One of the most gratifying parts of our work is hearing from clients about which organizations they decided to support. As a reminder, we primarily support donors on two fronts: helping them develop a focus for their giving and then suggesting nonprofits to fund aligned with their new strategy. 

Here’s a snapshot of some of the organizations our clients chose to fund, as well as a few insights we gained along the way. 
 

• Donors are funding totally NEW organizations! Ones they’ve never been in touch with before. This is so exciting for both the donors and the recipient nonprofits!
   
• The nonprofits funded by GiveTeam clients spanned a variety of issue areas from education and workforce development, to civic engagement, housing, food and nutrition, environmental justice, and more.
  
  For example, one client interested in funding workforce development was drawn to the organization SMASH, a national nonprofit providing intensive and holistic STEM-focused education and career readiness resources to students of color seeking equal access to college. Another client funded Building Skills Partnership, which seeks to improve the quality of life of property service workers in low-wage industries by increasing their access to education, leadership, and career advancement.
   
• While some of our clients chose to fund national nonprofits, most focused their efforts on local organizations–a strategy we encourage donors to pursue. Even for donors expressing an interest in national organizations, most end up picking the local organizations: donors often feel like they can make a bigger difference nearby and have the possibility of getting involved with the group.
  
  For example, here are two San Francisco-based groups with an environmental focus that received funds from GiveTeam clients. (1) Bayview Hunters Points Community Advocates located in the BayView Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, which focuses on environmental justice and empowering residents through community organizing, education, and advocacy; and (2) Friends of the Urban Forest, which plants and cares for trees in San Francisco (they have planted over half of San Francisco’s tree canopy!).
   
• Donors reacted more strongly (positively) to smaller-sized organizations, feeling they could have a bigger impact with their levels of donations. Most of the nonprofits that were funded have a budget of under $5 million.
   
• When presenting organizations to donors, we found that they responded well to hearing quantitative impact data when learning about the groups. Donors were more likely to be impressed by and drawn to supporting these new groups. It also helped them understand the severity of the issue and the scale of impact the organization had already achieved.
   
• While we had many donors express an openness to giving to pooled or participatory funds that aligned with their interest areas, so far, all donors decided to give to individual nonprofits. We are continuing to experiment with how we talk about these opportunities with donors because these types of funds are an incredible way to empower communities and fund smaller, often grassroots organizations working at the forefront of many challenges.
   
• Most donors are drawn to direct service or advocacy organizations and are either interested in or open to funding with a justice and equity lens in their philanthropy. 
   
• Many donors (especially those with young children) chose to fund organizations where they can deepen their level of engagement over time, such as taking their children to participate in events or volunteering. 

We will continue to share insights as we learn more from the donors we’re supporting in the Bay Area, LA, New York City, and Boston. We’ll soon be offering these services in the greater Washington, DC region (including Northern Virginia and Baltimore), the greater Chicago area, parts of Texas, and regions across Colorado. 

 
Wishing you all a generous and intentional 2023!

 
Erinn Andrews
Founder, CEO
GiveTeam