Keep doing good

Author: Narmadha R

Give Back to Those Who Give So Much – 7 Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Volunteers
Volunteers are the heart and soul of every nonprofit. Through their selfless contributions, your organization is able to support and empower your community. Make sure they’re aware of how appreciated and valued they are! To help with this, Keep Doing Good has compiled a few ways to do just that.

Celebrate Your Volunteers

Throw a Party

Because everyone loves parties! Surprise your volunteers with a party to show how much you appreciate them. Maybe take them out to a trendy new restaurant or bowling alley! And if your organization is dedicated to animal rescue or something similar, try a petting zoo or cat cafe!

Award Your Volunteers

Your volunteers are selfless and devoted, willing to sacrifice their time and resources for your cause, and dedicated to bettering their community however they can. They do all this without expecting anything in return, but recognizing the incredible work they do with a small gift is a great way to make sure they know how valuable and appreciated they are.

If you have the means to personalize your gifts (more doable for smaller organizations), doing so is encouraged! For larger organizations, try tracking how long your longest-tenured and most dedicated volunteers have been there and award the ones that have been there for 5, 10, or 15 years with plaques and small celebrations!

Handmade Cards

Tokens of appreciation don’t have to be elaborate or expensive! Sometimes, the simplest gestures are the ones that mean the most. A handwritten card, signed by the employees of the office, is a special and personalized way to show a volunteer how much they mean to your organization. All it takes is a few minutes of your time to show a little extra appreciation.

Involve Your Local Community

Volunteers aren’t just helping you with your organization–they’re serving your entire community. Asking local businesses or organizations that you’ve assisted to write letters of appreciation to your volunteers is an excellent way to recognize them both privately and publicly (hang them on the wall of your office with pride!)

And if you work with schools or local education programs, ask their teachers and coordinators if they’re willing to send in hand-drawn pictures or letters from students! The students can practice their art skills, and the volunteers will love to hear from the most important members of the community.

Organization-Themed Gifts

One of the best things about a nonprofit is the passion it inspires amongst its community, and that’s especially true for the volunteers that make up the heart and soul of your organization. If someone volunteers with you, it means they truly cherish the time they spend with your organization and are passionate about the work you do.

Here are a few organization-specific ideas to reward that passion and dedication:
- Libraries: Books, bookmarks, and bookstore/café gift cards are all great ways to reward your library volunteers!
- Schools:Offer your volunteers a chance to be students for the night! Bring in a professional to teach them a fun hobby like painting or woodworking, or offer them an opportunity to gain new work skills with programming or graphic design presentations.
- Food Banks: Like schools, you can treat your volunteers to a private lesson from a professional chef–complete with tastings and lessons on what to pair with! And if you’re looking for something a bit easier to wrap, recipe books, homemade treats, and personalized aprons are all wonderful options.
- Animal Rescues:Reward those that care so much about our furry friends with discounted adoption rates, dog and cat treats, and stuffed animals or key chains!
T-Shirts

Let’s face it–you can never have enough t-shirts. Your volunteers will love showing off their team colors with shirts featuring your organization’s logo! And for the extra personalized touch, you can make shirts commemorating milestones or big events!

Tickets to Local Events

Do you have a local sports team or community theater? How about a museum featuring an exhibition of particular interest to your volunteers? See if your organization can get a group deal on tickets and invite your team out for a fun night on the house!

Invest Back in Your Volunteers

Showing appreciation shouldn’t be a one-time event: keep the spirit of appreciation strong throughout the year, and make sure your volunteers know the work they do is seen. After all, the best way to retain volunteers is to respect volunteers.

On that note, here are a few ways you can show your volunteers that you and your organization are invested in them:
- Communicate:Nobody likes being left in the dark, especially if it ends up making them feel less important or meaningful to your organization. Keep your volunteers up-to-date on new opportunities, upcoming events, and other relevant information.
- Listen: Your volunteers are going to see things that you miss–there’s no way around this. Listen to their concerns, questions, and suggestions. An organization that’s willing to hear out and act on suggestions will never be short on volunteers.
- Offer Leadership Opportunities: Your organization is going to mean a lot to the people who give up their time and energy to further its mission. Reward volunteers who have invested significant time into your nonprofit by allowing them to develop new skills that could lead to leadership positions.
If your organization is struggling to find volunteers, try bringing current volunteers to community events, and have them talk about their experience volunteering.

They may not do it for the praise or recognition, but acknowledging the effort your volunteers put into making their community a better place is the best way to keep everyone within the organization happy and invested.
June 5, 2023
Simple Ways Nonprofits Can Increase Donations
Raising funds is essential for any nonprofit organization–but how do you go about doing so, especially if your budget is limited? Keep Doing Good has put together a few quick, easy, and cheap ways you can go about boosting your funds!

Develop a Strong Social Media Presence

Social media posts are an indispensable resource in getting people talking about your organization–so much so that making your social media posts as interactive/engaging as possible should be a priority. Throughout your fundraising campaigns, highlight your organization’s mission and accomplishments. Showing the impact you’ve made and continue to make will get people interested and excited to volunteer for your organization.

Create a Variety of Ways for Showing Support

Creating different types of resources and opportunities for people to show their support helps to keep you relevant, influential, and accessible. Featuring a variety of these opportunities (from the vast amount available) is a great way to motivate your supporters and boost engagement from the community. Here are just a few different types of fundraising methods:
- T-shirt Fundraiser : Supporters can purchase t-shirts with your logo on it!
- Volunteer Opportunities : Non-financial method of giving back to your mission
- Host a 5K : A great way for your community to come together
- Volunteer Opportunities: Give your supporters a non-financial way of giving to your mission.
- Host a 5k: A great (and healthy!) way for the community to spend the day, with plenty of opportunities for sponsorship and involvement from local businesses.
- Photo Contest: A fun and engaging way to strengthen your social media presence, boost your interaction with followers, and reward your volunteers!
Segment Your Email Campaigns

The emails you send to your followers are vital–this is an obvious truth, but an especially important one leading up to a fundraising event. You should emphasize sending your supporters emails leading up to events with helpful information about your cause, how they can participate, and links to where they can find out more.

Since you likely have an already-overstuffed list of follower email addresses, you’ll want to make sure the right messages are getting to the right people. One way you can make sure this happens is to segment your email campaign for specific audiences. For example, you could:
- Offer current monthly donors the opportunity to upgrade their gifts.
- Encourage lapsed donors to give again.
- Ask volunteers who have never donated to contribute.
Sending follow-up emails after events or donations is also extremely important. You should always follow up with donors and thank them for their contributions! Sending personalized messages like this will make donors feel appreciated and encouraged to continue donating to your organization.

When it comes to boosting donations for your fundraiser, get creative! There are so many fun tweaks and variations you can add to your outreach and events, and your volunteers will love the variety of ways to show their support. These tips are a great place to start!
June 5, 2023
Tips for Building Your Relationships with Donors

It’s a universal truth for all nonprofits: fundraising is likely going to be the most important AND challenging aspect of keeping your organization running. Fundraisers are at their best when inextricably connected to the donor’s interests and goals–just like the organization that puts the fundraiser on. Below, we’ve compiled a list of ways to build trust and maintain relationships with both new and existing donors. Use these tips to keep them coming back, so that you can Keep Doing Good.

Know Your Audience

Depending on the organization and the cause they serve, audiences will vary. Knowing who you’re serving, as well as who’s paying attention to your cause, is vital in running your organization to its full potential. Identify your most engaged and involved demographics, then develop campaigns that are target their interests and language.

Show the Outcomes of Donations

There’s a saying in writing–show, don’t tell. For organizations looking to build relationships with new and potential donors, it’s a good idea to apply this advice to yourself as well. Showing what your organization can accomplish (and has accomplished) is essential. Previous donors want to know their money went towards something meaningful, and new donors need to believe they’re contributing to something that will make a difference. Additionally, taking an opportunity to recognize the good that’s been done is a reward for your organization, your volunteers, and your donors.

Make Sure Donor Interactions are Positive

There’s a reason our parents, grandparents, and teachers stressed it to us so much as kids: it’s good to be kind. This is especially true if your organization is dependent on donations to accomplish their mission! Remember that the way you communicate and present yourself to potential donors is a reflection of your organization, its employees and volunteers, and the cause overall. Strive to provide people with a positive view of your organization. Furthermore, nobody likes to feel pressured to donate–so it’s best to keep things light.

Create and Keep Long-Term Donors

Being able to count on repeat donations is a huge boon for any nonprofit, and considering that repeat donors are also more likely to make larger donations, you’ll want to focus on retaining your new and existing donors. Treat your relationship with them as just that–a relationship. Provide them with plenty of positive interactions, answers to any questions they have, and evidence of the good your organization is doing with their help.

Communication is Key

As previously mentioned, donors want to feel like they’re involved and valued when it comes to the work you do with their donations. Send them emails and thank you notes, answer their questions, and listen to their feedback. If they feel there’s a genuine relationship with regular communication, it’s much more likely they’ll continue to support your organization and your cause.

Keep these things in mind when building relationships with your donors, and build practices that enforce these tenets–the fundraising will come naturally!

June 5, 2023
A Quick Guide to the 990 Series Forms
Even after obtaining tax-exempt status, organizations must report their financial details, activities, and certain other information by filing an annual 990 return.

Based on information regarding their gross receipts and assets, organizations will file the applicable form.

Which 990 Form(s) Should I File?
- Form 990-N: Filed by organizations with gross receipts of less than or equal to $50,000.
- Form 990-EZ: Filed by organizations with gross receipts less than $200,000 and assets less than $500,000.
- Form 990: Filed by organizations with gross receipts greater than or equal to $200,000 and assets greater than or equal to $500,000.
- Form 990-PF: Filed by private foundations to determine tax based on investment income and to report charitable distributions/activities.
- Form 990-T: Filed by organizations that filed form 990 or 990-EZ and also have unrelated business income of $1000 or more during the tax year.
- Form CA-199: Filed by organizations that obtained tax-exempt status from the California State and Nonexempt charitable trusts to report financial information to Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
- Form 8038-CP : Filed by issuers of certain bonds to claim a refundable credit payment from the Federal Government equal to a percentage of the interest payments on those bonds.
- Form 1120-POL : Filed by certain tax-exempt organizations to report their political organization taxable income.
- Form 8868: Filed by organizations to get an automatic 6-month extension to file their annual tax returns.
Can I File a Form Other Than the One I Qualify For?

Although Forms 990, 990-EZ, and 990-N are intended for organizations with varying levels of income, there is some leeway. If your organization qualifies for 990-N filing (gross receipts less than or equal to $50,000), you can still choose to file a 990-EZ or 990.

Similarly, if you qualify for 990-EZ filing (gross receipts less than $200,000), you can elect to file a long form 990. If your organization has a gross receipt total over the limit of a form, however, you cannot file that form. For example: if your organization’s gross receipts total $100,000, you can file a Form 990 or short form 990-EZ–but you cannot file a Form 990-N.

If your organization is classified as a private foundation, the only form you may file is Form 990-PF.

What if I Filed a Different Form Last Year?

If you previously filed a version of the form and wish to file a different version this year, you can do so as long as your organization’s gross receipts do not exceed the form limit. For example: if you filed Form 990 last year but qualify to file Form 990-EZ instead, you can choose to do so.

Filing a 990 series form may seem like a lot at first, but knowing the basics goes a long way towards getting done with paperwork and getting out into the community. For more information on the different types of forms, you can visit the IRS website here. Happy filing!
June 5, 2023
Five of Seven Bills in the California Nonprofit Equity Initiative Have Progressed through Committee
Recently, Calnonprofits and the California Nonprofit Contracting Coalition introduced a collection of bills relating to nonprofit contracting and other services.These bills are collectively known as the California Nonprofit Equity Initiative. The goal is to increase equity with state nonprofit contracting, which was called for in a letter sent to legislative leaders and the Governor from over 500 nonprofits and community leaders.

The five bills that have progressed include:
- Equity in Prompt Payments SB 557: Amends the Prompt Payment Act to all state contracts and sets a discrepancy threshold
- Standardizing Indirect Cost Rates SB 336: Sets a minimum of 10% as an indirect cost rate and brings rates into alignment with federal rates
- Contract Flexibility in Emergencies AB 619: Simplifies the contract modification process during emergencies
- Streamlining Small Grant Programs AB 860: educes application and reporting requirements for small grants
- Advance Payments for All AB 590: Ensures nonprofits can secure up to 25% of contracted funds upfront. Priority goes to nonprofits that serve vulnerable communities or those that have limited reserves.
Learn more about the California Nonprofit Equity Initiative and how you can help here .
June 5, 2023
Great (and Free) Fundraising Resources Perfect for Nonprofits!
Working at a nonprofit often means working with a pretty limited budget–thankfully, the internet is home to plenty of free resources that can be used for fundraising. Keep Doing Good has compiled 8 of the best resources for nonprofits to help you get started making a difference quickly, easily, and cost-effectively.

Donorbox
- All-in-one fundraising software with no contracts or subscriptions.
- Users can set up donation forms, store information in the database, handle event coordination/ticketing, and much more.
Givebutter
- Allows users to manage donation forms, fundraisers, events, donors, email and text campaigns, and more.
- Completely free for nonprofits!
GiveWP
- A (completely free) WordPress plugin used to raise funds on your WordPress website.
- Donation system is built into the website, making it easy to host fundraisers online.
DonorDock
- Users can manage their fundraising, contacts, marketing, and more in one place.
- Allows users to communicate with donors through this resource.
RallyUp
- Perfect for organizations of any size or kind.
- Users can communicate with existing donors and recruit new ones.
- Hold events (in-person, virtual, or even hybrid) such as raffles, auctions, sweepstakes, sales, and even live-streams through the platform!
Raisely
- E-fundraising platform that allows users to create fully customizable fundraising sites and campaigns.
- Accepts donations in over 130 currencies.
- Free forever!
Graduway
- Users can manage enrollment, give career guidance, and monitor engagement within their communities (in addition to general fundraising features).
- The perfect platform for education or school-related organizations and higher education institutions.
CauseVox
- Allows users to manage donation forms, recruit new donors, and sell tickets for events.
Each of these resources is unique and may differ slightly in audience/features, so it’s best to look into them and choose which one best fits your organization’s specific needs. Whatever you choose, Keep Doing Good is here to provide you with the resources to organize, manage, and communicate your organization’s goals.
June 5, 2023