations for the Modern Fundraiser
As you integrate these tools into your sponsorship-seeking workflow, keep in mind that the nature of corporate partnerships is shifting. Many companies are moving away from philanthropy (or giving money away) and toward shared value (or investments that benefit both the community and the business).
These are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.
The Power of Targeted Data
Double the Donation is highlighted as the most robust tool in this list because it provides the most targeted data for this “shared value” model. By identifying which companies have employee-led giving programs, you are identifying companies that have already decided to let their values be driven by their people. This is the ultimate “targeted info.”
A company that matches employee gifts is a company that listens to its employees, and if your nonprofit has those employees as donors, you have a built-in advocacy group within the corporation.
Moving Beyond the Logo on a T-Shirt
In the past, sponsorship search databases were used just to find someone to pay for a banner at a 5K race. Today, these tools should be used to find long-term partners whose missions closely align with your own.
The shift from transactional to transformational partnerships is driven by a change in how businesses view their social impact. More and more, corporate leaders are under pressure from both consumers and employees to prove that their commitment to a cause is more than just a marketing gimmick. They want to show that they are actively helping to solve a problem.
Prioritizing Regular Data Updates
The corporate world moves fast. Mergers, acquisitions, and leadership changes happen daily. This is why using a live (and regularly updated) database like Double the Donation is so critical. Static lists of “Top Corporate Givers” from three years ago are largely useless. Rather, you need tools that reflect the current market reality.
Conclusion
Securing corporate sponsorships is both an art and a science. The “art” lies in the storytelling and the relationship-building, or the ability to convey your mission in a way that resonates with a corporate executive’s vision. But the “science” lies in the technology you use to find those executives in the first place.
By equipping your development team with the right tools, you can gain easy access to companies ready and eager to support organizations like yours.
In an era where every dollar must be fought for, you cannot afford to work with incomplete information. These top-recommended platforms provide the transparency and the insights needed to turn corporate sponsorship from a game of chance into a predictable, scalable revenue stream for your nonprofit.
Start with the data, build the relationships, and watch your organization’s impact grow.
Managing Risk at Nonprofits: What Boards Need to Know
A nonprofit board is a governing body responsible for strategic decisions and oversight at a charitable organization. One of the best-known duties of a board is to appoint a nonprofit executive director or CEO who will then keep the board informed about day-to-day operations and vital information needed to make decisions.
Another key responsibility of nonprofit board members is to manage organizational risk. Nonprofits face some of the same risks that for-profit businesses do, but there are also some risks unique to tax-exempt organizations, and each nonprofit will have its own unique risk profile based on operations, revenue, location, and other factors. Risks are inescapable, but unmonitored risks can quickly go from bad to worse if nothing has been done to prepare for potential issues.
In this guide, we’ll cover what board members should know about managing risk at the nonprofit they serve. Let’s dive in!
Who is responsible for nonprofit risk management?
For risk management to be effective, all staff and board members at the organization need to be involved. The proper policies apply to everyone, from staff members remembering to lock the office door at the end of the day to the financial team properly recognizing revenue to a volunteer properly reporting a safety incident.
To ensure all stakeholders (employees, board members, volunteers, donors, etc.) are equipped to minimize risk, effective risk management begins with crafting policies and procedures that prepare for potential situations. Let’s take a look at each stakeholder’s role in risk management:
While you may not have frequent interactions with all of the nonprofit’s staff as a board member, setting a culture of policy compliance and risk minimization begins with the board. By prioritizing risk management and making policies clear and achievable, you set the tone for everyone else’s efforts.
What does proactive risk management look like?
Policies and procedures are the first step in risk management, but they don’t fix everything by themselves. We’ll cover policy examples in more detail below, as well as two other ideas to evaluate as a board member.
Establish policies and procedures
As a nonprofit grows larger and more complex, there will likely be more and more policies that need to be established to account for new incidents that may arise. But every nonprofit board should consider the following areas of risk and corresponding policies and procedures:
This is not a definitive list of potential risk areas and mitigating guidelines that your nonprofit may face. Consulting with a nonprofit financial advisor can illuminate risks unique to your organization and provide guidance for how to begin preventative measures.
Diversify your nonprofit’s team
For both the board and staff, if everyone has the same set of skills, you’re exposing your organization to additional risks, because you’re not accounting for the diverse range of abilities that are required to successfully operate a nonprofit. Part of this is also staffing your nonprofit sufficiently. When employees are overwhelmed with tasks, things are more likely to fall through the cracks, especially tasks that employees don’t have the skills for.
When you’re recruiting new board members, keep in mind what skills and experience might be lacking on your board, but would help steer the nonprofit. A few skills or occupations that might be useful to have include a lawyer, a financial professional, and a development professional.
Additionally, for your nonprofit executive team, you’ll want to make sure you have the right person in crucial positions, like a Chief Financial Officer role. Jitasa recommends working with a fractional CFO if your nonprofit doesn’t have the resources to hire someone full-time for this position.
Across the organization, it’s a good idea to have a clear delegation of duties based on areas of expertise and clear training protocols for when team members take on new duties. Having owners of tasks holds team members accountable and increases the likelihood that they will be completed to the highest standard of quality.
Implement internal controls
Internal controls are policies and procedures that your nonprofit implements on top of legal and financial standards. Controls safeguard against intentional and unintentional fraud, like having two employees sign off on cash deposits, which can catch any counting errors.
Some internal controls will affect day-to-day activities, like storing any cash in a locked drawer or safe, and some might occur less frequently, like conducting an audit or determining what percentage of reserve funds should be invested. As a board member, this is another area to review with financial consultants to make sure proper controls are in place.
How should you mitigate and respond to risks?
A lot of the battle when it comes to risk management is planning for the worst, ahead of time. This includes being on the same page with the executive team about what board members’ roles are when it comes to a risky situation actually occurring.
Outline who should be alerted to risks and within what time frame. Triaging the risk according to pre-determined categories, like the severity of consequences, can inform communication procedures.
Once you’ve been informed of the risk, as a board member, it’s your responsibility to ensure that policies are followed, and you support the nonprofit executive team if complications arise.
Preparing for the worst might be uncomfortable, but implementing risk management is necessary for any organization’s health and sustainability. As a board member, your risk management leadership is crucial to ensuring that your nonprofit’s mission is carried out no matter what circumstances come its way.
6 Easy Ways for Nonprofits to Find Corporate Grants
For the modern nonprofit professional, the quest to find corporate grants often feels like a perpetual uphill climb. You have the mission, the passion, and the boots on the ground, but the financial fuel required to scale that impact can be elusive.
The transition from “accidental revenue,” or relying on one-off donations, to a “predictable revenue” model requires a sophisticated approach. Before you apply, ensure your team is equipped with the right grant-seeking tools to implement such a strategy.
To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve compiled a list of the most effective ways to identify, vet, and secure corporate grant opportunities. These include:
In 2026, corporate social responsibility has moved from a “nice-to-have” marketing footnote to a core business operation. Companies are no longer just selling products; they’re selling their values. This shift has resulted in a staggering amount of capital being earmarked for social good.
In fact, recent data from Giving USA indicates that annual corporate giving has surpassed $44 billion. Yet, a significant portion of these funds remains on the sidelines. Why? Nonprofits often lack the framework required to bridge the gap between their needs and a corporation’s goals. To overcome this hurdle, organizations must prioritize efficiency and accuracy in their research phase, which is exactly where technology comes into play.
1. Leverage a Specialized Corporate Grant Database
If you’re still manually scouring the “About Us” pages of every company in your zip code, you’re likely losing dozens of hours every month to inefficient research. In the digital age, the most successful fundraisers use dedicated technology to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. For this reason, a curated corporate grant database is the single most important investment a development department can make.
A grant database isn’t just a list of company names; it’s a strategic fundraising intelligence tool. Unlike a standard search engine, these platforms are built specifically for the nuances of the nonprofit sector.
Why a Grant-Seeking Database is Essential
When you use a professional database, you aren’t just looking for “who has money.” You are looking for the perfect match. Most high-end databases provide:
Top Corporate Grant Tools to Consider
Choosing the right database is about matching the tool to your internal capacity. By selecting a platform that offers both high-quality leads and the frameworks to organize them, you move from simply “finding” grants to actually winning them.
2. Tap Into Your “Warm” Network with Employee-Led Giving
One of the most common mistakes nonprofits make is looking outward before they look inward. Your donor database is likely a goldmine of corporate connections you haven’t yet explored.
Modern corporate grants are increasingly “bottom-up” rather than “top-down.” This means that instead of a CEO deciding where the money goes, employees often drive the company’s philanthropy.
The Employee-Nominated Grant
Many companies have “Employee-Nominated Grant” programs. In these scenarios, a corporation sets aside a budget (often $5,000 to $25,000) that can only be accessed if an employee advocates for the nonprofit.
Volunteer Grants (Dollars for Doers)
Another “easy” win is the volunteer grant. If a corporate employee volunteers a certain number of hours at your nonprofit, their company will issue you a check for those hours (often at $20 to $50 per hour). While these are smaller than a traditional multi-year grant, they are a fantastic way to build your track record with a company.
Once you’ve received several volunteer grants from a business, you are in a much stronger position to apply for a larger corporate foundation grant.
3. Focus on Local “Community Impact” Funds
While the “Google.orgs” and “Walmart Foundations” of the world generally get all the headlines, they are also the most competitive when it comes to grant-making. For many nonprofits, the best path to success is through local and regional businesses. Mid-sized companies (i.e., those with 100 to 500 employees) are often desperate to locate reputable local nonprofits with which to partner in order to boost their brand reputations.
Identifying Local Prospects
The “Branch Manager” Strategy
For national brands with local footprints (such as banks or retail chains), the local branch manager often has a discretionary budget between $500 and $2,500 that they can allocate without approval from the national headquarters. These aren’t just “donations.” They are mini-grants. Securing five of these is often easier and more effective than spending 40 hours on a single massive national application with a 1% chance of success.
4. Utilize “In-Kind” Grants and Pro Bono Support
In the nonprofit world, we often fall into the trap of thinking that “revenue” only means “cash in the bank.” However, an in-kind grant that provides you with $20,000 of professional services or needed equipment can be just as impactful as a $20,000 check, especially if it offsets a cost you were already going to incur.
The Google Ad Grant
Perhaps the most famous “easy” grant is the Google Ad Grant. Through this program, Google.org provides eligible nonprofits with up to $10,000 per month in free search advertising credits. This allows your organization to appear at the top of relevant search results for terms like “donate to animal shelters” or “volunteer in Atlanta,” ultimately getting more eyes on your mission.
Other Tech + Service Grants
In-kind support is ultimately about operational sustainability. While cash grants are essential for funding specific programs, pro bono services and product donations provide the foundational infrastructure that enables those programs to run efficiently, effectively stretching every dollar of your existing budget further.
5. Monitor CSR and ESG Reports
If you want to win a corporate grant, you have to speak the corporation’s language. That language is found in their annual CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reports. These documents are essentially a “cheat sheet” for grant seekers. They tell you exactly what the company’s priorities are for the coming year.
Decoding the CSR Report
When you open a CSR report, look for the “Strategic Pillars.” Most companies focus on three or four key areas, such as:
Top tip: If your nonprofit’s mission aligns with one or more of a company’s pillars, your grant proposal should use the exact same phrasing found in the report. If the corporation refers to it as “Sustainable Urban Agriculture,” don’t call it “Community Gardening” in your application. Using their established terminology positions your organization as a strategic partner who can help them achieve their specific corporate goals.
6. Implement Automated Grant Alerts
The biggest reason nonprofits miss out on grants isn’t that they aren’t qualified; it’s because they missed the deadline. And unfortunately, corporate grant cycles are notoriously inconsistent. Some open in January, while others only open when the company has an “excess” of profit at the end of a quarter.
Setting Up Your “Early Warning System”
To stay ahead of the curve, you need to automate your discovery process. Here are a few tried-and-true tactics for doing so:
This proactive approach allows you to be the first one to the table. In many cases, corporate grants are reviewed on a rolling basis. If you apply in the first week, your proposal will likely attract more attention than if you apply in the final hour before the deadline.
Summary Table: Which Grant-Finding Method Is Right for You?
To help you prioritize your efforts, refer to this breakdown of our recommended discovery methods:
The Art of the Ask: Tips for Crafting a Winning Grant Proposal
Once you have identified a potential grant using the methods above, you need to ensure your proposal stands out to increase your chances of winning the funds. Corporate grant reviewers are often business professionals, not social workers. They look for different things than a government agency or a private foundation might. Here are a few best practices to consider!
1. Leverage the Power of the Executive Summary.
Most corporate reviewers will spend less than three minutes on your initial application. Your first page (or even your first paragraph) must contain the “Who, What, Where, and Why.” If the grant-maker can’t understand the impact the funding would have within the first 60 seconds, you’ve likely lost them.
2. Focus on Mutually Beneficial Impact.
A corporation isn’t just “giving money away.” Rather, they are investing in a community outcome that benefits their brand. In your proposal, clearly state how the partnership will be publicized.
The exact benefits offered can vary, but the important thing is to focus on the offerings in your pitch.
3. Use “Hard” Metrics.
Avoid flowery language. Instead of saying, “We hope to help many families,” say, “This $10,000 grant will allow us to purchase 400 ‘Backpack Meals,’ ensuring that 100 students have food every weekend for the entire school year.”
4. Demonstrate Sustainability.
Corporations hate the idea of their money being a “band-aid.” Rather, they want to see that their grant is helping you build a system that will last. Explain how this grant will help your team reach a new level of efficiency or how it will help you attract other donors in the future.
Conclusion: Your Path to $44 Billion in Corporate Funds
The world of corporate grants is often viewed as a closed club, but the reality is much more inviting. Corporations are actively searching for reputable, data-driven, and organized nonprofits to partner with. They want to give this money away; it’s good for their brand, their employees, and their tax status.
By moving away from manual, “shotgun-style” searching and embracing a strategic, technology-based approach, you can transform your corporate fundraising department. Start by investing in a high-quality database to understand the landscape. Then, look inward at your existing donors to uncover the hidden connections to major businesses in your network.
The $44 billion is out there. With the right tools in your pocket and a proactive mindset throughout your team, your nonprofit can secure its fair share and turn those funds into real, lasting impact.
6 Tips to Create an Ambassador Program for Your Nonprofit
According to Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable Report, 30% of the fundraisers surveyed identified donor fatigue as a challenge they face, and 87% of donors who stop or reduce their support do so due to financial strain. What if there were a way to continuously engage donors and have them contribute meaningfully to your cause without requiring them to make additional monetary donations?
Look no further than an ambassador program. Ambassadors can take the reins during fundraising or marketing campaigns, promoting your organization to their personal networks and expanding your reach.
This form of peer-to-peer marketing is highly compelling because people are more likely to support a cause that’s recommended by someone they know and trust. Additionally, donors and other supporters can unlock another opportunity to help your cause without reaching back into their wallets.
To ensure your ambassador program gets up and running quickly and yields a high return on investment, we’ll explore top tips for developing an effective program.
1. Identify the right recruits.
Supporters often want more than just to help promote your nonprofit’s cause—they want to feel like members of your community. An ambassador program gives them an outlet to express their passion for your mission and share their enthusiasm with others.
Search for individuals who have a strong existing relationship with your organization and are particularly vocal about their love for your cause. Potential ambassadors could be:
Use your nonprofit CRM to identify long-time, highly engaged supporters. Filter your database by length of involvement or number of interactions to find your top supporters. You may also look for supporters with strong community connections—such as local business owners or microinfluencers—who have built-in audiences with whom they could share your cause.
Then, personally reach out to these individuals with an invitation to join your ambassador program. Reference their past involvement to explain why you’re reaching out. For example, you might say something like:
Eliza, we are so excited to invite you to join our new ambassador program. Your passionate volunteer involvement and past peer-to-peer fundraising experience make you a perfect fit for our new program.
2. Brand your ambassador program.
People will be more likely to sign up for your ambassador program if it looks professional and matches your organization’s current branding. They’ll be confident the program belongs to your nonprofit and feel encouraged to sign up.
While you may use the same colors, visual style, and messaging as your overarching nonprofit brand, develop the following unique brand elements for your program:
Then, incorporate these brand elements into your promotional materials, such as your social media posts and personal emails to potential participants, ensuring everything matches.
For example, here’s a flyer for a fictional environmental nonprofit ambassador program with a cohesive brand:
This flyer features the organization’s brand name, logo, and a QR code that potential participants can scan for more information.
You can also boost the sense of community by creating branded merchandise for your program, such as hats, T-shirts, or name tags. Offering new ambassadors matching items will help them feel like members of an exclusive team.
3. Create clear roles and expectations.
Ultimately, your ambassador program shouldn’t just provide new engagement opportunities for supporters. It should also tangibly support your marketing and fundraising efforts.
Take the following steps to ensure your ambassador program bolsters your existing strategies:
When potential ambassadors understand what your program entails, you can narrow down your recruit list to just individuals who feel comfortable with the role expectations. And with clear metrics to guide your program, you can determine whether it’s a worthwhile use of your time and resources.
4. Provide proper training and resources.
Invite your ambassadors to a training session to help them get up and running in their new roles. Depending on where your ambassadors are located, you might host a virtual or in-person meeting. Reiterate the role expectations and let ambassadors get to know one another through some icebreaker activities.
Additionally, craft a training manual for ambassadors to follow while promoting your organization. Your manual should include your brand guidelines, ambassador program regulations, and marketing materials that ambassadors can use in their promotional efforts, such as:
Let ambassadors know that they can come to you at any time with questions or concerns. You may even set up a mentorship or buddy program within your ambassador group to ensure each participant has at least one peer they can turn to for support.
5. Build community among ambassadors.
Fostering a strong community among your ambassadors can encourage program retention. Plus, when ambassadors have fun supporting your mission and feel engaged in your cause, their promotional efforts will be much more genuine.
Spark connections within your ambassador program by:
In addition to letting ambassadors recognize each other, implement appreciation strategies like publicly shouting out ambassadors on social media and within blog posts, sending thank-you gifts, and sharing personalized messages to demonstrate your gratitude for their contributions.
6. Evaluate and adapt your program as needed.
As your ambassador program gets underway, you might find that certain strategies aren’t working out as expected. Remain flexible and adjust your program when necessary to continue offering a high-quality experience to participants and ensure that your program effectively supports your nonprofit.
Continuously evaluate your program by taking the following steps:
Supporting your ambassadors every step of the way is one of the most effective ways to ensure a high ROI for your program. Take ambassadors’ feedback seriously to ensure you’re continuing to meet their needs and providing a positive experience.
An ambassador program presents a win-win situation. While your ambassadors can help you connect with new potential donors, spread awareness of your mission more effectively, and help sustain your current fundraising and marketing efforts, they also receive a fulfilling experience that allows them to meet new people and drive greater impact. Promote your ambassador program across channels, and as your program grows, collect ambassador testimonials you can use as social proof to recruit even more program participants.
Payroll Giving Essentials FAQ: How Nonprofits Can Unlock Recurring Revenue
Is your organization fully utilizing the most reliable form of recurring revenue available? For many nonprofits and universities, the search for sustainable funding is a daily priority. Payroll giving offers a distinct solution by allowing your supporters to automate donations directly from their corporate paychecks, providing your nonprofit with a steady stream of unrestricted funds.
The potential here is massive, yet largely untapped. According to statistics gathered by Double the Donation, employees contribute over $173 million annually through payroll giving programs worldwide. However, a significant barrier remains: 59% of people have never heard of payroll giving. This lack of awareness presents both a challenge and an opportunity. While the revenue potential is high, supporters cannot sign up for programs they do not know exist.
In this guide, we will address the most common questions regarding workplace giving and how it functions alongside other corporate giving programs, like matching gifts. We will also examine how fundraising software can help you identify eligible donors, streamline the giving process, and ultimately increase the revenue necessary to support your mission.
1. What is payroll giving, and how does it benefit nonprofits?
Payroll giving allows employees to donate directly from their paycheck using automatic deductions set through their employer. Often, these programs are open choice programs, meaning that employees have the option to support any nonprofit or school of their choice through their payroll giving program. As a result, these programs provide sustainable funding opportunities for a large number of nonprofits.
While many companies promote payroll giving through their employee portal (commonly a workplace giving platform), many employees are unaware of the option, meaning that nonprofits miss out on potential revenue opportunities. To increase participation and benefit from these funds, nonprofits should educate supporters about payroll giving and encourage supporters to check their eligibility.
2. Why is payroll giving important for my nonprofit?
Payroll gifts often produce consistent revenue at scale because many donors prefer simple, recurring deductions, and if their employer offers one of these programs, this is an easy way for them to get involved. If you have a medium to large nonprofit, you will likely see strong results because of your larger supporter base. You can also benefit from higher brand awareness which encourages employees to enroll.
Payroll giving programs typically attract long-term donors who value easy automated contributions. Your nonprofit can support these donors by providing workplace giving information on your website and using fundraising tools to help donors confirm eligibility quickly.
3. What types of companies typically offer payroll giving programs?
Payroll giving has evolved into a benefit offered by businesses of all sizes, industries, and regions. Today, companies ranging from local mid-sized firms to global leaders in technology, finance, healthcare, and retail (such as Microsoft and The Home Depot) provide these programs to boost employee engagement. Some employers combine payroll giving with matching gift programs which doubles donor impact.
Because the opportunities are so widespread, the barrier to entry is not finding a company that offers it, but ensuring you are visible within their system.
Most of these companies use corporate social responsibility (CSR) platforms to process the deductions and distribute the funds. Therefore, a critical operational step for your team is to ensure your nonprofit is registered and capable of receiving electronic transfers (EFT) on these major platforms. If you are not in the system, a willing donor often cannot select you as a beneficiary.
Once you are registered, you can use a corporate giving database like Double the Donation to help your supporters identify their eligibility and guide them to the correct portal to set up their deduction.
4. How much revenue can payroll giving generate for my nonprofit?
Revenue varies widely depending on organization size and the number of your supporters that are eligible. However, many nonprofits see consistent monthly contributions that accumulate significantly across large donor bases.
Payroll gifts often remain active for years because deductions feel manageable for donors. This creates long-term revenue streams that support ongoing programs.
Your nonprofit can increase revenue by simplifying supporter discovery through payroll giving tools. Most nonprofits see meaningful results when payroll giving is promoted consistently.
5. How does payroll giving differ from traditional recurring donations?
To put simply, payroll giving happens through employer systems while recurring donations are set up directly through the nonprofit.
However, the most significant difference for the donor is the tax advantage. For payroll giving, donations are often deducted from an employee’s salary before tax is applied (pre-tax). This provides immediate tax relief for the donor, meaning it costs them less to give more. Because the funds are deducted before they ever hit the employee’s bank account, it simplifies financial planning and budgeting. Meanwhile, recurring gifts are typically paid from post-tax income, requiring the donor to claim tax deductions manually at the end of the year.
For the organization, the difference lies in retention. Traditional recurring gifts often churn due to expired credit cards or changed bank details. Payroll gifts, however, remain active as long as the employee stays with the company, providing a much more stable and long-term revenue stream. Additionally, because these gifts are routed through corporate systems, they are frequently bundled with matching gift opportunities, doubling the value of the donation automatically.
6. Are payroll giving donations tax deductible for employees?
Most payroll gifts are tax deductible because they are treated as charitable donations. Employees receive documentation through employer payroll systems, and this simplifies tax preparation for many donors.
While you do not need to issue separate receipts for payroll gifts, your nonprofit should still acknowledge gifts to support donor stewardship and engagement.
7. What challenges do nonprofits face when managing payroll giving?
The primary challenge is data inconsistency. Unlike recurring giving where you instantly receive the donor’s name, email, and amount, payroll giving funds are often disbursed through third-party corporate social responsibility (CSR) platforms that handle data very differently.
Nonprofits often face the “lump sum” reality, where they receive a single aggregate check for a certain amount that represents contributions from different employees, with little to no individual identifying information. This happens for two reasons: platform variance and privacy settings.
Every CSR platform has different reporting standards. Some provide detailed breakdowns, while others provide minimal aggregate data. Additionally, employees often have the option to give anonymously through their workplace portal, meaning the funds arrive without a name attached.
This lack of visibility makes donor stewardship incredibly difficult. If you cannot identify the individual behind the donation, you cannot thank them, which risks future retention.
To solve this, your nonprofit can use fundraising software to capture employment data. By using tools to identify where your supporters work (via search tools on your website or employer appends), you create a separate data stream. This allows you to identify potential payroll donors and steward them proactively.
8. How can my nonprofit know if a supporter is eligible for payroll giving?
Eligibility depends on employer benefit policies which vary widely across industries. Donors often do not know whether payroll giving exists at their company.
Your nonprofit can guide supporters by directing them to a payroll giving search tool. With a dedicated payroll giving plugin, you can help supporters confirm available programs quickly and give them a direct link to their next steps for payroll giving enrollment, while reducing staff workload and increasing overall participation.
9. How does my nonprofit get payroll giving funds?
Funds are usually distributed through workplace giving platforms on a scheduled basis, and payments may be bundled with other workplace donations.
With payroll giving, nonprofits receive aggregate transfers rather than individual donor payments. These transfers include basic remittance details which vary by platform. We recommend monitoring recurring reports to improve tracking and support accurate donor stewardship.
10. What misconceptions do nonprofits have about payroll giving?
Misconceptions often prevent nonprofits from pursuing payroll giving, causing them to leave significant revenue on the table. Here are the two most common myths and the data that debunks them:
It is also common for nonprofits to overlook payroll giving as a pipeline for matching gifts. By using a fundraising tool like Double the Donation, you can help supporters discover both opportunities easily. A clear promotion and marketing plan will help your nonprofit overcome these misconceptions.
Payroll Giving At A Glance
Implementing a strategy to capture payroll giving can help you secure immediate funds and build a foundation of financial stability for your organization. By understanding the mechanics of payroll match programs and utilizing the right fundraising software, you can transform sporadic donors into long-term partners in your mission.
We encourage you to audit your current donation forms to see if you are adequately capturing employment data. Small adjustments to your donor journey can reveal significant opportunities for workplace giving growth.
To learn more about payroll giving and other forms of workplace giving, explore more resources from Double the Donation and implement best practices, streamline processes, and capture more payroll gifts today.
5 Tips for Turning New Donors into Lifelong Supporters
The golden rule of fundraising is that supporters who give a second time are far more likely to give long-term. Subsequently, many nonprofit fundraising strategies focus on encouraging new supporters to commit to future gifts.
While a certain percentage of new donors are only interested in making one-time gifts, nonprofits that employ the right strategies can turn many of them into recurring supporters. To help your nonprofit create lasting supporter relationships, this guide will explore five strategies for connecting with new donors.
1. Deliver prompt, personal acknowledgements.
After a supporter donates, send them a thank-you message within 48 hours. Many nonprofits leverage automated thank-you messages to ensure donors are recognized promptly, but generic emails only go so far in making donors feel appreciated.
Start your relationship with new donors off on the right foot by sending them gift acknowledgment messages that:
All donors should receive a thank-you message, but you may go the extra mile for major giving prospects. For these supporters, you might send a handwritten note, a gift like a bouquet of flowers, or even give them a call to start building a personal connection.
2. Create a welcome series.
New donors have made an investment in your organization, and want to continue supporting you in other ways. Create a welcome series to steward these donors and guide them on how to get further involved in your nonprofit’s cause.
A welcome series usually refers to a series of emails delivered over the course of a few weeks. However, some nonprofits experiment with other types of welcome materials, such as short videos or digital tours. Others will even mail welcome packages to promising major giving prospects that include gifts like branded merchandise.
3. Maintain consistent communication.
The donation lifecycle relies on maintaining regular contact with supporters. After new supporters make their first gift, your messages should help move them through the donor journey until they are ready to contribute again.
Build relationships with your new donors by communicating with them consistently. Start by:
Your other marketing efforts aimed at acquiring new donors will also help you maintain your current supporters. New and existing donors will see your social media posts, paid ads, and other external content, building brand awareness and reminding them to check in on your nonprofit.
4. Demonstrate donors’ impact.
If donors feel like their contributions are not making a difference, they may stop giving. Prevent this by ensuring donors understand how their gifts are being used and the impact they have on your cause.
Facts and statistics provide the hard numbers donors need to quantifiably know their gifts matter. However, stories, testimonials, and anecdotes are often more useful at helping donors visualize their impact. These emotional appeals can also encourage donors to take a personal investment in your cause, increasing the chances they will support you long-term.
Interview your staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, and other program participants to gather stories you can share with your donors. When possible, take pictures and videos to add a visual element. Pairing images of your nonprofit in action with emotional stories lets donors see exactly what kind of work your organization does and envision how their specific gifts might contribute.
5. Offer multiple engagement opportunities.
Lifelong supporters need engagement opportunities outside of donating. While these supporters will still donate, if monetary transactions are their only interactions with your nonprofit, they will likely feel less invested in your organization.
Here are a few engagement opportunities you might offer:
Ensure that getting involved with your nonprofit outside of donating is easy. Your website should provide information about various opportunities and instructions on how to participate, and your communications should regularly promote these programs.
Lifelong supporters are essential for providing sustainable revenue, and the key to turning first-time donors into these valued supporters is consistent communication, personal connection, and an engaging donor experience. Start improving your new donor retention and lifetime value by creating a prompt, consistent supporter communication strategy.
Post-Event Engagement Plans: How to Keep the Momentum Going
Did you know that hybrid events can increase revenue by up to 15% for organizers? Or that 81% of U.S. donors attend nonprofit fundraising events each year?
That’s a massive opportunity for nonprofits to boost revenue and engagement, but only if you know what to do after the attendees go home and the tables are cleared.
Considering all the planning that goes into your fundraiser, from choosing a venue to securing sponsorships, it’s easy to look at the end of the event as a finish line. However, it’s actually a starting line for long-term relationships, and your post-event strategy is what truly converts a one-time attendee into a long-term donor.
There’s a three-stage framework you can follow to keep your momentum strong: Connect, Share, and Invite. Let’s break it down.
Connect With Attendees Through Personalized Gratitude
The clock starts the moment your event ends. The most effective follow-up happens within 24 to 48 hours, and it starts with a heartfelt “thank you.”
Send a short, personalized email or letter that addresses recipients by name and acknowledges their specific role, whether they attended, volunteered, donated, or sponsored. Sincere appreciation sets the tone for ongoing engagement.
According to CharityEngine, event software can streamline this follow-up through features, such as:
Add a short highlight reel or photo gallery to your message to enhance its visual appeal. Let your attendees relive the magic and reinforce the positive emotions tied to your mission.
Share Your Mission and Impact Story
After your thank-yous are sent, shift the focus from the event to your impact. You’re now moving from gratitude to storytelling and stewardship.
Your post-event communications should include:
Finally, send a short, focused post-event survey (no more than 10 questions). Ask what resonated most, what could be improved, and whether they’d like to be more involved. This shows you value their opinion, and it gives you data to make your next event even stronger.
Invite Donors to Deeper Involvement
Now that your audience feels connected and informed, it’s time to invite them further into your mission. Resist the urge to jump straight to another donation request! Many have likely already contributed through tickets or gifts.
Instead, offer low-friction engagement opportunities that build loyalty:
Each follow-up should include a clear call to action (CTA)—join a volunteer team, subscribe to your monthly giving program, or register for the next event. Keep it simple, specific, and easy to act on.
The event itself may end in one night, but the momentum you build afterward determines your long-term success. Post-event engagement is the real engine of ROI; it’s the disciplined, personalized, and strategic follow-up that transforms fleeting excitement into lasting loyalty.
So, the next time you’re wrapping up a big fundraiser, remember: this isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a deeper connection between your supporters and your mission.
3 Data Utilization Tips for Healthcare Association Members
Data is an invaluable asset for decision-making in any sector. Considering that the healthcare industry produces approximately 30% of the world’s data, health professionals are well-equipped to make informed, reliable decisions.
Here’s the kicker: The value you derive from your data depends on the way you collect, manage, and analyze it. If you’re a healthcare association leader, it isn’t enough to simply advise members to use their data—you need to explain how they should use it.
In this guide, we’ll cover a few practical ways your healthcare association can train its members to use data wisely and glean meaningful insights from it. More than teaching members how to put their data to work, these tips will help you steward relationships with members who value relevant, actionable insights.
Aggregate and Organize Data
Imagine you’re writing a review of a movie, but you only watched one scene. Or, let’s say you stopped reading a book after finishing the first chapter. Would you feel prepared to summarize the plot to a friend?
Just as you can’t fully analyze a movie or a book without having all of the necessary information, health data won’t provide useful insights without comprehensive and accurate data points.
According to Arcadia, healthcare data aggregation is the process of consolidating different data into one place. By enabling health professionals to review data in its full context, this practice helps to identify widespread patterns and trends, plan next actions accordingly, and even forecast future events to allow for early interventions.
Here are a few ways to educate association members on aggregating health data effectively:
Lean on your learning management system (LMS) to integrate these tips into your broader teaching materials. Since data aggregation is a fairly high-level topic to cover with members, it’ll be useful to share relevant tips in numerous formats and provide plenty of recurring opportunities to learn about it.
Monitor Emerging Analytics Trends and Tech
Healthcare technology innovations are constantly evolving as software adapts to the growing amount of health data generated each year. Members depend on your association to share new developments that can impact their workflows, such as:
To demonstrate your association’s commitment to providing the most up-to-date insights into healthcare trends, consider hosting a recurring workshop or ongoing webinar series that presents new insights each week. This can also serve as a sustainable fundraising tool for your association, since constant updates can incentivize membership renewals in addition to providing non-dues revenue if you charge fees for these sessions.
Differentiate Between Operational and Performance Insights
The tips you share with association members depend on their unique roles, data needs, and the types of data you’re discussing. Keep in mind that some data (like clinical notes and socioeconomic data) influence the way members serve their patient populations. Other data, such as hospital readmission rates or cost savings, are more directly tied to internal operations.
Let’s look at the difference between insights from operational data and performance data.
Operational Data Insights
Operational data provides insights that inform decision-making in members’ respective fields. This could include information like:
Train members to make the most of operational data by sharing systems for analyzing this information and drawing important insights. Depending on members’ data literacy levels, they may also benefit from high-level training, such as an introduction to third-party data or methodologies for extracting insights.
Performance Data Insights
Performance data helps organizations evaluate their effectiveness over time, offering visibility into areas for improvement. Think about this data the same way you’d assess the most popular items in your online store or which fundraiser raised the most money. Members will similarly measure their performance in the healthcare industry—they’ll just use different metrics, such as:
Analytics tools are also important for supporting members’ performance improvement efforts, but make sure that any tools you recommend can tap into market intelligence and benchmark data. This technology will help members compare their performance against other organizations in the industry and identify opportunities to do better.
Note that there may be some overlap between operational and performance-related metrics. For example, a patient’s readmission rate could indicate the potential need for a different treatment plan, but it could also contribute to insights into the quality of care delivered.
Data is a powerful asset in the healthcare industry, and your association’s members are likely looking for new ways to interact with it. Whether they’re starting from scratch and need an introductory overview of data analytics or want a community where they can constantly stay up-to-date on the latest data innovations, your association can deliver what they’re looking for and ensure they see their membership as valuable.
4 Elements of an Effective Elementary School Fundraiser
From field trips to libraries to sports equipment, fundraisers support a wide variety of programs that make your school a place where students can learn and thrive. However, experienced school fundraisers know that launching a successful fundraising campaign is easier said than done, and that just a few core elements can make all the difference.
To help your elementary school’s next fundraiser go off without a hitch, this guide will break down four essential components of a successful school fundraiser and how to implement them.
1. Clear Goals
When it comes to fundraising goals, you may think the answer is obvious: your school wants to raise money for its programs, of course. However, goals like this often lack clarity about what success looks like, which makes executing an organized fundraiser and gathering useful data from it a challenge.
OneCause’s guide to fundraising event planning suggests setting SMART goals, which are:
Once you have a clear goal, break it into a series of smaller, individual aims. These should be specific tasks, like “assemble a fundraising team” or “research fundraising software.” These help you stay on track and can make a large, challenging goal seem feasible.
2. Fundraising Ideas That Excite Students
If your fundraising idea aligns with students’ interests, you’ll have a far easier time attracting participants and volunteers. For instance, one popular fundraiser for elementary school students is hosting a Read-A-Thon.
Read-A-Thon’s guide to these fundraisers explains how they work and can inspire a love of reading in students. The guide also recommends the following tips to make your fundraiser a success:
Essentially, a Read-A-Thon succeeds as a fundraiser due to its accessibility, connection to activities students and families already support, and potential for prizes to increase motivation. When choosing a fundraising idea for your elementary school, consider your students and community’s interests.
3. Easy Participation
Elementary school fundraisers rely heavily on support from your community and school staff. However, teachers and families of young children lead busy lives, and it can be difficult to squeeze in more than a handful of hours a week to help your fundraiser.
Meet your community where they’re at by making your fundraiser as easy to participate in as possible. For example, to make planning your fundraiser easier on your volunteers, you might leverage pre-made templates and software with out-of-the-box functionality. While platforms with extensive customization can be useful, prioritizing solutions that promise speed and ease of use is just as valid.
Additionally, the more flexible your fundraiser is with how individuals participate, the more participants you’ll attract. For instance, you could host a hybrid fundraiser that allows individuals to join in at any time of day from the comfort of their homes. Or, to accommodate parents and guardians who work during the day, you might host events exclusively at night or on weekends.
4. Community Support
When your community comes together to support your fundraiser, your chances of success skyrocket. Attract and retain community support by:
Chances are, your school will develop a small group of dedicated supporters who run most fundraisers and a larger community of donors and volunteers who drop in and out based on their interest and availability. Ensure you go the extra mile to appreciate the individuals putting in the extra effort to make your fundraisers happen, while also continually marketing your fundraisers to the wider community to retain their support.
When it comes to putting together an effective elementary school fundraiser, nailing down the essentials should be your first priority. Set a goal you know your school can achieve, make participation as fun and easy as possible, and start reaching out to your community to make your next fundraiser a team effort.
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