This article shares a handful of suggestions for how to effectively promote matching gifts to your donors. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but these are ideas we’ve seen work well for many of our clients across different types of organizations
Why do we need to market matching gifts?
Donors often don’t submit match requests for one reason: They don’t know their employer offers such a program. In turn, nonprofits miss out on these opportunities:
- More than 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
- More than 78% of match-eligible donors are not informed of the opportunity by their employers.
- An additional 16% know their company matches but are unsure if they qualify or how to submit a request.
Before the Donation: Build Awareness
1. Ensure your Double the Donation Matching Module is fully set up
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You are fully set up once you have completed the following steps: |
Why is this important? |
| Integrated your donation platform(s) and/or CRM with the matching module |
Passing in at least 90% of your individual donations (both online and offline) ensures you’re able to capture all the matching gift opportunities in your donor base. |
| Enabled the automated outreach (At least 2 Match Eligible and 1 Identification in Progress email) |
Proactively reminds donors about their eligibility and introduces the concept of matching gifts through an automated process. |
| Configured email sending so that all matching gift emails come from your organization’s domain |
Improves open & click rates through familiarity and reduces the chance that your email ends up in the junk folder. |
| Added our plugin to a matching gift page on your website |
Allows you to fully customize the page and improve the donor experience by minimizing confusion. |
2. Provide easy access to matching gift information on your website
- Make matching gift information easy to find. Provide easy visibility and spark curiosity from donors who are unfamiliar with the concept. This signifies the importance of matching gifts in your fundraising.
You can add your matching gift page to the navigation bar and mention it on your “Ways to Give” page.
- BONUS: Share video content about Matching Gifts. Check out the free materials available on your account (Resources → Marketing Assets)
(Read: Top Strategies for Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website)
3. Train your team members on matching gifts
- Share the Matching Gift Academy for a comprehensive view of matching gifts. Grab the free coupon code on your DTD account (Resources → Matching Gift Academy)
- Join our free daily training webinars on a range of different topics to learn about your Double the Donation account.
- Have your fundraising officers/development team members promote matching gifts on their email signatures.
This could include the link to your matching gift page and some promotional material about matching gifts!
4. Proactively mention matching gifts in your communications
- Bridge the knowledge gap and make the messaging more cohesive by also promoting matching gifts on blog posts, newsletters, etc.
- Grab some examples from your Double the Donation account when you go to Resources → Marketing Assets
- Explain matching gifts in simple, donor-friendly terms!
- Share how easy the process is by providing step-by-step guides
- Highlight the potential to double or triple impact
- Address common questions (see our FAQ section here)
- Explore different messaging from “get your gift matched” to “make an additional gift by filling out this paperwork.”
- Consider your timing
- Mention matching gift deadlines in your communication
- Leverage the first 24 hours after donors make their gifts. Provide information while they’re still in their giving mindset.
- Explore start/end-of-year reminders about matching gift deadlines. (Read: End of Year Automated Outreach)
- Engage donors with Social proof by highlighting previous donors who have done the process before
- Samples: Match Like Megan and A Perfect Match — in More Ways than One by Lehigh University
- Similarly, mention companies that have matched to your cause before. Check out your Leading Companies report to see the companies that are usually selected by your donor base
- Engage board members in promoting, using it as a stewardship touch point
- Include information on event Save the Dates
- Utilize QR codes if providing physical hand-outs
- Talk about matching gifts before and after an event to ensure it is top-of-mind for donors
5. Explore other channels of communication
- It’s important to be consistent in your promotions. Educate your donors about matching gifts by sharing resources through social media posts, text messages, etc.
(Check out this sample LinkedIn post from United Cerebral Palsy)
During the Donation: Streamline the Process
1. Collect employer information within the donation form
- Add our matching gift search tool on your donation form so we can identify your donors’ eligibility and provide specific information on their company’s matching gift program.
- Contextualize why you’re asking for employer information.
Example Content from Marketing Matching Gifts in the Donation Process
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“Please enter your employing company’s name to determine your eligibility for a corporate matching gift.”
- “Does your employer offer a matching gift program? Enter your company name below—if your company does match, you’ll receive more information via email.”
2. Market matching gifts on your thank you/confirmation screen
- Share some visual aids by accessing our free matching gift graphics and other customizable templates under Resources → Marketing Assets.
- Embed our matching gift plugin directly on your donation confirmation screen to provide donors with easy access to company guidelines and forms.
3. Add a P.S. on your acknowledgement/tax receipts
- Let your donors know to expect matching gift instructions via email by adding a short heads-up on your acknowledgement receipts. This makes matching feel like a natural next step in the donation process.
4. Make sure to customize your automated outreach
- Customize the automated emails with your organization’s branding and messaging to keep the experience consistent and familiar for donors.
- Ensure the logo is properly positioned, and explore adding your own matching gift banner. Feel free to use our Canva templates under the Resources → Marketing Assets tab.
- Keep the message concise and direct to the point.
- Regularly update email language to align with your current campaigns and marketing messages to make sure communication is timely and fresh!
After the Donation: Follow-up
1. Follow up with top opportunities
- Make sure to look into the different reports in your account regularly to identify opportunities.
- Remind eligible donors about their company’s matching gift program and proactively offer to assist with the process.
- Utilize the Eligible But Not Submitted report to see the list of opportunities in your donors and follow up accordingly. You can also export this list to share with your fundraising officers who might be in contact with these donors.
- Follow up through our manual outreach to keep the tracking functionality. You can choose from a wide range of default templates or create a custom template from scratch.
- Specify messaging by sending company-specific emails to donors through our Leading Companies report
- Especially for high-value donors, mention their company’s maximum match amount and use it as an upsell strategy!
- Send post-donation texts asking people to get their gift matched
2. Leverage direct mailing
- For direct mail, add a QR code that redirects to your dedicated matching gift page, and add a step-by-step guide for submitting a request
3. Incentivize matching gift submissions
- Encourage donors to complete their matching gift requests by offering a small, fun thank you present like double-stuffed Oreos or Doublemint gum for doubling impact.
4. Look into one-off matching gift programs
- Partner with corporations to run an exclusive matching gift program for your organization.
- Add this unique program to your donors’ search results by going to Manage Programs in your Double the Donation account under Settings.