Picture this: you’re scrolling through your social media feed. You see a video of your niece taking her first steps, posts about a good friend recovering from a hard-fought battle against cancer, and pictures from a family friend’s wedding. Among those posts, you see a virtual event flyer for a local 5K that’s proceeds will go toward skin cancer research. Especially after seeing posts about your friend’s situation, you’re intrigued, visit the organization’s website to learn more, and ultimately register to attend. That’s the power of effective nonprofit marketing!
A well-thought-out nonprofit marketing plan is a must these days. Between for-profits pushing products and other nonprofits promoting their missions, everyone’s vying for consumers’ attention. You need to put your cause out there by leveraging multiple platforms to push compelling messages to supporters.
If your nonprofit marketing strategy needs a refresh, you’ve come to the right place! This article will give you everything you need to build and maintain an effective plan. We’ll cover all the bases — whether you want to lean into digital marketing or stick to traditional methods. Here’s what we’ll cover:
At Double the Donation, we understand the power of effective promotion. We work with nonprofits every day to boost awareness of corporate matching gifts.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how to develop an effective marketing program for your nonprofit organization. From crafting persuasive messages to monitoring performance analytics, we’re confident you’ll have everything you need to spread awareness for your cause.
What Is Nonprofit Marketing?
Nonprofit marketing encompasses all activities and strategies designed to raise awareness and generate interest in a nonprofit organization, its mission, and its services. It involves communicating with potential donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders to increase donations, engagement, and participation in the organization.
Nonprofit marketing typically involves a combination of tactics between traditional outreach (e.g., print, radio, and TV) and digital marketing (e.g., email, social media, and online advertising). Many nonprofit organizations also develop branding guidelines, a website, and other assets to craft professional outreach that resonates with supporters.
Successful marketing for nonprofit organizations extends beyond getting your content in front of as many eyes as possible. Rather, it requires you to persuade those who feel connected to your work and inspired to make your mission a reality. Thoughtful marketing techniques will allow you to create meaningful, sustainable relationships with these supporters.
Compared to for-profit marketing, marketing for nonprofit organizations is unique in that you must “sell” your mission to donors, rather than sell a product to buyers. It also has a special emphasis on relationships and storytelling. The goal is to emotionally connect with supporters while also providing information about how they can help the cause.
Types of Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
New marketing channels emerge almost every day. As a nonprofit marketer, it’s up to you to determine which ones are most effective for your cause. In any case, we recommend using a multichannel technique. Doing so will allow you to reach a wider audience and engage supporters on multiple levels.
For example, you can use social media to reach out to a younger demographic, while using direct mail and email marketing to reach an older audience. Using multiple channels also allows you to track campaigns more effectively, showing you which channels generate the best results. This will help you fine-tune your campaigns for better ROI.
However, marketing research has found that only 30% of marketers are highly confident in their ability to deliver a multichannel strategy. By developing a strong multichannel nonprofit marketing strategy, you’ll already be one giant leap ahead of 70% of marketers!
To get started, let’s dive into 10 of the most popular nonprofit marketing channels.
Search Ads
Nonprofits can leverage search advertising to increase their digital presence and attract more donations and volunteers. With this nonprofit marketing strategy, you’ll need to bid on mission-critical keywords (like “donate to end homelessness” or “volunteer at a homeless shelter”) and create ads that target those terms.
Organizations have a couple of options to tap into paid search advertising and reach prospects, including Google Ads and Bing Ads. Based on its incredible reach, Google is our top recommendation for search ads.
This Google Ad Grant Impact Report explains that Google owns over 92% of the global search engine market. What’s more, Google Ads have an average ROI of $4.78, making it a cost-effective route for tight budgets.
With a thoughtful approach, search advertising can help to increase website traffic, improve your organization’s visibility, and drive donations and volunteer registrations.
Best of all, you can tap into free search advertising through programs like the Google Ad Grant and Microsoft Social Ads for Impact.
We recommend working with a Google Grants manager to make the most of Google’s program. As our suggested agency, Getting Attention will work with you to understand your nonprofit marketing goals and design ads that champion your cause.
Instead of learning the intricacies of keyword research, you can focus on the areas of nonprofit marketing you’re comfortable with, without overlooking an important part of modern marketing.
Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits
Social media marketing is an effective way to reach your target audience. Nonprofits like yours can use social media to create awareness, build sustainable relationships, and establish a sense of community among supporters.
With the right nonprofit marketing strategies, you can use social media to spread the message about your mission and goals, attract volunteers and donors, and build relationships with supporters. Here are a few ways to make the most of this channel:
- Gather feedback. Social media can be used to ask questions, prompt conversations, and gather feedback from supporters to help shape your organization’s strategy and plans. MemberClicks’ event feedback survey guide notes that only 38% of people already use social media to collect feedback on their events. However, with convenient features like polls, collecting feedback has never been simpler.
- Share success stories and updates. Social media is a great channel for demonstrating impact through testimonials and project updates. By sharing stories about helping those in need, nonprofits can increase engagement, build relationships, and inspire others to take action.
- Interact with supporters. Social media makes two-way communication easier than ever. Respond to comments, shine the spotlight on dedicated followers, and join conversations related to your mission.
Incorporate these nonprofit marketing strategies to get more out of your social media campaigns. Spend time identifying key platforms, understanding each platform’s audience, and creating a content calendar for the best results.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can help increase donations, boost event attendance, and build a larger support base. By sending out regular email newsletters, nonprofits can keep current supporters engaged and informed about important projects and events. Email campaigns can also be used to reach potential donors who may not be aware of the nonprofit’s mission or the causes they support.
To drive greater engagement through this channel, you might:
- Segment your email list. Create groups for donors, recurring supporters, volunteers, match-eligible donors, corporate sponsors, and so on. That way, you can personalize content and deliver tailored engagement opportunities to each segment.
- Use creative subject lines that grab attention. Research has shown that creative subject lines are more likely to be opened, so brainstorm interesting and engaging subject lines for each email. Remember to keep your subject lines short, as emails with long subject lines are more likely to be overlooked.
Through email marketing, nonprofits can create compelling content that resonates with their target audiences and encourages them to take action. It just takes some brainstorming on how best to reach your different audiences through this channel. Using these tips will give you a solid foundation to kickstart your nonprofit marketing strategy for email campaigns.
Cause Marketing
Cause marketing is a unique type of marketing for nonprofit organizations that involves collaborating with for-profits. It often refers to social or charitable campaigns created by for-profit brands. As its popularity has grown, companies often use this strategy to show their commitment to social responsibility. The goal is to create awareness around a cause and synthesize a message that resonates with the company or influencer’s target audience.
Take the collaboration between the shoe company TOMS and charity: water for example. Together, they launched a cause marketing campaign in which TOMS released a limited-edition collection of charity: water eyewear to raise money for clean water. For every pair sold, TOMS contributed $10 to help bring water to households in Orissa, India.
In the past, TOMS also created two limited-edition shoes and donated $5 from the sale of each one to charity: water. These cause marketing campaigns successfully raised awareness and funds for both organizations, while also promoting TOMS as a socially-responsible brand. Check out this video about the partnership that charity: water created:
As with any type of corporate partnership, we recommend partnering with people and companies whose values and mission align with your nonprofit. After all, they’ll be associated with your nonprofit and can influence your brand’s image.
Direct Mail Marketing for Nonprofits
Direct mail marketing for nonprofit organizations can help connect with audiences in a more personal way than other channels. You’re able to customize content to specific segments especially those who may not be online or active on social media. While this channel isn’t as popular as it once was, an awful lot of people still prefer the personal touch of physical outreach.
Printing costs can add up, so consider how this channel plays into your overall nonprofit marketing strategy. For example, you might craft personalized membership renewal letters, postcards with a donation solicitation, brochures about a big capital campaign, or any other materials.
Depending on your exact materials, include some sort of call-to-action, such as your donation page URL, a QR code that leads to an event registration form, a perforated donation slip, or your nonprofit’s contact information. This will go a long way in encouraging future interactions and building relationships.
Do you have poor deliverability rates for your nonprofit’s direct mail marketing? Make sure you have the right addresses on file by conducting an address append!
Radio Advertisements
Radio ads empower nonprofits to reach large audiences in a relatively short amount of time. Ads can be tailored to a specific region or demographic, and with the right messaging, they can be quite powerful in getting your cause’s message out to the public.
Radio ads can help drive donations, event registrations, volunteer sign-ups, and awareness of your nonprofit’s mission. Additionally, radio ads are often cost-effective, making them a great way to reach potential donors, volunteers, and supporters.
Best of all, your organization might qualify for free public service announcements on local radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission requires radio stations to allot a certain amount of radio time to nonprofits. There’s one caveat, though; your messages should be formatted as announcements rather than ads.
Newspaper Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
Ads and newspaper articles are a great way to connect with local audiences, especially if you have a particularly newsworthy cause. With the ability to include visuals and compelling copy, newspaper ads and news stories can be used to create awareness of a nonprofit.
Maybe you have a specific campaign or upcoming event that your community might be interested in participating in. That’d be a great opportunity to buy ad space or reach out to your local newspaper with a story proposal. It’s also a fantastic place to share your impact on the community. Include a call to action, encouraging readers to get involved and make a difference in their community.
Content Marketing for Nonprofits
Content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant, valuable content to attract, engage, and retain supporters. It’s also a reliable way to establish trust with your audience. Content can come in several forms, such as:
- Blogging: This nonprofit marketing strategy is great for creating engaging articles about your cause, sharing relevant stories, and providing information about upcoming initiatives.
- Videos: Visual content like videos can forge an emotional connection with your audience by demonstrating the impact of your cause.
- Ebooks, webinars, and podcasts: This form of nonprofit marketing provides unique educational content that can help you connect with and grow your audience.
- Infographics and other interactive content: As a highly shareable form of content marketing for nonprofit organizations, infographics can provide in-depth information about your cause in a visually-engaging way.
This form of nonprofit marketing can help position your nonprofit as a reliable resource for news and information about your cause. Plus, it’s easy to distribute across different channels, including your website, social media, and email.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
There’s no better way to market your cause than by relying on those who feel passionate about it. Word-of-mouth marketing enables you to leverage the power of social proof.
If you’re new to this concept, social proof is the idea that people conform to the behaviors of others in order to feel accepted. So, when someone speaks positively about your organization, their friends and family are likely to trust their recommendations.
Semrush’s marketing statistics page estimates that 88% of people had the highest level of trust in a brand when a friend or family member recommended it.
Encourage your volunteers to share their experiences, reach out to their loved ones, and post on social media to spread awareness. Some nonprofits even develop referral programs to reward those who spread the word and help attract new supporters. Note that the success of this nonprofit marketing strategy depends on strong relationships with supporters.
Mobile Nonprofit Marketing
Make supporting your nonprofit incredibly convenient by leveraging text outreach. Compared to other forms of marketing for nonprofit organizations, texts have an astoundingly high open rate. Some sources estimate that SMS open rates are as high as 98%.
Text messages are a great way to send out reminders, project updates, and calls to action. You might send out a volunteer registration form or an event registration page. With text-to-give tools, nonprofits can even use SMS text marketing to collect donations.
If you’re not already leveraging this form of nonprofit marketing, consider whether it’s a viable option for engaging your supporters and keeping them updated on your mission and goals. If you’re having trouble contacting supporters, you might want to double-check that you have the right phone numbers on file with a phone number append.
How to Create Your Nonprofit Marketing Plan
As a nonprofit marketer, you already know you’re working with limited resources. That’s why it’s vital to create a nonprofit marketing plan.
A plan will help you leverage existing resources to reach your target audience and maximize impact without overspending. Developing a solid nonprofit marketing plan requires thoughtful planning and research, as well as a thorough understanding of your organization’s objectives.
While each organization’s plan will vary, there are some common steps you can take to create yours.
Conduct a nonprofit marketing audit.
Evaluate your organization’s current marketing strategy and activities to identify areas for improvement. Assessing past performance helps you build off what works and what doesn’t, so you can avoid the same mistakes.
When conducting your nonprofit marketing audit, we recommend analyzing:
- The platforms you used. Did they help you reach your target audience? Did certain ones yield better results and engagement than others?
- The progress you made toward goals. Were your goals too ambitious, or did you blow them out of the water?
- The KPIs you chose. Did they accurately gauge success? If you could go back, which metrics would you monitor instead?
Essentially, you’re determining what worked well and what could be improved for future outreach during this stage.
As a helpful tip, determine if you can reuse any old marketing materials (like photography, written content, or videos) during this step. Even if you can tweak existing collateral, that’ll save your team time that can be spent on other areas of your mission.
Define your nonprofit marketing goals.
Actionable goals will ensure every team member is on the same page when crafting messages. Let’s say your overall objective is to provide free educational resources like peer mentoring to at-risk youth. You might achieve that objective through nonprofit marketing by:
- Sharing testimonials from program participants and mentors on social media
- Promoting your services on Google search on maps through the Google for Nonprofits program
- Asking for volunteers on local radio stations
- Sending a monthly email newsletter with updates on your peer mentor program
Create goals for each of these channels. For example, you might set a goal to “increase your social media following by 10% and post twice a week to educate your community about the poor state of education by the end of the year.”
We recommend using the SMART method to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. That means you’ll need to create a clear goal, attach metrics, and set a deadline. To ensure it’s within reach, your goal should be incrementally higher than past performance.
Determine your audiences.
Each nonprofit has a variety of audiences. You’ll need to define each group you’re attempting to target, so you can create messages that resonate with each segment. For example, an animal shelter might target animal-loving donors, volunteers, and adopters.
A quick way to organize your audiences is by using your constituent relationship management (CRM) software’s segmentation features. By separating your contacts with tags and lists, you can send the most inspiring outreach to the right groups.
Create a nonprofit brand guide.
Every piece of communication should strengthen brand awareness. The second someone sees outreach from your organization, they should immediately know it’s associated with your cause. Define elements like:
- Your nonprofit’s voice and personality
- What makes your nonprofit unique from similar organizations
- Your official fonts and colors
- Imagery standards
Knowing how to position your nonprofit makes it easier to create cohesive messages. In turn, your nonprofit will connect with supporters on a deeper level and gain their trust.
For a reliable framework, check out Getting Attention’s nonprofit marketing plan guide. You can explore common methods for reviewing past performance, setting benchmarks, and spreading brand awareness.
Nonprofit Marketing Strategies to Drive Results
Following the steps laid out above, you’ll establish a solid foundation for your outreach. Now, it’s time to tweak your nonprofit marketing plan with strategies that drive meaningful results for your cause.
Promote Matching Gifts.
Corporate giving is one of the most influential fundraising strategies your nonprofit can pursue. However, an awful lot of matching gifts that go unclaimed each year — it adds up to about $4-$7 billion in unclaimed gifts each year. We can attribute that to poor nonprofit marketing strategies.
If you want to boost matching gift awareness, here are a few channels you can use:
- Your website: Create content on your website about corporate giving. We suggest starting by embedding our employer search tool into your donation page, which inserts corporate giving into the donation process. Then, dive further into it by developing a ‘Ways to Give’ page and a dedicated matching gifts page.
- Search ads: Use Google Ads to promote your website’s corporate giving content. You can target general terms related to supporting your nonprofit, helping to connect with individuals who might not know about matching gifts. Our guide to promoting matching gifts with Google Ads takes a deep dive into this nonprofit marketing strategy.
Using matching gift autosubmission, you can even cut out a few steps in the match request process. Donors can conveniently select that they’d like our tools to check their eligibility and submit a match request to their employer for them. Marketing matching gifts as a convenient way to give will go a long way in pushing your mission forward.
Check out Top Nonprofits’ Matching Gifts Research Report for some examples of how real nonprofits promote matching gifts, like the example above.
Make the Most of Google Ads.
As we explored earlier Google Ads are an incredible way to market your mission. However, their team understands that most nonprofits are limited on resources, which is why they offer free access to the platform to eligible organizations.
By applying for Google Grants, you’ll receive $10,000 to spend on the platform every month. Don’t let this free nonprofit marketing money go to waste, though! Here are a few ways to maximize your success:
- Carefully research your keywords. You’ll need to choose keywords that will connect you with the right users. Keywords should relate to your mission and services and target a specific user intent, like donating or volunteering.
- Leverage geotargeting. Search advertising platforms allow you to target specific geographic areas and demographic groups, allowing you to reach the right people with the right message. Use this feature to make the most of your Google Ad Grant.
- Use strong headlines and effective copy to grab attention. Your ad’s headlines and copy will be displayed on the search results pages for keywords you bid on. Spend time crafting ones that capture people’s attention. To simplify A/B testing, Google offers Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). You’ll enter a variety of headlines and copy. Then, Google will automatically test different combinations to drive better results.
While incredibly beneficial, the Google Ads interface can take some time to master. Keyword research might be challenging if you’re unfamiliar with Google Keyword Planner, and adhering to compliance regulations can be a bit tricky. That’s why we recommend working with the Google Grants experts at Getting Attention. They’ll help you apply for the program, set up your account, and create ads that take your nonprofit marketing to the next level!
Final Thoughts
Nonprofit marketing is essential for driving donations and growing awareness for your cause. Through targeted outreach, nonprofits like yours can engage potential donors, volunteers, and other supporters to build relationships that will then help to further worthwhile missions.
By practicing effective marketing strategies, you’ll naturally boost visibility for your work and foster a sense of community around your cause, inspiring others to join and participate in your events. As you go, make sure to monitor your results every step of the way, so you can make adjustments and generate greater results for your brand awareness.
The best nonprofit marketers never stop learning! As you start to build out your nonprofit marketing plan, explore these additional resources:
Double the Donation and Classy Launch Matching Gift Functionality on Embedded Donation Forms
/in Company Updates, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Classy have come together to debut a recent development in their existing integration. This pair has now launched 360MatchPro matching gift functionality on Classy’s embedded donation forms.
Classy’s preferred matching gift solution, 360MatchPro, already works with Classy’s standard donation forms to identify match-eligible donors and drive their matching gift requests to completion. As Classy continues to develop more ways for nonprofits to create meaningful connections with supporters through a full suite of giving experiences, they recognize the importance of offering a robust matching gift solution on all of their available donation pages to drive giving opportunities forward.
This new product integration will offer similar functionality to the existing standard donation form counterpart, providing nonprofits with a seamless integration experience. This means that as donors navigate their donation flow, they will be able to drive matching gift donations regardless of which form they are using.
“Our organization, Double the Donation, already makes it simple for nonprofits to capitalize on matching gift funds and fuel fundraising success,” said Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “With our new integration release, we are excited to extend this functionality to organizations using the embedded donation form solution.”
This integration can be seamlessly activated within the Classy platform, making it simple for nonprofit fundraisings to capitalize on the billions of dollars offered through matching gift programs each year.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
360MatchPro integrates seamlessly with Classy to provide users with a simple, no-code setup process. Once a fundraiser gets signed on with both Classy donation forms and Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro, they can connect the two services.
By navigating to the Double the Donation app in the “Apps and Services” section of their Classy account, users can add the matching gift solution to their desired donation forms.
Once the integration is activated, each solution works together to drive revenue opportunities for your organization. By finding matching gift opportunities and driving them to completion, 360MatchPro and Classy make it simple to optimize the giving process.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with 360MatchPro!
360MatchPro and Classy offer valuable matching gift features to help your organization double donations for your mission.
With the power of this solution, your organization can:
Ready to get started? Schedule a personalized demo.
About Classy: Classy is a social enterprise that creates online fundraising software for nonprofits, modernizing the giving experience to accelerate social impact around the world. Based in San Diego, CA, Classy is trusted by organizations of all sizes, from the fastest-growing nonprofits like Team Rubicon and The Trevor Project, to some of the world’s largest social organizations, such as The Salvation Army, Robin Hood Foundation, and Shriners Hospitals for Children. Classy also hosts the Collaborative conference, a two-day immersive experience that unites the most inventive minds in the social sector to uncover the ideas and strategies necessary to propel our industry forward and unlock the world’s generosity. For more information, visit www.classy.org or follow Classy on LinkedIn.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The 360MatchPro platform provides nonprofits with 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. To learn more visit https://360matchpro.com/demo-request/
Legacy Plan vs. 360MatchPro [Why Your Team Should Upgrade]
/in Learning Center, About Double the Donation, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerOur Legacy Plan users are some of Double the Donation’s most loyal and dedicated customers. At one point, our embedded plugin tool was considered groundbreaking technology. Over the years, we’ve worked to develop and finetune our software, and 360MatchPro was born.
As our focus continues to move exclusively toward developing the best automation solution we can within 360MatchPro, however, we don’t want our existing Legacy Plan accounts to get left behind.
That’s why we recommend that all Legacy Plan users make the switch to 360MatchPro.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the transition as we go through the following topics:
Ready to learn more about the widespread advantages of Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro—and how your team can benefit from a subscription upgrade?
Let’s dive in with the basics.
Does Double the Donation still offer the Legacy Plan?
Previously known as the “Premium Plan,” Double the Donation’s Legacy Plan was discontinued in October 2021. Though no new subscriptions were sold after this date, organizations already using the tool are still able to leverage the plugin in their fundraising efforts for the time being.
A lot went into the decision to sunset the Legacy Plan offering. Key reasonings included a widening gap between the results produced by the Legacy Plan and 360MatchPro, as well as a desire to shift our focus to innovative automation through the latter platform.
This brings us to the next question…
What is 360MatchPro?
360MatchPro is Double the Donation’s flagship product—a complete matching gift automation solution. This platform incorporates the matching gift plugin tool commonly associated with the Legacy Plan but goes several steps further to identify and pursue matching gifts.
Specifically, 360MatchPro incorporates:
With 360MatchPro, more matching gifts are driven to completion, resulting in substantial corporate and overall fundraising revenue growth for its users. And the entire process is automated for nonprofits and their donors, producing an optimized matching gift experience for everyone involved.
This provides organizations with more time to devote to the most lucrative opportunities without worrying about potential matches slipping through the cracks.
Key Differences | Legacy Plan vs. 360MatchPro
360MatchPro includes everything offered by Double the Donation’s Legacy Plan, plus innovative new features that bring nonprofit and educational fundraising to new heights.
Additional differences between the two subscription plans include…
Matching Gifts Within the Donation Process
Instead of taking a passive approach to matching gift promotions, such as with the Legacy Plan, 360MatchPro integrates gift-matching directly within the donation experience itself.
Specifically, the automation system empowers fundraisers to —
Bonus: Donors who know their gifts will be matched are more likely to increase the size of their contribution—resulting in a 51% increase in average gift amount when matching gifts are mentioned.
This catches donors at their highest level of engagement where they’re most likely to pursue actionable next steps outlined on the page.
This strategy makes the most of donor engagement at its highest level—while individuals are actively giving to support your cause—essentially incorporating matching gifts as a direct extension of the initial donation experience.
Automated and Customized Follow-Up Emails
Based on the information collected during the giving process, 360MatchPro automatically triages donors based on likely match eligibility and triggers targeted follow-ups accordingly.
These post-transaction email communications provide personalized program details and next steps. This often includes minimum and maximum donation amounts, qualifying nonprofits and employees, submission deadlines, direct links to online request forms, and more.
Here’s an example of what an organization’s match emails might look like:
Automated matching gift outreach is a great way to remind donors of their match eligibility, encourage them to take the next steps, and guide them through the process. Not to mention, it provides an easy way for donors to update their request status so your team can better track matches to completion and more accurately forecast incoming revenue.
70+ Fundraising Software Integrations
Another fundamental advantage of 360MatchPro is that it integrates directly with nearly all of the most popular donation tools, CRMs, and peer-to-peer fundraising platforms out there. This makes it easier than ever for nonprofits and educational institutions to incorporate matching gifts in every phase of the fundraising process.
And if we don’t already integrate with your favorite giving solution? Don’t worry—we’re developing new partnerships every day. Not to mention, there’s still a lot you can do with 360MatchPro, even without a native integration with your fundraising software.
Exclusive Matching Gift Auto-Submission Functionality
If your team is looking for innovative ways to streamline the matching gift experience for your donors, auto-submission is the new feature you’re looking for.
By enabling matching gift auto-submission functionality, exclusively available through Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro in partnership with corporate giving software providers, matching has never been easier.
Now, donors employed by select participating companies can submit their matching gifts directly from their favorite organizations’ confirmation screens. From there, 360MatchPro handles the documentation behind the scenes, providing companies with the information they need to review, approve, and pay out match requests.
This breakthrough process removes some of the most common roadblocks to matching gift completion, making corporate matching more accessible than ever before. Your donors will thank you, and you’ll have the additional match revenue to back it up, particularly as we continue to roll out the functionality for more donors and employers.
Elevated Matching Gift Conversion Rates
More corporate matches are submitted and received by donors and organizations utilizing 360MatchPro than any other matching gift solution—including Double the Donation’s Legacy Plan.
As supporters walk through the initial donation and subsequent matching gift processes, 360MatchPro is known for driving individuals further down the respective funnels. All in all, users see more individual donation revenue in addition to elevated matching gift success.
Check out the detailed findings below in a visual depiction of Double the Donation’s Legacy Plan vs. 360MatchPro:
More In-Depth Data Reporting
Though the Legacy Plan provides access to birds-eye view statistics, such as the top companies searched in an organization’s matching gift plugin, 360MatchPro brings the scope of matching gift data reporting to a new, comprehensive level.
Pictured in a sample dashboard below, 360MatchPro empowers fundraisers with smart insights into their current matching gift efforts as well as lucrative opportunities for expanding initiatives.
This 360-degree view includes analytics such as:
Plus, you can sync your data—donation records, employing companies, match statuses, etc.—back to your donor management system to get the most out of the information you’ve uncovered.
Insights From Orgs That Upgraded From Legacy Plan to 360MatchPro
Don’t just take our word for it! Check out these findings from a recent analysis of fundraising organizations that made the switch:
360MatchPro brings matching gift opportunities directly to your donors, funneling in corporate revenue that had previously been slipping through your fingertips. And more than 70% of the largest nonprofits are already employing the solution!
How to Upgrade Your Account to 360MatchPro
Ready to upgrade your account? It’s easy!
To upgrade your subscription from the Legacy Plan to 360MatchPro, please submit a support ticket. You’ll want to include the following information to streamline the process:
From there, we’ll process the request, following up via email and connecting you with an Account Executive. Our team will work to fit your organization with the right plan for your needs. Then, we’ll get you up and running with 360MatchPro as soon as possible.
You’ll be matching more gifts than ever in no time. And you can sit back and watch it happen—while attending to more pressing mission matters. That’s thanks to the magic of automation!
Nonprofit Marketing: A Complete Guide to Spreading Awareness
/in Marketing Strategies, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerPicture this: you’re scrolling through your social media feed. You see a video of your niece taking her first steps, posts about a good friend recovering from a hard-fought battle against cancer, and pictures from a family friend’s wedding. Among those posts, you see a virtual event flyer for a local 5K that’s proceeds will go toward skin cancer research. Especially after seeing posts about your friend’s situation, you’re intrigued, visit the organization’s website to learn more, and ultimately register to attend. That’s the power of effective nonprofit marketing!
A well-thought-out nonprofit marketing plan is a must these days. Between for-profits pushing products and other nonprofits promoting their missions, everyone’s vying for consumers’ attention. You need to put your cause out there by leveraging multiple platforms to push compelling messages to supporters.
If your nonprofit marketing strategy needs a refresh, you’ve come to the right place! This article will give you everything you need to build and maintain an effective plan. We’ll cover all the bases — whether you want to lean into digital marketing or stick to traditional methods. Here’s what we’ll cover:
At Double the Donation, we understand the power of effective promotion. We work with nonprofits every day to boost awareness of corporate matching gifts.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how to develop an effective marketing program for your nonprofit organization. From crafting persuasive messages to monitoring performance analytics, we’re confident you’ll have everything you need to spread awareness for your cause.
What Is Nonprofit Marketing?
Nonprofit marketing encompasses all activities and strategies designed to raise awareness and generate interest in a nonprofit organization, its mission, and its services. It involves communicating with potential donors, volunteers, and other stakeholders to increase donations, engagement, and participation in the organization.
Nonprofit marketing typically involves a combination of tactics between traditional outreach (e.g., print, radio, and TV) and digital marketing (e.g., email, social media, and online advertising). Many nonprofit organizations also develop branding guidelines, a website, and other assets to craft professional outreach that resonates with supporters.
Successful marketing for nonprofit organizations extends beyond getting your content in front of as many eyes as possible. Rather, it requires you to persuade those who feel connected to your work and inspired to make your mission a reality. Thoughtful marketing techniques will allow you to create meaningful, sustainable relationships with these supporters.
Compared to for-profit marketing, marketing for nonprofit organizations is unique in that you must “sell” your mission to donors, rather than sell a product to buyers. It also has a special emphasis on relationships and storytelling. The goal is to emotionally connect with supporters while also providing information about how they can help the cause.
Types of Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
New marketing channels emerge almost every day. As a nonprofit marketer, it’s up to you to determine which ones are most effective for your cause. In any case, we recommend using a multichannel technique. Doing so will allow you to reach a wider audience and engage supporters on multiple levels.
For example, you can use social media to reach out to a younger demographic, while using direct mail and email marketing to reach an older audience. Using multiple channels also allows you to track campaigns more effectively, showing you which channels generate the best results. This will help you fine-tune your campaigns for better ROI.
To get started, let’s dive into 10 of the most popular nonprofit marketing channels.
Search Ads
Nonprofits can leverage search advertising to increase their digital presence and attract more donations and volunteers. With this nonprofit marketing strategy, you’ll need to bid on mission-critical keywords (like “donate to end homelessness” or “volunteer at a homeless shelter”) and create ads that target those terms.
Organizations have a couple of options to tap into paid search advertising and reach prospects, including Google Ads and Bing Ads. Based on its incredible reach, Google is our top recommendation for search ads.
With a thoughtful approach, search advertising can help to increase website traffic, improve your organization’s visibility, and drive donations and volunteer registrations.
Best of all, you can tap into free search advertising through programs like the Google Ad Grant and Microsoft Social Ads for Impact.
We recommend working with a Google Grants manager to make the most of Google’s program. As our suggested agency, Getting Attention will work with you to understand your nonprofit marketing goals and design ads that champion your cause.
Instead of learning the intricacies of keyword research, you can focus on the areas of nonprofit marketing you’re comfortable with, without overlooking an important part of modern marketing.
Social Media Marketing for Nonprofits
Social media marketing is an effective way to reach your target audience. Nonprofits like yours can use social media to create awareness, build sustainable relationships, and establish a sense of community among supporters.
With the right nonprofit marketing strategies, you can use social media to spread the message about your mission and goals, attract volunteers and donors, and build relationships with supporters. Here are a few ways to make the most of this channel:
Incorporate these nonprofit marketing strategies to get more out of your social media campaigns. Spend time identifying key platforms, understanding each platform’s audience, and creating a content calendar for the best results.
Email Marketing
Email marketing can help increase donations, boost event attendance, and build a larger support base. By sending out regular email newsletters, nonprofits can keep current supporters engaged and informed about important projects and events. Email campaigns can also be used to reach potential donors who may not be aware of the nonprofit’s mission or the causes they support.
To drive greater engagement through this channel, you might:
Through email marketing, nonprofits can create compelling content that resonates with their target audiences and encourages them to take action. It just takes some brainstorming on how best to reach your different audiences through this channel. Using these tips will give you a solid foundation to kickstart your nonprofit marketing strategy for email campaigns.
Cause Marketing
Cause marketing is a unique type of marketing for nonprofit organizations that involves collaborating with for-profits. It often refers to social or charitable campaigns created by for-profit brands. As its popularity has grown, companies often use this strategy to show their commitment to social responsibility. The goal is to create awareness around a cause and synthesize a message that resonates with the company or influencer’s target audience.
Take the collaboration between the shoe company TOMS and charity: water for example. Together, they launched a cause marketing campaign in which TOMS released a limited-edition collection of charity: water eyewear to raise money for clean water. For every pair sold, TOMS contributed $10 to help bring water to households in Orissa, India.
In the past, TOMS also created two limited-edition shoes and donated $5 from the sale of each one to charity: water. These cause marketing campaigns successfully raised awareness and funds for both organizations, while also promoting TOMS as a socially-responsible brand. Check out this video about the partnership that charity: water created:
As with any type of corporate partnership, we recommend partnering with people and companies whose values and mission align with your nonprofit. After all, they’ll be associated with your nonprofit and can influence your brand’s image.
Direct Mail Marketing for Nonprofits
Direct mail marketing for nonprofit organizations can help connect with audiences in a more personal way than other channels. You’re able to customize content to specific segments especially those who may not be online or active on social media. While this channel isn’t as popular as it once was, an awful lot of people still prefer the personal touch of physical outreach.
Printing costs can add up, so consider how this channel plays into your overall nonprofit marketing strategy. For example, you might craft personalized membership renewal letters, postcards with a donation solicitation, brochures about a big capital campaign, or any other materials.
Depending on your exact materials, include some sort of call-to-action, such as your donation page URL, a QR code that leads to an event registration form, a perforated donation slip, or your nonprofit’s contact information. This will go a long way in encouraging future interactions and building relationships.
Radio Advertisements
Radio ads empower nonprofits to reach large audiences in a relatively short amount of time. Ads can be tailored to a specific region or demographic, and with the right messaging, they can be quite powerful in getting your cause’s message out to the public.
Radio ads can help drive donations, event registrations, volunteer sign-ups, and awareness of your nonprofit’s mission. Additionally, radio ads are often cost-effective, making them a great way to reach potential donors, volunteers, and supporters.
Best of all, your organization might qualify for free public service announcements on local radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission requires radio stations to allot a certain amount of radio time to nonprofits. There’s one caveat, though; your messages should be formatted as announcements rather than ads.
Newspaper Marketing for Nonprofit Organizations
Ads and newspaper articles are a great way to connect with local audiences, especially if you have a particularly newsworthy cause. With the ability to include visuals and compelling copy, newspaper ads and news stories can be used to create awareness of a nonprofit.
Maybe you have a specific campaign or upcoming event that your community might be interested in participating in. That’d be a great opportunity to buy ad space or reach out to your local newspaper with a story proposal. It’s also a fantastic place to share your impact on the community. Include a call to action, encouraging readers to get involved and make a difference in their community.
Content Marketing for Nonprofits
Content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant, valuable content to attract, engage, and retain supporters. It’s also a reliable way to establish trust with your audience. Content can come in several forms, such as:
This form of nonprofit marketing can help position your nonprofit as a reliable resource for news and information about your cause. Plus, it’s easy to distribute across different channels, including your website, social media, and email.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
There’s no better way to market your cause than by relying on those who feel passionate about it. Word-of-mouth marketing enables you to leverage the power of social proof.
If you’re new to this concept, social proof is the idea that people conform to the behaviors of others in order to feel accepted. So, when someone speaks positively about your organization, their friends and family are likely to trust their recommendations.
Encourage your volunteers to share their experiences, reach out to their loved ones, and post on social media to spread awareness. Some nonprofits even develop referral programs to reward those who spread the word and help attract new supporters. Note that the success of this nonprofit marketing strategy depends on strong relationships with supporters.
Mobile Nonprofit Marketing
Make supporting your nonprofit incredibly convenient by leveraging text outreach. Compared to other forms of marketing for nonprofit organizations, texts have an astoundingly high open rate. Some sources estimate that SMS open rates are as high as 98%.
Text messages are a great way to send out reminders, project updates, and calls to action. You might send out a volunteer registration form or an event registration page. With text-to-give tools, nonprofits can even use SMS text marketing to collect donations.
If you’re not already leveraging this form of nonprofit marketing, consider whether it’s a viable option for engaging your supporters and keeping them updated on your mission and goals. If you’re having trouble contacting supporters, you might want to double-check that you have the right phone numbers on file with a phone number append.
How to Create Your Nonprofit Marketing Plan
As a nonprofit marketer, you already know you’re working with limited resources. That’s why it’s vital to create a nonprofit marketing plan.
A plan will help you leverage existing resources to reach your target audience and maximize impact without overspending. Developing a solid nonprofit marketing plan requires thoughtful planning and research, as well as a thorough understanding of your organization’s objectives.
While each organization’s plan will vary, there are some common steps you can take to create yours.
Conduct a nonprofit marketing audit.
Evaluate your organization’s current marketing strategy and activities to identify areas for improvement. Assessing past performance helps you build off what works and what doesn’t, so you can avoid the same mistakes.
When conducting your nonprofit marketing audit, we recommend analyzing:
Essentially, you’re determining what worked well and what could be improved for future outreach during this stage.
As a helpful tip, determine if you can reuse any old marketing materials (like photography, written content, or videos) during this step. Even if you can tweak existing collateral, that’ll save your team time that can be spent on other areas of your mission.
Define your nonprofit marketing goals.
Actionable goals will ensure every team member is on the same page when crafting messages. Let’s say your overall objective is to provide free educational resources like peer mentoring to at-risk youth. You might achieve that objective through nonprofit marketing by:
Create goals for each of these channels. For example, you might set a goal to “increase your social media following by 10% and post twice a week to educate your community about the poor state of education by the end of the year.”
We recommend using the SMART method to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. That means you’ll need to create a clear goal, attach metrics, and set a deadline. To ensure it’s within reach, your goal should be incrementally higher than past performance.
Determine your audiences.
Each nonprofit has a variety of audiences. You’ll need to define each group you’re attempting to target, so you can create messages that resonate with each segment. For example, an animal shelter might target animal-loving donors, volunteers, and adopters.
A quick way to organize your audiences is by using your constituent relationship management (CRM) software’s segmentation features. By separating your contacts with tags and lists, you can send the most inspiring outreach to the right groups.
Create a nonprofit brand guide.
Every piece of communication should strengthen brand awareness. The second someone sees outreach from your organization, they should immediately know it’s associated with your cause. Define elements like:
Knowing how to position your nonprofit makes it easier to create cohesive messages. In turn, your nonprofit will connect with supporters on a deeper level and gain their trust.
Nonprofit Marketing Strategies to Drive Results
Following the steps laid out above, you’ll establish a solid foundation for your outreach. Now, it’s time to tweak your nonprofit marketing plan with strategies that drive meaningful results for your cause.
Promote Matching Gifts.
Corporate giving is one of the most influential fundraising strategies your nonprofit can pursue. However, an awful lot of matching gifts that go unclaimed each year — it adds up to about $4-$7 billion in unclaimed gifts each year. We can attribute that to poor nonprofit marketing strategies.
If you want to boost matching gift awareness, here are a few channels you can use:
Using matching gift autosubmission, you can even cut out a few steps in the match request process. Donors can conveniently select that they’d like our tools to check their eligibility and submit a match request to their employer for them. Marketing matching gifts as a convenient way to give will go a long way in pushing your mission forward.
Make the Most of Google Ads.
As we explored earlier Google Ads are an incredible way to market your mission. However, their team understands that most nonprofits are limited on resources, which is why they offer free access to the platform to eligible organizations.
By applying for Google Grants, you’ll receive $10,000 to spend on the platform every month. Don’t let this free nonprofit marketing money go to waste, though! Here are a few ways to maximize your success:
While incredibly beneficial, the Google Ads interface can take some time to master. Keyword research might be challenging if you’re unfamiliar with Google Keyword Planner, and adhering to compliance regulations can be a bit tricky. That’s why we recommend working with the Google Grants experts at Getting Attention. They’ll help you apply for the program, set up your account, and create ads that take your nonprofit marketing to the next level!
Final Thoughts
Nonprofit marketing is essential for driving donations and growing awareness for your cause. Through targeted outreach, nonprofits like yours can engage potential donors, volunteers, and other supporters to build relationships that will then help to further worthwhile missions.
By practicing effective marketing strategies, you’ll naturally boost visibility for your work and foster a sense of community around your cause, inspiring others to join and participate in your events. As you go, make sure to monitor your results every step of the way, so you can make adjustments and generate greater results for your brand awareness.
The best nonprofit marketers never stop learning! As you start to build out your nonprofit marketing plan, explore these additional resources:
Top Matching Gift Practices | Actionable Insights & Examples
/in Learning Center, Marketing Strategies, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerNonprofits, schools, and other fundraising groups are always on the lookout for new and improved ways to fund their missions. Corporate matching gifts offer an excellent fundraising lift, but many organizations have an underdeveloped strategy for pursuing this funding source. That’s why we recommend taking a look at matching gift practices from nonprofits that are already seeing high levels of success.
Recent findings have analyzed the highest revenue-generating peer-to-peer-based fundraisers and compiled a number of top strategies followed by each. Based on the report, we’ve created our own list of matching gift best practices that we suggest nonprofits employ:
Over the course of this guide, we’ll provide actionable insights and real-world examples of fundraisers having successfully implemented these practices. In the end, we hope that these exemplary organizations and practices will inspire you to take your matching gift program to the next level.
1. Understand the importance of matching gifts in overall fundraising.
The first step in optimizing your matching gift fundraising plan has to do with understanding its value. After all, when you (and your team) know why you’re doing what you’re doing to pursue matching gift opportunities, you’ll tend to be more motivated to see results.
So here’s why. The benefits of matching gifts for nonprofits are generally threefold —
All in all, fundraising research demonstrates a positive correlation between matching gift practices and overall fundraising success.
Check out this graph from the Top Nonprofits report that illustrates the finding, with each point representing a top P2P event according to its total revenue and matching gift score:
This shows us that the more developed an organization’s matching strategy, the higher fundraising revenue they can expect. And at the same time, the higher the fundraising revenue an organization sees, the more developed its matching gift strategy likely is.
In other words, exploring matching gift practices like the ones outlined below typically produces multi-faceted fundraising success.
2. Establish a plan to drive matching gift participation in fundraising efforts.
Once you understand the value of matching gifts, it’s time to begin developing (and/or finetuning) your plan to maximize the funding source. Why?
Another key finding from the Top Nonprofits report saw that 100% of the P2P Top 30 fundraisers have some sort of dedicated matching gift strategy in place. While the extent of their efforts varies from one organization or event to the next, the fact that every nonprofit that made the list incorporated matching gifts in their fundraising plan in one way or another remains significant.
Follow these leading organizations’ examples and be sure that your team takes the time and effort to establish a well-thought-out plan regarding corporate matching. For the best results, we recommend incorporating the rest of these impactful matching gift practices pursued by the top fundraising organizations in your overall strategy.
3. Create a detailed and easily accessible matching gift page.
As a nonprofit fundraiser, you likely understand that your organization’s website is one of your most valuable assets for marketing, donor engagement, and more. It makes sense that you’d want to use that resource to promote matching gifts to your audience.
Hosting a dedicated matching gift web page is one of the best ways to do so—and 93.3% of the P2P Top 30 agree!
Let’s take a look at an inspirational example from one of the Top 30 fundraisers included in the study.
Here’s what this organization did well in its matching gift web page:
The organization even provided an additional tab on its workplace giving page that targets potential corporate sponsors, highlighting details such as the number of companies involved, matching donations made, and total revenue raised through such programs.
4. Incorporate matching gifts within the donation form.
We’ve long stated that including matching gifts directly within the donation experience itself is one of the best ways to get the ball rolling for donors. And if the fundraisers whose practices were analyzed during the research report are any indication, many top nonprofits agree.
For one, a donation page provides an excellent opportunity to collect much-needed employment information from donors. Once you have this data, your team can then trigger targeted communications to drive more matches to completion.
Plus, simply mentioning matching gift opportunities within your online form allows your donors to begin familiarizing themselves with the idea of the programs as early as possible.
Here’s one organization that made the most of its online giving page to promote matching gifts.
Here’s what this organization did well on its donation page, specifically in regard to matching gifts:
By implementing these matching gift practices and more, the nonprofit was able to see standout match success through key peer-to-peer programs and additional fundraising efforts. Not to mention similar donation form tactics were also employed by many other high-ranking organizations included in the matching gift report.
5. Provide company-specific program details on the confirmation screen.
The next recommended practice has to do with the step directly after an individual completes an online donation form. In nearly all cases, the user then automatically reroutes to a gift confirmation screen. This page acknowledges that the donation was submitted, thanks the supporter for their contribution, and provides additional opportunities for involvement.
And throughout the matching gift research report, we saw that the vast majority of top nonprofits (~83.3%) also use this valuable piece of real estate to further promote matching gift participation.
Let’s take a look at one example of this practice.
Here’s what this organization did well on its confirmation page, specifically regarding matching gifts:
Offering a simpler matching gift experience following an initial donation increases the likelihood of donor participation. That said, fundraisers like this team aim to streamline the process while making the most of still-high levels of supporter engagement. And when done so effectively, many donors choose to initiate their matches right from the confirmation screen.
6. Send personalized matching gift emails post-transaction.
For donors who ultimately don’t choose to get their gifts matched directly from the confirmation screen, we know that sending follow-up emails can be the next best step. That’s why 86.6% of the P2P Top 30 are pursuing matching gift opportunities with post-transaction messaging.
Let’s take a look at one leading organization’s post-donation communications—and how they highlight matching gifts.
First, here’s the donation receipt an individual receives in the minutes after submitting their gift:
And this is what the follow-up matching gift email looks like:
Here’s what this organization did well in its post-donation matching gift communications:
The matching gift email also encourages supporters to follow up with the organization for a quick matching gift status update after submitting their request. This enables the nonprofit’s development team to better track and forecast incoming match revenue.
7. Leverage innovative matching gift software.
While it’s technically possible to develop a matching gift strategy without the aid of dedicated technology to power your efforts, doing so is likely to require substantial investments of time, effort, and resources. On the other hand, matching gift software can go a long way toward streamlining and automating the process.
As you consider the possibilities, it’s worth noting that, of the organizations’ practices analyzed in the Top Nonprofits report, those that use matching gift software saw average matching gift scores more than twice as high as those that did not appear to use matching gift software.
Still, choosing the right software provider is essential, as well. The study reports that 73.3% of the P2P Top 30 fundraisers—and 90% of the 10 highest-earning events—leveraged Double the Donation’s match software.
Not to mention, employing a best-in-class technology solution like Double the Donation can also help your team incorporate the above best practices into your matching gift strategy—from hosting a dedicated matching gift page (complete with an embedded company search tool) to highlighting matching gifts throughout the giving experience and beyond.
If you’re interested in exploring Double the Donation’s automation platform, 360MatchPro, you can request a demo here to get started.
Plus, keep in mind that your more general fundraising technology can play a significant role here, as well. For example, Top Nonprofits indicates that organizations using tools without sufficient matching gift integration and customization options saw significantly lower matching gift scores overall—compared to fundraisers whose giving tools integrated seamlessly with a matching gift solution.
That said, we recommend taking a look at Double the Donation’s wide array of technology partners if you’re in the market for a new fundraising platform that will work well with an elevated matching gift strategy.
Wrapping Up
Whether your team is just getting started with matching gifts or you’re looking to optimize an existing strategy, taking a look at tips and tricks followed by organizations with impactful matching gift efforts can go a long way.
Integrating the above matching gift practices in your nonprofit’s fundraising has the potential to bring your overall giving to previously unimaginable heights. And now’s the best time to get started!
Keep up the learning—explore additional resources from Double the Donation and other matching gift industry experts below:
Double the Donation Releases Enhanced Blackbaud CRM™ Matching Gift Integration Using New Blackbaud SKY API®
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation is excited to debut an enhanced Blackbaud CRM™ integration with Blackbaud’s new SKY API® technology. As a Premier ISV Partner in the Blackbaud ecosystem and a SKY API early adopter, Double the Donation is thrilled to release this updated iteration to the Blackbaud CRM integration.
This innovative solution will further streamline the matching gift process and help organizations continue to take advantage of the billions of dollars in unclaimed matching gift revenue.
This enhanced matching gift technology makes it even simpler for Blackbaud CRM users to connect their Blackbaud and 360MatchPro instances and start raising more from corporate matching gifts.
“It’s been an exciting process as our development team started working with Blackbaud’s new SKY API technology, and we are thrilled to release this enhanced integration functionality,” said Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “This new technology allows organizations to focus on the most important parts of their mission while still increasing matching gift revenue with the power of 360MatchPro.”
360MatchPro and Blackbaud CRM’s integration equips fundraisers with the industry leading matching gift software, effortlessly connecting donors to next steps and raising more for the causes that matter most.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
With this seamless integration and streamlined activation process, you can connect your Blackbaud CRM and 360MatchPro instances in minutes.
Once you’ve connected Blackbaud CRM to your 360MatchPro account, you’re all set! 360MatchPro allows you to send automated email notifications to donors to determine their matching gift eligibility and then connect donors to their matching gift application form based on their employer information. This means donors can start the matching gifts process with just one click making it even easier to drive revenue with matching gifts.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with 360MatchPro!
360MatchPro ensures your matching gift opportunities don’t fall through the cracks.
Take advantage of this solution to:
Identify more matching gift revenue opportunities: 360MatchPro enables you to automatically collect matching gift eligibility from donors using email domains, within donation forms, on confirmation screens, or by email. The more matching gift opportunities 360MatchPro discovers and shares with donors, the more matching gift requests your donors will successfully submit.
Drive more matches to completion, from form submission to corporate payment: Direct donors immediately to their matching gift forms after the donation process is complete. Then, provide the right information to the right donors at the right time with custom emails based on match eligibility. Target follow-ups drive more completed submissions than ever before, bringing exponentially more matching gift checks from companies through your door.
Reallocate your time from routine follow-up to your top opportunities: Your time is valuable, so why spend it chasing small dollar-value matching gifts? Let 360MatchPro automate your matching gift outreach while flagging your highest-value opportunities, allowing your team to personalize follow-ups to the most valuable match-eligible donations. Rest easy knowing that 360MatchPro can handle the rest.
Ready to drive matching gifts for your next fundraising effort? Schedule a personalized demo to learn how matching gifts can fund your mission.
About Blackbaud: The Blackbaud Partner Network is a group of leading technology and services firms providing the social good community with the solutions, applications, and strategies they need to make a difference in their local communities and worldwide. To learn more about Blackbaud’s Technology Partner program, visit: http://www.blackbaud.com/partners
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The 360MatchPro platform provides nonprofits with 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. To learn more visit https://360matchpro.com/demo-request/
Digital Marketing for Nonprofits: The Ultimate Guide
/in Marketing Strategies, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerAs a nonprofit marketer, brand awareness is at the top of your priority list. You’re challenged to grow your prospect list with limited funding. Luckily, digital marketing for nonprofits has changed the name of the game.
There’s no better way to get more bang for your buck than by establishing an online presence. Nonprofit digital marketing has opened up a world of opportunities for causes trying to get the most out of their budgets. Organizations like yours can cut down substantially on overhead costs by eliminating costly print collateral. Plus, your potential reach has never been so large! You can reach supporters across the globe in a matter of mere seconds, whether you’re promoting matching gifts or sharing volunteering opportunities.
From social media to email marketing, you have so many incredible, low-cost options to make your cause known. If you really want to stand out online, you’ve come to the right place! We’re here to help you harness the power of digital marketing for nonprofits by covering these key topics:
Here at Double the Donation, we work with nonprofits to raise more money through matching gifts. A big part of that involves nonprofits proactively marketing corporate giving opportunities to supporters. From marketing matching gifts to generally raising awareness for worthwhile causes, we’ve seen the power the online space holds. We’re hoping to share some of what we’ve learned, so you can expand your reach.
With a little research, you’ll be a nonprofit digital marketing whiz in no time! However, if you need a bit of guidance for your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy, we recommend turning to the experts at Getting Attention. They specialize in Google Ad Grant management, helping all sorts of organizations grow their potential with PPC advertising.
What Is Digital Marketing for Nonprofits?
Digital marketing for nonprofits is a specific subset of marketing for organizations that relies on the internet and online-dependent technologies, such as desktop computers and mobile devices. Nonprofits use digital outlets to spread mission awareness, solicit donations, increase volunteer numbers, promote events, and publicize their services.
Common outreach strategies include social media, texting, search advertising, or any other internet-based approach at an organization’s disposal.
Why Is Digital Marketing for Nonprofits Important?
A strong digital presence is a must for any organization that wants to thrive in the modern age. You might be wondering, “What exactly will establishing a digital presence do for my cause?” Great question!
Here’s a breakdown of some of the best parts of effective online marketing for nonprofit organizations like yours:
The list of pros goes on and on! The examples above only scratch the surface. To experience any benefits, you’ll need a strong nonprofit digital marketing strategy to serve as the foundation of your outreach.
Creating Your Nonprofit Digital Marketing Strategy
It’s no secret that digital marketing for nonprofits is insanely powerful. However, it’s not enough to post on social media sporadically or send generic emails to constituents. The online space is competitive, so you need a holistic strategy that defines your objectives and how you’ll reach them. Otherwise, your efforts might be disjointed and not contribute much to strengthening your digital presence.
While each nonprofit’s marketing strategy will vary, there are some common steps to craft a plan that works for your cause. Let’s walk through those now!
1. Define your nonprofit’s digital marketing goals.
Laying out clear goals will help you craft the right messages to the right audiences who will get you there. Every digital communication you send will get you one step closer to reaching whatever goals you set, so spend plenty of time hashing your objectives out with your marketing team.
Generally speaking, you might want to boost awareness for corporate giving, increase membership renewals, or spread awareness for your nonprofit’s services. Think through how these goals correlate with your overall mission and how your digital marketing efforts can support that. Let’s take a look at a specific example of a bad goal vs. a SMART goal:
Notice how the second goal is much clearer, defines how your nonprofit’s digital marketing can support your mission, and gives you solid metrics to work toward. That’s because it’s what we call a SMART goal.
The SMART Goal Framework
As a marketer, you might already be aware of this approach. The SMART goal framework allows you to set clear goals that anyone on your team can understand. The acronym stands for:
By following this framework, you can set objectives that make sense for your organization, make the most of digital outlets, and push your mission forward in meaningful ways.
2. Choose the right nonprofit digital marketing platforms.
There’s no shortage of nonprofit digital marketing platforms that you can leverage. Whether you’re trying to reach tech-savvy teens or email-reliant boomers, there’s a platform for reaching every segment of your audience.
Let’s walk through some of the most common ones:
These platforms will serve as the foundation of your organization’s outreach. When getting started, think through your audience for each platform carefully. Then, craft messages that support your objectives and play to each channel’s strengths.
For example, if you’re aiming to boost awareness for your animal shelter’s adoption services, you might use search ads to amplify your adoption page, social media to share a testimonial video about an animal that found its forever home, email to promote an upcoming adoption event, and text to share a quick announcement and a link to your adoption page.
3. Push your digital marketing campaign live.
At this point, you’ll need to write your digital marketing messages and publish them on relevant platforms.
There’s a lot of competition online, so your team needs to do everything it can to stand out online. Get creative in how you present your messages. Lean into storytelling tactics, use visual techniques like video and images, and offer different engagement opportunities to garner as much attention as possible.
Remember, digital marketing for nonprofits offers two-way communication opportunities, so pay attention to people’s interactions with your posts and messages. You might like their comments, respond to their emails, or show them you appreciate their interactions with your team in some other way.
Finally, you’ll want to create a schedule for each platform, so your team creates a pattern of consistency. That way, supporters will regularly see your nonprofit’s updates in their inboxes and newsfeeds, keeping your cause top of mind.
4. Monitor your nonprofit’s digital marketing performance.
Even once you send your outreach, the work’s not quite over yet! One of the best parts of going digital is that you can gather insightful metrics. Data-driven digital marketing for nonprofits is a must if you want to be proactive about growing your digital presence actively and providing value to your supporters.
During and after your campaigns, evaluate how successful your nonprofit digital marketing efforts are. Modern platforms make it easy to pull performance metrics and create reports to see how your efforts measure up against your goals.
Let’s break down the most common key performance indicators (KPIs) you can measure on each platform:
If your outreach is underperforming, make adjustments as you go. Do you have low email open rates? Experiment with your subject lines to capture more attention. Do you have exceptionally high social media impressions but minimal shares, likes, and comments? Your content might be reaching plenty of people, but it’s not quite doing the trick and inspiring them.
Do you have low delivery rates for texts? That may mean your supporters have changed their phone numbers. Don’t worry; this happens! Use a phone number append to make sure you have accurate phone numbers for supporters if your delivery rate is alarmingly low.
No matter what metrics you monitor, you need to pay attention to your performance. Successful digital marketing for nonprofits rides on these numbers!
Tips To Take Online Marketing for Nonprofits Up a Notch
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to digital marketing for nonprofits. As you get into the swing of things, test out some different strategies to find out what works for your organization!
Let’s explore several best practices you can use to tailor your plan and maximize your marketing ROI.
Promote Your Website with Google Ads.
We touched on Google Ads earlier, but there’s so much more to it than what we’ve covered! Search ads are one of the most effective digital marketing outlets for nonprofits.
As we touched on, you’ll need to apply for the program and meet the eligibility requirements to receive the $10,000 in ad credits. From here, you can create ads that promote your website’s content and use your free funding to bid on relevant keywords.
You can promote pretty much any valuable content, whether you want to bring attention to your donation form, services, volunteer opportunities, events, or something else. You can even use Google Ads to promote matching gifts! Here’s a quick example of how The Nature Conservancy, Rainforest Trust, and Greenpeace USA all targeted donors using Google Ads:
With a thoughtful bidding strategy, you can bring more visibility to your cause than ever before. Plus, the grant will automatically renew every month, so you’ll have a reliable source of funding as long as you comply with the compliance requirements.
It’ll take some time to learn the intricacies of the program, which is why we recommend working with a Google Grants manager. Our preferred agency is Getting Attention! They work with you to craft your nonprofit’s digital marketing strategy for Google Ads. They’ll help you apply for the program, create your ads, and monitor metrics to make sure you’re driving meaningful results.
Automate your nonprofit’s digital marketing when possible.
Marketing automation allows you to automate monotonous marketing work. Your marketing team can automate routine tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns. Not only will this boost efficiency, but it’ll help you provide a personalized experience for your supporters.
While automation certainly doesn’t replace manual outreach, the two can be used in conjunction to provide a timely, valuable experience to your supporters. This can lay the ground for healthy, long-term relationships.
Let’s take a look at a few areas where you can leverage automation:
No matter how you leverage it, automation can be a powerful strategy when it comes to digital marketing for nonprofits. Think carefully about how it can play into your plans without risking the personalized touch of manual outreach.
Tailor your outreach with segmentation.
Generic outreach won’t get you very far. Instead, personalize your outreach. This conveys that you care about your supporters, helping to capture their attention and build a stronger connection with each message you send.
Put yourself in a donor’s shoes. You receive an email that starts with “Dear generous donor.” Chances are, you won’t read the whole email. At the most, you might skim it. Your nonprofit’s online marketing tools should make it easy to customize your emails with recipients’ names.
Personalization should go further than adding their name to an email, though. That’s where segmentation comes into play!
You’ll want to create meaningful supporter segments, so you can send relevant appeals to those who are most likely to engage. To get started, you might create segments based on:
Thoughtful segmentation can go a long way toward improving your nonprofit’s digital marketing. While primarily used in email marketing for nonprofits, it’s also a great strategy for any other channel!
Optimize your nonprofit’s website.
Your website is the hub of all your nonprofit’s digital marketing efforts. It’s where first-time supporters will go to learn more about your cause and long-term supporters will go to find new engagement opportunities. It also enables you to raise online donations.
With all that rides on your website, you’ll need to put some thought behind your site’s design and create a valuable experience for each visitor. As a starting point, follow these best practices:
There’s plenty you can do to make your website as valuable as possible for your nonprofit marketing strategy. For other recommendations, we recommend checking out the site requirements for Google Ad Grants. While specific to the program, these rules provide guidance tailored to nonprofits, helping them create valuable web content that speaks to their mission and inspires supporters to get involved.
Wrapping Up
Digital marketing for nonprofits is an incredible opportunity to spread more awareness for your mission than ever before. From promoting corporate giving to increasing event attendance, there’s no limit to what you can accomplish for your mission.
Remember to spend time crafting a thoughtful nonprofit digital marketing strategy that plays to your organization’s strengths and connects you with your unique audience. Leverage all sorts of channels like social media, Google search ads, and email to make a lasting impression on supporters. In no time, you’ll strengthen your digital presence and drive greater outcomes for your work.
To continue enhancing your nonprofit’s outreach, explore these resources:
Double the Donation and Harness Giving Release 360MatchPro Matching Gifts Integration
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and Harness Giving have teamed up to provide nonprofits with advanced matching gift automation functionality with a 360MatchPro integration with Harness Giving forms.
The new integration allows donors to discover their match eligibility via a search from Double the Donation’s database of over 24,000 companies. Once a donor finds their company, they are presented with information on their employer’s matching gift program and are guided to complete the matching gift process.
“Our aim is to close the donor awareness gap and help nonprofits claim some of the $4-7 billion left on the table each year,” said Adam Weinger, President at Double the Donation. “With this new integration, Harness and Double the Donation are aligned in our mission to help organizations raise more from matching gifts.”
Now, mutual clients of Harness and Double the Donation can boost their fundraising potential by activating the turnkey integration. Read on to learn more about how 360MatchPro operates on Harness Giving pages.
Activate in Seconds and Start Raising More from Matching Gifts!
With the new Harness Giving and 360MatchPro by Double the Donation integration, you can easily set up a connection without any custom coding required. Just enter your API keys from your 360MatchPro account to your Harness Giving platform, toggle Employer Matching on for your desired forms, and you’re ready to go!
Once you’ve completed the setup process, donors will be able to search their employer’s name on the donation page via the 360MatchPro auto-complete search tool. 360MatchPro can then send them their next steps via email to help move that gift to completion!
The new functionality integrates seamlessly with the Harness Giving donation experience, meaning your donors can discover their eligibility while your giving pages maintain their modern Harness Giving style.
Drive More Matching Gifts to Completion with 360MatchPro!
The 360MatchPro and Harness Giving integration empower donors to deepen their impact on the organizations and campaigns they care about most, and empowers nonprofits to pursue their matching gift opportunities with more advanced and easy-to-use functionality. Check out these extra benefits:
Ready to get started with raising more from matching gifts? Request a demo today and let us know you use Harness Giving for your fundraising!
About Harness Giving: With a focus on recurring giving, our subscription platform helps nonprofits create seamless, gratifying experiences – from marketing and fundraising to stewardship. Donating should never feel out of reach, so our customizable tools encourage people to give in ways that suit them best, helping nonprofits tap into a wider network of donors.
About Double the Donation: Automate your matching gift fundraising with the industry-leading solution from Double the Donation. The 360MatchPro platform provides nonprofits with 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.
5 Fundraisers with Standout Matching Gift Success
/in Lists and Rankings, Learning Center, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation works with thousands of clients in the nonprofit and educational fundraising spaces. And just about all of our clients have seen significant matching gift success when employing our tools!
In this post, we wanted to spotlight a few standout examples of impactful matching gift strategies from top fundraisers. These include:
As we explore tried-and-true practices exemplified by these notable organizations, make a note of the strategies you can leverage in your own team’s matching gift fundraising efforts.
Matching Gift Success Story #1: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Founded in 1949, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is one of the largest medical research organizations in the world. With a specific dedication to blood cancer treatment, the nonprofit averages over $285 million in annual contributions and has funded more than $1.6 billion in groundbreaking advancements.
LLS also hosts a few of the largest peer-to-peer-focused nonprofit fundraising events. This includes its Light the Night Walk, which collects more than $70,000,000 from over 1 million participants each year.
And a significant portion of their workplace giving fundraising has been made available through corporate matching gifts programs!
Matching Gift Facts and Figures
Let’s take a look at some of the main functionality leveraged by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in regard to their matching gift growth:
Want to see it in action? View Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s matching gifts page here:
Matching Gift Success Story #2: The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank was founded in 1981 and has since grown into the largest hunger relief organization in all of New England. Through free mobile markets, SNAP assistance, forward-thinking research, and more, GBFB empowers those struggling with food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts.
With over 80,000 donors annually supporting their efforts, the Greater Boston Food Bank brings in more than $175 million in total revenue each year.
Matching Gift Facts and Figures
Here are the primary components of our matching gift solution employed by the Greater Boston Food Bank:
See what they’re doing to drive success! View The Greater Boston Food Bank’s matching gifts page here:
Matching Gift Success Story #3: Southern California Public Radio
Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public media network operating multiple radio stations in the Southern California region. Its primary station (formerly known as KPCC and since re-branded as LAist 89.3) is a non-commercial educational radio provider.
Together, the network of stations reaches more than 800,000 listeners, with a goal to provide high-quality news and other informational content to its audiences. SCPR has a total annual revenue of over $40 million through individual and corporate contributions alike.
Matching Gift Facts and Figures
Here’s how SCPR is using Double the Donation to drive more matching gifts to completion:
See for yourself! View Southern California Public Radio’s matching gifts page here:
Matching Gift Success Story #4: Humane Society International
Since 1991, Humane Society International (also known as HSI) has served in the animal welfare space to promote positive relations between humans and animals across the globe. With an annual revenue nearly totaling $24 million, HSI leverages individual donors, corporate support, and more to make a difference in the lives of creatures everywhere.
Matching Gift Facts and Figures
Specifically, Humane Society International leveraged Double the Donation to enable:
Take a look for yourself—click here to see Humane Society International’s matching gifts page:
Matching Gift Success Story #5: Marietta College
Established in 1835 in Marietta, Ohio, Marietta College is a private liberal arts school. Offering more than 50 undergraduate and graduate majors, Marietta College provides focus areas across arts, sciences, humanities, and more.
All in all, the college receives over $70 million in annual revenue per year, with nearly $46 million coming from tuition and fees and more than $22 million from donor funding and grants—including corporate matching.
Matching Gift Facts and Figures
Here’s how Marietta College and Double the Donation teamed up to maximize matching gifts with these key features:
Get schooled! View Marietta College’s matching gifts page here:
Wrapping Up
Most nonprofits receive some amount of matching gift revenue even without a dedicated plan in place. However, a much smaller percentage of organizations have a well-thought-out strategy with the tools to implement it. Ultimately, the latter group comprises those that are making the most of the opportunity at hand.
When you take a long look at these groups (such as those highlighted above), you can uncover the practices that produce standout matching gift success. Then, begin emulating such tips and tricks in your own team’s efforts. And Double the Donation is here to help!
Interested in learning more about matching gift fundraising and how your nonprofit can maximize revenue through the source? Check out our other educational resources below:
Donor Walls – Nonprofit Basics
/in Nonprofit Basics /by Adam WeingerDonor walls are a great way to show appreciation to donors and demonstrate the impact of their contributions, which can aid in donor retention and acquisition. They provide a tangible way to thank and recognize donors for their support, while also creating a sense of community and allowing donors to show off their commitment to the organization.
What is a Donor Wall?
A donor recognition wall is a permanent display honoring an organization’s generous supporters, which can take the form of an immersive, interactive experience. Nonprofits, universities, medical facilities, and faith-based organizations are among those that create these walls to recognize major donors, corporate sponsors, and major contributors. The cost of a donor recognition wall will depend on its size and materials used, but it’s considered a critical investment that can improve donor retention and add a beautiful focal point to a space.
Different Types of Donor Walls
Traditional Donor Walls
Traditional donor walls are the classic option, often made of engraved metal plaques, acrylic with vinyl or etched lettering, glass, or other material-based components. They’re typically arranged in a board or giving tree. The appeal of a traditional donor wall is in the art-like overall aesthetic and the luxury of tactile donor names. These are a good option for organizations with low volumes of donors to recognize. Updating the list of donors can be moderate in cost, and the initial investment is less than a digital donor wall.
Digital Donor Walls
Digital donor walls are a more modern approach, made of a screen or a series of screens. They can display a dynamic amount of names with many giving levels and types of giving. Videos, photos, and other multimedia elements can be added to the screen(s) in real-time. They’re great for organizations with a high volume of donors to recognize or that want to showcase their history, mission statements, ‘Why I Give stories’, donor highlights, impact stories, and more. There’s no cost to add or update the list of donors, but the initial investment is more than a traditional donor wall.
Hybrid Donor Walls
Hybrid donor walls are the best of both worlds. They combine the art-like cabinetry found in traditional donor walls and blend it with the ease of use and magnificence of digital donor walls. This provides a more interactive and engaging experience for donors and visitors, while still providing a tangible way to recognize and honor donors. The initial investment for a hybrid digital donor wall is the most expensive option, but there is generally no cost to update the list of donors.
Virtual Donor Walls
Virtual donor walls are accessible through nonprofit websites, leveraging much of the same software technology as a digital donor wall. These can be used to keep recognition up to date and leveraged for online marketing strategies. They are particularly useful for organizations with no physical or public presence that other donor walls would require. Updating the donor lists has no cost, and the initial cost to develop a virtual donor wall is a fraction of the cost of other digital or hybrid solutions. Virtual donor walls are a great way to recognize and honor donors online, making them a cost-effective solution for organizations that don’t have the budget for traditional or digital donor walls.
Benefits of A Donor Wall
Culture of Philanthropy-Building
Donor walls are a powerful tool for building a culture of philanthropy within an organization. They provide a tangible way to steward and thank donors for their support, while also creating a sense of community and shared purpose. By displaying donor names and contributions in a public space, donor walls demonstrate the impact of individual giving and encourage others to get involved.
Donor Acquisition and Retention
In addition to recognizing donors, donor walls also serve as an important tool for donor acquisition and retention. They provide a way for potential donors to see the impact of giving and understand the value of their contributions. They also help to build a sense of community and shared purpose among donors, which can encourage them to continue giving and even increase their level of support.
Donor Engagement
Donor walls are not just a display of appreciation, but they’re also a way to engage donors and encourage them to continue their support. They provide a tangible representation of the impact of giving, and help donors to see the value of their contributions. By recognizing donors in a public space, donor walls create a sense of community among donors and build a sense of shared purpose. This can encourage donors to stay connected with the organization and continue their support.
Overall, donor walls play a crucial role in building a culture of philanthropy within an organization. They provide a powerful tool for recognizing and thanking donors, encouraging giving, and promoting transparency and accountability. They are a valuable investment for any organization committed to building a strong culture of philanthropy and fostering a sense of community among donors.
Other Resources to Explore
Nonprofit Basics – Learn more about other nonprofit management essentials by checking out these expert resources.
8 Donor Engagement Strategies to Drive Nonprofit Support – Donor engagement is crucial for building a strong nonprofit organization. Take advantage of the strategies discussed in this article to boost your efforts.
Retaining Matching Gift Donors: 4+ Effective Strategies – Retaining donors in addition to acquiring new donors, offers a multitude of benefits. Explore ways to keep matching gift donors engaged with your organization.
Alternative Fundraising Avenues: Recouping After Lost Funding Sources
/in Learning Center, Fundraising Ideas, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerThere are many different funding types at the disposal of nonprofit causes. These sources empower organizations like yours to bankroll mission programming and behind-the-scenes operations alike. Still, most fundraisers end up relying on a few primary channels to power the brunt of their operations.
So what happens when one of those key sources becomes unavailable? Oftentimes, that means it’s time to begin searching for alternative fundraising avenues.
And we’re here to help! In this guide, we’ll cover:
Ready to dive in? Let’s start at the beginning.
Why your nonprofit might lose a funding source
The loss of a nonprofit funding source can be jarring, and you might not always see it coming. However, understanding common causes behind lost fundraising avenues can make a big difference in preparing to overcome whatever obstacles are thrown your way.
Some scenarios in which your organization finds itself without a key funding source might include losses of major donors (whether due to passing, changing financial circumstances, or other reasoning), specific grants not coming through, and more.
One of the most prominent—and widespread—examples of this occurred at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. Still, the lingering effects remained for years after the fact. And that’s when organizations across the globe that had been previously dependent on revenue generated through in-person fundraising events were now without access to the source.
Luckily, all was not lost! Instead, organizations went to work rapidly transitioning events to the virtual realm in order to maintain donor engagement and giving.
Another, more recent instance? The cessation of Amazon’s philanthropic initiative, AmazonSmile, in February 2023. This program had been a fairly effortless source of income for over one million local and national causes, producing more than $365 million for participating organizations. Once the closing of the program was announced, tons of nonprofits began scrambling to locate new ways to make up the income they’d been depending on.
And that brings us to our next section!
Next steps after losing a funding source
If your nonprofit has just lost a key source of funding, you may be tempted to enter panic mode. But first, we recommend taking a few easy steps to get your organization back on track for financial success.
Determine how much was lost from the source.
First and foremost, start by gauging exactly how much was lost from the source.
If you were expecting a particular grant payout or a donor had been contributing a static amount year after year, you could fairly simply determine the amount you were accounting for. On the other hand, more variable sources—e.g., fundraising events or programs like AmazonSmile—can be estimated by calculating the average dollar amounts received over a period of time, such as the last months or years.
For example, many organizations are (understandably) fretting about the AmazonSmile program shutting down. However, reports indicate that the average annual payout for the program was a mere $230.
Looking at it this way can help contextualize the loss and make an actionable plan to compensate for the lack of funding.
Pursue new fundraising avenues.
Now, begin brainstorming ways to make up for the lost funding. When one door closes, another one may be opening. That means it might be time to pursue a brand new funding avenue.
A few examples may include:
Keep in mind that this idea can look vastly different from one organization to the next. After all, there’s a world of opportunities readily available.
Ramp up existing (yet often underutilized) funding types.
What about those revenue streams that produce some funding for your cause, but you don’t have a particularly built-out strategy for making the most of the resource? It’s a great chance to optimize your efforts regarding those funding types, as well!
For many organizations, this is where corporate giving programs fall. Perhaps you’ve received a number of matching donations, maybe even a few volunteer grants. However, you might generally rely on individual supporters to pursue those avenues on their own. In that case, now might be the best opportunity to ramp up your efforts to help ensure no matches are ultimately going unclaimed.
Diversifying funds with 10+ alternative revenue streams
When you rely too heavily on any one type of funding, you run the risk of financial instability should something happen to that source. Thus, one of the best ways to prepare your organization prior to losing potential revenue streams is to ensure a well-rounded and sustainable funding model.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular—and impactful—kinds of nonprofit funding to consider. Keep in mind that a versatile fundraising strategy likely incorporates many, if not all, of these earning types.
1. Corporate Giving
According to corporate giving research, corporations contribute, on average, over $21 billion each year. Much of this funding is donated through generous programs, such as:
However, billions of dollars in workplace giving revenue is left on the table each year, largely due to a lack of knowledge surrounding the programs.
Want to increase participation in corporate philanthropy and drive additional corporate funding to your cause? Raise awareness among donors—and encourage them to get their employers involved. (Don’t worry: we’ll share more on matching gifts later.)
2. Individual Gifts
Many nonprofits make up the majority of their annual fundraising revenue through individual donor giving. This typically includes a number of specific giving types, such as:
In order to maximize individual giving, be sure to send personalized and targeted fundraising appeals. You’ll also want to emphasize the tangible impact of generous donations on your nonprofit’s mission.
Plus, the above-cited research shows that simply highlighting matching gifts in donation asks results in a 71% increase in response rate and a 51% increase in average gift amount.
3. Grants
Nonprofit (or fundraising) grants are a specific type of monetary contribution made to a charitable cause. They are typically larger than the average donation amount and are often restricted to funding a particular project or program.
Grants can be made by a range of different institutions but generally fall into one of the following categories:
Most grants require some sort of application process and may include a dedicated proposal to be submitted. In order to secure more grant funding for your organization, it’s a good idea to spend some time researching opportunities and creating optimized proposal materials.
4. Event Revenue
Nonprofit fundraising events can certainly be fan-favorite experiences—and can range from informal run/walk/ride competitions to elegant gala affairs. And each event typically encompasses multiple opportunities for generating revenue.
For example, your event may collect funding from:
When you choose to host a fundraising event for your organization, be sure to invest time and resources into marketing the opportunity effectively beforehand. After all, your audience would love to participate to support your cause, but they need to know the event is happening in order to attend.
5. Online Giving
In line with the digital revolution, online giving has increased steadily, seeing consistent year-over-year growth throughout the past decade and beyond.
Remember: donors want an easy digital giving experience, so the tools you use to power online donations are a critical component of your strategy.
(Hint: Double the Donation partners with some of the greatest online donation platforms in the industry. Check out our integrations to learn more!)
6. Direct Mail Donations
Though many assume that direct mail is an outdated fundraising strategy, the truth is that it remains an excellent way to engage with your donors in an offline manner.
In fact, recent fundraising statistics report that direct mail is the second-highest reported giving preference among Baby Boomer donors worldwide. At the same time, it’s one of the top four most inspirational channels to drive action among supporters in Millennial, Gen X, and Baby Boomer generations alike.
One way to modernize the giving avenue, however, is to provide an online option for giving—even when an individual is being prompted through a direct mail ask. For example, you might include a scannable QR code or an easy-to-type digital giving page URL.
7. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
Also known as social or P2P fundraising, peer-to-peer fundraising is an impactful way for nonprofits to raise substantial levels of funding while also expanding their campaign reach to new heights.
In these initiatives, organizations equip dedicated supporters with the tools they need to raise money on behalf of their favorite causes. Volunteer fundraisers then solicit donations from their own networks of friends, family members, and more.
In the end, P2P campaigns often culminate in an engaging event experience, such as a walk-a-thon!
8. Membership Fees
Some nonprofits take a membership-based approach to supplement their other existing funding sources. This is a particularly popular model among school PTAs, community programming organizations, and more. And it can be a great way to incentivize giving and foster a sense of camaraderie among members!
Organizations that choose to enact membership fees (sometimes referred to as dues) typically provide exclusive perks for those who join and aim to set their prices at an affordable monthly or yearly rate.
9. Recurring Gifts
Recurring donations offer a wide range of benefits for the nonprofits receiving them. Not only do individual supporters typically end up giving more through these programs, but it also aids organizations in estimating incoming revenue.
And leveling up your recurring gifts can be as easy as incorporating a button on your online donation pages! You may be pleasantly surprised as to how many donors opt to become regular supporters of your cause when presented with the easy opportunity to do so. In fact, average online monthly giving grew by over 40% as recurring donation options became an increasingly popular choice among online supporters.
10. In-Kind Donations
While not a direct source of funding, in-kind donations (i.e., any non-cash gifts of goods, services, or time) are an essential component of nonprofit fundraising. After all, these types of contributions empower organizations to stretch their budgets further than otherwise possible. And that allows them to allocate revenue to other areas of their operations.
To drive more in-kind donations, make sure to market the opportunity to your donors! Many individuals love supporting nonprofits by providing gifts-in-kind and seeing the impact that their tangible purchases can have on their favorite causes. Plus, Amazon still offers an easy way for charities to create and share online wishlists from which their supporters can purchase and send items directly to the organization.
Our favorite fundraising avenue: employee matching gifts!
While all of the above funding sources can provide significant benefits for the nonprofits who choose to establish the initiatives, our #1 favorite method is employee matching gifts. After all, this top alternative fundraising avenue has huge potential—though it’s still going largely underutilized.
In fact, Double the Donation research indicates that an estimated $2 – $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs each year. However, an additional $4 – $7 billion goes unclaimed on an annual basis.
Not to mention, corporate matching gifts are an opportunity that nearly all nonprofit organizations qualify to participate in. Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs, including over 65% of the Fortune 500. More than likely, a key segment of your existing and prospective donors falls into that matching-gift-eligible group.
When you highlight the widespread availability of these programs, your organization can benefit not only from increased corporate funding but from elevated donor giving, as well. The above-mentioned studies also show that individual supporters are more likely to give (71% growth in gift conversion rates) and to give more (51% higher average transaction amount) when matching gifts are promoted. Thus, in the end, your organization receives additional revenue streams and new opportunities for communication and engagement. Talk about a win-win!
Plus, if you’re looking for a particularly impactful source of fundraising revenue that doesn’t require a ton of staff time and resources, dedicated matching gift technology is the way to go. Leveraging a matching gift automation tool (like Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro) increases matching gift funds for nonprofits by over 61%, with innovative new auto-submission functionality projected to yield more than an 80% increase in match revenue.
And in the face of adversity, you generally won’t have to worry about a negative impact on matching gifts. In reality, many companies were reported to have developed new and improved employee matching initiatives in the wake of COVID-19 and other economic downturns. Besides, should one company roll back its programming, you’ll likely have a number of additional matching opportunities to pursue—making it a particularly sustainable fundraising practice over time.
Final Thoughts
Preparing your team with a range of diversified revenue can go a long way toward continuous operational success. Even in the midst of lost funding avenues, you’ll have a number of alternative fundraising streams supporting your organization.
And when you have a plan in place for optimizing passive income opportunities (such as employer matching gifts and more), you can continue driving forward mission impact despite losing access to other sources.
Ready to dive deeper into some of our favorite alternative fundraising avenues for nonprofits and schools? Check out these additional resources below: