IT’S PERSONAL: CONNECTING CHARITIES, DONORS, AND WORKERS

Although we’re barely six weeks into the new year, the worlds of philanthropy and charitable giving face unique challenges with curious parallels to that of HR and employment.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently cited a report from Indiana University’s famous Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, an organization known for keeping its finger on the pulse of trends impacting donors and nonprofits alike, highlighting how technology, consumer choice, and personal engagement are driving success.

Three key points underscoring this dynamic appear in The Giving Environment: Understanding How Donors Make Giving Decisions, are:

• Donors intend to keep their giving rate constant, but also would like to give selectively to organizations and causes throughout the year.
  
  
• Personal values and previous experience with an issue will shape donors’ giving decisions.
  
  
• “Overall, the shift to virtual interactions and the need to use more digital technologies was framed as inevitable but challenging.”

One of the most revealing quotes from the article was made by Una Osili, associate dean for research and international programs at the Lilly School. Lilly cited the prevalence of, and comfort with, funding models popularized by consumer tech.

“The growth and prevalence of companies like Netflix have made people increasingly comfortable with paying for things on a recurring basis, and more nonprofits should take advantage of the trend,” stated Osili.

As our research reveals, the comparison to Netflix is apt in more ways than one.

In December of 2021, HR.com teamed up with One Donation to power a new charitable giving program initiated for its members. HR.com donates a portion of each subscription fee to the member’s charity of choice through this program. As they check out and pay for their subscription, subscribers are prompted to select from One Donation’s database of 1.6+ verified nonprofit organizations, and a contribution will be made in their name.

This partnership presents nonprofits with a novel approach to fundraising and provides an interesting view into individual and consumer sentiment.

“Of the first 25 subscribers who signed up in those early days of the program’s launch, 25 different charities were supported,” stated Howard Tarnoff, One Donation’s Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Customer Success. “Although this is a relatively small sample size, it does underscore a sentiment we’ve long expressed and is also reflected in the Indiana University report: that personalization, selection, and personal connections matter.”

Like Netflix allows avid streamers to browse through an impressive catalog of content, One Donation empowers donors to find charities that align with their personal beliefs, morals, and sense of allyship. Personalization imbues the act of giving with a strong sense of belonging and engagement. It also empowers organizations like HR.com to demonstrate that they embrace supporting nonprofits and doing so in a way that reflects the donor’s values.

Employers who leverage One Donation’s core charitable giving platform can demonstrate this sense of engagement at scale, allowing employees to find charities in a similar fashion and make donations on a more consistent and sustained basis through payroll deduction. This capability directly supports another emerging trend highlighted in the IU report.

“We’ve always known technology would play an increasingly important role in the lives of charitable organizations, so we wanted to get ahead of the curve and build a platform that removes as much friction as possible from the process,” stated Ross Treakle, Co-Founder, and CEO of One Donation. “However, as employers continue to reel from the effects of ‘the great resignation,’ and as charities seek new ways to secure funds, we’re finding the platform is taking on a life of its own. Engagement, on both ends of the transaction, is fueling adoption.”

Embracing charitable giving and doing so in a way that reflects a high degree of personal choice, represents a great way to showcase an employer’s dedication to supporting their employees' needs, interests, and passions outside the four walls of the business.

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