When you think of the holiday season, images of frosted pines, toasty fires, and indulgent sweets might come to mind – but what about giving back? The holidays naturally bring about a sense of generosity. That’s why so many nonprofit organizations rely on holiday and year-end fundraising campaigns; they’re among the most successful and profitable of all. For corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams, it’s smart to tailor gift matching, volunteering, and other programs to the season. Our holiday fundraising ideas allow you to embrace the season of giving and use it to drive employee engagement, boost your reputation, and create an even bigger impact than ever.
No matter which holidays you celebrate (if any at all), as temperatures grow colder, our hearts tend to grow warmer.
The timeframe between October and the end of December consistently brings a wave of new donations to nonprofit organizations nationwide. It seems that both companies and individuals alike are more likely to give back during the holiday season than at any other time of year.
According to data from the 2023 M+R Benchmarks Report, a study focused on trends in the nonprofit space, 26% of all online donation revenue comes from giving that happens during December alone. It’s no surprise, then, that the holiday season is a prime time for nonprofits seeking donations or volunteers.
So, as you think about how to close out your year, make sure you take some time to consider fundraising ideas for the holidays, too. While your goal may not be to bring in funds like a nonprofit might, you can ensure that being able to make holiday donations is a benefit of working for your organization.
Your teams will likely already be in the spirit of giving – and you can ride that wave of generosity to maximize your organizational impact.
For CSR teams and organizations looking to boost their social impact, the fall and winter months are chock full of potential.
Groundswell’s platform empowers you to tackle holiday fundraiser ideas like those below just in time for the holidays. Let’s take a closer look.
Perhaps the most obvious way to give back is with your wallet. Establishing an employee donation program is a good start. Through a donation program, employees can choose to give a certain amount to nonprofits they care about each pay period.
You can also seamlessly match employee donations. Groundswell automates the process of matching employee gifts for you so that you can double their impact without creating undue administrative burdens.
Take things a step further by creating a full-blown gift-matching campaign or drive. Your organization can pledge to match all donations made to a nonprofit within a given time or up to a certain amount in coordination with the holiday season. Alternatively, you can choose to launch a campaign that supports specific nonprofits or industries. It’s up to you!
Regardless of your approach, you’ll need technology that helps you create and execute your program effectively. Groundswell does just that – plus, our instant donation distribution timelines mean that your teams’ donations will reach their recipients just in time for the holidays, not months down the road.
The end of the year is a great time to reach out to new or existing nonprofit partners to ask how you can best support them. In addition to gift matching, you may want to consider corporate grantmaking as part of your holiday giving and fundraising effort.
Offering a grant as part of a blossoming partnership is a simple but effective way to plant roots within your community. Likewise, supporting specific nonprofit organizations that align with business values shows that you’re invested in bringing your values to life both in and outside of the workplace.
Lead by example by setting up a volunteer activity that encourages employees to donate their time or skills to causes they’re passionate about.
How you approach this is up to you. Hosting a local clean-up, food collection drive, toy drive, or even joining in on existing volunteer events hosted by local nonprofits are just a few examples of how you can get involved.
Host paid volunteer activities during work hours or set something up off the clock; no matter what, with a platform like Groundswell, you can easily track and reward employee volunteer hours as you see fit.
If getting your hands dirty and volunteering sounds like the best way to give back, expand upon the idea of hosting a single activity and plan a proper employee volunteering campaign!
You might, for example, set up several volunteer events throughout the holiday season for teams to participate in. Or, you could encourage employees to volunteer for a set number of hours (or attend a set number of events) throughout the season.
However you structure your volunteering campaigns, make sure you give employees an opportunity to customize their experience. That might mean allowing them to choose where they volunteer, encouraging them to participate in skilled volunteering, or offering unique incentives for the holiday season.
The holidays can be a stressful and expensive time. While it may not raise funds for nonprofits, an employee assistance program (EAP) can raise money to support your people.
An employee assistance fund (EAF) can come in handy this time of year for many reasons.
For one, it gives you an opportunity to support employees who might need some extra help. It also creates another space for employees to donate funds, diversifying the ways that your teams can feel involved in making a difference.
Ready to start planning holiday fundraisers and giving campaigns that will celebrate the spirit of the season? Groundswell makes it easy to launch events that engage and excite. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works:
The holiday season is already a time of increased giving. That means it’s also the perfect opportunity to engage your employees with charitable activities and CSR campaigns that allow them to make giving back a part of everyday work.
Groundswell’s platform is designed to make creating giving campaigns hassle-free and quick. Plan activities, track participation, and make changes as needed without involving customer support!
With some of the lowest fees on the market and 24-hour donation distribution timelines, Groundswell stands out as the first platform built for the modern philanthropist. We’re here to democratize charitable giving so that all businesses, no matter their size, can leverage their position to do good.
To learn more about Groundswell and how we’re revolutionizing the social impact space, book a demo with our team today.
