On the latest Digital Office Fundraising Summit, Anne Marie Dillon, Director of Office Giving and Matching Items on the American Most cancers Society, shared a compelling presentation on how her staff reworked their strategy to office fundraising initiatives.
With billions of {dollars} raised yearly by means of office giving—by way of payroll donations, firm fundraising pages, and matching reward packages—Dillon emphasised the large potential of this income stream when supported by intentional technique, inner buy-in, and scalable assets.
In her session, our speaker outlined how ACS:
- Collaborated throughout departments to provide high-impact assets;
- Created scalable coaching and communication methods;
- Leveraged instruments like Double the Donation to automate matching reward outreach;
- Used donor knowledge to tell and deepen company relationships;
- And extra!
The end result? ACS reversed a declining pattern in office giving and achieved year-over-year income development, whereas additionally making life simpler for workers on the entrance traces of fundraising.
Serious about viewing the entire presentation? Try the replay right here!
In any other case, we’ll break down essentially the most highly effective takeaways from this session under, together with sensible insights for any nonprofit trying to unlock extra from their office giving and matching reward efforts. Let’s start.
Key Takeaway #1: Perceive the worth of a office giving technique.
A transparent and intentional office giving technique is crucial for maximizing an often-overlooked income stream. Whereas Dillon acknowledges that some employees could query the affect of office fundraising initiatives, she reiterates that small recurring donations and matching presents can add as much as vital funds over time.
Furthermore, office giving affords worth past monetary contributions—it aligns with broader worker and client traits. Corporations profit from showcasing social duty, particularly as Gen Z and different workers more and more search workplaces that replicate their private values. Donors are additionally extra probably to present when matching presents can be found, with 84% saying a match makes them extra prone to donate.
Briefly, investing in a office giving technique isn’t simply good for nonprofit income—it additionally deepens relationships with company companions and helps worker engagement objectives, too.
Key Takeaway #2: Discover your present state & alternatives.
Earlier than launching or refining your office fundraising technique, it’s important to evaluate your group’s present panorama. Begin by analyzing current office giving income to know the place you’re ranging from—and the place strategic efforts might have essentially the most affect.
This foundational knowledge is not going to solely information your subsequent steps but in addition assist construct a case for inner buy-in by demonstrating potential ROI (or return on funding). And a data-driven strategy allows you to establish key alternatives, resembling particular packages or companions price prioritizing, and ensures your technique stays centered, reasonable, and scalable.
To assemble this data, contemplate how your group at present tracks office donations. It’s possible you’ll have to collaborate along with your finance or knowledge groups to determine baseline reporting and decide the way you’ll proceed to trace metrics going ahead.
Key Takeaway #3: Collect your stakeholders.
Constructing an efficient office giving technique requires collaboration throughout a number of departments and stakeholder teams. To take action, begin by figuring out each inner and exterior “clients”—all those that are already concerned or may very well be impacted by your office fundraising initiatives.
This might embrace:
- Peer-to-peer fundraising and occasion employees;
- Company relations or account administration employees;
- Advertising and marketing employees members;
- IT division members;
- Authorized staff members;
- Digital staff members;
- Volunteers;
- And extra, relying on the make-up of your group!
When you’ve recognized your “clients,” you may pinpoint who ought to be a part of the planning and implementation course of for office fundraising initiatives.
Relying on the scope of your technique, you might also want assist from all or any of those groups to create, vet, and distribute outreach supplies. By bringing all related stakeholders to the desk, you may construct a stronger, extra coordinated office giving technique that’s arrange for achievement.
Key Takeaway #4: Set up workgroups and suggestions mechanisms.
As soon as stakeholders are recognized, the following step in constructing a profitable office giving technique is to collect focused suggestions by means of workgroups. Whereas it’s useful to strategy the method with concepts, the best methods are formed by enter from the individuals who will use and profit from them—your inner and exterior “clients.”
Forming workgroups allows you to ask your clients straight what instruments and assets they want and once they want them. By aligning your planning with stakeholders’ timelines, resembling when fundraisers are constructing campaigns or when firm companions are mapping budgets, you guarantee your supplies and assist are well-timed and impactful.
Key Takeaway #5: Map out your technique.
After gathering stakeholder suggestions and figuring out useful resource wants and timelines, the following step is to map out your office fundraising technique. This includes organizing inner planning classes to obviously outline your objectives, assign tasks, and decide who must be concerned for enter and approvals.
Whereas it might be tempting to work independently, involving others early within the course of fosters collaboration and helps keep away from delays down the road. This structured strategy ensures your office fundraising initiatives are well-coordinated, reasonable, and extra prone to succeed.
Key Takeaway #6: Develop inner and external-facing assets.
A profitable office fundraising technique hinges on equipping its inner staff with the fitting instruments and assets. On the American Most cancers Society, this initiative started with creating staff-facing assets, resembling inner promote sheets, step-by-step guides, FAQs, and designating material specialists (SMEs), to assist employees perceive and promote office giving and function a frontline for questions.
As soon as inner assets had been in place, the main target shifted to exterior supplies tailor-made for donors and volunteers. Based mostly on direct suggestions, the staff produced flyers, electronic mail templates, social media posts, and a brief promotional video for matching presents.
Collectively, these assets—constructed with collaboration, timing, and viewers wants in thoughts—empowered frontline fundraisers to confidently promote office fundraising initiatives and matching reward alternatives, finally driving stronger donor engagement and elevated income.
Key Takeaway #7: Maximize your efforts with the fitting instruments and assets.
To get essentially the most worth from office fundraising efforts and assets, the American Most cancers Society emphasised the significance of strategic implementation with a concentrate on considerate coaching, accessibility, and automation.
Coaching started with broad, high-level reminders throughout division and regional calls, then transitioned to extra detailed, team-specific classes. To additional have interaction employees, the staff launched “workplace hours,” permitting for real-time Q&A and offering employees with an area to ask particular questions and study from each other. Office giving was additionally launched to new employees throughout onboarding and often strengthened by means of newsletters and inner useful resource libraries, guaranteeing that everybody might entry and make the most of the instruments as wanted.
On the donor facet, the group optimized its matching reward expertise with sensible integrations. By partnering with Double the Donation, they embedded a search widget on each their essential web site and on-line donation types, permitting donors to test their eligibility for office fundraising initiatives in actual time.
Lastly, they automated donor follow-up emails, additionally with assistance from Double the Donation, lowering the burden on fundraising employees and guaranteeing constant, well timed outreach. This strategy freed up employees time and helped increase follow-through on matching presents, enhancing donor engagement and rising income with out requiring further effort from frontline groups.
Key Takeaway #8: Discover alternatives for firm partnership development.
By analyzing knowledge from matching presents, organizations can establish firms the place sturdy donor exercise already exists. These traits can open the door to significant conversations with employers—whether or not it’s thanking them for his or her assist, sharing affect knowledge, or exploring deeper partnership alternatives.
This perception additionally helps nonprofits have interaction firms which will not but have formal office fundraising initiatives or matching reward packages. For instance, firms will be inspired to assist a limited-time marketing campaign—resembling pledging to match worker donations as much as a specific amount inside a set timeframe. All these initiatives, generally known as one-off matching reward packages, not solely improve income but in addition assist firms display their dedication to worker pursuits and group affect.
Key Takeaway #9: Evaluation, revise, and re-share your assets.
As you proceed to construct and refine your office giving technique, it’s important to maintain communication channels open and welcome ongoing suggestions.
Repeatedly reviewing and updating your assets ensures they keep related, incorporating new messaging, codecs, processes, and applied sciences, which will increase the chance that employees will use them successfully. Resharing data periodically is equally essential, as employees juggling a number of fundraising priorities could not recall earlier communications. This repeated sharing, coupled with openness to suggestions and assist, builds belief and reinforces buy-in.
Finally, sustaining this steady cycle of engagement and useful resource refinement empowers frontline employees—who could indirectly handle office giving—to confidently promote this important fundraising stream.
Wrapping Up & Further Office Fundraising Sources
After revamping the office giving technique and assets on the American Most cancers Society, the staff efficiently reversed a declining income pattern and has seen constant year-over-year development in each matching presents and office giving over the previous three years. Anne Marie Dillon’s session on the Digital Office Fundraising Summit supplied a real-world case research on how considerate planning, cross-team collaboration, and data-driven decision-making can revitalize a fundraising technique.
From streamlining matching reward outreach to creating evergreen assets and empowering employees with sensible instruments, the American Most cancers Society’s strategy demonstrates that inner alignment is simply as vital as exterior engagement.
Trying to take the following step? Begin by evaluating your present assets, figuring out inner champions, and opening the door to suggestions. In spite of everything, small, strategic modifications in the present day can result in long-term development tomorrow.
When you’re thinking about studying extra about strategic office fundraising efforts, we advocate trying out the next assets:
- Matching Items in Follow: Ideas, Methods From Your Friends. This session recap brings collectively real-world insights from nonprofit professionals who’re actively driving matching reward success. Learn the way nonprofit friends are rising participation, refining donor outreach, and integrating matching presents into their broader fundraising technique.
- Key Office Donor Developments for Nonprofits to Know. Uncover the most recent analysis on office donors—what motivates them, how they like to present, and what nonprofits can do to construct lasting connections. This data-driven session highlights evolving donor expectations and the way nonprofits can reply with relevance and empathy.
- Understanding Corporations’ Expectations for Nonprofits. Questioning what firms are on the lookout for in partnerships? This session overview explores what in the present day’s firms are actually on the lookout for from their nonprofit companions, together with reporting, collaboration, and communication greatest practices to assist your group stand out and succeed.
