How ApproveThis + Rally Corp Cuts Approval Chaos for Nonprofits & Impact Teams

Let’s cut through the noise: approval processes suck. Especially when you’re trying to change the world. Between verifying donor details, greenlighting campaign spends, and coordinating volunteers, most impact-driven teams waste hours chasing down signatures instead of doing actual good.

That’s where ApproveThis and Rally Corp come in. We’re about to show you how combining these tools through Zapier turns approval bottlenecks into autopilot workflows – without forcing your board members to learn new software.

Why This Combo Works (When Others Don’t)

Rally Corp specializes in donor/volunteer engagement via text messaging. ApproveThis handles structured decision-making. Together, they solve two critical problems:

Problem 1: Rally tracks relationships but can’t enforce financial controls when launching campaigns.
Problem 2: ApproveThis manages approvals but doesn’t automatically act on decisions in donor systems.

Connect them via Zapier, and you get closed-loop automation that’s actually useful:

• Auto-create approval tasks when Rally flags high-value donors
• Instantly update donor records when ApproveThis gets a decision
• Enforce spending limits before campaigns launch

Real-World Use Cases That Move Needles

We’re not talking about “streamlining synergies.” Here’s exactly how teams use this integration:

1. Donor Vetting at Scale

What breaks: Major gift officers tag promising donors in Rally, but accounting needs to verify tax IDs and giving history before outreach.

The fix: When Rally adds a “Major Donor Prospect” tag, Zapier creates an ApproveThis request with:

• Donor’s giving history
• Proposed ask amount
• Linked documents (tax forms, past interactions)

Why it matters: The American Cancer Society chapter in Ohio reduced donor vetting time from 14 days to 48 hours using this exact flow. Approvers get all context in one email – no logins required.

2. Volunteer Onboarding Without Headaches

What breaks: New volunteers sign up via Rally texts, but HR needs background checks approved before assigning roles.

The fix: Trigger ApproveThis workflows when Rally tags “New Volunteer.” Approval groups get:

- Automatically calculated risk scores (using ApproveThis’ calculated fields) - Conditional routing – high-risk cases go to legal first - Deadline-based escalations if managers don’t respond

Real impact: Habitat for Humanity affiliates cut volunteer onboarding from 3 weeks to 5 days by adding approval thresholds. Bonus: Approvers can delegate tasks during vacations without missing SLAs.

3. Campaign Budget Guardrails

What breaks: Marketing teams create Rally campaigns, but finance can’t track ad spends in real time.

The fix: When Rally starts a new campaign workflow:

- ApproveThis checks proposed budget against fiscal limits - Auto-approves if under $5k (adjustable threshold) - Routes to CFO + compliance team if over limit

Pro tip: Add calculated fields to show remaining quarterly budget in approval emails. No more back-and-forth about available funds.

Setup That Takes Minutes, Not Months

We’ve seen teams overcomplicate this. Here’s the straightforward version:

1. Connect via Zapier: Create your Zap (takes 2 minutes)
2. Map critical fields: Rally tags → ApproveThis request types
3. Set thresholds: “Auto-approve donations under $1k” etc.
4. Test with real data: Use last month’s donor list as dummy input

Pro move: Use ApproveThis’ conditional logic to route high-value donors to different approval chains than recurring givers.

Why Your Team Leads Will Actually Use This

We’ve heard every excuse. Here’s how this combo shuts them down:

For fundraising teams:
No more losing major donors because accounting sat on vetting requests. Approvals happen in donor-time, not bureaucracy-time.

For ops/finance:
Get context directly in approval emails – no hunting through Rally and spreadsheets. Denied requests auto-sync comments back to Rally.

For volunteer coordinators:
Background check statuses update Rally automatically. Send “Approved!” texts through Rally when clear.

The Nuts & Bolts They’ll Care About

We’re not hiding the details behind marketing fluff:

License savings: Approvers only need ApproveThis logins if they’re internal. Board members? They approve via email. No extra Rally seats needed.

Audit trails: Every decision logs to both systems. Try pulling that off with email chains.

Mobile-first: Approve from any device. Rally updates happen even if you’re reviewing requests at a gala.

When to Skip This Integration

We’ll save you time – this isn’t for everyone:

Don’t bother if…
- Your approval processes change daily
- You have under 50 active donors/volunteers
- Leadership refuses to set clear approval rules

Do it now if…
- You’re scaling past 200 supporters
- Compliance keeps you up at night
- Your ED keeps asking “Why wasn’t I consulted?!”

Ready to Stop Chasing Approvals?

This isn’t about software. It’s about getting back to what matters – whether that’s saving wildlife, funding schools, or housing veterans.

Book a 15-minute demo and we’ll show you exactly how to:
1. Connect Rally + ApproveThis in under an hour
2. Automate your 3 most painful approval processes
3. Give time back to program staff (they’ll thank you)

Or start a free trial if you prefer to poke around first. Either way, stop letting approvals slow your impact.