4 Ways to Celebrate National Nonprofit Day!
Today we celebrate nonprofit organizations and their contributions to their communities. National Nonprofit Day is celebrated every year on August 17th. On this day in 1894, the Tariff Act was signed into law, which included exemptions for nonprofit organizations. However, nonprofits have a long history in this country, dating back to the American Revolution. Although nonprofits didn’t formally exist before the American Revolution, the first volunteer-based union, the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, was formed in 1775, making it the first “nonprofit” organization.
In the 1800s, organizations such as the YMCA and Peabody Education Fund became the first nonprofit foundations. During World War I, Congress passed the War Revenue Act of 1917, which increased income taxes to raise money for the war effort. However, it included a provision that established the individual income tax deduction for charitable donations to help protect organizations such as the Red Cross and encourage Americans to donate. Then in 1969, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War all brought attention to the nonprofit sector. As a result, Congress passed the Tax Reform Act creating 501(c)(3) status and exempting qualified nonprofits from paying federal income tax. Finally, in 2017, National Nonprofit Day was established to formally recognize the outstanding contribution nonprofits play to our communities and society.
K&J Strategic Solutions has identified four ways nonprofits can celebrate this momentous day.
1. Celebrate Your Wins
Today is a day to highlight your organization’s accomplishments. At the end of every year, nonprofits should be developing impact reports, but today is also a great time to highlight how the organization is working towards its goals. Use this day to generate media, and remind funders, the community, and clients about your fantastic work and its impact.
2. Recognize and Praise your Funders, Staff, and Volunteers
Today is great to show gratitude to your funders, staff, and volunteers. Your donors and funders are critical to keeping your organization running, so sending them a quick note or phone call today to thank them, shows how much you appreciate their support. Also, recognize your staff who keep the organization running, meet deadlines, and create results. You can easily show praise by giving everyone a special lunch or gift cards, hosting a lunch, or even sending a company-wide shout-out. These small items help keep people motivated and working towards their next goal. Lastly, praise your volunteers; specific events or projects would never happen without their dedicated time and effort. About 30% of the adult population gives 6.7 billion hours of volunteer service worth $167 billion. Recognizing their incredible work by creating a volunteer celebration, giving them a quick call, or writing a handwritten thank you show how much you value their time, energy, and commitment.
3. Kick off a Fundraising Event & Highlight Events
Today is a great day to kick off a fundraising event. Nonprofit organizations rely on grants and donations to fulfill their missions. One of the significant fundraising days is GivingTuesday. Still, today as you are thanking funders, staff, and volunteers and celebrating your accomplishments, it is a day to announce a fundraising drive. Now is a great time to fundraise as summer is coming to a close, and it is the rush before the holidays and school start, where people can take the time to focus on your organization and the impact it is having on the community. As you are fundraising, highlight some of your upcoming events or classes you are offering to the community. Combining these two in a post allows donors to see what their donations will be supporting and allow them an opportunity to attend future events.
4. Use the Day to Gain New Support
Use this day to gain new followers, board members, staff, volunteers, and funders. Use your success stories, accomplishments, and gratitude for the community you serve to gain further interest in your work. Have your board, staff, and volunteers share social media posts today and hashtag the organization so the power of your impact will have a further reach.
If your nonprofit organization needs strategic planning, organizational assessments, community engagement services, Fair Housing or CRA training, or fundraising assistance, please contact K&J Strategic Solutions. We believe nonprofits should be celebrated every day, but especially today for the hard work the staff and volunteers do every day.
