How to Uncover Micro-Communities with Employer Data

This blog was written in collaboration with the team at Double the Donation, an online donation matching tool built to amplify nonprofit fundraising.

You’re likely familiar with the idea of community-driven fundraising. But what does it truly mean? And how do workplace giving programs like matching gifts play a role?

A thriving community is a nonprofit’s greatest asset for expanding and deepening supporter loyalty. However, two things must happen for this type of community to form: shared interest and ongoing communication. In other words, these elements must exist to build a sustainable group of advocates for your cause.

When rallying communities within your greater network of support, employer information is one of the best places to start. After all, communities reflect who people are⁠—and a person’s career is often one of the most influential aspects of their identity.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps involved in forming, locating, and engaging micro-communities using your employment data⁠—and how that can impact your corporate fundraising strategies.

According to a recent BWF study, when a nonprofit’s donors are friends with others who also support the organization, their lifetime value for the cause increases by more than four times. Meanwhile, Classy research indicates that nearly 40% of survey respondents see donating as a form of self-expression. If someone sees giving as a part of their self-identity, they’re more inclined to get involved. That’s an excellent demonstration of the power of community.

Keep reading to find out how your team can reap these benefits and more.

Look through donor data to uncover employment insights

The first step in building employment-based micro-communities is understanding where your supporters work. For that, you’ll need to establish a mechanism for collecting comprehensive and up-to-date employment information directly from your supporters.

To harness your fullest potential, we recommend soliciting employment data within your donation forms⁠ each time an individual gives (or otherwise engages with your cause). 

Fortunately, this is quick and easy to do with a modern data stack such as Classy’s integrated solution with Double the Donation.

Feature Spotlight: 360MatchPro’s Top Companies Report

Identify and analyze trends in your employment data using Double the Donation’s Top Companies Report tool. Access helpful insights such as the leading 10, 25, or 50 employers represented in your donor base to uncover the best opportunities for corporate partner prospects from your network.

Keep in mind that the most essential data point is an individual’s employer⁠. However, you may also glean insights and trends from engagement history, role, team or department, location, and other demographic data.

Leverage existing data to activate micro-communities

Picture this: 

You’re at the office donning a T-shirt for a local charitable organization you support. A colleague joins you at the coffee station and remarks on your shirt, letting you know they’re a monthly donor for the same nonprofit. 

This sparks a conversation about your personal relationships with the cause, your history with the organization, and more. Meanwhile, a third co-worker overhears and joins in⁠, informing you that they, too, are avid supporters of the cause. They even introduce the idea of building a team for an upcoming fundraising event.

By the end of your chat, you feel a newfound bond with the individuals with whom you share this nonprofit passion⁠—and you’ve experienced a strengthened connection to the organization. In other words, you’ve formed a micro-community.

In this example, the colleagues only discovered their shared devotion to the organization’s mission by chance. But it also illustrates the importance of connection⁠ and begs the question: What if you had a reliable way to uncover these micro-communities and jump-start shared connections?

That’s where your nonprofit’s data comes in.

If you know that several donors work for company XYZ, you’ve identified the potential for a micro-community. From there, you can aim to connect them, rallying their support to engage other colleagues as well. For example, this could mean donating to a specific campaign, attending a dedicated event, participating in a peer-fundraising challenge, and more.

Use employee micro-communities to form deeper connections with corporate partners

When looking for the best potential partners for your organization, you likely seek prospects with a natural alignment and existing connections to your cause. Those with whom you share micro-communities of engaged employees can be the perfect fit.

All you need to do is highlight that a significant number of employees already support your organization. This demonstrates a strong foundation for a potential partnership, with preexisting employee enthusiasm working as a powerful selling point.

Here are a couple of tips to craft your communications:

• Use employee-centered language. Keep the company’s employees at the heart of your pitch. Language such as “Your employees care a lot about our organization” or “Your staff has a real heart for our cause” is beneficial because it allows you to demonstrate how a collaborative effort aligns with existing employee interests and values.
• Focus on the company’s needs and goals. Talk about what the partnership can do for the company in question more than you talk about how they can support your cause. Highlight benefits such as employee engagement, increased exposure, and positive corporate image.

Get started with the following customizable outreach template:

Subject line: Amplify employee engagement with a [Nonprofit] partnership

Create custom engagement opportunities for companies

Once you’ve determined where your supporters work and identified the best opportunities for potential partners, you’ll need to establish what these relationships will entail. 

For example, imagine there’s a company within your network with a good-sized employee base known for consistently supporting your organization. However, let’s say the employer doesn’t currently offer a matching gifts program. Using the existing micro-community as leverage, you might pitch a one-off program where the company matches donations its staff makes exclusively to your organization.

Other types of custom partnerships might include:

• Team volunteer days
• Year-end matching gift drives
• Affinity-month matching gift campaigns
• Custom volunteer grant or VTO programs
• Peer-to-peer fundraising events
• And more⁠—the opportunities are endless

Feature Spotlight: Classy’s corporate partnership solution

Create personalized opportunities to engage your donors’ companies in custom partnerships. Launch a tailored, co-branded campaign page that allows donors to give, advocate for your cause, and get their gifts matched with ease.

Drive ongoing impact with micro-communities and matching gifts

Community-driven fundraising should be part of a larger effort to engage your audience in your mission. By tapping into the widespread potential of employer data to uncover micro-communities in your network, you can create increasingly tailored opportunities to support your cause⁠—from matching gifts to broader community partnerships and sustained support.

The best part is that harnessing employer data can be straightforward and impactful. You can even get started by integrating Double the Donation and Classy to identify and activate your micro-communities. Now is the time to take proactive steps to leverage these insights, create personalized giving opportunities, and amplify the impact of your charitable organization’s initiatives.

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien