guest post // How to Market Your Nonprofit’s Matching Gifts Program
By Adam Weinger of Double the Donation
Imagine your weekly paycheck is deposited into your account as expected, but you find that you’ve been paid twice the normal amount! Anyone could see this as a positive, but as a nonprofit leader, you especially know the impact of doubled revenue.
That’s why matching gifts are so important to your fundraising efforts. But to get people to check their eligibility and submit match requests to their employers, you’ll first need to market the matching gifts program to donors.
Your nonprofit’s messaging shouldn’t be taken lightly, which is why you need a solid strategy for marketing matching gifts. Let’s explore what that strategy should look like in these easy steps.
#1 Choose the right channels.
Before inviting donors to explore matching gifts, you’ll first need to decide how to reach them. Consider the following channels, which are the most effective for marketing matching gifts.
Matching gift videos
According to Double the Donation, videos can be a powerful tool for marketing matching gift opportunities for two reasons: Viewers love to watch videos and they also retain more information from video messages.
Create a video explaining the background of matching gifts and how donors can submit them. Be sure to highlight the simplicity of matching gifts so donors know how easy it is to submit one! Once your video is complete, embed it on your dedicated matching gift page so anyone can find it when looking for more information about matching gifts.
Email campaigns
Because of its versatility, email is a great platform for promoting anything from fundraising events to mobile giving initiatives to your matching gift campaign—or all of the above! Use digital newsletters to educate supporters about matching gifts and inspire them to give. Include eye-catching elements, like images, videos, and fun fonts, to capture recipients’ attention.
Website
You may have heard it said before that your website is the hub of all your nonprofit’s most important information, which is why matching gifts must receive special attention here! Dedicate a specific page to matching gifts, where donors can learn more about matching gifts and check their eligibility.
Additionally, highlight matching gifts on your donation page and in your navigation menu so the information is easy to find, even if website visitors weren’t initially looking for it.
To draw even more attention to the program, leverage the Google Ad Grant to create search engine ads about matching gifts and drive more traffic to your website’s pages. Through the grant, Google provides $10,000 monthly in free Google advertising to eligible nonprofits, helping your organization save money while spreading the word about matching gifts.
#2 Implement matching gift tools.
Especially when leveraging your website to promote matching gifts, the right tools can make a huge difference in a donor’s ability to explore the opportunity. Embed an autosubmission tool, like 360MatchPro, on your website so donors can check their eligibility while making a donation and automatically submit a match request to their employers.
By implementing matching gift tools, you can inform donors about matching gifts while they’re in the frame of mind to give. Plus, these tools make it incredibly easy for donors to check their eligibility and submit a request, so they won’t have to complete any additional steps to multiply their donations.
#3 Segment your donors.
Anyone with experience in nonprofit marketing knows that sending the same message to all donors won’t be very successful. That’s because every donor is different, and different types of donors need to hear different messages.
Using data about your existing supporter base and prospective supporters, segment donors based on shared characteristics, such as:
History of involvement
Donation amount
Communication channel preference
Donor data is critical to sending relevant messages, especially when it comes to making targeted asks for certain donations. For example, you might invite your general supporter base to check their matching gift eligibility, but you’d only want to ask eligible donors to submit a match request with their employer.
Conduct an employer append to collect and organize information about donors’ employers, noting whether or not they’re eligible for matching gifts. Be sure to also gather information about donors’ job titles, which can indicate their financial capacity to give or even their ability to set up corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that benefit your nonprofit!
#4 Plan messaging content and cadence.
Although we’ve already covered which marketing channels to use, you’ll also need to consider what content you’ll share within those channels to share matching gift information most effectively. Consider the following content marketing ideas to guide your content creation:
Blogging: Write educational content about matching gifts and why donors should request a match or advocate for a matching gift program with their employers.
Videos: Create a series of matching gift videos to talk about different aspects of this type of contribution.
Ebooks: Compile a thorough breakdown of matching gifts information into one comprehensive ebook for interested supporters to read through.
Webinars: Invite supporters to a webinar where matching gift experts can talk about the opportunity and answer donors’ questions.
Podcasts: Discuss matching gifts in a podcast episode or series, discussing details about how your nonprofit uses such gifts and the impact those donations would make on your cause.
Infographics: Illustrate matching gift statistics in a visually appealing infographic to be shared on your social media channels and other media outlets.
Avoid communication chaos by having a predetermined schedule for sending messages or posting promotional materials. Create content ahead of time and develop a posting calendar for your marketing team to follow. This way, you can ensure followers aren’t overwhelmed by scattered communications.
As you set out to market matching gifts, view your communications as a gradual procession through the donation lifecycle. You’ll start by educating supporters about matching gifts, then explain why they should submit a match request. Once you’ve introduced the idea and convinced donors to explore matching gifts, you’ll hopefully drive them to conversion with an easy-to-use donation tool and autosubmission tool, if you choose to use it.
Don’t stop after you’ve successfully converted a donor! Their matched gift opens the gateway to a future of doubled donations from that supporter and a potential partnership with their employer. Continue marketing the opportunity and looking for additional ways to maximize your fundraising revenue.
This guest post was written by Adam Weinger.
Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of tools to nonprofits to help them raise more money from corporate matching gift and volunteer grant programs.
Double the Donation's robust solution, 360MatchPro, provides nonprofits with automated tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.