Insights Archive - Page 10 of 31

In the basketball world, March is the most wonderful time of year. Our collegiate teams find out if the hundreds of hours devoted to practice, travel, and gameday have landed a ticket to a national tournament in March. Recent post-season victories flooding our screens remind us of the many successes that higher education institutions may have the opportunity to celebrate: awards, honors, athletic feats, Nobel Prize winners, ribbon cuttings — the list goes on.

In this article, we explore how to engage your donor base in collegiate success. Ben Mandelbaum, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Alcorn State University, a “public historically Black, comprehensive land-grant institution of higher education” located in Mississippi, helps us paint the picture through the lens of basketball.

Annually, CCS Fundraising conducts thousands of personal interviews with constituents of our incredible partner organizations. One of the questions we like to ask during those interviews is, “When you choose to make a gift to a nonprofit organization, what compels you to make that gift?”

Year after year, donors are compelled to give when they feel they are making a true impact with their gift and that something great happened because of their generosity. Storytelling is an important way of underscoring the impact made from philanthropic gifts. If your higher education institution has achieved a noteworthy feat, like making a national tournament, it is a tremendous opportunity to engage your community.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while telling your story.

FOR NEWLY ENGAGED constituents

Whether your school has made it to a tournament game or seen another success among the student body or institution, consider these tips for engaging your community now.

Partner with your school’s marketing department to share your message in a timely way. Once you have something exciting to share, you can plan and schedule your social media content to post at opportune times.

In fundraising, we always say that folks want to be a part of success. Your own community’s local media likely will be interested in showcasing the good news of your school. If you can share on a wide scale, end your engagement stories with a call to action by sharing where constituents can continue to engage with and cheer on your university.
Use this opportunity to showcase how a win for your team, or other triumph at your school, extends to positive accolades for your regional community. As in campaigns, success builds upon itself, and a strong educational institution pays dividends to communities.
Lean on your volunteers. Has an identified prospective donor showed interest in your success? Ask one of your closest fans to invite them to the game and sit with them, or invite them to special presentation from a university award winner. Nothing helps show the power of your mission than being in it.

With all eyes on your team, help show the world what it took to get here. It could be a great time to share some of your easy-to-understand team needs; the cost of a scholarship, room and board for a standout athlete, equipment, and gear, can be daunting. And if your constituents want a thriving college community, nothing is better for enrollment in my opinion than something exciting to stand behind.
Ben Mandelbaum, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Alcorn State University

FOR YOUR BIGGEST FANS

When it is time to speak personally with your closest constituents about supporting the program, consider the following ideas:

In some ways, individual students’ stories can make the most difference. Each student has a unique story that brought them to your school. When appropriate, help donors connect with those stories. Most certainly, a standout student, faculty or staff member from your home state adds a layer of excitement.
When it comes to a “quick win,” no one understands you better than your top donors. Sharing what is needed in real time — whether a travel expense, celebratory gear for the team, or the like — can make it clear for donors to understand and support your needs.
For VIP prospective donors, it is important to make the need tangible. Each school has different budgets, and budgets are shockingly disparate. Bring your prospects into the fold and show them what is needed to take your program to the next level.

You can make people feel really close to the game. Invite folks to practices, show them through your eyes what your needs are. A quick walk through the locker room, as an example, and you won’t have to explain that it needs a facelift.
Ben Mandelbaum, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Alcorn State University

IN THE OFFSEASON

Looking for a new storyline for a giving day? You can use a running storyline to grasp audience engagement, like a day in the life of different players, or an example of things that happen each month leading up to a major success.
It can be hard to explain in the moment how much goes into a collegiate achievement, like making a national tournament. Use the offseason to point to what it felt like to work up to tournament season personally, in your own words.
Use the time in the offseason to research who supported your team when you made a call to action or when you had a great deal of success. Use that research to determine who should be next on your list to qualify as a potential continued donor.

Every team has a story. I hear the ins and outs of each player every day. If more people knew those stories, how could you not root for the team?
Ben Mandelbaum, Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach, Alcorn State University

In conclusion, with the above tips, you can translate your good news into ongoing philanthropic support and engagement for seasons to come. Congratulations to all teams who participated this year and to every college and university that has seen a recent institutional success. And congratulations to Coach Ben and the Alcorn State Braves on their regular season title and NIT appearance.

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Stalled Fundraising Campaign? Reignite It With These Four Steps

March 7, 2025

Learn how to reinvigorate a stalled fundraising campaign with intentional strategies that reignite donor engagement and investment.

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CCS Philanthropy Pulse

February 13, 2025

Uncover the latest fundraising trends in the 2025 CCS Philanthropy Pulse report! Packed with data-rich insights from 600+ nonprofit organizations across diverse nonprofit sectors, this free report will help you plan for success in 2025.

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The front cover of the March 2023 "Raising & Investing Endowment Capital in the Education Sector" report

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

For many school foundations and university councils, generating endowment capital is a top priority. Although there is a popular misconception that endowment funds are harder to raise than capital project funds due to the lack of tangible outcomes, endowments have long-term, positive effects on organizational programs and the people they serve.

While Australian fundraisers do face challenges in raising endowments, the education sector has seen success. Australian fundraisers can build upon this success by adopting the right mindset, dedicating resources, and utilizing best practice strategies.

CCS Fundraising is a strategic fundraising firm that partners with nonprofits around the world for transformational change.

Koda Capital is an independent investment governance advisor and endowment portfolio manager advising Australian secondary and tertiary education institutions.

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SEE ALL IN: Higher Education Primary and Secondary Education

DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION SLIDES

Planned giving is an invaluable tool for growing your annual and major giving programs, but have you avoided implementing it because you doubt you have the time or the resources to do it well?

CCS experts Anne Thomas and Christopher Dake help remove the fear and uncertainty of engaging in planned giving, provide best practices for what you can do with limited time and resources, and share tips on how to determine your real planned giving potential, including:

How to address the most common concerns for investing in planned giving
How a growing planned giving program can help you meet your short and longer-term revenue goals
Initial steps to set your organization on a path to short- and long-term financial growth

PRESENTED BY

Christopher Dake

CCS Alum

Anne Thomas

CCS Alum

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CCS Philanthropy Pulse

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Major Gift Fundraising: The Revolutionary “Faster Funnel Process”

February 6, 2025

In this article, learn how to apply the Faster Funnel Process to your organization to support major gift fundraising, save time, and ensure that development officers can focus on your most promising leads.

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Religious organizations are one of the nonprofit sectors facing the greatest pressure to adapt to the current needs of the members and communities they serve. With aging structural facilities, increased technological demand, generational shifts in spiritual priorities, and a growing cultural need for healing, organizational budgets and staff can feel stretched thin.

To meet this growing wave of donor engagement and societal need, many religious organizations are embarking on transformational, multi-year, capital campaigns. These campaigns support growth and prepare their faith communities for a lasting, sustainable future.

Strong major gift efforts at the outset of campaigns can generate early momentum and provide anchoring stories of donor generosity and philanthropic impact, which can resonate throughout the potential donor pool. This article outlines the necessary steps for your religious organization to identify and engage potential major donors, and to secure early major gifts to stimulate community engagement throughout your capital campaign.

1. Leverage Strong Leadership: Use Your Existing Resources

The key to a successful major gift initiative is to utilize available resources to identify and engage the most generous and active donors. Easily accessible prospects that have an affinity for supporting your organization or similar organizations and are able to give are those who are most likely to provide a transformational gift toward the campaign.

Leadership in this stage of a campaign starts with the faith leader. If the head of your organization is actively involved in the process, the probability of participation will increase and yield a fruitful fundraising campaign. Likewise, the supporting committee chosen to back your leaders must feel equally enthusiastic about the mission and plan for conducting the campaign.

Within a religious campaign, your main prospects are already built into your existing community. It is essential to leverage your leadership for prospect identification purposes. Often, faith and lay leaders can help determine many prospective major donors based on personal knowledge and community connection.

Once these prospective supporters have been identified, campaign support staff and research tools can maximize potential gifts by determining potential ability and affinity. Our team at CCS Fundraising employs a suite of research tools to understand a prospect’s financial potential and historical giving trends to your organization and fellow nonprofits. Some of our go-to tools include (but are not limited to) multiple wealth screening analysis, data collection from 990 forms, and internal modeling tools based on giving trends across the country. These tools allow us to identify families with a large propensity that may not be immediately apparent based on their giving history.

2. Share your Comprehensive Case: Convey True Need

Once we have identified top prospects, the next objective is to bring them to the table and to share the case for support. Letting those you hope to engage as lead donors have the first look at the campaign case is crucial to creating a sense of unity, leadership, and importance of the proposed projects.

Invite your top prospects to a campaign “launch event.” A launch event allows donors to learn about the overall campaign needs across ministries, meet like-minded donors and other interested parties in the campaign, and unite under a mutual initiative to strengthen your community of faith.

This event also allows faith leaders to launch further conversations and gives a natural connection point with their top donors. By presenting a strong case early, a faith leader can brief donors on specific case elements, address questions, and reiterate individual donor impact in a personal manner.

Early supporters will ask intentional questions, reflect on the transformative planned initiatives, and initiate discussions with their pastors on how they can best support the campaign. If they show up to the event, it is very likely that they are already interested in the campaign and willing to participate in some capacity. The leader’s job is to continue this conversation and provide the correct request.

3. Make the Request Personal: Prioritize Consistency and The Follow-Up

Now that the donor has knowledge of the campaign from a group-based event, the faith leader should continue a personalized dialogue to discuss their gift. The formal gift request should take place in a private setting; this is a conversation between the leader, the individual, and their family. It may be beneficial to have an additional campaign leader that maintains a close relationship with the donor as a supporting advocate who can navigate specific interpersonal situations. The request should be expressed verbally and in a formal letter that should be left with the donor at the end of the meeting.

Following the gift request, the prospective donor will likely take some time to consider their gift. Thank the donor for their time, and promptly move into the follow-up phase within the next one to two weeks. CCS has found that after the five to seven-day window, gift amounts and donor interest tend to decrease significantly, unless proper follow-up steps are taken. Schedule the follow-up as a starting point to clarify any additional questions and to secure a transformational gift.

unlocking transformational giving

Conducting a successful major donor solicitation involves three key steps: identifying and researching potential lead gift prospects, building relationships with these donors, and making the ask. By taking these steps and securing large gifts early in a campaign, your religious organization can not only gain a strong funding foundation, but also inspire others to give generously and engage more deeply with organizational life.

The impact of this early success cannot be understated—it will provide a strong message to the community that the mission is important and worthy of investment to a significant degree. By implementing a strategic and thoughtful approach to major donor solicitation, your nonprofit can secure the funding it needs to make a meaningful impact throughout your community and strengthen your mission and resources for future generations.

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CCS Philanthropy Pulse: Faith Spotlight

February 2025

This Faith Sector Spotlight is adapted from CCS’s 2025 Philanthropy Pulse report to provide an in-depth look at the data provided by 38 survey respondents from that sector.

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Volunteer Fundraising in the Religious Sector

December 19, 2022

In this article, we outline our approach to recruiting top-notch volunteers for our parish partners. We also share a case study at a rural Ohio parish to illustrate the incredible impact that volunteers have on a successful campaign.

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Faculty can be valuable partners to the fundraising and advancement team in strengthening program interest and investment. Faculty are key storytellers when conveying a school’s mission and value, with veteran faculty often embodying the school’s unique culture and educational philosophy. Partnering with faculty for fundraising, however, can take a bit of finesse; fundraising is your job, after all, not theirs. But by understanding why, how, and when to engage faculty, fundraisers can benefit from their perspectives and produce compelling stories that impact institutional giving.

What type of donors would be interested in hearing from faculty?

Faculty stories may add depth to donor conversations and underpin the school’s unique value proposition. Prospective donors with particular interest in faculty stories may include:

Leadership/Major Gift Donors who seek a connection between capital projects and curriculum.
Leadership/Major Gift Donors who have an interest in endowment and perpetual investment in people.
Annual Fund Donors who are unfamiliar with the professional development, learning, technologies, and other opportunities annual giving provides to support faculty’s work in and out of the classroom.

Because each of these donor types have different motivations for understanding faculty perspectives, it is important to adapt your creative storytelling to your audience. Advancement may consider integrating faculty voices into the following communication channels and fundraising material:

Campaign proposals
Annual fund appeal and/or brochure
School website
Stewardship material (reports, ‘thank you’ videos)
Roundtable conversations/events
State of the school or townhall presentations

What are considerations for selecting faculty?

Faculty can be valuable fundraising resources for educational institutions as advocates for the school, fountains of knowledge about programs, and connectors to students, alumni, and families —but they are also busy people. When considering asking faculty to give their support and time to fundraising efforts, it is important to know when and how to ask. Consider: when are the hectic times of the semester and academic year? What is their current course load? Are they also a department chair, athletics coach, activity leader, researcher, or faculty representative on a committee? A faculty member who is thinly spread might not have availability to help now, but may be available to help next semester. Do some initial research into their workload or schedule before making a formal request, and then try to be flexible in planning around when they are most likely to be able to help. Fundraising is not their job, so remember that your willingness to work with them will go a long way in a partnership.

How should I request faculty help?

When asking for a faculty member’s perspective, frame your request in a way that clearly illustrates two things:

How their voice and expertise connect to the fundraising effort, and
How a potential gift will impact their day-to-day work experience

For example, a science teacher who made do with an undersized lab, yet has a waiting list for her classes and a roster of alumni who have become scientists, has a compelling narrative, and the case for support should include her story. Her story will add authenticity and convey urgency and impact. Let faculty members know that their voices are valuable assets, and the goal of including their voice in fundraising is to enhance their programs.

When should I engage faculty?

It is important to know when it’s worthwhile to leverage faculty viewpoints and knowledge for fundraising purposes. Specific fundraising opportunities that can benefit from faculty stories may include:

Broad parent, grandparent, and alumnae engagement
Generating interest in the school’s unique educational vision
Creating connection between curriculum and capital projects
Providing context for technology needs
Demonstrating impact and value of investment
Sharing gratitude through stewardship initiatives

How should I work with faculty to have their voices represented?

Working with faculty also requires connecting the fundraising goal and message to the faculty member’s area of expertise and personality. Consider: is the individual a good speaker and comfortable on screen, and would a video serve their program and message well? Or, would an interview that translates into written materials be more appropriate? Additionally, how much time can they lend to the effort—can they do an in-person interview, or is it easier for them to answer questions via email? A captivating performing arts department chair hoping to get a major theater renovation could be a great candidate for a video that includes on-screen speaking and clips of recent productions, as an example.

Remember to meet the faculty member where they are in their availability to assist, and tailor the fundraising materials and media to produce the best outcome for them, their program, and ultimately, the school.

How can I establish an ONGOING partnership with faculty?

At the core of an ongoing engagement with faculty for fundraising purposes is a mutually beneficial partnership. But how can advancement staff motivate faculty to participate?

First, make it easy for them to contribute their thoughts and expertise by asking the right questions that get to the heart of their valuable input.
Also, help them garner the buy-in they want and need for their programs. For example, invite faculty to events where they can speak directly with potential donors about their work and vision.
Lastly, consider how faculty can use advancement resources, such as: learning how to communicate their funding needs, gaining exposure to additional funding opportunities or interested donors, or marketing their programs through advancement publications.

Under the right circumstances, faculty can provide impactful firsthand perspectives that contribute to a stronger case for support with donors. Knowing the right situations for engaging faculty, and how to work with their expertise and schedules, will go a long way toward creating a powerful and lasting fundraising partnership.

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In a recent conversation among CCS Fundraising’s Human Services Sector Team, we discussed nonprofit clients tackling industry-wide challenges through innovative solutions and best-practice fundraising. Our recent client, Ability Beyond, a human service organization that provides programs and services for adults with disabilities, was mentioned several times for its forward-thinking approaches and expert fundraising team.

We invited Jane Davis, President & CEO; Tracy Conte, Vice President of Development & Community Engagement; and Elita Walker, Director of Development, to discuss the mission, work, and fundraising at Ability Beyond.

For our readers who aren’t familiar with your work, what do you do?

Jane Davis: Ability Beyond provides services to about 3,000 people with disabilities per year across New York and Connecticut. Our services include residential and day services, employment services, mental health services, and supplemental supports like outpatient clinics, transportation, and participation in Special Olympics. We’re the second largest agency in the state of Connecticut, and this year, we’re celebrating our 70^th anniversary!

With a culture of innovation, Ability Beyond is changing the care industry. Our employment consulting service, Disability Solutions, has helped 6,500 people across the country and internationally gain employment and is transforming the worldwide workplace to be more inclusive of people with disabilities. Our problem solving doesn’t stop there. Facing the growing, industry-wide shortage of qualified caretakers, we developed an app to match available, trained staff more efficiently with clients and open work shifts. Since launching in February 2022, the number of shifts filled has increased by 40% and the use of part-time flex staff covering shifts has almost doubled. We have also seen positive trends in employee retention due to the ease, flexibility, and opportunity the app provides.

What fundraising challenges are you facing right now?

Tracy Conte: Though it’s always a challenge at a nonprofit, we are in a five-year campaign and have a lot of prospects to pursue with a limited staff. We are figuring out how to deepen relationships with donors. Our services are in Connecticut and New York, but we are looking to pursue foundation funding on a national level. It takes time to develop and pursue these relationships, so we are always working on how we can convey our impact and tell our stories in a way that is approachable to donors.

We’re also strategizing about how to engage donors with all the different innovations and services that their donations make possible so that they can experience the impact firsthand. Our funding model is complex; 90% of our annual budget is reimbursed by the states through Medicaid, but that covers basic care and does not provide for meeting capital needs or innovations (like what Jane just shared), expansion, and technological growth. In the end, fundraising is the key to helping us unlock these new and exciting approaches.

Jane Davis: Notably, we are acclimating donors to post-COVID-19 programs as well, and ensuring that donors understand the ongoing sense of urgency has been a very important part of our efforts.

What solutions are you working on to solve those challenges?

Tracy Conte: We are focusing on reconnecting people with each other and the mission. Specifically, a few initiatives we’ve undertaken to solve those challenges include:

We are hosting a lot of cultivation events. It’s been really fun. People are hungry to get out and socialize. We just had our mental health breakfast with over 450 people, which was double our past attendance. People were ready to be in person and reconnect to support us. The cultivation and stewardship that we put efforts into paid off.
Our volunteers are being trained to host their own events too. We’re doing a lot of timely follow-ups and thank-you calls from our staff and volunteers. We welcome people to come by and see our commercial and residential sites firsthand.
We spent time showcasing our staffing app and several others at stewardship events. A recent event was held to share data and let donors know about how our tech innovations impact our entire industry. It shows that we’re a good investment and that the solutions we offer are good investments.
We invested in ourselves and hired new fundraising professionals.
We are rebranding our website and streamlining the webpage to better engage with donors.

Elita Walker: Our trustees, our major gift committees, and our event success is a testament to our volunteer leadership and cultivation efforts.

Could you tell us more about your new website efforts?

Elita Walker: During the development of our new website, we took great care to ensure both its ease of navigation for the end-users as well as its accessibility. Given the population we serve, it was vital to us that the site is accessible to all. The development included color contrast comparisons for the best visual experience, fonts that were easy to read, and a complete content refresh.

Since the launch of our new website in November, we have seen a 9% increase in users during the first month alone, compared to the previous year’s figures. We also saw a 13% increase in the number of sessions on the website, as well as a nearly 6% increase in the time people spent on the site. As we continue to refine the site moving forward, we expect these numbers will continue to improve.

How do you leverage marketing to support your fundraising efforts?

Tracy Conte: With some help from PPP funding, we’ve focused on our branding, website, and digital advertising. When you read about the top 1% of philanthropists, like Mackenzie Scott, we don’t have a detailed sense of how she is choosing her organizations, but we know they have great visibility. Though these transformational gifts are likely data-driven decisions, it’s important to all donors and constituents that your external communications are current and compelling, talk about impact, and highlight your story. When a high-net-worth donor—or any constituent—comes to your website, it’s important that you have a refined brand. This also helps us to attract younger donors amidst the generational transition of wealth.

Are there any innovative approaches that you are taking that you think might inspire others?

Tracy Conte: Some of these approaches are tried and true, but we surveyed our supporters to understand if our communications are appealing. Some questions we asked included: Will they consider a planned gift? Can they share insight on what and how they want to support?

We also used Google Ad grants and social media advertising to raise our external profile, see who is engaging with us, and attract a younger demographic and diverse donors. Third-party events extend our reach and help us deepen community connections and grow our donor base.

What gives you hope about the future of fundraising in 2023?

Tracy Conte: There is a resurgence of in-person events: tours, coffees, and in-person meet-ups that we rely upon. We’ve been developing our story of impact to communicate during these events as well. The “heads down” time that we took while coming out of the height of COVID-19 helped us get clear on priorities, what we’re raising money for, and how we tell that story.

Despite rumblings about a potential recession, we have an engaged community that recognizes the need for the services, inclusive opportunities, and independence we provide. Donors at all levels seem to be tapping into a greater sense of purpose and that has me really excited about the future and philanthropy. Donors seem motivated by this greater sense of purpose.

Could you share a bit about CCS’s role in supporting this amazing work?

Tracy Conte: We couldn’t have done it without you! We are in a five-year comprehensive campaign, Making Beyond Possible, and are about 60% to goal. CCS helped us develop the strategic roadmap for this campaign: focus groups for donors, wealth screenings, research into donor prospects, and solicitation sequencing, all of this went into creating our campaign roadmap and materials. Some of the strategies that we talked about—like conducting a survey to know what our donors are thinking and feeling about how we put their donations to work—that was all done with CCS. And the work that CCS supports us with, like the survey, really helps us feel confident and comfortable that we’re pursuing major gifts from the right people at the right time.

We thank our colleagues at Ability Beyond. To learn more about Ability Beyond, please visit abilitybeyond.org.

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DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION SLIDES

DOWNLOAD REPORT

In the ever-changing charitable landscape, it can feel challenging to make strategic decisions that favorably impact your nonprofit’s mission. In this informative and interactive webinar, CCS Fundraising’s Greg Hagin, and the University of Pennsylvania’s Katherina Rosqueta, reveal the key insights you need to inform your fundraising strategy for the new year.

Covered topics include:

Expectations for 2023 fundraising strategies
Skills, services, and technology used by successful fundraising teams
Sector-specific fundraising trends

PRESENTED BY

Katherina (Kat) Rosqueta

Founding Executive Director

Center for High Impact Philanthropy

Greg Hagin

Principal & Managing Director

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CCS Philanthropy Pulse: Arts and Culture Spotlight

February 2025

This Arts and Culture Sector Spotlight is adapted from CCS’s 2025 Philanthropy Pulse report to provide an in-depth look at the data provided by 104 survey respondents from that sector.

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CCS Philanthropy Pulse: Faith Spotlight

February 2025

This Faith Sector Spotlight is adapted from CCS’s 2025 Philanthropy Pulse report to provide an in-depth look at the data provided by 38 survey respondents from that sector.

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Look no further, because your future annual and major gift donors are right in front of you! Volunteers have proven over and over again to be invaluable resources to nonprofit organizations, providing their time, talent, ideas, and social ties to help advance an organization’s mission. Now is the time organizations should put in the same effort and attention toward engaging with their volunteer base as they do their donors.

Individuals who donate their time to nonprofit organizations tend to donate their money, as well. In fact, 39% of donors supported a nonprofit by volunteering before they made a financial contribution. Having meaningful volunteer opportunities can strengthen donor relationships with an organization and is crucial to an organization’s successful fundraising strategy.

77 million people, or 23% of the total US population, volunteer across the US each year.

$29.95 is the estimated value of a volunteer hour, which is a 4.9% increase from 2020 to 2021.

42% of high-net-worth individuals indicated that they hold leadership positions or sit on the board of directors at the organizations to which they give.

42% also claim to volunteer their time and/or services at the organizations to which they give.

Consider the following tips as you look to transition volunteers to donors.

1. establish a culture of philanthropy among volunteers.

Everyone in the organization, from the janitor to the chairman of the board, understands that philanthropy and fund development are critical to organizational health and that each individual has a role in the process. First and foremost, everyone is an ambassador.
Simone P. Joyaux, ACFRE

While every organization has its own way of doing things, philanthropy must be rooted in the organization’s culture to resonate with key stakeholders. Take the time to share your organization’s values, vision, and mission with your volunteers. Most of your organization’s supporters are considered cultural “adopters.” They are passionate, reliable, and motivated by external and internal factors. These cultural adopters should receive ongoing stewardship for the key role they play in pushing your organization’s mission forward.

2. Utilize moves management practices with your volunteer base.

Cultivate & Brief: Acknowledge volunteers as contributors to your organization’s success and work to develop personalized relationships. Engage in open dialogue to learn about their passions and experiences with your organization. Take the time to understand their story and what motivates them to stay connected with your organization. Consider the types of communication and outreach you send to volunteers: Is it personalized? Are you conveying your appreciation and sharing their impact?
Solicit: Don’t assume that just because your volunteers have a strong understanding and value of the mission, they will make a gift without being asked. Consider volunteers as an additional segment in your annual appeal process. Invite them to make a gift and make it easy to give.
Steward: Stewardship is crucial to the longevity of any donor or volunteer relationship. Find ways to demonstrate the value of your relationship and consider what insider experiences or recognition your organization could offer to promote their great work.

3. Track volunteer engagement metrics in your CRM.

Just as you track donor activities and qualify donors on a regular cadence, consider tracking key volunteer engagement metrics and wealth screen your established volunteer base. These metrics can help your organization identify engagement trends, indicate where the relationship currently sits with each volunteer, and flag those who have the capacity to give. Example metrics can include the following: service hours, event attendance, social media interactions, personalized visits or one-on-one phone calls, or email open rates.

4. engage different generations of volunteers.

When considering how to engage volunteers across generations, demographics, or backgrounds, it is important to remember that every person is unique. As younger generations become more involved with various philanthropic causes, immersive volunteer opportunities that convey impact will be a driver for individuals looking to make a gift. One-third of millennials shared that they give more to a nonprofit they are actively volunteering with, compared to 21% of Gen X and 12% of Baby Boomers. Think outside the box on how you can meet each generation where they are and provide a volunteer experience that aligns with their values and motivations.

5. invest in tailoring the volunteer experience.

Consider offering a wide variety of volunteer opportunities that provide flexibility and focus on an individual’s strengths and interests. When engaging any donor or community member, be prepared with a list of volunteer experiences that could be in-person, virtual, seasonal, individual, or team/corporate based. Hands-on opportunities that allow a volunteer to see your mission in action are critical.

Explore how you can leverage your organization’s volunteer leadership opportunities, such as a board role or committee, to leverage an individual’s expertise and raise the sights of key stakeholders already engaged in your mission.

the takeaway: Enhance Your Volunteer Relationships.

Strong volunteer engagement is a key component of nonprofit success. Engage your volunteers as you would your donors. A volunteer who is also a donor is deeply invested in the impact they can make in an organization they care about. Focus on building individual volunteer relationships that leverage their diverse stories, skills, and experiences to support your fundraising efforts.

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Publication

2024 Philanthropic Landscape, 13th Edition

September 9, 2024

This report provides a comprehensive look at the current state of US philanthropy, compiling and analyzing annual data from Giving USA and other prominent research to ensure your organization stays up-to-date on the most significant industry trends.

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3 Key Considerations for Elevating Your Membership Program

August 2, 2022

The philanthropic landscape is ripe with opportunity for cultural membership programs. Use the guiding questions below to bolster your organization’s development strategy.

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Building a Culture of Philanthropy

November 24, 2020

“Culture” is ubiquitous, although that does not mean it is easy to define. Instead, “culture” presents a challenge when we try to change it without buy-in from essential stakeholders. Understanding that every organisation has a particular culture, whether or not stakeholders acknowledge it, is crucial in formulating a fundraising strategy.

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Over our decades-long history, CCS has witnessed the transformative impact that an engaged and enthusiastic volunteer body can have on the ultimate outcome of a major parish campaign. Since the onset of COVID-19, many clergy and lay leaders have expressed reluctance to embark on a major fundraising effort out of fear of a lack of volunteer participation. However, within the last three years, we have been astounded by the proactive engagement of so many parishioner volunteers who seek opportunities for involvement on a deeper level with their Christian community.

We have found that with a pastoral approach to volunteer recruitment, paired with training and coaching by the CCS team, parishioners go above and beyond to support a successful fundraising effort. In partnership with the Clergy, these volunteers throughout the country pave the way for extraordinary campaign results.

The Importance of Parishioner Volunteers

Parishioner volunteers have long been a critical pillar of fundraising success when embarking on a religious campaign. Many of these volunteers have a long-term history with the parish and therefore provide invaluable support and community knowledge that moves the campaign forward.

OUR PASTORAL APPROACH TO RECRUITMENT

Launching a parish campaign takes about three months of preparation, during which local case needs are finalized, campaign materials are designed and created, and key messaging is set by the parish leadership. The most pressing item during this time is forming the right leadership team to help guide the campaign toward success. To build a parish campaign volunteer leadership team, CCS partners with the pastor/pastoral leader to identify a core group of parishioners who have a history of affinity and connection with the parish to become lay leaders of the campaign.

We have learned that the right parishioners will take on the leadership mantel if they are identified strategically and approached in a personal manner. It is in these thoughtful conversations that clergy make an authentic request for the parishioners to serve their parish through faithful campaign engagement.

ENGAGING THE VOLUNTEERS

When is the best time to engage volunteers?

We have found that it is most impactful to draw volunteers in early enough in the process so they can feel adequately informed about the needs of the parish and connected to the campaign’s “why.” Parishes often elect to include most leaders once the campaign case has been set, and a campaign plan is drafted. However, for independent parishes conducting a campaign, it is critical to involve your key parishioners in the feasibility study process, as well. Their input is invaluable during the early campaign ideation, and their volunteer contributions will be more impactful if they feel they have helped develop what they are being asked to deliver.

How do we keep our volunteers engaged?

Depending on the size of the campaign, a timeline may span from 4-8 months, with larger efforts lasting longer. We employ a phased approach, so volunteers may work in phases, but we will generally involve volunteers in active meetings for 16-18 weeks.

How do we support volunteer activity?

We hold weekly meetings when we work with the parish volunteers to maintain momentum, have check-ins, and reinforce enthusiasm within the parish. We work closely with the volunteers from the beginning of the process by training them on fundraising best practices and guiding their activity on a week-by-week basis. We work hard to cheerlead the volunteers and celebrate their successes to maintain their activity and engagement.

A CASE STUDY: THE VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE IN OHIO

It started with a tenured CCS colleague who has seen every type of Diocesan campaign and volunteer recruitment strategy in their 16 years of experience. Next came two strong volunteer co-chairs, well-connected to their community, who called more than 25 families to personally ask for their support in this mighty endeavor—not for their benefit, but for their parish and their faith. From here, and with the coaching of the CCS team, an additional 10 passionate volunteer parishioners were recruited.

The volunteer team quickly cultivated an environment where positivity and trust in their pastor and fellow faithful parishioners led them to success. These volunteers came in with multiple questions, doubts, and fears. CCS worked pastorally in listening to their concerns and providing information that helped them feel empowered to communicate campaign needs. We took a solution-focused approach that allowed the volunteer partnership to be positive and productive based on mutual trust. Every week, the volunteers came with ideas, suggestions, and questions. By the end of the campaign, the volunteers felt proud and fearless and commented that they would even miss the weekly campaign meetings.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS IN A RELIGIOUS CAMPAIGN

Start and end each meeting in prayer.
Recognize that no two parishes are the same—each parish deserves a uniquely tailored plan, and each volunteer deserves a uniquely supportive engagement with their CCS team.
Be pleasantly persistent while maintaining a spirit of flexibility.
Keep the process fun; volunteers are giving their time!
Trust the fundraising process and rely on the strategically developed campaign plan.

At the end of the campaign, a well-coached volunteer team will take great pride in accomplishing a successful campaign. The time spent together building community and securing incredible gifts and pledges in support of their beloved parish will be a lasting memory that they will forever cherish.

DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION SLIDES

Planned giving fundraisers across all sectors and organizations of all sizes have one common challenge: increasing investment in their organization’s planned giving program.

We know that the wealth transfer in the U.S. is gaining momentum. We also know that gifts of noncash assets are THE driver of sustainable revenue growth and powerful donor cultivation tech tools can boost traditional fundraising methods. Yet, we often hear from our nonprofit partners that they can’t invest in planned giving, “right now.”

But, if not now, when?

Explore the recording and slides of this CCS webinar to learn:

How to convince your leadership of their role in instilling gift planning culture within your organization
Key data points from our recent Philanthropic Landscape report to drive home the importance of investing in your planned giving program today
How to respond to common questions and concerns about the ROI of your planned giving program
Initial steps to set your organization on a path to short- and long-term financial growth

PRESENTED BY

CCS Gift Planning Practice Group

M. Angel Flores, CSPG

Senior Vice President

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