In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, countless nonprofits were forced to pivot their in-person events into virtual fundraising events. At Classy, we saw organizations quickly adapt to the changing landscape with virtual events strategies and truly inspiring, creative virtual fundraising ideas. The success of these virtual events has shown that even when in-person events return, a virtual component is necessary to expand the reach of your nonprofit’s event and drive more fundraising revenue. As you build out your nonprofit’s annual strategy, use these virtual fundraising ideas to create engaging ..read more

In The State of Modern Philanthropy: Deconstructing the Online Donor Journey, our team examined how the amount of time someone spends a Classy campaign page impacts fundraising conversion rates. This includes time spent on landing pages, engaging with media, or completing the checkout process. On Classy donation pages, specifically, 60% of people who check out do so in less than one minute. However, when analyzing time spent across all Classy campaign types—including donation pages, peer-to-peer, crowdfunding, and events—we find that fundraising conversion rates peak within the 4 to 5-minute w ..read more

Since we launched Classy Pay powered by Stripe, our in-house payment processor, we’ve been able to help nonprofit customers save time and money on payment processing with easier payments reconciliation, low fees, automatic credit card-updating for recurring gifts, and more benefits. We’re never content with the status quo, however, and are always striving to improve our fundraising products. That’s why we’re excited to announce that Classy Pay now supports ACH donations. While we dive into details below, this update reflects not only our commitment to helping you offer an enhanced giving exper ..read more

The State of Modern Philanthropy is back with fresh insights around online donor behavior. Subtitled “Deconstructing the Online Donor Journey,” Classy’s 2020 report dives into topics such as conversion rates across campaign types, the additional ways recurring donors interact with organizations, and the actions of donors who come back. Our third-annual report leverages proprietary data from 2018 and 2019, spanning over 40,000 active campaigns, nearly 4,500 organizations ranging in size, and 6.4 million transactions in order to surface insights for the entire nonprofit industry. It also reviews ..read more

After you choose Classy to power your online fundraising, the next big choice you must make is which campaign type to use for your first fundraising campaign. In total, Classy offers five different options you can pick from, each of which is designed for a specific use case and call to action. On Classy, we offer five different campaign types: Donation Pages Crowdfunding Peer-to-Peer Ticketed Events Registration with Fundraising Choosing the right campaign type is vital to your fundraising success. Your decision to go with a crowdfunding campaign versus a peer-to-peer campaign, for example ..read more

When someone is deciding whether or not to donate to your nonprofit, showing them the impact their gift has on your beneficiaries, programs, and advancement of your mission is critical. Classy’s impact blocks were designed specifically to help you communicate this impact by showing where someone’s donation goes, who it benefits, and what it accomplishes. When a donor understands the impact of their gift, they’re more likely to come back and donate again. Learn How to Optimize Your Fundraising Campaigns for Conversion With These Checklists Demonstrating the impact of donations has never been mo ..read more

As in-person events and activities get canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s clear that there’s an unprecedented need for online fundraising. This is especially important as organizations transition their in-person events into virtual events, spin up campaign pages for emergency funding, and work to keep the lights on during this global crisis. As a result, we’re seeing nonprofits make creative use of Classy’s donation forms and crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, and events campaigns. Below, we’ll explore the different ways each campaign type has been adapted to fit the unique needs of: The ..read more

Picture this: you’re working on a project, and then someone asks if you’ve got any good appetizer recipes. The conversation spirals from great appetizers, to why they need the recipes, to a discussion about their family visiting this weekend who love appetizers. Before you know it, you’ve spent 10 to 15 minutes talking, and on top of that, now you’re hungry too (thanks, appetizers). The point is that distractions at work can come at us at any time and from any place, and they can interrupt your flow. Along the way, maybe little distractions have halted progress on your fundraising campaign (it ..read more

Over the years, NFL fans have proved that they’re capable of serious social impact. When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Andy Dalton, threw a touchdown pass in 2018 that led the Buffalo Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, it sparked a movement. In just four days, 10,000 donors contributed nearly $250,000 (often in $17 increments to tribute breaking the 17-year drought) to the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation. In this case, the act of giving provided a tangible way to say “thanks.” Your nonprofit can deliver that same sense of tangible contribution to supporters by elevating ..read more

Fast Company has announced the winners of its World Changing Ideas Awards, which honor businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that offer innovative solutions to the issues facing humanity. Classy is proud to join the list as a finalist in the General Excellence category for Classy Passport—the world’s first cross-currency fundraising solution for nonprofits. Now in its second year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcases 12 winners and more than 200 finalists. A panel of eminent judges selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 1,300 entries in 12 categories, from Food, to ..read more