The Classy Awards 10-Year Anniversary

Classy is dedicated to helping nonprofits raise more by providing innovative, secure technology and trusted fundraising insights grounded in comprehensive research and data analysis. We also take time every June to elevate the accomplishments of the sector we serve. 

The Classy Awards has grown to become one of the largest social impact awards in the world, celebrating nonprofits tackling fundamental challenges, like food insecurity, human rights, disaster relief, access to quality education, and public health. This year is particularly special, marking the Classy Awards’ 10th anniversary. 

Each of this year’s 11 Classy Awards winners left a lasting impression in 2022 with nearly 1.5 million people and animals served in 34 countries.

A Look Into the Winner Selection Process

Selected by our Leadership Council, this year’s Classy Awards winners include 10 organizations honored for social innovation. Additionally, we honor one organization with the People’s Choice Award, determined by public vote. 

The 2023 Leadership Council features 26 distinguished social sector leaders and nonprofit executives. This year’s Leadership Council hosts an impressive collection of top minds, representing the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Doctors Without Borders, Shriners Hospitals for Children, GlobalGiving, and Direct Relief. 

Meet the 2023 Classy Award Winners

People’s Choice Award

The People’s Choice award, determined by public vote, highlights the innovation and impact of a nonprofit making incredible contributions to our society.

Winner: Days for Girls International

Program: Menstrual Health Teacher Training, Education, and Products in Cambodia

Days for Girls works with the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) to eliminate gaps in Cambodia’s menstrual health (MH) education. The project aims to increase access to timely, culturally appropriate MH and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education among students. 

By equipping teachers with the training they need, the program helps them teach students comprehensive MH and SRH education. Days for Girls also provides washable, locally produced menstrual pad kits to meet students’ MH management needs. 

Following the success of a pilot project in 2022, the project looks forward to equipping 600 teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver MH education to 15,000 fifth and eighth grade students across several provinces by 2025. 

Social Innovation Award

Winner: 412 Food Rescue

Program: Food Rescue Hero

Food Rescue Hero is a people-powered technology platform that effectively redirects surplus food from landfills to those in need. The app alerts volunteer drivers about excess food nearby and guides them to the assigned delivery destinations. 

Since 2016, the program has empowered 49,000 volunteer drivers to redirect more than 137 million pounds of excellent food from the waste stream to those who need it. 

Food Rescue Hero, based in Pittsburgh, measurably impacts food insecurity with 15 partner organizations across North America. In support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12, and 13, the nonprofit strives to scale food recovery in 100 cities by 2030.

Winner: Animal Rescue League of Boston

Program: Wellness Waggin’

The Wellness Waggin’ is a mobile veterinary clinic that provides low-cost wellness exams for owned pets. It operates at four sites hosted by our partner, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)—a human service organization that assists people living at the poverty level. 

Designed for people and animals, this program aims to serve those who may not otherwise have access to a veterinarian due to location, cost, inflexible work schedules, limited/low English proficiency, or other factors. The Animal Rescue League of Boston also provides animals with preventative care to improve their health and decrease the need for emergency visits (which could lead to surrender or euthanasia).

Winner: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Program: BIG Futures

Big Futures is a college and career readiness initiative to equip young people for post-secondary success through mentorship, education, and access to critical opportunities. 

This nationwide movement comprises a network of programs delivered by 122 local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies. The goal is to empower every kid on the path to graduation with a plan for their future and mentorship opportunities with lifelong impact. 

It provides young people with life skills by engaging them in resume writing, mock interviews, career panels, college visits, workplace visits, job shadowing, and aptitude exploration. Many Big Futures participants can access scholarship and internship opportunities through innovative corporate partnerships.

Winner: Crisis Text Line

Program: Play Everywhere

Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality, confidential mental health and crisis intervention via text, web chat, and WhatsApp in English and Spanish. Texters send a message to 741741 to connect to a volunteer crisis counselor, who receives 30 hours of comprehensive training that includes de-escalation techniques, active listening, collaborative problem-solving, and safety planning. 

The organization uses machine learning and data analytics to triage conversations by severity, not time. All conversations are overseen in real-time by clinically trained supervisors with degrees in mental health-related fields who provide additional support when necessary. Conversations end when the texter is in a safe space and feels empowered to identify and use their coping mechanisms.

Winner: Everyone for Veterans

Program: No-Cost Comprehensive Dental Care Program

Everyone for Veterans (E4V) collaborates with civilians and professionals to provide a no-cost comprehensive dental care program and other services to veterans and their families nationwide. The organization recruits dental professionals to provide pro-bono dental services in the communities where the veterans live. 

Veterans often spend a lifetime at low-cost dental clinics but never accomplish a healthy dental state. E4V’s comprehensive care model not only resolves veterans’ current dental issues but sets them up for long-term oral and overall health, breaking the cycle of perpetual urgent care.

Winner: Fistula Foundation

Program: Fistula Foundation

Fistula Foundation employs a dual approach to reach as many women as possible with healing care, as the only cure for fistula is surgery:

1. Partner directly with in-country hospitals and providers that understand how best to serve women in their communities. Along with funding fistula repair surgery, the program helps build the infrastructure needed to expand fistula care.
2. Create and operate integrated, comprehensive Fistula Foundation Treatment Networks (FFTNs) to eliminate suffering on a national level, increasing access to timely, quality fistula treatment and post-operative care. 

Each FFTN achieves this goal by deepening the collaboration between local service partners to form a network that shares responsibility for caring for women with fistula across the country.

Winner: Gravity Water

Program: Gravity Water Systems

Gravity Water systems, from Gravity Water, work in schools in rural communities lacking safe water access. The organization’s technology combines rainwater harvesting, elevated storage, and gravity-fed filtration, providing schools with a source of safe water to rely on. 

In addition to providing safe drinking water, Gravity Water’s technology allows schools to run entirely off rain, increasing the school’s climate resilience and water security. Built by local community members using local materials and skill sets, Gravity Water’s systems ensure every project enables community empowerment and is resilient over time.

Winner: Hope Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh

Program: Hope Field Hospital for Women

The Hope Field Hospital for Women, established in 2018 by the Hope Foundation, delivers on-site free lifesaving and essential medical care for refugee women and children—including in the surrounding communities of the Rohingya settlements in Bangladesh.

Considered a Safe Haven, the hospital saves lives daily, primarily through its 24/7 obstetric emergency services. This hospital is the only one of its kind open 24/7 to attend obstetric medical emergencies such as C-sections in the refugee camps, where about one million people live in very poor and challenging conditions.

Winner: Refugee Women’s Alliance

Program: Domestic Violence Program

The Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) Domestic Violence Program caters to all immigrants and refugees. With nearly one in four foreign-born residents of King County, Washington, the culturally and linguistically-responsive services the domestic violence (DV) program offers are crucial. 

The program delivers the community with culturally competent, trained providers to support survivors and their children as they seek safety and rebuild their lives. Together, DV Program staff speak 24 languages and dialects—the most of any DV provider in the Pacific Northwest. 

Last year, ReWA’s Domestic Violence Program served 700 survivors worldwide, including Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America, and East Africa.

Winner: TACT

Program: Teaching the Autism Community Trades

Teaching the Autism Community Trades (TACT) offers career tracks in carpentry, welding, automotive mechanics, electrical, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Its team also conducts workshops offering introductory lessons in various trades and formats for ages 5-18 and older. 

TACT’s programs lead to employable individuals and lasting careers that are fulfilling and suited to each person’s strengths. 

Celebrating the Impact of Our 2023 Winners

Congratulations to our 2023 Classy Award winners who join a prestigious group of nonprofits embracing new ideas and illustrating the potential to drive change in our society.

The Importance of Water Organizations

To see just how valuable water organizations are, consider these three statistics from water.org

• 771 million people ( 1 in 10) lack access to safe water
• 282 million people spend more than 30 minutes retrieving water each time they need it
• More people have a mobile phone than a toilet

Clean water is a basic necessity for life, but it’s not a reality for most of our global population. The need to eliminate this threat continues to grow, so we celebrate the nonprofits working tirelessly to save lives and transform societies for the better.

These water organizations provide hope for those who need it most and create a seamless path for people to do their part in addressing the global water crisis through advocacy, education, and action.

15 Water Organizations That Make Clean Water a Reality

1. Generosity.org

Generosity.org is a water organization committed to ending the clean water crisis in developing countries.

By empowering and equipping individuals through the spirit of generosity, we help them become self-sufficient and inspire in them the same spirit of helping their neighbor; ultimately paying it forward. We believe that generosity changes people, and changes the world. Our goal is to move from a place where communities rely upon us, to a place where communities utilize the tools we provide to become proud and progressive stewards of their own destiny. Our dream is to make our role obsolete. That’s how we change the world.

To date, Generosity.org has completed over 800 water wells in 20 different nations to help them access clean water.

2. Pure Water for the World

Pure Water for the World provides children and families in Central America and the Caribbean with the tools and education to develop sustainable water, hygiene, and sanitation solutions.

We love how the organization directly connects fundraising dollars to impact. This immediately helps potential supporters see how their donation or peer-to-peer fundraising campaign will make a difference for the people it serves.

Pure Water for the World has partnered with more than 750 communities throughout Haiti and Honduras. It provides critical resources and education to ensure safe water, improved sanitation, and adequate hygiene are pillars of their communities.

Explore the Tools These Organizations Use to Raise More

3. Blood:Water

Blood:Water is a water organization that partners with African grassroots organizations to bring clean water and HIV/AIDS support to one million people in 12 countries.

Founded by the multiplatinum, GRAMMY® Award-winning band Jars of Clay and activist Jena Lee Nardella, the organization serves as a call to personalize the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa.

To fit every community’s varying needs, Blood:Water provides various solutions. From toilets and handwashing stations to services preventing mother-to-child HIV/AIDS transmission, local partners get to choose the solutions that best serve their communities. These leaders then activate and educate the people around them through meetings, local support groups, and training sessions.

Since its launch in 2004, Blood:Water has worked with 33 partners and brought clean water to nearly one million people in 12 countries.

4. Water for Good

Water for Good works with communities in the Central African Republic to establish sanitation best practices, improve agriculture, and empower people to create sustainable clean water access.

The organization connects underserved communities to locally-owned water businesses, a supply of spare parts, and government oversight.

In 2022 alone, the organization initiated or completed a total of 59 new water points, 1,936 service visits to pump water, 12,977 miles traveled by its maintenance team, and 1,121 water points served.

5. Hope of Life International

Hope of Life International is a faith-based water organization dedicated to serving vulnerable children and families in Guatemala.

The organization outlines how its efforts and community support can help prevent deaths due to diseases like typhoid and cholera. 

Hope of Life International drives home the value of each donation with the message that it only takes one dollar to provide a child with clean water for a year. Thanks to donor support, the organization has distributed over 100 water filters and sponsored over 5,000 individuals.

6. Splash

Splash is a water organization that serves disadvantaged cities. It works with local governments and businesses to educate children about effective hygiene practices and trains local organizations and businesses to maintain toilets properly.

The organization creates these safe water projects through strategic partnerships with local entities to solidify long-lasting solutions. Existing technology and supply chains used by commercial markets—such as those of top-notch restaurants and hotels—inform Splash’s strategies to bring the same high-quality care to families in need.

Today, Splash reaches over 999,088 kids in China, Nepal, India, and Ethiopia.

7. Lifewater International

Lifewater International is a Christian water development organization that serves vulnerable children and families in remote and rural areas of East Africa and Southeast Asia.

The organization’s staff live in the areas they serve. They help community members drive change from household to household by actively participating in the development process and teaching underserved communities how to build their home latrines, drying racks, and handwashing stations.

8. Planet Water Foundation

Planet Water Foundation serves schools, children, and rural communities worldwide by installing water filtration systems and launching health education programs.

The organization’s filtration systems, called an “AquaTower,” trap bacteria, viruses, and other harmful matter to provide 1,000 people with 10,000 liters of clean water daily. Children can also wash their hands with soap dishes mounted around the structure.

Planet Water Foundation installs these systems in just one day. After that, community members can help clean each AquaTower to prolong its life span, simplifying the maintenance procedures. Additionally, the affordable initial cost makes this a sustainable solution.

The organization supports more than 3 million people in 26 countries.

9. Water4

Water4 is a water organization on a mission to eradicate the world’s water crises through local, missional businesses and fostering independence. It empowers people through faith and education around long-term sustainability to help communities solve their challenges with a solution that lasts.

The organization has a signature “WaSH” training program that helps communities understand the importance of washing their hands, preparing food safely, and storing water to support good hygiene. This helps them introduce the social and health impact to the individuals. The organization also empowers local heroes through business development programs.

To date, Water4 has completed 9,518 water projects, providing 2,131,399 people with safe water and educating 759,223 people in the process.

10. Safe Water Network

Safe Water Network is a water organization that works to build affordable, locally-owned water systems for communities in Ghana and India.

While the organization provides the tools to use these systems, referred to as “Safe Water Stations,” community members eventually take ownership of them and operate them as small businesses. Instead of being perceived as beneficiaries, individuals are consumers and business owners.

To help cover operating and maintenance costs, each station sells water. Safe Water Network then provides the education and equipment to manage these stations and the technical services and monitoring necessary to keep them in top condition. The organization also continues to improve this model by partnering with experts in academia and the public and private sectors for new insights.

To date, Safe Water Network has reached 20 million people through technical assistance and sector engagement and plans to create access to safe water for 50 million people by 2026.

11. Thirst Project

Thirst Project is a water organization that educates students about the clean water crisis and mobilizes them to take action.

The organization travels to secondary schools and universities across the United States to activate those believed to be the real game changers: young supporters. Thirst Project also encourages students to start Thirst Project Clubs to raise awareness about the cause within their schools.

In addition to raising awareness, Thirst Project has roots in India, Uganda, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Kenya, and Colombia. It focuses primarily on building hand pump wells that typically last over 40 years.

12. The Last Well

The Last Well is a faith-based organization on a mission to bring safe water to all Liberians.

No country has been able to provide clean water to all of its citizens nor eliminate water-borne diseases or sicknesses. The Last Well aims to change that narrative for the entire nation of Liberia.

To date, The Last Well has completed its original 12-year, $31 million mission to bring clean water and the good news of the gospel to Liberia.

13. Hope Rising Together

Hope Rising Together (formerly Let Them LOL) is a water organization that serves Sierra Leone. It builds wells to provide poverty-stricken communities with access to safe water.

After 10 years as Let Them LOL, Hope Rising Together emerged to renovate the Malting Silos in the heart of Buffalo, N.Y., into a community center.

Hope Rising Together has completed over 145 wells, bringing water to 53,633 people in Sierra Leone.

14. WaterAid

WaterAid is a water organization transforming lives by providing clean water, hygiene, and sanitation hardware to the world’s most vulnerable and remote communities.

Founded in 1981, WaterAid is part of a global federation that works in over 30 countries. From the hardware of taps, pipes, and toilets to hygiene education, climate resilience, and maintenance, WaterAid’s projects work for the long term. 

Providing access to clean water that’s close to home saves hours for those collecting water for their families. This frees up precious time for girls to go to school, and people can work and start businesses. However, clean water is just the beginning: it unlocks potential and empowers people to thrive.

The work of WaterAid has reached 28.5 million people with clean water, 29 million people with decent toilets, and 27.8 million people with hygiene education to date. WaterAid has a bold, new strategy to reach 400 million people in the next decade to end the water crisis.

15. charity: water

charity: water is a water organization that helps bring clean and safe water to families worldwide by partnering with experienced local organizations that build sustainable, community-owned water projects.

Founded in 2006 by Scott Harrison, a former New York City club promoter, in less than a decade, charity: water has become a leader in the nonprofit sector and a fundraising powerhouse.

The organization heavily emphasizes documenting and sharing the details of its work, keeping its ratings high among charity watchdogs and allowing supporters to get an inside look at who it has helped.

charity: water helps fund water, sanitation, and hygiene (“WASH”) programs for rural communities worldwide while monitoring, evaluating, and maintaining programs to operate sustainably for years to come.

To date, charity: water has funded 120,784 water projects in 29 countries to serve 16,835,671 people.

Water Organizations Hydrate the Future

These water organizations and associated campaigns push the envelope to bring safe and clean water to communities everywhere. At Classy, we celebrate organizations championing environmental sustainability and other aspects that bring natural resources to people worldwide.

Article Sources

1. “Key Water.org Facts,” water.org, accessed or last modified 2022, https://water.org/documents/223/FY22_Key_Water.org_facts.pdf.

Uncertain times can either ignite people to help the rising demand for support or cause them to pull back. To get the clarity nonprofits seek, Classy surveyed 1,000 US donors. Unsurprisingly, our report found that the 2020 pandemic introduced an air of resilience in uncertain times that showcased the strength of the social sector and those who fund it.

Whether it’s an unforeseen health crisis or a changing economy, our data continuously points to donors who do their best to give when their communities need it most. Here, we’re digging into our September 2022 survey of 1,000 nationwide donors to showcase their shared takeaways about how the economy impacts their giving behaviors.

7 Takeaways From Donors About Charitable Behavior in an Uncertain Economy

1. Donors Are Concerned About the Economy

We found that nearly half of US donors share a pessimistic view of the economy. And while the remaining group of donors is mainly neutral, we see that 29% still have optimism for what’s to come.

Uncertainty of any kind in the economy is likely to cause concerns, significantly when prices are rising around us. People are exposed to constant news coverage and projections that seem to share different forecasts for what’s to come, which can also cause people to air on the side of caution.

However, as you go through these takeaways, you’ll see that charitable giving isn’t always a reflection of how a donor views the economy.

2. The Majority of Donors Made Changes to Their Lifestyle

It’s natural to see people take proactive steps to secure their financial position, especially in times of economic uncertainty. It’s crucial for nonprofits to understand this when crafting appeals during economic fluctuations.

We saw that 77% of donors made financial changes to their lifestyles in response to the economy, with 22% making changes they considered significant. Bloomberg’s insights mirrored this, showcasing that US consumers are considering a tighter spending budget for the 2022 holiday season.

While for-profits may see significant changes in how people spend their money, nonprofit organizations could see daily spending cuts in donations.

3. The Cost of Giving Doesn’t Mirror the Cost of Living

Americans are stepping up to meet the increased demand for support from nonprofit organizations and seeing the importance of their contributions. Coming in at the highest percentage we’ve seen in the last four years, 90% of US donors plan to meet their generous giving levels from 2021 or increase it for the 2022 season.

And when more communities need support, the call to help seems to resonate more with donors who see an opportunity to make an impact. So despite constantly changing financial situations, it’s still critical for nonprofits to consider asking for donations. What we hope you take away, however, is that donors are ready to help when they find organizations they trust and rely on to help solve challenges that resonate with them.

4. Many Donors Intentionally Save Money to Donate

Wonder why we see increased giving potential as more donors express concerns over the economy? It makes more sense when you see how they make their donations possible, even in times of financial strain.

We saw that 39% of donors made minor changes and sacrifices in their daily expenses to ensure they had funds to donate in 2022. Across the board, we also saw that over half of donors plan for donations in their budgeting.

Understanding how US donors prioritize their giving behaviors over their personal costs gives us a window into why they continue to give. Next, we’ll share a deeper look into the internal motivations that keep charitable giving top of mind.

5. A Subset of Passionate Donors Will Increase Contributions

Over a quarter of all US donors plan to give more in 2022 than they gave in 2021. We asked that group of donors why they plan to donate more to help nonprofits craft thoughtful, relationship-building strategies.

The Top Reasons Donors Will Give More in 2022

1. The donor’s passion recently increased
2. The need for donations recently increased
3. The cause’s relevance recently increased

This year’s report also separated loyal donors, who give a recurring gift or gave at least three times in the past five years to the same organization, and passive donors. Loyal donors not only plan to give donations 4x the amount that passive supporters plan to give in 2022, but they’re also more resilient in the face of financial stress.

As you dig into the full report online, you’ll see just how to connect with loyal donors and ways to convert passive interest into long-term relationships that can sustain your organization through any future uncertainties.

6. Options Keep Donors From Canceling Donations

Not all donors can continue to give at the amounts they might have if their financial situations hadn’t changed. Still, it’s essential to see that many will change their donations over canceling them entirely.

When you think about recurring contributions, in particular, each cancellation regularly impacts the predictability of income. That’s why we asked donors what would prevent them from canceling a monetary donation.

The responses show that donors would not cancel if the organization offered them the ability to change the donation amount (e.g., reduce the donation by 50%) or the donation frequency (e.g., bimonthly to monthly). These small changes add up when you can retain donors through more challenging times and invite them back to give more as they feel comfortable doing so.

7. Donors Are Showing Nonmonetary Support

There’s value in the way donors step up to the plate to provide nonmonetary support too. In fact, 56% of surveyed donors have already shown nonmonetary support to organizations they feel connected to or plan to by the end of 2022.

Why America Gives showed everything from volunteering time and physical goods donations to advocating to spreading awareness of a cause from today’s donors. This is why it’s a great time to lean on supporters to fill gaps through volunteer time and food or clothing donations. That way, you’re still building relationships and igniting their inner passion for helping, keeping your organization top of mind when they talk to their friends and family or decide to donate a monetary donation again in the future.

Build Loyalty That Outlasts Economic Fluctuations

As you build your new year strategies and determine the best way to stay connected to donors, we’re here to help. Find all the insights we’ve shared here today and so much more to help you foster loyalty among new and existing donors in Why America Gives 2022.

I am proud to look around and see a company unparalleled in its combination of relentless obsession over customer success, its focus on exceptional product and engineering innovation and excellence, and its ambition to radically transform individual giving for the most important sector on earth.

We have spent several years working together to build a team of incredible technologists that are supported and celebrated for delivering ever-greater value for our customers. Just over a year ago, we began conversations with the leadership team at GoFundMe out of a collective view that we could bring even more attention and support to the incredible causes fundraising on our platform. 

Several months into this partnership with GoFundMe, I am more convinced than ever of the potential and promise of this combined company. As part of my extended responsibilities, I am assuming the position of Chief Operating Officer of GoFundMe. This dual role as President of Classy and COO of GoFundMe recognizes the important part nonprofits play in the combined organization’s strategic focus and orientation.

Partnering with me is Eric Pannese, who is being elevated to serve as our new Chief Product and Technology Officer, and Chris Silver, who is joining the Classy executive team as Senior Vice President of Marketing. Together, along with Chief Growth Officer Marc Ferris and SVP of Engineering Shantanu Bose, we will continue to serve this space and build the fundraising technology that we believe this sector deserves. 

During my years with Classy, I have been enormously proud of the technological and organizational milestones we have delivered for clients, including the acquisition and launch of Classy Live (formerly Fondi), our delivery of Classy Pay, the launch of new payment methods such as PayPal, Venmo, and cryptocurrency, and most importantly, supporting over $5 billion dollars processed through our platform. Our rapid innovation continues unabated with our embedded checkout experience, new revenue-driving features such as abandoned cart and recurring upsell nudges, and the development of robust, native integrations for data and analytics tools, including Google Analytics 4, Meta Conversion API, and Salesforce. 

Over the past several months, I’ve also gained a tremendous appreciation for the sophistication and care the GoFundMe team takes in helping people help each other. The two companies have collectively raised billions of dollars to help nonprofits and individuals raise more for good. 

Classy and GoFundMe are uniquely positioned to build more connection points with individuals passionate about a cause. We believe that no matter the cause, there are individuals and communities interested in supporting nonprofits, if only they were aware of the impact these organizations were having. Ultimately, we want to connect every citizen philanthropist with the causes and organizations they care about. 

Just last week, we launched a pilot program to connect passionate GoFundMe donors with incredible Classy nonprofit customers supporting similar causes. The learnings from this pilot will be used to build a more robust program where the community of 100+ million engaged individuals can be connected with nonprofits working on causes they care about at scale.

It is truly awe-inspiring to see the ambition, reach, and impact of our combined organizations. Together, Classy and GoFundMe are changing the giving landscape and becoming the most helpful place on earth. 

You might have heard about updated Mastercard rules. While these changes are no longer applicable to nonprofits and donations, Classy considers it best practice to conform to consumer regulations. We’re here to explain why you should feel confident that your nonprofit still prioritizes the recurring donor experience when you partner with Classy.

This year, Mastercard enhanced its cardholder experience with new requirements around subscription billing models. Our team at Classy is constantly improving the platform to help you facilitate a fantastic recurring giving experience for your donors, which includes allowing donors to give how and when they want.

What Are the New Mastercard Rules?

Mastercard asked any subscription merchant or organization conducting recurring payment transactions to adjust their practices. These rules aim to add transparency for cardholders and reduce chargebacks.

Nonprofits aren’t required to apply these rules but doing so can only improve the experience recurring donors have with their organization, and therefore impact the rate at which they convert and retain them.

How Mastercard’s Merchant Rules Impact Nonprofits

While at the start, we believed Mastercard’s latest updates would also impact any nonprofit organization offering a recurring donation option, they no longer apply.

However, a recurring donation is similar to a subscription as it regularly charges a donor’s card on an automatic frequency such as daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and annually.

Nonprofits can create better experiences similar to for-profit services and subscriptions by applying the rules Mastercard laid out:

1. Disclose full subscription terms at the time of a recurring gift subscription, including the price that will be billed and the frequency of the billing (for example, “You will be billed USD 9.95 per month until you cancel the recurring donation.“).
2. Send a confirmation by email or another electronic method when a donor enrolls in a recurring donation plan that provides the subscription terms, a transaction receipt, and clear instructions about canceling the subscription. Cardholders may choose to opt out of receiving these notices.
3. Offer an email or electronic reminder for payments that process six or more months apart, such as a semi-annual or annually recurring gift. Nonprofits should notify a donor on this type of plan or recurring gift frequency at least seven days, but no more than 30 days before the billing date, and include the subscription terms and instructions on how to cancel.
4. Provide instructions for canceling a recurring gift online or precise information on how a donor can cancel their donation online (such as a “Manage Subscription” or “Cancel Subscription” link on the merchant’s home page).
5. An online cancellation method easily accessible for donors to manage and end their recurring donation as they see fit, at any time they wish to do so.

You’re Covered With Classy

Classy’s strategy for recurring giving is about much more than being compliant. Classy’s technology creates great giving experiences for supporters, which includes the ability for donors to give how and when they want. It’s why we’ve invested, and continue to invest so much into our recurring giving product set.

Classy’s platform allows donors to manage their subscriptions through the supporter hub, and we’ve launched capabilities like multiple plan frequencies and plan end dates, which give them even more flexibility. We also have plans to enrich the supporter hub with more features like temporary pause options and reactivate options. All of these features are aimed at giving recurring donors the best experience, which drives retention.

Prioritizing the donor experience means investing time to explore what today’s donors want and need. A large portion of that experience is maintaining trust with donors as they give to various nonprofit organizations. We pride ourselves on offering features and proactive measures that naturally support the Mastercard merchant rules.

To ensure we are compliant with the regulations set forth by Mastercard, we will make the following updates by November 2022:

1. Email notification to donors 7 days prior to processing payment for recurring giving plans with frequencies that are six months apart or longer, inclusive of semi-annual and annual donations
2. A required “manage your donation” content block for all recurring giving emails sent to supporters

This email will be enabled and triggered for all existing campaigns so that no action by the organization is needed. However, organizations will have the option to customize the email template just as they currently do for other email templates within a campaign.

Your Trusted Partner for Recurring Giving

Recurring giving at Classy is so much more than remaining compliant. We prioritize innovation and scalability for nonprofits to invite donors to give in the way that works best for them. We recognize the value that nonprofits receive from predictable revenue streams and offer them tools to effectively establish and manage strong recurring donation programs.

Some recent updates we’ve made include additional recurring frequencies, end dates, intuitive donation management tools for donors, and mobile payment options like Paypal. We’ve also made recurring giving available through embedded checkout experiences to give donors the easiest path to provide a lasting impact. Take a look at the example below.

We’ve consistently measured recurring donation trends on our platform through our annual report, The State of Modern Philanthropy to understand the ROI of our investments. We also conducted third-party research in our Recurring Donor Sentiment Report to hear from donors themselves about what drives excellence in recurring giving experiences.

The collective research we do between our data collection and conversations on the ground with nonprofits helps us introduce new functionality that keeps recurring giving ever-evolving with modern technology and the donor landscape. Valuing incredible recurring donor experiences means we already have in place many of the aspects Mastercard is now requiring. We will continue to prioritize the evolution and improvement of the donor experience so you can build trusting relationships with your donors that lead to loyal supporters.

The world of cryptocurrency donations is quickly evolving. With Crypto Giving built into the Classy platform, nonprofits can confidently capitalize on another innovative payment technology to attract new donors and drive meaningful impact. 

Top 3 Reasons to Accept Crypto Donations at Your Nonprofit

In 2021, the value of the crypto market soared from $965 billion to as much as $2.6 trillion. Now sitting around $2.1 trillion, it’s clear that the digital currency is here to stay. 

Despite the market’s recent volatility, cryptocurrency offers an incredible opportunity for nonprofits to reach a new group of philanthropists who can help propel the sector forward. 

Knowing that crypto has solidified itself as an important part of our economy, here are three reasons why your nonprofit should consider adding the digital currency to your list of flexible giving options.

1. Donors Want Options

The data from our 2021 Why America Gives report proved that flexible payment options are non-negotiable for many of today’s donors. In fact, the option of multiple payment options was one of the top factors donors say lead to an excellent donor experience. 

It’s also important to note that donors give more when they have choices. Our findings from The State of Modern Philanthropy 2022 report proved that nonprofits using modern payment options on Classy see larger gift sizes on average than those that don’t. Specifically, the average one-time donation was nearly 1.5X more when nonprofits offered ACH, PayPal, and digital wallet payments. 

2. Crypto Presents a Win-Win for Donors and Nonprofits Alike

An estimated 295 million people worldwide now own cryptocurrency, with Bitcoin and Ethereum growing particularly quickly. Now is the opportune time to bring cryptocurrency into your donation experience to attract the millions of philanthropic investors looking for a place to give. 

The key to attracting this new donor audience is to first make them aware that they can donate cryptocurrency directly to the nonprofit of their choosing. Classy is the first to offer this functionality natively within its platform. We intend to make it just as easy to give and accept crypto donations as it is to give and reconcile donations made with PayPal or credit cards.

In addition, crypto donations present a unique win-win opportunity for both donors and nonprofits. Not only do crypto investors receive major tax incentives, but nonprofits receiving these donations avoid tax on the donated asset.  

From 2019 to 2020, crypto donations to donor-advised funds (DAFs) at Fidelity Charitable more than doubled from $13 million to $28 million. The 2021 value of total cryptocurrency donations is over $300 million, and that number is only expected to grow. 

3. Millennial Investors are Hungry to Give

Cryptocurrency donations offer the unique opportunity to attract a younger and more diverse demographic that skews toward philanthropic giving. In fact, young people are 4X more likely to hold cryptocurrency than older generations.

Data shows over 35% of millennial investors own cryptocurrency, and those who don’t are likely to consider investing in it within the next year. Plus, nearly nine in ten Millennials say charitable giving is an important part of their lives. 

Data also shows that young crypto donors are more likely to be nonwhite. According to Pew Center Research, Asian (23%), Hispanic (21%), and Black (18%) adults are more likely than White adults to say they have ever invested in, traded, or used cryptocurrency.

If nonprofits can do their part in marrying Millennials’ interest in digital currency with their charitable values, donation potential will skyrocket. 

Make Crypto Easy With Classy

What Is Classy’s Crypto Giving? 

We’ve teamed up with Coinbase to offer nonprofits a seamless way to accept Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USD Coin on their Classy donation forms. 

How Does It Work? 

We want to make it just as easy to accept crypto donations as it is to accept and reconcile credit card or PayPal donations. That’s why Classy’s Crypto Giving is built directly into Classy Pay, which means that receipting, payout reporting, and reconciliation will happen directly in-product, similar to Stripe, PayPal, or Venmo. In addition to BTC, ETH, and USDC, we are now able to process BCH, LTC, DOGE, DAI, USDT, APE, and SHIB. 

The crypto donation option will live right on your Classy donation form, giving you the tools you need to acquire new crypto donors without the support of a third-party processor. Enjoy the freedom to turn it on and off at the campaign level, and simply toggle between crypto and flat donations. 

How Do I Ensure Compliance When Accepting Crypto Donations?

Through our partnership with Coinbase, you can receive transactions from both Coinbase and non-Coinbase wallets. However, Coinbase only ensures compliance of the transactions from Coinbase wallets.

If you accept transactions from non-Coinbase wallets, your organization is responsible for compliance with Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) standards set forth in the USA Patriot Act. That means if a transaction violates compliance, you’ll be responsible for any penalties or fines, which are typically issued by government agencies such as the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury.

If you do not want to be responsible for the compliance of donations from non-Coinbase wallets, please reach out to your Classy account contact directly and ask them to turn off support for non-Coinbase wallets.

How Do I Activate Crypto on My Donation Forms? 

If you’re already a Classy customer with Classy Pay activated, we’ve broken down the process for activating crypto here.  

For customers who haven’t activated Classy Pay yet, explore our support article for the step-by-step setup process. Once you complete this step, you’ll be ready to activate crypto. 

Finally, if you’re interested in learning more about Classy’s online fundraising platform or booking a demo with our team, don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Let’s Make Crypto Mainstream for Nonprofit Fundraising

Crypto doesn’t need to be complicated. Tap into the growing pool of crypto holders by offering a place to donate their digital currency. With Classy, you can keep the backend process simple while attracting a new audience of donors to help reach your goals. 

About the Classy Awards

The Classy Awards have been bringing together social sector leaders and influencers since 2009 to recognize the achievements of thousands of nonprofits across the globe. Now in its 9th year, it’s one of the largest social impact awards in the country.

A Look Into the Winner Selection Process

In April, our Classy Awards Committee selected the top 50 Finalists from a pool of 1,700 nonprofit participants. These Finalists were then scored on four judging criteria:

• Scale, scope, and expertise in addressing a problem
• Ability to solve the problem
• Creativity of the solution
• Organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and resource management

Below, we recognize the 13 Classy Award Winners and offer a look into the impact of their programs.

Meet the 2022 Classy Award Winners

People’s Choice Award, presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits

The People’s Choice award, presented by LinkedIn for Nonprofits and determined by public vote, highlights the innovation of a nonprofit making incredible contributions to our society.

Winner: America Needs You

Program: The Fellows Program

The Fellows Program helps first-generation college students complete internships, graduate, and secure employment by pairing them with a trained volunteer Mentor Coach. Over the two-year program, students receive more than 200 hours of career insight and personal support.

In 2021, 244 students completed the program, including 200 mentorship hours and 120 career development hours. America Needs You anticipates over 260 Fellows graduating in 2022.

Adapt & Overcome Award

The Adapt & Overcome award, voted on by the Classy Awards Committee, celebrates an organization that has transformed the structure of its program to conquer an unexpected challenge.

Winner: NY Sun Works

Program: NY Sun Works

The need for improved STEM education is pervasive, particularly among low-income students from minority communities. NY Sun Works’ program is the first of its kind, providing inquiry-based STEM and sustainability education to K-12th grade students through the lens of urban indoor agriculture.

From 2019 to 2021, NY Sun Works reached 155,000 students through its program. The number of schools using NY Sun Works’ lessons and resources continues to grow as well, with 200 schools applying their curriculum in 2021 alone.

Social Innovation Award

The 10 Winners of the Social Innovation award are determined by Classy’s Leadership Council, a prestigious group of social sector leaders. The Council is represented by organizations such as The Salvation Army USA, World Central Kitchen, Jane Goodall Institute USA, Microsoft, Salesforce.org, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Winner: Sanku Project Healthy Children

Program: Project Healthy Children

Malnourishment impacts 28 million children in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the problem continues to grow. Sanku Project Healthy Children’s goal is to end malnutrition in Africa by guaranteeing sustainable access to nutritious food.

To carry out its mission, the organization installs its award-winning Sanku Dosifier, a fully-automated nutrient fortification technology, in Tanzania and Kenya. It also works with third-party implementers in Malawi and Rwanda. The technology enables small-scale millers to produce fortified flour at no additional cost to themselves or their customers.

In 2021, the Sanku Project Healthy Children team installed 671 active dosifiers that milled more than 31,000 metric tons of grain.

Winner: Trees for the Future (TREES)

Program: Trees for the Future

The goal of Trees for the Future (TREES) is to combat climate change, generational poverty, and chronic hunger by training farmers in sustainable land use. Their signature methodology, the Forest Garden Approach, helps farmers transform their land with thousands of trees and crops, which creates new possibilities for themselves and their communities.

Farmers experienced a 706% increase in access to diverse, nutritious foods in 2021 as a result. In their first year using the Forest Gardens Approach, farmers can see their income increase by 400% and gain food security within three years. Since 2019, TREES’ has also planted more than 193,000,000 trees in Forest Gardens.

Winner: Green Bronx Machine

Program: Foster Care Farm and Tiny Home Village at Stepping Stones Residential Facility

When young males age out of the foster care system in Appalachia, 74% end up homeless, addicted, or incarcerated within six months. Living wage opportunities are also extremely limited, and the region is considered a food desert with scarce access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Green Bronx Machine is partnering with Stepping Stones Residential Treatment Facility to build the first-ever commercial farm staffed and run by foster-care youth. The hydroponic farm provides living-wage employment opportunities, along with 21 tiny homes for foster-care youth who are aging out of the foster care system.

In 2021, the program employed 45 students at the greenhouse and housed six foster-care youth in tiny homes on campus.

Winner: KABOOM!

Program: Play Everywhere

Based on behavioral science research, KABOOM! created the Play Everywhere program as an innovative strategy to address playspace inequity. By activating play in unexpected, everyday spaces, their team hopes to spark social, emotional, and physical growth in the 28 million children who don’t have access to a park near their homes.

To date, KABOOM! has launched nine national, regional, and city-wide challenges, leading to the creation of more than 200 community-led Play Everywhere installations.

Winner: Yamba Malawi

Program: Childhoods & Livelihoods Program

A staggering 70% of the population in Malawi lives in extreme poverty, and 64% of all children lack basic needs in more than one area: nutrition, healthcare, education, housing, water and sanitation, and social protection.

To combat these challenges, Yamba Malawi launched an innovative child-focused poverty graduation program. The three-year program uses a holistic approach to empower caregivers and community organizations with training, mentoring, seed funding for businesses, digital finance, and other resources that empower them to meet children’s needs.

Since its inception, Yamba Malawi has impacted the lives of more than 200,000 children, including 53,000 in 2021 alone.

Winner: VoteAmerica

Program: VoteAmerica Tool Integrations

Only 66.8% of citizens voted in 2020, which was the highest turnout of the century. To improve our voter registration and engagement systems, VoteAmerica provides publicly available election information data and easily embedded tools to simplify the voting process in all 50 states and Washington D.C.

VoteAmerica’s tools make it easy for voters to verify their registration status and information, register to vote, request an absentee ballot, identify a polling location, and more. They’ve leaned into an exponentially scalable 1-to-millions approach with their strategic partnership integrations, reaching 400,000 people in 2021 alone.

Winner: Games for Change

Program: G4C Student Challenge

To combat the challenges that our next generation is facing due to educational disruptions brought on by the pandemic and persistent inequality, the G4C Student Challenge helps students master critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity through games and game design.

The G4C Student Challenge is a national design competition that invites middle and high school youth in the U.S. to create digital games about issues impacting their communities.

In 2021, Games for Change reached 4,071 students and trained 282 teachers. In just three years, students in the program submitted more than 2,900 games to the national competition, indicating that they had completed the program and could demonstrate their learning.

Winner: Nuru International

Program: Nuru International

Farming communities in fragile areas of Sub-Saharan Africa are suffering in extreme poverty without access to the tools and knowledge they need to achieve a better future. Nuru International works in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria to equip farmers with training, inputs, and infrastructure support supplied by Nuru-supported farmer-led cooperatives.

The Nuru Model is distinctive in its implementation of a leadership development program, or “Sustainability Engine,” that helps restore agency to local leaders. After 5-7 years, Nuru leaves behind a completely self-sustaining impact model owned and operated by these empowered individuals.

In 2021, Nuru International served 7,475 farmer households, resulting in a 65% increase in crop yield and a 42% increase in household income.

Winner: World Telehealth Initiative (WTI)

Program: World Telehealth Initiative

Over 50% of the world lacks access to safe, timely, affordable healthcare. To help transform medical access for vulnerable communities worldwide, the World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) connects more than 350 volunteer physicians with over 24 hospitals across Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean.

To expand its services, the program brought on 160 new volunteers in 2021 and provided 925 telehealth sessions. Looking ahead, World Telehealth Initiative (WTI) plans to increase its global footprint to 40 partner hospitals and 1,000 physician volunteers by the end of 2022.

Winner: Well Aware

Program: Well Aware

Well Aware is addressing a lack of access to clean water in rural East African communities through its innovative smartphone app. Knowing that nearly 60% of water projects in Africa fail, Well Aware’s tools carry out ongoing water system maintenance and diagnostics.

Their app makes it possible to investigate, plan, design, implement, and fundraise for custom clean water systems that fit the specific needs of communities throughout East Africa. To date, Well Aware has impacted the lives of over 300,000 individuals through more than 90 water projects. With the support of transformative technology, they hope to maintain their 1005% success rate—an incredibly high benchmark in the industry.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The Leadership Council nominates candidates and selects a winner of the Lifetime Achievement award, which recognizes an individual who has achieved excellence over a lifetime of service in the social sector.

Winner: Kailee Scales, CEO at Pencils of Promise

Kailee’s work at the intersection of global development and social justice spans nearly two decades across 15 countries. She began her career as a fundraiser for a Democratic Congressional candidate in New York and has since collaborated with the World Health Organization, United Nations, global CEOs, and heads of state in developing solutions to the world’s most complex problems.

From 2017 to 2020, Kailee served as the first Managing Director of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. In this role, she was responsible for building infrastructure across the global organization and served as the executive producer of the viral video, Rest in Power Beautiful, seen over 10 million times.

In June 2021, she was named CEO of Pencils of Promise. Pencils of Promise has built more than 580 schools that currently serve over 110,000 students across Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos.

Celebrating the Impact of our 2022 Winners

Congratulations to our 2022 Classy Award Winners who join a prestigious group of nonprofits embracing new ideas and illustrating the potential to drive change in our society.

We saw a very competitive pool of organizations, all of whom are worthy of recognition for the lives they are changing and the positive impact they are making around the world. We are honored that you shared your story with us and hope you’ll be back in 2023.

A series of mass shootings killed 14 people and wounded 39 from May 13 to 15. In addition to the Buffalo community, we stand by those impacted by the shootings in Milwaukee, Orange County, Winston-Salem, Houston, and Amarillo.   

Learn more about how you can show your support for the organizations fighting for racial justice and gun violence prevention.

Organizations Standing Up Against Racism and Gun Violence

Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety is the largest gun violence prevention organization in America with a plan to end gun violence. The nonprofit is a grassroots movement of parents, students, survivors, educators, and concerned citizens fighting to build safer communities.

Working with local, federal, and state governments, Everytown for Gun Safety is dedicated to enacting evidence-based solutions and implementing public safety policies that reduce gun violence.

Center for Racial Justice in Education

The Center for Racial Justice in Education is on a mission to train and empower educators to dismantle patterns of racism and injustice in our schools and communities. The nonprofit envisions a world where all young people learn to thrive in racially equitable, liberating, and empowering educational spaces.

The organization believes that racial justice work is an active process dependent on partnership with others in the community. Through accountable, equitable, and inclusive relationships, they build these communities to move society forward.

Be the Bridge

Be the Bridge works to move people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and reconciliation. They’re on a mission to increase awareness of the racial brokenness and systemic injustice in our world.

The nonprofit envisions a future where we are no longer conditioned by a racialized society, but are grounded in truth. They accomplish this by inspiring others to have a transformative response to racial division and remain present to encourage racial reconciliation.

Beyond that, they equip communities with the vision, skills, and heart for racial healing in partnership with organizations who are doing it well today.

Equal Justice Initiative 

The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, challenging racial and economic injustice, and protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

They support education within the American population to confront historic racial injustice in a way that brings new truths  to light and takes a large step forward in healing our nation.

Getting Out Staying Out (GOSO)

Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO) partners with people impacted by arrest and incarceration on a journey of education, employment, and emotional wellbeing. The nonprofit collaborates with New York City communities to support a culture of nonviolence.

GOSO takes a thoughtful approach to their work by following a framework they call their Three E’s: Education, Employment, and Emotional Well-being. Through their work, the organization enables 220 new job placements a year, and helps 86% of program participants remain out of jail.

Race Forward

Race Forward catalyzes movement building for racial justice. In partnership with communities, organizations, and sectors, they build strategies to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture.

Race Forward brings research to the public on pressing racial justice issues that focus on how institutional and structural racism fuels inequity in society and the economy. Their goal is to strengthen social change through their work and this ongoing education.

Guitars Over Guns

Guitars Over Guns offers students from the most vulnerable communities a powerful combination of music education and mentorship with professional musicians. Their goal is to empower these students to make positive choices at school, at home, and in their communities. 

The organization recognizes the skills, talents, and life lessons that music introduces, including teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, discipline, accountability, patience, and more. Guitars Over Guns then assigns working musicians as mentors to students to help them find their voice and these essential skills that translate into better decisions in other areas of their lives. 

Support the Buffalo Community and Fight For a Better Tomorrow

As a Certified B Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation, Classy’s mission is to mobilize and empower the world for good. We are proud to support the nonprofits responding to the recent tragedy in Buffalo, and we stand behind the organizations working tirelessly to serve those in need whenever and wherever the world calls them.

Collaborative, hosted by Classy, is a live conference designed exclusively for the nonprofit sector. This annual event encourages collaboration among the brightest thinkers and doers across the industry as a space for meaningful connections. 

We’d love to have you join us in our first year back in person. From June 15 to 16, 2022, Collaborative is taking on Philadelphia for two days of learning, relationship-building, and inspiration to grow your organization’s impact.

We’re Going to Philly!

This year, those who want to be fully immersed in Collaborative will have access to dozens of live sessions, hands-on workshops, and the unique experience of developing extensive partnerships with the sector’s top experts and practitioners. 

Whether you’re a fundraising and marketing professional, an executive, or a social entrepreneur, you’ll walk away with tangible tips to grow your organization and generate meaningful impact in an ever-evolving social space.

We know it takes time to decide on attending an in-person event, so we’ve elevated our top 10 reasons to attend Collaborative 2022 here for you.

10 Reasons to Attend the Collaborative

1. We’re Bringing You the Full Philadelphia Experience

After two years of an entirely virtual Collaborative experience, we couldn’t be more excited to safely come together in Philadelphia. Philly brings together the creativity and inspiration upon which we build Collaborative every year. We are ready to step out of the day-to-day, build meaningful connections, and gain a renewed sense of inspiration.

Here’s a taste of what Philly and Collaborative have to offer:

Hospitality: Book a room at the Element Philadelphia, located in Center City, within walking distance of the city’s best sightseeing spots, restaurants, and bars from the hotel. You’ll also receive our exclusive discount if you book through this link!

Welcome Party: Join us for cocktails, networking, and one of Philly’s most unique nightlife experiences at Rec & Royal where you can embrace the Cadillac DJ booth, private karaoke rooms, a seltzer vending machine, throwback arcade games, and a dedicated 90’s room.

History: Spend your free time exploring historic sights like the Liberty Bell or Philadelphia Museum of Art and soaking in the inspiration that generations before us left among the streets of Philadelphia.

Dining: Try new food experiences from one of many amazing merchants at Reading Terminal Market among many other niche restaurants in the city. Don’t forget to pick up a Philadelphia classic, the cheesesteak.

Send Off in Style: Wrap up the event at our closing party performance of Philly’s favorite brass band, Snacktime. Check out the energy they bring to any room with this sampling:

2. You’ll Get Face Time With the Social Sector’s Top Leaders

Classy is dedicated to providing the content you want to learn about. We listen to our attendees’ wants and concerns and present thoughtful commentary on the nonprofit industry’s most pressing topics. 

This knowledge and feedback help us curate a program full of industry experts who are eager to share their insights and ideas on the current and future landscape of the sector. The best part about joining us in person is that you can connect with these leaders between sessions in a more intimate and meaningful way.

Check out some of our in-person speakers:

Deesha Dyer,

Award-Winning Strategist & Community Organizer; Former White House Social Secretary

Woodrow Rosenbaum

Chief Data Officer at Giving Tuesday

Trovon C. Williams

Senior Vice President Marketing & Communications at NAACP

Dana Snyder

CEO & Founder of Positive Equation

3. You’ll Get Double the Content

When you join us live, you’ll not only be fully present to learn directly from esteemed presenters, but you’ll also gain so much more from the natural commentary that takes place throughout the venue.

Our goal is to ensure you leave sessions feeling empowered and equipped with strategies to tackle the complex landscape we’ve come to experience today. Plus, as an in-person attendee, you receive double the content with post-event access to exclusive, online-only content from the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions to continue your learning journey. 

Check out some of the sessions we’re offering in-person:

• Merging with the Metaverse
• Forget What You Knew About Bringing Major Gifts Online
• Go Viral: Seize Your Moment to Shine
• Unlocking Your Full Potential Through Unrestricted Fundraising

4. You Can Attend Hands-On Workshops to Boost Your Professional Development

You will have the opportunity to take part in workshops, brainstorm with like-minded peers, and participate in post-panel working sessions with speakers. Collaboration is in our name and we are thrilled to bring the industry experts to you. You’ll take part in interactive and hands-on sessions that equip you with tools you can implement immediately.

Here are just a few of the workshops you can take part in:

• Social Media Ad Strategies for Your Nonprofit
• Create a Standout Visual Campaign That Tells Your Story
• Collaborative In-Practice

5. Classy Customers Will  Experience the First Classy Academy User Conference

If you’re currently using the Classy giving platform, you’re invited to take part in a bonus day on Tuesday, June 14, for our first-ever Classy Academy User Conference.

Customers will take a deep dive into the Classy product with Classy Academy coaches, gain insights on fundraising best practices, and learn how to take advantage of all of Classy’s product features to exceed online fundraising goals.

Come with your top questions and goals, and you’ll walk away with an actionable plan to implement right away.

6. Build Meaningful Connections

The Collaborative was built on the belief that growth happens when we connect, support, and inspire each other. 

When you attend in person, you’ll be face-to-face with hundreds of nonprofit professionals, experts in the sector, and the Classy community once again. Plus, you’ll be invited to connect with fellow attendees and have a little fun at our Wednesday night Welcome Party and Closing Celebration on Thursday.

We’ve set the stage for idea exchanges and free-flowing conversations that will leave anyone feeling more inspired as they return home.

7. There’s a Discount for Bringing Your Team

In-person conferences are important settings for learning and professional development, so we want to make it possible for your whole team to attend. Teams of three or more will automatically receive $50 off tickets at checkout. 

All in-person ticket-holders will also have access to the virtual content following the event to share with team members who can’t travel to Philadelphia.

8. You Can Earn Continuing Education Points

The Collaborative is an approved Continuing Education Provider for the Certified Fund Raising Executive program. 

By participating in our in-person event, you’ll be eligible to earn points towards initial certification and/or recertification that shows your accountability, service, and commitment to making a difference for good.

9. You’ll Learn About Leading Services and Resources to Advance Your Mission

The Collaborative connects professionals to each other and to services that will benefit and increase their impact. You’ll learn more about resources you can leverage to help advance your mission and gain access to key partners who can help you troubleshoot your organization’s specific challenges. 

You will have the opportunity to ask questions in person about what resources may benefit your organization and what’s working well for others.

10. We Want to Meet (or Reunite!) With You

Our team at Classy is growing and there’s nothing like meeting face-to-face with you, the people who make an impact day in and out across the sector. 

We want to hear what you’re up to, the challenges you’re facing, and bond over personal connections we’re sure to make. We’ll be on the ground excited to chat over coffee, meals, and in the hallways between sessions.

So, Will You Be a Part of Collaborative 2022?

The future of the social sector is evolving quicker than ever. At the Collaborative, we come together to learn how to navigate the ever-changing landscape of the sector and have timely conversations that empower us to accelerate our impact.

While joining the event in person is the full experience, we also offer those who choose to attend from home the option to access content and valuable online sessions as part of our virtual attendance option. 

However you join, Collaborative 2022 will be one you won’t want to miss. See you there!

Join the conversation leading up to the event by following #wearecollaborative on Instagram and Twitter.

In this new role at Classy, Marc will lead sales and customer growth, focusing on a customer-first experience at every stage of their journey, and, ultimately, driving toward Classy’s mission to empower and mobilize the world for good.

Meet Marc Ferris

Leading for Impact

Marc’s experience spans technology, education, and social impact. He joins the Classy team from Salesforce, where he helped launch Salesforce.org. As the Senior Vice President of Growth at Salesforce.org, he led the Americas sales and distribution organizations, serving more than 55,000 organizations and delivering more than $1.8B in annual social value. 

Charitable giving also holds a personal connection for Marc, who is a father to two young sons and an active member of the youth sports community. He is passionate about youth development and educational support organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Make-a-Wish.

Q&A With Marc Ferris

We asked Marc a few questions to get to know him better and learn about his vision for Classy. 

What goals do you have as the Chief Growth Officer of Classy?

Marc: Classy has such a solid foundation to build upon. As I look into the future, I hope to build on that foundation in a few directions.

• Customer value and trust: Nothing is more important than the success of our nonprofit customers. Through the great work of each organization Classy supports, we amplify our positive impact as a company, which drives stable growth. 
• A great culture: Classy’s employee and community culture is already thriving in so many ways. I want us to be a place for every mission-driven, high-performing employee to do their lives’ most meaningful and impactful work. When we focus on the success of our nonprofit customers and align on shared values and priorities, there are no limits to where we can go. 
• Sector innovation: I want to leverage Classy’s products to unlock innovation in a rapidly growing space. I’ve seen first-hand the power and value of the Classy giving platform, enabling nonprofits to connect with supporters through online fundraising. Now that Classy is joining forces with GoFundMe, there are whole new possibilities for powerful and unique offerings to help nonprofits connect with more supporters through digital channels. 

What makes you passionate about supporting nonprofits?

Marc:  The work of the social sector has never been more needed than it is today.  Everywhere we look we see increasing division and distrust, widening inequality, persistent racial injustice, and escalating environmental and humanitarian crises.   

Although solutions require all individuals and institutions to lean in, most often, nonprofits are the boots on the ground, rolling up sleeves and doing the work to drive change and improve lives. Wherever we can help we should  – this work and these organizations deserve and need our support and partnership to drive real impact. 

How can technology support the social sector?

Marc:  In recent years, the pace of technological innovation has dramatically accelerated and affected every aspect of our lives. Businesses know that innovation is critical to connect, operate, collaborate, compete, grow and evolve.  Mission-driven organizations are no different; however, they are often constrained by resources. 

Technology can accelerate, enhance and amplify this critical work by helping to garner more awareness and resources, connect and scale operations and improve outcomes in whole new ways.  

I’ve seen nonprofits do incredible things when they have great technology to operate and innovate and how that mobilizes the world for good. That’s an exciting movement to be a part of and I’m all in!

The Road to Unlocking Generosity on Classy

As a giving platform that provides online fundraising solutions for nonprofits, Classy is committed to bringing tech-driven solutions to nonprofits. Marc Ferris as Chief Growth Officer will be invaluable to that continued growth, innovation, and the success of our customers.

To keep up with everything Classy has in store for 2022, as well as fundraising best practices, trends and tips, subscribe to the Classy blog.  

Today, GoFundMe closed its acquisition of Classy in an all-equity transaction. While it’s not unusual to see mergers and acquisitions in our sector, it is unusual to see two market leaders join forces to fundamentally change giving. Together, we plan to create the most definitive solution for giving to help reach more people and nonprofits across the world.

Over the past 10 years, Classy has grown to become the category leader in nonprofit fundraising. Our customers now raise 10 figures annually on the Classy platform from nearly 5 million donors, many of whom choose to support nonprofits through ongoing donations, creating a lasting impact for these causes. This past year, Classy also raised a $118 million Series D funding round, which we directed toward ambitious product investment, resulting in the acquisition of a hybrid events platform, and a total of 16 major product and feature releases — all with the focus on helping nonprofits raise more money.

Only a company as driven and committed to the nonprofit sector as GoFundMe could diverge Classy’s path. From our conversations with GoFundMe, we realized our impact for the social sector could be so much greater, together. As two strong businesses focused on vital, complementary parts of giving, the scale of our companies combined unlocks new opportunities for nonprofits to reach broader audiences and further relationships with current donors.

Together, we can not only amplify our investment in our product but also better unite individual donors with the organizations that support their most cherished causes. We envision a world where those driven to an individual GoFundMe campaign can then be connected to a nonprofit addressing the root cause driving the need.

To our customers, you can expect the same commitment to product innovation, customer support and partnership, and reliability that you’ve come to expect from us over the past decade. We will continue to lead our category while reshaping it alongside GoFundMe. Through our partnership, we plan to accelerate our existing velocity while continuing to push our industry forward. Classy was born out of the question, “Why does giving have to be so hard?” and that’s the same question we continue to answer today.

We look forward to partnering with you, alongside GoFundMe’s community of 100 million, to continue to transform giving in a way that drives funding to the world’s most important causes. Together, the future is bright.

Classy’s vision is to create an environment that unites the best interest of its community, financial partners, customers, and team members. One of the ways we do this is by creating a team experience where everyone is truly invested in their work. For Classy, our work means helping nonprofits become as successful as they can in raising money for their missions. To give team members a personal investment in our customers’ success, Classy recently announced that 100% of employees will be offered equity in the company. Spearheading this employee experience vision into 2022, is Ann Catrina-Kligman, Classy’s new Vice President of People.

What Providing Equity Means for Classy Employees & Customers

The ability for all employees to own equity gives everyone a stake in Classy’s growth. At the same time, it shows that Classy has a stake in each employee’s growth and reminds them why the work they do matters. We want everyone to feel ownership and pride for the work they accomplish at Classy.

Ultimately, employee ownership shows that Classy trusts, cares about, and invests in its people at the highest level. When our people are motivated to succeed, we are in the best position to serve our nonprofit customers through excellent service, new ideas, and insights that continue to keep our fundraising platform innovative. By making each employee feel aligned to company success, we create a community of 300 individuals ready to help any customer today and in the future achieve their goals with Classy.

Classy’s Investment in Employees

Classy has fostered a community of impact, which makes employee ownership in the company’s success that much more rewarding. Let’s look at a few of the ways Classy has invested in becoming an impactful community that employees want to be a part of.

• Classy became B Corp certified in December of 2020. This declared a passion and social responsibility to focus on all stakeholders, including employees.
• Classy reincorporated as a Public Benefit Corporation in April of 2021. This further emphasized its commitment to all stakeholders.
• CEO Chris Himes shared that Classy will offer equity to all employees in October of 2021. Now, all employees of any level have stock options. He shared, “As Classy thrives, it must pass on more benefits to the employees who are responsible for its success.”
• To continue to elevate its investment in its employees, Classy welcomed Ann Catrina-Kligman in November of 2021 to lead the employee experience as the VP of People.

Meet Ann, Leading Classy Into 2022 and Beyond

Ann brings a breadth of experiences innovating and reimagining work by building and delivering employee-centered experiences that make it easier to communicate and collaborate while fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging. Classy’s employee-owned model is a foundational element of her strategy.

Ann has a long history in the technology space as a former leader on the Human Resources teams at Zendesk and Salesforce. Her experience sets the stage for the next step in her journey to support Classy and its giving platform for nonprofits.

Get to know Ann. We asked her to answer some timely questions to better understand her vision for Classy and its culture.

Q: What have you learned about leading people through the pandemic?

A: Navigating unprecedented change in real-time taught me that having a growth mindset is no longer a nice-to-have. We’re all navigating changes that haven’t stopped. The most recent example that comes to mind is going into a long Thanksgiving weekend with hopes for safer gatherings with family and friends. We returned the following Monday to a new COVID-19 variant.

The minute we think we know something, the world will shift. The key to strong leadership in times like these is adapting to constant change. It’s all about flexibility and proper work-life integration. I believe in giving talented individuals the autonomy to choose what they do and how they do it in a way that results in value for all.

In the same vein, it’s undeniable that there’s an extreme focus on connection and wellbeing. You can argue they are at the core of each element I mentioned. Leaders need to focus on benefits beyond medical and dental to retain valuable employees. We need to ensure they feel seen and appreciated by their workplace.

In my prior roles and now at Classy, my goal is to create an environment where people can bring their whole selves to work. I want people to do the best work of their lives while staying connected to those close to them outside of the office. Ownership in the company is one of many ways this can come to light.

Q: What is your vision for the employees of Classy and our internal community of talent?

A: I’m most excited to deliver an employee experience that helps people feel a sense of belonging and focus that drives them to a fulfilled career. My plan is in no way going to be dependent or static on the state of the world because the one constant right now is change. I’m prepared to bring people together regardless of location or time zone.

There’s a lot I’m looking at to digitize the employee experience. Without our headquarters as a physical home base, we have the chance to build an experience irrespective of physical space.

We will continue to ensure that every employee feels a sense of belonging and connection to the company’s trajectory. We can organize a few meaningful moments during the year that fuel all day-to-day activities that happen online. I see these moments as dedicated time for planning, reflecting, and celebrating together.

I need to note that without a diverse and inclusive workplace, none of this is possible. I’m passionate about prioritizing this in the employee experience at Classy. Every employee can be true to their unique identity, and embrace shared perspectives and connections at the same time.

Q: How will employee ownership bring value to current and new employees?

A: Not only do we care about our employees at Classy, but we consider them stakeholders in our success. Not only are they doing work that matters, but they are beneficiaries of the impact made by our organization. That’s exactly what providing equity to 100% of employees means to us. Every employee is reminded of that when they see our success benefit their futures.

Leaders looking to implement an employee-owned model can better attract and retain diverse talent by demonstrating their impact. Organizations need to exemplify their values in every conversation, interaction, and business decision. Splashing values and an appealing mission statement through a website doesn’t cut it.

There must be authenticity in these promises to pull in amazing talent. Communicating what you stand for showcases how every employee plays a critical role. The sentiment must carry on beyond the first 30, 60, or 90 days on the job.

At Classy, we are successful when our customers are successful. That success is directly correlated to our employees’ growth. Our employee-owned model helps us celebrate that together beyond in-office perks. It includes true ownership, influence, and impact on the future of Classy.

Living Out a Connected Employee Experience

By investing in our people and offering every employee equity in the company, we believe we will help our customers become more successful. And, as a result, have even more impact on the communities we serve.

If you’d like to be part of the Classy community, take a look at our available career opportunities. Or, explore our Impact Report to learn more about how we realize our mission to mobilize and empower the world for good through an employee-first approach.

You can look forward to hearing more from Ann and our Classy people team here on the blog and over on LinkedIn.

Connected by the common goal to deliver a world-class supporter-centric fundraising platform for the social sector, Classy is proud to celebrate Soraya Alexander and Shantanu Bose in their new roles as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Engineering.

Meet Soraya Alexander, Classy’s New COO

Prior to being appointed COO, Soraya was Classy’s SVP of Marketing and Customer Growth. Over the past three years, she has played an integral role in the success of Classy’s 6,000 nonprofit customers across the country. Her focus has been on helping these customers realize their full potential for online fundraising, showing how a seamless donor experience and frictionless technology can not only help them reach their goals, but exceed them.

Soraya’s dedication to the growth of our nonprofit customers contributed to the activation of 46,000 campaigns on the Classy platform in 2020 and $1 billion raised from over 9.4 million donations—of which, nearly 4 million were recurring gifts.

In addition to her commitment to our customers’ success, Soraya’s creativity has pushed our marketing team to new heights. Here’s a small sample of assets that were created recently under Soraya’s leadership to support our customers’ fundraising efforts and fuel their missions:

• Classy’s Giving Tuesday Resource Center
• The Smart Guide to Strong Year-End Fundraising
• The Recurring Donor Sentiment Report
• The State of Modern Philanthropy 2021

Meet Shantanu Bose, Classy’s New SVP of Engineering

As SVP of Engineering, Shantanu’s strategic planning for growth will continue to largely impact the evolution of Classy’s giving platform. Over the past two years, his balance of technical evolution and innovative product enhancements has opened Classy’s eyes to new technologies, allowing our customers to unlock generosity in more meaningful ways and drive action toward impactful change in society.

Learn how Classy customers are using our product enhancements to better serve their beneficiaries from our 50 Best in Classy organizations, and take our free assessment to uncover new opportunities for your nonprofit based on benchmarks set by over 4,800 organizations.

We Asked, They Answered

Q: Tell us about your journey with Classy over the past few years and how it led you to this new role on the executive leadership team.

A: I spent time navigating back and forth between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors before coming to Classy, always with a focus on customer engagement and technology. Joining this team a little over three years ago felt like finding home.

My role evolved from leading product marketing, to taking on responsibility for our larger marketing team, and then expanding to include a focus on customer growth. Those opportunities allowed me to help our Classy customers realize their full potential for online fundraising, and drew me closer to our mission to mobilize and empower the world for good.

My goal was then, and still is, to help ensure nonprofits have access to best-in-class technology that allows them to raise more funds and drive greater positive change. My new role as COO will allow me to continue working with our own team and our broader customer base to ensure we are creating an exceptional experience for our customers, and supporting them as they accelerate their impact and future-proof their fundraising.

A: I started at Classy scaling the platform for enterprise customers by introducing exciting new capabilities, such as ClassyPay. Over the past two years, our focus has been to transform the giving experience by doubling down on security, scalability, and an accelerated migration to a mature microservices distributed architecture.

Navigating these product enhancements and ongoing technical evolution allowed me to better understand our nonprofit customers and deliver on their wants and needs. In this new role as SVP of Engineering, I will continue to address these opportunities from a strategic level so we can better support their goals.

Q: What motivated you to step into this role and what do you hope to achieve? 

A: My position, like every position at Classy, is designed to serve as a resource and advocate for our customers. The Classy team considers ourselves to be a natural extension of the nonprofit organizations we support, and that mindset guides all of our internal discussions, debates, and decisions.

Our job each day is to build great technology that helps our nonprofit customers unlock the generosity of their supporters in intuitive, engaging ways, and to help these customers leverage our technology to advance their incredible missions.

A: Over the past couple of years, I’ve been so inspired by the team I get to work with every day at Classy. After getting to know both the broader engineering team and the rest of the executive leadership, I truly felt like Classy was the perfect opportunity for me to do the best work of my career.

With a balanced focus on infrastructure and platform evolution, I want to bring the best online fundraising experience to our customers. Our core focus is to help grow donation volume, which aligns directly with our customers’ incentives—the more successful our customers are, the more successful we’ll be.

Our sophisticated software helps nonprofits raise more by maximizing conversion rates and retention rates, without placing huge technological demands on our customer teams. We are technologists who bring that value to our customers. I want to continue serving our Classy community in this way by staying ahead of the latest innovations in conversion and payments and evolving our product to anticipate and deliver on the needs of the sector for years to come.

Q: What’s your personal connection to the nonprofit sector?

A: I’ve spent a good part of my career in the social sector and currently sit on the Board of Directors of a San Diego nonprofit that provides surf therapy and mentorship for foster and adoptive youth who have suffered complex trauma.

This sector at large is tackling the world’s most intractable problems and fighting for resources and attention to make headway. I’ve experienced it firsthand. It’s why I’m so passionate about the work we do at Classy. Every decision is made with our customer and the greater good in mind. We aren’t always perfect, but we are intentional and consistently striving to be better.

A: I’ve had the pleasure of being closely involved with many nonprofits over the years, including opportunities like mentoring high school students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and serving on the board of Hire Our Heroes, an organization aiming to expand job opportunities for veterans.

Seeing the impact of their work firsthand was very inspiring and opened my eyes to the value of Classy’s technology. Building intuitive, innovative products to help our customers move the needle on their missions is critical to their success. That motivation remains top of mind for me day in and day out.

Q: What’s ahead for Classy that excites you the most?

A: Classy is growing quickly, and much of our growth is coming from our huge investments in our product and engineering organizations, which means the velocity of innovation we can deliver for the sector is increasing.

We are spending a lot of time thinking about what great giving experiences look like as the world keeps changing—everything from really elegant donation pages that maximize donor conversion and retention rates, to cryptocurrency and NFT giving, to amazing hybrid events, to workplace giving.

Not everything will make it to our product roadmap, but staying curious and creative on the full breadth of possibilities allows us to be really thoughtful and holistic with what we are building.

A: It’s so exciting to see how rapidly our industry is changing and I think this is just the beginning. We saw so many innovations during the pandemic in the way nonprofits were able to raise money, and it was incredible to see their success.

At Classy, we want our technology to meet the evolving needs of our customers by almost disappearing into the background. The focus should really be on the nonprofit and the work they’re doing—donating should feel seamless.

Q: How does Classy being a Certified B Corporation impact your approach to leadership?

A: Classy operates as both a Certified B Corporation and a Public Benefit Corporation, because we believe in the power and obligation to consider the impact to all stakeholders when conducting business. 

We consider four primary stakeholders when making all meaningful decisions: our customers, our employees, our community, and our financial shareholders. This compels us to think holistically about the impact of our business practices and leads us to make decisions that keep us on a path to good. 

The great thing about how we structure our operations is that our customers are at the forefront of everything we do. We primarily look at the impact our customers are able to have by using our products. For our customers to succeed, we have to ensure our staff is empowered and supported, as they are the frontline champions of our customers. We look at the engagement we have with our communities through things like dedicated volunteer time for staff. Finally, we have structured our revenue model to only allow us to succeed when our customers succeed in their fundraising efforts, so our interests are completely aligned to our customers’ success. This approach helps clarify and focus all big decisions, and allows us to be part of the good we seek to advance in the world. 

Q: How has Classy’s Product and Engineering team evolved and where do you see it going?

A: At Classy, we build incredible technology to help supporters give to causes they care about. This intersection of technology and impact allows us to attract world-class technologists who are passionate about using their skillset to mobilize and empower the world for good.

We have made huge investments in our Product and Engineering team. They currently make up one-third of our full-time staff. Each with the goal to thoughtfully expand our platform and sustainably scale our codebase to help strengthen the work of our customers.

And this investment doesn’t stop here. As our customers continue to grow, Classy will continue to prioritize being a product-led organization that meets the needs of nonprofits—not just today, but in the future—so they can continue to solve our world’s most complex challenges day in and day out.

Looking Ahead

Classy has been serving the sector for over ten years, and we have a long and exciting path ahead.

If you’re interested in joining our interdisciplinary team that offers the best fundraising technology available, please view and consider our open roles.

About the Classy Awards

Since 2009, the Classy Awards have brought together social sector leaders and influencers to recognize the achievements of thousands of nonprofits and social enterprises across the globe. Now in its 8th year, the Classy Awards is one of the largest social impact awards in the country, celebrating the world-changing work of the social sector.

A Look Into the Selection Process

In June, our Classy Awards Committee selected the Top 50 Finalists from a pool of 1,400 nonprofits and social enterprise programs. These organizations are making an impact across all cause sectors, including food insecurity, domestic abuse, wage and opportunity gaps, mass incarceration, animal testing, and more.

The Finalists were scored on four judging criteria:

• Scale, scope, and expertise in addressing the problem
• Ability to solve the problem
• Creativity of the solution
• Organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and resource management

The Leadership Council, a prestigious group of social sector leaders with representatives from organizations such as Feeding America, Jane Goodall Institute USA, Microsoft, Salesforce.org, City of Hope, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, then evaluated these 50 Finalists using the same judging criteria to determine the 10 Winners of the Social Innovation award.

The Adapt & Overcome award, voted on by the Classy Awards Committee, celebrates an organization that overcame immense challenges in the wake of COVID-19, and the People’s Choice award, determined by public vote, highlights the innovation of a nonprofit or social enterprise making incredible contributions to our society.

Meet the 2021 Classy Award Winners

Adapt & Overcome

The Greater Boston Food Bank

Program: COVID-19 Response

Unemployment triggered by the global pandemic caused food insecurity in Massachusetts to increase 47% in a single year—the highest in the nation. To meet the needs of more than 600,000 people per month in 2020, Greater Boston Food Bank convened a COVID-19 Response Team to strategize and implement a crisis plan.

Despite losing 500 weekly volunteers due to the pandemic, innovation in partnerships, delivery, sourcing, and technology allowed Greater Boston Food Bank to successfully distribute nearly 2.5 million pounds of food per week, doubling their typical output.

People’s Choice

Benevolent Healthcare Organization d/b/a Project C.U.R.E.

Program: Project C.U.R.E.

Every year, more than 14 million of the world’s poorest people die prematurely. Project C.U.R.E. helps bridge this staggering health resource gap by fostering a network of global partners to provide life-saving medical supplies where they are needed most.

They collaborate with community partners in under-developed countries to understand their needs, conduct on-site assessments to ensure all medical supplies delivered abroad meet the specific demands of the receiving hospital or clinic, and equip the medical staff with life-saving tools to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Project C.U.R.E. has delivered nearly $1 billion worth of medical equipment and supplies to communities in need, which is more than any other organization.

Social Innovation

Blood:Water

Program: Partnerships for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Solutions to Sustainably Save and Change Lives

Blood:Water’s goal is to improve WASH—water, sanitation, and hygiene—in Africa. By partnering with African-led grassroots organizations, they empower communities to take ownership of their future and ensure that these health practices are sustainable for generations to come.

In 2020, Blood:Water supplied over 10,000 sanitation, hygiene, and handwashing stations, reducing threats from water-borne illnesses and COVID-19. They also created local water points, organized WASH committees, and educated over 700,000 individuals on proper hygiene practices.

Brookview House. Inc.

Program: Brookview House

Brookview House views housing as a platform for supportive programs and services. Each year, they provide 570 mothers and children experiencing homelessness with a safe place to live and onsite support programs designed to improve educational achievement, health and well-being, and economic independence.

They were one of the first programs in the country to recognize the holistic, two-generational approach needed to help families permanently lift themselves out of poverty and homelessness. Of mothers who have lived at Brookview, 92% maintain permanent housing after leaving, and 88% of the children who participate in Brookview’s Youth Development Program become high school graduates.

Fair Labor Association

Program: Living Wages for All

The Fair Labor Association believes that every worker has the right to earn a living wage. They developed the Wage Data Collection Toolkit and Fair Compensation Dashboard, which allows apparel companies to calculate what workers are earning, show the gap between actual and living wages, and measure progress over time.

The Fair Labor Association’s membership now includes over 50 of some of the largest fashion brands in the world. Twenty six members have developed actionable blueprints to improve their wages and working conditions, ultimately motivating other businesses to do the same.

Food Forward

Program: Food Forward

Food Forward collects fresh fruits and vegetables from backyard fruit trees, public orchards, and farmers markets that would otherwise go to waste and donates them to hundreds of hunger relief organizations.

These donations are then redistributed to vulnerable communities, reducing the stress caused by food insecurity, freeing up finances for other basic needs, and reducing the accumulation of landfill waste contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Food Forward has rescued over 175 million pounds of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables, and in 2020, they grew agency partnerships by 43%, adding 160 new partners.

Green Bronx Machine

Program: Green Bronx Machine

Green Bronx Machine is an urban agriculture education program that teaches students how to grow, prepare, and cook fresh fruits and vegetables inside their own classroom.

Using a state-of-the-art mobile classroom kitchen and a year-round indoor teaching farm, they learn about science, math, and the teamwork involved in agricultural production, plus the benefits of making healthy food choices.

In 2020, Green Bronx Machine produced 5,000 pounds of produce and their students have a 91% passing rate of New York State Science Exams, including ELL and special needs students.

Hope for Haiti

Program: Hope for Haiti’s Healthcare Program: Leve Santé

Hope for Haiti believes that all people deserve access to quality healthcare. In 2020 alone, they provided healthcare to over 21,000 people and distributed $20 million worth of medication, supplies, and PPE to the most vulnerable Haitians.

They operate mobile medical and dental clinics, monitor emerging healthcare crises like COVID-19, and educate the community on making healthy choices and habits that improve their quality of life. For over 32 years, Hope for Haiti has collaborated with hundreds of partners to become a leading healthcare provider in southern Haiti, closing the gap in accessibility for everyone.

In total, they have impacted the lives of 475,000 Haitians through the distribution of over $150 million worth of medication, supplies, and equipment.

mothers2mothers

Program: mothers2mothers

mothers2mothers (m2m) is an African nonprofit that unlocks the power of women to ensure healthy, thriving families and an end to pediatric AIDS. m2m employs and trains women living with HIV as frontline health workers to deliver health services, education, and support to women and families in their communities.

Since its founding 20 years ago, m2m has created meaningful jobs for more than 11,000 women, and reached more than 13.5 million people with critical health services and education across a dozen African nations.

In 2020, m2m achieved virtual elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV among its enrolled clients for seven consecutive years, contributing to the global goal of ending HIV. On September 28, m2m launched She’s Got The Power in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

ShelterBox

Program: ShelterBox COVID-19 Humanitarian Response

ShelterBox provides emergency housing to families who have lost their homes, empowering them to rebuild their lives. In 2020, ShelterBox helped 175,000 people in 13 countries around the globe.

They cleverly adapted their processes to meet specific COVID-19 shelter needs, which not only prevented the spread of COVID-19 but also provided safety, security, privacy, and dignity to families. Of those served in the Philippines, Paraguay, and Syria, 99% said that the items they received from ShelterBox allowed them to adhere more closely to social distancing measures and hygiene practices.

The Trevor Project

Program: The Trevor Project (Trevor)

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. They save lives through peer support, research, education, public awareness, and advocacy.

The Trevor Project’s programs exist on platforms where young people feel most comfortable. Those platforms include a 24/7 phone lifeline, chat, text, and TrevorSpace, the world’s largest safe-space social networking site for LGBTQ youth.

In 2020, more than 150,000 crisis contacts were made and 95% of young people who reached out experienced de-escalation from suicidal thoughts.

Treehouse

Program: Graduation Success

Treehouse empowers at-risk foster youth by providing education planning, mentoring, coaching, and a range of other services. Their Graduation Success program tailors each of its services to an individual’s needs by partnering with the existing support system in that child’s life.

As a result, students in foster care experience success in the classroom and have access to the resources they need to graduate from high school with a plan for their future. Since Treehouse’s inception, graduation rates among foster care youths in Washington have risen above 50% in 2020.

Celebrating the Impact of our Winners

Congratulations to our 2021 Classy Award Winners who join a prestigious group of nonprofits and social enterprises that are embracing new ideas and illustrating the potential to drive change in our society.

This was a very competitive pool of organizations, all of whom are worthy of recognition for the lives they are changing and the positive impact they are making around the world. We are honored that you shared your story with us and hope you’ll be back in 2022.

That’s because nonprofits have risen to the occasion amongst a global pandemic, humanitarian injustices, environmental disasters, and economic distress.

For many of us, the first question we ask when we hear about someone or something in trouble is, how can I help? The answer is often donating to nonprofits who are responding to the crisis at hand. When we feel helpless, nonprofits make us feel like we can make a difference. 

Classy’s mission is to mobilize and empower the world for good. We promise to connect people with the causes they care about through engaging and intuitive giving experiences and to help nonprofits be more relevant to supporters over time by providing technology and insights.

As nonprofits step up, we must too. 

To us, the answer is not only building world-class fundraising technology that allows nonprofits to raise more but also holding ourselves accountable for doing good in the world. As a Certified B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation, Classy considers the virtuous relationship between the customers who use our technology, the employees who help build and service it, the community and environment in which we exist, and the financial partners who make it all possible.  

The Stakeholder Model

The premise of the stakeholder model is to equally balance the needs of each stakeholder and never at the expense of another. It complements the Public Benefit Corporation status in that voting board members must consider the impact any decisions made would have on all stakeholders. 

As you’ll see in the report, Classy’s stakeholder model was challenged this past year. As the world shifted, priorities were pulled in every direction. 

We wanted to meet our employees’ health and wellness needs in a remote environment for our staff. For our customers, we wanted to build reliable technology for nonprofits on the frontlines of COVID-19, for social justice organizations responding to the Black Lives Matter movement, and to provide extra strategic fundraising support to the nonprofits who had important missions but weren’t in the news.  

About the Report

The Impact Report is organized by Classy stakeholders. The data dives into our measured impact of the last three-quarters of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021. The Impact Report methodology is proprietary to Classy. Still, it is inspired by the B Corp Assessment, the industry-leading certification for businesses committed to a better world. 

Since this year also marks Classy’s 10-year anniversary as a software company, we recognize this milestone throughout the report by telling the stories and celebrating the work of our incredible nonprofit customers who stood beside us throughout the years. 

Some standout statistics from our Impact Report include: 

• Nonprofits using Classy’s platform saw an average checkout conversion rate of 23%
• 68.8% of Classy customers grew their recurring donation volume in the past year
• Overall, Classy customers experienced a 314% increase in recurring giving subscriptions initiated
• 73% of Classy’s staff have been granted stock, stock options, or stock equivalents
• 55% of Classy staff connect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts to their intent to continue working at Classy

Thank you for participating in our first Impact Report and supporting our community. We believe in the power of transparency and partnership, and invite you to ask questions, challenge us, and converse with us in our collective drive to build a better world.

The Best in Classy recognizes fundraising excellence within the Classy nonprofit community. We’re thrilled to showcase 50 organizations that took the flexibility and supporter-centric nature of our fundraising platform to launch campaigns that activated their donors when and how they needed.

Our interactive, easy-to-navigate Best in Classy site invites you to see exactly which organizations and particular campaigns lead the way in checkout page conversion, donor retention, annual donation volume growth, donor experience, and robust campaign portfolios.

So dive in! Explore tangible campaign examples and the results they’ve produced, and discover streamlined channels to network with our top 50 organizations further. Filter your search by cause sector, employee count, or location to discover nonprofits you can learn from to sharpen your skills and elevate your fundraising strategy.

Join us in Celebrating the Best in Classy Fundraisers

Get to know the fundraisers who doubled down on their strategies to engage, convert, and retain support, and have since continued inspiring others with their innovative ideas.

The Best in Classy celebrates leaders in the following five categories:

Most Streamlined Donation Process

These organizations offer streamlined giving processes that allow more donors to access, navigate, and donate to their campaigns. As a result, they have the highest checkout conversion rates, defined as the percent of visitors who land on a donation page or initiate the event checkout process and complete a donation or ticket purchase.

Meet Our Leading Organization:

University of Nebraska Foundation leads the group with a 69% donation page checkout conversion rate. Their use of visual storytelling, a clear goal, and an easy path to take action unites their community around their compelling campaigns on Classy.

Most Loyal Supporters

These organizations have the most loyal donors, bringing in a dedicated supporter base that makes their mission possible through frequent interactions, recurring donations, and one-time gifts. They see the highest donor retention rates on the Classy platform, measured by dividing the sum of recurring and repeat donors by their total number of donors.

Meet Our Leading Organization:

We celebrate Tunnel to Towers as our top organization in this category, achieving an 88% donor retention rate. Their inspiring peer-to-peer campaigns built on Classy ignite donor passion and empower their supporters to repeatedly give in meaningful ways.

Most Options to Give

These organizations offer supporters the most ways to give, getting strategic about differentiated campaigns held each year to support their mission. Campaigns include everything from peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding, to virtual events and recurring giving programs. By diversifying their revenue streams, these organizations can fuel their fundraising goals on Classy to sustain their impact.

Meet Our Leading Organization:

We celebrate Baptist Health Foundation Jacksonville as our top organization in this category, offering their donors and supporters various ways to get involved through Peer-to-peer fundraising, online ticketed events, crowdfunding campaigns, and a straightforward donate button on their website through the Classy platform.

Highest Annual Growth

These organizations have seen the highest annual donation growth on the Classy platform between 2019 and 2020, thanks to the incredible response from their donors and optimization of Classy’s tools.

Meet Our Leading Organization:

We have Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support leading the way in this category. They’ve seen the largest leap in annual donation volume with thoughtful giving experiences that connect their cause with more donors and steward them to continue their impact as loyal supporters.

Best Donor Experience

These organizations have the best donor experience, fueled by their dedication to provide supporters with the simplest and most fulfilling path to give. The Classy data team created a proprietary formula that assesses campaigns using factors we know lead to a positive donor experience, used alongside the insight of our internal experts to select those leading the way.

Meet Our Leading Organization:

Operation Broken Silence’s The Heart of Nuba campaign is an incredible example of the Classy giving experience, earning themselves a spot at the top of our list. When asked how they’ve created such a seamless donor experience, their team shared that “Classy’s customizable campaigns and donation pages are a beautiful backdrop for the Sudanese stories we share, which in turn propels donors to do more.”

Will You Join the Next Generation of Best in Classy?

Our dedicated Best in Classy site shows how each featured organization paired its unique cause and mission with Classy’s fundraising tools to deliver an experience that attracts, nurtures, and retains loyal donors.

If you’re not using Classy to run your fundraising website or campaigns today, the 50 campaign examples on our site can show you what it looks like in action for an organization like yours.

If you’re a member of the Classy community, learn more about how to boost your fundraising ROI in the coming year with our tailored lessons on Classy Academy and our latest research in Classy’s 2021 State of Modern Philanthropy Report.

Eric joins the Classy team from Medallia, a Saas-based customer experience management platform. He brings over 20 years of technology experience,13 years of which were with SaaS products across various verticals, from finance and retail to hospitality.

His deep focus on customer experience will mesh seamlessly with Classy’s commitment to a customer-first mentality. He will lead our new product development, keeping the nonprofit top-of-mind. This will ensure that Classy continuously delivers cutting-edge technology that meets our customers’ needs to drive more funding and, ultimately, more impact.

Meet Eric Pannese

Nonprofit Started, Nonprofit Focused, Always

Driving action for the greater good is not just the outcome of our products but the core of who we are at Classy.

Like much of our staff, Eric is no stranger to the social sector. He served on the board of Meals on Wheels San Diego County and Rancho Penasquitos Little League, giving him a proper understanding of what fundraising professionals need to succeed.

The Future of Classy’s Giving Experience Platform

Our mission is impossible without a substantial investment in technology. From experience on the front end of our platform to our powerful integrations, Eric will lead our product management and design teams to expand our offerings to the nonprofit sector thoughtfully.

Get a Sneak Peek of What’s Ahead:

Expanded Payment Options

Venmo and Paypal will be integrated with Classy Pay this fall, making Classy one of the first platforms for offering both payment options.

Embedded Checkout

Nonprofits will now have the option to embed a checkout form directly on their website, streamlining a supporter’s checkout journey while donating online and increasing conversion.

Recurring Giving

We will continue to invest in innovation in recurring giving so donors can engender long-term loyalty and ongoing support for causes they care about. This includes launching new recurring frequencies that include bi-weekly, weekly, and daily recurring frequency options in addition to the existing annual, semi-annual, quarterly, and monthly recurring frequency options.

Large-Scale Events

For nonprofits whose revenue relies heavily on events, Classy is investing in a more robust virtual events platform, including hybrid event capabilities. This will also include the launch of Campaign Templating, which allows an organization to create a foundation for all associated campaigns so you don’t have to start from scratch. This is especially helpful for nonprofits whose chapters run affiliate events, virtually, in-person, or both, across the country. Other enterprise events features will include tools for managing transaction and participant engagement on the day of an event, communication tools, and other features that enhance the supporter experience.

Keep Up With the Data and Trends Informing Fundraising Today

Alongside our technology innovation, we’re on the pulse of fundraising data that will shape giving experiences that move the needle for our current and future nonprofit customers.

• Download Classy’s 2021 State of Modern Philanthropy Report based on benchmarks from 4,800 nonprofit organizations.
• From there, see what’s on the minds of today’s recurring donors in our 2021 Recurring Donor Sentiment Report.
• Measure your current fundraising metrics against our data and get guided results in our Fundraising Benchmark Assessment.

Unlocking Generosity Through Classy

From our B Corp and Series D Funding announcements to welcoming a new Chief Executive Officer and influential board members this year, we’re continuously doubling down on our commitment to our product. If you’re interested in joining our interdisciplinary team of technologists to build the best fundraising technology available, please view and share our open roles here.

If personal wellness was not at the forefront of everyone’s minds before, the year 2020 made it an unavoidable priority. In parallel, businesses that were fortunate enough to be able to retain their employees were given a challenging opportunity to reimagine what employee wellness and support can look like, throughout the pandemic and beyond.

At Classy, we welcomed this opportunity. While going through a global pandemic we also undertook the journey of becoming a B Corp. This meant that even as a for-profit business, we are committed to adhering to ways of doing business that benefit more than just our shareholders. This includes employees as stakeholders. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment. Our journey and work toward becoming B Corp Certified solidified Classy’s accountability to put our people first.

As we looked to support the wellness of our team, we first looked at what wellness really meant. In the U.S., it’s not uncommon to have grown up with a reactive, one-dimensional approach to our health and wellbeing. Fortunately, over the past decade, more proactive, holistic practices have woven their way into how we approach health, revealing how it is multidimensional (consisting of seven dimensions, actually). The dimensions consist of: physical, emotional, environmental, occupational, intellectual, and spiritual. Classy’s approach to employee wellness is thorough and well-rounded, tackling each one of these facets.

Here is a glimpse into how Classy has been working to ensure our individual wellbeing so that we can bring our full selves to work while finding balance in our daily lives.

Physical Health and Benefits (Targeted Dimensions: Physical, Emotional)

Without satisfying our basic physiological needs it’s nearly impossible to focus on the other stages of taking care of ourselves. Classy provides all employees with medical, dental, and vision benefits, including two generous employer-covered plans. As of today, about 80% of employees are enrolled in our benefits—a stat we are proud of.

Wellness Apps

In light of the pandemic and shift to remote work, we also made four wellness apps accessible (and free) to all employees:

• Headspace: Rest and mindfulness are integral to our physical wellbeing. Headspace offers guided meditations and content that promotes staying present and managing stress. For those who are newer to meditation, Headspace takes away the abstract intimidation that can come from a new practice.
• Ginger: On-demand mental healthcare. Finding a therapist can be a taxing search. Free access to Ginger allows employees easy access to therapists and psychiatrists through text and video conversation.
• Physera: Physera provides virtual physical therapy, helping treat and prevent physical pain.
• Aaptiv: Virtual workouts have taken off this past year and Aaptiv has a massive library of virtual workout classes to keep fitness interesting.

Our physical and mental wellbeing is also tied to having the space to unwind, unplug, and recharge. Burnout and stress can do serious harm to our health if we don’t find ways to mitigate it. Finding balance is key and we work to provide that flexibility at Classy.

No-Meeting Wednesday Mornings

There’s no denying that back-to-back video meetings can be exhausting. At Classy, we’ve blocked the company-wide calendar on Wednesday mornings to encourage a break from Zoom calls.

Parental Leave

Classy encourages 12 weeks of paid parental leave and to ease the transition back to the workplace. We also encourage returning parents to take Fridays off.

Flexibility and Unlimited Vacation Time

In general, we foster a culture of flexible working hours to accommodate our lifestyles. If you need to drop off your kids at school in the morning, block off that time and do it.

We hire people and trust them to use their best judgment when it comes to taking vacation time. Proactively taking time for rest and recovery helps alleviate stress and the probability of burnout.

Psychological Safety and Community (Targeted Dimensions: Emotional, Spiritual, Social)

Classy believes that when you bring your whole self to work, you are more productive, engaged, and satisfied. We embrace this idea and strive to create a psychologically safe environment for all employees.

This year, a sense of community and belonging kept many of us afloat. We spend so much of our daily lives at work, and there is a huge opportunity to support one another through shared experiences.

Community and Support

As soon as we began working from home and the uncertainties around our wellbeing increased, we developed a virtual support group safe space for employees that encouraged unedited, organic (moderated) conversation. Every Thursday, everyone is invited to join this optional meeting and share thoughts on real-life topics like “Gratitude,” “Vulnerability,” and “Mental Health.”

We’ve adjusted the cadence of this event, but we plan to continue the meeting as we’ve seen the way it’s kept people feeling connected to one another and less alone.

Wellness Month

The People Team kicked off 2021 with a company-wide virtual Wellness Challenge. We created personal scorecards to help folks become more conscious of the little things they can do every day to promote healthy habits in their daily lives. The scorecard included anything from “eating vegetables” to “giving a hug,” “crying” or “reviewing finances.” Challenging your wellness is multi-faceted and this was a great way to illustrate that there are so many ways to care for ourselves.

Employee Resource Groups

Over the past years, Classy has also been encouraging employee-led “communities” and “groups.” Communities are sanctioned, Classy-sponsored employee resource groups that bring people together based on their identities, passions, and interests. Some include Project Green (sustainability and environmental), Am-Asian (Asian-American), Pride (LGBTQ+), and Classy as a Mother (mothers). Groups are more casual associations based on interests like outdoors, surfing, or fantasy football. These are spaces that spark conversation, action, and connection outside of our professional identities.

Personal Growth (Targeted Dimensions: Intellectual, Occupational)

It’s important that all Classy employees feel supported, challenged, and seen.

Ensuring that your employees have access to resources that will help them elevate their careers and continue learning is paramount in keeping people feeling fulfilled in the work that they do.

This begins with management that focuses on developing their people, pushing them to think about their career aspirations and the steps to get there.

Actual resources matter too.

Career Paths

Starting week 1, new hires are given a training called “Mobilize and Empower Your Career” which is centered around learning about our career paths, core competencies, compensation, and check-ins at Classy. Classy gives all employees access to clear documentation and training on career paths for each department and worksheets that help guide folks in their own individual development plans.

Monetary Development Stipend

Classy provides $200/year for each employee to use toward anything that would help them develop their careers (training, classes, books, conferences, etc.) Employees that leverage their full balance are given incremental funds each year to encourage the continued use of this resource.

Monthly Professional and Personal Development Sessions

We consistently host speakers that engage on topics like finances, productivity, and career development. For example, we invited Nancy Pruor of Leveraged Productivity Solutions to host a session about Achieving Effective and Satisfying Work From Home. Nancy helped us work through thinking about our own personal work styles and needs and carrying that self awareness into how we plan for success while working remotely.

ToastMasters

We have an employee-led ToastMasters chapter where folks can polish their public speaking skills.

Sabbatical

Classy offers tenured employees a six-week sabbatical. Classy covers a portion of travel and accommodations expenses, and requires that employees spend one work week of their sabbatical volunteering with a nonprofit of their choice. This can often be a great way to find time to reflect, explore, and reset with a fresh perspective.

Giving Back (Targeted Dimensions: Environmental, Social, Spiritual)

This year spurred more than just a heightened awareness of the fragility of our physical health. It revealed social injustices, systemically rooted issues, and environmental turmoil.

Classy’s mission to mobilize and empower the world for good and giving back is inherent to our work. Becoming a B Corp solidified that commitment. Finding meaning through work can seem natural working for a nonprofit organization, but finding opportunities for employees to engage directly with the community can help us feel the tangibility of our impact.

Impact Hours

Employees are encouraged to take 20 hours of paid time off to volunteer and give back to the community. At Classy, we call these “Impact Hours” and we define this as meaningful time spent between employees and nonprofits. We have a #volunteering slack channel where folks share about opportunities with nonprofits and organize volunteers.Nes hires are encouraged to use some of these hours within their first month as a team building opportunity.

Volunteer Week

Every year we host a Volunteer Week in which employees can either volunteer with a nonprofit of their choice or join an Idea Jam with a nonprofit partner of ours. Each Idea Jam group works all day to provide a solution to an important business challenge the nonprofit is experiencing.

Calculating Our Carbon Footprint

Led by Project Green, Classy employees are encouraged to measure their individual carbon footprint and contribute to the company-wide initiative or reducing our corporate footprint. This is part of our larger corporate sustainability strategy and work.

Balance and boundaries can be difficult to achieve and maintain when the lines between passion and work blur. When we love what we do and believe in our mission, finding this balance can become more challenging. Take it from me, as I work on finishing this blog post late at night.

There are countless ways to take care of your people in the workplace so they can thrive.

We hope this is a helpful view into Classy’s take on wellness at work. Creating a space that fosters a culture of wellness is an ongoing journey and we continually seek out feedback from our employees to ensure we’re keeping their needs in mind.

It’s no easy feat to address all levels and facets of employee wellbeing, but investing in our people is a non-negotiable. People are at the heart of what keeps our business going.

Since its inception, Classy has enabled organizations to raise billions of donations toward their missions. With Classy Academy, our focus is to use our years of experience and industry expertise to enable a culture of continuous learning for the organizations we serve. You can easily follow along with video lessons to learn how to optimize your campaigns and receive practical resources for day-to-day tasks, like creating compelling email templates to boost your conversion.  

Classy Academy is open to everyone, and it’s totally free. While the step-by-step instructions on using Classy will be most useful if you have a Classy account, we encourage anyone to leverage our courses on fundraising best practices. There’s no limit on the number of courses you can take, so dive in today to discover new ways to raise money, engage your community, and advance your mission.

Everything You Need to Know About Classy Academy

Q: How will my organization benefit from Classy Academy?

A: Classy Academy can help your organization accelerate fundraising, resulting in greater reach, increased revenue, and loyal donors. Our objective is to set you up for success by offering easy-to-follow courses on a variety of subjects within the social sector. We hope to provide innovative and effective solutions to the problems your organization is facing, and help connect you with other changemakers who can offer support. 

Q: What makes Classy Academy different?

A: Despite what you might infer from the name, Classy Academy doesn’t just focus on Classy. Unlike other online universities, Classy Academy also focuses on nonprofit best practices for anyone to optimize and improve their fundraising strategy and know-how.

Whether you’re a Classy customer looking to elevate your recurring giving campaign or an organization hoping to optimize your donation page, there is a course for you. And as we create more content in response to your suggestions, this list will only continue to grow. 

Q: What courses are available now?

A: Classy Academy currently offers eight courses, with many more underway. We anticipate that the platform will remain mostly online as a premier digital learning tool as it continues to develop, but future Classy Academy or Classy community events is a goal we’re marching toward.

The following courses are available now on Classy Academy:

Onboarding Series

• Account Tour and Setup
• Build a Campaign
• Launch a Campaign

Classy Essentials Series

• Supporter Management
• Data and Reporting

Nonprofit Best Practices 

• Recurring Essentials
• Optimizing Donation Pages

Partner Course With NextAfter

• 4 Steps to Acquire New Donors

And to help keep your finger on the pulse, the Coming Soon section will show you which courses are in active development. 

Q: How can I access these courses?

A: You can access Classy Academy through academy.classy.org. When you arrive, you can easily sign up and access our course tiles. Each course tile consists of lessons in varying formats including videos, interactive graphics, and more. 

You’ll find a search bar at the top right-hand corner of the site where you can search for the topic you’re interested in. If you ever want to revisit a lesson you’ve already taken, you can also visit your student profile in the top right-hand corner to view your course history. 

The Future of Classy Academy

While we’re thrilled to launch Classy Academy with these current courses and learning paths, we’re already thinking of ways to expand and enrich our program with more content. Take and share our courses, and then apply the skills you’ve learned. Tell us your results or what resources you need to continue growing. The more we know about what you want to learn, the faster we can research and create that content for you.

Check out Classy Academy today to get started.

The 2021 Collaborative: Virtual Sessions was a nonprofit event we’ll never forget.

While our attendees weren’t able to physically see one another, they were in the company of thousands from all around the world. The unique and diverse perspectives of each individual attendee and expert speaker are what ultimately shaped this year’s event.

Now, we’re all returning to our organizations with fresh mindsets, actionable takeaways, and meaningful connections.

Collectively, we’ll all play our role in influencing a better world for the future. Here are some highlights of how the nonprofit sector and those who support it came together for a four-day virtual nonprofit event experience.

Nonprofit Event Highlights From the 2021 Collaborative: Virtual Sessions

A wide array of nonprofit leaders and fundraising professionals came together, along with attendees who brought fresh expertise from outside the sector. We welcomed back organizations who’ve been attending the Collaborative for years and were introduced to many new attendees for the first time.

Our Virtual Attendee Hub gave attendees the opportunity to build their schedules and networking breakouts easily. Each networking session brought unique perspectives and a diverse array of experiences to the table for great discussion.

Each attendee chose their personalized learning path with mini sessions targeted to specific roles and priorities, and virtual booths to visit in between main stage sessions. There was something for everyone to create their unique experience, and inspiring keynotes to bring us all together again each day.

Here’s a snapshot of the inspiring quotes our speakers shared:

The Experience Doesn’t End Here

The Collaborative: Virtual Sessions happens over a four-day period, but it reflects the work we’re doing year-round to support the nonprofit sector.

This year’s theme was Together We Will. To us, “together we will” represents the way we seek to partner with nonprofits, learn from them, and grow alongside them to better invest in the work they do to address the world’s most pressing issues.

We’re excited to say we’re already working hard on the 2022 Collaborative: Virtual Sessions that will be held live in Boston. Until then you can always find new blog posts, resources, and support from our teams on the latest social sector best practices.

The Collaborative: Virtual Sessions, hosted by Classy, is an online conference designed exclusively for nonprofit and social sector professionals. We created the event to encourage collaboration and meaningful connections. Our goal is to provide nonprofits the space for new insights, strategies, and inspiration to accelerate and maximize their organizations’ impact.

For the second year in a row, the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions is completely free, and completely virtual. From June 8 to 11, 2021, attendees will have access to dozens of live sessions, workshops, and experiences that we developed through extensive partnerships with the industry’s top experts and practitioners.

Our attendees are guaranteed to walk away with tangible tips to grow your organization and continue to generate meaningful impact in an ever-evolving sector.

Whether you’re a fundraising and marketing professional, an executive, a social entrepreneur, or a technology professional, read on to learn our top 10 reasons to attend the 2021 Collaborative: Virtual Sessions.

10 Reasons to Attend the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions

1. It’s Absolutely Free

We said it before, and we’ll say it again. The four-day Collaborative: Virtual Sessions will feature over 50 online sessions, product demos, networking opportunities, and roundtable discussions for you to access for free in the comfort of your own space.

If we’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that connection with like-minded leaders has never been more critical to the sustained success of our industry. That’s why our goal for the 2021 event remains the same, making this experience available for everyone, everywhere.

2. You’ll Have Access to the Session Content You Want to Hear Most

Classy is dedicated to providing the content you want to learn. We listen to our attendees’ wants and concerns and present thoughtful commentary on topics that the nonprofit industry needs to address.

It’s precisely this knowledge and feedback that help us curate a program full of industry leaders and risers who are eager to share their insights and ideas on the current and future landscape of the sector.

From the future of virtual fundraising to today’s essential leadership strategies, you’ll walk away with actionable advice after each of the four days.

Sample Session Topics to Expect:

• Resilience and mental health
• Data trends
• Virtual events
• Design and branding
• Fundraising and marketing
• Future of fundraising
• Leadership, management, and culture
• Recurring giving
• Stakeholder engagement and partnerships
• Technology
• Classy product sessions and demos

3. You’ll Have Takeaways to Implement Immediately

As a Collaborative attendee, you’ll gain access to presentation decks, session recordings, and dedicated time for Q&A with our speakers. Our goal is to ensure you leave sessions feeling empowered and ready to tackle the complex landscape we’ve come to experience today.

You’ll have access to on-demand recordings of each session to refer back to all event content and tools at any time, or share with team members who weren’t able to attend the live sessions.

4. You Can Build Your Own Custom Session Schedule

We would love for you to join every session during our live event, but we understand your time is limited. That’s why we’re offering a mix of one-hour and 30-minute sessions. You’ll have the freedom to select as many individual sessions as you would like based on your availability, time, and interest.

If you’re eager to learn even more before we go live in June, this recap of our 2020 Collaborative will give you a good idea of the insights you can expect.

5. You’ll Experience the Classy Awards

The Classy Awards are returning for the first time since 2017 to honor today’s most innovative nonprofits and social enterprises that are addressing the world’s social and environmental challenges.

Our Collaborative attendees will get a first look at the 50 Finalists announced at our event live. If you’d like to see your team recognized alongside some of the most reputable organizations in the social sector, be sure to check out all the details on how to submit a nomination for the Classy Awards.

6. You’ll Have New Opportunities to Form Meaningful Connections

Virtual doesn’t mean isolated. We built the Collaborative on the belief that growth happens when we connect, support, and inspire each other.

When you attend, you’ll gain access to our all-in-one virtual platform to participate in intimate group discussions broken out by topics that interest you, cause-sectors, and subject matter specific to your role, during our networking breaks.

We’ve set the stage to encourage all attendees to learn from leaders in the nonprofit space, connect with the Classy team, and engage in live video roundtable discussions with our speakers.

7. Your Entire Team Can Participate

In-person conferences are important settings for learning and professional development, but we understand travel expenses add up. The reality is it can be tough to take more than a couple of team members away from their work.

We encourage you to take advantage of our virtual conference experience to invite anyone on your team who can tune in throughout the event right from their desk or kitchen table.

Divide and conquer. Divvy up sessions between your team, then come together to share your learnings.

8. You Can Earn Continuing Education Points

The Collaborative: Virtual Sessions is an approved Continuing Education Provider for the Certified Fund Raising Executive program.

By participating in our event, you’ll be eligible to earn points towards initial certification and recertification that shows your accountability, service, and commitment to making a difference for good.

9. You’ll Learn About Leading Services and Resources to Advance Your Mission

Don’t worry about missing out on the excitement of visiting educational booths.

The Collaborative: Virtual Sessions will feature over 20 exhibit booths full of downloadable resources, demonstrations, and “mini-sessions” developed by key partners and providers to help advance your mission.

When you “visit” a booth, you’ll be able to schedule one-on-one appointments as well as video chat with booth representatives in a one-to-many setting.

10. Together We Will

No matter how hard the past year-plus has been for your organization, or for yourself personally, we must all come together to show up stronger than ever before. Come together with Classy this June and let’s all move forward together.

The collective knowledge of our Leadership Council makes the Classy Awards a distinction unlike any other. This honorary board of industry experts, which represents the larger spectrum of the social sector, collectively determines the annual Classy Awards Winners, and today we’re proud to announce the 2021 Leadership Council that will be hand-selecting this year’s award recipients.

Our Leadership Council incorporates a diverse array of expertise and cause affiliations with representation from nonprofit organizations, corporations, foundations, academic institutions, and many more. These individuals were selected to apply their unique perspectives into the judging process and help determine this year’s Social Innovation Winners.

Learn more about these thought leaders and their respective areas of expertise in the following breakdown of our 2021 Leadership Council.

Academic Institutions

• His work examines the challenges of performance measurement, accountability, and governance facing organizations with a social purpose
• Author of Measuring Social Change: Performance and Accountability in a Complex World, which received The Alliance for Nonprofit Management’s Best Book Award for 2020

• Leads the innovative efforts at National University for military, veteran, and military family educational degree programs
• First woman selected to be President & CEO of Veterans Village of San Diego, and is a 2019 George W. Bush Presidential Center Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program Scholar

Nonprofit Leaders

• Has more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian relief and development
• Brings a strategic focus on addressing the policies and systems that perpetuate global poverty

• Designs and launches new initiatives, drives organizational strategy, and helps chart the future of Feeding America
• Prior to her current role, she spent 15 years in for-profit and higher education institutions with a focus in organizational development and leadership effectiveness

• Leads a team of over 200 to advance Dr. Jane Goodall’s vision and the mission of JGI
• Has direct experience establishing charitable entities in the U.S., UK, and Canada

• 43 years of experience as a development professional, nonprofit leader, and LGBTQ+ community activist
• Received the 2021 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management

• Double-certified neurologist and preventive medicine specialist with a background in public health, working toward the transition to replace the use of animal experimentation with superior human-based testing methods
• Previously served as deputy director of the U.S. Army Traumatic Brain Injury Program, developing the Army’s brain injury prevention and treatment strategies for soldiers

• Helped co-found Oncology and Kids, Inc. with his colleagues in 2020 who now also collectively oversee Camp Reach for the Sky, a free camp program for kids affected by cancer that is one of only three Gold-Ribbon children’s oncology camps in California
• Previously served as CEO of The Seany Foundation, a pediatric cancer foundation

• Job Opportunities Task Force’s youngest CEO
• First African American female to lead the 24-year organization

• Founder of All Star Code, co-founder of Give Blck, and Treasurer of her family grantmaking entity, The Reginald F. Lewis Foundation
• Award-winning journalist of “Lonely at the Top,” a memoir of her father, Reginald Lewis, the first African-American to build a billion-dollar business

• Has 20 years of nonprofit executive leadership experience
• Prior to his current role, he served as executive director and chief operating officer for The Salvation Army National Capital region in Washington, D.C.

• Her work enables NetHope members to be more effective and efficient through the use of technology
• Previously served as CIO at Medair, CIO of World Vision Canada, and Deputy CIO of World Vision International

• Leads all aspects of philanthropic fundraising and partnership development on behalf of the United Nations World Food Programme
• The work of the organization was recently recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and bettering conditions for peace by preventing the use of hunger as a weapon of war

• 13 years of experience at Cleveland Clinic
• Responsible for day-to-day operations of the Philanthropy Institute, including budgeting and financial analysis, strategic planning, and talent management

• Responsible for a team of over 300 focused on building out diverse revenue portfolios and driving improved health outcomes for mothers and babies
• Prior to her work with March of Dimes, she focused internationally on the impacts of social and environmental factors on the health of women and their families

• Her career has been dedicated to connecting people and places through performing arts
• Selected in 2009 as one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence and nominated in 2015 as one of Metro Vancouver’s YWCA Women of Distinction in the category of arts, culture, and design

• Oversees a team of nearly 160 staff in executing a diverse portfolio of fundraising programs and activities
• She leads City of Hope’s evolving 100-plus year fundraising platform, all the while maintaining its status as a Charity Navigator 4-star rated organization

• Leads World Central Kitchen’s emergency and disaster relief efforts and long-term impact projects
• Personally helped create and lead #ChefsForPuertoRico after Hurricane Maria that served nearly 4 millions meals to people in need

• Has extensive tech expertise from his years of startup experience in commerce, healthcare, and defense
• Prior to his current role, he founded a software consulting company and led software development for projects for the Department of Defense

• Personally focused on positioning The Trevor Project to serve more young people than the 20,000 youth served today
• Previously oversaw The Trevor Project’s crisis services program, when chat and text services expanded to 24/7 for the first time in the organization’s history, and oversaw the operations portfolio when Trevor launched an artificial intelligence partnership with Google

• 10 years in this role leading large teams in the four main areas of accounting, investments, donor development, and revenue cycle
• Her leadership has increased development revenue by more than 400% to nearly $275 million

• Coaches executives on how to lead through change
• Concurrently, she is also the founder and senior partner of a practice that helps executives and emerging leaders forge the capabilities and relationships to accelerate growth and expand impact

Data and Knowledge Centers

• Within his role, he crafts raw data into insights, practices, and a shared narrative for the field
• Previously served as president and CEO of GuideStar, leading its effort to unite with Foundation Center to form Candid in 2019

• The organization works to provide donors and the charities they love with tools, ratings, and information needed for informed decisions and investments
• Spent 15 years with Microsoft prior to Charity Navigator, the last 10 of which as their public-sector chief technology officer

Corporation

• Leads the engineering product strategy for nonprofits and the United Nations
• In addition, he is in charge of the Microsoft Philanthropies programs for digital enablement and the company’s cloud software donation strategy

• Prior to Salesforce, he worked in financial services as managing director and global head of marketing in iShares and Index Investments at BlackRock
• Founded Parks and Records in 2007, a purpose-driven independent record label

• 28-year career with the airline
• Oversees all Accounting and Financial Reporting, SOX, Tax, and Controller Operations

Software

Security Software

• Leads Okta for Good, the company’s corporate social impact initiative
• Prior to her role, she held various corporate social impact roles at Zynga, Yahoo, and Warner Bros.

Software & Data Quality Engineering

• Co-founder of Ultranauts, an award-winning quality engineering firm with employees in 29 states across the U.S., 75% of whom are on the autism spectrum
• Ultranauts has been named a FastCompany World Changing Idea, MIT SOLVE Challenge Winner, and Interbrand Breakthrough Brand

Global Movement

• Co-founder of Ultranauts, an award-winning quality engineering firm with employees in 29 states across the U.S., 75% of whom are on the autism spectrum
• Ultranauts has been named a FastCompany World Changing Idea, MIT SOLVE Challenge Winner, and Interbrand Breakthrough Brand

• Instrumental in shaping the global Giving Tuesday movement
• Additionally, he is the founder and CEO of With Intent, an international consumer marketing agency

Agencies

International Agency

• Has expertise in international development, foreign policy, diplomacy, and advocacy
• Oversees Millennium Challenge Corporation’s signature grant investment vehicle to reduce poverty through economic growth

U.S. Foreign Assistance Agency

• Leads the agency’s digital transformation, an organizational-wide effort to harness the power of new technology to improve the lives of those furthest behind
• Prior to this, he established an in-house “Zero Hunger” innovation accelerator and created an award winning crowdfunding smartphone app, ShareTheMeal

Media

• Has more than 35 years of experience in the publishing industry
• Named one of the most influential technology journalists by Technology Marketing from 1997 to 2001

• Has 15 years of experience in investment banking
• In addition to her role, she hosts “The Reconstruction,” a podcast about moving capital towards justice

Foundations, Public Charities, Grantmaking

• Helped create and implement the Whole Foods Market healthy eating program
• Runs the Whole Foods Market Let’s Talk About Food Nutrition and Culinary Education Center in Detroit

• Responsible for supporting the sourcing and selecting of strategically aligned investments in the Skoll Foundation’s portfolio
• Led the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship that has invested in over 120 global organizations, and co-led Skoll’s Portfolio Intelligence practice aimed at developing insights on portfolio impact

• Played a major role in Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation’s ability to provide 16 million meals to children and families in the Oakland area in 2020
• Previously served as CEO of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, the nation’s leading organization working to transform the hospital experience for millions of seriously and terminally-ill children across the U.S.

• Has worked in nonprofits for over 20 years building new programs and organizations within the sector and supporting emerging leaders
• Founder of JustFund.us, an innovative online portal that streamlines the grantmaking process for funders, founder of Prism, a national nonprofit news outlet, and Founder of Young People For, a national leadership development organization helping young professionals create change

• Part of the team that designed and launched the My Brother’s Keeper initiative
• Appointed special assistant to the president and senior director of cabinet affairs for My Brother’s Keeper, managing the initiative and interagency Task Force at the White House

• Has over 20 years of experience that spans the nonprofit sector, consulting, and financial services
• Most recently led work related to the digital transformation, service excellence, and supporting individuals in effective giving at Fidelity Charitable

• Responsible for furthering international awareness and appreciation of the significant contributions of Latin music and its makers to the world’s culture
• Leads the Foundation’s ongoing programs, which provide college scholarships, educational programs, and grants for the research and preservation of its rich musical legacy and heritage

• Has 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and leading global programs, research, and evaluation across four continents
• Currently serves on various funding and advisory boards, including World Benchmarking Alliance, and has recently been elected president of the American Evaluation Association for 2022

• Has been with the foundation for 10 years
• Previously served as the vice president of communications and assessment at Venture Philanthropy Partners

Impact Investor, Venture Philanthropy

• Served as Acumen’s CFO for three years
• Developed her own independent consulting practice with a focus on inspiring organizations in the social sector

• This firm donates half of its profit to charities via Transform Capital Foundation
• In addition to her role, she is also the director of strategic initiatives for the Batten Institute of UVA’s Darden School of Business

Since 2009, the Classy Awards have brought together social sector leaders and influencers to recognize the achievements of thousands of nonprofits and social enterprises addressing our world’s greatest challenges. This year, our esteemed Leadership Council will work together to honor the organizations that continue to move our society forward and combat today’s social and environmental challenges.

If you haven’t already, submit your nomination application by May 11 for the opportunity to share how your team embraced new ideas, creative models, and the latest technologies to better serve the world at large.

Classy Awards Finalists will be announced at the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions on June 9, and Winners will be announced September 28.

When it comes to sustainability, Classy’s core competency is our ability to empower the environmental nonprofits who use our platform to activate their online fundraising. Organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, the Clean Air Task Force, the Trust for Public Land, the Arbor Day Foundation (to name a few) are on the frontlines of the sustainability and climate crisis. We keep their missions in mind as we build reliable, secure, and robust fundraising tools that drive sustainable revenue to fund their missions.

We focus on product quality and innovation, but we also consider how we, as a technology company, can build a more sustainable world. We’re excited to share how we’re approaching sustainability in hopes others might learn from our journey, or better yet, weigh in with their advice on how we can improve.

A big piece of our sustainability strategy is in partnering with Project Green, a community of Classy employees passionate about integrating sustainability into Classy’s stakeholder groups—our customers, our staff, our investors and partners, and our community. 

Customer Success Manager Ali McElroy leads Project Green and has helped grow the community from five core employees to 20 active members and over 100 who regularly contribute to the Slack channel and engage in Project Green-led activities. The community, which has representation from every department at Classy, initially focused on employee engagement and education and identified areas to greenify the office space. 

During the process to obtain our B Corp Certification, we partnered with Ali and Project Green to take a more serious look at how we could fulfill our vision to create a more inclusive and sustainable world for all. Through research and many conversations, we solidified Classy’s sustainability charter and corporate commitments. 

Classy’s Sustainability Commitments 

1. Enable and empower a culture of environmentally conscious stakeholders
2. Achieve carbon neutrality 
3. Achieve supply chain sustainability 

Project Green’s mission statement is to mobilize and empower all Classy stakeholders to create a sustainable future. They do this by: 

1. Influencing corporate sustainability policies and practices
2. Educating and engaging employees
3. Leading by example with our customers and vendors

We’re proud of Project Green’s contributions as they’ve moved beyond just education and towards inspiring action. In partnership, we are committed to achieving the following milestones:

Influence Company Policies and Practices

• Corporate Green Policy: Achieved
• Environmentally Preferred Vendor List: Achieved
• B Corp Certification: Achieved
• Measure our carbon footprint for FY21 and compare it to the previous year’s baseline: In progress
• Provide company policy recommendations to monitor and reduce emissions: In progress
• Evaluate existing company incentives and their environmental implications. Propose new incentives: In progress
• Implement a lightweight screening process for bringing on or renewing new vendors: In progress
• Expand the minds of buyers at Classy to seek out environmentally conscious/B Corp/sustainably-minded companies when selecting new vendors and partners: In progress

Educate and Engage Employees

• Classy Roots Newsletter: Achieved  
• Composting Co-op: Achieved
• Project Green Book Club: Achieved
• Earth Week activities: Achieved
• Green Hacks: Achieved
• Succulent Planting Party and Mug Exchange: Achieved
• Project Green Pulse Survey: Achieved
• Influence green-living habit change in all employees, measured via a survey: In progress

Lead by Example With Customers and Vendors

• Volunteer events: Achieved
• Customer stories and highlights: Achieved
• Create a strategy for engaging and empowering our customers who are already doing the environmental work: In progress

Technology and Sustainability 

While the plan has us energized to drive impact, we’re equally excited to deepen our sustainability efforts in the years to come. We know that one of the most significant factors contributing to our carbon footprint is the fact that we are a cloud-based company that uses a ton of energy from data centers. If we want to play a part in climate sustainability as a whole, we have to figure out our role in advocating for data centers to become more sustainable, says McElroy. 

Without a physical product or a material supply chain, we think a lot about the other technology companies like us that may have the same questions or feel like they have the same blockers. That’s why we’re charging ourselves with growing our community beyond just Project Green and looking at ways we can build more relationships with customers, B Corps, vendors, and sustainable businesses who can share their insights with us and offer new perspectives. 

Sustainability as an Employee Benefit

In speaking with Ali, who was elected as leader of Project Green by her peers for her commitment to the cause, attention to detail, and humble approach towards servant leadership, it’s easy to see how everyone can play a part in building a more sustainable future. Ali has witnessed how Project Green members have built confidence and influence through the community and grown into leadership roles at the company because of it. 

The most successful endeavors often start from the ground up, by the people who believe in an important cause. It can be overwhelming to consider all of the things we could be doing better to be more environmentally friendly or eco-conscious. If you are an employee at a company that doesn’t have an environmental group and wants to start one up, our advice to you is to start somewhere. While it can be intimidating, the greatest benefit we’ve seen is the ability to do the learning together. None of us are experts in this area but by taking the first step and diving in, you’ll sure learn fast.  

As CEO, Chris will build upon the foundation laid over the past 10 years, seven of which he served as advisor, investor, board director, and, most recently, as Classy’s chief operating officer. Chris will continue Classy’s track record of creating world-class technology to serve the social sector.

We recently sat down with Chris to talk through how his career experience—from Fair Trade to Salesforce to Classy—has uniquely prepared him to take on this role, his vision for Classy’s future, and why his obsession with verifiable value will lay the foundation for everything the company does moving forward.

Q: You’ve been a huge part of helping to build Classy over the past seven years. Tell us about that journey and why you are able to step into this new role now.

A: It’s not often you find a company where great people and technology serve thousands of nonprofits who make the world a better place every day, but I’ve been lucky to be a part of the Classy journey for a while now.

I first learned about Classy when I was working at Salesforce.org and was blown away by what I saw. Here was a company radically rethinking what the social sector could expect of their online fundraising technology, and it was clear the impact that technology could have. After facilitating Salesforce’s first investment in Classy and a lasting partnership between the two companies, I became a Board Member and advisor to Classy in 2014. From then on, I’ve done all I can to support the company’s growth as we went on to help nonprofits collectively raise $1 billion for social good on the platform in 2018.

Two years later, I joined as chief operating officer just as we were witnessing the generosity of so many donors in the wake of COVID-19 and this past summer’s social justice movement. The events of this past year have changed giving as we know it and the role of technology has never played a more important part in helping nonprofits fund their missions. This was evidenced by the fact that nonprofits on the Classy platform raised over $1 billion in 2020 alone.

I’ve spent my career between a top tier SaaS company and the nonprofit space, which gives me a unique understanding and the experience to effectively serve our customers. I know how better technology translates into more revenue to drive more impact for the world.

Q: Tell us more about your career path and how this experience will lend itself to your role as CEO here.

A: I began my career working at the nonprofit that runs Fair Trade, a global movement that makes sustainable development goals a reality. There I helped to evolve a leading program for conscious consumption and higher incomes for disadvantaged workers. I led their core Certification operation and launched the Global Producer Services group. We certified dozens of product categories, partnered with international agencies and companies to invest in capacity building for developing countries, and invested in technology to further our mission. Eventually, I took on the role of CFO and joined their Board of Directors.

From there, I joined the team at Salesforce when there was only one product. In my six years at Salesforce, the company grew tenfold as cloud computing came of age. As an SVP and division COO, I learned the value of earning customer trust and loyalty every day, and I became obsessed with delivering verifiable customer value.

Getting to bring this obsession to life at Classy to better serve our nonprofit customers is what gets me up in the morning. Classy isn’t a tool to just passively accept donations. We are a platform with a robust suite of fundraising tools geared towards providing a seamless donor experience that encompasses all types of online fundraising to drive higher engagement and revenue for your organization.

Q: So what’s next for Classy? How does this customer value obsession come to life?

A: Classy is evolving to be a true product-led company. We just raised $118 million in Series D funding and, with that, we plan to overwhelmingly invest in our product and engineering teams. This doesn’t just mean that we’ll be releasing new features faster; we are working to make profound improvements on our already-strong underlying tech stack. That’s the beauty of being a SaaS company. As technology advances, we can make our product better, faster, more reliable, and more productive, which increases customer value. It all leads back to this.

It is a core company philosophy – great technology drives more revenue for nonprofits, which means more resources to tackle the complex challenges they are trying to solve. And for me there is no more important market to serve than the social sector.

Classy is focused on extending its lead in donor conversion and retention, while creating a new wave of recurring giving tools to help nonprofits build highly predictable revenue models that help them to maximize their service and impact. Through our platform data, we know that recurring donors are five times more valuable than one-time givers and research has shown that each additional second of web page load time translates to a 7% conversion rate drop. Without the best online fundraising technology, nonprofits are leaving money on the table.

Classy is here to make sure that no longer happens. Currently, about 20% of total giving on Classy’s platform is done by donors who pledge to give on a regular basis, but in the next couple of years, we plan to build a billion-dollar recurring business for our customers.

We are also constantly improving our security and scalability. Giving is a half trillion dollar market and we have to be ready for it. We have proven measures in place to provide a safe and trusted fundraising platform including using secure cloud architecture and multiple security measures to protect data, including AWS Virtual Private Cloud and PCI Level 1 Certification. We have dedicated personnel focused on platform security and our network is constantly scanning for vulnerabilities so donors can be assured their data is safe when giving to an organization through Classy.

Q: How does Classy’s culture play a role in this customer-first mindset?

A: At Classy, we have a business model that prioritizes our four main stakeholders, which are our customers, our team, financial durability, and our community.

For our customers, this means we deliver unquestionable ROI. For our team, we bring on the best talent, give them the opportunity to work with the most important causes in the world, and invest in their growth and well-being. In considering our financial sustainability, we aim to create durability with top-tier returns for decades to come so our customers can rest assured that we will be here as long as they need us to help fulfill their missions. And for our community, we believe in holistic value creation and therefore must practice what we preach. Much of this stakeholder model comes to life through our B Corp Certification, which holds us to the highest standards of social and environmental performance out there for business. I’m proud to say, we’ve also accelerated our timeline to becoming a Public Benefit Corporation.

As a stakeholder-first company, we have also decided to pay back our PPP loan, which we took from the federal government during the first few months of the pandemic to keep our staff fully employed and to ensure we could continue to serve the social sector at full capacity during a time of increased need. We are grateful for the security it provided, but we are fortunate to have emerged from the last year stronger than ever and are happy to be able to pay it back so that the money can be used to support others. We’re also excited to launch our first-ever impact report this year; bring back our annual conference, the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions; and relaunch the Classy Awards to honor the most innovative nonprofits and social enterprises. The last ten years have seen many milestones for us and our customers, but we are just getting started.

Q: Thank you, Chris. Anything else you’d like to add?

A: We’ve got an exciting road ahead of us and lots of work to be done. We don’t just want to give our customers access to the best technology today. We have the scale to continue to innovate and deliver the resources nonprofits will need in the future. Classy will be there, as a trusted partner with world-class technology, as long as it takes to fulfill your mission. This also means we’re looking for amazing, diverse talent nationwide to join our mission to mobilize and empower the world for good. If Classy sounds like a fit for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.

That’s why today, I couldn’t be more excited to announce that Classy has raised $118 million in Series D funding led by Norwest Venture Partners.

So, why raise financing when the company is already strong and profitable? In short: to meet the tremendous demand for our suite of products (current and future). Coming off a tumultuous, yet record-setting year for giving, we saw a 15-year trend of online fundraising accelerate like never before. The nonprofit sector was already moving this way—it was the thesis that Classy was founded upon—but 2020 changed everything. Long gone are the conversations about online as a future investment. The future is officially here, and it’s here to stay. 

But we can’t rest on our laurels. The online world is evolving fast. So with this new funding, we’re doubling the size of our product and engineering organization over the next two years. We’ll accelerate our work on the core fundraising suite, which is always improving (that’s the beauty of SaaS). We’ll continue to add features to our hugely popular payments product, Classy Pay. And we’ll keep investing in the future, with a focus on recurring giving, hybrid events, and new-channel donor acquisition. 

We’re also exploring synergetic markets like corporate giving, which has suffered from a similar technology deficiency over the last 40 years. The lines are blurring between for-profit and nonprofit models like never before, and the strain of 2020 proved to us that the traditional CSR model is outdated and broken. 

New Beginnings

Our funding announcement opens up a new and exciting chapter for Classy and its stakeholders—not only for our customers with accelerated product development and support, but also for our team and our community. 

First, Classy is officially changing from a C-Corporation to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This move follows our earlier announcement that we have become a Certified B Corporation, the highest standard of social and environmental performance for business. The move to a PBC integrates our commitment into the company’s governance, one of the most meaningful steps you can take as a business to ensure that your values are everlasting.  

On the team side, we also have a few exciting moves to share with you.

First, the Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome two new members. The first is David Su, a partner at Norwest Venture Partners who will be joining the board as part of the financing. The second is Depelsha McGruder, the COO at the Ford Foundation, and the founder of Moms of Black Boys (M.O.B.B) United, a nonprofit dedicated to positively influencing how Black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement in society. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome David and Depelsha to the Board as part of this next chapter. 

And finally, after over 10 years as Classy’s Chief Executive Officer, I’ve decided to transition to a full-time Executive Chairman role and hand the CEO reins to my longtime Classy partner, Chris Himes. 

Chris has been involved with Classy for over seven years as an advisor, investor, Board Director, and most recently as an operator, currently serving as Classy’s Chief Operating Officer. He’s a tremendous leader with a background in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, and I couldn’t think of a better person to help take Classy to the next level. In my new role, I’ll be focused on next horizon product development, Mergers & Acquisitions, and playing a leading role on the Board of Directors. 

We recently sat down with Chris to reflect on his partnership with Classy over the years, our shared vision for the future, and how our Series D will enable us to accelerate the impact of more organizations around the world. 

I couldn’t be more excited about Classy’s future, and for the future of all of our stakeholders. Please join me in welcoming David and Depelsha to the team, and Chris to the new role! 

Onward!

Scot Chisholm

McGruder, the Ford Foundation’s Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer, oversees Ford’s global operations and finances for its offices in New York, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For the past 85 years, the Ford Foundation has invested in innovative ideas, visionary individuals, and frontline institutions advancing human dignity around the world. 

Before joining the Ford Foundation, McGruder served as COO of New York Public Radio (NYPR), where she led daily operations and strategic planning for WNYC Radio, WNYC Studios, WQXR, Gothamist.com, and The Greene Space. During her tenure, she played a critical role charting NYPR’s path forward in the midst of an evolving media landscape, setting the course for the organization’s digital content and local news, talk, and cultural programming.

Prior to her role at NYPR, McGruder spent 17 years at Viacom in senior leadership positions at both MTV and BET Networks, including as SVP of programming at BET and SVP of business operations and strategy at MTV. During her tenure at Viacom, she launched mobile, broadband, and video-on-demand businesses for MTV, as well as two new cable television networks to serve underrepresented LatinX, African American, and youth audiences.

McGruder is also the founder and president of Moms of Black Boys United and M.O.B.B. United for Social Change, sister organizations working to positively influence how black boys and men are perceived and treated by law enforcement and in society. 

She holds a BA from Howard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

The Vision to Supporting Impact at Scale 

McGruder has spent her career, in both the for-profit and social sector, with organizations that have had a higher purpose for society. That’s why she was immediately drawn to Classy’s mission of mobilizing and empowering the world for good and helping nonprofits raise more money online. 

As a leader who’s served at a large nonprofit, founded her own nonprofit, and leads critical functions at the Ford Foundation, she views working with Classy as an exciting opportunity to not just move one organization’s mission forward, but to become a resource to thousands of nonprofits of different sizes and cause categories—similar to the Ford Foundation, which distributes funds to organizations around the world. 

“For me, serving on the board of Classy is an opportunity to have impact at scale,” says McGruder. “I view it as an extension of my work at the Ford Foundation. In addition, Classy has a really impressive platform and business model with a lot of potential for growth given the broader societal shift to online giving.”

McGruder’s varied experience across the for-profit and social sectors enables her to understand the deep interconnections between both, and she identifies Classy as an example of how a for-profit model can positively impact the nonprofit model. As she has experienced, the separation of the nonprofit space from the for-profit space can have more to do with regulations than any difference of a higher mission, purpose, or people within the organization. It is this recognition which drew her to Classy, a certified B Corporation dedicated to building great technology to support the most important causes in the world.

“Classy is a for-profit business that helps nonprofits grow and thrive, and the business is only successful when its nonprofit customers are successful. I believe it’s possible to do well while doing good,” says McGruder.

A Cross-Sector Leader Who Has Built and Pushed Nonprofits Forward

McGruder’s unique set of experiences gives her a broad perspective on a wide range of issues that will positively influence Classy’s direction. 

Her 17-year tenure at Viacom has made her an expert on branding, market segmentation, digital, sales, business development, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisition, and overall business operations and strategy. Couple that with her multiple and ongoing experiences as a nonprofit leader, and her journey and wealth of knowledge makes her a remarkable guide and asset to help ensure Classy is the best partner possible for social impact organizations.

“While serving as COO of New York Public Radio, I lived the experience of a large nonprofit needing to constantly attract donors, retain, and grow their contributions over time. With M.O.B.B. United, I’ve been in the driver’s seat of building a nonprofit from the ground up and trying to create a path to funding. And at Ford, I get to understand the opportunities and challenges of a wide range of nonprofit organizations who are working in some way to root out inequality across the globe. I’ve had quite a journey and I look forward to applying what I’ve learned from all of these experiences to help take Classy to the next level.”

When asked about what she feels is next for Classy, McGruder believes in Classy’s brand and place to be a household name for anyone in the social sector—and that Classy should be the first place nonprofits go when they think about increasing online and recurring giving. She also sees the opportunity to extend Classy’s impact to serve the wider public and help connect those who are looking to give with the right opportunities and causes. We’re proud that our B Corp Certification and current process to become a Public Benefit Corporation have helped us make headway on our expanded impact with the larger community and world, and we’re excited for what else is to come. 

Overall, McGruder says her approach to board service is to learn first, then assess and provide recommendations. In her view, one has to first and foremost understand internal opportunities and challenges from the management team’s point of view based on their deep knowledge and extensive experience, then figure out how to help accelerate their vision.

A Personal Spark

Perhaps what makes this partnership so meaningful is the deep personal excitement and connection that McGruder feels toward Classy. 

One thing that really drew her to the company was how it started, with Classy co-founder Scot Chisholm’s personal drive to raise money for cancer because of his mother’s successful battle with the disease. 

“I believe the best ideas are born from a personal connection and a need to solve a problem that really matters to someone,” says McGruder. “I am amazed at how Classy evolved from a personal desire to donate to cancer research in San Diego into a multi-million dollar SaaS platform, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

But McGruder’s strong passion for Classy extends beyond its origin story. The opportunity to join Classy’s board of directors came about during the most personally challenging time of her life, when she wasn’t looking to take on additional responsibilities. Her husband of 16 years passed away unexpectedly at age 49 just a few months ago on Christmas Day.

Learning about Classy created a spark and excitement through those darkest moments, which compelled her to accept this role. 

And the feeling is entirely mutual. We cannot be more humbled and thrilled to have McGruder join our board of directors and help push Classy to the next stage of its growth. Please join us in welcoming her to the Classy family.

With the launch of our third-annual diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) report, I am struck by how much has changed in three years. When we launched our first report in 2018, we were one of the first companies in San Diego willing to open the curtain and shine a light on our internal practices and demographic data. This wasn’t an easy exercise, but we knew we had to look in the mirror if we wanted to truly stand for something (a foundational Classy core value).

Today, more than ever, employees, candidates, and customers are all demanding this type of transparency because DEI is now a global conversation. Transparency and accountability are considered “table stakes” across all markets and sectors. I am so proud that Classy has played a role in normalizing the sharing of information like our DEI activities, and we hope that it becomes as standard as reading about a company’s founding story on their website.

Our most recent DEI report dives into how Classy zeroed in on policy and partnerships to advance our DEI goals, while creating meaningful value throughout the process. After several years of establishing a formal DEI framework, we knew it was time to kick the accountability and governance into high gear. As a sneak peek, this post elaborates on some meaningful milestones shaping Classy’s DEI initiatives through policy and partnerships.

Assembling a DEI Committee

We needed outside expertise and quickly assembled our first-ever DEI committee, consisting of both external changemakers and internal Classy employees. Thanks to our chief impact officer’s vast network, we were able to find the perfect set of external subject matter experts to advise us on our DEI journey.

Internally, we went through a rigorous vetting process (inclusive of interviews and essays) to select committed employees with unique perspectives. The committee convenes formally twice annually and is available on an as-needed basis to provide feedback on policies, programs, and initiatives.

This committee helped us stress-test our assumptions, and validated (and in some cases, debunked) our thought process.

Creating a Diversity Dimension Hiring Checkpoint

In our hiring process, we implemented the diversity dimension as a checkpoint to ensure every candidate slate is reflecting at least one dimension of diversity before we move a candidate forward to an offer.

As a direct result of this process change, we were able to double the percentage of ethnically diverse hires in just seven short months. This policy, coupled with dissolving geographical restrictions due to COVID, have enabled us to prioritize and ensure diversity across our hiring process.

Establishing Stakeholder Policy and Community Guidelines

At the turn of 2020, we established our first-ever stakeholder policy and community guidelines to serve as a code of conduct with our customers and community. Though this is uncharted territory (and we are still working out the kinks), we now have a very solid blueprint of how our mission and values relate to our customers and product.

The process is led by Classy’s head of sustainability and stakeholder impact in partnership with our general counsel and our DEI committee, who continue to shape improvements and iterations.

Attaining Our B Corp Certification

The B Corp Certification measures inclusive values that help us quantify and shape the way we treat employees, customers, vendors, our community, and more. It also provides guardrails against some of the more superficial gestures that will fail to yield meaningful results. We’ll continue to use the assessment and the B Corp community assess our programs and ensure progress.

We’re proud of what we accomplished in 2020, and are excited to move even further beyond positive intent to effect tangible change.

The Classy Awards are back for the first time since 2017, as an entirely digital experience, to highlight our industry’s top innovators and influencers. Although we can’t come together to celebrate under one roof this year, it’s more important than ever to recognize the efforts of nonprofits and social enterprises who overcame immense challenges in 2020 to drive their missions forward. Nominate your organization to be considered.

Nominations are Open

The social sector showed up in countless ways to answer the overwhelming demands of 2020, and we want to hear about it. By nominating your organization, you have the opportunity to share how your team embraced new ideas, creative models, and the latest technologies to better serve the world at large.

Who Is Eligible for a Classy Award?

There are no restrictions on the corporate structure of the organization; nonprofits, social enterprises, corporations, and academic programs are all eligible.

All nominations that meet the following criteria will be considered:

• Must complete an organization profile, in English, by April 27, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST
• Must be headquartered in the United States, but programs can operate anywhere in the world
• Must have a representative who is a U.S. resident
• Representative who completes the profile must be 18 years or older
• Programs must address a quantifiable social problem
• Programs must have at least one year of measurable results
• Organizations may submit up to five programs for consideration

Why Should You Nominate Your Organization?

Members of the Classy Awards community receive recognition among some of the most reputable organizations in the social sector, and gain tremendous credibility as trailblazers and pioneering leaders. Every Finalist will be seen and evaluated by members of our Leadership Council, a group of prestigious leaders across the social sector, organically elevating your visibility. It’s also worth noting that each Winner becomes a part of the small group of changemakers who have been honored through the Classy Awards, which brings a heightened sense of exclusivity to your organization.

To get a deeper look into the benefits of a Classy Award, here are the perks each of our 50 Finalists will receive:

• Program evaluation by the Leadership Council, a group of of 50 of the top influencers across the social sector
• Inclusion in the Finalists announcement at Classy’s free nonprofit conference, the Collaborative: Virtual Sessions, which brings together over 5,000 social sector leaders and nonprofit professionals in a virtual setting
• A feature on the Finalists page of the Classy Awards website
• Recognition on Classy’s blog
• Press kit complete with templates and tools to further leverage the award notoriety

And for our top 13 Winners:

• Inclusion in the Classy Award Winners press release announcement
• Custom Classy Awards trophy
• 90-second video highlighting your organization, which will be showcased on the Classy Awards website and delivered to you for your own marketing efforts
• Invitation to an exclusive virtual roundtable and networking event for Classy Award Winners and top social sector leaders in October 2021
• A feature on the Winners page of the Classy Awards website
• Recognition on Classy’s blog
• Recognition on Classy’s social media channels
• Press kit complete with templates and tools to further leverage the award notoriety

How to Apply

All social impact organizations must complete a nomination profile to be eligible for the Classy Awards. This profile will help Nominees articulate their programmatic performance in the following categories:

• Problem
• Strategy
• Operations
• Results
• Growth

To learn more and begin your application, visit the Classy Awards website.

Award Categories

There are a total of 13 Classy Awards in four distinct categories, each highlighting success at either an organizational or individual level.

The organizational-level categories include:

• Social Innovation: Celebrates 10 of the most innovative nonprofits and social enterprises
• People’s Choice: Recognizes an innovative nonprofit or social enterprise from the top 50 Finalists, voted on by the general public
• Adapt & Overcome: Acknowledges an organization that overcame immense challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

The individual-level category includes:

• Lifetime Achievement: Recognizes an individual who has achieved excellence over a lifetime of service in the social sector

How Nominees are Measured

Each profile will be evaluated on these four main criteria:

• Scale, scope, and expertise in addressing the problem
• Ability to solve the problem
• Creativity of the solution
• Organizational effectiveness, diversity and inclusion, and resource management

All Nominees will be given a numerical score from the internal Classy Awards Committee based on the judging criteria. Organizations with the top 50 scores will become the Finalists, and their program profiles will be released for evaluation and voting on the Classy Awards website to determine the People’s Choice Award. The Leadership Council will then determine the Social Innovation Winners, and the Classy Awards Committee will determine the Winners of the Adapt & Overcome and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

We encourage you to take advantage of this thorough application process to help your team assess its impact and key learnings from 2020, allowing you to refine your efforts, strengthen your strategy, and better support your mission.

Submit a nomination today to share how your organization has made a difference, and how you plan to continue leaving your mark in years to come. And if you are named one of our 2021 Classy Awards Winners, that trophy will be a permanent reminder of the impact your organization has made on our world. Either way, you have nothing to lose.

Start your application today.

Like in any tech company, software engineers transform dreams often developed on a post-it or whiteboard into a virtual reality. At Classy, software engineers are the reality-makers behind the dream of building a world-class product that fulfills Classy’s mission to mobilize and empower the world for good.

While many understand that software engineers work with computers and build out code, there is so much more to their job. The work is complex and can vary greatly from engineer to engineer. To share more about what happens behind the scenes of building out Classy’s product and servicing the nonprofit organizations we work with, I sat down to speak with Amin Tahriri and Eloise Terry, two of Classy’s amazing engineers, and discuss what it’s like to be in their shoes.

Amin is an engineer on our Donor Experience Pod. This “pod” is a group of folks from our engineering, product design, and product management teams. Eloise started with the Classy team after we entered the full-time remote environment due to COVID-19. We started the conversation with the basic question—what do you do?

A Glance at Pod Structure

Eloise: I’m on the Organization Experience Pod (also known as the Org Pod). We’re tasked with building and supporting any customer-facing software that Classy provides. The main piece of this is Classy Manager, where our customers can manage their Classy campaigns and fundraising data. But we also dabble in supporter engagement and Classy Pay Admin, and occasionally other pieces of the product depending on needs of the product management and engineering teams.

Amin: I’m a software engineer on the Donor Experience Pod. As the name suggests, my pod’s focus is ensuring the best experience possible for people who contribute to one of our clients’ important causes. I help create and maintain software applications and services, which involves designing new software components, investigating issues, and writing code. In addition, I contribute to maintenance and continuous improvement of our tools (e.g. automation, logging and monitoring, etc.).

Kelly: Very cool. So how do the pods work exactly?

Eloise: Each pod operates fairly independently from the others so we each have all the resources we need for our day-to-day work. The Org Pod has a dedicated product owner, three developers (including myself), and a test engineer. We also welcome two customer care representatives who give us insight into our customer needs and wishes. 

Of course I have no bias, but the Org Pod is truly the best pod at Classy. To function among the chaos that is product development, we’ve found a good balance between hard work and social time, like Zoom happy hours while we all work remote. We set a standard of transparency and accountability within our team that allows us to work swiftly and efficiently.

A Day in the Life

Kelly: Sounds like you all have found a way to really develop a strong team mindset and work style. How do you begin your day?

Amin: I usually start my day by checking messages on Slack. My favorite channel is one where colleagues post photos of their dogs. With furry cuteness out of the way, I join our pod’s daily standup meeting to catch up with my team.

Eloise: I recently got a full standing desk at home, so my first thing is to jack it up to standing so I can move around and wake up. I’ll make some tea or coffee, check my calendar, and scan emails to get an idea of what the day will look like. If other Org Pod folks are online, I’ll shoot them a good morning message and then get to work! 

Kelly: Everyone loves a little cuteness and coffee in the morning. How do you typically break out the rest of your time after the stand up?

Amin: A rough breakdown of my role would be about 20% investigating, research, and design; 15% having discussions and meetings;15% peer review; and 50% development.

Eloise: I mostly break my time out the same way.

Kelly: So you all spend quite a bit of time doing things outside of just coding. How do you keep it all organized?

Amin: At Classy, we use agile methodology with two-week sprints. We hold three scrum ceremonies every sprint to discuss and point tickets in our backlog, review and reflect on the previous sprint and discuss potential improvements, and plan our next sprint.

Eloise: Practicing agile software development essentially means our customers are continuously seeing improvements in our products, and our team can make adjustments as needed rather quickly. At the beginning of each cycle our pod meets to put together a list of about two weeks’ worth of items. We’ll spend the next two weeks developing, testing, and iterating on that work before it gets released to our customers. Then we meet to reflect on the cycle and identify areas we succeeded in and those we need to improve on. 

Challenges and Enjoyments

Kelly: What would you say is the most difficult part of it all?

Amin: I’m most comfortable when solving problems rigorously and with precision, but not every aspect of the job is conducive to this type of approach. In those cases, I sometimes struggle with or second-guess decisions. An example might be when I’m prioritizing between tasks that deliver immediate business value versus tasks that improve our platform long-term. Thankfully, I can always rely on help and direction from more experienced engineers and product managers.

Eloise: Often, we have competing priorities between what our team wants to accomplish, what the company hopes to deliver, and what our customers have asked for. Being a small team means we can work fairly seamlessly together, but it also means we’re limited on what we can do in a given timeframe.

Kelly: Teamwork makes the dream work, right? To ask the opposite question, what are the things you find most enjoyable about your role?

Eloise: Problem-solving is my favorite activity, and software engineers at Classy do a lot of problem-solving. The products we provide are very complex and we have a small engineering team behind all of it. In order to succeed, we really have to work together, which is my favorite way to work (that sounds corny, but it’s true). Even though we’re all remote right now because of COVID, our team still meets every day to connect, and I’ll often spend several hours on video calls with teammates working on problems together or asking for advice.

Amin: My favorite part would have to be learning. At Classy, we have many different services and applications using various technology stacks. Plus, we’re always upgrading and adopting new technologies. There’s a lot of opportunity to learn and improve.

Kelly: “Always be learning” is one of our Classy core values, and it sounds like you’re definitely applying it to your work regularly. So my last question for you two —why Classy? What is different about working here compared to your previous companies?

Amin: I feel the Classy engineering team offers the benefits that one might find at a startup, as well as benefits of working at a large company. There are definitely opportunities to contribute to the platform in a major way while existing processes and structures help making those contributions easier and more fun.

Eloise: I feel like everyone says this, but the people. You’d be hard-pressed to find a company whose employees care about the success and happiness of their customers as much as we do at Classy.

Kelly: Thanks for your time today, Amin and Eloise. I loved learning more about what happens behind the scenes, and think other folks will find it interesting too. We appreciate all the work you do here at Classy to make our product better every day!

Donors are also answering the call to support nonprofit efforts in the midst of this great societal need. Almost a quarter of AmericanPeer-to-peer fundraisings (24%) say the coronavirus has caused them to give more in 2020 than the previous year, according to Why America Gives 2020.

As January quickly approaches, let’s take a moment to celebrate the strides taken and milestones achieved by the Classy community and their supporters in 2020.

Check out the graphics below to see how nonprofits on the Classy platform are on track to collectively raise over $900 million with the biggest giving day of the year, December 31, still to come. You’ll also find other noteworthy achievements, impressive totals raised, top cause categories, and more.

Editor’s Note: On December 31, 2020, nonprofit customers on Classy raised $44.4 million, exceeding our projections and raising over $1 billion collectively in 2020.

Donors Rally and Take Action in 2020

While December remains the largest giving month on Classy due to the holiday fundraising season, Americans began to realize and experience the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier in the year and rallied behind nonprofits’ relief efforts, resulting in April becoming the top month of growth year over year on the platform.

Top Motivators for Giving

The heightened focus on human service and health-related causes comes as no surprise in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way organizations either directly or indirectly addressed its effects. In fact, nearly three in five Americans (59%) say the pandemic has affected their charitable giving this year.

The Power of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms enables your nonprofit to expand its reach exponentially by tapping into your network’s network. Nonprofits have also been using the Classy for Facebook integration to further their reach and empower their fundraisers to raise more, as it allows your supporters to easily duplicate their Classy fundraising pages to Facebook. They can then raise money through both their Classy fundraising page and their Facebook fundraising page, with the campaign progress remaining in sync across platforms.

This allows your fundraisers to rake in donations from their extended Facebook networks and be able to capture these smaller donations, even from long-time contacts they might not have even expected to donate. But in order to cultivate larger and long-term donors, you need a sophisticated fundraising platform that enables you to create branded, beautiful campaigns designed to convert. Maximize your success by promoting your branded Classy campaign pages to attract donations and activate fundraisers, and then supplement your strategy with the Classy for Facebook integration so your supporters can easily extend their reach onto the social network.

Takeaways From the Top Campaigns

Check out some of the things we loved from these top peer-to-peer campaigns.

Camp Kesem’s Kesem 2021 Campaign

Camp Kesem National provided structure for their chapters and their fundraisers in this peer-to-peer fundraising campaign without boxing them in. Chapters were free to fundraise with their own style, communication, and activities in order to best rally their communities to support children who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Fundraise for BCRF Campaign

In addition to using vibrant, consistent campaign and button colors that match the campaign’s branding, BCRF included a short video on their campaign page highlighting powerful testimonials from women impacted by breast cancer, connecting with donors. They also highlighted passionate fundraisers and their creative fundraising ideas to inspire their community.

Bethany International’s Fund a Student Missionary Campaign

Bethany International creatively leveraged peer-to-peer to attract a high number of recurring gifts and motivate supporters to rally behind their three-year mission at locations around the world.

Second Harvest of Silicon Valley’s 2020 Holiday Campaign

We love how Second Harvest of Silicon Valley clearly showed visitors how to take action. They showcased a flowchart in a custom block to clarify the steps to fundraising success, so supporters knew exactly what they had to do.

World Central Kitchen’s Fundraise for World Central Kitchen Campaign

World Central Kitchen boiled down the issue they’re addressing in this peer-to-peer campaign into one clear, succinct paragraph on their campaign page. This brevity and straightforward language keeps the information digestible as visitors move through the page.

Recurring Giving Allows You to Scale

While an astounding $12,500 recurring gift may not be standard, even smaller monthly gifts maximize your donor lifetime value (recurring donors are over five times more valuable than one-time donors), and provide a steady stream of revenue that can sustain your organization through uncertain times.

Continue to express your appreciation for your recurring donors. And if you’re not already, prioritize recurring giving in 2021 as a fundraising pillar that will help you scale.

The Future of Events

Get creative with your event ideas and optimize all fundraising strategies to boost your results, including adding a virtual component even when in-person events make a return.

Takeaways From the Top Events

Below are just some of the elements we loved from these top events in 2020.

Special Olympics New Jersey’s 2020 Plunge at Seaside Event

Special Olympics New Jersey designed a custom headline image for their hero block to add visual appeal. Instead of a simple text headline, this branded logo makes a bigger splash on the page and draws your eyes in.

Cleveland Clinic’s VeloSano 7 Event

VeloSano 7 transitioned to “Virtual VeloSano” in 2020, enhancing and emphasizing their Virtual Fundraiser program. VeloSano highlighted a Get Involved page on their homepage, outlining how individuals could get involved, anytime, anywhere, and in any way that they choose. They showcased fundraising tips and promotions to engage participants throughout the year. They also highlight an Impact Report to showcase how 100% of participant-raised dollars are being used to fund lifesaving cancer research. These assets clearly defined what it meant to participate, the impact you could make, and clear instructions on how to fundraise.

Navy SEAL Foundation’s 2020 NYC Benefit Dinner

Navy SEAL Foundation created a custom headline image as well that immediately grabs visitors’ attention. They also used a powerful hero image in the background with correlating colors, so the combination of the two images was both visually engaging and consistent with the organization’s branding.

City of Hope and Lowe’s’ Miles for Hope 2020 Event

This corporate event honoring Bill Boltz, Lowe’s executive vice president of merchandising, was a great use of Classy’s registration with fundraising campaign type. The page clearly defined City of Hope’s mission to eradicate cancer and diabetes through groundbreaking scientific research and unparalleled patient care and provided detailed event information on how to register, track your training through Strava, communicate with other participants, and share your success with campaign hashtags.

Special Olympics Maryland’s 2020 Maryland Plunge Event

The 2020 Maryland Plunge event page included everything from incentives to FAQs, with clear instructions to visit the Plunge Maryland website for more information.

The page also focused on helping participants find a team to join, featuring and recognizing a number of athlete leaders to choose from. The attention to detail and community-centric feel of the page encourages donors to get excited about their teams.

As virtual events remain an important component for nonprofits in the new year, download the Virtual Events Toolkit today for creative ideas, the anatomy of a standout virtual event, marketing best practices, and our favorite examples of successful virtual events.

A Year to Celebrate

As we head toward the biggest giving day of the year, American donors continue to show up for the causes that need them, even during financially pressing periods. Remain confident that your important work and the willingness to push forward in your efforts will launch your team and organization to further heights in 2021 and beyond.