Billions of dollars are contributed to nonprofits and schools each year through corporate matching gift programs. But these initiatives can do more than offer funding for your institution. If you’re wondering how matching gift appeals can fuel alumni engagement, you’ve come to the right place.

Alumni engagement is critical for colleges, universities, and other educational institutions, so much so that there are entire conferences dedicated to it. After all, most schools seek to build a strong community and foster lifelong relationships with their graduates. Not to mention, a school’s alumni can also be some of its most valuable assets in terms of fundraising and overall financial support.

However, it can sometimes be a challenge to keep alumni connected to your school in the long run.

In order to inspire alumni giving, strengthen relationships with your institution’s former student base, and deepen connections to your overall cause, we recommend incorporating matching gift appeals into your strategy.

In this guide, we’ll provide ample insights that can be used to integrate employee gift-matching and alumni relations for optimal results. And we’ll do so by exploring the following topics:

• Benefits of Matching Gift Appeals for Alumni Engagement
• How to Drive Alumni Engagement with Matching Gift Appeals
• Best Practices for Effective Alumni-Centric Matching Gift Appeals
• Example Schools with Successful Alumni Matching Gift Appeals

Eager to learn more? Let’s dive in!

Benefits of Matching Gift Appeals for Alumni Engagement

Matching gift appeals are an excellent way to connect (and reconnect) with alumni and drive engagement with your school. Tens of thousands of companies agree to match employee donations to their favorite charitable causes⁠—often including educational institutions.

However, the opportunity is often underutilized, with only a fraction of qualifying donors going on to submit their matching gift requests. That’s where well-written appeals can come in, promoting matching gift information and ultimately leading to increased philanthropic support for institutions like yours.

Let’s take a look at a few of the most valuable benefits of matching gift appeals on your alumni engagement strategy.

Elevated gift conversion rates

One significant (yet often overlooked) advantage of matching gift appeals is their ability to drive elevated gift conversion rates. In fact, recent studies show that over 84% of individuals indicated that they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered. As a result, incorporating matching gifts in an organization’s fundraising appeals results in an average 71% increase in response rate.

Increased donation amounts

Moreover, matching gift appeals have been shown to also increase the average donation amounts an organization receives, as supporters are typically motivated to give more when they know their gifts will be doubled. 1 in 3 donors indicates they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied, and highlighting the opportunity in matching gift appeals before a donation is made leads to 51% growth in average gift size.

This can also be an effective way to push alumni donors into the next giving tier. For example, an alumnus who typically gives $100 may be inspired to give $200 in response to a matching gift appeal⁠—thereby increasing their giving level and the impact of their contribution. And that’s before their employee even makes their match!

Heightened likelihood of match eligibility

Another reason why you want to incorporate matching gift appeals in your overall engagement strategy is that your alumni may be increasingly likely to qualify for such programs in the first place.

After all, young alumni, in particular, often work for companies that match employee gifts. Tens of thousands of businesses (including 65% of the Fortune 500) agree to match donations to nonprofits and educational institutions, with tech companies being one of the most involved sectors overall.

This presents a unique opportunity for institutions to engage with this demographic and inspire them to give by highlighting this additional incentive.

Maximized supporter impact + strengthened alumni relations

Matching gifts effectively double individual contributions, empowering alumni donors to make twice the impact on their alma mater. When this group sees their gifts being matched, they feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, knowing that their contribution is making an even greater, tangible difference. This can lead to increased loyalty to the institution and a greater willingness to give in the future.

Expanded corporate giving revenue

One of the most apparent benefits of matching gift appeals is the additional corporate revenue contributed as a result. Impactful and actionable match appeals drive more matching gift requests to completion, ultimately leading to a significant increase in match revenue overall.

Not to mention, a well-built-out matching gift strategy can also open doors for broader corporate partnership opportunities. Companies that match gifts have already proven to be charitable-minded in nature. And targeting your donors’ employers is a great way to communicate shared values and audiences in your next sponsorship pitch.

How to Drive Alumni Engagement with Matching Gift Appeals

Whether you’re looking to launch an alumni matching gift campaign for the first time or are seeking to improve your existing efforts, we’re here to help. These fundamental steps will provide valuable insights and strategies to help your team maximize alumni engagement, giving, and more.

Identify potential match-eligible alumni.

One of the first things you’ll need to drive alumni engagement with matching gift appeals involves identifying those of your alumni that qualify for the corporate giving programs. And to do so, you’ll need to know which companies your alumni are working for.

Your school may already track this information in your CRM. But if not (or for those who you don’t have post-education employment records for), there are a few ways you can uncover this detail. Not to mention, employment data can go out of date fairly quickly, so it’s important to continually refresh this information for your alumni and other supporters.

• Adding an optional employment field to your online donation form.
• Scanning contact information for corporate email domains.
• Leveraging a matching gift company search tool in post-transaction messaging (i.e., confirmation screens, follow-up emails, etc.).
• Employing a third-party data appends service.

Keep in mind that the benefits of alumni employment data go far beyond that of matching gift appeals, too! Understanding where graduates end up after leaving your school can also aid in personalizing communications, estimating wealth levels, and more.

Educate your audience about matching gifts.

Another important step is to educate your audience about matching gifts. Without incorporating strategic methods for increasing awareness of the programs, there’s a significant knowledge gap regarding matching gifts. In fact, the aforementioned studies indicate that over 78% of individuals have never been informed about their companies’ matching gift programs.

The solution? Crafting a comprehensive plan for promoting the opportunity yourself.

Specifically, we recommend…

• Mentioning matching gifts in all of your school’s fundraising appeals.
• Establishing a dedicated matching gift web page on your school website (if you don’t already have one), complete with matching gift details, your company search tool, and helpful contact information for your institution.
• Incorporating matching gift information directly within your donation experience (within your online giving forms, on the confirmation screens, etc.).
• Highlighting matching gift information (and relevant imagery) on your school’s social media pages.
• Producing and sharing educational matching gift videos that overview the programs and how to get involved.
• Considering direct mail materials such as postcards, inserts, printed envelopes, and more for your most lucrative donors and prospects.

In all of your favorite channels, be sure to provide clear and concise information about how matching gifts work⁠—and how they can increase the impact of donations to your school. Once aware of the programs, alumni will be increasingly inspired to participate in their employers’ giving initiatives on your institution’s behalf, ultimately driving completed matches through the roof.

Incorporate various matching gift appeals in your messaging.

There’s no one way to integrate matching gift appeals into your institution’s fundraising strategy. The possibilities are endless, and we recommend exploring matching gifts as a key tenet of all essential engagement activities.

For example, you may decide to implement matching gift promotions throughout the donor journey year-round. This can come in handy when looking to drive support for your general operating fund at any point, using matching gift appeals to encourage growth in individual giving and corporate funding alike.

However, many schools also choose to host a dedicated matching gifts campaign alongside their academic giving days to collect even more during that limited time span. (Note: several institutions have reported raising multiple times the cost of their matching gift software on their Giving Days alone⁠—allowing them to see a return on their investment almost immediately.)

The good news is that it’s not an either/or question; in fact, the recommended answer is both. You can market matching gifts to your alumni and other donors 365 days a year⁠—made easy with the right technology⁠—and institute an elevated push for matching at the time of a specific campaign. When it comes to matching gift outreach, the more, the merrier!

Best Practices for Effective Alumni-Centric Matching Gift Appeals

Bring your matching gift appeals to the next level! We recommend the following tried-and-true practices for streamlining the process while also amplifying alumni matching gift results.

Start with a well-crafted appeal template.

Your matching gift appeals should be well-written, concise, and compelling to grab⁠—and retain⁠—the attention of your alumni audience. Make sure to clearly explain what matching gifts are, the impact of employee donation-matching opportunities, and how corporate funding will be used to benefit your school.

You can jump right into it with the free matching gift templates found here. Just be sure to finetune and personalize these sample appeals to best fit your institution’s needs, goals, and audiences.

Set clear and attainable goals.

Before launching your matching gift campaign, establish clear goals regarding matched gifts, total corporate funding, and more. We always recommend defining your objectives using the SMART framework⁠—or setting goals that are…

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

For example, you might state that you aim to collect $5,000 worth of corporate matching gifts from alumni donors by the end of the fiscal year.

Be sure your development team is aware of and on board with your goals, and begin taking steps toward achieving them!

Make it easy for alumni to donate and request matches.

In order to drive the most gifts and matches to completion, it’s crucial that the associated processes are as quick and easy as possible.

Our recommendation? Make the most of intuitive donation tools⁠—such as these top education-focused platforms⁠—that seamlessly integrate with powerful matching gift software.

This way, you can…

• Collect employment details within your online giving forms;
• Automatically screen for match-eligible donations;
• Provide company-specific guidelines, instructions, and links to digital submission forms.

By guiding alumni donors through the matching gift process, you’ll reduce critical roadblocks and ultimately receive more fulfilled matches.

On the other hand, an experience that is primarily donor-led (i.e., asking alumni to get in touch with their HR department to locate their matching gift instructions) is likely to result in a ton of matches going unclaimed and corporate funding being left on the table.

Follow up and show appreciation.

Your matching gift donors are likely some of your school’s most dedicated supporters. When alumni participate in these programs, it’s essential that you promptly acknowledge their above-and-beyond efforts for your institution.

Throughout the donor journey, there are a few fundamental phases in which gratitude should be incorporated. These include:

• After receiving an initial donation ⁠— “Thanks, [Donor]! We’ve received your recent gift⁠—and it’s because of dedicated alumni like yourself that our school is able to be what it is today. Did you know that you might be able to double your impact with a corporate matching gift? Click here to learn more and submit your match request [link to matching gift page].”
• After a match has been submitted ⁠— “Our records indicate that you requested a corporate matching gift from [company]. Thank you greatly for taking this next step to amplify your giving impact on our institution. Feel free to reach out if there’s anything we can do to help complete the matching process with your employer.”
• After a match has been received ⁠— “[Donor], we are writing today to inform you that we’ve received the completed match from your employer. Once again, we thank you for taking the extra steps to submit your matching gift. We truly appreciate your ongoing support to [school]. We couldn’t do it without you!”

Effectively communicating your gratitude throughout the process is a surefire way to reiterate the importance of donation-matching. And ultimately, it increases the likelihood that match-eligible alumni ultimately give and get their gifts matched time and time again.

Though corporate matches do not come directly from an individual donor’s wallet, remember that the additional funding would not be possible without their involvement.

Idea: send an eCard to thank alumni for partaking in matching gift programs on your behalf!

Employ automation to increase efficiency.

Our final tip is one that can help boost the results of our other recommended practices as well⁠—from increasing awareness of the programs to following up on eligible matches. And that is equipping your fundraising team with smart automation technology.

After all, launching a matching gifts campaign on your own can be overwhelming. But when you employ automation, you can do more for your school with less time and resources. Not to mention, leveraging a matching gift automation tool (like Double the Donation) grows matching gift revenue for nonprofits by an average of 61%!

And the time you save triggering automated matching gift appeals⁠—with just a click of a button⁠—can be reallocated to other critical projects that benefit your school.

Example Schools with Successful Alumni Matching Gift Appeals

Establishing an effective matching gift appeal strategy that resonates with your alumni doesn’t have to be difficult. Let’s take a look at a few schools that implemented matching gift appeals and produced significant results.

Get inspired by these institutions’ fundraising efforts⁠—and take note of any tactics you’d like to employ in your own.

Marietta College

Marietta College is an excellent example of a higher education institution that employs matching gift appeals successfully throughout its efforts.

To begin, check out this college’s dedicated matching gifts page:

You’ll note that this page incorporates a brief summary of corporate matching gift programs, has embedded an easy-to-use company search tool for individuals to uncover eligibility information, and is easily accessible from the site’s Giving Opportunities menu.

Marietta College has also crafted an alumni-specific web page designed to target previous students looking to give back to the school. And the site mentions matching gift opportunities here, as well!

Throughout their range of matching gift appeals, which included online giving forms, post-transaction emails, and more, in addition to the website content seen above, Marietta College produced standout results to be inspired by.

University of Georgia

Next, we have the University of Georgia, which also offers a robust matching gift strategy that aims to engage alumni donors and other school supporters alike.

This school’s matching gift page employs Double the Donation’s matching gift tool, allowing interested donors to quickly research their companies’ program guidelines. The University of Georgia also uses this page to promote a unique incentive for donors to get their gifts matched⁠—driving individual giving levels to qualify for the exclusive Presidents Club!

Additionally, the UGA team has consistently leveraged its social media platforms to raise awareness of matching gift opportunities. Check out these posts they’ve shared on Twitter, Facebook, and more.

And, all in all, the university has seen some pretty substantial results!

Syracuse University

Similarly, Syracuse University also incorporates matching gift appeals in its alumni and overall donor engagement strategies. From its dedicated match page pictured below to its personalized and automated matching gift email communications, the Syracuse team works hard to ensure all supporters are exposed to information about matching gift programs⁠—and are encouraged to take the next steps.

In addition to its matching gifts page, Syracuse University has also created a free giving toolkit for alumni and other university donors interested in getting involved. This toolkit provides detailed information about online giving, contributing from donor-advised funds, beneficiary designations, and, of course, corporate matching gifts.

The bottom line is that Syracuse University has seen a lot of success with its matching gift appeals⁠—inspiring alumni and donor engagement, driving awareness of matching opportunities, and more.

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Wrapping Up

Matching gift appeals can be a powerful tool for educational institutions seeking to increase alumni engagement and philanthropic support. By leveraging your alumni’s generosity alongside that of companies matching contributions to your school, institutions like yours can encourage more significant levels of giving while also fostering a sense of community among graduates.

This type of strategic outreach can also serve as a smart way to reconnect with alumni who may have lost touch with their alma mater, providing them with a compelling reason to get involved once again. By making it easy for alumni to give back and amplify their support, academic fundraisers can help ensure continued success and maximized impact for years to come.

And there’s no better time to incorporate matching gift appeals in your alumni engagement strategy than the present. Best of luck!

Looking to continue your education on matching gift topics to best position your school for corporate fundraising success? Check out these recommended resources:

• Grow Your Matching Gift Insights With Real Double the Donation Success Stories. See even more examples of schools and organizations seeing significant matching gift fundraising success! Check out our complete collection of case studies to learn more.
• Matching Gifts & Higher Education: Companies That Match [+Tips]. Identify matching gift opportunities for your college or university. Explore this list of well-known companies that match gifts to higher ed, along with a few insightful practices to consider.
• 110+ Incredible School Fundraising Ideas to Raise Money Now. Amplify your broader fundraising strategies with this compilation of unique and impactful fundraisers. Plus, a lot of these tried-and-true ideas pair well with matching gifts to double your impact!
• Increase Matching Gift Awareness | Get Your Donors on Board. To get alumni on board with matching gift participation, they need to know that the opportunities exist. Check out these suggested methods to launch a matching gift awareness campaign at your school.
• Interested in learning more about matching gift appeals? Check out our immersive webinar on the topic!

Nonprofits, 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:

1. Understand the importance of matching gifts in overall fundraising.
2. Appoint a dedicated Matching Gift Specialist.
3. Establish a plan to drive matching gift participation in fundraising efforts.
4. Create a detailed and easily accessible matching gift page.
5. Incorporate matching gifts within the donation form.
6. Provide company-specific program details on the confirmation screen.
7. Send personalized matching gift emails post-transaction.
8. Strive for ease and accessibility.
9. Keep a record of individuals’ matching gift statuses.
10. Thank donors for their matching gift participation.
11. Cultivate relationships with donors’ employing companies.
12. Leverage innovative matching gift software.

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 ⁠—

• Increased corporate philanthropy funding. One of the most apparent advantages of matching gift programs is the corporate match donations that an organization receives. Think of it like the “free” part of a “buy one, get one free” promotion. When donors participate, they funnel additional corporate revenue from their employing companies to your organization. And doing so produces substantial results!
• Increased individual giving revenue. Not only do matching gift programs increase nonprofit fundraising by making more corporate funds available, but they also elevate individual giving in a few key ways. In fact, Double the Donation research reports that over 84% of survey participants are more likely to donate, and 1 in 3 donors would contribute a larger amount if matching is applied to their donation.
• Increased donor engagement. Nonprofits that employed strategic matching gift follow-ups saw up to 6x more post-donation engagement opportunities. Each outreach message is another chance to keep your cause at the top of donors’ minds for longer. This encourages supporters to get further involved with (and make a larger impact on) your organization without reaching back into their own wallets.

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. Appoint a dedicated Matching Gift Specialist.

In the ideal situation, everyone on your organization’s team will be well-versed in matching gift programs. However, by appointing an expert to lead your team, you’ll have the time and resources to implement matching gifts into your overall fundraising strategy.

Your nonprofit will be more prepared after hiring a matching gift specialist than it would be having your whole staff know just a few basic facts about matching gifts. The coordinator is the expert, but the rest of your employees should know enough to field the questions that they can and pass along the rest as needed.

The specialist is the designated point person for all matching gift queries and problems and the staff member in charge of ensuring the donations are received.

Your coordinator will be able to keep your various departments in the loop about what’s going on and need-to-know information. All staff members should be promoting matching gifts when relevant, but the matching gift coordinator is the coach leading your team to victory.

If the matching gift specialist position is new territory for your organization, why not consider hiring an executive search firm? Consultants can help you craft the perfect job description and lead you through the entire hiring process, ensuring that everything runs smoothly!

3. 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 training your team in the basics of matching gifts and incorporating the rest of these impactful matching gift practices pursued by the top fundraising organizations in your overall strategy.

4. 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:

• Shared a brief explanation of matching gift programs and their value for donors and nonprofits;
• Embedded an auto-completing matching gift database search tool, providing access to tens of thousands of companies’ matching gift program guidelines with a few clicks;
• Overviewed the process involved for donors to get their gifts matched on behalf of the organization;
• Provided contact information often required in donors’ submission forms, ensuring everything they need is all in one, readily available hub;
• Ensured the page was easily accessible from the website’s main “Get Involved” tab.

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.

5. 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:

• Established a dedicated section within the form, clearly labeled “Matching Gifts,” to grab supporters’ attention as they give;
• Provided a brief overview of matching gift programs and how to use the embedded search tool to locate company information;
• Shared next steps in the matching gift process, ensuring donors can expect additional information pertaining to their gifts and matches on the confirmation page.

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.

6. 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:

• Provided detailed information about an individual’s contribution, enabling them to easily compare against their company’s established matching gift eligibility criteria;
• Embedded an auto-populating matching gift widget, complete with specific program information for the company they selected on the previous page;
• Inspired immediate action with links straight to company guidelines and online submission forms.

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.

7. 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:

• Thanked donors for their initial support, acknowledging their gift impact and the opportunity for amplified results from corporate matching;
• Leveraged customizable messaging, using the nonprofit’s own consistent branding (fonts, images, colors) and email domain;
• Included matching gift information in both the gift confirmation email/donation receipt;
• Sent messages in a timely manner, with the donation receipt and initial matching email coming in within the first hour after the gift being made;
• Let donors know within the gift receipt that they will receive additional email correspondence with next steps for matching gifts;
• Referenced personalized details, such as the donor’s name, acknowledgment of a recent gift, and the company they work for;
• Shared company-specific matching gift eligibility criteria, including minimum and maximum donation amounts, match ratios, request deadlines, and more;
• Provided direct links to the online submission portal for the donor’s employer, empowering them to initiate a match with ease.

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.

8. Strive for ease and accessibility.

For a donor, securing a matching gift is an easy process that has the misfortune of sounding complicated. To remedy this, brand it better by simplifying the process.

Clear and concise language with straightforward directions will encourage your donors to seek out matching gifts. Donors who have already been generous enough to donate should not have to follow up with a lot of paperwork.

To better explain matching gifts, you can:

1. List the typical steps involved in the process on your matching gifts explainer page.
2. Insert a matching gift widget that can help the donor search for their company’s program.
3. Mail out informational materials about corporate philanthropy.
4. Highlight key matching gift statistics in your educational resources.
5. Point out a few of the companies that commonly match gifts for your nonprofit.

Ensure that your nonprofit is a one-stop shop for all things matching gifts! That way, donors won’t have to seek out this information themselves. Get ahead of the game and give your supporters all the information they need to fully understand their opportunities.

9. Keep a record of individuals’ matching gift statuses.

Maintaining ongoing records of donors’ matching gift statuses falls under the matching gift coordinator’s jurisdiction. Essentially, you’ll want to know what requests have been made, when they are processed, and when they have been fulfilled.

Keeping accurate records will guarantee that no revenue opportunities slip through the cracks. There can be a lot of moving parts in the process among the donor, donor’s employer, and the nonprofit, and there will be some level of back-and-forth. A clear trail of what has happened and what needs to happen will make interactions a lot easier and a lot more efficient.

Regardless of what you choose, the more standardized and systematic the process you use is, the better the results will be. And the right software can help, too⁠—complete with trackable email buttons and all!

10. Thank donors for their matching gift participation.

Donors involved with matching gifts have gone the extra mile for your cause, so your appreciation should match that level of energy.

Just like matching gifts have doubled your donations, matching gift thank yous should be doubled as well. Thank them once for the initial donation and a second time when the matched gift goes through.

In fact, you may even want to put together a special event to honor matching gift donors. The goal is to show genuine gratitude towards what they’ve done to help, and something like a special event will also promote the program to those who are unaware of it.

If you don’t have the resources for an entire event, try publicly thanking those involved on social media. This is a great place to promote matching gifts and is also a top outlet for acknowledgment. For instance, a strategic Facebook post can kill two birds with one stone by thanking a matching gift donor while getting the idea of matching gifts into the heads of your Facebook community.

Nonetheless, you’ll need to find an appropriate way to demonstrate your gratitude and ensure that the donors feel appreciated. Whether it’s through a full-blown appreciation event or thank-you letters, let your donors know their contributions are vital to your mission.

11. Cultivate relationships with donors’ employing companies.

You should also consider thanking your donors’ companies as well. The donor has brought the company to you, so go ahead and cover all your bases. That’s why it’s so important to collect employment data!

After all, matching gifts can provide a much-desired introduction to major corporations with top-notch corporate giving.

When an employee asks their company to match their gift, by nature of the process, the company will be exposed to your nonprofit. If you want to foster a new relationship, your nonprofit is going to have to impress the company. In some cases, you’ll even develop long-term partnerships with them.

By having all of your matching gifts ducks in a row, your staff can focus on building those corporate relationships instead of troubleshooting submission issues.

Plus, whenever you need an extra helping hand at one of your events, these companies will likely be more than happy to help out through their corporate volunteer program since you’ll already be on their radar.

12. 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, 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.

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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:

• Matching Gift Research Report: A Digital Strategy Analysis of the Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Top 30. Did you like the examples and insights included in this guide? Check out the full matching gift research report from Top Nonprofits to learn more!
• Matching Gift Case Studies: A Look at 15+ Organizations Seeing Success with Double the Donation. Get this free download to dive deeper into the standout matching gift strategies of more nonprofits and schools utilizing Double the Donation.
• 8 Ways to Encourage Donors to Submit Employee Matching Gift Requests. Looking for more actionable tips and best practices? This recent blog post outlines eight impactful methods for driving matching gifts to completion with strategic donor outreach.
• Interested in learning more about top matching gift fundraising practices? Check out our immersive webinar on the topic!

Organizations with effective nonprofit marketing strategies utilize many tools to reach their audiences. From email blasts to social media posts, these organizations leverage numerous platforms to communicate valuable information. Among all these platforms, one source of truth remains constant—your nonprofit’s website. Whether you’re promoting matching gifts or an upcoming fundraising event, most communications point back to your nonprofit’s website for more information.

If your nonprofit takes advantage of the $10,000 Ad Grant from Google, you’re taking the right steps to promote your site and your organization’s most valuable information. However, the Google Ad Grant program isn’t a single-step process.

Nonprofits are not only required to maintain their eligibility for the Google Ad Grant but also must optimize their ads and accounts to drive real results from the program. In this guide, we’ll show you how to optimize your Google Grant by covering the following topics:

• What is Google Grant optimization?
• How to manage your nonprofit’s Google Ad Grant compliance
• How to gauge your nonprofit’s campaign performance
• How to optimize your nonprofit’s Google Grant account ads
• Conclusion and additional resources

Truly making the most of this grant means managing it on a regular basis. When you do, you’ll expand your outreach as you increase website traffic and consistently appeal to new internet searchers. Understand what it means to optimize your Google Grant so you can develop a strategy that will effectively reach a large audience of potential supporters.

What is Google Grant optimization?

Google Grant optimization means managing your nonprofit’s Google Ad Grant account and the advertisements you’ve created to ensure everything stays compliant with Google’s management policies and relevant to users’ search intents. Although you can optimize almost any aspect of your Google Ad Grant participation, some common areas for improvement include:

• Keyword specificity: Ensure your ads target specific keywords (preferably long-tail, non-competitive terms). Look for opportunities to refine your keyword choices so that they’re more relevant to your organization’s current operations or goals. For example, an increase in the kitten population during the spring months might prompt an animal shelter to target keywords such as “spring kitten adoptions.”
• Data organization: In order to keep keywords relevant to your cause, your nonprofit will have to keep hygienic keyword data. This means regularly checking the quality and relevance of your keywords so that you can adjust any keywords that aren’t performing well. An animal shelter might remove the keyword “pet adoptions as Christmas gifts” in February when it becomes irrelevant to the ad’s landing page. To determine when a keyword becomes outdated or nonvaluable, nonprofits should track keyword metrics, such as click-through rate (CTR), to understand how the keyword is performing.
• Website improvements: Ensure that your website is relevant to the advertisement and provides a positive user experience for searchers who click on your ad. For starters, you can check to make sure the page is branded to your nonprofit, provides valuable information for the user, and includes the keyword targeted in the ad. Don’t stop at your landing page, though; ensure your website as a whole is valuable and easy to use for its visitors.
• Account structure: Google’s guidelines for the way you use your Google Ad Grants account require nonprofits to maintain an orderly account structure. For example, you must include more than one ad per ad group and at least two ad groups per campaign. If your nonprofit doesn’t already follow this structure, you’re not only at risk of account deactivation but also missing out on valuable keyword insight.

These aspects of your Google Ad Grant participation are just a few elements that need regular maintenance. Remember, there are countless opportunities for optimization, and it’s a crucial part of leveraging Google Ads for your nonprofit’s outreach efforts. Both the account itself and the ads you create must be refreshed to meet your audience’s needs.

It’s natural for this to seem overwhelming—after all, the Google Ad Grant is free marketing funding. Shouldn’t it make nonprofit marketing easier? If you didn’t want a Google Ad Grant agency’s help during the application process, this is where their services can be especially helpful. They’ll manage your account so that all optimization tasks are completely handled while your nonprofit’s leaders focus on fulfilling your mission.

How to manage your nonprofit’s Google Ad Grant compliance

To break down optimization even further, it can be approached in two stages: account compliance and ad updates. Start with your account—make sure you’re in compliance with all the Google Ad Grant requirements. After all, optimized ads will be no good if your account is suspended!

The list of requirements is long, but there are a few crucial ones that your nonprofit should keep in mind:

• Maintain regular activity within your account.
• Make sure your ads are specifically targeted and relevant to your nonprofit.
• Conduct monthly keyword research and optimize your list where necessary.
• Maintain a minimum of a 5% click-through rate (CTR).
• Track and report conversions and CTR.

Since your ads will lead users to your nonprofit’s website, Google also has specific website guidelines, including:

• Your nonprofit must own the domain.
• You must add any additional domains that your nonprofit owns to your Google Grants account.
• Your website should host high-quality and well-maintained web pages.
• Avoid commercial activity that is irrelevant to your nonprofit’s mission.

Bookmark Google’s guidelines and check regularly for updates. You’ll be notified when anything big changes, but it’s always a good idea to stay on top of the rules and make sure your account is compliant. Especially as you optimize your website and advertisements, keep the account criteria in mind so you don’t accidentally violate the guidelines amidst new changes.

How to gauge your nonprofit’s campaign performance

You may have heard the saying about not trying to fix something that isn’t broken. The implied first step in that statement is actually knowing something is broken. In the same way, your nonprofit will have to gauge its campaign performance before knowing what should be optimized. Evaluate your campaign performance by tracking:

• CTR. Compare the number of people who clicked on your ad to the amount that saw it. A high click-through rate might indicate that your ad is compelling enough to prompt viewers to take action. Consider how you can adjust your other ads to match this quality or plan how your future ads will be similar.
• Conversion data. Conversions, which refer to the users who take a desired action after seeing your ad, are likely the goal of your campaign. Track this data to determine if your Google Ads are producing the desired results. For example, an ad that invites users to register for a volunteer event is effective if the number of volunteer registrations has increased due to your Google Ad.
• Cost-per-conversion. Consider the cost of your desired results. How much did an ad and keyword cost your nonprofit? How many conversions can you attribute to this ad? Although you won’t specifically pay for conversions, this comparison can give your nonprofit an estimate of how much of its budget is spent producing the ad’s desired results.

Most metrics can be tracked by Google Analytics when you link your accounts. However, you’ll need to compare this to your organization-specific metrics to see the tangible impact of your Google Ads performance. For example, to see the impact of a Google Ad on your matching gift program, you’ll have to combine your own data of the number of gifts matched with the ad’s CTR.

For this reason, it’s crucial that you keep your own data organized, as well. Consider using a database to host all this information in the same place, or hiring a Google Ad Grant agency to track and report your data for you.

How to optimize your nonprofit’s Google Grant account ads

As you evaluate your campaign metrics, change your perspective of underperformance. Optimization doesn’t strictly target failing elements of your Google Ad Grant efforts but makes every aspect of your advertising more successful.

As you narrow your optimization from account structure to individual ads, consider which ones produce the greatest results. Then, adjust the rest of your ads to mimic this strategy. For example, if you find that your highest-performing ad highlights a unique attribute of your organization’s work, you might incorporate that fact into the copy of your other ads. In general, to improve your ads, you can:

• Rephrase your ad copy. The ad copy is the meat of your advertisement. Make it compelling but concise, and use the keyword or its variations to draw in your audience. A tempting call to action will also prompt searchers to click on your ad, especially if it’s specific and relevant to the search.
• Link to targeted landing pages. You’ll have varying ads for different keywords, and specificity here is key. If your ad’s headline is misleading, users will quickly become disinterested in the content of your landing page. In contrast, a landing page that is highly specific to the purpose of the ad will retain site visitors and ultimately prompt them to get involved.
• Revise your ad groups. Make sure that the associated keywords for your ad groups are still relevant to your target audience. Also, build out your ads so that you’re using 3-5 ads per group. This variety allows you to try different targeting methods to determine what tactic is most successful.
• Organize your campaigns. Campaign management can also impact the way you plan and develop your ads. Assign a theme to each campaign and use those categories to target broader ideas with specific keywords. For example, an animal shelter’s campaign theme might be “adoptions” and the targeted keywords for different ad groups could be “spring kitten adoptions” and “no-fee dog adoptions.” Another theme would be “animal fosters” with keywords such as “dog foster application” and “cat foster fees.”

Although some tactics for Google Ad Grant management require technical account optimization and research, your actual ads are the component that has the potential to convert a user into a supporter. Adjust your ads based on what you know about your supporters and revisit them regularly to make changes as needed.

Conclusion and additional resources

Once you’ve identified the changes you need to make to your Google Grant account, you can proceed with optimizations to ensure you’re making the most of this free marketing funding. Remember, optimization is not a one-time update. It’s important that you frequently check your Google Grant account and advertisements and make adjustments whenever it’s necessary.

This can be a big undertaking, both initially and as optimizations become a regular part of your account maintenance. Research Google Ad Grant agencies to determine if hiring one will benefit your nonprofit. Our recommendation, Getting Attention, is a full-service agency that can manage every aspect of your grant.

If you’re interested in other types of free marketing funding or methods of donor engagement, check out these additional resources:

• Microsoft Ad Grants: A Q&A Guide for Nonprofit Marketers. Interested in a different type of ad grant? Read this guide to learn more about Microsoft Ad Grants.
• The Ultimate Guide to Donor Retention: 8 Strategies. Google Ads can help you attract donors, but retaining them requires different strategies. Check out this guide to learn more.
• Google Grants Eligibility: Is Your Nonprofit Eligible? Our guide talked a lot about the importance of maintenance and compliance. For more information on your organization’s initial eligibility when applying for the Google Ad Grant, read this article.