Giving contests are becoming an increasingly common tool for cities and regions to increase donations to nonprofits. One recent contest—Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington—was conceived to strengthen the area’s nonprofit community, not only financially, but also through improved online fundraising skills and better donor-nonprofit relationships.
Building on our work on the Make it Your Own Awards and America’s Giving Challenge, the Case Foundation sponsored a study on how giving contests can promote donor engagement, skills development and new online marketing opportunities for nonprofits. Read about the results from Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington and learn tips for giving contest organizers and nonprofits that participate.
A case study of Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington
Organizers built the event with three key components: a contest structure that supported individual giving with a higher priority on individual donors versus size of dollars; a nonprofit training program that would help organizations not only to perform better during the giving day, but also acquire long-term online fundraising skills; and a significant marketing program deployed to heighten the awareness of the nonprofit community and facilitate the event.
The results were notable. Including prize money, Give to the Max Day raised $2 million for 1,200 nonprofits from 18,000 donors on November 9, 2011, its inaugural effort. Read this report on Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington to learn about how giving contests can benefit your community.