covid-19

2020 In Review: Looking Back & Looking Ahead

Isabel Reed

So that’s it, that’s a wrap on 2020.

This year was unexpected to say the least. The world was met with challenges and turbulence that tested our strength, perseverance, and community bonds. Looking back on this year with reflection, we’d like to shed one small light on things that went well and moments that gave us spirit.

You Rose to the Challenge

In 2020, we watched organizations extend their budgets, services, and/or of-the-moment missions to take care of their communities. Even while events were cancelled and volunteers were temporarily asked to stay home, organization leaders continued working toward the health and safety of their communities.

Facilities turned into food delivery pick up points and screening centers. Virtual volunteering opportunities quickly scaled to a “new normal”, as we all found ways to put ourselves and our resources to good use.

It was an honor to work with you all this year.

Strides Forward Together

Just a few months into the year, the team at VolunteerLocal began following your lead. We retired our preconceived plans for the year and leaned in to honest conversations with clients like you.

As needs changed in 2020, you told us exactly how. New feature requests surged this year as events rescheduled and nonprofit programs reassessed their needs and impacts.

As a result, new features were quickly introduced to our development road map, including: postponed event settings, no-contact check in, volunteer self-reported hours, volunteer qualifications, COVID-19 notices, and more.

We’re committed to continue rising to the occasion with you, building the technology you need to do your job well.

– Postponed event settings: Whether your event/program has been cancelled or rescheduled, VolunteerLocal can help you navigate those changes.

If volunteers were already registered for shifts prior to cancelling or rescheduling, head over to: Events -> Your Events -> Event Detail. Scroll to “Volunteer Profile Options”. Enter any text you like to the textbox, in order to inform and remind volunteers of the news. Finally, uncheck the box labeled “Display shift detail and demographic information on the volunteer profile page”. That way, volunteers will no longer see the shifts they had been registered for, so you do not need to remove each volunteer from each shift.

When you’re ready to launch your rescheduled event, setup will be speedy. Simply copy your old event, scheduling it for the new date. You’ll have the option to copy over as many or few details as you like: jobs, shifts, volunteers, confirmation settings, etc.

– No-contact check-in: Keep volunteers busy, track their hours, and avoid contact with shared surfaces.

At the start of the year, VolunteerLocal introduced the Check-In Kiosk, which allows volunteers to quickly check themselves in and out on-site.

A few months into the year, we shared techniques to make that process contact-less. First and foremost, if you continue to use a check in kiosk on-site, we recommend disinfecting the surface after each use. As an alternative, you can share the Kiosk URL and code to allow volunteers to check in and out from their own devices. (Checking in and out is also possible by downloading the free mobile app.)

– Volunteer Self-Reported Hours: With virtual volunteering on the rise, volunteers may now report their hours via their volunteer profile, anywhere with internet connection.

On the volunteer profile, volunteers may self-report the job they performed, the date, and the hours worked. These self-reported hours are available for admins to review, edit, approve, or deny.

– Volunteer Qualifications: This feature ensures that only qualified volunteers are able to view and sign up for certain jobs. Volunteers without those qualifications would not be able to view or sign up for those jobs.

This feature can be used for a variety of purposes, even regardless of the pandemic. However, we began to see organizations using this feature creatively, as a way to categorize volunteers into groups based on their COVID-19 risk factors. (For example: qualifying volunteers based on their age group.) This better protected volunteers from unknowingly signing up for jobs that would put them at higher risk of infection.

– COVID-19 Notices: As the months go on and COVID-19 familiarity (or fatigue) sets in, it is important to regularly remind volunteers of organization-wide safety protocols. As a result, we added a new option to the “Disclaimer” feature in VolunteerLocal.

Now, organizations can require volunteers to read and sign the COVID-19 notice every time they sign up for a shift. (Please note: we do not provide the content for this notice, as it will likely be different for each organization.)

The Year Ahead

Although there are likely more surprises in store for us in 2021, surely we will all face them with more readiness than before.

In regard to the technology you use to perform your daily jobs and duties, continue to consider VolunteerLocal as a partner in these efforts. Reach out to us anytime for support, solutioning, or even feature requests.

We’ve got exciting announcements in store for the year ahead, and we can’t wait to share them with you all. If you’d like to be one of the first to know, reach out to us anytime and we’ll add you and your colleagues to our newsletter.

Wishing a happy, healthy New Year from our team to yours. See you all in the New Year.

Warmly,

Isabel & VolunteerLocal Team

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Technology & Events: Planning for the Best & Preparing for the Worst

Cassie Roberts Dispenza

This is a guest blog post from our friends at Saffire, a platform for integrated, contact-less ticketing for events and venues. Thank you to Cassie Roberts Dispenza for leading a webinar on this topic and sharing her final thoughts here!

As 2020 continues to go on (and on and on and on!) most of our friends in the event industry have been impacted in one way or another by the Covid outbreak. For almost everyone, this means cancelled events and lost revenue. At Saffire, we are constantly looking for ways that technology can afford new opportunities for our clients and this year is no different! While some of the tools available to you may not be your first choice in producing events, we’ve come to terms with the fact that in order to survive we all have to adapt to the opportunities available.

Here are just a few ways that you can use technology to turn your brand in to a revenue producing machine in 2020:

  • Ecommerce – Even if your event was canceled, there are still SO many things you can sell online. Create a “festival in a box” with goodies from your 2020 event and your sponsors. Allow patrons to support you with donations with tools like Patreon. Typically on these transactions, small gifts are given to donors, which can be a way to encourage donations. (Think like a bumper sticker for a $2 donation or a T-Shirt for a $20 donation, etc.) You can also set up virtual shopping on your website with your vendors. Drive up “to go” festival food events have also been profitable for many of our clients. You may even be able to sell tickets to next year’s event super early! We’ve seen the most success with people who offer a generous refund policy. Use your online carts to their fullest potential!

  • Socially Distanced Events – While you may not be able to manage a virtual or socially distanced event the same way as you would an in person event, we’ve seen a lot of festivals have success. In virtual races, participants are encouraged to bike or run at their own convenience on their own route. They are often still mailed a race t-shirt or medal once they’ve completed a race. Other socially distanced events are becoming popular too—you can arrange for drive thru Christmas or Fall Festival displays or drive in movies. Online registration or tickets are easy to implement through your own website, ticketing provider or services like Google Forms. Virtual events via Vimeo and Facebook Live can also generate revenue for events you may host live on social media. Even if you don’t do a password protected event, revenue can still be generated via tips or donations on apps like PayPal or Venmo. In many cases, viewers like this low pressure option to be able to donate an amount they prefer as they’re watching, rather than having to buy a ticket in advance.  
  • Social Media – Our tried and true social media accounts can serve as a way to stay connected to our loyal followers on any of the above intiatives, even if you didn’t get to see them in person this year. Invite a sponsor or two to host a contest – give them credit and give prizes to your followers! It keeps your sponsors engaged and may be a way to keep some of your commitments to them for 2020. Social media ads are drawing a lot of attention right now because everyone is glued to their devices! While many brands have held back on ads, we encourage you to move forward with yours! (Making sure your messaging is considerate of the times of course.) Since ads are not in as high of demand right now, they may actually be less expensive. Finally, make sure to utilize stories and Live features as “in the moment” content. This is what your audience is most likely feeling like they’re missing at the moment—something with human contact!
  • Software Advancements – If you are authorized to have an in-person event in 2020, it’s possible that there will be new regulations for event capacities to control crowds or more advanced selling systems to avoid the exchange of cash. Many technology & ticketing companies are offering new ways to manage these requirements with things like capacity tracking software and contactless selling terminals. Often times having these types of systems in place can help convince your local officials that you are prepared to host events safely again!

It takes a little creativity and thinking outside the box to launch safe and legal events during these times, but the extra efforts can really pay off. You may even uncover new ways to make or save money that you will carry with you in to future years of your event.

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5 Resources to Build Resilience in Crisis

Isabel Reed

Only a matter months ago, many of us had different expectations for the months and years ahead. Thinking back to early March, the gravity of the COVID-19 crisis was just beginning to dawn on our families, friends, and communities. We prepared ourselves to be patient, careful, and committed to riding out the storm.

Months later now, many of us are exhausted by the storm. We’ve been “at it” for months and have hardly any more clarity about what lies ahead of us than we did at the start. Under these conditions, we’re learning how difficult it is, and — in equal measure — how critical it is to practice healthy, sustainable relationships with ourselves, our social groups (socially distanced), and our communities at large. At this point in time, we must look to adding one more tool to our crisis toolkit: resilience.

Let’s examine this first from a technical lens (definitions), root ourselves in the reality of this word (a social critique), then finally circle home to the application of this word in times of crisis (resources for building resilience in times of prolonged crisis).

Resilience, by definition, is “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”. Resilience is the ability (in many cases, the privilege) to be mentally, emotionally, and physically elastic to outside stressors, such as difficult change or trauma.

We must acknowledge that resilience is more than a “muscle”, or a private reserve that we all have within us, ready to be activated and strengthened with practice. Resilience, for many, isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s a “must have” in order to live a functional life in systematically challenging conditions. Examples of this include communities facing ongoing challenges posed by poverty, racism, discrimination, marginalization, homelessness, and more. The requirement of resilience to live is a glaring flaw in our social systems, and one that cannot go unnoticed in a narrower discussion of resilience in pandemic-related crisis.

Here we are, about half a year into quarantining, social distancing, disinfecting, and virtual solutioning. Some of us are hurting, some of us are restless. Most of us are, in some shape or form, exhausted. None of us wish for the world to continue in this way, but without a clear end in sight, we must determine how we, ourselves, will continue.

So now, to deliver on the promise made in the title: resources to build resilience in times of crisis. Below are resources you may explore to find what resilience looks like for you and your family. It takes many shapes — from mindsets to practices. I hope you find something true to you, to give you the strength needed to continue charging forward.

“A Psychologist’s Science-Based Tips for Emotional Resilience During the Coronavirus Crisis” by Jelena Kecmanovic

This wellness article in The Washington Post delivers the tangible take-aways we need, backed by research. A tip that I particularly appreciated was “reflect, relate and reframe.” In fact, this practice plays in well with other key points in the resources to follow — specifically, it relates to the exercise of guiding our attention toward the positive rather than the negative, which is where our attention often rests by default.

Read the full article here.

Know Your Natural Strengths

Many employers and universities are familiar with the StrengthsFinder assessment. The results of the assessment indicate your top strengths or skills, categorized generally by the following verticals: executing, relationship building, influencing, and strategic thinking.

Know you strengths so that you may leverage them. In times of crisis, many of us wonder if we are good enough, or doing enough. Considering this, it’s important to quiet those thoughts with more affirming ones: I am capable, I am competent, I am good at…[insert your top strengths here].

Once you know your strengths, develop confidence in them. Then leverage your strengths to get yourself and your loved ones through these difficult times.

Take a free version of the StrengthsFinder test here.

TED Talk by Susan Henkels: What if There’s Nothing Wrong With You

Watch the TED Talk here or below:

“This presentation is a discovery toward what’s in the way of having the life you deserve and an easier and more fun way of getting there. You will find ways of releasing judgment and criticism of yourself, begin to consider forgiveness of yourself and others, start making wiser choices, and expand your passion for contribution. Asking the question: What if there’s nothing wrong with you?…can become an ongoing practice for life.”

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Book description: “Pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls ‘grit.'”

Read more about Angela Duckworth and her book here.

Watch the TED Talk she delivered about the topic here.

Freakonomics Podcast: Ep. 422

Episode 422 – “Introducing ‘No Stupid Questions'”

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Read the transcript here.

Co-hosts Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the relationship between age and happiness from the lens of psychology and stages of life and development. A key take away here: attention matters. Where you focus your attention (on the positive or negative) influences the perspective of your well-being.

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5 Ways to Engage Your Community in Times of Crisis

Laura Bucher

This blog post was brought to you by our friends and partners at DonorPerfect. For the full article and more information click here.

Small businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19’s impact on the economy. Fortunately, there are nonprofit organizations like Federal Hill Main Street, whose mission is to create vibrant and thriving communities. Pre-COVID, they’d fundraise through community events like dining events and jazz concerts to keep residents and visitors engaged and revenue flowing. Now, they’ve had to shift their focus and their fundraising strategy to help keep their cherished local businesses afloat and residents fed.

In Baltimore’s Federal Hill district, Cathy Rosenbaum has been their lifeline, and everyone seems to know her by name. She genuinely loves her city and wants to see the community work together to keep the district flourishing. That’s why she’s taken on the role of Executive Director at Federal Hill Main Street.

Despite being a two-person operation, Federal Hill Main Street managed to align their community of donors around common goals as they pushed through the pandemic.

In times of need, joining forces with your community members can see you through and make you even stronger. Follow Cathy’s lead with these steps to gain their support and expand the reach of your fundraising.

Connect with Your Community Using These 5 Tips

#1. Introduce Yourself

Cathy follows local businesses and organizations in Federal Hill on social media and looks out for newcomers in an effort to establish relationships among them so that they can support and promote one another. She explains, “My experience is that when you introduce yourself to someone, they’re more than eager to find out how our nonprofit supports the local businesses and community and how they can get involved and keep abreast of what is happening in our neighborhood. We do a lot of communication by email, and we also promote businesses through social media, as well.”

More recently, Cathy wanted to establish a monthly giving program to which the community could contribute so that Federal Hill Main Street could better predict its cash flow. When COVID-19 hit, Cathy put this goal on pause and instead did what she could to support them, including providing up-to-date information about grant and loan opportunities and other important information for local businesses. She hopes to establish a donor base of residents and has purchased a marketing list of those living in her zip code to get started. But first, she’ll do what she does best: introduce herself. She shares, “I’m not going to [solicit donations] right now, but I do want to develop a connection with [residents] first by sending emails that explain what we’re doing and get them engaged.”

#2. Give Your Constituents a Voice

A true leader, Cathy takes time to listen to the concerns of the community she serves. She attends local community organization meetings, like her neighborhood and business associations to provide updates about what Federal Hill Main Street has planned and invites feedback from attendees about what they’d like to see accomplished.

Additionally, Cathy has been hosting regular video conference calls with business owners and neighborhood organizations to discuss what they need in order to be successful, especially now as businesses begin to reopen.

Cathy shares, “It’s very empowering when people start to feel like you listen, and you take action based on what you’ve heard. Not everyone’s going to get everything they want, but giving them a platform to provide input and express concerns is only going to help all of you because you’re going to make a better decision, you’re going to feel engaged, and you’re going to get more buy-in if you can do it that way.”

Before Cathy’s involvement, there was very minimal communication between businesses, and building those relationships has made a difference. Now the business owners along with residents are planning volunteer events together. Cathy says, “It’s all about the relationships. That’s fundraising 101, I know, but it’s true.”

#3. Collaborate with Other Organizations

When Cathy noticed a local church’s Facebook post about a food drive they were hosting, she saw it as the perfect opportunity to work together. Cathy immediately reached out to introduce herself and to connect the church with local restaurants to feed their community.

Their food drive “Common Table” set out to feed seniors and those on the frontlines of the pandemic by also supporting local businesses. With donations raised, Cathy was able to bulk order and deliver 300 meals per week from local restaurants. In the process, Cathy provided a platform for the restaurants to promote themselves and receive more revenue. On Federal Hill Main Street’s social media pages and website, Cathy listed the names of each participating restaurant and encouraged donors to tip them generously and safely through a virtual tip jar.

#4. Lean on Those Who Will Support You

Baltimore’s Federal Hill businesses trust that they’re in good hands with Cathy, but even Cathy could use a hand at times.

When Cathy landed the opportunity to partner with the church for the Common Table food drive, she was still in the onboarding process with DonorPerfect and it was a Friday. With Easter Sunday the same weekend, Cathy felt pressure to expedite DonorPerfect’s implementation so that she could begin fundraising as soon as the food drive would be announced at the church’s Easter Sunday service.

Having used DonorPerfect at three nonprofits before Federal Hill (twice convincing her team to switch from another platform to DonorPerfect), Cathy knew that she could rely on the DonorPerfect Team to get Federal Hill Main Street set up in time.

Cathy explains, “I called them in a panic saying, ‘Help, we’re just getting ready to start this [campaign]. We haven’t anything ready yet!’ And they bent over backwards. We were talking after hours and through the weekend. They went above and beyond, times ten. They didn’t have to do any of that. I was just so happy because I was really eager to get [the online form and payment processing] going, and they just helped me push it through.”

#5. Stay Connected

Once you’ve established a relationship with new donors, it’s crucial that you keep them engaged with all the good you’re up to. For fill-in-the-blank templates to help you creatively announce your upcoming fundraising opportunities and a timeline advising how frequently you should email them, check out The New Donor Welcome Series Email Template Kit.

The DonorPerfect Team thanks Cathy for trusting us to support her fundraising efforts and for going the extra mile to uplift her community through the COVID-19 crisis. We wish her and Federal Hill Main Street the best of luck as they revitalize this historic Baltimore community.

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Get Creative with Virtual Events

Isabel Reed

Quarantine mandates have been announced, lifted, then announced again, but one thing remains consistent – the boom of the webinar.

Webinars are hugely valuable, and with so many free options available to us, we’re nearly spoiled at this point! Still, I can’t be the only one who receives about 5 emails per week about a brand new webinar. The word “webinar” is getting tired, and people are zoning out, understandably.

I love webinars… but can we (please) call them anything else? As a creative, I’m ready for change! So I did a bit of research to help anyone else who might also be experiencing webinar-fatigue (but still wants to engage).

Presenting, a proposition: to deliver the same value of a webinar – repackaged, rebranded, and with the intent of piquing curiosity. Here are some examples to illustrate what I mean:

“Tune in for [organization name]’s upcoming…”

  • …Show & Tell – highlight the amazing work, news, and/or achievements of our [students/members/team/organization].
  • …Welcome to the Stage Event – meet the organization’s new [mentors/coaches/leaders]
  • … Weekly Tutorial – share informative tips and tricks on a relevant topic of your choice. Of all the examples listed, this one is most closely synonymous with the word “webinar”.

Furthermore, there are plenty of other types of virtual events to experiment with. For example:

Livestreams

Invite the community to tune in as you do whatever you do best at work! You might welcome watchers as your move through your morning routines at work. Or, you might simply carry out some of your organization’s normally offered services virtually. This is the new “normal”, at least for the foreseeable future.

  • Sunday Storytime – Sunday morning read-aloud for all ages.
  • Rise & Shine – A morning routine! This works beautifully for organizations like animal shelters, rescues, farms, and/or zoos. People love to see the animals waking up as morning chores are completed.
  • Living Room Sessions – Share live performances with your audiences. Whether these are musical performances, comedy acts, or literature readings – these creative gatherings in intimate home settings have been a highlight of my quarantine, personally.

Happy Hours

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! Gather your team (or, if it’s appropriate, your patrons) and enjoy a virtual, socially distanced drink. This is a spirited – no pun intended – way to keep traditions of beautiful summer days alive and well, while also nurturing team/community bonds.

Virtual events like this often work best with smaller teams and communities, since connections are usually already present. Even so, you might give it a try with a larger team or community! Perhaps a (responsible) sip of liquid courage will help form brand new connections among folks who had not yet had a chance to meet.

Inclusivity note: let everyone know that they may drink whatever they like, including non-alcoholic drinks!

Think Tanks

Community ties are deep and valuable, especially in the nonprofit sector. Often times, community members and organization patrons are more interested in your organization’s mission than anything else. That’s why they volunteer, donate, and support your programs. Additionally, people like to be heard and for their constructive feedback to be thoughtfully evaluated.

Mix it all together for the best of both worlds – your organization receives fresh perspectives on organizational challenges, victories, and roadmaps; and your community feels valued enough to be consulted and included in big decisions.

Identify a challenge that your organization is facing in times of COVID-19, and invite the community to the table. Many minds make innovative solutions, and many hands make light work!

Fundraisers

Yes, a virtual fundraiser! Not only is it possible, but it is becoming increasingly popular in the nonprofit sector. Embrace the areas where technology is allowing us to expand, regardless of the unfortunate external pressures posed by COVID-19.

Depending on your organization’s budget, there are various options available to you, logistically.

How to accept funds:

  • Share your organization’s Venmo or PayPal to accept donations/tips during the event
  • Sell “premium” tickets for extra perks.
  • Explore virtual fundraising platforms such as Classy, QGiv,
  • Seek corporate sponsorships (funding a free event for the public)
  • Seek individual/family sponsorships (in exchange for symbolic gift or recognition)

Types of fundraisers (just scratching the surface!):

  • Livestreamed performances, presentations, or speeches
  • Virtual auction
  • Virtual run/walk marathon

Finally, let’s think about what happens after these events are over. Would you like your audience to have access to a recording of your event, or any of the resources shared? If so, consider adding a “Virtual Library” to your organization’s website. There, you can store all of the recordings and resources shared during your live event(s), so your audience may access it any time.

What do you think? What have been the event you have enjoyed the most, and what made them so memorable? Keep us posted with your creative insights on virtual events. Alright, I’ll mute myself now 😉

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From One Volunteer to Another: You Get Back More – Everyone Does

John Kizilarmut

Cliches usually have no business taking up space on a blog post- no one has time for that. But in this particular circumstance, the cliché is apropos: It’s better to give than to receive. Our universal resistance to asking each other for help proves that this is the case! While it’s inarguably true that being asked to help a friend or family member is somewhat better- I think we can all admit that it can be a mixed bag. “PIVOT!!!”

Volunteering is a different story. When you show up at just the right moment to help someone, outside of the bounds of a social contract, the experience is much deeper. It stops being transactional in nature and becomes an act of humanity – one that often produces results that surprise and exceed the expectations of both giver and receiver.

Right now, in this extraordinarily difficult period, those investments are paying off at an all time high.

Usually at this point in a blog post, the writer pines on superfluously about a personal experience in which he, after several autobiographical paragraphs, has come rather expectedly to be inspired to write said blog post in the first place… like a flower that planted itself and grew to generate the seeds from which it sprouted. Let me save you the time, reader: I have come to love volunteerism, and I know that you will too.

When you invest money in someone who has less, you come awake to the realization that your money is worth more than you thought it was. The same is true of your time – and your voice. If you’re lucky enough to have the kind of volunteering experience where you come home tired and covered in dirt, you will likely find that you are somehow also full of renewed strength and energy.

Volunteering is a powerful, non-transactional gift that we each have a unique ability to offer. A gift with the power to leave you feeling like you have come to own more of yourself than you did before you gave some of it away. On behalf of VolunteerLocal, I hope you will consider volunteering in your own community during this difficult time.

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Inspiration From Fellow Fundraisers: Crowdfunding Through the COVID-19 Crisis

Laura Bucher

This guest blog post was brought to you by DonorPerfect. Read the full article here.

Feeding Long Island’s residents and raising awareness about hunger for nearly thirty years, Island Harvest Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization on Long Island. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the team at Island Harvest Food Bank knew that it was up to them to rally residents to combat the ever-growing need for food.

Island Harvest staff members needed to act fast and temporarily modify their business model to meet Long Island residents’ immediate need for food support. Their traditional model of generating and distributing donated food was not sustainable in the new climate, so they pivoted to a purchase-based model to feed as many families as they could right away. The hunger just couldn’t wait.

Island Harvest initially ordered $250,000 of specially designed meal boxes to distribute to families, seniors, veterans, and the immunocompromised who couldn’t leave their homes. When the time was right, Development Manager Ryan Haugstatter created a crowdfunding campaign with an initial goal of $250,000. To the delight of their entire organization, a community of 103 crowdfunding fundraisers joined with nearly 6,000 online contributors to raise an overall total of $955,712 in web-based donations (and counting!) in a matter of just three months!

7 Actions for Nonprofit Crowdfunding Success

You too can leverage crowdfunding to find similar success. Here are seven actions Island Harvest took to empower their community to support them through one of their greatest challenges.

Start with a small goal. Then build on it.

The team at Island Harvest set out with a clear and manageable goal of raising $250,000 to support the organization’s immediate response to their community’s hunger emergency. Ryan warns that setting the bar too high may discourage those who are unable to give large amounts from donating. He suggests, “Start smaller, and when you reach that particular goal increase it if you find the need is still there. Just explain where you can, the reason you’re upping your goal.”

Each time you increase your goal, you have another chance to promote your mission. In addition to spotlighting your crowdfunding campaign via social media and email, Ryan suggests updating your organization’s crowdfunding page, “What we do is we change the verbiage on the crowdfunding site, and we always make sure that we’re reflecting that the money that was raised is just as important as what we’re trying to raise right now. In our outreach, we always spoke about the need to raise funds with the need to support the organization’s mission and programs.”

Over the course of their campaign, Island Harvest adjusted their goal four times, from $250k to $500k to $750k to $1 million to $1.5 million. With the promotion of new, increased goals, Island Harvest even gained some repeat donors, coming back to give for their fifth time! The growing needs of Long Island’s residents required a continued appeal for the community’s help.

Be transparent about how you allocate crowdfunding dollars.

At Island Harvest, more than 94% of expended resources go directly to programs and services that support more than 300,000 Long Islanders facing hunger.

Knowing this builds contributors’ confidence in the organization. Ryan recommends that other nonprofits share this information with their constituents and be clear about what donors’ dollars are funding. “Twenty-five dollars was the amount that was able to purchase one family meal pack, which feeds a family for three to four days. I think also by breaking it down and letting [constituents] know what amount will go towards the purchase of these family meal packs, that also played a part in how much people were willing to give.”

Empower people to support you however they can.

Crowdfunding was an effective way for Island Harvest to fundraise because it enabled their entire community to participate in some way. Even if individuals were unable to donate money or could only contribute a small amount, they could feel connected to the mission by creating a peer-to-peer fundraising page to share with their network to raise money on the organization’s behalf.

Ryan explains, “Even if you can only give $5 but were able to create your own crowdfunding page and put it on your social media channels, that is just as much support as giving us $5. This can actually turn a $5 contribution into a much larger gift through multiple gifts from the crowdfunding effort. Because really, the advocacy and letting people know about the work that we do and our mission, that is what has also served as a motivator for others to give.”

Recruit corporate fundraisers.

Corporations are a great place to start when aiming to quickly build a network of fundraisers. Many businesses have corporate social responsibility programs that encourage their employees to give back to their community. This strategy is especially beneficial because employees can double their donation through their employer’s matching gift program. And in the workplace, we all know there are lots of opportunities for friendly competition for a good cause.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Island Harvest didn’t want to immediately reach out to individuals, knowing that many of them may have lost their jobs. Instead, they reached out to corporations and local businesses they knew were still operating and successfully gained their partnership.

Invite news coverage and creativity.

Island Harvest established a relationship with the NY Metro and Long Island’s media outlets with the help of their public relations consultant who tuned local media into all the wonderful work that Island Harvest is doing. If you aren’t currently in communication with your local news networks, reach out because they are often looking for stories about social good, especially during these trying times. Even without an established connection, Island Harvest’s individual fundraisers found ways to contact local news stations to reach a larger audience with their individual fundraising pages.

A former employee of Island Harvest made headlines when she raised 1,000 lbs of food and $500 on behalf of Island Harvest in honor of her birthday. She placed boxes at the end of her driveway to collect food and monetary donations, inviting friends and neighbors to stop by. A parade of cars lined the street to support her cause.

Another individual inspired others to give and to stay healthy from home. He reached his goal of $5,000 by committing to 5,000 push-ups in 24 hours. Staying tuned in to their crowdfunders’ creative fundraising strategies gave Island Harvest the opportunity to pitch to local reporters and share their fundraisers’ awesome promotional ideas on their social media feeds.

Involve your board and executive team.

Your board members and executives are likely well-connected in your community and can serve as effective solicitors of major donors. Ryan suggests leveraging their stewardship skills by encouraging them to support your crowdfunding campaign. He explains, “We asked [the board] to contribute towards [the campaign], and additionally, we encouraged them to create their own crowdfunding pages and just reach out to their own network that they found appropriate to reach out to.” Ryan suggests encouraging board members, friends, and staff to use their own social media platforms, as well, to share special stories about the work of the organization, program goals, and funding needs.

Ryan also recommends hosting discussions with your supporters through virtual meetings to update them on your organization’s progress. He shares, “Our CEO and president scheduled several virtual meetings with top contributors to give updates and reports on our work. Also, our crowdfunding fundraisers were established to encourage others to create their own crowdfunding pages. We reached out to a targeted list of higher level contributors to participate and expanded it when we could accommodate additional participants.”

Island Harvest gained more fundraisers and strengthened the passion for fundraising in existing crowdfunders by hosting these meetings. Ryan attributes this success to the president’s ability to share about the organization’s past progress in a way that inspires their donors. Maintaining contact with supporters to report on your established programs, the need at hand, and how successful you’ve been thus far motivates them to get involved in all the good you’re doing.

Watch the power of crowdfunding go to work.

When you give your network the tools they need to fundraise on your behalf, you enable your supporters to be your ambassadors. Passionate about your mission and bringing their own stories to the table, fundraisers can rally their networks on a very personal level and reach a much broader audience. Ryan shares, “We started to see so many more individuals creating crowdfunding pages and having their friends and colleagues reaching out – even securing support from across America – to donate to their [pages]. It was really, really powerful. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Ryan believes that fundraisers were drawn by the ability to create their own pages because they could:

  • Easily set up their own crowdfunding project
  • See their name in a list of fundraisers on Island Harvest’s main crowdfunding page
  • Create their own page with a personal story and goal
  • Watch Island Harvest’s progress bar, along with their own, and know that they were a part of something important

Ryan explains, “I think it encourages contributors to help us when they see the goal. Every time they put even $5 or $10 in, they get to see the bar increase and be able to have their name on [the page] with a little note, it makes them feel even more important to the mission. That’s why I love the feature of the crowdfunding page on DonorPerfect.”

Ready to Get Started with Crowdfunding?

Here’s how to get started, step-by-step.

Thank you to Ryan Haugstatter and Island Harvest Food Bank for sharing with us this inspiring story of how they brought their community together and for answering the call when their most impacted residents needed them most through COVID-19. We wish the team and their fundraisers our very best as they push forward to see their community through the crisis.

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