This article highlights the key features of the Double the Donation workplace giving company program search tool that help your donors participate in these programs.
Double the Donation maintains a database of more than 24,000 workplace giving programs, including matching gift programs, various types of volunteer programs, and more (learn more about the database here!).
But how does your organization ensure that donors can take advantage of the instructions, links, and guidelines in that extensive database? It's easy: Embed the Double the Donation company program search tool on your website, and let us do the rest.
In this article, we'll review the key features of the Double the Donation company program search tool that help donors discover and participate in the workplace giving programs that can mean so much for your organization.
But first! Learn now to embed the plugin on your website. Not sure where it should live? Follow our guide to create a dedicated matching gift page or a dedicated volunteer page, and make sure you're integrated with any fundraising platforms your organization uses (view the full list of available integrations here!).
Types of Programs
Corporate social responsibility takes many forms. We want to ensure that no matter what type of workplace giving opportunity is available to a particular donor, the company program search tool will be able to inform them about it.
Information about these types of workplace giving programs is currently available to donors through the search tool:
- Corporate matching gift programs
- Volunteer paid time off (PVTO) programs
- Volunteer grant programs (also often known as "Dollars for Doers" programs)
The company search plugin can display information about all these available program types to donors. By default, the most valuable or relevant opportunity is presented to the donor at any time. Your organization also has the option to highlight specific types of workplace giving programs in plugin results by embedding different plugin code. To highlight matching gifts first, use the embed code in the matching module; to highlight volunteer programs first on your volunteering page, use the embed code in the volunteer module.
Types of Program Information
Once a donor has identified which workplace giving programs their company offers, it's time to review the details of those programs. Double the Donation maintains the most extensive, most detailed workplace giving program database to ensure that whatever an employee needs to participate in a given program, they have it. All of these details appear in the company program search plugin when the donor's company is selected.
A few key data points can be found below (certainly not an exhaustive list!):
- URLs to submit required paperwork for matching gifts, volunteer grants, and more
- PDFs of program guidelines
- Links to important program information on company websites
- Employee eligibility guidelines to help donors determine their ability to participate in programs
- For matching gift programs: Maximums, minimums, submission deadlines, and much more information about exactly which donations are eligible to be matched and how
- For volunteer programs: Available hours, submission instructions, and more details about how to turn volunteering into additional company support for your organization
The Double the Donation Database Team works tirelessly to ensure our database is up-to-date. See something that could be updated? Let us know here!
Workflows
Double the Donation doesn't just present your supporters with information about their available workplace giving programs. As you can see from the extensive list of data points available, it can be overwhelming for your supporters to sift through all the detailed program information in the Double the Donation database. Instead, the plugin actively guides your supporters through the more relevant next steps for them at this time.
Here are just a few examples of workflows your supporters could interact with when using the Double the Donation workplace giving program search plugin:
- A donor has just completed their donation and encounters the plugin on the confirmation page of your donation form. Their company offers a matching gift program -- and better yet, their company has streamlined the matching gift request process using Double the Donation's auto-submission program. In this case, the donor would simply be asked to provide any additional information needed for the matching gift request (such as their work email address or how much of their remaining matching balance they would like to apply to this request), then submit their match. No logging into a separate system, re-entering information about the donation they just made, or reading extensive program instructions. Just a few fields and a "Submit" button. Easy as that!
- A potential volunteer navigates to the "Support Us By Volunteering" page on your website, encountering the plugin there. They search for their company's name. The search results first inform them that their company has a volunteer PTO program. Congrats! This is the most impactful workplace giving opportunity available to this particular supporter at this particular time, when they're actively searching for volunteer opportunities on your website.
- A small business owner is browsing your website and encounters your "Ways to Give" page. Intrigued by the section about corporate philanthropy, they type the name of their company into the plugin. The plugin lets them know that there is currently no workplace giving program on file for that particular company, but it's easy to get started with the handy materials provided. The business owner takes a few minutes to review the materials, then decides they want to start a matching gift program to benefit your organization.
The goal of the plugin workflows is simple: Make it easy and obvious for anyone interacting with the plugin to take the most valuable next step for your organization, no matter where they find the plugin.
Streamlined, Context-Aware Design
We know how important it is to present a smooth experience to your supporters. How else will you ensure that they stay engaged throughout the workplace giving process?
Here at Double the Donation, we've heavily invested in the user experience of our company search plugin. In particular:
- We hold a VPAT and regularly renew it (learn more here), holding our donor-facing tools to the highest level of web accessibility standards.
- We understand that donors engage with the plugin everywhere -- from desktops to phones, from full-width websites to sleek, modal donation forms. The plugin is responsive to account for containers of all shapes and sizes.
- Though there is a wealth of workplace giving information available for the companies in our database, we keep the donor focused on the best opportunity at the time. The plugin highlights action items and allows donors to expand more information from the default streamlined view if they need more. Keeping things simple keeps donors focused and more likely to complete their most valuable action.
- Your organization can apply custom styling to the plugin to better align with your organization's branding (some instructions for that here).
With this investment in user experience, we ensure your organization sees the most benefit from every supporter that interacts with the plugin.
Real-Time Updates in Double the Donation
When your supporters interact with the company program search plugin, related insights are reflected in your Double the Donation account. Your organization can track which donors searched for which companies, whether they completed the autosubmission process, which links they clicked, etc. This full picture of plugin interactions can then inform your organization's communication strategy, making sure the right donors get the right follow-up information to encourage them to complete their workplace giving process.