Cattaraugus Gives 2024 Business Fundraiser's Toolkit


The support of local businesses and the amplification of their support via their employees and their customers is critical to the success of Cattaraugus Gives 2024! Not only does your participation help ensure a successful day of fundraising for our nonprofits, but your dedication to their important work will be recognized throughout Cattaraugus Region, NY. For the Cattaraugus Gives 2024, we're offering your business an opportunity to engage your employees and customers to donate to causes they're passionate about, and in turn, bring invaluable visibility to your business.

How can I be successful in spreading philanthropy to my employees and customers? Check out the Business Toolkit below for ideas on running a successful fundraiser. We've supplied marketing resources, communication templates, and ideas around incentives and celebrations to really engage your employees and customers in giving, and how they can further spread your message to their networks.

Want to see who else is involved in the Cattaraugus Region, NY community? Find your favorite participating nonprofits here, and participating businesses here.

Interested in learning more about Cattaraugus Gives 2024 and the value to your business? Contact kirk@cattfoundation.org.

How do I run a successful fundraiser for my business?

The number one recommendation for running a successful fundraiser for Cattaraugus Gives 2024 is that you are truly celebrating and encouraging the act of philanthropy - big and small! Here are some tips, tricks, and ideas on how to encourage you employees and your customers to rally around philanthropy, and the single largest fundraiser in the Cattaraugus Region, NY community!

Share the Cattaraugus Gives 2024 site with your employees and encourage them to find a nonprofit or two that speaks to the causes they care about! You can share cattaraugusgives.org with customers on your receipt, or hand out info cards with each purchase with your and Cattaraugus Gives 2024 information on it (check out some great graphics to use, here). With so many participating nonprofits, there's a nonprofit or cause for everyone!
Your business fundraiser page can report on employee participation rates, number of donors, and dollars raised! Pick a stat and set a goal and share that out. Throughout the day (on December 3), share the progress with your employees and customers and celebrate those milestones. You can also offer incentives to employees and customers as your hit those milestones! See some ideas below.
Decide if your business will offer a match to all employees or customers gifts, or to a specific nonprofit. We've found matching gifts can amplify giving by 3 or 4 times!
Communicate your participation in Cattaraugus Gives 2024 through email messages, social media posts, and word of mouth.

What incentives can I offer or celebrations can I plan to my employees or customers?

As you hit your giving day milestones or to just celebrate the giving spirit of Cattaraugus Gives 2024, plan some fun and excitement in at your business or office on December 3. We have some ideas below, but the sky's the limit in how you can engage your employees and customers, and encourage philanthropy on Cattaraugus Gives 2024!

Encourage your employees to participate in Cattaraugus Gives 2024 by offering these incentives:
  • Food: Cater a snack break, host a pot luck, or a dessert party to celebrate giving
  • Attire: Have a casual dress day so employees can dress to represent the agency or cause they care about
  • Advertise: Pass out “I Gave” stickers to employees who gave to celebrate the causes they care about
  • Competition: Have a competition between departments to see who can raise the most and offer a prize
Encourage your customer to participate in Cattaraugus Gives 2024 by offering these incentives:
  • Discounts: If you have a store front, offer a percentage off of an item if they can show they gave (Cattaraugus Gives 2024 sends out a receipt to each donor for easy access on their phone!).
  • Raffle: Offer a raffle, and every time a donor gives if as entry into the raffle.
  • Happy Hour: Host a happy hour and invite local nonprofits and your customers to meet and mingle!
Encourage your employees or customers to participate in the many events happening around the Cattaraugus Region, NY community! You can see a full listing of events here. You can also host your own event to encourage participation in Cattaraugus Gives 2024!

Sample Communications

Use some of these sample communications below to start spreading the word about your business's involvement in Cattaraugus Gives 2024. When sharing on social media, make sure you're always using the official hashtag, CattaraugusGives to be included in the conversation!


Facebook and Twitter

Facebook is the most popular form of social media to share about participation in giving day - so make sure you're using it leading up to and on December 3! You can use Facebook to share with employees and your customers how you're participating in Cattaraugus Gives 2024 and amplifying the giving efforts.

  • Announce your participation: We are excited to announce our participating in CattaraugusGives on December 3! Find out why we're participating on our page here: [YOUR BUSINESS LINK] and mark your calendars for December 3 to give to your favorite nonprofit!
  • If you're offering a match: Today, our business is focused on improving on community by matching all our employees' gifts made to nonprofits through CattaraugusGives! There are over [X] number of nonprofits participating to improve the lives of our community members. Find your cause and give today, December 3, at cattaraugusgives.org.
  • If you're offering an incentive to employees or customers: [Business name] is supporting CattaraugusGives on December 3 and offering a gift basket to any customer that gives today. Stop on in today after you give through cattaraugusgives.org and show us your receipt to be eligible!
  • Celebrate the success you achieved for the day: Wow. We are in awe of the amazing employees and customers we have. Collectively, we were able to raise $X with X donors for the nonprofits participating in CattaraugusGives. We couldn't do this without all of you, and your amazing support of our community and the nonprofits you all chose to give to on Cattaraugus Gives 2024. Thank you.

Instagram

Share pictures of your business, employees, and customers participating in Cattaraugus Gives 2024 on Instagram. If your having a dress down day in the office, offering a raffle, or hosting (or encouraging attendance at) an event, share all of these events on Instagram! Make sure you're using the hashtag so people can keep up: CattaraugusGives!


Emails

Social media is a great tool for spreading the word to people that follow you on social media, however, there is no substitute for a direct, targeted email to your employees, customers, or even personal network. Consider sending emails that correspond to your social media activity, as well as direct targeted asks. Here is a sample email to get you thinking on how you want to spread the word!

Subject: Help us support the nonprofits who make this community great! Join [BUSINESS NAME] for CattaraugusGives


Dear [employees/customers/person],

On December 3 businesses and individuals across our Cattaraugus Region, NY community will come together to support our local nonprofits during Cattaraugus Gives 2024. We are so excited to be part of this exciting giving event as a business fundraiser to show everyone in the community how philanthropic our employees and customers are.

Haven’t heard about Cattaraugus Gives 2024? It is Cattaraugus Region, NY's 24-hour giving day supporting the nonprofit agencies who help make our community such a great place to live! [Stats about previous year results]. You can head to cattaraugusgives.org now to learn more about this amazing giving event.

[IF OFFERING MATCH]: Your donations to local nonprofits at cattaraugusgives.org will be amplified because we are offering bonus dollars as an incentive to give. [Describe program here i.e. dollar for dollar, up to a certain amount, lump sum to reach goal etc.]

There are so many ways to participate - spread the word about this amazing event, become a fundraiser for your favorite nonprofit, donate on December 3. Make supporting your favorite cause unique to you!

To make sure your gift [is matched / is counted in our business's totals], follow these steps:

  1. Find your favorite nonprofit! Visit cattaraugusgives.org to search hundreds of participating nonprofits in our community.
  2. Commit to a nonprofit. You can start donating as soon as the site opens on December 3. Remember to select [Business Name] at checkout!
  3. Spread the word! Let your network know about Cattaraugus Gives 2024 and who you are supporting. Use the hashtag CattaraugusGives to be part of the conversation.

For questions about Cattaraugus Gives 2024 and how you can get involved please visit cattaraugusgives.org or contact [Business Name].

Regards,
[Business Contact]