The #1 cause why donors don’t submit matching reward requests is that they don’t know their employers provide such applications. Company giving is usually a important income for nonprofits, and selling these engagement alternatives to donors can considerably improve your giving income. That’s why an increasing number of organizations like yours are crafting methods to drive this funding supply—together with advertising and marketing matching items in your digital communications.
Actually, research present that mentioning matching items in fundraising appeals ends in a 71% improve in response price and a 51% improve within the common donation quantity. Not solely do matching reward applications double particular person donations, however additionally they encourage extra donors to present within the first place and to extend their unique contribution. In the long run, that makes the matched reward bigger, too!
On this information, we’ll focus on just a few of probably the most impactful and environment friendly methods to tell donors about gift-matching applications by using digital communications. These usually embrace:
Incorporating company giving into your digital outreach technique can put you on the trail to reaching your fundraising objectives in a fraction of the time. Let’s get began!
Advertising Matching Items With Electronic mail Signatures
Chances are high that your group sends a ton of emails—together with fundraising messages, mission-related content material, and extra. However do you know that each message you ship may be a chance to advertise matching items? Simply use your e mail signature!
An e mail signature usually consists of a person’s private contact particulars, nonprofit data, and even a related picture or group emblem—however it’s additionally an awesome place to advertise matching items.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items along with your e mail signatures embrace:
- Modifying the e-mail signatures for everybody in your membership and/or growth groups to advertise matching items.
- Linking to extra assets to which recipients can navigate to be taught extra about matching reward alternatives (akin to your devoted matching reward web page in your web site).
A easy blurb or a flashy graphic about company giving can improve consciousness and be the wanted push for donors to take a fast 5 minutes to submit matching reward requests. It’s one of many best and most cost-effective methods to advertise matching items year-round.
Instance Content material:
- “Your donation could also be eligible for an identical reward out of your employer. Discover out at catrescueclub.com/matching-gifts/.”
- “Your membership contribution could also be eligible for an identical reward out of your employer. Discover out at doublethedonation.com/CRC/.”
Advertising Matching Items With Emails
Electronic mail outreach is an important part of digital communications and general fundraising. Electronic mail offers instantaneous outreach to donors, so you’ll be able to basically say, “Hello. What’s up? Have you considered matching items at the moment?” Then, individuals can reply (or request their match!) simply as shortly.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items along with your e mail streams embrace:
- Embedding a textual content hyperlink and a visible graphic inside your e mail, directing readers to your matching reward web page.
- Encouraging supporters to carry out a search to see if their firm matches donations and entry the suitable varieties, pointers, and directions.
Snail mail merely can not maintain tempo, and at $0.55 a stamp, why would you pay to sluggish issues down?
A profitable e mail advertising and marketing technique hinges on a well-paced, regular procession of the proper strikes moderately than a reckless bombardment of emails. With sufficient house to write down a fast blurb and/or hyperlink to a full-length article, e mail messages are an awesome place to teach donors about matching items.
Understand that an e mail or digital e-newsletter devoted to matching items is probably going going to be the best technique. Nonetheless, incorporating matching items in a bigger e mail useful resource can work effectively, too. Loyal donors will probably learn your common emails, so it’s place to offer in-depth details about the advantages of company giving.
Instance Content material:
- “Do you’re employed for a match-maker? Immediately discover out in case your employer will double and even triple your donation to the Nationwide Kidney Basis with a fast search of our on-line database!”
- “Hundreds of firms will match donations made by their staff members, retirees, and even worker spouses. Search now to entry your employer’s matching reward varieties and full the easy, minutes-long course of to drive extra help towards our trigger.”
Advertising Matching Items With Prewritten Articles
Organizations typically use on-line blogs to maintain supporters up to date on their efforts and inform the nonprofit’s story. Why not additionally make the most of your weblog to share methods for donors to double their donations, enabling your staff to maintain telling that story?
Weblog articles are a good way to begin the dialog about company philanthropy, particularly the function that particular person donors can play. Think about telling in-depth tales in regards to the significance of matching items whereas educating individuals on how you can submit the required varieties.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items along with your prewritten articles embrace:
- Posting insightful tales about matching items and the results the applications can carry your group’s mission.
- Incorporating a graphic that advertises matching items on the aspect of a weblog submit to assist improve consciousness.
Many donors have by no means heard of matching reward and volunteer grant applications, so it’s necessary to tell your supporters in regards to the alternatives. And to be able to evoke emotion and drive extra donors to take part, we advocate fastidiously demonstrating the elevated influence that company giving can have.
Instance Content material:
- “Cat Rescue Membership raises $200,000 from Matching Items and Saves 10,000 Further Furry Associates!”
- Use this text matter to element how matching items present extra assets that may create alternatives that will in any other case not be doable. Make the story private and relatable so donors notice the significance of taking a mere 5 minutes to submit an identical reward request.
- “Company Worker Matching Present Packages: What Are They and How Do They Profit Atlanta College?”
- Use this text matter to tell donors about matching reward fundamentals, from what matching items are to how they profit your group to how simple it’s to submit an identical reward request. Typically individuals simply have to know that such applications exist!
Advertising Matching Items With Social Media
Folks flock to social media to find the web’s finest content material. Although you don’t want to provide viral posts day by day, you do want to offer compelling and interesting data on a constant foundation. And a number of the most impactful content material you’ll be able to share has to do with company gift-matching alternatives!
There are practically as many social media shops as there are stars within the universe, so it’s finest to concentrate on actually optimizing your technique on only a few websites. Relying in your group and its typical donor base, this may embrace Fb, Twitter, LinkedIn, and extra. Whatever the platforms you select, every networking web site requires a nuanced method to get your data on the market and finest interact along with your viewers.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items along with your social media platforms embrace:
- Sharing academic assets about matching reward applications and the businesses that provide them.
- Partaking your digitally savvy donors and volunteers and inspiring them to submit matching items.
- Scheduling messages on a recurring foundation as a method to attraction to supporters with out asking for a further donation.
Whether or not or not you use a matching reward service, a easy tweet, Fb submit, or LinkedIn article can unfold the phrase about these applications to 1000’s of donors.
Social media websites like these provide a good way to maintain individuals up-to-date in your nonprofit’s campaigns, inform your viewers about matching reward alternatives, and encourage donors to look into the method. Simply you should definitely embrace a direct hyperlink to a location the place customers can uncover extra data and the following steps!
Instance Content material:
- “It takes only a few minutes to submit a company worker matching reward type…have you ever submitted yours?”
- “What do Microsoft, Financial institution of America, IBM, and Verizon all have in frequent? Every one matches donations made by their workers to nonprofit organizations. Many main employers provide related worker matching reward applications. Search atlantauniversity.edu/employer-matching-gifts/ to seek out out in case your employer provides one thing like this, in addition to to entry program pointers, how-to directions, and related varieties.”
Advertising Matching Items With SMS Outreach
One other type of digital communication that’s changing into more and more in style amongst nonprofits and their donors is texting. Actually, research present that SMS advertising and marketing experiences common open and response charges of 98% and 45%, respectively. Consequently, textual content messaging, or SMS, is usually a unbelievable method to attain donors shortly and affordably utilizing direct advertising and marketing methods.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items with SMS communications embrace:
- Automating your group’s outgoing textual content messaging efforts to donors recognized as matching reward eligible.
- Retaining your texts quick and candy to get your message throughout shortly (usually 1,000 characters or much less).
- Using personalizable SMS templates and customizing names, donation quantities, using firms, and extra.
Fortunately, there are a variety of tech options designed to streamline and simplify the processes concerned with mass, pre-scheduled textual content messaging. For instance, Double the Donation makes use of programmable communications firm, Twilio to supply automated matching reward textual content advertising and marketing providers for its enterprise purchasers.
Instance Content material:
- “David, thanks on your beneficiant donation of $200 to the Cat Rescue Membership. Do you know that your reward is probably going eligible for a company match from Johnson & Johnson? View your employer’s matching reward pointers and varieties right here!”
- “Have you ever submitted your matching reward request on your most up-to-date contribution? Get your donation doubled and improve the influence delivered to Atlanta College.”
Advertising Matching Items With Begin / Finish-of-Yr Reminders
Matchable donations have restricted lifespans, so you might want to promote matching items to eligible donors earlier than the clock runs. In different phrases, a supporter can’t donate in 2018 and submit an identical reward request for that donation in 2022.
Though program specifics differ by firm, most companies adhere to one of many following varieties of requirements for matching reward submission deadlines:
- A set variety of months from the date of the donation (the usual is one 12 months, although it could actually vary from one to 12 months)
- The top of the calendar 12 months
- The top of January or February within the 12 months following when the donation was made
That’s why year-end and new-year appeals may be such a good way to remind donors about impending matching reward deadlines.
Finest practices for advertising and marketing matching items along with your begin or end-of-year reminders embrace:
- Offering context about matching reward applications and the significance of submitting matching reward requests earlier than it’s too late.
- Stressing that beforehand made donations are sometimes eligible to be matched for as much as a 12 months after being submitted.
- Ramping up your matching reward advertising and marketing efforts with elevated communications throughout the year-end giving season.
- Using social media as a good way to unfold the phrase to your supporters and attain the widest audiences doable.
- Optimizing communications by staying up-to-date in your donors’ employers and their particular deadline necessities.
Whilst you ought to definitely be encouraging donors to submit matching reward requests on the time of the donation, many firms have an prolonged grace interval. The top/begin of every new 12 months is a unbelievable alternative to remind all donors that there should be time to submit an identical reward.
Don’t miss out on a last probability to double donations from the 12 months!
Instance Content material:
- “Did you donate to us this 12 months? There’s nonetheless time to submit an identical reward request out of your employer—submit your match right here earlier than the top of the 12 months!”
- “Many matching reward firms provide a several-month grace interval within the 12 months following the 12 months a donation was made. Now, many deadlines are shortly approaching on the finish of January and February! Learn how to entry your employer’s pointers and full your match request right here.”
Nonprofits want each greenback they will seize, and matching items are an efficient method to improve fundraising with out demanding an excessive amount of out of donors. Step one is just making donors conscious of the alternatives—and probably the greatest methods to take action is by advertising and marketing matching items in your digital communications.
Whether or not you promote matching reward alternatives in your on-line newsletters, social media posts, or emails (or a mixture of the entire above), digital outreach means that you can showcase matching items in a easy and inexpensive but nonetheless efficient manner.
Prepare to maximise your matching reward funding! Discover our different advised academic assets on the subject beneath:
