Adam Weinger
If your nonprofit has corporate matching gift programs, make sure donors employed at those businesses know about it. Adam Weinger of Double the Donation is back with some ideas on how to help your donors check with their employers to see if their employer will match their gift. ~Kivi
“Congratulations! You’ve just received a donation from Joe Schmoe!”
This is undoubtedly a fundraising professional’s favorite thing to read. Let’s celebrate for a second, and then let’s think: after your nonprofit gets the donation, are you also encouraging the donor (while it’s still fresh in their mind) to check with their employer about a matching gift program? There are a variety of ways to market corporate giving programs to your donors, including making some simple modifications to your nonprofit’s donations pages.
We previously wrote about ways to market matching gift programs to your donors, including a blurb about modifying your nonprofit’s donation pages. Here, we go further in-depth about these modifications, including examples from other nonprofits that have already adopted these marketing tools!
Ways-to-Give Pages
Your nonprofit likely has a website section titled “Ways to Give,” or something comparable. If an individual has found himself or herself on this page, they are likely seeking out ways to directly support your organization. This is an excellent location to promote corporate giving programs (including matching gifts and volunteer grants) to your potential donors.
Here are some examples of “Ways to Give” pages that nonprofit organizations have modified to include information about matching gifts:
Friends of Firefighters
Friends of Firefighters has a variety of ways potential funders can make a donation, including a link that allows them an easy way to check if their employer will match the donation.
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts took a more artistic approach and used a colorful banner that matches the scheme of the “Ways to Give” page, enticing their potential donors to find matching gift opportunities.
Donation Pages
If an individual is already on your organization’s donation page, then chances are high that he or she will take the additional few minutes to explore matching gift opportunities – you just have to provide them with the easiest path there!
Take a look at the Autism Speaks donation page:
They have included a blurb about matching gift information directly on the donation page, prompting a donor to include their company’s name and how much the company will match. If you make it as simple as possible – and impossible to ignore – the chances are exponentially increased that your donor will follow through with a match request.
Confirmation Screens
At this point, an individual has already donated, so you’re half way there! When the “Thank you for your support!” page pops up, include your typical wording, and then highlight just how easy it could be for them to double their donation by checking to see if their employer offers a matching gift. At this point, an image (visuals are always good!) or a link taking them directly to an employer’s electronic matching gift submission page is the best way to do that.
Here is an example of a modified thank you page from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy:
Acknowledgment Letters and Emails
Again, an individual who has already made a donation to your organization (or has become a paying member) has demonstrated just how passionate about your nonprofit they are. Make sure you use every opportunity to highlight matching gifts, including in the acknowledgement emails and letters you send out after a donation. Because these documents tend to be kept for tax-related purposes, it’s a well-timed opportunity to ask them for five more minutes of their time to check if their employer offers a corporate giving program.
Suggested text to include in the letter/email:
“Did you know that many corporations offer employee giving programs where donations to **insert your organization’s name** are matched? Click here to access details and matching gift forms for your employer!”
OR
“Did you know that the tax-deductible component of your membership with **insert your organization’s name** might be eligible for a corporate match? Click here to access details and forms for your employer!”
Promoting corporate giving programs is as easy as some simple modifications to your donation pages – make sure your nonprofit is maximizing matching gift opportunities to the best of its ability. After all, you could be doubling your donations!
Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, a company providing matching gift and volunteer grant tools to nonprofits. Connect with Adam on LinkedIn or follow Double the Donation on Twitter.
