Make Your Non-Profit Stand Out with Handmade Corporate Gift Ideas

As a non-profit organization, one of your biggest goals is to raise awareness for your cause. It all starts with clearly defining your mission, goals, and objectives. Beyond that, you need to be able to capture the attention of your target audience. That is where things can get tricky. The key, though, is to offer other-focused expressions of gratitude.

With a self-focused gratitude expression, you are explaining what a gift means to you. Alternately, other-focused gratitude expressions emphasize the “you” in “thank you.” It is a more effective way to get your feelings across because it puts that individual at the forefront of the conversation. But the question remains: How do you properly thank your donors and volunteers? Here are five ways that you can execute handmade corporate gift ideas that will deepen your connection.

Create branded merchandise for your organization.

The business world is highly competitive. With that in mind, brand recognition is extremely important. But it isn’t just companies that need to come out on top of their competitors with regard to branding—non-profits do, too. When your organization has better branding, you gain greater financial support. This is because donors and volunteers feel more connected to your story. They also find you to be more credible.

Non-profit leadership must be able to design a brand that stays true to the organization’s culture and values. Sufficient time needs to go into planning what you want the holistic elements to say about you. Once a brand has been established, it needs to be showcased everywhere possible. This goes for your website, social media, and any tangible marketing efforts, such as direct mail.

Come up with merchandise that drives your branding home. It should involve a series of products that are relevant to your non-profit organization. Take the corporate promotions of Starbucks, for example. As a coffeehouse company, they know that their audience will be willing to purchase drinkware. Make a spin on handmade corporate gift ideas that will resonate with your audience.

Design welcome cards for new supporters.

You want to deliver a good first impression of your organization. The best way to do this is by investing in handmade corporate gift ideas that reach your new supporters on a personal level, such as welcome cards. Within these cards, you can write heartfelt messages of gratitude. Let them know that you are excited for them to join the cause. This could either be if they provided their first donation, or have signed on as a volunteer.

One design that you could use for your welcome cards is a 3D pop up heart. This layered, red heart is a fun and meaningful way to engage with your newest supporters. As a symbol of affection, it will bring a smile to their face as soon as they open the card.

Offer baskets and goodie bags at fundraising events.

Fundraising events are held as an opportunity to raise money in person. You don’t need to just stick to the “Donate” button on your website. By hosting a fundraising event, your non-profit is actively strengthening relationships with the community. This event could be a charity golf tournament or holiday gala. In either case, the point of the event should simultaneously be to raise awareness for your cause and show thanks for the support you have received thus far.

A great marketing strategy for fundraising events is offering gift baskets to donors during an auction. There are several types of baskets that you can curate. Consider what types of baskets are going to bring in the big bids. These might be the ones that are family-friendly. The baskets could be filled with things for movie nights or game nights, including unique snacks from local businesses.

Goodie bags are handmade corporate gift ideas that you can execute on behalf of all event attendees. Have your event planner put a little something together to pass out at the conclusion of the fundraiser. Included in goodie bags should be items that are representative of your non-profit’s brand.

Thank donors with personalized pop up cards.

Your donors are the ones who are keeping your non-profit organization afloat. This is especially true of those donors who have played an active role in your cause for a long time. So, after receiving a donation, it is expected that you always take the time to return the favor. This can be done through the use of handmade corporate gift ideas. A one-of-a-kind card is something that really sticks out to donors when they are going through their mail.

Organizations across the country are investing in creative direct mail marketing opportunities. The Great Listening is a global movement that focuses on bringing constructive dialogue to societal problem-solving. They decided to create personalized pop up cards to share their gratitude with donors. Through the use of Chinese characters, they expressed words that are relevant to them: “Ear, Eyes, Heart, and Undivided Attention.”

Give appreciation gifts at an end-of-year party.

The holidays are a time to make everyone involved with your organization feel unified. To further achieve this, look into presents for the spirit of the season. Perhaps you could give a photo album full of images from events held throughout the year. This is a very touching present that staff members will keep for a long time. Another option is a 3D holiday card. These can be either mailed or hand-delivered, and feature any holiday-themed pop up element.

The handmade corporate gift idea of 3D holiday cards will even be an impressive tool for getting people to spend the holidays with your non-profit. If you are hosting an end-of-year party, send out an announcement in the mail. This will be more intriguing to the recipient than had they just seen an email about it. They may decide to go to your event because they were delighted to receive a formal invitation.

If you want to throw the best end-of-year party possible, you need to focus on planning. A successful event doesn’t come together in a single day. Take the time to consult with your board on what the theme, activities, food, and speakers will consist of. When your party is all said and done, thank all of your attendees for coming and wish them a happy New Year. (Pro tip: Your organization can use 3D holiday cards for this, too!)

You need to show the supporters of your organization that, for as much as you care about your cause, you care about them. And the more personalized you get with your displays of gratitude, the better. Level up your non-profit’s marketing strategy with the help of one-of-a-kind, handmade corporate gift ideas. They are a sure way to get people talking about your organization. This positive reception is required in order to ignite the public’s passion. So, regardless of what your philanthropic mission is, invest in gift-giving to honor the generosity of your donors and volunteers.