Bright Funds’ database of 9.6 million nonprofits gives employees access to support virtually any organization they can imagine. The challenge? Knowing where to start.
Our new AI-powered Discover Causes tool solves this problem. Employees can share the causes that matter to them, in a few of their own words, and we’ll surface relevant organizations doing fantastic work, tailored to their interests. Even better, these personalized nonprofit options appear right on their homepage and refresh frequently, so employees can discover meaningful nonprofits every time they log in.
How does Discover Causes work?
Sometimes, donors know they care about a cause, but are unfamiliar with nonprofits doing the work for the cause they’d like to support.
Our Discover Causes tool is the answer to connecting employees to those organizations. Instead of scrolling through long lists or having to jump into a search engine to attempt a keyword search (taking them away from the donation flow, and lessening the likelihood they give at all), we brought a sophisticated yet simple tool directly into Bright Funds.
It’s super easy to take advantage of. Employees simply select causes they care about, and explain in a few words why they matter to them. Our tool then uses Large Language Models to search nonprofit mission statements, and connect employees with organizations that align with their values.
It transcends exact word matching. For instance, if someone says they're passionate about "helping kids access technology," the tool understands the intent and connects them with organizations working on programs that could include digital equity, STEM education, or youth development. Each employee gets a completely unique set of nonprofit organizations based on their personal interests and location.
The result: Employees see nonprofits that speak to them personally right on their homepage—no searching, no feeling overwhelmed, just relevant organizations ready for their support.
Easy setup
Getting started with our Discover Causes tool is simple and straightforward. It is built directly into the product to provide immediate value without additional integrations.
Employees opt in by:
Sharing causes they care about
Answering why these causes matter to them
Adding an optional location filter
Once they've provided this information, the system automatically surfaces relevant organizations specific to each individual employee on their homepage, making it easy to engage.
Employees can update their interests anytime, and the system immediately adapts to this new information. And if someone prefers not to participate? No problem. Discover Causes only uses information that employees proactively provide (we don't crawl their accounts or collect any personally identifiable information).
Continuous engagement
One of the most common challenges in CSR initiatives is maintaining momentum beyond specific company promoted campaigns. Too often, platforms fail to keep the experience fresh when there isn’t a specific fundraiser or volunteer event happening, leading to a decrease in engagement.
Our Discover Causes tool works continuously to address this head-on by always working to find and share relevant charities for employees. It continuously searches for and surfaces new organizations that match employee interests, so there are always fresh opportunities to explore and support.
This ongoing discovery means employees can return to their homepage regularly and find new nonprofits that align with their values, keeping their giving experience engaging and personal.
Why it matters
Discover Causes is just the latest way the Bright Funds platform is evolving to help you meet your CSR goals. The impact for your program is tangible:
Increased participation: By removing friction from nonprofit discovery, employees are much more likely to participate and contribute to your CSR initiatives.
Enhanced satisfaction: Personalized nonprofit options create a more engaging experience, leading to stronger employee sentiment toward company programs.
Measurable ROI: Higher participation rates translate into stronger corporate social impact and improved employee engagement metrics that support ongoing CSR initiatives and help you grow your budget for next year.
Learn more about AI at Submittable.
Connects employees to what matters
With the launch of Discover Causes, we redesigned the homepage with engagement in mind. Relevant content is now front-and-center for employees, including clear calls-to-action, prominent space to showcase your company's CSR mission and programs, and nonprofits surfaced by Discover Causes get their own dedicated section for a more personalized experience.
Administrators can customize banners at the top of the page to highlight key CSR programs. Banners are easy to create in settings and can be scheduled in advance—so you can line up Earth Month, Pride, Giving Tuesday, and more in one go, and they’ll appear and disappear automatically on your chosen dates. Admins now have prime real estate at the top of the homepage to share the most important content, which makes it easier for employees to engage.
The result is a homepage that actively supports employees in their giving journey. When employees log into Bright Funds, they're greeted with an engaging, tailored experience that removes barriers to participation and clearly highlights their company’s social impact programs. Whether they're looking to discover new nonprofits, donate to causes they care about, or join company-wide initiatives, everything they need is right at their fingertips.
This isn't just a visual refresh, it's a strategic redesign that makes meaningful action the path of least resistance for your employees.
Check out Discover Causes and the new Homepage
Log in now to discover causes that matter, right from your homepage.
Madi is Submittable's Sr. Product Marketer focused on CSR and the Corporate audience. She helped run social impact programs during her time at Lyft and Snap! Mobile, and is now working to create the technology that those companies can use to accelerate their community impact and employee engagement work.
