Soapbox Engage Blog

The United States celebrates National Nonprofit Day on August 17 each year to recognize and honor the positive impact nonprofits have on communities and causes around the world. While it might not be as popular as Giving Tuesday, National Nonprofit Day is an excellent opportunity to highlight charitable organizations' valuable work. It's also a chance to give credit to the countless staff and volunteers that work tirelessly to improve our communities and champion essential causes.

If you've never celebrated National Nonprofit Day before, have no fear! We've rounded up some great ways you can acknowledge the positive impacts nonprofits have worldwide and inspire people to get involved!

Table of Contents

• A Brief History of National Nonprofit Day
• 4 Ways Nonprofits Can Celebrate National Nonprofit Day
• 3 Ways To Encourage Companies To Celebrate National Nonprofit Day

A Brief History of National Nonprofit Day

The Tariff Act of 1894 first introduced federal income taxes for corporations but included an exemption for nonprofit corporations and charitable institutions. There have been a few changes to the law over the years. However, nonprofit exemptions remain a core of the tax law and benefit nonprofits that provide critical services and leadership to our communities.

In 2017, Sherita J Herring founded the National Nonprofit Day intending to educate, enlighten, and empower people to make a difference and honor the tireless work of nonprofits and volunteers.

The Registrar at National Day Calendar declared August 17 to be observed annually as National Nonprofit Day because that's the date the Tariff Act of 1894 was signed into law.

4 Ways Nonprofits Can Celebrate National Nonprofit Day

As a nonprofit professional, there are many ways you can leverage National Nonprofit Day to recognize your donors, volunteers, and supporters that tirelessly work to champion your organization and cause. We rounded up some top ways you can celebrate this year (and hopefully, for years to come).

1. Celebrate your volunteers

Most organizations rely on an army of passionate volunteers to do what they do. Take the opportunity to recognize and celebrate all the people who are generous with their time, energy, and talents. Thank your volunteers and take the opportunity to spotlight those who go above and beyond for your nonprofit.

2. Use a digital donor wall to thank financial partners

For almost every nonprofit, every dollar counts, and a digital donor wall can be a great tool to thank donors at every level. Digital donor walls are excellent tools to recognize your financial partners on your website or even at your next fundraising gala!

Whether you're using a digital donor wall online or installing one in your facility, great donor walls help communicate the vision and mission of your nonprofit while celebrating the generosity of your supporters.

3. Highlight recipients and accomplishments

Whether you provide meals to food-insecure families or rehabilitate rescued animals, there's a reason your nonprofit exists. Use National Nonprofit Day to showcase what your organization accomplished over the last year (or longer). No matter what your cause, people love to hear stories of survival, success, and progress. What better day to share those stories than on August 17.

4. Start fall fundraising on National Nonprofit Day

Coincidentally, mid-August can be a great time to kick off early fall fundraising season and start gearing up toward the peak end-of-year fundraising push. While you've got their attention, launch a mini fundraising campaign on National Nonprofit Day to kick off their fall fundraising season.

Taking this opportunity to highlight recipients or accomplishments of your nonprofit can be a great starting point to encourage potential donors to get involved. Consider launching a specific fundraising campaign on National Nonprofit Day to take advantage of this momentum and extra attention.

3 Ways To Encourage Companies To Celebrate National Nonprofit Day

In addition to celebrating National Nonprofit Day in your organization, you can mobilize companies, corporate sponsors, and other businesses in your network to join the celebration! Here are some practical ways to mobilize companies to celebrate National Nonprofit Day with you this year.

1. Support nonprofits on social media

Encourage businesses and companies to like, follow, and share about their favorite nonprofits on social media on August 17 in honor of National Nonprofit Day. One way to make this easier is to create draft social media posts for partnering businesses.

Practically, a great way to encourage businesses to stay active year-round is to create sharable content for social media platforms. The easier it is for companies to subscribe to the "click and share" mindset, the more likely they are to make it a habit.

2. Host a day of service to celebrate National Nonprofit Day

Summer months can often bring slower routines and rhythms for many businesses. Partner with local companies and encourage them to use this opportunity for a celebratory day of service on August 17!

Businesses can offer a wide range of expertise, from software development and marketing to manual labor. Employees will appreciate an opportunity to use their skills to improve the community, leading to excellent visibility for the company!

3. Matching gifts or donations for your favorite nonprofit

Invite businesses to celebrate National Nonprofit Day by making a donation! While matching gifts and financial donations are always great, consider expanding the options for this celebration day. Create a list of supplies your nonprofit needs and encourage local companies to host a "drive" among their employees.

This is also an excellent day for businesses to promote their corporate matching programs. Many large companies match donations their employees make to qualifying nonprofits (up to dollar for dollar or more!). Other businesses have "Dollar for Doer" programs that offer small grants to nonprofits where their employees volunteer.

If you're connected with one of these corporations, consider inviting them to participate in a special National Nonprofit Day donation program or upping their match gifts for that day. The options for creative celebration are endless!

There are loads of ways to leverage National Nonprofit Day for your organization this year. The key is to be strategic and plan ahead for the day. No matter how you choose to celebrate, it's a beautiful opportunity to pause and recognize the positive impact that nonprofits have in the world. Here at Soapbox Engage, we'll be spending the day expressing our gratitude that we get the privilege to work with some of these amazing nonprofits that are making the world a better place!

Now that you're ready for National Nonprofit Day, here are three more resources to help you continue building your fundraising strategies.

• 7 Steps to a Successful Year-End Fundraising Campaign: Nearly one-third of all giving happens in December, but the months leading up are also critical! As a development professional, you're probably well versed about how important year-end fundraising is. This blog offers a fundraising checklist for you to run through as you establish your year-end drives.
• 9 Must-Have Features for Your Nonprofit's Online Donation Page: Your online donation page is the foundation of all your online fundraising efforts and practically an industry standard at this point. But not all donation pages are created equal. This blog will help you do a quick donation page check-up to make sure you've got all the essential features to get the most out of your fundraising efforts.
• 5 Proven Techniques to Boost Donations for Your Nonprofit: The truth is that it's more challenging to attract new donors than to keep current donors. It's tough to grab people's attention. But don't get discouraged. We rounded up some of the best, proven strategies to connect with current and potential supporters and increase donations to your cause!