Has your business partnered with a non-profit or 501(c)3 charitable organization as a way to give back?

If not, you may be wondering what that has to do with marketing.

But if you’ve read our blog for a while, you may have already seen our posts about How To Make Giving Back A Powerful Part Of Your Marketing Strategy or Why Giving Back Should Be A Part Of Your Marketing Plan. 

And while ‘giving’ more often than not results in ‘getting’ as far as impact to your bottom line goes, there’s often overlooked but greatly important other ways your company can benefit. We’re firm believers in good karma here at Revelation Creative. The actions you take, whether in your personal or professional life, reverberate and echo for years to come. That’s why we focus on being the positivity we want to see in the world. That said, charitable giving is a great way to make that lasting impact, as well as give your employees and staff a shared sense of purpose within your company mission.

But let’s take a step back from the end result. We’re going to Square One to answer the question: Which charitable organization(s) should my company support?

One of the most important parts of giving back as a business is to find the right organization to be on the receiving end of your charitable giving. That can be a tall order when you add it to all the other to-dos that come along with running your sales and operations day-to-day. So today, we’re sharing a quickstart guide to help you select the right-fit charitable partner for your business. 

And there’s no better way to do that than by sharing a case study with you of how we at Revelation Creative talk the talk and walk the walk. In addition to sharing how you can take the next steps, we’re also offering up our own fundraisers and charitable partnerships to put under the lens. By sharing these real-life examples, we’re hoping you find the inspiration to take the steps to put thought into action. Now let’s get to it!

Step 1: Examine Your Mission and Values

As you begin this process, it’s time to do some company soul-searching. Take a look at your mission, vision, and core values. What do your brand and your business stand for and what legacy do you want to leave behind?

Consider this a deep-level brainstorming session. Allow your creativity and your hopes to roam free. As you come up with your ideas, jot them down, share them with your fellow team members, and collect your favorites so that you can begin to bucket them into sets or categories.

For example, our Revelation Creative team is full of animal lovers who care deeply for the world around us. Our love of the animal kingdom is a tie that binds us all. Our pets are always a topic of discussion – be it sharing hilarious stories about mischievous furbabies or supporting each other after experiencing the heart-wrenching loss of a beloved animal companion. So, rather naturally, this value came up again and again for us. We followed the advice laid out above,  made it one of our categories, and moved forward with it into Step 2.

Step 2: Find Organizations That Align with What You Discovered in Step 1

Once you’ve explored your mission, vision, and values, it’s time to begin to conduct some research.

Some companies want to partner with national or global organizations while others select local organizations for charitable partners. Most times, this will mirror the geographic footprint of the business itself and/or its customer base.

Whichever path you choose, keep the notes from your brainstorming session in mind as you look for organizations that have similar values. To put it succinctly, your core values and the organization you support should be ‘apples to apples’.

From there, begin your search. In the digital age, most will start online, but chances are, your team members may already have ties to charities that match with the value system you’ve outlined. So in addition to Googling, don’t forget to take a staff/team member pulse check while you’re in the exploratory phase. And of course, document what you find. Start a list of these organizations. Include notes that describe those mission statements and highlight where the alignment is between your business and that 501(c)3.

Step 3: Narrow Your List

By this point, you’ve cast  a wide net. Now, it’s time to take that list and narrow it down.

This narrowing down should be a process of clarifying which organizations align THE MOST with your mission, vision, values, and the ways you can truly help. Another important consideration: Look at how that organization handles charitable donations/sponsorships. Where does that money go? Do they have considerable staff/administration overhead or other fees that donation money is used to support? We recommend thoroughly vetting on both the mission and financial distribution components of charitable organizations when you get to this stage. And a great online resource to find that level of detail is available at no cost – Charity Watch.

Step 4: Create Your List of Key Questions

Once you’ve chosen your charitable partner, the ‘courtship’ phase is not yet complete. It’s time to create a list of questions you’d like to ask them about what YOU can do to support them in achieving their mission. While you’ll want some basic information of course, be sure you’ve also done your research first. If you can get information from their website, be sure you’ve done that first.

Your questions should include what you can do to help their organization and what specific assistance they are truly in need of at that time. It may be that they need monetary donations, but they may also need time, volunteers, in-kind donations, or the like. This is also an opportunity for you to flex your own talents. For instance, an accounting firm could offer pro-bono services or free consulting to assist with tax questions. In our case, we at Revelation Creative provide complimentary marketing services to many of the charities we have supported and continue to support over the years. 

Asking the right questions will allow you to speak the organization’s ‘love language’. This positions both organizations to reap the benefits of a win-win. 

Step 5: Make Plans for Next Steps with the Organization

Now that you’ve aligned on ways you can leverage your talents to support the charity in a manner that will provide the greatest impact, it’s time to start mapping out the future. Look to the 501(c)3’s already-established calendar of events. 

Are there fundraisers you can help with? Are there charity golf tournaments you can help take to the next level? Are there volunteer opportunities where they are short-staffed? 

Part of a true partnership is making sure that your say/do ratio is one-to-one. Creating and nurturing a direct line of communication with the organization as you build your relationship will only prove to help you and your team deepen the positive impact you intend to make. As a bonus, leverage this relationship as an additional professional networking opportunity. Building your exposure to other like-minded businesses who too have chosen to support this charity offers an even greater opportunity for you to grow your revenue through partnerships, collaborations, referrals, and introductions. Building up your book of business furthers your ability to increase your community give-back, and so the cycle continues!

Step 6: Spread the Word about the Organization and Your Work Together

Keep it going! Share about the work you and the organization are doing together. This would be a great stage to create content like press releases, co-branded assets, email campaigns, social posts, flyers, mailers, etc. The list can span the whole gamut of omnichannel marketing avenues depending on the ways your audience consumes information and works within the parameters of your already-determined marketing budget. Your marketing department or vendor partners can help you create these assets and even liaise with your partner organization to get the necessary information to make the process simple and streamlined. 

The important thing here is that the vital work you do together gets the attention it deserves and further perpetuates the cycle of giving.

Need Help Making Charitable Giving a Part of Your Brand?

Contact our Revelation Creative team. We’ll help you create lasting partnerships with value-driven organizations that lead to mutually beneficial and impactful results for everyone seated at the table.

Examples of a Charitable Giving Partnership in Action

As you read above, our Revelation Creative Team is full of animal lovers. Whether it’s pups, cats, bunnies, reptiles, or anything in between, we’re big fans of our furred, feathered, and scaled friends. And since our founder, Gina Marie Mattei, began Revelation Creative with the desire to be the change she wanted to see in the world, we’ve been moving that mission forward. 

Revelation Creative and Shore Saves’s Pawlooza

Pawlooza is a special event at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como New Jersey featuring a bevy of raffle baskets, food, and drinks. 

Shore Saves is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity that provides care, comfort, and compassion to animals in need while working to find them permanent, loving new homes and families. They’re a local organization that helps dogs who would otherwise be euthanized due to overcrowding in local and southern U.S. shelters.

Revelation Creative is a sponsor for this local rescue event because it aligns with our mission and desire to help our four-legged friends.

As pet lovers ourselves, we often Zoom chat about our pets during our monthly meetings (some of them even join the call!). So, we could not be more grateful to be a part of this event because animal welfare is at the heart of our animal-loving company spirit.

You can find all the details about the Shore Saves Rescue Pawlooza here.

Revelation Creative, Kind Heart Rescue, and The Bella Fund

Another of the organizations we’ve partnered with is Kind Heart Rescue.

Kind Heart has been in the business of rescuing animals for over thirty years. Sometimes, seeing is believing. And we’ve seen the incredible, and often heartbreaking, work that goes into saving neglected, injured, and abandoned rabbits. Gina adopted a bunny from this rescue back in 2021 and has since looked for every way possible to support them. That bunny was adopted as a companion for her older rescue rabbit, Bella. Bella unexpectedly passed in March, leaving Gina and her husband facing unimaginable grief after losing their sweet girl. After a rapid-onset illness, Gina’s beloved bunny passed away in her arms. This loss felt unfair and left Gina feeling helpless. But it is her belief that despair can be channeled into triumph. With that, she created The Bella Fund, a drive for donations that will cover the necessary medical costs and life-saving interventions Kind Heart provides as part of its rescue services – a beautiful tribute to an angelic creature. 

Read on to learn more about Revelation Creative’s partnership with Kind Heart Rescue and ways you can join us in supporting this mission.

WHO IS BELLA?

Bella was the beautiful bunny girl who left this world just shy of her 6th birthday. Her adoptive parents, Gina & Steven, loved her more than you could ever imagine. Had it not been for the work of rescues like Kind Heart, Bella never would’ve had a second chance at life.

Before Gina & Steven brought her home, Bella was surrendered twice by owners who had mistreated and neglected her. She was overbred, lived in a tiny cage with no room to move, and was often physically abused. She lived in constant fear for her life. Upon being surrendered for the second time, she was labeled as‘ aggressive’ and ‘unlovable’. 

The Bella Gina & Steven came to know couldn’t have been more opposite than those descriptions. With kindness, patience, understanding and proper care, Bella thrived in her new home and lived a life filled with fun, adventure, and so much love. Had Bella been given a better start in life, she could’ve had a shot at spending many more happy years in her new home.

Be the reason why a bunny like Bella gets a better chance to live the life that these sweet, beautiful creatures deserve.

About The Bella Fund, Sponsored by Revelation Creative

Revelation Creative believes that all life is precious and fragile. Join us in support of our local 501(c)3 charitable partner, Kind Heart Rescue, located in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, for The Bella Fund.

All contributions received will go directly to the medical care of injured, neglected, abused, and abandoned rabbits who have now found refuge under the warm and loving roof of Kind Heart Rescue. Even the smallest donation can make a huge impact on the life of an animal in need. 

And remember … Every bunny matters.

About Kind Heart Rescue

Kind Heart Rescue is a Nonprofit 501(c)3 Organization that has been providing quality rescue for over thirty years. They provide a sanctuary for rabbits in need “of a place to go”. 

Learn more about the life-saving work that Kind Heart Rescue does to give animals a second chance at a healthy, happy life by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/APlaceForBunnies.

How to Donate

Donate To Kind Heart Rescue:

Venmo: Jody-Caizza (last 4 digits of phone 7425)

Zelle: k911 [email protected]

PayPal: [email protected]

Mail a Check: Payable to ‘Kind Heart Rescue’ at 3 Hyacinth Court, Cream Ridge, NJ 08514

**All contributions will be provided with charitable donation receipts for tax filing purposes.