Environmental Sustainability for Nonprofits: 4 Top Tips

As a nonprofit professional, financial sustainability is frequently top-of-mind. You’re constantly looking for the next best way to ensure that you bring in consistent revenue to fund your organization’s initiatives. But that’s not the only type of sustainability you should prioritize.

Environmental sustainability has become a hot topic in recent years. With climate change directly contributing to humanitarian emergencies and expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and 2050, now is the time to focus on sustainable practices.

Although it’s thought that switching operations to be environmentally friendly is costly, the reality is that there are plenty of budget-friendly best practices you can implement at your nonprofit. Let’s discuss four tips for prioritizing sustainability at your charitable organization.

1. Reduce operational waste.

You’re probably familiar with the three R’s of waste management: reduce, reuse, and recycle. While many people focus on recycling, reducing is the first step in the funnel and the most environmentally sustainable practice to implement. After all, the less your nonprofit uses, the less you’ll need to reuse or recycle.

Here are a few ways your organization can reduce operational waste:

• Use eco-friendly office supplies.
• Minimize paper waste by switching to digital systems.
• Switch to energy-efficient lighting and cooling.
• Power down electronics when not in use.

Not only do these practices help you prioritize environmental sustainability, but they also help you reduce costs. For instance, you’ll enjoy lower overhead costs for running your office, as you’ll be more mindful about energy usage. That means you’ll have more funds to dedicate to other projects, which you can allocate strategically during the nonprofit budgeting process.

2. Encourage in-kind donations.

When you’ve exhausted your options for reducing waste, it’s time to look into recycling and reusing. Running a nonprofit means making unavoidable purchases, from office supplies to event equipment. However, you don’t have to buy everything new and contribute to creating additional waste.

Instead, you can uphold environmental sustainability by encouraging in-kind donations from your supporters. Instead of asking them for the funds to purchase items or services, ask them to donate those specific items or services, such as:

• Office supplies and equipment, including pens, paper, binders, desks, office chairs, filing cabinets, and notebooks.
• Electronics and technology, such as computers, desktop monitors, laptops, keyboards, tablets, and software licenses.
• Event supplies and equipment, including decorations, food and beverages, auction items, venue space rentals, and entertainment.
• Professional services, such as web development, marketing, photography or videography, legal services, accounting, graphic design, and training.
• Items related to your initiatives. Ask yourself, what items would most benefit your unique mission? For instance, if your nonprofit works with individuals experiencing homelessness, you might request in-kind donations of warm clothing for the upcoming winter season.

On top of being the more sustainable option, accepting in-kind donations also reduces your nonprofit’s expenses. For example, let’s say that you’re planning your annual auction fundraising event. You can source the auction items in various ways, but you can start by contacting major donors and corporate sponsors for in-kind donations. You may find that they’re happy to supply you with travel packages, vintage bottles of wine, jewelry, and other high-value items—helping you prioritize environmental sustainability and keep costs down.

3. Host sustainable fundraising events.

Events, in general, generate a lot of waste. Offset this waste by hosting environmentally friendly fundraising events that sustainably boost revenue for your nonprofit. Here are a few ideas for you to get started:

• Shoe drive fundraisers. According to Funds2Orgs, shoe drive fundraisers are sustainable and incredibly profitable. Your nonprofit will partner with a fundraising provider. Then, you’ll collect pairs of gently worn, used and new shoes from your community. At the end of the fundraiser, you’ll send these shoes to the fundraising provider, and they’ll send you a check that you can put toward your mission!
• Walk-a-thons. Walking is the more sustainable alternative to driving, and a walk-a-thon is the perfect way to encourage community members to do that. In a walk-a-thon, supporters will receive pledges from their friends and family based on the duration or distance they walk (for example, $5 per mile). During the fundraiser, they’ll earn money every time they walk! Plus, you can boost profitability with extra fundraising ideas, such as a T-shirt sale or a kid’s face painting booth.
• Secondhand shop. This fundraising idea can be broken into two parts. In the first part, you’ll ask your nonprofit’s community to donate unwanted items in good condition to be part of your sale. It can include clothing, home decor, and other sought-after items. In the second part of this event, you’ll organize a secondhand shop where community members can come in and purchase these items at affordable prices.

These are just a few sustainable fundraising ideas. You can also get creative and adapt existing events to have a sustainable twist. For example, your next gala theme might be “zero-waste.” You can decorate using thrifted decor and cater the event using locally sourced food.

In addition to choosing a sustainable event format, you can incorporate other sustainability practices. For instance, send out digital event invitations to save paper, encourage carpooling to your event to lower emissions, and partner with eco-conscious vendors and sponsors.

4. Advocate for sustainability in your community.

If you want to take environmental sustainability a step further, use your nonprofit’s platform to advocate for sustainability in your community. Even if your nonprofit’s mission isn’t directly about the environment, raising awareness of climate change is still essential. After all, we only have one planet—and everyone must do their part to protect it.

You can start your advocacy small. While your goal might be to inspire change, you must begin by raising awareness. Bring these topics to the forefront of your supporters’ minds. Use your existing marketing channels to elevate climate change and sustainability discussions, just as you would use them to advertise your nonprofit’s mission. Send email newsletters about Earth Day, your sustainability initiatives, and actions your supporters can take to live more eco-friendly lives.

Once you can take on more advocacy activities, explore DNL Omnimedia’s guide to nonprofit advocacy to learn more about how you can help protect our planet. This might include forming coalitions with other organizations, lobbying legislators, and engaging in litigation to challenge unjust or unfair environmental policies or practices.

Prioritizing environmental sustainability has benefits for nonprofits beyond saving the Earth. When supporters see your commitment to sustainability and desire to be a responsible steward of the planet, they’ll feel a greater appreciation for your work. They’ll see your organization as more trustworthy, helping you retain and acquire new supporters for your mission.