5 Ways to Encourage Donors to Submit Matching Gifts
As a nonprofit fundraiser, you’re always looking for new ways to boost generosity and make the most of philanthropic efforts. If you’re not already, corporate matching gifts are one of the most impactful ways to do so.
Matching gifts occur when companies financially match donations made by their employees to eligible nonprofit causes. For the nonprofit, it’s essentially a two-for-one sale.
However, research on matching gifts by Double the Donation shows that these types of corporate giving programs are significantly underutilized, often leaving $4 to $7 billion in corporate matching funds on the table each year. This is largely due to a lack of awareness—leaving you, as the nonprofit, with a critical marketing need. You must inform donors of these programs and motivate them to submit matching gift requests to their employers.
Let’s discuss how to do so using five powerful channels that your marketing team is likely already familiar with:
Your online donation page
Nonprofit website
Email
Social media
Direct mail
When you incorporate matching gifts in your fundraising strategies, you ensure that your team is equipped to make the most of each donation you receive.
Ready to learn more about leveraging corporate gifts and encouraging donors to submit their requests? Let’s dive in.
1. Your online donation page
One of the best places to reach supporters with your matching gift appeals is directly within your online donation page. After all, the fact that they’re already on this page means that they care about and are interested in supporting your cause.
When promoting matching gifts on your donation page, consider these best practices:
Ask donors to specify the company they work for with an optional field during the donation process.
Incorporate an easy-to-use employer search tool in your integrated online donation form.
Provide an additional matching gift touchpoint on the donation confirmation screen.
Your online donation page is typically the point in the donor journey where donor engagement levels are the highest. As a result, supporters will be more likely to pursue the next steps while working off of that initial giving momentum.
2. Nonprofit website
Your nonprofit website is a powerful resource for supporters looking to learn more about your organization, get involved, and make donations. It’s also a fantastic marketing tool to get the word out about matching gifts.
To do so in the most effective way possible, we suggest these tried-and-true promotional tips:
Create a dedicated matching gift fundraising page.
Add information about matching gifts to your campaign pages and “ways to give” page.
Embed a searchable company database in multiple prominent locations and menus.
It’s important that you optimize your website for matching gift information as you’ll be linking back to these matching gift-related pages in other outreach strategies such as email and social media.
3. Email
You likely already send donors a number of different follow-up communications via email after their initial gifts—such as donation receipts, gift acknowledgments, and more. Use this powerful channel to drive matching gifts by incorporating matching gift emails in your strategy as well.
When it comes to email outreach, here are a few impactful tips to drive your matching gift response rates:
Follow up within two to three days following the donor’s initial gift.
Link back to additional resources on your website (such as your dedicated matching gift page).
Communicate appreciation for the gift that was already made while sharing the opportunity to make an even larger impact.
To save time and effort, you can even automate your follow-up emails by working with a matching gift automation tool. This way, tailored and personalized emails can be triggered when individuals give, ensuring they receive company-specific information about giving programs their donations are eligible for through their employer.
4. Social media
Social media is one of the most impactful channels for all sorts of communication and outreach with supporters, so it makes sense to highlight corporate matching gift programs in this way. We suggest following these tips to ensure your social strategies are maximizing impact:
Tailor your content to each specific platform to make the most of your imagery and text.
Include links to additional online resources to simplify donation and match conversions.
Encourage supporters to interact with and share your posts.
Many organizations have built decently-sized followings on various social media platforms, which makes it a fantastic choice for sharing general matching gift information with an expansive network. Some of your followers have surely given to your mission already, while others likely haven’t. By sharing matching gift content far and wide, you can reach individuals on all sides of the spectrum and inform supporters of the power and impact of matching gifts.
Plus, when supporters share your content with their personal networks, they help your posts reach new audiences and potentially secure new donors for your cause.
5. Direct mail
Finally, direct mail is a long-established marketing tool to consider as you craft your matching gift marketing strategy. In the right situations, direct mailings can offer a personal touch and assist organizations that aim to break through the digital clutter.
These tips can help you make the most of direct mail marketing strategies for matching gifts:
Choose your format (letter, postcard, full-size package) carefully.
Personalize the content of your mailing to address the donor by name and acknowledge their specific employer.
Make it easy for donors to find more information (such as with a scannable QR code or easy-to-type URL).
Since direct mail is a higher-cost form of outreach, you might want to reserve this channel for your highest-value donors. For example, sending matching gift letters to donors whose mid-sized or major gifts you already know are likely eligible for a match.
Driving matching gifts effectively boils down to having the right tools to streamline the process. Once you’re equipped with innovative corporate giving software, you’ll be ready to promote matching gifts at every communications avenue—but especially within your donation forms, email messaging, nonprofit website, social media posts, and direct mailings. Good luck!