“Tips for Hosting a Successful Event for Small Businesses”

4 Tips for Hosting a Successful Event for Small Businesses

Picture this: Your small business has been operating online only, but now you’re ready to open a physical storefront. To generate excitement and attract new customers, you host a grand opening event with drinks, snacks, and a 10% discount on every purchase. At the end of the day, you’ve had your most successful day of sales yet and positive feedback from community members who are excited to come back.

Whether you want to boost sales or improve employee retention, events present a valuable opportunity for small businesses that want a concentrated burst to their results. After all, nothing beats the energy and excitement of an event when it comes to fulfilling your goals!

In this guide, we’ll explore four tips for ensuring your small business’s events succeed and bring you great results. Let’s begin!

1. Identify goals for the event.

Many small businesses see events as large investments and are determined to get a great return. However, this can lead them to try to do too much with a single event, resulting in lackluster outcomes.

Don’t expect your event to be a jack of all trades—instead, identify one or two goals it should meet. These might fall into the following categories:

  • Generate leads and sales
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Strengthen customer relationships and loyalty
  • Give back to the community
  • Network with other local organizations
  • Recruit new employees
  • Boost employee satisfaction

For example, let’s say your small business is a gym. You might host an event that helps you increase gym memberships and give back to the community. Your event may also offer tangential benefits, such as increased brand awareness and more connections with local nonprofits, but keep in mind that these are not the main focuses of your event.

Keep your event focused by setting a SMART goal—specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. With SMART goals, you’ll always know how far away you are from your desired outcome, allowing you to know when to pivot or adjust your strategies.

2. Choose the right type of event.

If you want to celebrate your ten-year-old’s birthday, would you host a bowling party for them and their friends or take them on a brewery tour? Certain types of events are better suited for specific goals than others. Let’s take a look at the main types of events you may want to host to meet your small business’s goals:

  • Sales events. If you want to generate more sales or leads, choose an event like a business grand opening, product launch party, flash sale, exclusive shopping event, or pop-up store event.
  • Educational events. To increase brand awareness and authority or network with other local organizations, consider hosting workshops, webinars, expert panel discussions, and other educational events.
  • Community events. If you want to help build the community, you can host one of two genres of events. The first consists of entertaining and social events, such as community potlucks and bar mixers. The second is social good events, such as volunteer days or social good fundraising events, where you raise funds for a charitable cause.
  • Employee events. To boost employee retention and satisfaction, host employee events like team retreats and team bonding dinners. For employee appreciation, eCardWidget recommends hosting movie nights, group outings, and holiday parties.
  • Recruiting and networking events. If you want to recruit new employees or connect with other organizations, host local business networking mixers and recruitment fairs to get the partnerships and applicants you desire.

Feel free to get creative and customize these events to your business’s unique needs and industry. For example, if you’re a massage therapist trying to help the community, you might take a vendor booth at the annual community fair and offer free five-minute massages to attendees. On the other hand, if you run a sports goods store, you might host a 5K run instead and donate the proceeds to the local youth center.

3. Add extra value to boost event engagement.

You’re probably already familiar with the event planning process, from establishing a budget to choosing an event venue to purchasing decorations and hiring vendors. Those tasks are essential parts of creating a successful event. However, to take your event to the next level, look beyond them and consider how you can add extra value.

“Extra value” might seem vague, but it refers to any additional perk, benefit, experience, or activity you can offer event attendees. With this added value, not only will invitees be more likely to attend your event, but they’ll also be more engaged during it.

For instance, let’s say you’re organizing a team dinner for your employees where you’ll announce the winner of your Employee of the Month program. Instead of just making the reservation, you might pay for transportation from your office to the event and cover the price of everyone’s drinks. Additionally, you can have a small trophy or plaque made for the winner. These value-adds will ensure team members show up to celebrate your top-performing employees, resulting in greater workplace satisfaction.

Or, perhaps you run a gym and are hosting a marathon. Through this marathon, you’ll raise money on behalf of a local sustainability nonprofit and invest in the well-being of your community. For an extra value-add, you might take Sneakers4Good’s advice and partner with an athletic shoe reuse provider to collect gently worn, new and used sneakers that you’ll trade for more funds to donate. Additionally, offer runners free swag like t-shirts and water bottles to entice more community members to sign up.

4. Measure your event’s results.

Every event you host is a learning opportunity, as long as you take the time to evaluate your results and determine what you can do to improve in the future. After your event, start by looking at key metrics in your event management software:

  • Total registrations
  • Number of actual attendees
  • Number of new attendees
  • Number of returning attendees
  • Total revenue generated during the event
  • Attendee satisfaction levels
  • Engagement rates for specific activities or experiences

Additionally, evaluate metrics even after your event is over. For example, your grand opening may motivate individuals to make purchases even after the event. Or, you might experience elevated hiring metrics for a few weeks after hosting a recruitment event. These give you the big picture of your event’s impact.

Hosting any event is challenging. With these tips, you’re poised to host successful small business events that help you meet your goals, whatever they are!

4 Unique Challenges for Niche Businesses + Our Solutions

Small businesses like yours fuel the American economy, representing 43.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). But it’s no secret that it’s increasingly difficult for small businesses to thrive when competing against big box store prices and the convenience of online retailers.

These problems are only amplified for small businesses that cater to niche markets. In addition to chasing the latest industry trends and managing standard business operations, you also have to contend with challenges like striking the right balance between meeting niche needs and appealing to a wide enough audience.

To help you navigate this landscape, we’ve compiled a list of the most common challenges businesses like yours face, along with our recommended next steps for each. By following these tips, you’ll put your business on the road to sustainable growth and revenue generation. Let’s begin!

1. A limited customer base.

Because your business targets a smaller, niche market rather than aiming for mass market appeal, your customer base will naturally be more limited. However, this can make it more challenging to grow in the future. Extremely small markets are also more at risk of becoming oversaturated—in other words, the supply of your product or service exceeds its demand.

Our Recommendations

  • Enter the digital landscape. If you don’t have an online shop, you’re missing out on lots of potential new sales and connections. After all, online stores make it possible for customers who live far away from your physical location to purchase your products. If this sounds overwhelming, start by listing a few of your best-selling items and promoting limited drops on digital communication platforms.
  • Study and emulate competitors. Identify and study businesses operating in the same or similar niche that are on a path to growth—what are they doing differently from you? For instance, perhaps they participate in monthly town markets to connect with local customers face-to-face. Gingr’s guide to niche marketing recommends emulating and improving on their strengths and current offerings, making note of any gaps your business could fill.
  • Offer a referral program. Reach new audiences via your current customers (and reward them in the process!) through referrals. These programs are typically set up so that if a customer refers a certain number of new customers to your business, they receive a perk like a discount or free item. For example, you might ask customers to refer five friends to receive a 50% discount on their next purchase.

2. Balancing specialized offerings with broad appeal.

Highly specialized products fill hyperspecific needs or desires, making targeted buyers feel seen. On the other hand, these niche offerings can limit your market or even alienate adjacent audiences. 

For example, a running shop’s inventory might consist of pricey running shoes, belts or vests, and Garmin watches intended for marathon runners. While this selection satisfies the needs of experienced distance runners, it may intimidate beginner runners.

Our Recommendations

  • Cater to various audience segments. For every niche interest, there are beginners or casual enjoyers and hard-core, seasoned enthusiasts. Communicate that your business is open to any and all interest and experience levels. You might hold workshops for beginners or create starter kits for those who are just dipping their toe into your niche, securing a foothold in the mass market.
  • Expand your offerings. While staying true to your brand, consider ways you could expand or diversify your offerings to slightly broaden your niche. Returning to the running store example, you might curate a line of products specifically for beginners with more basic, affordable options.
  • Consider adjacent audiences. Let’s say you run a pet boutique, and your primary audience includes fashionable pet owners who want to provide their pets with luxury items and gourmet food. An adjacent audience might be pet parents who prioritize pets’ health and wellness through organic food, supplements, and other natural products. To learn how to effectively target multiple audiences, Deep Sync recommends leveraging third-party data collected by external sources.

3. Difficulty maintaining year-round traffic.

Many small businesses experience peaks and troughs in sales rather than steady, year-round traffic. For example, fireworks stores see a massive demand for their products leading up to Independence Day, followed by a steep drop in sales. This can make it difficult to retain a full team of employees, manage your cash flow, and make financial decisions and predictions. 

Our Recommendations

  • Adjust your marketing efforts. To maximize your marketing investment, you could pause or limit communication during slow months. Or, you might target a different audience or need if there is some demand for your product but a lack of awareness. For example, knitters in your community might not realize your yarn shop carries fibers like bamboo that would allow them to create summer-appropriate garments—promote offerings like this to encourage year-round sales.
  • Offer promotions during off-peak months. Get back on your customers’ radar and incentivize them to engage with your business even during slow periods with an appealing deal. Returning to our yarn shop example, perhaps you could have a “spring cleaning” sale and heavily discount wool materials from the winter.
  • Consider adopting a few evergreen products or services. Are there any related products or services you could provide that your customers need year-round? Consider a dog boarding business that receives peak traffic during summer when most families vacation. In this case, the business might begin offering grooming services that pet owners will need all year.

4. Competing against corporations and online retailers.

Large online retailers like Amazon have billions of dollars, a wide reach, a huge variety of products, and the resources to provide fast, convenient shipping. Niche businesses often struggle to keep up with these giant corporations’ low prices and adapt to rapidly changing trend cycles. As a result, consumers may opt for cheaper products sold by online retailers over a similar product offered by a small business.

Our Recommendations

  • Focus on personalization. Offer personalized bundles, recommendations, or services that the big stores can’t replicate. You might provide one-on-one lessons related to your niche or offer personal shoppers at your boutique for those trying to find their style. Prioritize customer experiences with gestures like handwritten cards inside each package you send out or freebies like stickers that match your branding.
  • Create loyalty programs. Reward the customers who stick with you and incentivize new ones to come back. Set up a digital points system and provide rewards or benefits for reaching set milestones. Or, create tiers with unique perks that get better the more customers engage with your business (e.g., gold tier earns a 10% discount while platinum secures a 30% discount).
  • Connect with your community. Rather than being a faceless entity, forge true connections in your community. Participate in local events, encourage customers to hang out in your shop, and make each interaction meaningful. Don’t neglect your online spaces, either—interact with the online community associated with your niche, whether that’s home bakers, yoga enthusiasts, or coffee snobs.

Competing against the world’s largest corporations can feel like an impossible task. However, your small business has things they don’t, and it’s up to you to uncover and highlight those unique offerings. 

Whether it’s top-of-the-line customer service, unparalleled expertise, or the sense of community you’ve built around your niche business, finding what makes you stand out is the first step. From there, infuse this differentiating factor into your communications, products, and customer experiences to build loyalty and set your business apart.

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Finding Your Nonprofit Niche: A Guide to Standing Out

Niche marketing strategies allow organizations to target very specific audiences. These audiences typically have unique needs and preferences. However, the benefit is that you’ll connect with individuals who are more likely to convert—for businesses, that might mean making a purchase. For nonprofits, that might mean donating or supporting in another way.

For nonprofits, niche marketing and fundraising means identifying and targeting individuals with a particularly strong affinity for your cause. Pinpointing these audiences will help you secure a loyal base of supporters ready to donate to your fundraisers, volunteer, and offer their help where it’s needed most. But to reach them, your nonprofit will need to understand and market its niche.

We’ll help you do that in this guide—here, you’ll learn how to define your unique place in the nonprofit sector and appeal to supporters.

1. Define your unique value proposition.

A unique value proposition (UVP) is a single, clear statement that explains the specific benefit or value donors will gain from supporting your nonprofit. In other words, why should they give to your nonprofit and not another?

To establish your nonprofit’s UVP, start by: 

  • Reviewing your mission statement and impact. Like the rest of your nonprofit’s messaging, your UVP must be grounded in your mission. Brainstorm some of the tangible ways your nonprofit makes your cause come to life. It can be helpful to study past impact reports during this step.
  • Analyzing data. Get a precise understanding of who you help, how you do your work, and who your supporters are. If you follow GivingDNA’s recommendation to segment donors based on shared characteristics like giving behavior or demographics, study the top-performing segments to identify common characteristics. Then, shape your UVP around their affinities and preferences.
  • Studying peer organizations. Examine peer organizations to determine what’s working well for them, what motivates donors to give to them, and which traits or benefits they highlight. How can your nonprofit address similar needs or take inspiration from your peers’ approaches while carving out your own niche?
  • Define your unique offerings or benefits. There are two sides to consider: the unique programs you offer to beneficiaries and the unique benefits for donors. Ideally, your target audience will value both. For example, perhaps your homeless shelter is open around the clock and offers more extensive services and resources than similar organizations in your area. Additionally, you provide donors with engaging welcome packages, invitations to exclusive events, and behind-the-scenes tours.

Once you’ve drafted a few preliminary UVPs, test them on trusted board members, supporters, and other stakeholders. Gather feedback on how well the message resonates with them and whether it accurately represents your organization. Refine the message as needed before using it for broader campaigns.

2. Establish your brand identity.

Kwala’s guide to nonprofit branding defines the term as a form of visual storytelling that communicates your mission and values with a distinguishable flair. New supporters will form a first impression based on your branding, and existing supporters will use it to visually identify your nonprofit. Done right, your brand can quickly communicate its niche to your audience. 

For example, environmental causes often use shades of green or tree icons to communicate what they do. A cat rescue, on the other hand, might use cat ears, a paw print, or a ball of yarn to achieve the same goal. When building or refreshing your branding from a more niche perspective, focus on these core components:

  • Brand personality: This is how your nonprofit expresses its essence through tone, voice, beliefs, and more—think of ascribing human characteristics to your brand. If your nonprofit were a person, would it be serious, honest, wholesome, cheerful, etc.?
  • Brand design and visual elements: This refers to the visual elements of your branding, like your logo, brand colors, and typography. These elements should align with your brand personality. A playful, unique typeface like Pacifico might be a decent option for lighthearted causes while serious or heavy causes should use a more refined one like Garamond.

When you’re satisfied with your branding, ensure it remains consistent across every aspect of your nonprofit’s website, messages, and campaigns. Not only does this make your nonprofit appear professional and credible, but it will help supporters remember and identify your organization.

3. Appeal to the niche in your marketing campaigns.

This may seem obvious, but it’s all too easy to keep marketing messages broad and palatable. Avoid the trap of being so general that your messaging becomes forgettable.

Try out these methods to embrace your niche:

  • Address niche-specific trends. Stay up-to-date on trending topics, controversies, challenges, and regulations relevant to your niche. For example, an organization battling climate change might appeal to its audience of avid hikers by acknowledging ongoing local forest fires and unsafe temperatures that prevent them from getting out on the trail.
  • Secure endorsements from well-known figures. Employ celebrities, influencers, and other public figures to endorse your nonprofit’s work and message. Choose a figure your audience trusts or admires to build social proof and enhance your credibility.
  • Use slang, jargon, or other language related to the niche. Show that you are engaged in the niche and speak the same language as your audience. Work in terminology that those in your niche will pick up on and resonate with. Just make sure to work in this language organically to avoid coming across as disingenuous. 
  • Share real impact stories. With permission from the beneficiary, consider sharing real stories about your work. This cements that your nonprofit has earned a place within the niche you’re marketing to. It’s also a great way to show how you turn abstract concepts from your mission and values into tangible action.

You can also apply this principle to your fundraisers. Rather than opting for classic fundraising ideas, look for a way to weave in elements of your work. If your organization is focused on improving childhood literacy, for example, host a read-a-thon fundraiser that invites supporters to read favorite books from their childhoods.

4. Test and adjust your strategies.

At this point in the process, all that’s left is to launch your new marketing strategies and see how your audience responds. Test your niche marketing messages both on and offline. Remember to segment your audience to direct these more niche, targeted messages to the right individuals.

Monitor metrics like:

With this information, you can gauge how successful your efforts are. Study any gaps in your strategy and make adjustments to improve how effective your niche marketing efforts are. Remember to stay abreast of changes within the niche to cultivate an image as a knowledgeable, respected thought leader.

Using niche marketing strategies can help your nonprofit find and target its next group of top donors. It’s all about discovering and defining what makes your work special and worthy of support. After all, you know how much your work means and how much it can help your beneficiaries. Niche marketing just requires that you communicate that magic with those who will be excited to support an organization like yours.

The title of the post next to a graphic of a man standing on a stack of coins holding a lightbulb.

Funding Your Mission: 4 Nonprofit Financial Management Tips

When you think about your nonprofit’s funding, the first thing that comes to mind is probably fundraising. Your team likely plans and launches multiple fundraisers throughout each year to bring in enough revenue to fund the various initiatives associated with furthering your mission.

However, proper financial management is just as important as fundraising for making a difference in the community. As funding comes in, you have to carefully plan how you’re going to spend it in order to make the most of it. Then, you need to report on your fundraising and spending to demonstrate that you’re using your donors’ money wisely and complying with government regulations for nonprofits.

In this guide, we’ll share four proven tips to help your organization manage its finances more effectively. Let’s get started!

1. Create an Annual Operating Budget

Jitasa’s nonprofit budgeting guide defines a budget as “a planning document used to predict expenses and allocate resources for your organization.” While there are several types of nonprofit budgets you might create (such as budgets for specific programs or long-term fundraising campaigns), your annual operating budget serves as the master financial plan for your entire organization, making it a critical component of your strategy.

Let’s break down the two sides of an operating budget—revenue and expenses—in more detail.

Revenue

The revenue side of your nonprofit’s operating budget details all of the funds your organization expects to bring in throughout the year. To keep your budget organized and make more accurate projections, we recommend categorizing your revenue by source.

Here is a breakdown of the major nonprofit revenue sources and a few subcategories you might include under each one:

  • Individual donations: Small, mid-sized, and major gifts; event revenue; in-kind donations
  • Corporate philanthropy: Matching gifts, volunteer grants, sponsorships
  • Earned income: Membership dues, branded merchandise sales, fees for services
  • Investments: Endowments, brokerage account interest, stock returns
  • Grants: Government grants, public and private foundation grants, Google Ad Grants

Having a combination of these revenue streams in your budget can help your organization achieve financial sustainability, as you’ll still have plenty of funding you can rely on if one source falls through. And if everything goes according to plan, you may have additional funds that you can reserve for the future or use to expand your organization.

Expenses

In general, nonprofits find it most useful to organize the expense side of their budget based on how their spending furthers their mission. These functional expense categories, as they’re known, are also consistent with nonprofit tax returns and other required reports.

The three types of functional expenses are:

  • Program costs, which are directly related to furthering your mission, meaning they’re different for every organization. For example, an animal shelter would include spending on pet food, toys, and medical supplies under their program costs.
  • Administrative costs, which are necessary for your nonprofit to operate and include expenses like staff salaries, utility bills, and purchases of office supplies.
  • Fundraising costs, which are the upfront costs associated with fundraising campaigns and include event planning, marketing, and fundraising software investments.

You may have heard of the 65/35 “rule” of nonprofit budgeting, which states that nonprofits should spend at least 65% of their funds on their programs and no more than 35% on administrative and fundraising costs combined. In reality, this breakdown looks different for every organization. Treat this rule as a guideline to help you allocate more funding toward your mission and cut administrative and fundraising costs where possible.

2. Implement Fiscal Policies

Fiscal policies give your team guidance on how to properly handle your nonprofit’s funds day-to-day as they act on the predictions in your budget. Make sure to implement the following regulations at your nonprofit:

  • Gift acceptance policy. This details the types of donations (both financial and in-kind) that your nonprofit can and can’t accept, as well as the circumstances under which you’ll accept each contribution.
  • Expense reimbursement policy. If your employees or volunteers spend their own money on behalf of your organization, this policy outlines whether they can be reimbursed and the procedure for providing reimbursements.
  • Investment policy. This provides guidelines for investing, withdrawing, and spending your nonprofit’s reserve funds so you can effectively save for the long term.
  • Staff compensation policy. This ensures all of your employees receive fair salaries and benefits while preventing overcompensation for leadership (which has damaged some nonprofits’ reputations).

Compile all of these policies in a shared organizational handbook so that your team members can easily reference them as they go about their daily tasks.

3. Compile Financial Statements

Think of your nonprofit’s financial documentation as guiding your organization’s activities before, during, and after funds change hands. Your budget applies before, your fiscal policy handbook during, and your financial statements after, since their purpose is to summarize financial data for easier analysis.

Here is an overview of the four core nonprofit financial statements and what each one reports:

  • Statement of activities: Revenue raised, expenses incurred, and change in net assets
  • Statement of financial position: Assets, liabilities, and net assets
  • Statement of cash flows: Cash movement in and out of your organization through operating, investing, and financing activities
  • Statement of functional expenses: Detailed breakdown of program, administrative, and fundraising costs incurred

These four documents are extremely useful for reporting your organization’s financial history and health on its annual tax return. Plus, DonorSearch recommends attaching your financial statements as appendices to your nonprofit’s annual report so supporters and stakeholders can learn more about how your organization has used its funds in the past year.

4. Hire a Bookkeeper and Accountant

Since bookkeepers and accountants both work with financial data, it’s common for nonprofits to confuse the two roles and only hire one or the other. However, bookkeepers and accountants have different functions within an organization, so you need both to effectively manage your finances.

Bookkeepers take care of your nonprofit’s day-to-day financial needs. Their duties include basic data entry, writing checks, making bank deposits, and running payroll. While bookkeepers need some basic training to do their jobs well, they don’t need specialized education or certifications.

Accountants, on the other hand, need at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field and a CPA certification to be qualified for their role. This is because accountants focus on financial data analysis and reporting tasks, such as reviewing your nonprofit’s budget and fiscal policies and filing tax forms. Having a bookkeeper to keep accurate records allows your accountant to focus on the analytical responsibilities they specialize in.

Pro tip: If your organization doesn’t have enough work to warrant hiring a full-time bookkeeper and accountant or the budget to do so, you can invest in outsourced nonprofit bookkeeping and accounting services to gain access to the financial expertise you need at a lower cost!

Every nonprofit has different financial goals, so keep that in mind as you consider how to apply the tips above at your organization. Also, remember to regularly revisit your budget, fiscal policies, and financial statements so that, with your bookkeeper’s and accountant’s help, you can stay on top of your nonprofit’s needs and create the best possible management strategy.

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3 Strategies to Streamline In-Kind Donations for Supporters

Without fundraising, nonprofits would be hard-pressed to fulfill their missions. But monetary gifts aren’t the only contributions beneficial to your nonprofit. Other donations, such as in-kind gifts, are just as useful. Accepting in-kind donations allows your nonprofit to increase support by capturing the generosity of supporters who might not be able to donate monetary funds.

To help you maximize in-kind donations for your nonprofit, this guide will cover the top strategies for streamlining your in-kind gift process. That way, you can confidently solicit and accept a variety of donations from loyal supporters.

What are in-kind donations?

According to Jitasa, in-kind donations are contributions of products or services that companies and businesses give to a nonprofit instead of a cash contribution. This includes:

  • Goods. These are typically physical materials or assets that nonprofits can use to enhance some aspect of their work. It’s a great way for donors to support your organization while staying sustainable by recycling their items. For example, if you plan to host an auction, you might solicit in-kind donations of auction items from supporters.
  • Services. This type of in-kind donation is a contribution of time and expertise to perform a service that your nonprofit would otherwise have to pay for. Donations of services are particularly useful if your nonprofit is still small and doesn’t have the extra budget to hire external professionals. For example, an individual working at a marketing agency might donate their services to design marketing materials for your upcoming fundraising event.

Volunteer time is another common yet often overlooked type of in-kind gift. As volunteer time is estimated to be worth about $32 per hour, it is an incredibly valuable type of donation for your nonprofit.

Much like with any other type of donation, it’s important to recognize donors for their generosity after an in-kind gift. Establish appreciation strategies to specifically recognize donors for their in-kind gifts.

Now that you know what in-kind donations are, let’s dive into the top strategies for streamlining the in-kind donation process for supporters.

1. Establish clear guidelines for in-kind donations.

Have you ever tried making a payment for an item or service and had trouble getting your payment to work? Your first reaction was probably frustration. You may have even decided that you didn’t need that item.

It’s a similar feeling for donors—regardless of their gift type, you need to make the process easy to ensure that they go through with their gift. In-kind donations are no exception. However, their donation process will be slightly more complicated, as donors will need to go beyond inputting their payment information.

To ensure that donors go through with their in-kind gifts, establish clear guidelines. These should include:

  • Type of goods and services. Be upfront about the type of in-kind donations you’ll accept. This may change depending on where you are in your fundraising cycle or your current organizational needs. For example, if you’re hoping to plan several events in the next year, you might request the services of a fundraising consultant.
  • Condition requirements. For goods, specifically, include any requirements you have for item condition. For instance, if you’re looking for auction items, you’ll probably be looking for new or gently-used goods. If you’re looking for lighting equipment, you may be satisfied with functional items that show some wear and tear.
  • Excluded in-kind gifts. If there are any common types of in-kind gifts that you specifically won’t accept, include them in your guidelines. Let’s say that you’re looking for marketing help. You may request specific services to meet your exact marketing needs, such as branding expertise or video content creation.
  • Donation process. For goods, establish a drop-off point where donors can leave their gifts. Or, if you have extra staff time, create a pick-up system. For services, provide guidelines as to the commitment that you’d like the donor to make, whether they need to work with you on-site or if remote is acceptable, and any other expectations you might have.

After you’ve established guidelines for in-kind donations, add them to a landing page on your nonprofit’s website. That way, supporters can easily reference this information if they’re considering making an in-kind gift.

2. Promote in-kind donations to supporters.

If you don’t inform supporters about in-kind gifts, they may not even consider making them. Properly market in-kind gifts by promoting them through multiple communication channels. That includes your:

  • Website
  • Emails
  • Social media posts

In your messages, focus on the benefits of in-kind donations for supporters. You might say that it’s a convenient way to recycle their items while contributing to a great cause. Or, you could say that donating services allows them to give back to the community without any financial commitment. Add a link to your in-kind donation guidelines so that viewers can easily get started with the process.

Additionally, don’t be afraid to seek out local businesses to help promote in-kind gifts or make contributions directly to your nonprofit. For instance, if you run a soup kitchen, you might ask local grocery stores to promote your request for in-kind donations of canned food. Or, you might ask the same store if they’d be willing to donate that food directly.

3. Host an in-kind donation event.

Much like regular fundraising events give supporters a structured way to make financial gifts, an event that focuses on in-kind donations streamlines the gift-giving process.

Two great ideas to consider include:

  • Recycling drive. With a recycling drive, you can make money with in-kind donations of recyclable materials such as metal, plastic, or textiles. Ask supporters to collect these items and donate them to you. Then, sell these items to a local recycling center and put the funds back into your mission. If you don’t have the employee time to spare, Donate This Recycle That recommends arranging for pickup with recycling centers instead.
  • Clothing drive. Clothing drives are flexible events that can serve many different purposes. For example, if your nonprofit’s beneficiaries are people experiencing homelessness or poverty, you may organize a clothing drive to obtain winter clothing for them. Or, you can host a clothing drive fundraiser by selling any donations back to a recycling organization.

There are a variety of other donations that can feature in-kind donations, including second-hand store events and auctions. Don’t be afraid to get creative with events, but be sure to make your donation process clear for each one.

In-kind donations allow you to leverage the generosity of supporters who might otherwise not be able to contribute to your nonprofit. With a streamlined and convenient process, you’ll be able to maximize the number of donations you receive, allowing you to push forward your mission. Be sure to properly recognize in-kind donors to encourage their continued support and secure their future financial generosity.

Tips to Cultivate School Spirit in Your Next Fundraiser

Picture this—your elementary school is bustling with students returning from the summer holiday and your school board is brainstorming how you can channel their school spirit and excitement into your next fundraiser.

By tapping into this collective energy early on as the new school year kicks off, you can establish a solid foundation that not only celebrates the return to school but also builds anticipation and support for upcoming events. 

To keep the momentum going even after your initial back to school event, consider using these tips to generate school spirit and maximize funds.

Choose a memorable theme

A memorable theme will set your fundraiser apart and encourage participation. Therefore, instead of being just another one-off fundraiser, your school can use your fundraiser as an opportunity to reconnect with your community while raising funds. 

For example, let’s say a school decides to use the theme “A Wildlife Adventure” to brand its fundraiser meant to support more hands-on learning initiatives such as field trips and outdoor education programs. With a clear brand, the school can then reap the following benefits:

  • An aligned fundraising purpose ensures that all fundraising activities and promotions directly reflect the theme’s focus on wildlife and exploration. This fosters a stronger sense of purpose, which deepens the engagement and investment of your supporters.
  • Distinct branded merchandise like custom animal plush toys, explorer kits for kids, or adventure-themed t-shirts helps you effectively raise funds while also promoting a sense of fun and excitement around your fundraiser.
  • Multiple branded fundraising activities such as an auction where participants bid on fun, family-friendly experiences like zip-lining or tickets to the zoo. Additionally, you may add in more branded fundraising opportunities such as a bike-a-thon or outdoor adventure day.

A cohesive theme for a school fundraiser can be a powerful tool in uniting students, parents, teachers, and the wider community towards a common goal, generating excitement and participation across the board. Invest time in brainstorming effective fundraising themes and think through all the details—from marketing materials to auction items to merchandise—before selecting one. 

Plan engaging activities

Engaging activities are crucial to the success of school fundraisers, as they significantly influence participation rates by making the event enjoyable and memorable for everyone involved. It’s best to actively involve your community from the planning stages through to the execution of the fundraiser, ensuring that activities are inclusive and appeal to a broad audience.

Here are some ideas for making sure your fundraising activities align with your community’s interests and fundraising goals: 

  • Provide options and survey your school community. Offer a variety of potential fundraising activities and use surveys to gather input from students, parents, teachers, and staff to identify what resonates most with them.
  • Consider timing when planning your events. Take into account the local community calendar, key holidays, and the school schedule to choose optimal times for your event that avoid conflicts and maximize attendance.
  • Offer multiple ways to give or get involved. Various donation formats such as text-to-give, recurring giving, or pledge fundraising could spice up your fundraising events while offering participants the choice to give in a way most convenient to them. 
  • Try different formats. Maybe you’re used to in-person fundraising events but are ready to give hybrid or online events a chance. You don’t have to choose just one. SchoolAuction.net’s guide to online auctions suggests running both an in-person and online auction to maximize funding. 

Research previous fundraising activities and explore what has been successful at nearby schools to gather proven ideas and avoid potential pitfalls. Analyzing these can provide valuable insights into what resonates with your community, helping to tailor future fundraisers for greater impact and success.

Encourage student involvement

Students are pivotal in boosting school spirit as the primary ambassadors of their school’s values and culture. By actively participating in and leading school events, students can encourage a positive culture.

Give them a role to play to bolster their involvement by suggesting they provide any of the following: 

  • Marketing assistance: Students can help create posters, social media posts, and branding ideas. Have them create a content calendar or vote on your fundraiser’s theme. You can provide extra credit to the students who assist in your marketing endeavors. 
  • Friendly grade-level competition: See which grade can raise the most funds and incentivize revenue with a prize like a school field trip or movie day.
  • Event day talent showcase: Highlight school talent by having student musicians or singers perform during your event. This not only provides a platform for students to shine and share their skills but also adds a personal and engaging touch to the event.
  • Planning and coordination efforts. Enlist high school student volunteers for event day set up and tear down. Remember to thank your students and parents throughout the volunteer process for lending a helping hand.  

Involving students in various capacities, such as marketing, organizing, and performing, not only empowers them but also enhances the overall atmosphere of school events.

Partner with sponsors

The right sponsor can take a school fundraiser from good to great. According to Getting Attention, sponsors can help you by providing financial, in-kind, and media support. In a school context, a valuable sponsor could also provide the following:

  • In-kind gifts like food or baked goods for a fancy fundraising gala from a local restaurant. You could even have them offer cooking classes or culinary experiences to further enhance your fundraiser’s appeal.
  • Financial assistance from larger corporate support in the form of matching gifts or through direct donations. This can often inspire other businesses to contribute, creating a ripple effect of support. 
  • Volunteer help from local community organizations. Perhaps a local print shop will offer to print off your fundraiser programs and other organizations could sell your event tickets at their business.
  • A fun and accessible venue from nearby businesses. Utilizing a venue that’s well-known in the community can enhance the event’s visibility and accessibility, encouraging greater participation and support from residents and businesses alike.

By contributing financially, in-kind, and through volunteer help, sponsors can greatly reduce your overhead costs, allowing a higher percentage of the funds raised to be directly allocated toward your school’s initiatives.

Celebrate your progress

Positive communication plays a vital role in the success of a school fundraiser as it directly influences the level of enthusiasm and participation across the school community. By regularly updating students, parents, and staff on the progress and impact of the fundraiser, you can maintain high engagement levels and foster a sense of shared school spirit.

Here are some ways to share your event’s progress:

  • Fundraising thermometer. This is a great visual tool to share the success of your fundraiser as it provides a clear representation of your achievement toward your goal in real-time.
  • Thank you letters. Handwritten notes or quick branded e-cards are reliable ways to show your appreciation and remind every contributor of your gratitude.
  • Final fundraising metrics. Sharing these metrics after your event is a powerful way to underscore the success and collective effort of the community, highlighting the tangible impact of everyone’s contributions.

The strategic use of positive communication methods, such as a fundraising thermometer, thank you letters, and the sharing of final fundraising metrics, is instrumental in amplifying the success of a school fundraiser. 

These approaches not only keep the community informed and engaged but also reinforce a culture of appreciation and recognition, essential for building lasting school spirit.

School fundraising is no small task—leverage the power of school spirit to bring in funds and maximize engagement. The above tactics can be tailored to any school, audience, or fundraising need, just be sure to gather school community input early and often before launching your fundraiser. You’ve got this!

Technology + CSR: How to Get The Most Out of Your Programs

This guide covers how technology can help nonprofits get the most out of CSR programs.

An increasing number of businesses now participate in corporate philanthropy. In fact, 94% of major US corporations plan to increase or maintain their corporate giving over the next few years. While this is great news for businesses, it’s crucial to think about how to empower your corporate partners to keep up their generosity

If you lead or own a running retail store, sports club, or company, corporate social responsibility can benefit your business. For instance, you can get paid for sneaker donations, which helps your community lower its carbon footprint. We all know that sustainability is a top priority for the global population. 

In this guide, we’ll cover the benefits of CSR for businesses and the types of technology you should keep your eye out for to create a more cohesive and streamlined corporate giving experience.

The Benefits of CSR for Businesses

As a manager or leader, you’re probably already familiar with the benefits of CSR. Let’s refresh your memory on the main advantages:

  • Increased visibility. Your company can improve brand visibility through corporate giving programs such as matching gifts and payroll deductions.
  • Greater outreach. By connecting with local businesses, your organization gains access to its employees, customers, and greater network, resulting in heightened awareness of your company and its CSR efforts.
  • Elevated volunteerism. Partnering with other businesses or even nonprofits for CSR purposes may result in more fun volunteer projects your organization can do, which is a win for your team.
  • Networking with businesses. Corporations with CSR practices are more receptive to appeals for more significant support, such as sponsorships. For example, a local gym might be more inclined to donate gently used gym equipment to a community center nonprofit if they’ve established a connection through CSR.

There are several key things businesses gain from their generosity. According to 360MatchPro, CSR offers these four main advantages for businesses:

  • Employee engagement. A positive workplace culture motivates employees to work harder and stay engaged. CSR-focused events and initiatives provide excellent opportunities for employers to engage their team members with generosity.
  • Relationship-building. Aside from engaging employees, CSR events also allow employees and leadership to bond outside the office. It leads to stronger interpersonal relationships between employees and management, contributing to a more positive workplace culture.
  • Team member retention. More engaged employees are usually more satisfied with their work, making them less likely to seek employment elsewhere. CSR makes employees feel valued by their companies, as they’re able to give to the nonprofits they care about.
  • New talent recruitment. CSR initiatives add value to your compensation package to help businesses recruit new employees. Plus, with 71% of employees thinking that it’s essential to work at a company that gives back to the community, having CSR initiatives allows businesses to set themselves apart from competitors when it comes to hiring.

CSR Solutions for Businesses

As a general rule, the more convenient something is to do, the more likely it will get done. The same goes for CSR. Since your business stands to gain a lot from CSR initiatives, seek to encourage other local businesses and corporate partners to invest in CSR solutions together to make a greater impact.

CSR software refers to any business-oriented solution that enables for-profit organizations to participate in CSR activities. Here are a few types of CSR software solutions businesses should implement:

  • Employee giving tools. These tools are best paired with a matching gift program, where businesses choose to match donations made by their employees. Using employee-giving tools allows employees to check their matching gift eligibility and access applications so companies can easily approve applications for gift matches.
  • Volunteer matching solutions. For companies offering volunteer grant programs, volunteer matching software can greatly help. These tools may allow employees to track their volunteer hours, making it more convenient to see if they’ve fulfilled the grant’s requirements. Additionally, these software solutions can suggest volunteer opportunities to employees based on their volunteer history and interests, making them more likely to take advantage of the program.
  • Employee engagement platforms. One of the main benefits of CSR for businesses is increased employee engagement. That’s why employee engagement platforms that integrate with other CSR solutions can be a great help. With a comprehensive engagement tool, businesses can track employee engagement and satisfaction while encouraging employees to participate in their CSR programs and initiatives.

When looking into CSR solutions, focus on how these tools benefit your business and make CSR easier to administer. Emphasize how the right tools will make it more convenient for employees to take advantage of CSR initiatives by the business.

How Businesses Support CSR

Aside from investing in CSR software, companies can also support CSR initiatives in other ways. Consider the main types of corporate giving initiatives to get started.

Let’s take matching gift programs as an example. Your business could invest in matching gift software with auto-submission features to make it easier for employees to submit matching gift requests.

This feature will simply ask employees for their corporate email addresses. Then, the tool will collect all the data relevant to the donation and organization and transfer the information to the matching gift management software to send the match request automatically. This process takes the brunt of the effort off of employees, making it more likely that matching gifts will be requested and businesses can make a greater social impact.

Another way your business can support CSR is by promoting creative volunteer opportunities. Let’s say you’re taking Sneakers4Good’s recommendation and running a sneaker recycling program. Advertise this social good opportunity to employees, vendors, and other partners by emailing contacts and asking them to pass the message along to others. Additionally, you can also promote it as a volunteer opportunity, as you’ll need volunteers to coordinate the sneaker collection.

By investing in the right solutions, businesses can see greater brand awareness through CSR programs, taking their companies to new heights. 

This guide lists 10 kid-friendly fundraisers for churches to raise donations and awareness for nonprofit organizations.

9 Kid-Friendly Fundraisers For Churches Helping Nonprofits

To enhance its community outreach and make a greater impact, your church may support local nonprofit organizations. Together, your faith-based and charitable missions can help change lives in the community.

As a children’s ministry leader, you know the importance of engaging families, including your youngest churchgoers, in the church’s mission to reach the community. Kid-friendly fundraisers not only teach valuable lessons to children in your church, but they can also boost your efforts to support a nonprofit by getting entire families involved. 

The right fundraising idea can raise much-needed support and put the “fun” back in “fundraising,” which is why we created this list! Here are 10 kid-friendly fundraising ideas that will help children understand their role in God’s kingdom as they empower nonprofits to help others. 

1. Quiz show

According to Wonder Ink, increased biblical literacy can help kids recognize the Bible as the source of truth, whether they’re reading yet or not. Support children’s understanding of Scripture by testing their knowledge through a fun competition!

Host a “quiz show” where you challenge kids’ knowledge of the Bible. Have them compete to:

  • Locate a Bible verse first
  • Answer a question about a Bible passage
  • Recite a Bible verse

To reinforce biblical lessons, use Scripture from your children’s ministry program as the material for the quiz show. When you charge a small entry fee and sell tickets to those attending, you’ll further kids’ learning and raise money for nonprofit causes.

If you want to involve even more participants, turn your quiz show into a trivia game to test kids on their knowledge of your children’s ministry curriculum content. Create teams and prepare a list of trivia questions from your curriculum’s lessons and key takeaways.

Kids will study the curriculum and memorize Scripture to prepare for the competition. To incentivize participation, offer a prize to the winning team. For example, your church might match the amount raised for the nonprofit in honor of the winning team. 

2. Talent show

The children in your church have active imaginations and big dreams. Give them a chance to be in the spotlight with a talent show!

To raise funds for this event, charge a small entry fee for participants and sell tickets for those attending. Prepare a short introduction to the show to explain the purpose of the fundraiser and how kids are helping those in need by performing. 

3. Product fundraiser

Kids will get especially excited about fundraising when they see tangible results in return for their contribution. Raise donations by selling:

  • Food items: Tasty snacks like cookie dough and popcorn are enticing treats that kids can’t refuse! Keep them in the building or room where your children’s program meets so that they’re always available for purchase. 
  • Branded merchandise: Items branded to your children’s ministry will likely be top sellers because kids and their parents will be eager to represent their involvement in your children’s program by sporting your merch. 
  • Discount cards: Host a discount card fundraiser by selling coupons for goods or services from preferred merchants. These can help parents get discounts on family meals, school supplies, or other items or services.

In addition to selling products to people in your church, you can also encourage older kids to do the selling. Giving this responsibility helps kids become more directly involved in your church’s impact on nonprofit causes.

4. Bake sale

Invite kids and their families to bake tasty treats and sell them at a church-wide bake sale! This fun activity can encourage relationship-building between families as they spend time together baking and selling their baked goods. You’ll also engage the community if you choose to sell outside of your congregation, providing opportunities to minister to others and invite newcomers to your church.

Plus, this fundraiser maximizes the amount your church raises for nonprofits since parents and kids will donate their baked goods to your sale. That way, every dollar raised goes directly to nonprofits and their beneficiaries!

5. A-thon fundraiser

A-thon fundraisers collect donations for an activity completed by participants. When kids sign up for this challenge, their loved ones will donate based on the quantity of the activity completed. For example, a-thon activities often include:

Set an appropriate goal for each activity to make it achievable for kids. For example, collect donations for each page read in a read-a-thon to make the goal more achievable for early readers.

6. Campaign website

As children’s use of digital devices and social media increases, taking your fundraising efforts online is an engaging way for your church to raise nonprofit support. Older kids will enjoy helping you create a campaign page, through which your church can collect donations on behalf of the nonprofit.

Collect ideas from kids in your children’s program for the page’s design, layout, and interactive elements. While considering their input, remember to include the essential elements of a campaign website:

This image lists the essential elements of a campaign website, which are listed in the text below.
  • Social media sharing icons
  • Volunteer sign-up form
  • Your church’s branding
  • Explanation of mission and campaign
  • Donation form
  • Fundraising thermometer

After publishing the page, share the link with parents and other adult church members so they can donate and share the page with their friends. Provide fundraising updates with the kids in your children’s program and be sure to explain that their page design is helping to support an important cause.

7. Scavenger hunt

Create a scavenger hunt for your church’s kids with an enticing prize at the end. You can raise donations through a small entry fee for participating and by selling refreshments to parents as they wait.

You can make each clue a Bible verse reference that leads kids to the next one. For example, the first clue might be Matthew 6:19. When kids find the verse in their Bibles and read, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven,” they’ll be prompted to look for the next clue on the keys of the worship team’s piano.

8. Book club

While book clubs are often free, your church can turn this into a kid-friendly fundraiser by selling children’s books to participants. You can also sell candy and snacks during the book club’s meeting times or t-shirts displaying the book club’s name.

As the children’s ministry leader, you may choose to lead the club yourself or recruit ministry volunteers to lead it for you. Either way, have members of the club explore books that study Scripture or even correlate with lessons from your children’s curriculum. 

For example, if kids are currently learning about how to Holy Spirit leads them, you could have the book club read The Go-and-Tell Storybook, which explores 30 biblical stories of the Holy Spirit coming. This will help your group remain focused on biblical topics while still raising support for nonprofit causes! 

9. Parents’ night out

Give parents a break by allowing them to take a night for themselves. Recruit children’s ministry volunteers to host games and fun at the church, then charge a small fee for parents who drop their kids off. 

Volunteers may spend the evening doing a service project for your nonprofit partner with the kids who are dropped off. Discuss how nonprofit support ties into your church’s mission and the calling as Christians to “love your neighbor.”

More fundraising ideas can be found on resources like BestFundraisingIdeas, which offers a comprehensive list of unique activities and events. No matter which fundraiser you choose to host, remember to emphasize the importance of kids’ involvement. Show your appreciation and explain how they’re helping others by participating.

Also, consider working with nonprofits that serve children. That way, the kids in your children’s program will feel more connected to the beneficiaries of their donations and resonate more with the cause.

Feature image for blog post on how to avoid perfectionism paralysis in capital campaigns

How to Avoid Perfectionism Paralysis in Capital Campaigns

If your capital campaign is going to be successful, you will need generous contributions from your very top projects.

In fact, according to recent research by Capital Campaign Pro, most campaigns raise more than half their goal (71%, on average!) from fewer than 20 donors. So how you approach those 20 donors matters a great deal.

And if you’re like many people, you may fall into the “We had better be perfect” trap. It’s a natural mistake. Because those top donors are so important, and you worry that you might not get more than one opportunity to ask them for a big gift, it’s got to be right!

As a result, you may be tempted to put off those big donor visits until all of your plans and your materials are buttoned down and look super professional.

In fact, you might feel paralyzed by your commitment to perfection and put off those big donor visits far longer than you should.

Here’s the truth, though. The drive to be perfect before you talk to your big donors, while understandable, is actually the wrong approach. Not only will it delay your campaign, it’s likely to diminish the chances of your success.

Why?

Because the essence of getting those large gifts isn’t buttoning down every detail. The essence is quite the opposite. Your task isn’t to make a perfect presentation, it’s to involve those large donors early and often in the planning of your project long before you make your pitch and ask for a gift.

Here are three things you can do to make sure you don’t fall into the perfectionism trap with your next capital campaign.

List of ways to avoid perfectionism paralysis in your next capital campaign, all of which are covered below

1. Mark planning documents as drafts.

Alternatively, get in the habit of using the phrase “preliminary plan.” Make sure to date each version of every draft. You will likely go through several drafts that will shift, change, and improve with each version. Without dating the versions and renaming and dating subsequent documents like your case for support or gift range chart, you won’t be able to keep track of which is an earlier version and which one is current.

2. Share draft versions with your most important prospects early on in the planning process.

Don’t wait until your plans are finalized. Think about it this way: If you don’t approach that local politician or business owner until everything is buttoned down and perfect, then all you have to talk to them about is money.

But if you share your plans while they are still in the formative stage, you can have far more probing and exploratory conversations with them. Those conversations will help you benefit from their ideas and give you insights into their interests and philanthropic motivations.

3. Know that it’s easier and less stressful to talk with donors before you’ve perfected your plans.

The more time and energy you’ve put into making everything perfect, the more likely you’ll find yourself selling and then defending your plans rather than discussing them.

It turns out that not only does trying to be perfect often slow you down, but it’s actually a less powerful approach to engaging your donors. And it is well-documented that engaged donors give more and give more generously.

So, don’t fall into the perfectionism trap. Train yourself to share your plans before they are fully formed and enjoy the benefits of getting wisdom and advice from the people who can help you most.