Increasingly, organizations are using online resources as tactical levers to do much more than just ask existing donors for funds from time to time. There is latent opportunity to use these tools to engage existing supporters in meaningful ways, and more.
There is the chance to leverage existing networks to reach out to new supporters through pre-existing donors. GlobalGiving is an online marketplace attracting social innovators from around the world, providing training, resources and tools to build an online fundraising strategy, and creating connections to networks of corporate and individual donors. Since 2002, organizations have raised over $36 million from over 140,000 donors and our amazing partner network continues to grow!
Says Alexandra Berg from Lumana, a GlobalGiving partner,
Being part of Global Giving creates legitimacy. We knew our cause was worthwhile before, but it’s awesome to see other people jump on board and become part of something we really believe in.
New organizations typically join GlobalGiving through Open Challenges. These are not contests, but an opportunity to join GlobalGiving. Each organization, in order to secure a spot in the GlobalGiving marketplace, is required to raise $4,000 from at least 50 donors during the month-long challenge.
GlobalGiving works with participating organizations to help them develop and execute their online fundraising strategy and provides a number of bonus grants during the Challenge. The next Global Open Challenge launches on April 1, but nominations and paperwork requirements close on March 1, 2011.
Over 230 organizations recently concluded GlobalGiving’s largest Global Open Challenge ever! Headquartered in 38 countries and serving beneficiaries in 55 countries, they collectively raised nearly $600,000. Over 75 organizations met the threshold and joined GlobalGiving at the Challenge's conclusion.
Many of those participating have used these Challenges as an opportunity to deepen donor engagement and further expand their networks. A significant number of these organizations had never used online fundraising techniques before and were able to use this successfully as an opportunity to diversify their fundraising sources.
GlobalGiving addresses the social entrepreneur’s and the non profits’ need for a safe, transparent and tax deductible way for donors to give. It also provides a set of donor management tools, ongoing trainings, and the possibility of connecting with new donors.
In addition to access to corporate networks and employee giving opportunities with partners like Dell, Nike, HP, Cummins, joining the GlobalGiving community has many advantages including access to matching grants, marketing partnerships and fundraising networks in the UK.
Erica Keaveney from Lotus Outreach says of her experience with GlobalGiving,
…helped small organizations like Lotus Outreach reach a wide range of supporters from all over the globe. In just a little over one year, you have helped us raise around $70,000--around 20% of our annual operating budget! It is just amazing and has forever changed our organization!
To get started, interested organizations can nominate themselves here, the deadline to submit due diligence is March 1, and the Challenge launches on April 1. For more details please click here: www.globalgiving.org/open-challenge-nomination. For any other additional information please contact Manmeet Mehta at mmehta@globalgiving.org.
Guest blogger John Hecklinger is the Chief Program Officer at GlobalGiving and leads GlobalGiving's effort to be an ever more effective platform for grassroots social entrepreneurs and NGO partners to connect directly with funding sources.
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Jean Case at the 2013 Yale Philanthropy Conference
