Jun 12, 2019 | Shopping Tips
All Eyes Are on Glossier’s Newly-Launched Brow Flick!
From unruly-and-bushy to pencil-thin arches, eyebrow techniques and tools continuously evolve over the years. For instance, expect more people to abandon the “Instagram Brow” (a trend marked by extremely polished, overly-sculpted eyebrows with ramped-up contours) for a more natural, down-to-earth look. The quest to achieve hyper-symmetrical perfection is no longer envy-worthy; you now run the risk of sporting brows that look ‘too fake’ or ‘overdone’.
When you’re ready to redefine your brow goals, Glossier’s Brow Flick is just the thing you need to get started. The newest beauty solution to join the brand’s collection of consumer-driven products launched June [Insert Date], and it’s a real game changer.
What is Brow Flick?
Brow Flick is a detailing pen that addresses some rather specific needs in brow management: sparseness, concealing grays, and lack of definition. The pen has a micro-fine brush tip that creates ultra-defined, hair-like strokes with precision, allowing users to achieve some of the most natural-looking eyebrows.
Attaining fabulous results with this tool isn’t tricky. Hold the pen at a downward angle and lightly etch (or ‘flick’) with featherlight strokes in the spaces where you’d like to see extra brow ‘hairs’ or enhance definition. Let the product dry for at least 15 seconds before applying more makeup.
Brow Flick’s “precisely shaded formula” is available in three sheer, water-resistant shades:
Glossier’s newest pen is especially ideal if you’re looking to:
1. Shape a More Youthful Look
Product-heavy, overfilled brows are a no-no. This beauty blunder not only seems like you’re trying too hard to achieve perfection but can also add years to your appearance. Brow Flick has a formula superior to that of other brow pencils, powders, and felt tips, which you can use to enhance the natural shape of a brow and add freshness to your face.
The pen’s precision, fine-point delicately fills in short tails and adds depth to sparse areas. You don’t need the skills of Picasso to cover the canvas adequately. Rely on short, delicate strokes to produce the desired look of individual brow hairs.
2. Lift, Frame, and Define with Contour Brows
In a world that pays attention to detail, Brow Flick fits right in.
Let’s take contour brows, for example. Clean edges, accentuated arches, and tapered tails characterize this style. And when done right, this enhances definition and flatters features on faces of all shapes and sizes. Brow Flick’s fine-point accuracy cleanly defines eyebrow edges, as well as tapers an eyebrow tail into a sharp point.
3. Enjoy Gray Hair Coverage with Less Mess
There isn’t enough hair in a pair of eyebrows that allow for total elimination every time a gray intruder emerges. Pluck too many, and you run the risk of misshapen brows. While some people choose dyes to solve their issue, it seems a bit drastic for just one or two strands.
However, with a quick pass of Brow Flick, you’ll effortlessly accomplish precise coverage – one gray hair at a time.
4. Save Time and Money on a Tremendous Twosome
Brow Flick is also the perfect counterpart to cult-favorite, Boy Brow, Glossier’s original, all-in-one grooming essential. The bestselling creamy wax formula thickens, conditions, and shapes brows into place. Boy Brow is available in Blond, Brown, and Black, as well as Clear.
Pair the two products to form a fluffier, more authentic brow that doesn’t appear forced or overly exaggerated. Let your natural beauty shine and showcase brows that have more character.
Since using Brow Flick and Boy Brow together requires fewer overall steps to achieve natural-looking polished brows, this dynamic duo also saves time and energy better spent on the rest of your beauty routine.
And last but not least, if you want to save money on future Glossier purchases and more, we suggest downloading our Giving Assistant button to keep up with the brand’s latest deals and discounts.
May 31, 2019 | Holiday Gift Guides, Shopping Tips
This year, Father’s Day falls on June 16th, and it will be here before you know it. Dads aren’t necessarily the easiest individuals to shop for, so when it comes time to shower the special men in your life with love and tokens of appreciation – it can be a bit of a challenge.
If you’ve already gifted the usual suspects (coffee cup, tie, and wallet) and need a little inspiration to awaken your creative juices, we’re here to help.
Below are a few ways to not only make sure Dad receives long-lasting benefits out of this year’s gift but to also save big time on an awesome Father’s Day present.
Save Up to 70% off Select Luggage at The Home Depot
Make sure Dad is ready for any adventure, business trip or family vacation; and send him off in style when you save up to 70% off select luggage.
Carry-ons have certainly come a long way, and value collections (some of which include up to six pieces of luggage) accommodate a multitude of travel needs.
Seek ultra-convenient features, such as top-, side- and telescopic handles with the push-button mechanism on carry-ons. Luggage featuring 360-degree spinners glide across floors and allow always-on-the-go Papas to reach terminals and gates faster. Some luggage has hidden compartments, while others are equipped with exclusive features, like built-in USB ports for easy charging of electronics, as seen in the TPRC Underseater Carry-On Rolling Briefcase.
Softside luggage, like Travelers Club 5-Piece Value Luggage, provides a higher level of flexibility, especially when squeezing last-minute items into accessory pockets and maneuvering the tight spaces of overhead compartments.
Hardside (or hard case) luggage, like the American Green Travel Melrose Blue 3-Piece Expandable Spinner Luggage with TSA Lock and Corner Guards, tend to have a more stylishly sleek look and range in shades from metallic rose gold to steely grey. Beyond their eye candy status, polycarbonate is used to make the hard shell exterior, which provides water-resistant coverage and adds protection for electronics, laptops, cameras, and other fragile valuables.
Shop the Home Depot, and you’ll find plenty of sets that offer Dad an affordable mix of carry-on bags, checked bags, totes, duffels, garment bags, and smaller travel bags (like a toiletry or Dopp kit).
Save 20% off $200+ on Select Categories at Zoro.com
Zoro sells industrial goods, tools, everyday supplies, and accessories that particularly cater to the needs of business owners and trades professionals, as well as provide a wealth of gift ideas for Dads that dabble in drywall, masonry, carpentry, construction, and home improvement.
Zoro’s inventory boasts thousands of brands and millions of products from the likes of Stanley, Georgia-Pacific, Makita, DeWalt, Dupont, and 3M. And, with a reputation for having needle-in-a-haystack items in stock, saving 20% on a $200+ purchase on Zoro Select makes it all the more worthwhile when shopping for your favorite handyman, DIY’er, or Jack-of-all-trades this Father’s Day.
Track down that specialty clamp, starter motor, or raw materials needed for unique projects. You may also consider the following gift ideas from Zoro:
- Power tools and accessories, from battery packs to deluxe router bit sets
- Hand tools that measure, mark, cut, and fasten materials
- Office goods and furniture, like heavy-duty executive chairs with leather seats
- Tool storage, portable tool boxes, gear bags, and protective cases
- Outdoor equipment, including pool-cleaning accessories and ladders
And as a bonus, you’ll enjoy free shipping on orders of $50 or more at Zoro.
Take an Extra 15% off Personalized Gifts at Things Remembered 
For this Father’s Day, enjoy an extra 15% off personalized gifts, including jewelry, watches, picture frames, robes, messenger bags, and money clips.
Engraved pocket blades and tools are also quite popular this time of the year. Look to Things Remembered for a present that combines entertaining functionality with heartfelt personalization, when just any Swiss Army knife won’t do.
Nail this year’s Father’s Day gift with a stainless steel Gentlemen’s Hammer Multi-Tool, which also acts as a saw, pliers, plain-edge knife, screwdriver, bottle opener, shucker and can opener.
For the rugged outdoorsman, the Gentlemen’s Hardware Axe Multi-Tool is ideal for dads who often embark on camping, hunting, and hiking trips. In addition to a kindling axe, there are a handful of items in one compact package: a mini mallet, knife, two saws, two screwdrivers, a can opener, bottle opener, and file.
Engrave the handles of the gifts mentioned above with a name, nickname, monogram, date or a heartfelt message. Both pieces come with a complimentary keepsake box.
The Gentlemen’s Hardware Tool Kit offers a full set of wood and titanium-coated steel tools, housed within an eye-catching gunmetal/pinewood valet box. Inside, you’ll find a neat arrangement of pliers, a multi-ratchet screwdriver, ruler, tape measure, pencil and hammer with engravable head.
And that’s not all, spend $100 or more at Things Remembered and your items ship for free.
Save Up to 40% off Select Tools and Accessories at Lowe’s
Dad’s tool arsenal can always use an upgrade. Replace rusty favorites and find new additions to enhance his collection at Lowe’s, where you can save up to 40% off select tools and accessories.
This Father’s Day, score savings on best-selling brands, such as Craftsman, Bosch, Black & Decker, and Hitachi, and gift handyman essentials for less – think saws, wrenches, screwdrivers, ladders, cordless drills, and Shop-Vacs.
Keep an eye out for discounted toolsets and combo kits, which bundle extra attachments, chargers, battery packs, and carrying cases that often create a kid-in-a-candy-store effect.
The Craftsman 51-Piece Standard (SAE) and Metric Mechanics Tool Set not only adds eye candy to a toolbox but is also ultra-durable and easy to clean, thanks to its corrosion-resistant gunmetal chrome finish.
The Dewalt 10-Tool 20-Volt Power Tool Combo Kit with Soft Case is an excellent gift idea for new homeowners, as well as those getting ready to tackle an ambitious home improvement project. This kit comes with two batteries and a charger. Additionally, this set comes with a Bluetooth speaker and a blower that clears debris at the end of a hard day’s work.
Find the Best Father’s Day Gift Ideas—AND Save!
What’s better than finding just the right Father’s Day present and saving money? We think it’s discovering the best deals on your favorite brands and gift ideas all year round.
Download our Giving Assistant button, and we’ll get you up-to-date on the latest ways to save.
Apr 26, 2019 | Holiday, Holiday Gift Guides
Mother’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the Queen Bees in your life and show appreciation for the love, guidance, and strength they represent. While bouquets of flowers, chocolates, and handmade cards often take center stage, there are many other thoughtful gift-giving ideas that still say “I love you, Mom”.
As you take time to recognize some of the most important females in your circle, you may want to consider some of the following Giving Assistant-approved Mother’s Day gift ideas.
1. Edible Arrangements | A Berry Sweet ‘Thank You’
Express your everlasting gratitude for all that Mom does by treating her taste buds to an indulgent fruit assortment from Edible Arrangements. You certainly can’t go wrong with a box full of chocolate-dipped strawberries.
Want to level-up the presentation? Choose semisweet-coated berries touched with a bit of white chocolate Swizzle®. The Just For You Bouquet is a pretty impressive sight to see. A spray of pineapple daisies, juicy grapes, and chocolate-dipped strawberries are situated inside a geometrically-patterned mug.
Order online and it’ll be ready for pickup or delivery starting May 8th.
2. Sam’s Club | Be ‘Scent’sative
Perfume is one of the most sought-after gift ideas for women. You can stick with tried-and-true favorites or introduce Mama to a new scent. You may not think of Sam’s Club as a hub for top-rated fragrances, but you’ll find plenty of online-only specials and discounted prices on sprays and gift sets for Mother’s Day. Think Dolce & Gabbana, Vera Wang, Elizabeth Arden, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Versace, Burberry, Juicy Couture, and DKNY.
On a side note, it also pays to be a Sam’s Club Plus member – you’ll score free shipping for this gift purchase.
3. The Home Depot | Keep Mom Comfy
What mom doesn’t love to kick her feet up? Give Mom the gift of relaxation with a beautiful, new bathrobe. In addition to enjoying up to 8% cash back on any Home Depot purchase, you can also save up to 40% off select bathrobes.
4. Kay Jewelers | A Gem of a Gift
Birthstone jewelry as a Mother’s Day gift idea truly tugs at the heartstrings when gemstones are used to represent the birth month of a child or children. Get lost in the Kay Jewelers lineup of customizable rings, necklaces, lockets, and bracelets that feature hearts, birds, circles, crosses, keys, and the Tree of Life. Just a thought, melt a new mama’s heart with the Color Stone Mother’s Footprint Ring. Have it engraved with baby’s name and birth date.
Get your personalized jewelry orders in by May 3rd to ensure delivery in time for Mother’s Day.
5. Walgreens | Put a Smile on That Mug
What mama doesn’t love to show off her kids, grandkids, pets and unforgettable family moments? Custom photo print mugs offer just the right touch of heartfelt personalization and Mom is definitely sure to smile every time she takes a sip of her java, tea, or H2O. This year, you’ll have another fun option to consider; Walgreens just added Stainless Insulated Water Bottles with your favorite photos or designs wrapped around the base.
6. Bed Bath & Beyond | A Gift Set that’ll Blow Mom Away
Of course, Mom is beautiful no matter what, but what woman wouldn’t want a hair care gift set?
Pretty in pink (or fuchsia, to be exact), the Dyson Supersonic™ Special Edition Mother’s Day Hair Dryer Gift Set has everything a stylish mama needs to straighten, smooth, volumize, and detangle their do. This high-speed, 1600-watt powerhouse of a dryer comes with a paddle brush, detangling comb and magnetic attachments, such as a smoothing nozzle.
As an added bonus, Bed Bath & Beyond ships orders over $39 for free.
7. Macy’s | Show Mom How Much She Rocks
To celebrate the special lady in your life, Macy’s has limited-time deals and special savings on all sorts of diamond jewelry. There’s a 70% off sale on 1/3-Karat Diamond Stud Earrings in 14K gold, rose gold, and white gold. The Diamond Halo 18″ Pendant Necklace is an elegant find.
If Mom prefers her bling in the kitchen, Macy’s sells retro-styled KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixers in colorfully appetizing shades, such as Watermelon, Cranberry, 
Boysenberry, Bordeaux, Empire Red, Cinnamon, and Tangerine.
8. See’s Candies | Say It with Flowers
Flowers eventually wilt, but the new floral and “Pretty Petals” collection of Mother’s Day gifts at See’s Candies is a gift that keeps on giving with decorative souvenir tins and boxes. Packaged in a spring-themed, floral container, spoil Mom with the Sweet Bouquet Keepsake Tin’s 19-piece melt-in-your-mouth selection of sweet treats. The 21-piece Floral Fancy Box is an embossed keepsake filled with an assortment of milk, dark and white chocolates, including Walnut Squares and Raspberry Truffles.
Expedited shipping for $9.95 on deliveries over $35 also sweetens this Mother’s Day gift idea.
You Can’t Go Wrong With These Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
And don’t forget, after surviving Mother’s Day, it’ll soon be time to start shopping for Dad. To avoid the last-minute rush of choosing just the right Father’s Day gift and taking advantage of the best deals around, don’t forget to use or download our Giving Assistant Button.
Let us connect you to the latest sales and discounts from your favorite stores and brands.
Apr 17, 2019 | Nonprofits, Shopping Tips, Tech
Growing your nonprofit…
It’s like being on a fun, frustrating, exhilarating, challenging, scary, exciting, loop-de-looping rollercoaster you (for some crazy reason) choose to stay on.
Sure, you could hop off at anytime, but you’re committed to the mission—and that’s what makes you so awesome!
For many nonprofits, social media is a big part of their growth strategy. But an additional, oft-overlooked aspect of growth is time management.
After all: You can grow the biggest social following in the world, but if you’re spending all your time on social media, how are you going to make time to do the world-changing work your followers are invested in seeing you do?
Social media scheduling apps to the rescue.
What is a social media scheduler?
Social media schedulers allow you to create lots of social content at once, assign times and dates to that content, and have the content posted to your social media accounts automatically at those times.
The idea is that, instead of spending time updating your social media accounts multiple times per week, you’ll save time by spending just 1 or 2 days a month writing all those posts out at once, after which you can spend the rest of the month doing the millions of other important things your nonprofit needs to do.
If you decide to try a scheduling platform, you and your team will find a content creation cadence that works best for you, whether that’s creating content once per week, once a month, or even quarterly.
Do I really need to fuss with social media in order to grow my nonprofit?
The short answer: Yes. Generally speaking, there’s a lot of value in leveraging social media for growth, as more and more people turn to social media to keep up with their favorite nonprofits’ events, activities, and fundraisers than ever before.
In the end, there’s no one Most Correct™ way to grow. Behind every nonprofit, big or small, there’s a different (inspiring!) story surrounding how they acquired their donor base.
4 Free Social Media Platforms We Love (And How to Use Them)
There are so many scheduling platforms out there. Some with tons of bells and whistles (and a big price tag.)
But we’re going to keep it simple and just stick 4 that have the option for free accounts. (Our platform is free—shouldn’t these be?)
- Zoho Social (our favorite)
- Hootsuite
- Later
- Buffer
Also, we’ve posted links to tutorials below each list of pros and cons. That way, if you’re at all worried about losing time fumbling around on these things due to a learning curve—well, don’t!
Why we like it:
- Unlike Hootsuite, you don’t need add-ons or extras to use some of the more popular social networks
- Built-in URL shortener (no need to navigate away to Bit.ly or Google’s URL shortener)
- Live previews of your content (so you’ll know what they look like before you post)
What we’re iffy about:
- Can be tricky to learn
- Can’t upload posts in bulk (must be done one at a time)
- If you want more than 3 people working together on the platform, it can get pretty pricey.
Tutorials: Note that these tutorials cover most of the features of Zoho Social, including some that aren’t in the free version, so look out for that. In any case, there are two we think you’ll want:
For the first one, New to Zoho Social, the “New to Zoho Social” section will probably be the most relevant. To see how to schedule and publish posts, you’ll want the publishing and scheduling overview.
Why we like it:
- Free version lets you manage a max of 3 accounts, but you aren’t limited to just Twitter and Facebook! LinkedIn, WordPress, and others are there too
- Pro version is only $10 a month
- Easy to see how your posts are performing and collect analytics data
What we’re iffy about:
- The pro version can get really tricky, according to some users (But “complicated” really just means “robust” and “flexible!”)
- Can’t respond to post comments via the platform or interact with followers—you’ll have to log into your social platforms individually to do that
- Posting to some social networks (like Pinterest) require “add-ons” or can even cost an additional fee
Tutorial: Hootsuite Beginner Tutorial – How To Manage Your Social Media Accounts
Why we like it:
- Popular among Instagrammers (though Twitter and Facebook are also there) it can help you curate a pretty Instagram feed!
- Provides a clear, birds-eye view of your posting calendar
- You can either post automatically or request a notification prior to a post going live, so you can “okay” it
What we’re iffy about:
- Not very intuitive (a tutorial is a must) and limited to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
- If you post to more than one social account (ie., you have two Twitter accounts) you have to log in again to post to the other one
- Free version only lets you schedule about 2 weeks of posts
Tutorial: Full Demo of Later – Again, very Instagram heavy. But they get into Twitter and Facebook about 4 minutes and 30 seconds in.
Why we like it:
- Free for up to 3 social media accounts, including most social accounts (like Pinterest)
- Easy to see how your posts are performing, and easy for other team members to come in and add posts
- Clean interface
What we’re iffy about:
- Can’t post to Instagram automatically (you have to “okay” it first)
- In spite of the clean, pleasing interface, some users report trouble figuring out how to use it without some help
- Team members can add posts, but you can’t discuss them or comment on them within the platform
- Upgraded version can be expensive for some teams at $99/month
Tutorials: Here’s a great walk-through straight from Buffer’s website. Additionally, this tutorial on Udemy is free (and great), but requires you to sign up.
When should you schedule your posts?
According to research:
- Facebook use increases on the weekends.
- For Instagram, Wednesdays around lunch and dinner time are highest.
- Weekends are actually the worst time to post on Twitter.
Our advice, though?
Prioritize engagement, and grow your donor base by creating content that people want to share, comment on, and react to.
For that, here’s some research-based advice:
- People are most inclined to share content from other people, brands, and organizations whom they feel a connection with. So craft your brand and your content as if you were an individual trying to make friends with a certain type of person.
- Take heart: You’re at an advantage. 84% of people say they share content as a way to support causes that mean something to them. So publish compelling stories about the work you’re doing, your needs, your progress, and your vision.
Don’t forget to take a few minutes here and there to reply to comments, engage in conversations with your followers, and share others’ content too.
How to promote your Giving Assistant fundraising page fast using your social media scheduler
Once you’re all set up with a social media scheduler you like, turn to your Giving Assistant dashboard. There, you’ll find lots of time-saving content you can easily copy and paste into your scheduled posts.
- Click Fundraising Tools, then Messaging on the left-hand side of your dashboard.
- Click Facebook (also great for Instagram captions) or Twitter, and cycle through the different messages available to you. Click “refresh” to see other caption options.
- Copy the messaging you want, then paste it into your social posts with your favorite images. You can also use a free web-based app like Canva to easily and quickly create graphics to attach to your posts!
Tip: Consider writing at least one original caption or Tweet promoting your Giving Assistant page—but this time, tell your followers how their cash back microdonations can add up to help you in big ways over time. Tell them what small donations of $2, $5, or $10 can do for you and the community or cause you serve.
Additionally, raise more by looking out for Giving Assistant deals (like these), coupons, or Double Cash Back events they might be interested in, and schedule those into your social media calendar as well.
Share the love (automatically)!
Social media schedulers make it even easier to raise more cash back donations by sharing your Giving Assistant fundraising page more often, and will ensure all your followers feel included, valued, and capable of getting involved on a regular basis—no matter how much time or money they might have.
Apr 17, 2019 | Shopping Tips
Did you know? Your nonprofit dashboard can do way more than just help you keep a record of the cash back donations you’ve raised.
It’s also a thoughtfully-designed (and ever-evolving) marketing hub, packed with shortcuts and time-savers for busy nonprofits like yours.
And let’s be honest—is there really such thing as a nonprofit that isn’t crunched for time?
In this article:
We’ll go over these 6 marketing tools in your dashboard:
- Tool #1: Your fundraising page
- Tool #2: Your fundraising page link
- Tool #3: Website assets
- Tool #4: Pre-written messaging
- Tool #5: “Thank you” email
- Tool #6: Donor emails
You’ll learn:
- What they are
- How they help you raise more
- How much time it takes to use each one (less than 5 minutes for each, on average!)
- Where to find it
Let’s get started!
Tool #1: Your fundraising page. Customize it to encourage donor confidence!
Already done this? Great! Move along to Tool #2, rock star.
What it is: Your fundraising page is where people go to sign up for Giving Assistant specifically to support your nonprofit.
This section of your dashboard is where you can go and customize this page with your nonprofit’s logo and an image or video you think best represents your mission.
When your supporters sign up through this page, their cash back donations are automatically set to 100%, and their nonprofit of choice is automatically set to yours.
How it helps you raise more: Potential donors visiting an uncustomized page will almost always pause and wonder if they’re at the right place, and will likely click away without signing up.
Adding your own media and messaging, however, assures them that it’s really you. More importantly, an appealing image and mission statement will move them to get involved by signing up—or even by sharing your fundraising page.
Time it takes: 2 to 5 minutes. Faster if you already know, and have quick access to, the images you want to use.
Where it is: On the left-hand side of your dashboard, click Fundraising Tools. The section to customize your fundraising page (My Fundraising Page) should pop up right away.
Tip: To display a 150-character mission statement on your fundraising page, head over to the left-hand side of your dashboard, click My Organization, and About Us. You’ll see the spot to write in your mission statement there, which will display on your page.
Tool #2: Your fundraising page link. Log in, copy it, and keep it handy!
What it is: This is the URL (link) to the fundraising page you customized in Tool #1.
How it helps: It enables faster, more frequent sharing of your page, so you can raise more. This is why we put it up front: so you don’t have to keep clicking around searching for it!
Time it takes: Literally a second or two. Copy it, and paste it wherever you want to put it: social posts, emails, texts to team members, friends, and family, fliers, cards, bumper stickers, your forehead…(okay, maybe not that last one…)
Where it is: Right when you log in to your dashboard, it’s front and center. Click Overview on the left-hand side to get back to it anytime.
Tip: This tool is all about quick and easy link-sharing, so here are two more ideas to help you keep that link handy without needing to login to your dashboard every time:
- Bookmark it: Copy this URL from your dashboard, paste it into your browser, and bookmark it like normal. You can also add it as a bookmark right on your browser’s toolbar. (If you’re using Chrome, do this by clicking Bookmarks at the top, then Bookmark Manager. On the left-hand side, the very top folder is Bookmarks Bar. Find your Giving Assistant link within your bookmarks, and drag it to this spot.)
- Text or email it to yourself: Copy the URL and send it to yourself in an email or a text. The next time you’re out and about and need to grab the link quickly, all you have to do is search for it on your phone, copy it, and share it!
Tool #3: Website assets. Add your Giving Assistant fundraising page link to your website in minutes—even if you don’t know how.
If you’ve already done this, move along to Tool #4. (WAIT! Give yourself a high five. Okay, now move along.)
What it is: This is where you’ll download graphics and copy the HTML code you’ll need to put a Giving Assistant link on your nonprofit’s website. Alternatively, you can use this section to request help with updating your website either from your webmaster or someone on our team.
Tip: This section is designed to make it fast and extra-easy to update your website with your Giving Assistant link, even if you don’t already have the know-how or media assets to do this on your own. We always encourage our nonprofits to share their Giving Assistant “donate-while-you-shop” fundraising opportunity on their website’s Donate or Ways to Give page.
How it helps: As a nonprofit that relies on donations to fulfill your vision, you know that fundraising requires connecting with potential donors in every possible way they might find you: from printed-out fliers, to social media and your website.
After all, you wouldn’t have a website without a page telling people how they can donate, right? Because you know asking for donations via one communications channel alone isn’t enough. Hundreds, if not thousands of people will navigate to your site to learn more about you, sometimes through a cold Google search.
Adding your Giving Assistant fundraising link to your Donate or Ways to Give page will help you raise more donations from a much wider swath of people, namely those who either feel connected to your mission but aren’t ready to make a straight donation, or those who want to donate but simply can fit it into their budget right now.
It’s a way of showing all your potential donors that there is something they can do, making them feel considered, included, and appreciated.
Additionally, this tool can help you raise more by saving you time.
Rather than spending an hour or more of your nonprofit’s precious fundraising time trying to find or create the media you want to use on your website to add your Giving Assistant page, or even trying to write out HTML yourself, you can download these assets and just copy and paste the code, or even quickly reach out to us or your webmaster for help, freeing you up to do other work while also nipping out some stress.
Time it takes: If you choose to use the tool to reach out to your webmaster, just seconds. If you have some tech know-how and want to DIY this, copying and pasting the code to your site takes under 3 minutes. If you want to walk through the process with us, set aside at least 15 minutes.
Where the tool is: Under Banners and Icons (there on the left-hand side of your dashboard under Fundraising Tools,) you’ll find everything you need.
More importantly, towards the top, you’ll find additional options if you want to get your fundraising page updated, but either don’t have the time to do it yourself or don’t know how to.
- For option 1 in the screencap above, all you need is your webmaster’s email address. You’ll be able to notify them and send them everything they need to update this page in just a minute or two.
- If you have a little bit more time to spare but still want help, use options 2 or 3: With option 2, we’ll walk through adding the link to your site together. With option 3, we’ll just do it for you!
What it is: Hundreds of prewritten messages you can quickly copy and paste into social media posts, emails, and more, so you can encourage more Giving Assistant sign-ups without having to rack your brain or stress yourself out trying to figure out what to say. Additionally, you can request custom copy that more closely matches your nonprofit’s voice if none of the messaging here works for you.
How it helps: It allows you to share your fundraising page more often, without wasting time writing captions out over and over.
Because again, making the most of Giving Assistant shouldn’t add a string of to-dos to your already long list of fundraising activities—or your marketing team’s.
Additionally, this copy was written by professional copywriters with best practices in mind, crafted to appeal to any audience and increase sign-ups.
Time it takes: A few seconds to copy and paste the messaging wherever you want it to go, up to 1-2 minutes if you need to spend a little time picking the messaging that’s right for you, or requesting custom copy.
Tip: Use social media schedulers like these to quickly schedule a bunch of reminders to your followers that they can shop, save, and support your mission. 😉
Where the tool is: In your dashboard, click Messaging under Fundraising Tools on the left-hand side.
- Under Your Website, you’ll find copy you can include alongside the link or image you’ve decided to upload to your official site’s Donate or Ways to Give page. You can easily copy and paste the text you want to your web developer, or copy the entire HTML code yourself if you’re a DIYer.
- Email and Letter has longer-form copy you can paste into emails, or even into snail-mail, printed letters.
- Facebook and Twitter are fantastic time-savers when you want to remind your social community to sign up and shop to benefit you. (Tip: You can also use this copy for Instagram captions if you want!)
- The last tabs, P2P Facebook and P2P Twitter, are especially for nonprofits who do peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Save your P2P campaigners time—and get them sharing their campaign page more often—by copying and pasting this messaging to them, and letting them know they can use this text if they aren’t sure what to say in their social media fundraising promotions.
If you don’t like the messaging you see right away, keep clicking “refresh” (below the generated messages) until you find some you like.
And if you want even more customized messaging, navigate to the top of this page where it says “Not sure what to write when sharing your page?” There, you can request custom copy from one of our team’s copywriters. They’ll take a look at your nonprofit’s website and do their best to match your organization’s tone of voice.
Tool #5: Thank you emails. Use your dashboard to send a custom, automatic “Thanks!” whenever someone shops and donates cash back.
What it is: A section where you can customize the “thank you” email shoppers receive when their purchase results in a donation to you.
How it helps: Research shows that thank you messages increase donor retention and boost repeat donations. Customizing this email shows your cash back donors that you’re paying attention, and that their cash back is actually making an impact on your mission. It also helps remind them to support you using Giving Assistant every time they shop.
Time it takes: As little as 1-2 minutes if you already have some text you can copy and paste into the box, and quick access to the images you want. Since there are only 150 characters available, doing this will still take less than 5 minutes if you need to write in some new messaging.
Where the tool is: Under Thank You Email (left side of the dashboard under Fundraising Tools).
What it is: A list of email addresses that shoppers have opted-in to share with you. Emails are easy to download as a spreadsheet that you can use to import the email addresses and zip them off to your marketing team.
Tip: If a user doesn’t opt-in to share their email address, you won’t see it here. When asking people to join Giving Assistant for you, consider encouraging them to opt-in to share their email address during sign-up as well.
How it helps: This basic, clear-cut list holds plenty of value for creative outreach that can help you increase cash back donations and donations in general, no matter how big or small your list is.
Here are a few ideas:
- Create a “cash-back-donors-only” email marketing segment: For example, you can use this segment to send these donors even more personalized thank yous and asking them to share your page with friends and family.
- Send encouragement and reminders to your cash back donors: You can also nudge this segment with more regular shopping reminders and encouragement. A quick visit to GivingAssistant.org will show you what deals are hot (and worth sharing!) right now.
Time it takes: 1-2 minutes to download and receive the spreadsheet and email it to your marketing team. If you’re a DIYer, factor in more time for adding the emails to your marketing list, segmenting, and coming up with messaging. (You can always reach out for help from us with this.)
Where the tool is: Click Reports, then Donors on the left-hand side of your dashboard to see the emails you’ve collected. To download this list, click Reports, then click (on the right) the red button that says Email Full Report.
Work smarter, not harder: Add your Giving Assistant page into the marketing calendar or strategies you’re already using
These tools are here to help you add Giving Assistant to your marketing practices with just a bit of quick copying and pasting. That way, you can cast a bigger net, enabling you to raise more and meet more goals, and keep the fun in fundraising—for both you and your community!
Plus, your dashboard keeps almost our entire nonprofit team just a click away, because we respond to any messages you send us on the chat box there. And we LOVE helping you!
