13+ Simple and Effective Tips for Google Ads Optimization

Google Ads are an incredibly useful tool for expanding your organization’s reach and driving conversions. Plus, eligible nonprofits can take advantage of this resource at no cost through the Google Ad Grants program, which provides applicants with $10,000 in advertising credits each month. This way, you can spread the word about your mission and encourage new audiences to get involved.

To make the most of this nonprofit advertising opportunity, you shouldn’t take a set-it-and-forget-it approach. Instead, revisit your strategy often and look for ways to optimize your Google Ads for maximum effectiveness.

In this guide, you’ll learn the basics of Google Ads optimization, as well as 13 top tips to help you get started. Here’s what we’ll cover:

At Getting Attention, we understand the importance of a strong Google Ads strategy for nonprofits like yours to promote their missions. Our team specializes in Google Ad Grants management, helping nonprofits worldwide optimize their search ads. As you implement the strategies in this guide, don’t hesitate to reach out for expert help at any stage of the optimization process. Let’s dive in!

Learn from experts to optimize your Google Ads. Get a free consultation with Getting Attention.

What Is Google Ads Optimization?

Google Ads optimization is the ongoing process of refining and improving your organization’s Google Ads to improve results and achieve your goals.

As the world’s largest and most widely used online advertising platform, Google Ads have helped countless organizations further their missions. Continuing to re-evaluate the ways you leverage this tool over time comes with a variety of benefits, including:

This graphic shows four benefits of Google Ads optimization, which are discussed in the text below.

  • Increased online conversions such as event sign ups, donations, and volunteer registrations.
  • Expanded organizational reach to supporters new and old, inspiring them to take action.
  • Simultaneous campaigning, including the ability to market multiple ad campaigns with different purposes.
  • Greater audience understanding to better meet the needs of current and potential donors, volunteers, and advocates.

For nonprofits participating in the Google Ad Grant program, an additional benefit of Google Ads optimization is Google Ad Grants policy compliance. Your Google Ads must follow certain rules for your organization to maintain eligibility for the grant, and regularly optimizing your account allows you to check for and fix any aspects of your campaigns that may be out of line with Google’s guidelines. This way, you can ensure that your Google Ads continue to be a valuable part of your nonprofit’s marketing strategy.

Google Ads Optimization Tips Overview

Now that you know why Google Ads optimization is important, let’s dive into our top 13 tips for getting started:
This checklist graphic displays 13 tips for optimizing your Google Ads, which will be discussed throughout the rest of the article.

We’ve broken these tips into categories to make them easier for your organization to implement, and the first category we’ll cover is optimizing your overarching Google Ads strategy.

Google Ads Optimization Strategy Tips

Although you likely developed a strategy for leveraging the platform when you first created your account, ensuring this strategy aligns with your nonprofit’s goals will help you maximize your Google Ad Grant over time.

1. Evaluate Your Current Ads

The first step to optimizing your Google Ads campaigns is to evaluate your current ad performance to see what is working and where you have room to improve. To do this, pay attention to four key metrics:

This graphic shows four metrics for your nonprofit to optimize your Google Ads strategy, which are listed below.

  • Impressions. An impression occurs every time your ad is displayed or seen by someone searching on Google. First, determine which of your campaigns are getting the most impressions. Then, consider why those ads might be more visible than others—oftentimes, the deciding factor is either ad quality or relevance to the searcher.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR). This metric refers to the percentage of users who click on your ad after seeing it. It can be calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions and multiplying the result by 100. A high CTR means a large audience is seeing the ad and finding it relevant.
  • Conversions. A conversion occurs when a user takes a desired action after clicking on your ad, such as donating, registering for an event, or signing up to volunteer. Keeping track of the amount of impressions and clicks that lead to conversions will help you identify which ads in each of your campaigns are performing the best.
  • Cost per click (CPC). This metric can help you budget your nonprofit’s $10,000 per month from the Google Ad Grant effectively. CPC is affected by the amount you bid for each keyword in your strategy, the keyword’s quality score, and the ad’s placement on the search engine results page (SERP). Examining your ad spend can help you scale your ads appropriately to get them in front of the right audience.

You can access reports on all of these metrics in your nonprofit’s Google Analytics account. The program will even break down the report by time of day, providing even more insight into when your ads perform best.

2. Find and Fill Opportunity Gaps

Using the metrics above to evaluate your current ads can also help you identify opportunities that you haven’t yet taken advantage of or gaps in your strategy that need to be filled. In particular, this process can help you notice lost impressions, which are missed impression opportunities between you and your audience. Analyzing your lost impressions report can help you prioritize the ads that have the most potential to convert.

Additionally, you should regularly compare your Google Ad Grants strategy to your organization’s overarching goals. For instance, if your nonprofit has set a goal to boost online donations by 20% this coming year, you might put more effort into improving and expanding the reach of your Google Ads that link back to the donation form on your website.

Google Ads Optimization Keyword Tips

Keywords are the words or phrases that Google users type into the search bar. When you create a Google Ads campaign, you’ll attach keywords to your ads to trigger their appearance on the SERP when users search those keywords.

Here are three tips to help you optimize your Google Ads keywords for maximum reach.

3. Choose Specific, Relevant Keywords

Your keywords should be closely related to your mission and the desired action attached to each of your Google Ads. This way, you can get your ads in front of the users who are most likely to convert.

Following the Google Ad Grant policies for keywords not only ensures your account is in compliance with the rules, but it’s also helpful in optimizing your strategy. Google’s requirements include:

This graphic lists three keyword policies for Google Ads optimization that nonprofits must follow, which are discussed in more detail below.

  • No single-word keywords unless they’re on the approved list of exceptions. Most single-word keywords are too broad to get your ad in front of an audience who would want to engage with it. For example, if an animal shelter used “cat” as one of their keywords, that would bring up a wide range of search results, many of which have nothing to do with aiding in the shelter’s mission to rescue cats in need. Choosing phrases like “adopt a cat” or “volunteer with cats” could reach the organization’s target audience more effectively.
  • No overly generic keywords. Remember that the goal of your keyword strategy is to drive conversions from users who are interested in your mission. Generic keywords like “free videos” or “eBook downloads” don’t tend to be helpful in reaching that goal. So, Google doesn’t permit nonprofits to use generic keywords to ensure they use their grant wisely.
  • No keywords with a quality score of 1 or 2. Quality score is a diagnostic measure that Google uses to determine keyword relevance. It’s calculated using factors like historical impressions for that keyword and expected CTR. Keywords with a quality score of 3 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 are more likely to convert users and make the grant money your nonprofit spends worth it.

By choosing high-quality, relevant keywords, your ads can effectively engage users who are actively searching for information related to your mission and work. Leverage Google Keyword Planner and other keyword research tools to help you create the most effective strategy for your nonprofit.

4. Consider Keywords’ Search Intent

In addition to keyword quality and relevance, thinking about search intent is essential for getting your Google Ads in front of users who would be interested in them. While there are a variety of reasons why someone would search for different keywords on Google, some of the most common search intents that your nonprofit might target with ads include:

This graphic describes four keyword search intents for Google Ads optimization: educational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.

  • Educational: Users want to learn more about a cause or issue by searching terms like “effects of childhood poverty” or “dog adoption statistics.”
  • Navigational: Users are looking to access a specific organization’s website by searching a term that includes the nonprofit’s name.
  • Commercial: Users aren’t necessarily ready to take a desired action yet, but they’re weighing their options through searches such as “volunteer opportunities near me” or “top-rated animal shelters.”
  • Transactional: Users who search keywords like “sponsor a child” or “adopt a shelter dog” are typically at the point of conversion.

Depending on the keyword’s intent, you can direct audiences who click on your ad to different landing pages. Educational keywords often lend themselves to promoting blog articles, downloadable resources, or case studies. Searchers of navigational keywords usually want to be directed to your homepage, and ads targeting commercial or transactional keywords should link to landing pages where users can fill out a form or take another action.

5. Identify Negative Keywords

Once you’ve determined which keywords you want to target with your ads, you should also identify keywords that don’t relate to your organization’s offerings—also known as negative keywords. Despite the name, negative keywords aren’t inherently bad. They’re just phrases your organization may not want its ads associated with.

Because you spend your Google Ad Grant funds every time someone clicks on one of your ads, it’s vital to exclude irrelevant or wasteful search terms from your campaigns. That way, you can maximize your monthly budget by focusing on ads that are likely to convert users.

Google Ads Optimization Tips for Audience Targeting

Although keywords are essential for your Google Ads to reach the correct audience, there are other targeting strategies you can use to boost clicks and conversions. We’ll discuss three of these in more detail below.

6. Define Your Target Audience

As with any strategy for supporter engagement, it’s important to understand the individuals you want to reach with your various Google Ads. Some segmentation criteria you can use to define your target audience include:

  • Demographic characteristics such as age, location, education, family status, and wealth.
  • Giving and involvement history with your organization, including past donation amounts and frequency, volunteer hours, event attendance, and participation in advocacy activities.
  • Relevant interests and motivations for supporting your nonprofit’s mission.

Once you understand your target audience, you can write ad copy that they’ll be receptive to and add keywords that they’re likely to search for to your strategy. Also, keep in mind that each of your ads might have a slightly different target audience.

7. Leverage Geotargeting

Geotargeting allows your nonprofit to narrow down the audience for a Google Ads campaign to users in a specific geographic area. This is especially useful for marketing in-person events, volunteer opportunities, and services to ensure that the people who see your ad live close enough to benefit from it.

Google Ads provides three overarching location criteria that you can use to get started with geotargeting:

  • “Target” locations are places where users are physically located in which your ad will be shown.
  • “Exclude” locations are places where you don’t want a specific ad to appear.
  • “Location of Interest” places allow ads to be shown to users searching for information about a particular location even if they aren’t physically there when they conduct the search.

From there, you can further refine your geotargeting by inputting custom locations on a map or reaching out to specific demographics within your target locations. You can also adjust your location-specific keyword bids based on where you’re most likely to receive clicks.

8. Create a Remarketing Strategy

In the context of Google Ads, remarketing or retargeting involves showing search ads to audience members who have previously visited your nonprofit’s website but didn’t convert. When these users search for relevant terms, your ads will display higher on the SERP. Retargeted ads may also appear as banners on other websites within the Google Display Network.

Remarketing allows you to re-engage potential supporters who have shown interest in your organization in the past, reminding them about your mission and encouraging them to come back to your site to take a desired action. Your organization can nurture supporter relationships that might otherwise have been lost and increase a variety of conversions, from donations to event attendance to signups for your email newsletter.

Google Ads Optimization Tips for Ad Structure

While the optimization tips we’ve covered so far focus mostly on factors that affect your entire account, the next four will dive deeper into how your individual Google Ads fit into the bigger picture. Your campaigns determine where your website will show up and who will see those ads, and your ad groups, headlines, copy, and landing pages are the deciding factors that affect your CTR and conversion rates.

9. Understand Correct Campaign Flow

We’ve mentioned the terms “campaign,” “ad group,” and “ad” several times throughout this guide. While each refers to a specific element of your Google Ads strategy, they fit together in a specific way, as shown in the diagram below:

This diagram shows the structure of an optimized Google Ads account, containing two campaigns each with ad groups, ads, and keywords.

  • Campaigns. These are the largest building blocks of your strategy. You can run up to five campaigns at a time, and each one should be centered around a broad goal such as “volunteering” or “fundraising.”
  • Ad groups. These are collections of ads that target related sets of keywords. Each campaign should have at least two ad groups to improve keyword alignment and landing page relevance.
  • Ads. Each individual ad consists of a headline and description that shows up on the SERPs for relevant keywords. For the best user experience, you should have at least two ads per ad group.

The guidelines of having no more than five campaigns, at least two ad groups per campaign, and at least two ads per ad group are also important for your nonprofit to maintain compliance with the Google Ad Grant policies.

10. Improve Headlines and Copy Through A/B Testing

One of the reasons your nonprofit is required to have at least two ads in each ad group is so that you can conduct A/B testing. This process involves comparing two versions of an ad against one another to properly determine which is the optimal performer.

A/B testing can help you improve several aspects of your Google Ad design, including:

  • Headlines. Your headline is the top, bold line of text in your ad. It’s the first thing users notice when your ad appears on a SERP and the place they click to visit your landing page. Testing multiple variations of the same headline can help you determine which one grabs users’ attention and boosts your CTR the most.
  • Descriptions. A Google Ad description is usually two lines of text that appear below the headline and let users know why they should click on an ad. As you test different descriptions, optimize them for clicks by incorporating second-person pronouns (you/your/yours), using active verbs, and focusing on benefits to the user.
  • Landing page choice. With some keywords, the exact user intent may not be clear at first glance. It can be helpful to run two variations of an ad that link to similar landing pages to determine which one users actually want to click. For instance, you could link to your volunteer sign-up form in one version of an ad and a page describing volunteer opportunities at your nonprofit in another to determine whether users who search for your target keyword are ready to convert or need more information before signing up.

The Google Ad Grant policies require your nonprofit to maintain at least a 5% CTR and be able to show a minimum of one meaningful conversion per month to stay eligible for funding. Testing different variations of your ads against each other to see which one leads to the most clicks and conversions can help you comply with this rule.

11. Optimize Your Landing Pages

In order for your nonprofit to receive Ad Grant funding, Google requires that your website have substantial mission-related content and provide a positive user experience. This is also an area where you shouldn’t take a set-it-and-forget-it approach, though. Once you’ve secured your Google Ad Grant, continue to evaluate your landing pages by asking yourself the following questions:

  • Is the content relevant to users’ needs and the target keyword’s search intent?
  • Are the visuals and multimedia elements used on the page engaging and accessible?
  • Does the page have a clear value proposition and call to action?

Additionally, make sure your site loads quickly and is mobile responsive to ensure your audience stays on the landing page long enough to convert.

12. Incorporate Ad Extensions

To make your ads more user-friendly, Google offers a variety of additional features known as ad extensions. There are many different types of extensions, but here are some of the most popular ones for nonprofits to use, as shown in this example from WWF:

This screenshot of WWF ads on a Google SERP shows four different types of extensions available for Google Ads optimization at work.

  • Sitelink extensions append links to additional pages on your website, offering more options for audiences to learn more about your cause and get involved.
  • Call extensions allow users to call your nonprofit simply by clicking on the phone number attached to your ad.
  • Lead form extensions provide a place for users to submit their contact information directly from the ad so that they can easily ask questions or express interest in receiving communications from your organization.
  • Callouts are text snippets that highlight key selling points, statistics, or other information about your nonprofit to promote it more effectively.

According to the Google Ad Grants rules, nonprofits have to add at least two sitelink extensions to each ad to maintain compliance. However, you should also experiment with the other types of ad extensions to see which ones boost conversions the most.

Google Ads Optimization Tip for Effective Management

Our final tip for Google Ads optimization is a simple one: In order to continue managing your campaigns over time, work with experts who specialize in all things Google Ad Grants.

13. Work With a Google Grants Management Professional

Google Ad Grants management is a full-time job. Oftentimes, nonprofits will turn to professional consulting agencies to manage their Google Ad Grants accounts. If you do this, make sure to invest in an agency that devotes its time solely to Google Ad Grants.

Getting Attention is one such agency. We’re prepared to help you every step of the way, from submitting your application to setting up your account to optimizing your ads over time.

Some of our core services include:

This mind map shows five Google Ads optimization services that Getting Attention offers, which are discussed in more detail below.

  • Completing Google Ad Grant applications and eligibility checks.
  • Maintaining proper account hygiene.
  • Conducting keyword research and advising you on which ones to target.
  • Optimizing, redesigning, and relaunching potential landing pages on your website.
  • Helping you get your account reactivated if it’s ever suspended for any reason.

If you need additional services outside of these five main solutions, we’re open to discussing our experience and ability to meet your needs. Contact us to learn more about how Getting Attention’s services can help your nonprofit optimize its Google Ads strategy!

Google Ads Optimization: The Bottom Line

Effectively marketing your nonprofit’s mission involves not only taking advantage of the $10,000 in free promotion that the Google Ad Grant provides, but also ensuring your ads continue to perform well over time. Although the optimization process may seem daunting at first, know that you don’t have to go it alone—the experts at Getting Attention are here to help!

To learn more about Google Ads and their purposes, check out these additional resources:

Make the most of $10,000 of nonprofit advertising. Discover how Getting Attention can help you optimize your Google Ads. Get a free consultation.

Google Ad Grants: The Complete Guide + How to Get Started

The Google Ad Grant combines marketing and fundraising opportunities so nonprofits like yours can amplify their missions and reach larger pools of donors, volunteers, and advocates. By equipping eligible organizations with $10,000 in ad credits per month, the program enables them to increase website activity and digital conversions.

Read more

Reach exponentially more potential supporters by promoting your nonprofit videos with the Google Ad Grant.

Using Google Ad Grants to Drive Traffic to Nonprofit Videos

One of the most valuable marketing tools out there for nonprofits is video. Videos display your nonprofit’s mission in a visual, easily digestible way. However, if you don’t effectively promote your videos, they won’t reach potential supporters.

That’s where the Google Ad Grant program comes in. An equally impactful nonprofit marketing tool, the Google Ad Grant is a free and easy way to promote your video content.

In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of the program, explain how it will benefit your video marketing strategy, and provide best practices for leveraging the grant funding. Whether you’re looking for a new way to promote your nonprofit videos, or you’re a Google Ad Grant participant looking to take your marketing strategy to the next level, read on to learn how you can use both the Google Ad Grant and nonprofit videos to your advantage.

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In this guide, we’ll discuss the basics of matching gifts and list the top matching gift companies your nonprofit should know.

25 Top Matching Gift Companies to Have On Your Radar

Your nonprofit’s donors are essential for propelling your mission forward. What if you could double their donations and raise even more revenue from their support?

Thanks to corporate matching gift programs, you can do exactly that! As a part of their corporate philanthropy initiatives, many companies match the donations their employees make to nonprofit organizations. The key to success lies in ensuring that your staff and donors understand the matching gift opportunities available. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss some matching gift basics and walk through the top 25 matching gift companies you should know. Here’s what we’ll cover:

According to 360MatchPro, “an estimated $2-$3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually.” Is your nonprofit ready to tap into more of these valuable opportunities? Let’s get started!

Click through to learn how you can boost your matching gift revenue with 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.

Top Matching Gift Companies: FAQs

First, let’s take a look at a few frequently asked questions about matching gift companies so you can better understand how to leverage the opportunities they offer.

Why do companies have matching gift programs?

There are many reasons why businesses launch corporate philanthropy initiatives such as matching gift programs. The following statistics illustrate the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among today’s companies:

These corporate social responsibility statistics illustrate why many companies choose to create matching gift programs.

From boosting their reputation to increasing employee engagement, companies receive a wide range of benefits from creating matching gift programs. This leads to more support for nonprofits like yours, allowing you to make an even greater difference in the community.

How do matching gift programs work?

Matching gift programs differ from company to company. Typically, the matching gift process looks something like this:

  • A donor makes a gift to your nonprofit.
  • The donor checks their eligibility using a matching gift database.
  • Upon confirming eligibility, the donor submits a matching gift request.
  • The employer reviews and verifies the request.
  • The company matches the donation.

With the right tools and understanding of this process, you’ll be able to better inform donors of this opportunity and encourage more of them to submit matching gift requests.

What are the key characteristics of a top matching gift company?

More and more businesses are launching matching gift programs, with 51% of Russell 1000 companies publicly disclosing that they offer these opportunities to their employees. To single out the top matching gift companies from the crowd, however, it’s necessary to take a closer look at these differentiating elements:

  • Low minimum match amount. Often, companies will only match an employee’s gift if it is higher than a pre-specified amount. This amount can range from $1 to over $100. The best matching gift companies have a low minimum match amount that makes it easier for employees to participate no matter their budget for charitable giving.
  • High maximum match amount. Many businesses specify a maximum annual match amount as well, typically between $1,000 and $15,000. This means that they’ll contribute no more than the maximum amount stipulated, regardless of how much an employee donates in a given year. Many of the top matching gift companies have a matching gift cap on the upper end of that range, allowing participants to create a larger impact on nonprofits they care about.
  • High match ratio. Match ratios determine how much a company contributes to a nonprofit based on the donor’s gift amount. While many choose to match donations dollar for dollar (1:1), match ratios can range anywhere from .5:1 to 4:1. The higher the ratio, the more revenue your nonprofit can receive from a single donation.
  • Employee eligibility. While some companies limit their matching gift program participation to full-time employees, others allow part-time and retired employees to take part as well. This allows them to provide more support to the causes that their employees care about.

Keep these matching gift company characteristics in mind as you begin researching and promoting opportunities to your organization’s supporters. This way, you’ll get a better idea of how much you can expect to benefit from each program. Furthermore, many of the top matching gift companies also have volunteer grant programs that encourage their employees to dedicate their time and provide even more funding opportunities to nonprofits.

To set your nonprofit up for success, download Double the Donation’s free matching gifts checklist and share it with your team. This detailed resource will walk you through all the steps to making the most of matching gift opportunities.

25 Best Matching Gift Companies

Now that we’ve covered the essentials, let’s explore the 25 top matching gift companies your nonprofit should keep an eye on:

1. Soros Fund Management

Soros Fund Management is one of the top matching gift companies for nonprofits to know.

Soros Fund Management stands out as a notable matching gift company due to its generous maximum match amount. The details of its program include:

  • Match ratio: Up to 2:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $100,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time

 

In addition to matching employee donations to most nonprofits, including educational institutions, Soros Fund Management offers a volunteer grant program. When an employee volunteers 20 hours or more with an organization, this company offers the organization a grant of $1,000 to $4,000, depending on the number of hours volunteered.

2. The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company matches gifts to many nonprofits as part of its corporate philanthropy initiatives.

The Coca-Cola Company matches gifts to nonprofits focusing on education, the environment, and arts and culture. The details of its program include:

  • Match ratio: 2:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $20,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and retired

 

To ensure that their donations are matched, employees must submit their matching gift requests by February 28th of the year following when the gift was made.

3. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is another one of the best matching gift companies for nonprofits to be aware of.

Johnson & Johnson is another notable matching gift company, with program details such as:

  • Match ratio: Up to 2:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $20,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time, part-time, and retired

 

While retired employees are eligible for this company’s impactful program, Johnson & Johnson matches their donations at a 1:1 ratio, with a maximum contribution of $10,000 per year.

4. ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil is another notable company to be aware of in the realm of corporate philanthropy.

ExxonMobil dedicates itself to significant corporate philanthropy initiatives, including its matching gifts program. The details include:

  • Match ratio: Up to 2:1
  • Minimum match amount: $50
  • Maximum match amount: $7,500 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time, part-time, and retired

 

Similar to Johnson & Johnson, this company allows retired employees to participate in its matching gifts program, but matches their contributions at a 1:1 ratio. Furthermore, ExxonMobil offers two volunteer grant programs for its employees, one for individuals and one for teams, that empower them to further their impact on causes they care about.

5. Merck & Co.

Merck & Co. is a matching gifts company that also offers volunteer grants to nonprofits.Through its Partnership for Giving (P4G) program, Merck matches employee donations to organizations that support those in need, promote education, focus on environmental conservation, and more.

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $30,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

In addition to its matching gifts program, Merck provides a $500 cash contribution to nonprofits that their employees spend at least 40 hours volunteering with each year.

6. The Walt Disney Corporation

Disney’s employee giving program has seen significant participation among its employees and powered substantial impact.

Over the past decade, Disney has matched over $104 million through its employee giving programs. Its matching gift program details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $25,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

Additionally, Disney has a “VoluntEARS” grant program that allows employees to direct up to $2,000 in funds toward organizations with which they’ve spent time volunteering.

7. Amgen

Amgen is another one of the top matching gift companies that nonprofits should keep on their radars.The Amgen Matching Gift program allows employees based in the United States and Puerto Rico to amplify the impact of their donations by matching them dollar for dollar. The details of this program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $50
  • Maximum match amount: $20,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

Like many other top matching gift companies, Amgen also encourages its employees to get involved in the community through its volunteer grant program. Once an employee volunteers for at least 15 hours with an organization, they can request a $500 grant. Depending on hours volunteered, a full-time employee can request up to $2,000 in volunteer grants per year, while part-time employees can request up to $1,000 per year.

8. Microsoft

Microsoft engages many of its employees through matching gifts and volunteer grants every year.

Microsoft matches employee donations to most nonprofits, including educational institutions, health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, and more. Its matching gift program details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $1
  • Maximum match amount: $15,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

Through the company’s volunteer grant program, employees can also request a $25 grant for every hour they volunteer with an organization. In just 2022, Microsoft employees donated $255 million, including company matches, and volunteered over 720,000 hours with nonprofits.

9. Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. is a matching gifts company that offers quite a few ESG programs to engage employees and power more impact.

Gap Inc. offers numerous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) programs to engage its employees and generate a lasting impact on the community. Its matching gift program details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $10
  • Maximum match amount: $15,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time, part-time, and retired

Beyond matching gifts, Gap Inc. has programs such as Money for Time, which involves donating $150 to a nonprofit for every 15 hours an employee volunteers with the organization. The company also encourages employees to spend five “on-the-clock” hours volunteering for causes close to their hearts.

10. Apple

Apple matches employee donations dollar for dollar and offers volunteer grants as well.Through its matching gifts program, Apple matches employee donations to most nonprofits dollar for dollar. The program’s specific details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: None
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

Apple employees can log in to access the company’s giving portal and view all of the complete matching gift guidelines for free. The company also offers a volunteer grant program, donating $25 for every hour an Apple employee volunteers with an organization.

11. Google

Google is a matching gift company that offers many different ways for employees to amplify their contributions to a nonprofit.

Google matches both personal employee donations made to nonprofits and donations made toward disaster relief or international relief. The specific details of its matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: None
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

Like many of the best matching gift companies, Google offers a volunteer program and contributes $10 for every hour an employee volunteers with a nonprofit. Furthermore, the company matches funds raised by employees who participate in fundraising events such as marathons or bike rides.

12. Dell

Dell matches employee donations to most nonprofits as part of its corporate philanthropy initiatives.

Dell matches employee donations to most nonprofit organizations, including civic and community organizations, educational institutions, environmental causes, and more.

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $10
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

The company matches both individual donations from employees around the world and a portion of funds raised by employees during charitable events, such as walks and bike rides. Additionally, each quarter, Dell awards $150 donations to employees who volunteered more than 10 hours with a nonprofit. Since the inception of its volunteer program, Dell’s employees have spent more than 7.8 million hours volunteering with their nonprofit of choice.

13. Chevron

Chevron is another matching gift company that encourages its employees to give to and volunteer with nonprofits.Chevron’s matching gift program, Chevron Humankind, matches employee contributions of both money and time to nonprofits. The program’s details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $20
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and retired

 

Most nonprofits are eligible to receive matching gifts from this company, including educational institutions and arts and cultural organizations. While current full-time employees can request matched donations for up to $10,000 per year, retired employees can request up to $3,000 each year.

14. Boeing

Boeing’s matching gift program allows current employees, retirees, and spouses to participate.Boeing’s matching gift program includes all current employees, in addition to retirees, spouses, and domestic partners. Additional details of this program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $20
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and retired

 

Active employees receive a 1:1 match, while retirees, spouses, and domestic partners receive a .5:1 match. Additionally, Boeing offers a volunteer grant program, providing $100 grants for every 10 hours of volunteering, once an employee has contributed at least 25 hours to a nonprofit. The company also offers team volunteer grants, which increase depending on the number of employees who participate in a group volunteer opportunity.

15. State Street Corporation

State Street Corporation matches employee donations and offers grants to nonprofits to help make an impact in the community.State Street Foundation is the charitable arm of State Street Corporation that aims to engage employees and make a difference in the community. Its matching gift program details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $10,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

In the past year, State Street Foundation has contributed $20.2 million to nonprofits, including matching gifts and grants. In addition to donating to organizations, employees can request a $500 grant from the company after volunteering 16 hours with a nonprofit.

16. American Express

American Express is a matching gift company that matches donations at a 1:1 ratio, but increases the ratio based on certain criteria.American Express has both a generous cap on matching donations and increases its matching gift ratio for certain employees. The details of its matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: Up to 2:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $8,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

While the standard match ratio is 1:1, employees who either serve on a nonprofit’s board or volunteer more than 50 hours a year can receive a 2:1 match for the first $1,000 donated to that organization.

17. Verizon

Verizon’s matching gift program emphasizes contributions to higher education organizations, though most nonprofits can benefit.Verizon, through the Verizon Matching Incentive Program, matches employee donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The details of its matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $6,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time, part-time, and retired

 

The company matches financial contributions to most nonprofits, as long as they have 501(c)(3) status or an international equivalent. Specifically, Verizon matches individual donations of up to $5,000 to higher education organizations and up to $1,000 to other nonprofits.

18. General Electric

As the first-ever matching gifts company, General Electric has contributed a substantial amount to nonprofits around the world.In 1954, General Electric created the first-ever matching gift program. The details of this program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $5,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

To date, this company’s matching gift program has raised over $1.5 billion in nonprofit donations. Additionally, General Electric offers a generous deadline for employees to submit their matching gift request (April 15th of the year following the donation).

19. Bank of America

Bank of America offers a matching gift program that current employees can participate in.The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Matching Gifts program matches employee donations to most verified nonprofits. The details of this program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $24
  • Maximum match amount: $5,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

While retired employees cannot participate in the matching gift program, they can request a $500 volunteer grant for every 50 hours volunteered with a nonprofit, for up to $1,000 per year. Current employees can take advantage of this impactful opportunity as well.

20. CarMax

CarMax is a top matching gift company that matches employee donations and volunteer hours.The CarMax Foundation matches individual employee donations dollar for dollar. The specifics of its matching gift program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $5,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time, part-time, and retired

 

The maximum match amount factors in volunteer grants as well. For every hour a CarMax employee or an eligible family member volunteers, the company awards $15 to the nonprofit.

21. Pfizer, Inc.

Pfizer matches employee donations and volunteer hours as part of its corporate philanthropy initiatives.Pfizer is another matching gift company that matches employee donations to recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Its matching gift program details include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $5,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

In addition to matching gifts, the company has a volunteer grant program that can award up to $1,000 each year depending on the number of hours an employee volunteers. The Pfizer Foundation also offers disaster matches when humanitarian disasters occur, identifying organizations for which it will provide a dollar-for-dollar match for all contributions.

22. Salesforce

Salesforce employees can give back to the community through matching gifts and paid volunteer time off.Salesforce encourages its employees to give back to the community through its matching gifts program. The specifics of this program are:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $50
  • Maximum match amount: $5,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

Furthermore, Salesforce employees receive seven paid days off each year to spend volunteering in their communities.

23. State Farm

State Farm’s matching gift program focuses specifically on nonprofits related to education, safety, and community development.State Farm is a matching gift company that matches employee donations to specific nonprofits that focus on education, safety, and community development. The details of its matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $4,500 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time

Additionally, the company’s Good Neighbor Grant awards eligible nonprofits with a $500 grant whenever current or retired employees volunteer a minimum of 40 hours with that organization in a year.

24. The Home Depot

The Home Depot is another top matching gift company that empowers employees to amplify their contributions to a nonprofit.The Home Depot matches individual donations and funds raised by employees for charitable purposes, such as a 5K run. The details of its matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $3,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

 

Employees must register their gifts by January 31st of the year following their donation. Once they’ve registered their gift, they can easily and conveniently track their matching gift status online.

25. Starbucks

Starbucks matches employee contributions of money and time as part of its corporate philanthropy efforts.Starbucks matches donations made by current U.S. and Canada-based employees to nearly all nonprofit organizations. The specifics of this matching gifts program include:

  • Match ratio: 1:1
  • Minimum match amount: $25
  • Maximum match amount: $1,000 per year
  • Eligible employees: Full-time and part-time

Starbucks employees are also eligible for volunteer grants up to $1,000, depending on the number of hours they serve with a nonprofit.

Click through to learn how you can boost your matching gift revenue with 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.

How to Earn More Matching Gift Revenue

Since each matching gift company has differing guidelines, it’s important to have a way to effectively keep track of all of this information. Fortunately, there are tools made exclusively for nonprofits that will empower your team to identify these matching gift programs and boost your overall matching gift revenue.

Let’s explore some essential matching gift best practices for your nonprofit.

Use a Matching Gift Database

A matching gift database contains all the information your nonprofit and donors need to know about corporate matching gift programs. After considerable research and comparisons, our top recommended matching gift database to optimize your results is 360MatchPro by Double the Donation.

Double the Donation’s database houses up-to-date information on over 20,000 matching gift companies. This service allows you to embed a company search tool anywhere on your website, such as your donation page. When a donor makes a gift, the widget will automatically populate with their company’s matching gift forms and guidelines.

Use 360MatchPro's automated platform to find more top matching gift companies.

360MatchPro scans the information donors provide during the giving process, such as their employer information, and triggers branded follow-up emails depending on their matching gift eligibility. If it’s determined that your donor works for a company with a matching gift program, 360MatchPro will automatically send out matching gift request instructions on your behalf. This ensures that you can identify more eligible donors and boost your fundraising revenue.

Leverage Auto-Submission

Make it even more convenient for donors to submit matching gift requests on your nonprofit’s behalf with auto-submission. With this functionality, all they need to do is fill out their corporate email address, and the tool takes care of completing and sending the form.

To take advantage of auto-submission, the donor must work for a company that utilizes a corporate social responsibility (CSR) management platform that integrates with Double the Donation, like Millie or Selflessly. Furthermore, the receiving nonprofit must use Double the Donation’s matching gift tools.

Promote Matching Gifts to Supporters

Finally, ensure that all of your organization’s current and prospective donors are aware of matching gift opportunities by spreading the word about these programs online. In addition to using 360MatchPro to send automated emails to supporters, you can promote more matching gifts by:

  • Creating informative social media posts.
  • Writing blog posts on matching gifts.
  • Advertising your matching gift page.

Your nonprofit doesn’t need an extensive marketing budget to boost awareness of matching gifts. By making the most of opportunities such as the Google Ad Grant program, your organization can claim $10,000 a month to direct users to your matching gift page. As with any grant opportunity, be sure to conduct your research ahead of time to determine your eligibility and maximize your chances of success.

Wrapping Up

Over 26 million people around the world work for companies with matching gift programs. While these 25 matching gift companies may be some of the most notable among nonprofits, there’s an abundance of opportunities for your organization to earn more revenue for its mission.

If you’re looking for more information on promoting and optimizing matching gifts for your nonprofit, check out these helpful resources:

Click through to explore how 360MatchPro can help your nonprofit secure more matching gifts.

Explore this guide to learn the basics of how to find grants for nonprofits and the best practices to obtain free funding.

How to Find Grants for Nonprofits: A Guide to Free Funding

 

From capital support to marketing assistance, grants provide many opportunities for boosting the success of your nonprofit. After all, your organization needs steady funding to continue furthering its mission and finding better ways to make a difference in the lives of those you serve.

With the right approach, you can build lasting relationships with grantmakers and secure significant revenue to propel your projects forward. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to find grants for nonprofits in detail, so you have everything you need to begin pursuing these impactful opportunities. Here’s what we’ll cover:

For 11 consecutive years, giving from foundations has grown, reaching a total of $90.88 billion in 2021. This means that it’s an ideal time to start searching for grants that will accelerate your organization’s impact. Let’s get started with all you need to know about finding nonprofit grants.

Finding grants for nonprofits is easier with expert help. Click through to learn how Getting Attention can maximize your results.

Grants for Nonprofits: FAQs

Your nonprofit’s long-term success depends on diversifying its funding sources. If you’ve decided that it’s time to add grants to the mix, it’s important to first understand the ins and outs of this type of funding to learn how it will best fit into your current strategy.

What are grants for nonprofits?

Nonprofit grants are financial gifts that grantmaking organizations provide to nonprofits, typically for a specific purpose or initiative.

In order to receive this funding, however, your organization will need to fulfill the grantmaker’s specific requirements and submit an application. It’s ultimately up to the grantmaking organization to decide whether or not they’d like to support your nonprofit.

What types of nonprofit grants are there?

There are several types of nonprofit grants. By understanding how they differ from one another, you’ll be able to focus on the specific grants that best serve the needs of your organization. The five main types of grants include:

When figuring out how to find grants for nonprofits, it’s important to understand the five common types of grants detailed below.

  • Program grants. Program development grants provide funding for specified projects or programs, such as upgrading your nonprofit’s technology. Because of this, they usually have spending restrictions. Recipients of these grants may only use the funds for the exact purpose outlined in their grant proposal.
  • General operations support. These grants are far less restrictive than program development grants and cover almost any expense for your organization. However, general operations support grants are much rarer in the nonprofit sphere.
  • Capital grants. These grants are most commonly awarded for specific capital campaigns that involve activities such as building construction, property acquisition, or other large-scale projects.
  • Research grants. For academia and research-oriented nonprofits, research grants support their scientific research and are often attached to a specific team member in the organization.
  • In-kind grants. In-kind grants provide non-monetary assistance, such as equipment, supplies, or free counseling and personnel. The Google Ad Grants program, for instance, is a popular in-kind grant opportunity that offers nonprofits a monthly allowance of $10,000 in Google Ads credit.

Since each type of grant contributes to the success of your organization in a different way, be sure to keep these distinctions in mind when finding nonprofit grants. This ensures that you only apply for the opportunities that will benefit your nonprofit the most.

Where do grants for nonprofits come from?

When looking for grants to apply for, you need to learn to distinguish between the various sources of grant funding to set your organization up for success. The most common sources of nonprofit grants are:

To understand how to find grants for nonprofits, it’s important to know the different types of grantmaking organizations described below.

The Government

There are various levels in the government grant funnel that offer valuable funding opportunities. For instance, nonprofits across the country can receive federal grants. However, nonprofits can only apply for state grants in the particular state to which they belong. Local grants are further limited to a specific community or district within a state.

There are no restrictions on how many government grants a nonprofit can research and pursue. As long as you’ve determined that your organization meets the eligibility criteria, you can apply for as many of these opportunities as you see fit.

Foundations

These organizations play a significant role in supporting nonprofits, accounting for 19% of all charitable giving in 2021. The two main categories of foundations are private foundations and public charities, though organizations in both categories supply grant funds to nonprofits.

While a private foundation typically acquires its funds from a single individual or a family, public charities receive financial support from a variety of sources, including government agencies and program service fees. Some of the most notable foundations that provide funding opportunities to nonprofit organizations include the Ford Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Corporations

Many corporations allocate portions of their profits toward their corporate giving initiatives. The Google Ad Grants program is a clear example of a large corporation offering resources and assistance to nonprofits, with Google donating valuable ad space that most businesses pay thousands of dollars to obtain.

Some businesses also offer corporate volunteer grants, which provide funding to nonprofits after an employee volunteers a certain number of hours with the organization. 50% of Fortune 500 companies offer these volunteer grant programs, including Microsoft and Disney.

Federated Funds

Local businesses and company employees raise these funds to distribute to nonprofits. This type of “community chest” model can be a significant source of revenue. While it’s often easy for donors to give to federated funds, it’s crucial for organizations to apply for this funding early to increase their chances of securing some of these resources.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of grants?

As with any fundraising initiative, it’s necessary to weigh the pros and cons before you start pursuing nonprofit grant opportunities. Some important considerations include:

This graphic summarizes the advantages and disadvantages associated with finding nonprofit grants, described in the text below.

Advantages:

  • Essentially, grants provide “free money” to nonprofits.
  • Grants can power significant structural projects, enabling organizations to achieve large-scale social impact and further their overall missions.
  • Securing one grant makes it more likely to secure more in the future, since it builds your organization’s credibility.
  • Grants can boost your nonprofit’s visibility and reach, allowing you to win the trust of current and prospective donors.

Disadvantages:

  • The process of finding nonprofit grants and applying for them can be time-consuming, since writing effective grant proposals requires skills and thought.
  • It can be challenging to manage various expectations associated with receiving and managing a grant, such as reporting requirements.
  • Many grants, such as program development grants, come with conditions and funding restrictions.

Fortunately, your nonprofit can cut down on many of these disadvantages by addressing them upfront. For instance, adopting grant management software can make it easier to keep track of all of your grant-related efforts, saving you time and energy in the process.

Should I apply for a nonprofit grant?

Once you’ve considered nonprofit grant types, their common sources, and their associated advantages and disadvantages, it’s time to determine whether your organization should apply for these funding opportunities. Use these questions to guide you:

  • Are you able to invest the necessary time and effort into writing a winning grant application?
  • Are the activities you’re planning to undertake with grant funding consistent with your nonprofit’s mission and overall strategy?
  • Can you continue these activities after grant funding has ended?
  • How would a grant be vital to the success of your nonprofit or initiative?
  • Do you have enough qualified staff in place to implement your initiative?
  • How will grants fit into your overall fundraising strategy?
  • Do you have proven positive outcomes related to past work that you can show grantmakers?

Keep your nonprofit’s short- and long-term goals in mind when searching for and deciding to apply for grants. Make the most of your efforts by focusing only on opportunities that match your specific needs. For instance, if you’re hoping to leverage grant money to enhance your marketing, you might consider applying for the Google Ad Grant, which will supply you with funds to spend on digital ads.

Finding grants for nonprofits is easier with expert help. Click through to learn how Getting Attention can maximize your results.

How to Find Grants for Nonprofits: 5 Steps

The process of finding grants that are the right fit for your organization does not have to be complicated or confusing. By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to securing funds that will amplify your nonprofit’s impact.

Follow these five steps on how to find grants for nonprofits, detailed below.

1. Know Your Goals and Mission

Take the time to clearly define your nonprofit’s goals. There may be numerous grant opportunities available, but only some of them will actually empower your organization to achieve those goals.

Additionally, keep your mission centered in your search. By finding grantmakers that align with your mission and values, you’ll increase your chances of securing the funds and avoid spending unnecessary time pursuing opportunities that don’t match your priorities.

2. Do Your Research

You’ll need to conduct some extensive research to narrow down grant opportunities that are suitable for your nonprofit. Get started by exploring some of these resources:

  • Existing connections your staff or board members may have
  • Local grants that only support nonprofits in your area
  • Previous grantmakers that have supplied funding to your nonprofit
  • Organizations that have provided grants to nonprofits similar to yours
  • Grant directories and databases

When sifting through these sources, identify whether each grant meets your nonprofit’s needs and aligns with your mission. Additionally, it’s essential to have a specific budget outlined for the project or initiative you’re hoping to accomplish with grant funding. This will help you sift through opportunities more precisely and facilitate your application process down the line.

3. Develop a Clear Grant Proposal

As a grant applicant, it’s crucial to develop a proposal that demonstrates why your nonprofit is most deserving of the funds. Remember to:

  • Be specific. State your organization’s goals and mission clearly. Be explicit as to how grant funding will help you to accomplish those goals by listing the specific projects or initiatives the funding will support.
  • Be concise. Get right to the point in your application, so reviewers don’t feel the need to skim and potentially miss out on important details.
  • Refer to data. Leverage your nonprofit’s data to highlight the impact you’ve already created in your beneficiaries’ lives, so grantmakers can understand the potential your organization has to make an even greater difference with more funding.
  • Focus on the grant’s impact. Lay out the direct impact that you anticipate grant funds will empower your nonprofit to make in your community. This can also help you determine how you’ll measure these outcomes to comply with any reporting requirements.

The research you conduct will provide essential context that will guide your approach to each proposal. To further hone your proposal writing skills, consider searching for past successful applications online and making note of their strengths.

4. Review Your Grant Application

Before submitting your grant application, read through it from a reviewer’s perspective. This ensures that you don’t miss any important details that someone outside of your organization may need to understand your proposal.

Keep in mind that grantmakers will reference sources beyond your grant application to inform their decision. Therefore, be sure to demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact on your website, social media channels, and any other platforms reviewers may look at.

Furthermore, don’t hesitate to engage with grantmakers before submitting your applications. Whether you reach out through social media, email, phone calls, or in-person meetings, cultivating relationships with grantmakers can be crucial to securing funds both now and in the future.

5. Prioritize Proper Grant Management

After your nonprofit has received a grant, there are several best practices to follow to make the most of this opportunity. To optimize your outcomes:

  • Ensure all of your team members understand the project or initiative’s goals, steps, and strategy.
  • Submit reports in a timely manner.
  • Be straightforward about successes and challenges throughout the project’s duration.
  • Partner with a grant management expert when needed.

Effective grant management allows your nonprofit to build a positive reputation among grantmakers and maintain strong, productive relationships with organizations that have chosen to support you.

 

 

4 Best Practices for Finding Nonprofit Grants

Now that you understand how to find grants for nonprofits, explore these four best practices to maximize your success. The more preparation you invest in the process, the better your outcomes will be.

1. Use the 3-Way Fit Test

The 3-way Fit Test is a useful tool for eliminating leads that are poor matches. The three ways are:

Use the 3-way Fit test when finding nonprofit grants to determine if an opportunity is a geographic, programmatic, and philanthropic fit.

  • Philanthropic fit. Make sure the grantmakers are offering the type of funding you are looking for, such as programs, projects, general operating support, or capital. This way, you’ll ensure that you receive the type of help you need.
  • Geographic fit. Grantmakers typically choose to support nonprofits located in specific geographic areas. Focus on grantmaking organizations that fund the area you serve to increase your odds of winning the grant.
  • Programmatic fit. Consider the funder’s mission, goals, and areas of interest, and ensure that they align with your own. For instance, if you’re planning to launch a new program to support people who are homeless, appeal to grantmakers with similar missions, rather than, say, an environmental organization.

By only concentrating on the grantmakers that fit all three of these criteria, your nonprofit will be able to spend its time and resources wisely to get the most out of your efforts.

2. Learn About the Funder

Beyond researching each specific grant’s requirements, it’s critical to learn more about the grantmaking organization. This will allow you to gauge its likelihood of funding your nonprofit and help you tailor your grant proposal to appeal to its specific interests. Review materials such as their IRS Form 990 and eligibility guidelines. For instance, Google lays out very detailed eligibility requirements for the Ad Grants program.

For grantmakers who don’t have all of their information in one centralized location online, use these questions to guide your research:

  • What are their mission and current funding priorities?
  • How much grant money or resources do they have available?
  • What are their funding patterns?
  • Do they encourage grant applicants to contact them beforehand?

These are just a few potential questions to consider, so feel free to expand on this list to uncover more details pertinent to your grant application process.

3. Build Meaningful Connections

While conducting your research, consider reaching out to the funder to ask any clarifying questions. Some baseline questions include:

  • What is your selection process?
  • Have your submission instructions undergone any recent changes not shown on your website?
  • What is an appropriate amount to request in a proposal for someone who has never been funded by your organization?

Directly contacting the grantmaker will kickstart a meaningful relationship with the organization. This could give you an advantage when it comes time for the funder to review grant proposals, as you will be kept top of mind.

4. Recruit Expert Help

If your organization has limited time and resources to devote to finding nonprofit grants, consider recruiting a consultant to assist with your efforts. There are plenty of professional agencies dedicated to helping your nonprofit maximize the funding it receives to further its purpose. Getting Attention, for instance, is a Google Grants agency that can effectively get your organization up and running with the program.

If you’re interested in applying for the Google Ad Grants program and partnering with experts to handle the process, look out for key services such as:

  • Google Ad Grant application assistance
  • Google Grant account management
  • Data tracking and ensuring compliance

Oftentimes, a nonprofit grant consultant will do all of the research and apply on your organization’s behalf, so you don’t have to worry about how to find grants that fit your specific needs. Just be sure to maintain open communication with your consultant so that everyone is on the same page.

Finding Grants for Nonprofits: 13 Resources

Ready to hit the ground running with finding nonprofit grants? Here are multiple resources to get you started:

Google Ad Grants

Google should be one of your nonprofit’s first stops when it comes to researching impactful grants to support your initiatives. The Google Ad Grants program provides eligible organizations with $329 in daily ad spending, or $10,000 a month, to bid on keywords that will promote essential pages on your website to current and potential supporters online.

Like any other grant, the Google Ad Grant comes with detailed eligibility criteria and a specific application process. To maximize your nonprofit’s chances of success, it’s best to prepare ahead of time and develop a thorough understanding of the program. Luckily, there are quite a few expert resources online for training you and your staff on Google Ad Grants.

 

 

Grants.gov

Grants.gov contains over 1000 grant programs offered by all federal grantmaking agencies and allows you to search its database by selecting criteria such as eligibility requirements and category. Additionally, the website contains numerous guides such as FAQs and training videos for grant applicants.

Candid’s Foundation Directory

Candid’s Foundation Directory allows nonprofits to discover funders that may not be easily found on search engines. While you’ll need a subscription to access this resource, Candid offers its subscribers useful tools that assess whether a funder is a good match, track communications with funders, and more.

Philanthropy News Digest

Your nonprofit can search for published grant announcements on Philanthropy News Digest by signing up for a free weekly email that lists newly posted requests for proposals (RFPs). However, be sure to check other resources for more grant opportunities, since less than 1% of foundations publish RFPs.

Regional Giving Dashboards

Candid’s Regional Giving Dashboards provide at-a-glance information on top grantmakers and their funding priorities for 20 different states. You can click on each individual state to explore and even download this data for future reference.

Foundation Landscapes

By partnering with funders and philanthropy networks, Candid developed free custom web portals that display grants available to nonprofits focusing on select issues. These issues include human rights, disaster philanthropy, and early childhood care and education. Since these portals are constantly being updated, they can show you, in real time, the funders and recipients working in your nonprofit’s specific area of work.

Guidestar

The Guidestar directory includes a database of Form 990s. Additionally, you can find the names of nonprofits that a grantmaking organization funded during the filing period, the dollar amount given, and sometimes a brief description of the grant’s purpose. This can help you determine if the organization is likely to fund a nonprofit like yours, which can speed up the application process.

GrantStation

GrantStation is a funder database that produces two useful newsletters: a weekly one that lists recent U.S. grant opportunities and a monthly one that lists international grant opportunities. You can access these for free through other subscriptions/memberships, such as the Grant Professionals Association.

GrantsforUS

On the GrantsforUS website, you can find information about recently released U.S. grant opportunities that you can filter by different categories. Furthermore, you can sign up for free Grant Alerts to effortlessly stay up to date on grants that your nonprofit may be interested in.

Grant Gopher

Grant Gopher is a funding opportunity database that offers U.S. organizations free basic searches and access to the details of their first five search results. Additionally, you can access a newsletter covering a selection of open grant opportunities.

GrantWatch

GrantWatch is a directory of grants that are currently accepting grant applications. You can filter your searches by category, location, type of funding source, and recipient, though the website does charge a small subscription fee for you to access the specific details of each grant.

SAM.gov

This government grant directory provides a full listing of federal programs across all government agencies that provide grants, loans, or other types of assistance to organizations. You can search for relevant opportunities in the search bar and save or download any of your searches to refer back to later.

The Federal Register (FR)

The Federal Register announces newly authorized and/or funded programs, annual application deadlines, and award amounts for continuing programs daily.

Additional Resources

There is an abundance of grant opportunities for your nonprofit to tap into—what matters most is finding the best matches for your organization. While the process requires you to be thorough and precise, once you’ve mastered how to find nonprofit grants, you’ll be able to secure significant funds to power your growth and mission.

Remember that you don’t have to go through finding and applying for grants alone. Reach out to grant professionals, like Getting Attention, for first-rate guidance in maximizing your grant-seeking efforts.

To learn more about securing online support for your nonprofit, explore these additional resources:

 

Finding grants for nonprofits, like Google Ad Grants, is essential to your success. Click through to learn how Getting Attention can help.

While many nonprofits find Google Ad Grants confusing, this guide will clear up any confusion and guide you through improving your account.

Are Google Ad Grants Confusing You? Become an Expert Now!

The Google Ad Grants program provides eligible nonprofits with $10,000 per month to spend on Google Ads. Since its inception, the program has driven over 14 billion clicks to nonprofit websites, boosting donor acquisition, volunteer recruitment, and more. While many organizations recognize the program’s value, some may hesitate to apply simply because they find Google Ad Grants confusing.

To simplify the Google Ad Grants program for your nonprofit, we’ll cover these topics:

At Getting Attention, we provide professional Google Ad Grant support to help nonprofits make the most of this valuable opportunity. We’ll eliminate any confusion surrounding the program so you can start connecting with more committed supporters. Let’s get started!

Still find Google Ad Grants confusing? Click through to learn how Getting Attention can help you tap into this $10,000-a-month opportunity.

Why Are Google Ad Grants Confusing?

Many nonprofit professionals have limited experience regarding their Google Ad Grants accounts, which can lead to missed opportunities over time. Some of the most common roadblocks you may face include:

Nonprofits tend to find Google Ad Grants confusing for these four reasons, detailed below.

All of that said, managing nonprofit marketing grants like the Google Ad Grant doesn’t have to be confusing. Learning more about the program can prevent potential obstacles down the line.

FAQs to Clear Up Google Ad Grants Confusion

Let’s clear up anything that might be making Google Ad Grants confusing for your team with these frequently asked questions.

How much are Google Ad Grants worth?

Google Ad Grants are worth $10,000 per month, which averages out to $329 per day. So far, the program has awarded over $9 billion in free advertising to more than 115,000 nonprofits around the world. You won’t receive the grant in cash, but in the form of Google Ad credits.

Plus, if your nonprofit uses Google Ad Grants to promote your fundraising initiatives, that will make the Google Ad Grant worth even more as more donations start to roll in.

How long does it take to get approved for Google Ad Grants?

Depending on where you are in the process of applying, it may take several weeks to get approved for Google Ad Grants. The application process requires you to:

Nonprofits may find these three steps to apply for Google Ad Grants confusing.

  1. Register your nonprofit with TechSoup.
  2. Create a Google for Nonprofits account.
  3. Fill out an eligibility form to apply for Google Ad Grants.

We recommend that you start the application process as early as possible. If applying for Google Ad Grants still seems confusing to you, our team of experts is here to help you succeed!

Can I have an Ad Grants account and a paid Google Ads account at the same time?

Yes, Google actually encourages nonprofits to create a paid Google Ads account if the program is positively benefiting the organization! Standard, paid accounts are a proven way to expand your impact and gain access to features that are not included with your Google Ad Grants account, such as:

  • Remarketing. This feature allows you to customize your display ads campaign for people who have previously visited your site.
  • Image Ads. This enables you to feature ads with static and animated images on webpages in Google’s Display Network.
  • Video Ads. With this feature, you can create video ads to display on YouTube and across video partner sites.

Your accounts won’t compete with one another since Ad Grants ads already appear below paid ads on search results pages. Your Google Grant ad will be eligible to show if there’s available space, regardless of whether a paid ad is already showing.

Do I have to spend the $10,000 every month to keep my Google Ad Grant?

There are no Google Ad Grant rules regarding how much you have to spend each month to maintain your eligibility. In fact, most nonprofits don’t spend the full $10,000 every month.

The ultimate goal is to drive meaningful outcomes for your mission, not spend as much money as possible. A specialized agency can help you strike the balance between maximizing your monthly ad credits and generating optimal results.

Why does Google have a policy regarding click-through rate (CTR)?

Google requires grantees to maintain a 5% CTR every month. They use this as an indicator of ad quality since it lets them know whether users find the ads relevant to their search query.

While Google Analytics will automatically calculate your CTR for you, you can do so yourself by dividing the number of people who click through to your landing page by the number of impressions (i.e., how many people see your ad). So, if 100 people see your ad and five people click the link to your website, your CTR will be 5%.

Nonprofits may find Google Ad Grants confusing because of the high click-through rate policy, which can be calculated with this formula.

Google recognizes that it takes time to get your account up to speed and understand what compels users to click an ad. That’s why new accounts have a grace period of 90 days to comply with the policy.

How do I use Google Ad Grants effectively?

While there’s room for a lot of flexibility with the Google Ad Grant program, there is a proper account management protocol you should follow to make the most of this technology grant. Effective Google Ad Grant management consists of:

It’s essential to learn these elements of Google Ad Grant management to minimize Google Ad Grants confusion.

  • Choosing the right keywords that will connect you with qualified users searching for causes like yours.
  • Developing effective ad copy and writing three to five compelling ads that are relevant to the keywords for each ad group.
  • Tracking your analytics to determine how well your ad campaigns are performing and what you can improve.
  • Using ad extensions to promote additional pages on your site under your ads.
  • Conducting A/B tests to determine the specific elements that drive users to click through.
  • Choosing appropriate landing pages to promote and optimizing them to compel users to take the desired action.

To ensure success and free up your staff resources, consider reaching out to a dedicated Google Ad Grant agency to have them effectively manage your account for you.

5 Confusing Google Ad Grants Marketing Challenges

Alongside their unique benefits, Google Ad Grants can bring about some unique marketing challenges. Let’s walk through five confusing challenges that nonprofits often face with the program.

These five common challenges, explored in the text below, make Google Ad Grants confusing to many nonprofits.

1. Failing to meet Google Ad Grants guidelines

Some nonprofits may not understand how to meet all of the Google Ad Grants guidelines. Failing to follow these requirements can result in a temporary suspension of your account or loss of the Google Ad Grant.

Here’s a quick breakdown of Google’s guidelines:

  • Avoid single-word keywords. Don’t use single keywords that are not included on this list of approved exceptions. Avoid generic or broad keywords as they will be more difficult to rank for—only go for the ones that specifically relate to your nonprofit so you can create ads that are relevant to users.
  • Choose keywords with a minimum keyword quality score of three. Google grades keywords for quality on a 10-point scale. Each score is based on the expected clickthrough rate, how closely your ad matches the user’s search intent, and the landing page experience. Ensure that your keywords maintain a score of at least three.
  • Maintain a minimum click-through rate of 5% for your account. Your account must receive a click-through rate of at least 5% for all ads, so at least 5% of those who view your ads should click through to your website.
  • Use at least two ad groups per campaign. For each active ad campaign on your account, you must have at least two ad groups with at least two ads within each.
  • Use at least 2 sitelink ad extensions. Sitelink ad extensions allow you to link specific pages related to your ad below your main landing page. You should include at least two of these.

Sitelink features, shown in this example, can make Google Ad Grants confusing for newer search engine marketers.

 

While these rules are extremely important for remaining compliant and retaining access to the grant, they also double as tips for improving your ad campaigns.

2. Neglecting your website’s landing pages

To give your ads the best chance of success, fortify your nonprofit’s web presence before applying for Google Ad Grants. Each ad you run will direct users to a landing page on your website, through which they’ll be able to complete a desired action, such as registering for an event or making an online donation.

If your web pages are outdated or have unclear calls to action, your supporters won’t know what to do once they follow an ad and land on the page.

3. Targeting broad and generic keywords

Broad keywords like “donation” or “fundraising event” often have many bidders, and Google’s algorithm is not particularly conducive to smaller organizations winning these highly competitive terms. Therefore, it’s unlikely that your nonprofit will be able to edge out large organizations that are bidding on the same words, lowering the chances for supporters to see your ads.

Plus, with generic keywords, it’s more difficult to create relevant, targeted ads that will actually motivate many users to click through to your nonprofit’s website and engage with your content.

If you’re struggling to pick the right keywords for your cause, consider seeking professional help from Google Grants experts, like Getting Attention. We’ll take care of anything that makes Google Ad Grants confusing for your team, including keyword research!

Still find Google Ad Grants confusing? Click through to learn how Getting Attention can help you tap into this $10,000-a-month opportunity.

4. Only running a single ad per group

Each Google Ads account is broken down into campaigns that contain different ad groups assigned to specific keywords. Then, each ad group is made up of multiple ads that feature your ad copy, link to a relevant landing page, and target those keywords.

To help make Google Ad Grants less confusing, here's the structure your account should follow.

Running only one ad violates Google’s policies and could put your account at risk. Additionally, with one ad, your nonprofit can’t track or evaluate performance. With no way to note how and why ads perform differently, it can be hard to improve your Google Ad Grants strategy over time.

5. Creating unclear calls to action

Calls to action are essential to the success of your nonprofit marketing strategy. When you create a call to action, be clear, consistent, and specific.

For example, an ad that encourages people to “donate here!” but directs them to a page about your upcoming events creates a bad user experience and leaves potential supporters feeling confused and frustrated.

5 Ways to Improve Your Google Ad Grant Management

By practicing account management best practices, your nonprofit can anticipate and minimize the challenges associated with Google Ad Grants. Use these top five tips to transform your advertising efforts:

1. Create valuable and promotable web pages

There are a few steps you can take to optimize each of your landing pages before you implement ads that promote them:

If you find the page optimization aspect of Google Ad Grants confusing, focus on these key components to guide your efforts.

  • Center your pages around topics that receive high search volume
  • Limit to a single focus for each page
  • Include rich content
  • Highlight a clear call to action
  • Make your site accessible to all visitors

A high-quality landing page is a must-have to prevent confusion and ensure high conversion rates from your ads.

Is your nonprofit’s website ready for Google Ad Grants? Download our free checklist to find out.

2. Familiarize yourself with Google Ad Grant policies

Becoming eligible for Google Ad Grants is the easiest part of the process. Staying eligible is a little more difficult. Because of this, it’s best to continually check Google’s policies to stay current on all the requirements.

If you still find the rules for Google Ad Grants confusing or hard to keep up with, consider reaching out for professional help. Hiring a Google Grants agency means you can maintain compliance without ever fully understanding the guidelines.

3. Use Google Analytics to track your CTR and conversions

Not only is it required, but tracking your nonprofit’s data is also a helpful way to understand how effective your ads are. To get started, ensure that you’re meeting the minimum monthly threshold by tracking your conversions and CTR within Google Analytics. From there, you can set goals for the individual actions you want people to take, like making a donation.

A low conversion rate or CTR might mean:

  • You’re targeting the wrong keywords and putting content in front of unqualified prospects.
  • You’re pointing users to content that doesn’t match what they’re searching for.
  • Your landing pages aren’t optimized to maximize the user experience.

When setting goals and tracking conversions, make sure you’re looking at actions that are valuable to your work. For instance, your organization’s goals might relate to donations, petition signatures, event signups, volunteer registrations, or something else.

4. Make the most of your Google Ad Grant allowance

Now that you have an advertising allowance, what is the best way to make the most of it? Here are some tips for managing your funds:

  • Run multiple ad campaigns. Create three to five ad campaigns, each with tightly-focused ad groups.
  • Use at least three ads in each group. Among these ads, you should have at least one Responsive Search Ad (RSA). RSAs allow you to input several different headlines and descriptions that will change based on Google’s algorithm. Ads will then be more tailored to individual viewers.
  • Make use of the full character limit. Taking advantage of the entire character limit for headlines and ad descriptions will make your ad appear larger to viewers.

Using $10,000 in ad credits per month can be a challenge, especially when you want to make the most of it. These tips are a great place to start when you are budgeting your Google Ad Grant.

5. Use geotargeting to hone your outreach

If you’re a community-based organization or simply want to reach a local audience, leverage the geotargeting feature when creating your ads.

Geotargeting allows you to show ads only in geographic locations where users will find the information you share and the services you offer useful.

Some effective times to enable geotargeting include:

Geotargeting is a feature that can make managing Google Ad Grants confusing for inexperienced marketers.

  • You have an upcoming event that doesn’t have a virtual participation option and want to promote it to nearby supporters.
  • You provide services to a local audience and want to make sure your beneficiaries encounter your ads. Examples include food banks and homeless shelters.
  • You’re located in the U.S., but most of your donors are located in France. In this case, you’d promote fundraising ads in France.
  • Your organization has different chapters located across the country or globe. You’d want to separate campaigns into different geographic areas to ensure users in different locations receive ads for the services closest to them.

Features like geotargeting can make Google Ad Grants confusing to nonprofits, but with a little practice or expert assistance, you’ll be able to use them to your advantage.

For additional tips and tricks for getting the most out of your $10,000 a month, sign up for Getting Attention’s free Google Ad Grants newsletter!

Overcoming Confusion With Google Ad Grant Professionals

Working with an agency can make applying for, managing, and maintaining your Google Ad Grants account a more straightforward, manageable process. Even if you don’t find Google Ad Grants confusing, you might not be able to invest as much time as you need to properly manage your account and its campaigns.

Getting Attention is a Google Grants agency that’s ready to assist with all of your Google Ad Grant needs, big or small. No matter where you are in the process, you can benefit from Getting Attention’s full range of services, including:

Google Grants agencies can offer these professional services to eliminate any Google Ad Grants confusion.

  • Google Grant Application
  • Google Ad Grant Management
  • Google Grant Hygiene

No matter what’s making Google Ad Grants confusing for you, we’re here to streamline every step of the process. We’ll work with you to make sure we fully understand your organization’s brand and goals to make the most of the program.

Think you might benefit from our expert Google Ad Grant help? Get a free consultation, and we can chat about all of your Google Grants needs!

Bonus Resources: Eliminate Google Ad Grant Confusion

The Google Ad Grant is a stellar marketing tool for many nonprofits. While it can be a game-changer for your nonprofit, joining the program can be confusing and difficult to navigate. Don’t let this stop you from benefiting from this valuable program!

While our top recommendation is to reach out to an experienced agency, like Getting Attention, we also have plenty of helpful resources to boost your knowledge of Google Ad Grants:

If you still find Google Ad Grants confusing, get a free consultation with Getting Attention for professional guidance and assistance.

Raise more for your nonprofit with multiple revenue streams.

3 Revenue Streams to Strengthen Your Fundraising Strategy

As a nonprofit professional, you know how important it is to have a steady flow of revenue coming into your organization. Rather than counting on just one or two sources of funding (and potentially leaving money on the table), you need to diversify your revenue streams.

Think of revenue streams like eggs in a basket. As the old saying goes, you can’t bet on just fundraising event success or your annual peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to power your day-to-day operations. By incorporating multiple revenue streams into your fundraising strategy (or putting your eggs into multiple baskets!) you can increase your financial sustainability and expand your budget to pursue larger, high-impact projects. In this blog post, we will explore three revenue streams that can enhance your nonprofit’s fundraising strategy and help you generate more funds while expanding your donor base:

Multiple revenue streams can help your organization better serve its community and carry out its mission. Let’s begin.

Text-to-Give

To break through the noise online and engage donors directly, your nonprofit needs a strong fundraising channel that feels familiar to donors and makes the donation process simple. One innovative platform to do so is text-to-give.

Text-to-give is a powerful fundraising tool that allows nonprofits to connect with supporters and motivate them to give. Because text-to-give is used via a donor’s cellphone, nonprofits can reach supporters immediately. In fact, text messages have a 99% open rate and a 90% read rate in just 3 minutes.

According to Tatango’s guide to text-to-give, text messaging your supporters can be used to accomplish several key initiatives:

  • To encourage supporters to donate towards campaigns
  • To provide transparency about the impact of your fundraisers and show donors how their contributions make a difference
  • To encourage donations leading up to big events

By leveraging text-to-give, organizations can engage donors in real-time and streamline the entire donation experience. Here’s a breakdown of how this process works:

  1. Your nonprofit invests in a nonprofit text messaging platform that comes with features like fast messaging speeds, security for your data and campaigns, and subscriber segmentation. You’ll be given a short- or long-code, and then you can brainstorm a creative and relevant keyword.
  2. Donors opt-in to receive your text messages by texting your keyword to the short- or long-code.
  3. Your nonprofit sends donation appeals with a mobile-friendly link to your donation page.
  4. Donors click the donation page link and submit their donation in just a few moments right from their phones.

The intuitive user-friendliness of text-to-give makes it easy for donors to contribute directly from their mobile devices, increasing the likelihood of immediate and spontaneous giving. Because text-to-donate can also be used to nurture donor relations long-term, you can turn donors into recurring contributors to your mission. Text messaging campaigns can also be utilized to promote events, volunteer opportunities, and other initiatives. By incorporating text-to-give into your fundraising strategy, you can tap into the widespread use of mobile devices and reach supporters wherever they are.

Online Donation Page

Your nonprofit’s online donation page serves as a central hub for accepting contributions. Optimizing your donation page design is crucial to ensuring a seamless and compelling donation experience for your supporters.

To maximize its effectiveness, consider the following three easy-to-implement strategies:

  • Add high-impact visuals: Incorporate photos and videos that speak to your mission, align with your brand guidelines, and highlight the impact of donations. Visual content captures supporters’ attention and creates an emotional connection with potential donors.
  • Utilize storytelling: Craft compelling narratives that highlight beneficiaries. Position donors as the heroes in your story and demonstrate how their contributions can make a difference. This approach allows supporters to feel connected to your cause and motivates them to take action.
  • Simplify the donation process: Streamline your donation form to minimize the number of required fields and steps. A shorter and more comprehensive form increases the likelihood of supporters completing the donation process. Additionally, prominently display your text-to-give keyword and code on the donation page to offer an alternative giving option.

Make sure to market your online donation page widely so donors know how to give. The Double the Donation guide to digital marketing for nonprofits recommends leveraging a multi-channel marketing strategy to increase touchpoints with potential donors and boost visibility. For example, you can share your donation page link in your social media bio and your email newsletter.

Recurring Giving

Nonprofit fundraisers constantly strive for steady revenue streams and lasting donor relationships—both of which can be achieved through the power of recurring giving. Recurring giving is when donors give to your organization on a regular basis, such as monthly, to support your ongoing annual fundraising efforts.

With a well-structured recurring giving program and the right payment processor, the recurring giving amount will automatically be taken out from donors’ bank accounts each month and transferred to your nonprofit. It’s that simple! You just need to get donors on board with recurring giving by explaining its convenience and how ongoing donations make an impact on the community you serve.

The following strategies can elevate your recurring giving program:

  • Send personalized donation requests to sign up for monthly giving. You can do this over email, direct mail, or text by leveraging your text messaging software. Make sure you use a text messaging platform that has extensive segmentation capabilities so you can tailor your donation requests to the individual.
  • Communicate the impact of your mission. Share stories and testimonials that highlight the tangible outcomes of recurring giving. Show donors how their ongoing support contributes to the long-term success of your organization and the beneficiaries you serve. For instance, you might generate social media content that shows the latest program you were able to host in the community because of recurring donors’ support.
  • Create a dedicated landing page that goes into the details of your recurring giving program so donors know what it’s all about when they visit your website.

Once donors sign up for recurring giving, you can incentivize them to stay involved by creating an exclusive recurring donor club, offering nonprofit merchandise, and publicly thanking them for their support.

Wrapping Up

Diversifying revenue streams is essential for the financial health and sustainability of all kinds of organizations, from higher education institutions to nonprofits. By incorporating text-to-give, optimizing your online donation page, and promoting recurring giving, you can strengthen your fundraising strategy and create a more stable foundation for your organization. Track the performance of each revenue stream to assess your progress and make necessary adjustments.

This guide will cover best practices and strategies for nonprofit digital fundraising campaigns.

Nonprofit Digital Fundraising Campaigns: 7 Best Strategies

Click to upgrade your digital fundraising campaign with free Google Ads.

When it comes to modern nonprofit fundraising, digital campaigns are one of the most effective ways to spread awareness of your messaging and meet supporters where they are. That is partly due to the sheer number of active internet users, which is 4.9 billion—over 60% of the world’s total population.

Because of the large number of people online, it’s likely that your current supporters and prospective givers spend time online too. If you want to reach your fundraising goals and engage your audience in meaningful ways, you need to meet them where they are. That’s why hosting a digital fundraising campaign is your best bet.

However, with new nonprofit software and donor engagement strategies popping up each year, there are countless digital fundraising campaign trends that you can explore. To help you narrow your focus and streamline your marketing efforts, this guide to digital fundraising campaigns will walk you through the basics and cover the following topics:

To host a successful digital fundraising campaign, it’s important that you understand all of the moving parts. Organizing a campaign is far more than just accepting online gifts—it requires thoughtful planning and strategy. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed when you’re just starting, which is why resources from digital marketing agencies such as ours can be extremely helpful.

Without further ado, let’s dive into a simple overview of digital fundraising campaigns.

What Is a Nonprofit Digital Fundraising Campaign?

This image defines what a digital fundraising campaign is, also covered in the text below.

A nonprofit digital fundraising campaign is a well-thought-out fundraising initiative that happens over an extended period of time, aims for a specific goal, and uses the resources of online software and channels.

You likely won’t get sufficient funding for your nonprofit by just creating an online donation page and linking to it in your email communications. Digital fundraising campaigns need careful consideration and deliberation in their planning and execution. In fact, some of the most effective digital campaigns can span an entire year or recur annually if they’re successful.

With a well-planned and conducted digital fundraising campaign, nonprofits can:

  • Raise awareness of their mission. Digital fundraising campaigns allow your content and stories to take over multiple channels and reach supporters from far corners of the world. As long as they have access to the internet, your donors will be able to see your content.
  • Collect support for programs and initiatives. Nonprofits often raise funds for a specific need that they have. Launching a digital campaign can be the perfect conduit for raising the funds that your organization needs to help your beneficiaries.
  • Build your nonprofit’s reputation. Digital fundraising campaigns do wonders for your mission and for your nonprofit’s larger public image. Some of the best campaigns even get news attention. This can build your nonprofit’s reputation as an impactful and influential organization.

While the main goal of a digital fundraising campaign is usually to generate revenue, that doesn’t mean you can’t also raise awareness of your mission and build your reputation along the way. A well-planned campaign can help you hit all of those goals.

What Are the Benefits of a Digital Fundraising Campaign?

This image lists some benefits of digital fundraising campaigns, covered in more detail in the text below.

Digital fundraising campaigns bring a variety of benefits that in-person fundraising campaigns lack due to their virtual nature. Some of the benefits you can leverage with a digital campaign include:

  • Greater reach. Fundraising online gives you access to individuals you likely would not be able to reach in person. The virtual world spans the entire globe, allowing you to form relationships with a diverse group of new supporters.
  • Cost-effective. Often, digital fundraising campaigns will have lower overhead costs than in-person campaigns. In-person fundraising often involves renting an event venue, purchasing print materials, and other costs that aren’t necessary for digital fundraising.
  • Increased donor engagement. Nonprofit digital fundraising campaigns often occur over a long period of time and involve many activities which encourage long-term involvement from your supporters. This is a great way to get them further invested in your cause.
  • Increased supporter engagement. The internet allows content to be shared much more easily than on in-person channels. With a digital fundraising campaign, your supporters have the opportunity to play a huge role in your success and marketing potential. Ask them to repost your messages and share your online donation page with their friends and family to multiply your reach.
  • Data collection. An important part of fundraising is seeking opportunities and information to improve your nonprofit’s future campaigns. With digital fundraising, you can easily collect and analyze data to assess what you can do better for your next campaign. Over time, you’ll find that your digital fundraising campaigns will be more effective and generate the impact you want.

Ultimately, the core reason why nonprofit digital campaigns are so successful and valuable is that they are targeting your audience where they already are: the internet. The online world is woven into our everyday lives, whether that’s checking email, seeing what’s in the news, or staying connected with friends or family.

Digital campaigns take advantage of this online activity by incorporating your nonprofit messaging seamlessly into your audience’s regular tasks. But to successfully carry out these campaigns, you will need to do some careful planning and use the right tools.

Click to access more resources for digital fundraising campaigns.

What Are the Elements of a Successful Digital Fundraising Campaign?

This image lists several elements of a successful digital fundraising campaign for nonprofits, detailed in the text below.

When planning your nonprofit’s digital fundraising campaign, the exact steps you’ll take and the components you’ll need will depend on your unique mission and audience. However, there are some essential elements that you cannot forgo:

  • SMART goal. Set concrete goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based to lay the foundation of what your campaign will look like. Be realistic about what you can achieve, but set a goal that will push your team. If you have multiple priorities, create different goals and list them by priority. That way, you’ll have a great framework for planning the rest of your digital fundraising campaign.
  • Target audience. Establish your target audience to determine who exactly your campaign is reaching out to. This audience can be different or identical to your nonprofit’s overall audience. Keep your targets in mind as you craft your marketing messaging and choose the digital channels through which you’ll relay it. You can further narrow down your audience with donor segmentation and donor personas.
  • KPIs and data tracking. After you determine your campaign goals, consider the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to determine if you reached your goals. For instance, one of your goals might be to increase the matching gifts you receive. You would measure your digital fundraising campaign’s success based on the number of donors that work at organizations with corporate giving programs and whether you receive a match from their employer. With KPIs, you’ll have a sense of whether your campaign is working and what you could do to improve your results.
  • Nonprofit marketing plan. Even a strong digital fundraising campaign will fail if it is not promoted effectively. When it comes to your nonprofit’s digital marketing plan, it’s best to be as comprehensive and clear as possible so that your team members know exactly what to do. This includes outlining donor segments, coming up with the right messaging, and designing your marketing materials. For help organizing your campaign outreach, check out these nonprofit marketing templates.
  • Digital marketing channels. Thanks to the internet and new online platforms emerging constantly, there are a wide variety of marketing channels your digital fundraising campaign can leverage. Each of them has its strengths and challenges, so you must do careful research to tailor your content to each platform you choose to use. For instance, Instagram is great for posting images and videos, while LinkedIn is best for text-based, professional posts.
  • Digital tools and software. Your campaign will only be as successful as the tools you use and the software you invest in. Some common tools and software solutions that nonprofits use for digital fundraising campaigns include online donation tools, email marketing tools, social media planners, peer-to-peer solutions, online auction software, matching gift software, and more.

Your digital fundraising campaign can bring a great deal of value to your nonprofit’s mission when you maximize your chances of success by carefully outlining all of its essential elements. However, there are many different types of fundraising programs you can host on digital platforms. Before you begin planning your campaign, let’s take a look at some of the different campaign initiatives you might consider launching.

7 Digital Fundraising Campaign Strategies for Nonprofits

This image lists seven digital fundraising campaign strategies for nonprofits, detailed in the text below.

Depending on the resources and tools at your disposal, as well as the audience you’re trying to reach, there are likely tons of digital fundraising campaign trends you can choose from. For the ambitious nonprofit professional, you may even try to combine several of these strategies into one campaign!

That’s why we’ve compiled some of the most effective and versatile campaign strategies for you to explore. Among these top picks, there’s definitely something that fits your unique needs.

1. Google Ad Grants

Leveraging online ads is an important part of any digital fundraising strategy, as digital ads can increase brand awareness by 80%. And one of the best places you can position those ads is Google—for a majority of web users, if they have a query they want answered, they’ll turn to Google’s search function.

Google Ads allows organizations to display advertisements, service offerings, products, and other marketing content strategically in search engine results as well as non-search websites, mobile apps, and videos. That’s why whenever you Google a word like “burger”, there will be a couple of results on top featuring ads from burger companies or restaurants. And since Google owns over 90% of the global search market share, having access to Google Ads can make a world of difference for your nonprofit.

To help nonprofits with their digital fundraising campaigns, Google allows them to apply for the Google Ad Grant. This is a program that offers nonprofit professionals $10,000 in Google Ad credits to spend each month. Plus, any eligible nonprofit can make use of this grant! It’s not just allocated for a few lucky winners like other grants are, and it’s comparatively easy to apply to.

A Google Ad Grants digital fundraising campaign is one of the best ways to get your online content to the forefront and reach your target audience quickly without pushing your marketing budget. To maximize your impact with this program, consider the following tips:

  • Understand your target audience. Much like with any other marketing or promotional effort, you need to understand your target audience and what they want to entice them to click on your ads. Ask yourself why your audience is searching for a specific keyword, and tailor your ad copy to address their needs.
  • Pick the right landing pages. After you understand your target audience and what the intention is behind their searches, use your ads to strategically direct them to landing pages that will fulfill that intent. For example, if someone searches for nonprofit volunteer opportunities near them, direct them to your volunteer landing page.
  • Develop great web content. Getting your audience to your website is half the battle for your digital fundraising campaign. The other half is enticing them to stay on your site and make a gift to your nonprofit. To do so, develop professional-looking web content that positions your organization as credible—that way, viewers will trust your nonprofit and be more likely to donate.
  • Track ad campaign performance. Evaluate how well your ads are performing by tracking relevant data through Google Analytics, such as the number of website visitors and average session duration. Assess these values and consider what you can do to improve them, whether that’s improving your web content or site accessibility.
  • Experiment with ads. Once you create your ads, they aren’t set in stone. Feel free to experiment with their titles and copy, making tweaks to improve them and drive the conversions you hope for. For example, if you’re not getting the number of web visitors that you want, consider how you can make your ads more appealing to generate more clicks.

To fully maximize the potential of the Google Ad Grant for your digital fundraising campaign, your nonprofit will need to have an in-depth understanding of search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing principles. This can be difficult if your team members have no experience with SEO. Fortunately, there are marketing organizations out there that are happy to help.

If you have the budget to spare and want to ensure the solidity of your Google Ad Grant strategy, partner with a Google Ad Grant agency like Getting Attention. These agencies perform a variety of services, from setting up your Google Ad Grant account to managing your ad campaigns to ensuring your website’s content is valuable and promotable. They’ll bring their experience and expertise to your nonprofit, ensuring that you use your grant funds to their fullest potential.

Click to book a consultation with Getting Attention for your digital fundraising campaign.

2. Matching Gift Campaign

Matching gifts are a corporate philanthropy initiative in which employers will financially match donations that their employees make to eligible nonprofit organizations. In a nutshell, here’s how they work:

  1. An employee makes a donation to your nonprofit.
  2. The employee submits a matching gift request to their employer.
  3. The company also makes a donation to your nonprofit based on a fixed match rate. Companies will usually match gifts at a 1:1 ratio, but some match at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.

The only catch? Not enough eligible donors even know about this opportunity! In fact, according to Double the Donation, around $6 to $10 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed each year, mostly because of this lack of awareness.

When conducting a digital fundraising campaign focused on matching gifts, your main goal should be to raise awareness of this program. Inform supporters that they can increase their support without having to reach into their own pockets. Here’s what you’ll need to consider when conducting your matching gift campaign:

  • Market on all possible channels. By doing so, you’ll ensure as many people as possible are aware of the matching gifts opportunity. Leverage platforms that allow for greater outreach, such as social media and email.
  • Create a dedicated matching gift page. Include all the information needed to answer the frequently asked questions your donors have. Be sure to link to your donation page to make it convenient for supporters to make a gift and have it matched.
  • Bring together a matching gifts team. This team will be dedicated to ensuring that matched gifts are followed through. You might even invest in a matching gift software solution to help your team track eligible donors and follow up with them.
  • Incorporate matching gifts in the giving process. You can do this by embedding a searchable matching gift database into your donation page so that donors can quickly look up if their employer will match their gift.

When it comes to digital fundraising campaigns, don’t overlook the power of matching gift programs. Roughly two to three billion dollars are donated through matching gifts annually, and there’s been an increase in companies offering matching gifts to their employees over the last three years as well, from 12% to 51%.

As you incorporate matching gifts in your digital fundraising campaign, keep track of relevant data and analytics. This way, you can also notice any trends of where your matched donors are working and even make way for additional corporate partnership opportunities.

3. Email Marketing Campaign

Email marketing is probably one of the most common ways that fundraisers will leverage digital tools. An email series for a digital fundraising campaign will likely span weeks or even months, slowly introducing its readers to an upcoming event or new announcement. At the end of the series will be a direct call to action to show support, like a request for gifts and a link to your donation page.

However, email’s popularity can also be a detriment—the average person can get up to 121 business-related emails every day. How can you ensure that your own email marketing efforts stand out from the crowd and are actually read?

Here are some tips we recommend when it comes to email marketing:

  • Personalize your messages. Did you know that emails that include the first name of the recipient in the subject line have a higher click-through rate than those that don’t? Use your fundraising system to personalize your emails by including your audience’s preferred names in your messages. Saying “Hello David” is much more appealing and genuine than using “Dear Donor,” and tells readers that this message is meant specifically for them.
  • Segment your audience. Your donors are made up of individuals with their own unique interests. Make your appeals more meaningful by segmenting your email recipients based on common traits instead of addressing your entire audience as one group. Segment donors based on demographics such as age and location, previous experiences with your nonprofit, and giving history. These donor segments have different needs and will respond to messaging in different ways, so creating targeted strategies for each is your best bet to ensure that they open your emails.
  • Include important calls to action. The success of your digital fundraising campaign depends on the actions that you inspire your supporters to take. Remember to always include a call to action in your email messaging. Otherwise, readers will simply absorb information and not know what to do with it after! For example, you can ask readers to support you by following your social media accounts and include a direct link to your profile pages.

Although most individuals who receive your email newsletters are supporters that are invested in your nonprofit’s work, sometimes individuals who aren’t as passionate will end up on your email list. Or, maybe circumstances change and they are no longer interested. If an individual expresses that they’d like to opt out of your email series, make sure that you let them. Use this as an opportunity to ask them what they liked or didn’t like about your emails, and adjust your strategies accordingly to increase email subscriber retention in the future.

Digital fundraising campaigns that occur through email marketing can be complicated to organize and run. You’ll need to draft all your emails well in advance for each of your supporter segments to ensure maximum engagement. To help ensure your success, consider investing in a comprehensive email marketing tool and an integrated CRM system. Not only will these solutions help you manage your emails, but they’ll also help automate the personalization process, making your operations more efficient and effective.

4. Virtual Fundraising Event

Virtual fundraising events have been rising in popularity, especially in the past year. They are the perfect accompaniment to digital fundraising campaigns, allowing you to leverage many of the same benefits.

While a technology-driven event might seem not as genuine or successful as an in-person one, virtual fundraising events give you an opportunity to get creative. If you’re worried about straying too far, you can choose to adapt a previous in-person event to be virtual.

Some ideas for virtual events for your digital fundraising campaign include:

  • Virtual gala. Virtual galas are proof that online events can be just as glamorous as in-person events. Livestream entertainment and speakers and host fundraising activities to generate the revenue you need for your digital fundraising campaign.
  • Virtual auction. Auctions are well-suited to the virtual sphere. Procure high-value items to auction off and invest in a remote auction tool that allows attendees to conveniently bid on items they’re interested in. The highest bidder will win the item and the proceeds will go towards your fundraising campaign.
  • Webinar or panel. Invite nonprofit leaders and experts to discuss topics related to your digital fundraising campaign. Engage your audience in a unique way by allowing them to ask questions directly through a live chat.

Unlike in-person events, virtual events are more accessible to a wider audience. Supporters will be free to attend from the convenience of their homes, cutting down on commute times and travel fees. Additionally, you can record your virtual events, so that even if some of your supporters can’t attend due to other commitments, they can watch your event after the fact. This will help your digital fundraising campaign by allowing you to reach a greater number of interested individuals.

5. Social Media Campaign

When organizing a digital fundraising campaign, be sure to include social media as part of your strategy. Social media platforms are a great vehicle for outreach, as they allow you to interact with a wider audience that you may not otherwise have come into contact with.

Nonprofits that post on social media platforms see great success with inspiring supporters to give. In fact, 32% of donors are most likely inspired to give via social media. These platforms have become one of the most engaging and meaningful ways for nonprofits to engage with their supporters and release exciting news.

However, with the variety of social media platforms out there, it can be difficult to decide where to funnel your content. Carefully consider the following platforms and how they can support your digital fundraising campaign:

  • Facebook. A social media platform that boasts almost 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook allows you to gather your supporters in one place. Post updates and announcements on your page about your digital fundraising campaign. You can also take advantage of Facebook’s fundraising tools to add a donate button to your page and empower supporters to create fundraisers on your behalf.
  • LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an online professional network and is a perfect place to post updates about your organization and operations, as well as connect with viable volunteers or employees. It’s also a great place to find potential corporate sponsors for your digital fundraising campaigns.
  • Instagram. This social media platform is entirely based on images and short videos, both of which offer great opportunities to connect emotionally with your supporters. Create professional and creative visual content to draw their attention and encourage further engagement with your digital fundraising campaign. Your followers can easily comment on your posts and interact with your stories, creating an engaging environment for supporters.
  • TikTok. While a majority of Facebook and Instagram users are 18 to 34 and LinkedIn’s users are even older, TikTok’s users are much younger. This social media platform is perfect for connecting with Gen Z through short-form video content. There are tons of “viral trends” to try out, so consider relating your nonprofit messaging to these fun formats.

Rather than trying to master every one of these channels, we recommend that you focus on the platforms you already have the most engagement and content on. Thoughtfully create your content to bring attention to your ongoing digital fundraising campaign and encourage your audience to make donations and show their support for your nonprofit.

Click to access more resources for digital fundraising campaigns.

6. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a fan-favorite fundraising idea because it leverages the passion and energy of your supporters. Plus, it’s one of the most valuable ways to promote your nonprofit’s mission and reach new prospects you might have never had before.

Here’s how this type of digital fundraising campaign works:

  1. Recruit passionate volunteers from your supporters to fundraise on your nonprofit’s behalf.
  2. Set each volunteer up with their own personalizable fundraising page, so they can share what your organization means to them.
  3. Encourage them to share this page and reach out to friends, family, and other peers on social media.
  4. Individuals will donate to your nonprofit’s digital fundraising campaign by clicking on their loved one’s peer-to-peer page and making a gift there.
  5. Track how much each fundraiser raises to make a fun and healthy competition out of it!
  6. Show your genuine appreciation and thank your volunteers when the campaign is over.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the best ways to reach new audiences without having to do most of the legwork yourself. It’s important that you properly train your volunteers and provide them with all of the necessary resources to succeed. Ensure that your staff members are available to answer questions and otherwise assist your volunteers so that they have a positive experience as they help you fundraise.

7. Text Fundraising Campaign

Text fundraising is a form of digital fundraising that connects with your supporters through their most frequently used devices — their mobile devices. With a text fundraising tool, you can:

  • Send marketing messages directly to mobile phones.
  • Accept gifts through text messages.
  • Thank donors who have given.

This is a valuable way to increase engagement with your supporters and establish consistent communication with them. Just make sure you have their permission to accept outbound texts. You can get each donor’s preferred cell number and their confirmation to opt into texts within something as simple as your donation form!

Examples of Nonprofit Digital Fundraising Campaigns

Now that you know of the variety of strategies your nonprofit can utilize for digital fundraising campaigns, let’s take a look at some successful campaigns:

  • ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was held in 2014, and it went viral in July and August of the year. It challenged participants to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research associations. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge allowed the ALS Association to increase its annual funding for research around the world by 187%.
  • The Red Cross’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Effort. This digital fundraising campaign was held by the Red Cross in 2010 to help Haitians affected by the earthquake by providing food, water, shelter, medical care, and other essentials. This campaign implemented a text fundraising strategy by asking supporters to “Text HAITI to 90999” to donate $10. The Red Cross raised tens of millions of dollars to help more than 4.5 million Haitians, making this digital fundraising campaign a huge success.
  • Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Extra Life Campaign. The Extra Life campaign is an annual digital fundraising event held by the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Participants sign up to play games from home or online and ask friends and family to donate to your fundraising. There are Game Days every year, and the funds raised go towards helping children get the medical care they need.

Digital fundraising campaigns can take a variety of shapes and forms, making them a great choice for nonprofits that are willing to get creative. Don’t be afraid to take your fundraising to the next level by augmenting it with technology. Who knows, you might see success just like the three organizations above did!

Additional Resources

If you want to increase your fundraising efforts, engage supporters in meaningful ways, and meet new prospects, embarking on a digital fundraising campaign is your best plan of attack. Go past simply sharing your online donation page and use our tips above to take your campaign to the next level.

To continue your research and become an even better fundraiser than before, explore our additional resources:

Click to subscribe to Getting Attention’s newsletter to learn expert strategies for your digital fundraising campaign.

With tips and examples, this article will discuss ways you can improve your nonprofit branding strategy.

Your Nonprofit Branding Strategy Can Probably Be Better

A well-defined and recognizable brand can do wonders for any organization or business.  Recent studies have shown that 26% of nonprofits have rebranded in the past two years — and of these, around half (47%) have already seen an increase in revenue. This means that if you think your branding could be improved, you’re probably right. 

Click here to see how the Google Ad Grant can get more people to see your nonprofit branding strategy.

To help you learn how to take your nonprofit branding strategy to the next level this guide will cover:

At Getting Attention, nonprofit marketing is our specialty. By harnessing the power of the Google Ad Grant, we connect nonprofits with the right audiences to drive impact and build support.

Why Does Nonprofit Branding Matter?

It takes anywhere from 17 to 50 milliseconds for people to form a first impression about your brand. Use a bulletproof nonprofit branding strategy to make the most of these precious few seconds.

Effective branding makes your nonprofit more easily recognized. This directly affects whether people see your messaging and feel compelled to take action. 

This is why it’s so important to create branded content and messaging. With the right strategy, supporters can build a relationship with your brand and instantly recognize and trust it. Think about the American Red Cross—as soon as you see it, you know exactly who this organization is and what they do. To summarize, nonprofit branding is important because it:

This image explains the four reasons why nonprofit branding is important.

  • Differentiates your organization: Your nonprofit should be recognized for your own incredible work, which means it’s important to stand out from other similar organizations. Therefore, your brand will need to be representative of your organization’s unique values and mission.
  • Cultivates trust: Effective and consistent branding ensures individuals that your organization is legitimate and well-known. The more they see your logo or hear your name, the better.
  • Increases social awareness: The more people see your branding, the more people will know about your mission and need.
  • Builds a solid reputation: When your nonprofit brand touches your entire community, supporters will much more easily regard you as trustworthy and highly reputable.

Thoughtful branding execution is an ongoing process. Your nonprofit branding strategy is made of several moving parts that must be managed to create a memorable These moving parts are consolidated into your nonprofit brand guide.

Essential Nonprofit Brand Guide Components to Improve

Who is your organization? A descriptive answer to this question should be captured in your nonprofit brand guide.

This document contains your brand “rules” and ensures that your marketing team is on the same page concerning all components. Without these rules, your branding will be inconsistent and unrepresentative. Your brand guide should be detailed and include use cases for both digital marketing and print materials.

Here is what to include for both messaging and visual elements:

This image shows what components to include in your nonprofit branding strategy within your brand guide.

Your Name

It’s common to have different names depending on which region your headquarters occupy. Additionally, some organizations decide to go by acronyms. Take  M.A.D.D. or Mothers Against Drunk Driving for example. In this case, the acronym carries an emotional meaning that underlies the group’s cause. Most likely, you’ve already landed on your nonprofit name. To test its effectiveness, ask these questions:

This image includes questions that address the effectiveness of your nonprofit branding strategy.

Hopefully, you have answered “yes” to the above questions. If not, it’s time to re-evaluate your nonprofit name to be sure it accurately reflects your organization’s values.

Mission statement

Your mission statement is the core purpose of your nonprofit organization. When crafting your own nonprofit mission statement, make sure to include WHY your nonprofit exists, WHO your nonprofit is helping, and HOW your nonprofit serves them. Your WHY of your mission statement explains your vision, or how your organization would like positive change the world.

For example, The Nature Conservancy captures its mission and vision statement in a memorable and concrete way:

Mission: “To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.”

Vision: “A world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.”

The above points answer WHAT the organization is helping (lands and waters) and WHY (to increase the diversity of life). The Nature Conservancy’s “See Our Priorities” link captures the HOW of their nonprofit mission and breaks it down into goals to meet by 2030.

Tone

Your tone describes how you communicate as an organization. Are you urgent or excited? Welcoming or focused? Your chosen tone is an aspect of your overall nonprofit personality and should be representative of how you approach your cause.

A practical application of tone is your tagline. It should be short, catchy, and representative of your mission. For instance, the Montana Historical Society uses the tagline “Big sky, Big land. Big history” to encompass its promise to uphold Montana tradition.

Color

The colors you choose for your nonprofit branding can greatly influence how your audience feels when they see your organization out and about online or in person. When determining the best colors to represent your brand, try to think of the emotions that colors evoke.

For instance, green is often associated with nature while red is associated with passion or urgency. To get a full view of brand color associations, refer to this guide:

This image pictures color associations you can refer to when finalizing your nonprofit branding strategy.

  • Red: Represents energy, urgency, and passion. Many health-related organizations use this color.
  • Purple: Evokes royalty and creativity. It can also evoke stability as many religious organizations use this color.
  • Blue: Exhibits trustworthiness, openness, and faith. Human rights organizations use blue to back their missions of providing humanitarian aid.
  • Gray: Indicates simplicity and neutrality. Organizations that use this color offer a calmer aesthetic.
  • Green: Pictures growth and stability. Many conservation-based or environmental organizations tie in their values with green.
  • Yellow: Elicits a playful or urgent emotional response. Yellow is also used to demand attention and spread awareness.
  • Orange: Encompasses a friendly and warm tone. Wildlife rescue groups commonly use this color.
  • Pink: Represents creativity and innovation. Many movements in the 2SLGBTQ+ utilize this color.
  • Black: Indicates boldness and seriousness. Several justice groups use this color to mobilize their mission.

As you finalize your color palette, be mindful of existing color associations. For example, pink is also tied to the breast cancer awareness movement. Other considerations include political party and international color meanings.

It’s best to choose one primary color and 2-3 secondary colors to complement it. This way, your branding will remain simple and impactful.

Logo

Your logo is the center of your brand. It’s the image that people remember most and will recognize the easiest. Using your logo consistently helps create an association to your brand and builds the relationship supporters have with your nonprofit’s content. There are three types of logos to consider:

  1. Wordmark logos include your nonprofit name and can be more useful if your organization is not well-known
  2. Symbol logos include only the symbol of a nonprofit such as the YMCA’s “Y” symbol.
  3. Combination marks capture your mission by showing your name and a symbol. These are the most common logo type.

Whichever you choose, ensure your logo evokes the right emotion and is communicative of your mission.

Typography

Your font choices should align with your colors and logo. Sans serif fonts are a popular choice due to their readability and straightforwardness.

Consider selecting two fonts from the same family with different weights to add hierarchy to your visual brand. Use the heavier font weight for headlines and the lighter font for descriptions.

5 Nonprofit Branding Strategy Best Practices

Now that you’ve nailed your nonprofit brand guide, it’s time to explore how to use it to turn more heads and inspire greater support. Consider these best practices to catapult your nonprofit branding forward, connect with your audience, and deliver your messaging in ways that inspire support:

  1. Make your branding stand out: There are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations registered in the U.S. alone. Find ways to make your nonprofit stand out from the crowd to garner the necessary support. This is especially important for nonprofits with similar missions.
  2. Craft a compelling story: As you now know, nonprofit branding is more than just what your website and social media posts look like. It involves how you connect and communicate your stories. To take your branding to the next level, consider employing nonprofit storytelling methods. This is one of the most powerful ways to build your brand, cultivate trust with your audience, and promote your mission.
  3. Use branding on multiple channels: Branding should represent your organization consistently regardless of its platform. The marketing channels you use are incredibly important especially if you want to build relationships with donors and reach new prospects. Make your branding consistent on every channel so that supporters can recognize you immediately and continue their relationship with your brand.
  4. Update branding as needed: As with any marketing effort, it’s important to collect data and track its success to learn if there’s anything that needs to be improved or optimized. To ensure your branding stays on track and helps you meet goals, we recommend compiling regular reports and following metrics like social media interactions and email open rates.
  5. Apply for the Google Grant — One of the best ways to build your branding strategy and connect with supporters is to apply for the Google Ad Grant! With this grant, nonprofit organizations receive $10,000 in Google ad credits each month. Plus, all eligible nonprofits who apply can receive this grant, not just a select few like with most other grants. Use your Google ads to build your brand and reach more people, faster.

Work with our team to learn how Google Ad Grants fit into your nonprofit marketing plan.

Your nonprofit branding strategy impacts many aspects of your marketing efforts and donor relationships. Leverage these best practices to ensure that your branding not only represents your organization and mission effectively but that you’re able to incorporate it into key messaging and connect with supporters in valuable ways.

5 Smart Nonprofit Branding Examples

Sometimes the best way to visualize your nonprofit brand is by being inspired by other successful brands in your space. Analyzing what makes their branding so memorable and effective will help you learn the ropes or enhance your existing branding.

To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of the top five nonprofit brands to watch. We’ve included a snapshot of each’s colors, logos, and messaging, so you can see how each organization weaves its messaging into its brand.

Nonprofit Branding Example 1: Oxfam

Oxfam is a humanitarian organization dedicated to ending inequality. They call on supporters to fight injustice and poverty as one united community. Here’s what their branding looks like:

This image captures Oxfam’s visual identity as expressed through its nonprofit branding strategy.

  • Mission statement: “Equal treatment free from discrimination. Equal rights under the law. Equal opportunities to build a life and thrive. For everyone.”
  • Colors: Warm green and white
  • Logo: Green simplistic ox
  • Tagline: “The future is equal”

Oxfam’s branding reflects its values. The warm green exudes a friendly and welcoming personality that invites everyone to join in their movement. The soft logo does not include divisions or harsh lines as a reminder that everyone deserves a chance to thrive, not just survive. Additionally, Oxfam focuses on the word “equal” in its messaging to echo its mission statement.

Nonprofit Branding Example 2: Feeding America

Feeding America is the largest hunger relief organization in the United States and represents a nationwide network of food banks and pantries. Their vision is to create a hunger-free nation. Here’s a glimpse of their branding:

This image picture Feeding America’s use brand guidelines to propels its nonprofit branding strategy.

  • Mission statement: Our mission is to advance change in America by ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for all in partnership with food banks, policymakers, supporters, and the communities we serve.
  • Logo: Wordmark with wheat symbol
  • Tagline: “Our vision is an America where no one is hungry”
  • Colors: Orange, dark green

Feeding America’s mission statement is perfectly captured in its branding materials. Its inclusion of wheat and use of warm, inviting colors signal its promise to end hunger. The use of orange is also commonly used in relation to commercial food logos, mimicking Feeding America’s vision to provide meals for those in need.

Nonprofit Branding Example 3: charity: water

Charity: water is an organization dedicated to increasing clean drinking water access. Founded in 2006, it has been working to help end the water crisis through local partners and supporters. Here is how they use their story to capture their branding:

This image describes Charity: Water’s nonprofit branding strategy as seen in their guidelines.

  • Mission statement: “To bring clean and safe drinking water to every person on the planet”
  • Logo: Jerry can
  • Tagline: “Together, we end the water crisis”
  • Colors: Yellow and black

Charity: water’s jerry can has become famous in the nonprofit logo world because it represents the work this nonprofit does in a succinct and memorable way. Millions of developing communities rely on jerry cans for clean drinking water transport. Therefore, the inclusion of this symbol speaks to charity: water’s promise to bring safe drinking water to its beneficiaries.

Nonprofit Branding Example 4: The Backpack Project

The Backpack Project (TBP) is a student-run organization dedicated to easing the burden of homelessness by delivering backpacks containing food, toiletries, and other necessities to those experiencing homelessness. Here’s how their brand echoes this sentiment:

This image shows how The BackPack Project’s nonprofit branding strategy relates to the organization’s overall mission.

  • Mission statement: “to contribute to the collective effort that characterizes homelessness “rare and brief.
  • Logo: Backpack zipper
  • Tagline: Easing the Burden of Homelessness
  • Colors: Light green and gray

TBP’s branding’s star feature is its simplicity. Rather than featuring a stuffed bag to visualize the nonprofit’s mission, TBP features only a zipper to get its message across. The zipper is a nod to the backpack, but also a hope that more people experiencing homelessness will be able to “unzip” a better future where they can characterize their experience as “rare and brief.”

Nonprofit Branding Example 5: Pencils of Promise

Pencils of Promise is committed to providing quality education to children in need. They provide teacher support, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programs, and quality infrastructure to enhance learning environments. Here is how their brand captures their values:

This image pictures Pencils of Promise’s nonprofit branding strategy.

  • Mission statement: “Every child should have access to quality education. We create schools, programs, and global communities around the common goal of education for all.”
  • Logo: Yellow pencil combination mark
  • Tagline: “We are the Impossible Ones”
  • Colors: black and yellow

Pencils of Promise’s simple logo goes for the obvious without becoming intrusive. The pencil shape tells people immediately that this organization is education-centered. Pencils of Promise’s language is also bold and hopeful as reflected in its choice of bright yellow and stark black (which are also the colors of a classic No. 2 pencil!).

Additional Resources

There’s a common misconception that nonprofit branding only refers to your organization’s aesthetics. However, it extends beyond color palettes and fonts, as your brand messaging can directly impact your nonprofit’s marketing and fundraising success. If you want to reach your supporters where they are and spread awareness of your mission, having an effective branding strategy is essential.

To continue your research in learning how to push your nonprofit forward, we encourage you to explore our additional resources for nonprofit branding and marketing:

Click here to get a free consultation with getting attention

This article provides 13 top fundraising crms to consider.

13 Top Fundraising CRMs for Nonprofit Organizations (Updated for 2023)

 

Fundraising CRMs, or constituent relationship management systems for nonprofits, are vital for effective revenue generation and donor management efforts⁠. This is especially true as organizations continue to grow.

If your nonprofit is seeking a CRM solution (whether for the first time or to upgrade an existing system), you’ve come to the right place! This list of top nonprofit CRMs has been crafted with organizations like yours in mind, and we’ll highlight key features, benefits, and more for each provider.

At Getting Attention, our favorite fundraising CRMs (in alphabetical order) are:

  1. CharityEngine
  2. Classy
  3. Click & Pledge
  4. DonorPerfect
  5. Engaging Networks
  6. GiveSmart
  7. Kindful
  8. Neon CRM
  9. NonProfitEasy
  10. Raiser’s Edge NXT
  11. Salesforce
  12. SalsaLabs
  13. Virtuous CRM

One key function to consider as you browse this list of suggested fundraising CRMs is matching gift abilities. Research shows that between $4 and $7 billion in available matching gift funding is left on the table each year⁠—largely because nonprofits lack the tools to secure those corporate dollars effectively.

Luckily, more and more nonprofit CRMs are beginning to incorporate matching gift functionality into their toolkit through seamless integrations with matching gift software (the most common by far being 360MatchPro by Double the Donation).

Ready to dive in and discover the perfect donor management system for your organization? Let’s get started.

Click here to learn more about 360MatchPro

CharityEngine is one of our favorite nonprofit fundraising CRMs.

1. CharityEngine

CharityEngine offers a number of fundraising solutions, including an online donation platform and fundraising CRM. Their CRM system enables teams to quickly and easily automate fundraising, marketing, and data collection to provide nonprofits with more time to spend on mission-related projects.

Top CharityEngine features:

  • Built-out donor profiles
  • Donation pages
  • Payment processing
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Automated workflows.

Not to mention, CharityEngine donation forms drive matching gift revenue by simplifying the matching process for both donors (through personalized reminders and company-specific instructions) and nonprofits (by automating communications, collecting data, and tracking revenue growth). Since the #1 hindrance for matching gifts is a lack of awareness among supporters, CharityEngine leverage matching git software from Double the Donation to ensure each donor is exposed to matching gift information at multiple touchpoints.

Why We Love This CRM

CharityEngine’s major gifts and planned giving software capabilities allow organizations to maximize their impact and streamline their management. As major gifts make up to 80% of an organization’s total revenue, this feature offers a huge advantage.

With CharityEngine, your organization can track applications and opportunities and manage projects with just a few clicks. Its robust analytics features also provide telling insights to measure your major gift progress.

Classy is one of our favorite fundraising CRMs for nonprofits.

2. Classy

Classy is an all-in-one fundraising platform with solutions for donor management, online donations, and peer-to-peer campaigns. This fundraising CRM is designed to provide users with a central hub for campaign and supporter management called Classy Manager. With these tools, nonprofit fundraisers are able to launch and manage campaigns, track performance and donor interactions, and gain a better understanding of their fundraising overall.

Top Classy features:

  • Online donation processing
  • Event management
  • Robust reporting and analytics

And Classy doesn’t want you to forget about matching gift opportunities, either! This platform integrates with Double the Donation’s comprehensive matching gift tool to enable a searchable matching gift database, automated donor follow-ups and match reminders, and more. They even offer a two-way data sync that allows matching gift information collected in 360MatchPro to flow into Classy’s platform! When donors are encouraged to participate in their employers’ matching gift programs on multiple occasions, they’ll be more likely to request a match and secure more dollars for your cause.

Why We Love This CRM

Classy provides a 360-degree supporter interaction view, so you can observe and manage your donor interactions from every angle. You can look into individual donor histories to enhance your engagement efforts. This is especially helpful to re-engage donors and increase your donor retention rate.

For reference, the average donor retention rate across nonprofits is between 40 and 45% which can feel like you’re constantly fighting an uphill battle. However, donor management tools like the 360 supporter interaction view can help your nonprofit make every interaction count.

Explore Click and Pledge's fundraising CRM.

3. Click & Pledge

Click & Pledge offers powerful donor management tools built on the Salesforce platform. This innovative fundraising CRM can even help users sort and rank donors based on an algorithm that considers personal donations, amounts fundraised, and gifts within an individual’s network in order to identify their highest-value supporters.

Top Click & Pledge features:

  • Automated communications
  • Data analytics
  • Manual donation processing
  • Seamless Salesforce integration

Plus, Click & Pledge integrates with the top matching gift solution, 360MatchPro, to promote matching gift opportunities to supporters, drive more company match requests with automated communications, and boost fundraising revenue overall.

Why We Love This CRM

Click & Pledge offers effective video fundraising options to capture your donor’s hearts. You can simply embed donation forms directly into your videos for viewers to donate without having to exit the video experience.

This solution doesn’t allow viewers to get distracted, so they can give to your cause at the best time—right after viewing your mission. And, recent studies have shown that 57% of people who watch nonprofit videos go on to make a donation. With Click & Pledge, you can make this process as easy as possible.

DonorPerfect is a favorite nonprofit fundraising CRM.

4. DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is a comprehensive fundraising solution that specializes in strategic donor management through targeted communications, multichannel outreach, easy donation processing, and customizable reports. Plus, it can save fundraisers tons of time and resources when they employ DonorPerfect’s extensive automated workflows!

Top DonorPerfect features:

  • Payment processing
  • Fundraising event management
  • Online donation forms
  • Insightful data analytics

This platform also incorporates matching gift tools and strategies with a Double the Donation integration. This way, organizations can easily communicate the importance of matching gifts to donors and provide targeted next steps depending on the individual’s employer. The easier it is for donors to participate in matching gift programs, the more likely they are to follow through with their request, and the more dollars that go toward your mission!

Why We Love This CRM

DonorPerfect has a wide variety of integrations, enabling your team to choose the ones that will best complement your goals. From volunteer management to website and event management, DonorPerfect will have your team covered.

Engaging Networks is a favorite fundraising CRM.

5. Engaging Networks

Engaging Networks is a multi-faceted fundraising platform with tools for online donations, nonprofit marketing, peer-to-peer campaigns, donor and data management, and more. This eCRM is dedicated to providing users with cutting-edge technology with constantly developing upgrades, newly released features, and a web of seamless integrations.

Top Engaging Networks features:

  • Advanced visual reporting
  • Target audience query builders
  • Fundraising performance analysis
  • Donor profiling and geotargeting

One of their most impactful integrations is with Double the Donation’s matching gift software, 360MatchPro. Thanks to the Engaging Networks and Double the Donation integration, organizations can quickly boost matching gift revenue by promoting these program opportunities at multiple donor touchpoints. This includes, but is not limited to, during the donation process itself and within a number of automated and customizable email follow-ups.

Why We Love This CRM

Engaging Networks is currently the only platform that offers artificial intelligence fundraising capabilities. This future-forward option leverages machine learning to help organizations reach fundraising goals and transform one-time donors into recurring supporters. As your data changes, artificial intelligence fundraising can continue to predict patterns and give an in-depth glimpse into supporter behavior. 

GiveSmart is a top fundraising CRM to consider for your nonprofit management.

6. GiveSmart

Formerly SimplyFundraisingCRM, GiveSmart is a fantastic solution that equips nonprofits with innovative donor management tools. The top benefits of GiveSmart include saving time through strategic automation, raising more with effective fundraising solutions, and receiving guided assistance from a panel of expert fundraising advisors.

Top GiveSmart features:

  • Automated donor acknowledgments
  • One-click donor reports
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Data analysis

Not to mention, the platform integrates with Double the Donation’s most comprehensive matching gift solution to help drive additional revenue from company matches! Through donor screening practices and automated communications, organizations can easily promote matching gifts and encourage supporters to participate.

Why We Love This CRM

GiveSmart’s ticketing and guest management features work great for any type of event—in-person, online, or hybrid that can keep up with changing preferences. In addition, GiveSmart has scheduled text messaging that engages supporters at the most opportune time.

Kindful is one of our favorite nonprofit fundraising CRMs.

7. Kindful

Kindful CRM is a product of Bloomerang that is designed to build seamless connections between various nonprofit processes to streamline backend efforts and provide improved donor experiences. This platform emphasizes the power of technical integrations with a number of other fundraising platforms to provide an interconnected network of fundraising software that drives success.

Top Kindful features:

  • Tracking and reporting
  • Donor lifecycle dashboards
  • Detailed donor and contact records
  • Donation tracking
  • Wealth insights

And for many Kindful clients, this network incorporates matching gift software and practices as well. Their matching gift integration with Double the Donation’s comprehensive automation tool allows organizations to promote company matches through personalized outreach and match reminders. Plus, users can configure automated follow-ups to include matching gift instructions, next steps, and guidelines for each individual’s employer, which ultimately results in increased matches and revenue.

Why We Love This CRM

Kindful’s library of integration features is vast, but there is one specifically worth highlighting—Kindful’s email capabilities. Kindful enables your organization to send timely, personalized donation receipts and campaign emails to establish a personalized cadence with donors. According to TruConversion Reports, an email marketing campaign can deliver a return of $40 for every $1 spent. This places email in the highest marketing ROI category.

Neon CRM is a fantastic fundraising CRM for nonprofits.

8. Neon CRM

Neon CRM is a donor management solution created by the fundraising platform Neon One and designed to scale up alongside organizations of any size. This versatile solution is able to help manage nonprofit fundraising, memberships, events, websites, and more.

Top Neon CRM features:

  • Online web forms
  • Grant management
  • Constituent login portals
  • Automated receipting
  • Accounts and relationship tracking
  • Donation processing

Plus, their matching gift integration with 360MatchPro by Double the Donation enables organizations to significantly increase matching gift awareness through strategic follow-ups and personalized guidelines⁠—and boost matching gift revenue as a result.

Why We Love This CRM

Neon One includes website design solutions that can help you build and manage web pages with confidence. With its web design tools, you can generate responsive, SEO-optimized web pages with no coding needed. This way, you can promote your mission through an engaging online presence.

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NonProfitEasy is a great choice of nonprofit CRM for fundraising and donor management.

9. NonProfitEasy

NonProfitEasy is a product of the Lumaverse technology company that was built to provide organizations with simple, scalable solutions. Previously known as Fundly CRM, NonProfitEasy makes its goal to “turn one-time donors into lifetime supporters.”

Top NonProfitEasy features:

  •  Donor communication
  • Event management
  • Pledge and grant tracking
  • Customizable and predefined data reports
  • Membership management

And with a seamless integration with the industry-leading matching gift tool, 360MatchPro, NonProfitEasy users are able to double supporter donations while saving time and effort through automation. This includes donor information screening to identify match-eligible transactions, customized outreach triggered to remind eligible individuals of matching gifts, and powerful tracking and reporting capabilities with forecasting tools.

Why We Love This CRM

TheNonprofitEasy includes enhanced member engagement features, so you can create member levels and pricing that reflect your nonprofit’s needs. Additionally, its embeddable member forms make it easy for you to create compelling member marketing campaigns. Member-specific email blasts also let you personalize your communications.

Raiser's Edge NXT is one of our favorite nonprofit CRMs for fundraising.

10. Raiser’s Edge NXT

Raiser’s Edge NXT is a nonprofit fundraising CRM built by Blackbaud that provides organizations of all sizes with donor management tools. The Raiser’s Edge NXT is their newest version of the product, which is a cloud-based software that aims to provide the social good community with an easy and effective fundraising solution.

Top Raiser’s Edge NXT features:

  • Growth opportunity identification
  • Dynamic email campaigns
  • Integrated multichannel techniques
  • Automated workflows
  • Accessibility from any device
  • Donor data analytics

To incorporate matching gift fundraising efforts as well, Raiser’s Edge NXT integrates seamlessly with Double the Donation’s matching gift software. This enables nonprofits to leverage the most effective matching gift strategies with little to no time and effort required of their fundraising teams. With automated donor follow-ups and match reminders, organizations see significant increases in match revenue!

Why We Love This CRM

Raiser’s Edge NXT has extensive donor data tools that offer automated checkups to ensure your data is up to date. With clean and correct data, you’ll be able to foster more meaningful interactions and track your entire constituent community.

Salesforce is a fantastic fundraising CRM for nonprofit organizations.

11. Salesforce

Salesforce is a popular CRM solution for businesses and nonprofits alike⁠. Salesforce.com caters to the for-profit side of the sector, while Salesforce.org targets nonprofits, schools, and other mission-driven organizations.

Top Salesforce features:

  • Donor-centric relationship-planning
  • Digital-first fundraising experiences
  • Program management, reporting, and grantmaking

This comprehensive platform also allows Salesforce clients to extend their CRM functionality through a number of technical integrations with partners listed in the Salesforce AppExchange⁠ marketplace—one of which is Double the Donation. When users leverage Double the Donation’s matching gift automation tools, nonprofits can collect two gifts for every one donation solicited by driving matching gift participation.

Why We Love This CRM

Salesforce’s digital marketing tools can help you make the initial ask and retain them long-term. With Salesforce, you can launch a series of emails or a full-blown, multi-channel campaign. The best part? Salesforce’s personalizing email features let you catch each individual supporter’s attention.

Take a look at SalsaLabs for a great fundraising CRM.

12. SalsaLabs

SalsaCRM from SalsaLabs is a powerful and effective donor management system. This software works well alongside Salsa’s other fundraising products in addition to a range of other top fundraising solutions⁠—including Double the Donation’s matching gift tools!

Top Salsa features:

  • Rich donor profiles
  • Extensive relationship-tracking
  • Automated suggested gift calculations
  • Unified online and offline gift management

The Double the Donation integration allows Salsa clients to utilize Double the Donation’s matching gift software, 360MatchPro, alongside their fundraising CRMs and donation forms to automate matching gift communications with donors. This boosts awareness of these programs and their availability while encouraging eligible donors to request matching donations from their employers. Ultimately, these tools result in increased corporate donations and better donor relations.

Why We Love This CRM

SalsaLab’s donor profiles are overflowing with usable information for you to access unlimited custom fields and activity timelines. The platform’s automated “next suggested gift” calculations determine the optimal amounts for you to ask each donor. This way, you’ll engage with donors on a personal level and make an ask that aligns with their donation history.

Virtuous is a favorite nonprofit CRM for fundraising.

13. Virtuous CRM

Virtuous offers a nonprofit CRM that is designed to help fundraisers streamline donor management efforts, improve supporter relationships, and leverage data-rich insights for improved practices.

Top Virtuous features:

  • Omnichannel marketing strategies
  • Donor analysis with highlighted opportunities
  • Personalized cultivation and retention plans
  • Reporting dashboards

With Virtuous, nonprofit clients can configure their fundraising CRMs to incorporate Double the Donation’s matching gift functionality. This integration allows organizations to increase matching gifts and improve their strategies through automated email follow-ups that contain employer-specific program information and instructions. When more donors request company matches from their employers, the nonprofit receives additional gifts for free!

Why We Love This CRM

Virtuous CRM’s social insights can give your organization the opportunity to make informed donor decisions. Using these insights, you can track givers based on their interests, persona, affiliations, and social media profiles. From there, you can suggest a relevant next action based on individual donor preferences and passions.

Tips for Selecting a Fundraising CRM

There are several CRMs out there and it can be easy to get overwhelmed with so many options. To assess your CRM needs, ask these questions:

  • What are my organization’s goals? Refer to your mission statement and accompanying objectives to decipher your goals based on your organization’s purpose and size.
  • How big is my organization? Take a look at your contact list, how many emails you send, and your revenue baseline metrics. Then, consider your revenue goals for the coming years to get an idea of how much growth you’re likely to achieve.
  • How much data needs to be migrated? Migration determines CRM cost. If you have to collect data from multiple disparate sources, you will have a higher end cost.

Asking these questions ahead of time can help you narrow your search and decide on a scalable solution that best suits your specific needs. You might also decide to request a demo for multiple platforms to compare their capabilities.


Did any of these fundraising CRMs catch your eye? The providers listed above are some of our favorite solutions for nonprofit data management, donor relationships, automated communications, and more.

The more efficient your software, the more efficient your organization’s practices will be and the more you can do for your mission as a result. Good luck!

Check out these other educational resources to learn more about effective nonprofit fundraising and engagement strategies:

Click here to see how 360matchpro can help you reach your matching gift goals.