As reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, 2020 saw a significant increase in digital giving across the nonprofit sector. Indeed, nonprofits reported a 32 percent increase in online revenue for 2020 which is likely to persist into 2021 as pandemic recovery continues to increase the visibility of social and economic causes of all kinds. At Civic Champs, we are focused on igniting volunteerism, but we also believe in democratizing the process of doing good in all forms and that includes philanthropy. As a benefit corporation working directly with nonprofits, giving back consistently and mindfully is something we strive to embed in our company culture. Our question then became how do we simplify the process of community giving? 

Cue our new favorite digital philanthropy tool Grapevine. ‍

Grapevine is a digital platform for social giving that allows companies, individuals, and groups of all kinds to create Giving Circles which allow them to decide as a collective which nonprofits they would like to give to, and achieve fundraising goals based on those decisions.

Grapevine’s platform is free with no minimum donation requirements and it strives to keep the members of your Giving Circle connected while helping you collect donations, discover nonprofits, host voting, and share updates on your digital giving goals.  

While Civic Champs strives to make volunteer management, tracking, and engagement simple, intuitive, and efficient- Grapevine does the same for community giving initiatives. Their platform allows for user friendly collaboration between community members to establish their giving goals and make those goals happen. Civic Champs CEO, Geng Wang first discovered Grapevine when he joined the Greater Giving Summit’s Giving Circle where he participated in selecting two BIPOC-led nonprofits, EcoMadres and Peacekeeper Society as the circle’s donation recipients. EcoMadres unites Latina moms to address issues related to clean air and climate that affect the health of latino children and families while Peacekeeper Society strives to provide life changing mentorship and economic opportunities for Native youth and adults on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation in Washington State. 

Civic Champs believes that volunteer programs of all sizes deserve excellent technology tools to track and magnify their impact. Grapevine’s digital philanthropy sensibilities are also about increasing impact through improving the accessibility of giving. Grapevine’s collective giving movement strives to direct donation dollars to smaller, more local, more diverse nonprofits in communities across the country. Grapevine compares its Giving Circles to book clubs, but for donating to nonprofits. The Grapevine platform offers excellent nonprofit recommendations and allows you to view the profiles of other folks in your Giving Circle community.  

Civic Champs uses the Grapevine platform to organize our company’s Monthly Cash Grant Program. Every month since March of 2021 the Civic Champs team has used the posting and poll features on Grapevine’s platform to suggest and then vote on the nonprofit we are going to raise cash for. Our team sets a monetary goal following nonprofit selection which incentivizes us to contribute as a team. In 2021, Civic Champs raised money for nonprofits including The Bail Project and Black Girls Code. For the month of May our team is pooling funds for Asian Americans Advancing Justice in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. 

If you are a nonprofit or b-corp leader, a community organizer, a committed volunteer, or just a socially responsible citizen looking to create an intuitive digital giving campaign, consider using Grapevine. It has been a great experience for our team.  Sign-up today at: https://www.grapevine.org/

Civic Champs' Mission is to deliver the most intuitive and impactful volunteer management and engagement software for nonprofits and their champions