Within the dynamic panorama of nonprofit operations, fundraisers always face the challenges of sourcing enough funds and sustaining excessive ranges of volunteer engagement. Varied methods have been devised to beat these challenges, however one alternative stands out as a potent but typically underutilized useful resource: company volunteer grants.
What are Volunteer Grants?
Volunteer grants, that are also referred to as “{Dollars} for Doers” or employer-sponsored volunteer packages, are company giving initiatives through which corporations present financial donations to nonprofits the place their staff volunteer. These grants can considerably improve a nonprofit’s funding whereas additionally fostering a tradition of collaboration between companies, nonprofits, and their shared groups.
In consequence, the method you’re taking to advertising volunteer grants to supporters is essential. In an effort to drive the most effective outcomes, the advertising course of typically consists of the next steps:
On this information, we’ll stroll you thru every merchandise so you possibly can guarantee your group is advertising volunteer grants successfully. Plus, create the best constructive impression on your trigger.
Let’s start!
Understanding your nonprofit’s viewers
Within the realm of nonprofit fundraising, a one-size-fits-all method hardly ever yields optimum outcomes. Advertising volunteer grants isn’t any totally different.
Due to this fact, understanding your nonprofit’s viewers is essential for successfully selling the alternatives to your supporter base. By tailoring your communications with a data-driven technique, you possibly can enhance engagement, consciousness, and participation within the packages.
For instance, current volunteers may obtain one piece of content material asking them to see if their employer will match their time. In the meantime, volunteer prospects may obtain one other message informing them concerning the alternative and inspiring them to enroll in a volunteer shift to get began.
If you understand the corporate, you too can section your advertising based mostly on a recipient’s seemingly eligibility for a grant. And, if there’s a historical past of eligibility for—or participation in—different types of office giving packages (akin to matching items or volunteer day without work), this may also be useful info to know.
Creating and sharing helpful volunteer grant advertising content material
Creating and sharing volunteer grant-related content material via your advertising efforts is pivotal for nonprofits aiming to advertise matching items to their supporters. By offering clear, informative, and interesting supplies, you possibly can educate volunteers concerning the packages, demystify the method, and invite supporters to get entangled.
When executed properly, your content material ought to strengthen the reference to volunteers by highlighting the twin worth of their time alongside monetary assist from their employers. This focused method not solely raises consciousness but in addition empowers volunteers to take motion, resulting in elevated participation within the packages.
Try the next content material subjects and concepts for advertising volunteer grants to your viewers:
- Spotlight examples of prime corporations with matching present packages, together with Disney, Allstate, Dell, Aetna, and extra. Then, encourage supporters to look into their employers’ participation.
- Supply an interactive volunteer grant database like 360MatchPro in your nonprofit web site, and direct your viewers to interact with the device to find their matching present eligibility.
- Share testimonials that exhibit the constructive impression volunteer grants have had in your trigger prior to now. Invite actual volunteers to share their experiences with the packages, too!
- Complement textual content with multimedia content material akin to pictures, movies, infographics, and extra to draw and retain your viewers’s consideration.
💡 High tip: Seeking to up your volunteer grant advertising? Double the Donation provides its customers with pre-made, customizable graphic templates inside 360MatchPro.
Simply log into the platform → navigate to the Assets tab → choose Advertising Property → browse our library of free supplies for shoppers to make the most of → personalize your chosen template to match your group’s distinctive branding type, aims, and extra.
Right here’s an instance of an e mail header graphic:
Not but a 360MatchPro consumer? Get began with a demo of our full volunteer grant and matching present automation device right here.
Advertising volunteer grants with multi-channel promotions
There’s nobody good platform via which your group can market volunteer grants to achieve 100% of your viewers. That’s why we advocate taking a multichannel method, guaranteeing your message is uncovered to a broader attain.
Whereas the particular means you utilize will range in response to your current promotional plans and assets, we advocate advertising volunteer grants throughout the next channels:
1) Your web site
Your web site can function a central hub for offering detailed details about volunteer grants to your supporters. We advocate establishing a devoted web page to clarify what these are, how supporters can apply for them, and the impression they’ve in your mission.
Plus, add a piece concerning the alternative in your web site’s Methods to Give hub. Nonetheless, chances are you’ll resolve to mix your Match Web page and Volunteer Grants Web page, creating a whole office giving useful resource as an alternative.
2) Social media
Social media platforms are glorious for elevating consciousness and driving site visitors to your web site. Common posts, tales, and updates about grant alternatives, testimonials, and submission suggestions can attain a large viewers and encourage eligible volunteers to get entangled. In the meantime, interactive content material like polls and Q&A periods also can enhance engagement and get supporters excited concerning the alternative.
3) E-mail
E-mail campaigns can ship personalised and focused info on to your supporters’ inboxes. Digital newsletters can characteristic detailed step-by-step walkthroughs, reminders about submission deadlines, and success tales to encourage participation.
On the similar time, extra segmented emails can guarantee every volunteer receives focused content material related to them, their engagement historical past, and their using firm.
4) Textual content messages
Textual content advertising affords a robust alternative for sharing quick, candy, and to-the-point messages together with your viewers. With regards to advertising volunteer grants, it’s a direct, fast, and simple approach to remind supporters about volunteer grant alternatives.
For the most effective outcomes, we advocate prioritizing transient, concise messages linking out to further info to immediate fast and tangible subsequent steps from supporters.
5) Volunteer sign-up kinds
Integrating details about volunteer grants into your group’s volunteer sign-up kinds ensures that new and current volunteers are uncovered to the packages.
Even higher, volunteers count on to share a superb quantity of details about themselves after they signal as much as donate their time to your trigger. As every volunteer completes a web-based sign-up type, your group has a novel alternative to advertise volunteer grant alternatives and supply knowledge that may assist uncover funding in your community.
💡 High tip: Embed a firm database device like 360MatchPro into your volunteer registration kinds! Make it straightforward for supporters to be taught concerning the alternative and supply invaluable employment insights.
6) Paid promoting
Our last suggestion is what’s also known as paid promoting. Nonetheless, don’t let the “paid” half maintain you again. Websites like Google and Microsoft every supply registered nonprofits free entry to their platforms, which means you’ll profit from sponsored search listings without charge.
In doing so, you possibly can successfully goal particular demographics prone to be fascinated about volunteer grants. Plus, drive new certified site visitors to your web site, elevate consciousness amongst a broader viewers, and appeal to new supporters to your trigger.
💡 High tip: Request a free session with our really useful paid promoting advisor, Getting Consideration, to provoke the Google Grant software course of in the present day.
Advertising volunteer grants with one-off company partnerships
Greater than seemingly, a variety of your supporters already work for corporations with volunteer grant packages. For many who don’t, nonetheless, customized or “one-off” partnerships can supply a superb approach to start facilitating relationships with employers in your community.
This focused method permits nonprofits to construct a robust, mutually useful relationship with a selected firm, fostering a way of exclusivity and devoted assist. It might probably even result in elevated volunteer engagement from the corporate’s staff, who might really feel extra linked and dedicated to the trigger as a result of their employer’s direct involvement.
Try this instance of selling a customized volunteer grant partnership in motion:
The Central Texas Meals Financial institution is the Largest starvation reduction company within the area, serving practically 46,000 people throughout 21 counties every week. In an effort to meet the immense wants of its communities, tech big Oracle has supported the group for practically three many years, encouraging its staff to assist the trigger since 2007.
Not too long ago, the corporate awarded the Meals Financial institution a $35,000 grant in response to just about 3,000 volunteer hours its staff contributed towards the inspection, packing, and distribution of meals gadgets. An article concerning the partnership even describes the corporate’s group as a typical and welcome sight on the group, additional demonstrating the deep and ongoing impression it has on the trigger.
💡 High tip: Attain out to current supporters’ employers to pitch a volunteer grant partnership. It’s possible you’ll even be capable to supply a heat introduction from a donor or volunteer to assist break the ice!
Sourcing inspiration from real-world examples of selling volunteer grants
Sourcing inspiration from real-world examples of volunteer grant advertising efforts may also help nonprofits promote the alternatives to their very own audiences extra successfully than ever earlier than. Analyzing case research, testimonials, and finest practices in motion from fundraising friends permits nonprofits to determine progressive approaches and keep away from widespread pitfalls.
By adapting and implementing these examined strategies, nonprofits can improve their outreach efforts, enhance consciousness of volunteer grant packages, and in the end enhance their outcomes.
Try the next examples of nonprofits advertising volunteer grants properly:
Group A 🐶
In our first instance of standout volunteer grant advertising, one animal welfare nonprofit has successfully harnessed the potential of volunteer grants via a multi-faceted and user-friendly on-line method. Particularly, this group created a devoted worker giving web page and embedded Double the Donation’s database device. This manner, they’ll present real-time info on hundreds of corporations’ volunteer grant packages with only a few clicks.
However the nonprofit didn’t cease there, both! As a substitute, this group additionally built-in employment-related questions immediately inside their volunteer software kinds. As a person completes the sign-up course of, they’re prompted to produce particulars akin to their firm title, function, and data of office giving (matching present) program availability. Thus, by gathering this info upfront, the group can determine potential grant alternatives and proactively help volunteers in making use of for them.
Group B 🩺
Our subsequent instance is a corporation that focuses on well being and medical assist. This nonprofit’s technique for advertising volunteer grants is constructed round detailed steering and strong info. The group has constructed out a devoted volunteer grants web page with an embedded firm search device, making it straightforward for volunteers to search out out if their employers supply grant packages.
The net useful resource additionally encompasses a step-by-step walkthrough of the method for requesting a volunteer grant, guaranteeing that volunteers perceive every stage and what’s required. Plus, to additional underscore the worth of volunteer grants, this group highlights statistics that showcase the prevalence of those packages with concrete knowledge.
Group C 🩺
One other well being and medical nonprofit has additionally developed a multi-channel method to selling volunteer grants. This group’s devoted worker giving web page consists of the whole lot a person would wish to know to get entangled—from an embedded firm search device with an in depth FAQ part to details about the nonprofit and extra.
Moreover, the group prominently mentions volunteer grants on its “Methods to Give” web page, guaranteeing potential donors and volunteers are conscious of this chance and inspired to take part.
Group D 🥫
For this meals financial institution, selling volunteer grants begins with visibility on essential internet pages—together with a outstanding point out on the group’s “Methods to Give” web page. This ensures guests are made conscious of this chance and inspired to get entangled. They’ve even embedded an organization search device proper inside the web page, offering info on hundreds of corporations’ packages and making it straightforward for volunteers to see if their employers take part.
Group E 🧪
This analysis basis leverages a mixed method to advertising volunteer grants with informational content material, sensible instruments, and extra. In an in depth weblog put up, the group illustrates the ability of volunteer grants and matching items, explaining the method and inspiring supporters to get entangled.
From there, the weblog hyperlinks to the group’s office giving web page, which supplies in depth info on numerous corporations’ volunteer grant packages and is full with an organization search widget.
Group F 🌳
Group F, an environmental nonprofit, has used a digital e-newsletter to teach and inspire its supporters about volunteer grant alternatives amongst different content material. This pattern e-newsletter included a piece devoted to the impression of office giving and different distinctive fundraising alternatives and inspired readers to look into their volunteer grant eligibility to strengthen their impression even additional.
Group G 🧒
This group, which is concentrated on youth mentorship alternatives, ensures that details about volunteer grants and different office giving alternatives is well accessible by mentioning them immediately on its donation web page. This strategic placement implies that anybody contemplating a monetary contribution can also be made conscious of the potential for extra assist via volunteer grants.
By integrating this info right into a key web page, the nonprofit will increase the chance that guests will discover and make the most of volunteer grant alternatives, enhancing their general fundraising efforts.
Group H 🐶
One other animal welfare nonprofit designed a pawsitively cute worker giving web page that overviews the highest kinds of office philanthropy. After all, this consists of volunteer grants!
By providing a complete overview full with eye-catching information and figures, the group is ready to educate its supporters about numerous methods to contribute via their office. This will increase participation in volunteer grant packages and maximizes funding potential general.
Group I 🧒
This youth-focused group’s office giving web page prominently highlights {Dollars} for Doers as a key alternative for company involvement. In an effort to foster a whole understanding of the packages, the nonprofit’s on-line useful resource consists of different names for these packages and particulars how participation can profit each the group and its supporters on a private stage.
Group J 🧒
Social media may also be an excellent device for advertising volunteer grants, as demonstrated by this youth and neighborhood group. To extend consciousness of the chance and encourage participation via social proof, the nonprofit took to Fb to have fun a profitable volunteer grant obtained. The put up thanks the grant-giving establishment, thus fostering larger engagement, and descriptions the meant use for the funding. It’s a good way to encourage others to hunt volunteer grant funds in your behalf, too!
Group Ok 🧒
One other Fb put up, this youth and neighborhood group makes use of social media to lift consciousness and share informational content material concerning volunteer grants. Particularly, the put up highlights the rising pattern of such grants, particulars how supporters can get entangled, and supplies particular subsequent steps to encourage participation.
By utilizing social media to teach and inspire their viewers, the fundraiser will increase volunteer grant visibility and drives extra supporters to take the meant motion.
Wrapping up & further volunteer grant advertising assets
Volunteer grants characterize an amazing alternative for nonprofits to reinforce their funding and engagement concurrently. By educating supporters, partnering with corporations in your community, and powering your promotional efforts with the suitable instruments, your group can optimize its volunteer grant advertising efforts with ease.
Now, it’s time to embrace the potential of volunteer grants on your trigger. Incorporate the above suggestions and methods in your technique, then sit again and watch it thrive as you harness the ability of company partnerships on your nonprofit’s mission.
Fascinated about studying extra about main worker philanthropy alternatives? We advocate the next assets:
