According to 360MatchPro, at the average nonprofit, only 1.31% of individual contributions are matched by a corporation. This, however, isn’t due to a lack of matching gift opportunities. In fact, more than 26 million people work for companies with matching gift programs.
Workplace giving is ultimately a win-win for nonprofits, who raise more from their donors’ gifts, and businesses, who experience increased levels of employee engagement. But how do you make the most of these impactful programs?
By developing a thoughtful strategy to promote matching gifts to your supporters, you can encourage more of them to check their eligibility and submit matching gift requests on your organization’s behalf. In this guide, we’ll cover:
- Why Should Nonprofits Promote Matching Gifts?
- 3 Ways to Promote Matching Gifts to Supporters
Help your donors generate more impact from their dollars with matching gifts—they’ll be excited to make a greater difference in the community, and your nonprofit will secure more funds to power its mission.
Why Should Nonprofits Promote Matching Gifts?
Matching gifts essentially double many of the donations your nonprofit already receives. All your donors have to do is make a contribution and submit a request to their employer, and the company will match that contribution at no extra cost to the donor. Prioritizing matching gift promotion allows your organization to:
- Enhance its fundraising efficiency. With matching gifts, your nonprofit can generate more revenue without having to invest more resources into acquiring new donors or sending additional asks to existing supporters. Furthermore, one in three donors has indicated that they would contribute a larger gift if they knew it would be matched by their employer.
- Boost donor engagement. Donors choose to get involved with your nonprofit because they’re drawn to your mission and want to play a role in your community’s impact. By sharing an easy way for them to amplify their support, you’ll make them more eager to continue engaging with your cause long-term.
- Build corporate relationships. There are multiple ways for businesses to participate in corporate philanthropy beyond matching gifts. For instance, they may decide to sponsor your nonprofit’s fundraising event, provide in-kind services, or award volunteer grants after their employees volunteer a certain number of hours with the organization. Tapping into matching gifts is one way to open the door to more of these opportunities.
There are a number of free marketing tools that can support your nonprofit in its efforts to promote matching gifts. Whether your organization is preparing for its upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign or simply trying to raise more funds for its day-to-day operations, be sure that all of your staff members and volunteers are informed about these opportunities and aligned on your strategy to spread the word about them.
3 Ways to Promote Matching Gifts to Supporters
As you prepare to raise matching gift awareness among your donors, Getting Attention’s digital marketing for nonprofits guide recommends taking a multichannel approach to maximize your reach. Let’s explore three basic ways your nonprofit can promote matching gifts online.
1. Create a matching gifts page on your website.
Your nonprofit’s website is a go-to resource for supporters interested in learning more about your work and how they can contribute. Therefore, it’s an ideal place to house essential details about matching gifts and other corporate giving opportunities. Take the time to update your website by adding a new page dedicated to matching gifts and including information such as:
- A brief rundown of the matching gift process.
- Important matching gift statistics that highlight how impactful these programs are.
- Frequently asked questions by donors about matching gifts.
- Resources to help donors determine their eligibility for matching gifts.
Beyond your matching gifts page, you can direct more supporters to check their eligibility by crafting eye-catching calls to action and writing blog posts covering the topic.
2. Add a matching gift tool to your donation page.
When people navigate to your nonprofit’s donation page, they’re already considering making a contribution to your mission. Make sure that they don’t miss out on any matching gift opportunities by highlighting them directly on the page. A matching gift search tool can make it easy for donors to input their employer’s name and immediately determine whether they’re eligible for a matching gift.
Follow donation page design best practices, such as including compelling images, specifying the impact of gifts, and featuring consistent branding, to increase the chances that your supporters actually complete the giving process. Once they do, have a thank-you email ready to express appreciation for their contributions and encourage them to submit a matching gift request.
Consider investing in a matching gift automation platform that automatically sends a follow-up to donors based on whether their employer has a matching gift program. This frees up your staff members’ time and energy while ensuring that your nonprofit makes the most of every potential matching gift opportunity.
3. Market matching gifts with Google Ads.
There are many ways nonprofits can leverage Google Ads to support their initiatives, from promoting an upcoming fundraising event to spreading awareness about matching gifts. With the Google Ad Grant, your organization can tap into this powerful advertising tool without putting any additional strain on its marketing budget.
Google currently provides more than 65,000 nonprofits around the world with $10,000 in free Search ads every month—don’t miss out on this impactful opportunity to promote matching gifts! Set your efforts up for success by following this process:
- Choose relevant keywords for your Google Ads. Identify keywords with relatively high search volume that are related to your nonprofit’s mission. That way, when supporters look up these terms or phrases on Google, they’ll immediately see an ad from your organization encouraging them to click through and contribute to your cause.
- Create compelling Google Ad copy. Once you have your keywords and a matching gifts page on your website to direct users to, it’s time to draft ads that encourage people to click on them. Include a clear call to action, such as “Learn about the impact of matching gifts,” so your supporters know exactly what steps you’d like them to take after clicking your ad.
- Track key performance indicators. By setting up a Google Analytics account and linking it to your Google Ads account, your organization can track important metrics such as impressions, click-through rate, and conversion rate. This allows you to identify where you can improve your ads for better results moving forward.
If advertising with Google Ads is uncharted territory for your nonprofit, consider partnering with a Google Grant agency. These experts have extensive experience when it comes to navigating Google Ad Grants and creating engaging ads that inspire action.
Your donors have varying preferences when it comes to how they prefer to interact with your organization, so be sure to take a multichannel approach when promoting matching gifts. This ensures that you can maximize the impact of every donation you receive.
When donors submit a matching gift request, remember to follow up with a thank-you letter acknowledging them for their support. By consistently expressing your appreciation, you’ll be able to cultivate long-lasting relationships and secure more matching gifts in the long run.