LEVEL UP Digital Fundraising
Made possible by Schlessman Family Foundation
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Fuel Your Future
Looking to take your online fundraising to new levels? This program is for you.
- Build your skills with a cohort of your peers.
- Invest in you and your organization.
- Find new donors - and keep them!
- All while raising more support for your nonprofit on ColoradoGives.org.
This one-year exclusive Colorado Gives 365 capacity-building opportunity has three key components to support your online fundraising growth: strategy, technology and skilled volunteers to help execute projects!
The best news is the opportunity is free and made possible by Schlessman Family Foundation! Application deadline: March 31, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. MST.
STRATEGY
Digital Fundraising &
Copywriting Courses
Fundraising experts at Firefly Partners™ take you through a monthly online webinar to elevate your nonprofit’s digital fundraising strategy including homework and 1:1 coaching sessions.
Become a Certified Copywriter and elevate your fundraising campaigns by completing an 8-week course run by experts in Donor Psychology at the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy. See the video introduction for more details.
TECHNOLOGY
Colorado Gives 365
Advanced Features
You have the FREE essential tools on Colorado Gives 365. Now get the Advanced Features powered by Mightycause™ to boost your online fundraising. Advanced Features include:
✔ CRM & Embeddable Forms (video demo)
✔ Text2Give & Volunteer Management (video demo)
✔ Zapier & Direct Integrations: Salesforce, Mailchimp & More (video demo)
EXECUTION
Catchafire™
Subscription
As you learn new digital fundraising strategies, lean on your Catchafire™ subscription to connect with skilled volunteers who can help you execute your fundraising projects.
Application Requirements
This program is designed to help organizations that use ColoradoGives.org as their primary fundraising tool make the most out of the Colorado Gives 365 platform using advanced features like CRM, application integration, text-to-give, volunteer management and more. If selected, your organization agrees to use ColoradoGives.org as your primary online fundraising platform. Application deadline: March 31, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. MST.
- 501(c)(3) organizations currently on and raising funds on Colorado Gives 365
- 501(c)(3) organizations that use Colorado Gives 365 as its primary online fundraising tool
- 501(c)(3) organizations with an employee who is responsible for digital fundraising (i.e. online fundraising is part of their role), who can commit up to 20 hours per month for this educational cohort.
Are you interested but unable to commit 20 hours per month? We have an option for you, too. See Option 1 below.
Choose What Works For You
+ Option 1 - Execution
Option 1 - Execution: Catchafire™ Subscription Only
- Your nonprofit does not have a dedicated digital fundraising staffer who can dedicate up to 20 hours per month to complete the full educational cohort opportunity.
- Your nonprofit is applying for a 1-year subscription to Catchafire™ to help execute your fundraising projects by matching your organization with skilled volunteers.
- By selecting Option 1, you are indicating your nonprofit will raise funds primarily through Colorado Gives 365 platform.
+ Option 2 - Strategy + Execution
Option 2 - Strategy + Execution: Catchafire™ Subscription, Digital Fundraising & Copywriting Courses
- Your nonprofit has a dedicated digital fundraising staffer who can commit up to 20 hours per month to complete the educational cohort opportunity.
- Your nonprofit is applying for a 1-year subscription to Catchafire™ and Digital Fundraising & Copywriting courses, including 1:1 coaching for your digital fundraising strategy.
- By selecting Option 2, you are indicating your nonprofit will raise funds primarily through Colorado Gives 365 platform and does not need advanced features.
+ Option 3 - Strategy + Execution + Technology
Option 3 - Catchafire™ Subscription, Digital Fundraising & Copywriting Courses AND Advanced Features
- Your nonprofit has a dedicated digital fundraising person who can commit up to 20 hours per month to complete the educational cohort opportunity.
- Your nonprofit is applying for 1-year subscription to Catchafire™ and Digital Fundraising & Copywriting courses, including 1:1 coaching for your digital fundraising strategy.
- By selecting Option 3, you are indicating your nonprofit will raise funds primarily through Colorado Gives 365 and wants advanced features.
COURSE TRAINING SCHEDULE FOR OPTIONS 2 & 3
Please allow for up to 20 hours per month to attend the courses, complete the homework and engage in 1:1 coaching as needed.
Firefly Partners™ Presents: Digital Fundraising Strategy Course 1
This three-class course takes place in real time and attendance is required. This course includes homework to support development of your fundraising strategy. Homework is due the night before the next class meets.
- June 13, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Applying the Marketing Funnel to Nonprofit Digital Strategy
- July 11, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Data Fundamentals: What to Measure, Why and How
- Aug. 8, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Creating an Integrated Fundraising Campaign
Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy™ Presents: Copywriting Bootcamp Course & Certificate
This four-module, four-week bootcamp is delivered online. Participants commit five hours per week at their convenience. Participants are responsible for completing assignments in order to receive a certificate in fundraising copywriting.
- September 2023: Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting Bootcamp
- October 2023: Certificate in Fundraising Copywriting Homework
2024 Course Schedule
Firefly Partners™ Presents: Digital Fundraising Strategy Course 2
This four-class continued course takes place in real time and attendance is required. This course includes homework to support development of your fundraising strategy. Learnings from Course 1 in 2023 will inform content for Course 2 in 2024.
- Feb. 13, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Cross Team Collaboration
- Mar. 12, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Understanding Your Audience
- Apr. 16, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Search Engine Optimization
- May 14, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. MST: Full-scale Year-Round Fundraising Campaign
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Have questions about the opportunity?
Contact us at cogives@communityfirstfoundation.org or join us at one of our
LEVEL UP office hour sessions!
FAQs About the Opportunity
Q: Does this program cost money for my nonprofit?
No, all costs for the program are covered including course participation for one employee, one-on-one coaching, Catchafire™ subscription, and Advanced Features are made possible by the Schlessman Family Foundation.
Q: Will funds be granted to my nonprofit as a result of being awarded this opportunity?
Costs for all program deliverables are covered as stated above. If additional funds are available they will be applied to your Dec 5th Colorado Gives Day campaign as a matching grant based on your attendance throughout the program courses. 100% attendance equals more matching grant funds for your campaign. By completing the application you agree to its terms.
Q: Are all course classes, homework and one-on-one sessions conducted online?
Yes, there is no in-person aspect to make content more accessible. All sessions will be recorded and accessible to nonprofit cohort participants.
Q: Must I attend all courses live or move through them at my own pace?
The Digital Fundraising Course must be attended in real time as the course is interactive. The Copywriting Course is accessible for the cohort participant to go through the course material at his or her convenience. Attendance is tracked for all courses offered. One seat available for attendance to the courses.
Q: What is the actual time commitment for the program?
We are estimating 20 hours per month at most. This estimate is based on our LEVEL UP partner’s expertise in delivering these courses to nonprofit professionals. This is a one-year course from May 2023 - May 2024. Please plan accordingly or choose Option 1 for Catchafire™ Subscription Only when applying if you are unable to commit the time.
Q: My nonprofit is not currently live on ColoradoGives.org - What should I do?
Enroll to be added to the ColoradoGives.org platform starting April 3rd, and apply for this grant next year!
Q: Can I have a partner go through the program with me?
One staff member will have 1 seat in all courses. The Digital Fundraising Course requires live attendance from enrolled staff participants and will provide class recordings, handouts etc. after each class and those resources can be shared as needed. Only 1 seat and 1 Certificate of Fundraising Copywriting awarded per nonprofit for the Copywriting Course.
Q: What do you mean by “If selected, your organization agrees to use ColoradoGives.org as your primary online fundraising platform”?
We are requesting that all online fundraising campaigns for your nonprofit from May 2023 to May 2024 are leveraging ColoradoGives.org as your primary online fundraising platform. By leveraging ColoradoGives.org for online fundraising for your organization from May 2023-2024 you benefit from:
- All Cohort Participants Leveraging Same Software
- Funds Raised Online Through Unified Platform
- Advanced Features For Data Integration
Lowest Transaction Fees Available:
- ColoradoGives.org is FREE to Nonprofits
- 93% of platform fees covered by donors in 2022
- When fees not covered by donors, 2.05% is retained
No - If you would like to opt to pass data into your current CRM, a Zapier integration could be available.