Should we place the streamlined search tool on our donation form?

This article explains why Double the Donation recommends embedding the streamlined search tool onto your donation form.

Some organizations wonder whether they should place our streamlined search tool on their donation form. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Placing the search tool on your donation form increases the utilization of the tool.

2. Donors are more likely to utilize the search tool on your donation form as an optional field. (Do not make it mandatory and do not ask for an employer email address)

• Adding the search tool as an optional field increases the number of donors that provide company information and thus can have their matching eligibility determined. 

3. Capturing employer information during the donation process prompts our system to immediately provide the relevant matching gift information on the confirmation screen so that donors have easy access to the forms they need. 

4. On the donation form, our search tool converts to a freeform text field when no matching gift company name is detected. Therefore donors are not interrupted by any "no match found" notifications. 

5. Adding our streamlined search tool as a field on your donation form should not negatively affect donation conversion rates.

One of the biggest benefits of adding our streamlined search tool to the actual donation form is that you make it a step that every online donor thinks about as they go through the donation process. Most donors read every field and will pause to search if their company will match their donation and access the information they need to do so.

Here is an example of how our streamlined search tool fits seamlessly into a donation form: 

Decided not to place the search tool on your donation form? 

• Some organizations choose to leave the search tool off of their donation form and rely on capturing donor information on the confirmation screen. However, utilization of our matching gift search tool on a confirmation screen will be lower than if it's placed on a donation form. 

• Organizations that rely on capturing donors’ company information on the confirmation screen see a higher percentage of donors in an Unknown Employer status