Matching Gifts Social Media

Feature Matching Gifts in Your Nonprofit’s Facebook and Twitter Posts

An article from Forbes revealed that, “92% of marketers claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites.” If you’re trying to raise awareness for matching gift programs, social media offers fruitful options.

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter allow you to appeal to your decidedly tech savvy audience, which, in our technologically reliant world, could be a bulk of your donors. Furthermore, a sizable online following offers social proof that your nonprofit is both credible and well-respected.

Marketing matching gifts through social media is both its own step and a conglomeration of all your social media tactics. Let’s take a look at the Twitter profile of CASA Pikes Peak Region to see social media versatility in action:

CASA twitter feed

The tweet in the green box is an example of straight pitching matching gift programs. This is the actual call-to-action, and this is what you need to do on social media to increase matching gift awareness. The other tweets all help to build follower interest, so, when this matching-gift-specific tweet gets posted, people actually pay attention to it because they’re emotionally engaged with both the organization and the content that they share.

You can’t market matching gifts all of the time, and you shouldn’t, as your followers will grow bored. Share meaningful material and build relationships so that when the time for marketing comes it feels organic and unimposing to your followers.

What types of posts best spread the word about matching gifts? There are more social media sites than you could ever use, so we’ve selected the two main players. You’ve likely heard of these sites, and we’ll provide concrete examples of posts that will engage donors.

Facebook

Facebook algorithms pick up on gimmicks, so, unless you pay to promote your content, you need to remain abreast of what Facebook will prioritize and what they will hide.  With tens of thousands of possible posts to present each time a user logs on, Facebook continuously tweaks its standards for what content people see.

Facebook communications director Brandon McCormick told Businessweek that, “People would rather see posts about a sale, or a new pair of pants that’s come in. Keeping the posts relevant to the kind of business that you have is really important.” In essence, stay on task with your content in terms of what people want to see and who you are as a nonprofit. Talk about matching gift programs, but in a creative way.

Example Facebook post from the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA)

Matching Gift Facebook post

CMTA include both a link to their matching gift page and a conspicuous graphic. It’s hard to miss their appeal for matching gifts and it is simple to navigate to the applicable matching gift webpage.

Example Facebook post from the Lazarex Cancer Foundation

Lazarex Facebook post

Lazarex provides on-point text and a graphic that links to their matching gift page. Promotion need not be any more complicated than this.

Example Facebook post from the National Kidney Foundation

Facebook Matching Gift Post

If a matching gift post could be a rockstar, this would be Kurt Cobain. Much like the CMTA post, the National Kidney Foundation combines informative text with an attention grabbing graphic, but look at all those Likes, Comments, and Shares.

The graphic is split in two, with the question mark grabbing the attention and the white text holding the attention. Chances are that most people will check out the graphic first, but then they’ll likely read the text above, too, and see the link. That link takes donors to a dedicated matching gift page, which is a crucial step towards landing more donations. Donor engagement with this post helps it to appear on more newsfeeds, so more donors become aware of matching gifts, which should lead to increased fundraising success. You want to go viral.

Additional Matching Gift Facebook Post Templates

  • We sincerely appreciate all donations to [Your Organization’s Name]. Did you know that your generosity has the potential to be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled? Check to see if your employer offers a matching gift program. [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]
  • A huge thanks to all of our donors, and a double thanks to those who submitted matching fund requests. Does your employer offer a matching gift program? Check today. [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]
  • What do Microsoft, Bank of America, IBM, and Verizon have in common? They all match employee donations to nonprofit organizations. If you donate, or have donated, to us and work for one of these four companies, your employer will double your donation. Many major employers offer similar programs. Search to discover if your employer offers a matching gift program, as well as to gain access to program guidelines, how-to instructions, and relevant forms. Thank you for taking five minutes to double your donation. [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]

In addition to text, graphics help to grab readers’ attentions. If your image doubles as a clickable link, that’s even better.

Double the Donation clients can access a variety of pre-made and ready-for-Facebook (and Twitter) graphics here.

Twitter

140 characters is not a lot of space, but it’s enough room to get creative about matching gift appeals.

Example Twitter post from the Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for the puppetry arts twitter

No need to complicate matters. A concise call to action and a link is all you need.

Example Twitter post from the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation

HNF tweet

The tweet’s link sends the donor to the below dedicated matching gift page, which you can learn more about with our comprehensive guide.

Example dedicated matching gift page from the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation

HNF page

The link is the tweet’s call to action in action. The goal is to earn a click in order to take donors to where it’s a simple five minute process of discovering if their employers match gifts and submitting the necessary forms.

Additional matching gift Twitter post templates

  • Did you donate to us in 2014? There’s still time to submit a matching gift request to your employer. Click, don’t scroll! [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]
  • It takes only a few minutes to submit corporate employee matching gift forms. Have you submitted yours? [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]
  • It’s February – do you love us? We love you, too! Click here to see if your company will double your donation:  [Insert Your Double the Donation Matching Gift URL]

Facebook has the largest community. Twitter is the modern way donors stay up to date with the organizations they care about. Leverage your social following with well-crafted posts and you can increase corporate matching donations.

GuideStar Articles Matching Gifts

Matching Gift Online Submission Process Example | Home Depot

Have you ever wondered what the actual online matching gift submission process is like for donors?

If so, this article is designed to shed light on the steps your nonprofit’s donors take when submitting a matching gift online.

Typical Online Matching Gift Submission Process for Donors:

While the online submission process can vary by company, it typically involves the following steps:

  1. Employees log into the company’s matching gift submission website
  2. Employees search for the nonprofit they donated to
  3. Employees select the nonprofit from the search results (if not found, they enter the organization’s information)
  4. Employees register their donation
  5. Employees submit the matching gift request

 

Step-by-Step Overview of Home Depot’s Online Matching Gift Process:

While some employers develop their own matching gift submission process internally, most contract it out to one of the main companies that administers matching gift programs on behalf of companies.

The following screenshots are for Home Depot’s electronic submission process and are representative of the process for employees of most large companies with matching gift programs.

Step #1: Employees log into the company’s online matching gift submission website.

Begin the Electronic Matching Gift Submission Process

 

Step #2: Employees search for the nonprofit they donated to.

Locate the Nonprofit in the Matching Gift Online Submission Process 

Step #3: Employees select the nonprofit from the search results.

Select the Nonprofit which will Receive the Matching Gift 

Step #4: Employees enter information about their donation.

Register the Matching Gift Request Online

 

Step #5: Employees submit the matching gift request.

Submit a Matching Gift Request Online

That’s it! Just those quick five steps and the donors have done their parts. The rest of the process involves your nonprofit verifying to the companies that the donations were made and then the companies issuing the matching funds.  

Nonprofit Leadership Traits

Feature Matching Gifts on Your Homepage and Across Your Website

Your homepage is the first thing people see when they visit your site, and priority number one is letting people know who you are and what you do. Part of what you do is receive donations, and matching gifts for those donations, so including links to information about matching gift programs is a good idea.

The two approaches (which can be combined, of course) are placing matching gift links such that people can find them if they are looking for them (navigation bars) and inserting links so that they jump out at site visitors, such that the link is more or less an advertisement for matching gifts (banner ads).

Let’s take a closer look at each approach through proven strategies.

Navigation Bars

Every useful website has a navigation bar that helps people to discover relevant information. Including a link to matching gift programs in your navigation bar puts matching gifts in a visible location where donors can easily find and access the information. A link in the navigation bar won’t advertise matching gifts to unknowing donors, but if a donor is on your site and looking for how to apply for a matching gift then he will easily be able to navigate to a page to learn how.

To get a better idea of how navigation bars work, here’s an example from Lafayette Partners in Education:

Screenshot of Lafayette Partners in Education’s Website
(http://lpie.org/)

Add Matching Gifts to your Website's Navigation

This is a clean, modern site, with an easily visible and useable navigation bar. They incorporate matching gifts under the fundraising tab, so it’s part of a larger topic. This link won’t function as an advertisement, but, for someone who is looking for matching gifts or ways which they can contribute to the organization, the website provides an intuitive way to access that information.

When a website visitor clicks on the “Matching Gift Program” link they’re taken to Lafayette Partner In Education’s dedicated matching gift page:

Screenshot of Lafayette Partners in Education’s Dedicated Matching Gift Page
(https://doublethedonation.com/lpie)

Screenshot of Lafayette Partners In Education's Matching Gift Page

 

Banner Ads

If you want to advertise matching gifts on your homepage then banner ads are a great way to go. A banner ad will catch eyes and make people think about matching gifts. This informs donors about matching gifts when they may be visiting your site for other purposes.

Here’s a banner ad in action from Autism Speaks:

Screenshot of an Event Page for Autism Speaks

Add a Matching Gift Graphic to your Nonprofit's Website

Highlighted by the green box, this banner ad works because it’s clean, easy to read, and its color stands out from the color scheme of the homepage. People notice when something stands out in a crowd. A 2011 study in the journal Emotion claimed that reaction times become faster and more forceful when people see a bright color, so the choice of color was well selected. Little factors such as color can play vital roles in whether or not people respond to your banner ads, so if you have the time to get intricate with your banners it will be time well spent.

Autism Speaks also created their own custom matching graphics to include throughout their website. Examples of individualized banners used by Autism Speaks include:

Wide Graphic - Will Your Company Match Your Donation?

Double Your Donation - Will Your Company Match Your Donation?

Everything about these banners is clean and easy to read. The iconic puzzle piece logos add a touch of intimate personality that separates the images from plain text graphics. The difference in shapes, square versus rectangle, highlights that your banner can and should be tailored to the size that works best on your website.

If you don’t have the time or the resources to create a banner ad, Double the Donation provides a host of banner options, such as:

Thanks for Submitting a Matching Gift

Still clean and basic, this banner adds simple details, such as a faded color scheme and the orange ribbon in the top right corner. The image works great on donation confirmation screens, and make sure to link the graphic to your dedicated matching gift page.

The picture of the gift box is enough to signal to the user that this banner has something to do with giving or gifts prior to the user engaging with the white text. And the white text is easy to read and the large, capitalized letters, which will likely be the first words you read, tell you exactly what the box is addressing. As for the psychological effects of the color, green is commonly associated with balance and harmony, such as the balance a matching gift brings to the original donation and the harmony between you and donors. There are serious benefits to thinking out the minor details of banner ads in order to leverage major psychological impacts.

View additional premade matching gift graphics >

Your nonprofit does not have to advertise for matching gifts on its homepage, but it’s a good idea if you want to raise awareness for matching gifts. Regardless, including information about matching gifts in a logical place, such as a navigation bar, is a must.