In major election years, political campaigns are at the top of everyone’s minds. Your organization’s supporters receive political advertisements and donation appeals alongside those from your nonprofit, and donors may even wonder where your organization stands on key election issues.
While 501(c)(3) nonprofits are prohibited from participating in or supporting specific political campaigns, that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Not only can election results impact your organization’s work in the future, but there are also plenty of lessons you can learn from political campaign strategies to improve your own fundraising and marketing campaigns.
We’ll cover five concepts that political campaign staff understand well and explore how you can apply them to your nonprofit’s strategies.
1. Time is of the Essence
Since every political campaign runs on a hard deadline, they understand the importance of urgency in every facet of their operations. Political campaign staff plot out detailed field plans, campaign timelines, and editorial calendars to ensure that every action contributes to the ultimate goal of winning the election. They hit the ground running, leveraging volunteers to speak with hundreds of voters at a time about supporting their candidate.
You can approach your fundraising campaigns with the same mindset to increase their momentum and drive results. Try infusing more urgency into your nonprofit’s campaigns by:
Writing urgent calls to action. The calls to action (CTAs) that you include in fundraising appeals, social media posts, and emails should convey the importance of your nonprofit’s work and empower supporters to act now. For instance, the CTA “Donate to save a turtle today!” inspires more urgency than “Donate here.”
Hosting a phonathon. Political campaigns use phone and text banking to connect with many voters in short time spans. Your nonprofit can do the same by hosting a phonathon in which volunteers call and connect with numerous donors in one day using a standardized script.
Leveraging automation to connect with donors immediately. Marketing automation tools can help you increase the speed at which you reach out to supporters and drive more action. By automatically sending emails or texts immediately after a donor gives, for example, you can quickly strengthen that relationship and inspire further involvement.
Additionally, make sure to frequently update donors on the progress of your campaigns, projects, and programs to show them that your nonprofit is working urgently to put their donations to good use.
2. Public Opinion is Paramount
Political campaign strategists spend plenty of time and resources researching the opinions of voters and crafting messages that will resonate with them. They understand that voters get a candidate elected, just like a nonprofit’s donors enable it to further its mission, and they prioritize voter opinion effectively.
Donors’ opinions, priorities, and concerns should play a central role in your nonprofit’s strategy development, guiding how you approach marketing and fundraising campaigns.
To better understand and speak to your audience’s motivations, send out periodic surveys to ask for their feedback directly. Ask questions like:
Why do you donate to our nonprofit?
What do you consider to be the most important aspects of our cause?
What other causes are you interested in?
What kinds of programs do you want to see from us in the future?
If you could change one thing about our organization, what would it be?
Along with asking your donors directly, take into account research on the opinions of the general public. For example, 77% of consumers want to purchase from companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives like matching gift programs. With this in mind, your nonprofit might prioritize your matching gift fundraising campaigns to appeal to the public’s interest in CSR.
3. Volunteers are Drivers of Change
Similar to nonprofits, most political campaigns don’t have large teams and therefore have to rely on volunteers for major efforts like canvassing and phone banking.
Because these efforts are so critical to the success of political campaigns, campaign staff understand and value their volunteers’ power to enact change. Some campaigns even use distributed organizing tactics, giving leadership positions to select volunteers and empowering them to lead their own volunteer teams on behalf of the campaign.
Your nonprofit can take inspiration from these tactics by improving your volunteer program and empowering volunteers to act. Use the following strategies to do so:
Emphasize skill development. No matter what kind of volunteer opportunities you offer, they involve certain skills that volunteers get to develop when they participate. Highlight the opportunity to improve soft skills like leadership and communication along with relevant hard skills like gardening or teaching.
Host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Let volunteers take the lead on fundraising by hosting a peer-to-peer campaign in which they raise money on behalf of your nonprofit. These campaigns give volunteers a chance to develop their fundraising skills and deepen their relationship with your nonprofit.
Show appreciation to volunteers often. Volunteers are more likely to stay involved with your organization when they feel like their participation is appreciated and makes a genuine difference to your mission. Appreciate volunteers by sending thank-you emails, giving them small gifts, and regularly asking for their feedback.
With a more empowered, involved volunteer force at your disposal, your nonprofit can start taking advantage of corporate volunteering programs, too. Invite volunteers to tap into their employers’ volunteer grant initiatives to make an even greater impact on your cause.
4. Digital Channels Make a Difference
Your nonprofit likely already uses a variety of digital communication channels to connect with donors and spread greater awareness of your nonprofit’s work. But are you leveraging these channels to their full extent?
For political campaigns, digital marketing and outreach is a top priority. They use digital tools like text banking software, canvassing apps, and social media outreach tools to get their message in front of voters across as many channels as possible. They also use a mix of paid and non-paid advertising methods to reach new online audiences.
Think about the digital channels your organization hasn’t yet explored and how they could give your fundraising campaigns a boost. You might try tapping into video marketing, for instance. Or, you could leverage free programs like the Google Ad Grant to try out search advertising. Take stock of the resources you have at your disposal, then choose a few new digital avenues to tap into.
5. Mobilization Requires Multiple Touchpoints
Political campaigns don’t stick to one canvassing or volunteer recruitment method — they use a combination of phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, text messages, social media advertising, email, and more. Campaign staff understand that one message or conversation isn’t enough to mobilize voters and volunteers.
The same is true for nonprofits. To truly inspire action from your supporters, you need a multi-channel fundraising strategy that provides plenty of touchpoints with current and prospective donors. This may include channels like email, text, social media, direct mail, your website, and more.
For the best results, segment your audience based on factors like their donation histories, past involvement, and communication preferences. Then, tailor your outreach and fundraising appeals to the interests of each group to make every touchpoint more meaningful.
Applying These Lessons to Matching Gift Fundraising
Political campaigns and nonprofits may seem different on the surface, but both aim to enact change by touching the hearts and minds of their supporters. This is especially true when it comes to matching gifts — by mobilizing your donors to request matching gifts from their employers, you’ll inspire them to double their impact on the causes they care about.
To apply these political campaign lessons to your matching gift fundraising strategy, try taking the following steps:
Use a matching gift automation tool to immediately follow up with match-eligible donors and instill urgency in your appeals.
Solicit feedback from donors who have requested matching gifts before and use their opinions to guide your matching gift fundraising strategy.
Promote matching gifts across all your online channels to create multiple digital touchpoints with match-eligible donors.
By incorporating these lessons into your organization’s next matching gift fundraising campaign, you can find new ways to engage supporters and mobilize them to act.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NGP-VAN_Double-the-Donation_Political-Campaign-Lessons-That-Nonprofits-Can-Learn-From_Feature.png5761536Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-03-15 19:12:242024-03-15 19:12:245 Political Campaign Lessons That Nonprofits Can Learn From
Digital fundraising is crucial in today’s nonprofit landscape. In the current software-driven fundraising era, nonprofits, schools, and other charitable institutions must reassess their fundraising arsenals.
If this description sounds like your situation, you may be considering enhancing your existing toolkit or buying new fundraising software. To assist you in this journey, we’ve crafted a comprehensive guide for navigating this process. We’ll cover:
Improve your understanding of how fundraising software impacts organizations like yours and learn what to consider when searching for new tools. From matching gift tools to peer-to-peer platforms, we’ll cover everything you need to elevate your fundraising efforts.
Types of Fundraising Software to Know
A nonprofit fundraising toolkit includes multiple platforms that together perform all the functions you need to reach out to supporters and secure donations. Some solutions are “all-in-one” platforms, while others focus on a few specific features and can integrate with external add-ons to expand their functionality.
What platforms to include in your fundraising toolkit depends on your nonprofit’s needs and goals. However, a few types of fundraising software solutions can be considered essential.
Online Donation Forms
One of the core components of your fundraising toolkit is your organization’s online donation forms. These resources allow nonprofits to collect donations online.
Donation forms have one of the most straightforward purposes of all fundraising software, but there are still many providers to choose from. You may even choose one with more features than the ones we just listed.
Equip volunteer fundraisers with customizable campaign pages
Add images and other fundraising updates
Spread the word with social sharing tools
Track fundraising progress toward goals
Prioritize an accessible and easy-to-use giving process
Integrate with other nonprofit solutions
Remember, for peer-to-peer fundraising, your system should be easy for both your team and your donors to use.
Matching Gift Software
Tons of workplace giving revenue gets left on the table each year—including $4 to $7 billion in unclaimed matching gifts alone. Luckily, nonprofits can leverage a matching gift platform to ensure their donors are tapping into these overlooked resources.
This type of fundraising software enables nonprofits to:
Leverage an autocompleting search tool to identify employment information
Trigger automated outreach to provide valuable matching gift program insights
Ensure no matching gift opportunity falls through the cracks with timely follow-up cadences
Integrate with other nonprofit solutions
When it comes to matching gift software, we have to recommend our state-of-the-art solution, 360MatchPro. What puts our matching gift database over the top is our partnerships with corporate giving software, enabling automatic submission of matching gift requests.
Payment Processors
To accept donations and other payments online, you’ll need payment processing software that facilitates transactions behind the scenes. This tool essentially mediates between the organization, the donor, and their financial institution.
An effective payment processor empowers nonprofit organizations to:
Process contributions for multiple payment methods
Offer a simple user interface
Produce ready-built and custom reports
Maintain high levels of payment security standards
Integrate with other nonprofit solutions
This fundraising tool is essential for facilitating donations, so choose a secure one that strengthens your donation process. Note that a donation form differentiates in that it collects other donor information and may use various payment processors to complete transactions.
Donor Management Systems
When it comes to managing donors, there’s a lot for your team to keep track of. Ensure your fundraisers have the tools to improve operations through a robust donor data management system.
Also known as a CRM (or constituent relationship management tool), your donor database should allow your team to:
Maintain detailed supporter records with engagement histories
Add helpful notes within donor profiles
Segment your supporter base for targeted communications
Automate administrative tasks and donor outreach
Easily generate robust reports
Integrate with other nonprofit solutions
The best nonprofit CRMs simplify communication and strengthen relationships. By understanding your supporters better, you’ll be able to foster deeper connections with them.
Nonprofit Event Tools
Hosting a fundraising event is an effective way to bring in new supporters, boost donor engagement, and increase fundraising revenue. Nonprofit event software can streamline the entire experience including planning, hosting, and following up post-event.
Specifically, the best event fundraising tools make it easy to:
Craft online event pages and/or microsites to promote upcoming opportunities
Offer free or paid ticketing options
Organize engaging in-person, virtual, and hybrid experiences
Facilitate digital bidding at auction events
Collect additional donations beyond ticket sales
Integrate with other nonprofit solutions
Events are a fundamental part of donor engagement, so make sure you can bring your community together to support your cause with the right event software.
Donor Acknowledgment Software
Appreciating your donors is a critical component of nonprofit fundraising, especially if you’re looking to steward long-term relationships with them. Be sure you have some kind of donor recognition software in your fundraising toolkit.
While a regular email or thank-you letter can make do in a pinch, elevate your gratitude with unique and engaging acknowledgments—like eCards!
Your donor recognition software should empower your team to:
Brand messages to your nonprofit, including fonts, images, and colors
Send acknowledgments in seconds
Leverage multiple digital communication channels, including email and SMS
Customize communications to cultivate personal donor connections
Track digital thank-you notes to determine when supporters interact with your outreach
Acknowledging generosity is crucial for retaining support, so think of appreciation software as a tool for investing in earning future donations.
Factors to Consider When Buying Fundraising Software
As you explore various software options, we recommend making detailed notes on the following components of each platform:
Functionality
Fundraising software is a broad term that encompasses many different types of platforms and features. That said, make sure you’re buying software that has the functionalities your organization needs.
At the same time, consider what you can live without. For example, if your organization has awesome event fundraising ideas but isn’t so big on advocacy, forgo tools with advocacy features in favor of ones that have excellent event planning capabilities. Or perhaps you’re looking for a new nonprofit CRM, and you already have a donation platform you love. In that case, look for exclusively database solutions that don’t offer a built-in online giving tool.
Donor Experience
Your donors will typically be the end user of your fundraising software. For example, they’re the ones who fill out your nonprofit’s online donation forms, participate in peer-to-peer campaigns, and interact with your matching gift database search tool.
Prioritize fundraising software that makes the donor experience quick, easy, and painless. If a process is too long or complicated, even your most dedicated supporters may abandon their gifts. Alternatively, a seamless giving experience will keep donors coming back to support your cause time and time again.
Backend Ease of Use
Organizations should choose tech solutions with a level of complexity that is manageable and suitable for their team. For example, if your nonprofit employs developers, a custom-coded solution might make sense. On the other hand, if no one on your team is particularly technical, you’ll likely want to prioritize an off-the-shelf fundraising platform for ease of use.
A solution that’s too technical—and ultimately inaccessible—will complicate operations and discourage staff members from using it altogether. Remember, it’s not just the software but what you do with it that matters.
Scalability
As your internal fundraising team grows, will your software enable enough authorized users? Ensure all staff members who need to use your fundraising platform can. Not only that but when it comes to CRMs in particular, confirm that your potential platform can hold all your donor data with room to spare.
If you anticipate major growth in the near future, prioritize buying a platform that has room for expansion. This will allow your new tools to scale alongside your organization without requiring a software platform switch too quickly.
When choosing fundraising software, consider that low-cost solutions may quickly become inadequate, leading to the need for future upgrades and data migration. That’s why it’s wise to make a forward-thinking decision from the start.
Integrations
Even the most comprehensive software solutions might not have all the features your organization needs. You may have to integrate additional programs or systems to assist your operations.
Here are a few common scenarios when you might need integrations:
An organization might have niche needs, where they may prefer to add their own software solutions (e.g., a particular payment processor or email application) to complement their existing tools.
The software company you’re buying from doesn’t offer tools to facilitate all of your operations (e.g., corporate matching gifts), requiring you to integrate specialized fundraising software.
If you find that you require software integration, communicate your needs to your potential new vendor. That way, they can help determine the compatibility between different systems. Perhaps there’s a native, ready-built integration, in which case, great! On the other hand, if it’s difficult to integrate two solutions, reconsider your priorities or consider working with a nonprofit technology consultant who can develop a custom integration.
Cost
It’s important to go into any major purchase with a budget in mind, and fundraising software is no exception. Before evaluating specific platforms, decide how much your organization can spend. Consider base price, startup costs, and any additional ongoing fees.
The base price is the vendor’s list price on the platform you want to buy and will be what most of your investment goes toward. It encompasses the core functions of the platform but usually excludes expansions or optional add-ons.
Be sure to ask exactly what is included in the base price to make sure you receive all the capabilities you need. If the base price doesn’t include any of your organization’s necessary features, consider how much the excluded features cost to add on.
From there, you might run into additional hidden costs such as:
Staff training
Maintenance fees
Online donation processing fees
Future updates or add-ons
Going into the buying process with a clear budget will naturally limit your options, making the selection process easier. It also, of course, ensures that you won’t be spending more than you can afford.
Customizability
When buying fundraising software, you’re likely looking for a solution that can complement your organization’s operations with its out-of-the-box features. Even so, many platforms are customizable and can be further tailored to fit your cause.
Customizability is a sliding scale, and what level of customizability your nonprofit needs likely depends on your size, resources, and goals. For instance, enterprise-size nonprofits often require fully customizable solutions that are essentially built from the ground up, while small nonprofits may see required customization as an unnecessary strain on their time and budget.
In your search, you may find that software customization can apply to many different features, including:
Supporter profiles
Donation and sign-up forms
Email marketing templates
Reporting and tracking tools
With customizable features, you can mold your software to fit your organization’s unique needs better. Your fundraising software will feel custom-made, more effectively driving impact toward your overall goals.
Training and Ongoing Support
When you first get started with a new fundraising platform, your team will need to go through training or an onboarding process to become proficient with the new tools. The level of instruction can vary drastically from vendor to vendor, making it an important consideration in your search.
Here are a few general questions for your fundraising software company in regard to team-wide training:
How long is the training process?
How is training administered (e.g., virtual, on-site, etc.)?
What proficiency level does your training cater to?
What are the associated costs?
From there, consider ongoing support availability as well. After all, if your nonprofit hires new team members after your initial onboarding session, they’ll need to be trained, too.
Compare software support options by making the following inquiries before you purchase:
Do you offer IT support?
How do I get in contact with support if there’s a problem?
What’s your typical response time?
Remember, the better you and your team understand your software, the more functional it will be, so choose a provider that offers the support you need. With the right support level at your fingertips, your software will perform well for years.
When chatting with vendors, ask about the software’s flexibility in controlling user permissions, so you can select which users can access sensitive information.
When it comes to donor payment information, consider industry security standards in your search, such as the following protections:
PCI compliance: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of requirements designed to ensure that credit card information is processed, stored, and transmitted securely. For fundraising software, it’s essential for protecting donor payment information.
Encryption and Tokenization: Encryption converts data into a coded format to prevent unauthorized access. Tokenization replaces sensitive data with unique identification symbols that retain all the essential information without compromising its security. Both are used to protect sensitive data like credit card numbers.
Password Security: Strong password security measures ensure access to fundraising software is guarded against unauthorized users. This includes requirements for complex passwords, regular password changes, and secure storage of passwords.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring two or more verification factors to access a resource, such as a database or online account. For instance, your fundraising system might require users to enter an emailed code after entering their login details. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access.
Confirm that donors’ data will be kept safe and sound within your fundraising platform, a ensure that supporters feel comfortable entering their payment information in the first place!
Questions to Ask Before Buying Fundraising Software
To ensure you find software that perfectly aligns with your needs, here are some recommended questions for your selection process!
How difficult are the initial setup and data transfer?
Because you buying fundraising software, account for the initial software setup and data transfer from your previous solution. Your nonprofit data is the key to strengthening donor relationships and optimizing fundraising efforts, so it’s essential that it translates to your new platform without issue.
First, determine that it’s possible to transfer your data to the new system in its proper format. Then, consider how you’ll prepare your data for this process. If it turns out that transferring your data from one system to another requires a lot of time and labor on your part, consider whether the software offers other benefits that make it worth the effort.
Does it have the integrations my organization needs?
Integrations are essential for an effective fundraising software ecosystem. Unintegrated software can result in time-consuming manual data migration and data silos. With integrations, however, your technology can function as a cohesive unit, rather than a collection of disparate tools.
Therefore, one of the most important questions when buying fundraising software is “Does it offer the integrations my team—and technology ecosystem—needs?”
For example, Double the Donation integrates with 70+ of the industry’s largest nonprofit technology providers, including donation platforms, peer-to-peer software, CRMs, corporate giving solutions, and more. If you use (or plan to use) Double the Donation’s matching gift software, we strongly recommend exploring the giving tools with which we partner.
How do I maintain effective use of my software over time?
The buying process doesn’t just end the minute your software is set up and your staff knows how to use it. For your software to keep running at its highest capacity, consider how you’ll maintain it over time.
Before deciding, ask if the software has any built-in features to keep your data clean and up-to-date. This is one instance where automation can make a big difference. Automated features like deduplication can help maintain a clean and accurate database, ensuring your records never become messy and out of hand.
Second, ensure that your maintenance support includes installing updates, or if it doesn’t, that these updates are fairly easy to install yourself. By keeping your software up-to-date, you’ll get much more life out of it and ensure it stays secure.
Key Steps for Buying Fundraising Software
As you navigate the fundraising software buying process, keep these key steps in mind.
1. Determine your fundraising goals, must-have features, and budget.
Start by determining what you want to achieve with a new platform. Perhaps you want to:
Boost matching gift revenue with software that identifies eligible donors, markets match opportunities, and streamlines the matching gift request process.
Increase donation page conversions by leveraging fundraising software with a user-friendly interface, customizable calls-to-action, and a seamless donation process.
Improve data flow from your donation form to your CRM by automating data entry and minimizing duplicate entries via deduplication.
Notice how each goal has correlating features that allow you to accomplish those objectives. Allocate your funds based on these goals, must-have features, and anticipated number of users.
The best advice we can give is not to overcomplicate the fundraising process when buying fundraising software. Your new software should make your organization’s current operations better. If your new solution overcomplicates things for your team and donors with unnecessary features, it’s probably not the one.
2. Create a list of potential vendors.
With so many fundraising software solutions available, it can be difficult to narrow down your options. To kickstart your research with trusted providers, we recommend heading over to Double the Donation’s partnerships hub to check out the range of innovative, best-in-class solutions that we work with.
Still too many choices? Use our software search tool to filter for different platform types, verticals served, and key functionality. In doing so, you can find the right tools and equip your team with Double the Donation’s matching gift solution to drive corporate giving revenue.
3. Check out the reviews.
You don’t have to go through the buying process alone. In fact, organizations that have previously used a particular fundraising software can be a huge help when it comes to deciding whether or not to buy. Because they’ve had experience with the product, they can attest firsthand to how it functions.
Consult online reviews other organizations have provided about the software you’re evaluating. If you see certain patterns regarding the platform’s strengths or weaknesses, it’s fairly safe to expect a similar experience.
Additionally, try reaching out to your connections in the nonprofit sector. Fundraising professionals at organizations similar to yours may have insight into the software they considered, which solutions worked, and which sent up red flags for them.
4. Book demos.
Before making your final decision, see the tools in action. Most software vendors offer informational demos, allowing prospective clients to get a better idea of their product before buying.
Check the vendor’s website to see if they feature any pre-recorded demo videos. Some providers may require basic information about your nonprofit and how you intend to use the software first, then send an on-demand demo (or perhaps even a free trial) over email or through their site.
For those further along in the buying process, many vendors also offer live online demos upon request. These experiences are more personalized and can provide a closer look at how the software will work for your organization. From here, you can make your final decision and buy the fundraising software that’s the best fit for your organization!
5. Purchase your fundraising software.
Based on your demos, make your final decision and buy the fundraising software that’s the best fit for your organization! Work with your vendor to get the technology up and running. You can also work with a fundraising technology consultant to integrate the new tools into your processes.
Our Top Fundraising Tool Pick to Drive Engagement + Revenue
Following the tips on selecting the best fundraising software, you might be wondering what our top fundraising software recommendations are. To maximize donor contributions and fundraising efficiency, we suggest choosing 360MatchPro—our complete matching gift automation platform. It empowers you to identify corporate match opportunities, pinpoint your highest-value opportunities, and drive those matches to completion.
360MatchPro Overview
360MatchPro by Double the Donation enhances the matching gift process for nonprofits and their donors, increasing matching gift revenue. Our platform integrates seamlessly with a wide range of fundraising tools, such as donation forms, peer-to-peer software, and donor management systems.
Upon receiving a donation, donors who used their work email addresses for their gift are automatically evaluated by 360MatchPro to determine if they are eligible for a matching gift from their employer. If they are, the platform then sends tailored, company-specific instructions for submitting a matching gift request. If eligibility is uncertain, the software prompts donors to use an embedded company search tool to confirm their status and access real-time instructions.
Plus, 360MatchPro assists fundraisers in tracking incoming matches, providing valuable insights for forecasting match revenue, pushing stalled matches forward, and offering comprehensive reporting and analytics to assess success and identify areas for improvement in your matching gift strategy. Not to mention, our auto-submission feature is the latest advancement in matching gift technology and simplifies the donation process immensely. Watch this video for a rundown of how it works:
Studies indicate that employing a matching gift automation tool (like 360MatchPro) increases matching gift revenue for nonprofits by 61%! It even drives individual giving. 84% of survey participants indicated they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered, and 1 in 3 donors indicated they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied.
With our matching gift software, the process is entirely automated, saving your organization significant time and resources. Matching gifts have never been easier!
Examples of Fundraising Software In Action
When considering fundraising software, it can be useful to envision exactly what it can do for your nonprofit. Rather than relying on hypotheticals, try looking for case studies and examples of organizations that use the tools you’re considering.
To show off how the right software can elevate a nonprofit’s fundraising strategy, we’ve put together a few examples of top fundraising platforms in action:
Marietta College
*Uses GiveCampus and Double the Donation
Marietta College is a private liberal arts school consistently ranked among the top colleges in Ohio. Let’s look at the essential elements of Marietta College’s fundraising strategy and how its technology supports its goals.
Donation Page
Marietta College’s donation page is quick and easy to complete, prompting users to input basic gift details and contact information. There are also optional fields, including employer for matching gift programs, affiliation to the school, and class year, to provide additional insights for the institution.
Once the form is completed, the school’s fundraising software lets donors check out using Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay, debit/credit card, or bank transfer. Providing multiple payment methods enables organizations to meet donors where they are and drive more gifts to completion!
Confirmation Screen
After submitting their contribution, the donor is automatically rerouted to a gift confirmation screen. This web page thanks supporters for their generous contributions and provides detailed information about their employers’ matching gift programs, including eligibility criteria and how to complete their matches.
By telling donors how to pursue available matching gift opportunities, more matches are driven to completion, and more revenue is generated for the institution.
Follow-Up Email
A few minutes after finalizing their donations, Marietta College supporters receive customized email follow-ups in their inboxes. These messages include appreciation emails in addition to reminders about matching gift program availability, links to online submission portals, and actionable encouragement to complete their matching gift requests.
This keeps the college and its fundraising needs at the forefront of donors’ minds for longer and ultimately results in increased corporate matching revenue to help the school reach its goals.
African Impact Foundation
*Uses Fundraise Up and Double the Donation
The African Impact Foundation was established in 2008 to equip children in Southern and Eastern Africa with the education and skills to uncover pathways out of poverty. Here’s how the foundation collects donations using powerful fundraising tools.
Multi-Step Donation Page
The African Impact Foundation leverages a multi-step donation form with which donors can submit their gifts to the organization. On the first page, individuals can select their intended donation from suggested gift sizes or enter their own amount. Additionally, they can choose to give on a recurring basis, dedicate or designate their gift, or add optional comments. The fundraising software offers multiple opportunities throughout the giving process for donors to upgrade their donations.
On the next page, donors are encouraged to double their gift impact with a matching donation. They are provided access to a matching gift company search tool to name their employer to view guidelines and available forms. In the final step, donors can choose to cover their transaction costs and check out using a credit card, PayPal, or Google Pay.
Follow-Up Email
Using the employment information provided during the initial donation process, the African Impact Foundation’s fundraising software triggers automated matching gift follow-up emails, providing donors with company-specific program information and detailed next steps for submitting requests. They also use the follow-up email to thank donors and encourage them to get their gifts matched by their employing companies.
What’s Next?
With the right tools and resources in your team’s tech stack, you’ll be able to bring in more fundraising revenue without a hitch.
Interested in learning more about strategic nonprofit fundraising and the solutions available to your team? Check out these additional fundraising resources:
The Comprehensive Guide to Fundraising Technology. This free downloadable resource dives deeper into the topic of innovative fundraising technology, best practices for making software buying decisions, and more.
Best Corporate Volunteering Platforms: Features to Look For. Chances are, you rely on volunteers to champion your cause. Make sure you’re equipped with the right software to recruit passionate volunteers and create an unforgettable volunteer experience.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Buying-Fundraising-Software_Feature.jpg3751000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-03-06 08:00:342024-10-01 14:22:25How to Buy Fundraising Software That’s Right For Your Nonprofit
Matching gifts play a large role in many nonprofits’ fundraising strategies. These opportunities aren’t just limited to the United States, either. Organizations in Canada—and worldwide—can benefit from corporate philanthropy, too. Specifically, Canadian companies that match gifts supply a powerful opportunity for Canadian charities to maximize funds and engagement alike.
In this guide, we’ve selected a few standout programs that your team should be aware of. Plus, we’ll share expert-proven tips and tricks for making the most of the initiatives. This includes:
To learn more about Canadian companies that match gifts and matching gift databases that cover the Canadian matching gift market, read on!
But before we jump in, let’s cover the basics of matching gifts.
The Basics of Matching Gifts Across Any Market
What are matching gifts?
Matching gifts are a unique and widespread form of corporate philanthropy in which companies match donations their employees make to eligible nonprofits. Matching donations are typically made at a 1:1 ratio, but some companies match at a higher rate, such as 2:1, 3:1, or even 4:1.
This type of giving is particularly valuable because it essentially supplies free money for your nonprofit. However, they’re often overlooked by donors due to a lack of program awareness and by nonprofits lacking the necessary staff, resources, or time to pursue the opportunity.
Who qualifies for matching gifts?
Companies that match gifts typically implement a program policy with specific eligibility guidelines. In order for a donor to qualify, their donation and the organization to which they gave must adhere to the pre-determined criteria.
While the criteria will vary from one company to the next, one overarching stipulation is that receiving organizations are generally required to be registered charities in the region in which they operate. In Canada, that means a nonprofit registered under the nation’s Income Tax Act by the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency.
Meanwhile, American nonprofits should be registered with the Internal Revenue Service and have received 501(c)(3) status.
Top Canadian Matching Gift Companies
With the 9th largest economy in the world, Canada headquarters many well-known companies with generous employee giving benefits. In fact, Canadian corporations have a long history of philanthropy—which is great news for the nonprofits that call Canada home.
Take a look at the following Canadian companies that match gifts, and find out if your donors work for the generous employers below:
1. BCE Inc.
Minimum donation amount: $1
Maximum donation amount: $1,000
Match ratio: 1:1
Employee eligibility: Full-time, part-time
Nonprofit eligibility: Select organizations, including United Way, Canadian higher education institutions, and the Canadian Mental Health Association
BCE Inc., formerly known as Bell Canada Enterprises, offers a focused matching gift program benefitting a few specific organizations as well as colleges and universities within the country. The company also offers individual and team volunteer grants, where employees or retirees donate their time throughout the year to earn substantial grants for their favorite nonprofits.
Specifically, employees who volunteer at least 50 hours in a year can acquire a grant amount of $500. Meanwhile, teams are required to volunteer a combined 500 hours within a year-long period to qualify for a $2,500 grant!
Nonprofit eligibility: Charitable organizations in Canada, the U.S., and Honduras
Headquartered in Montreal, Gildan Activewear matches nonprofit donations from both full- and part-time employees. The matching gift program is open to organizations in Canada, the United States, and Honduras.
In addition to matching donations, the Canada-based company also supplies volunteer grants and multiplies select fundraising collections by employees, too!
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, health and human services, and more
Green Shield Canada matches gifts of up to $1,000 per full-time employee on an annual basis. The company’s matching gift program is inclusive of most schools and nonprofit organizations, including a variety of institutions ranging from K-12 schools to arts and cultural organizations.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
The Royal Bank of Canada, also known as RBC, matches employee donations to nonprofit causes, and is inclusive of gifts made between $100 and $5,000 per year. A key perk of RBC’s matching gift program is that part-time employees and retirees alike are encouraged to participate with the standard 1:1 ratio.
Like many of these other organizations, RBC also offers dollars for doers grants for active volunteers! After volunteering for a minimum of 40 volunteer hours, the company will provide up to a $500 grant.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
TC Energy offers two main types of employee giving programs. The first is its standard matching gift program, where the company will match up to $1,000 annually to most nonprofits. The program is open to all employees and retirees.
The second program is TC Energy’s Dollars for Doers program. Through this initiative, the company matches its employees’ volunteer hours with monetary grants. It’s easy for employees to get involved in the program, too, as there is only a one-hour minimum for volunteer hours in a calendar year!
Nonprofit eligibility: Any CRA-registered charities
AstraZeneca is an international Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company with a large corporate presence in Canada. The company, which participates generously in corporate philanthropy, also offers different employee giving programs across various markets.
In Canada, active AstraZeneca employees are encouraged to donate between $50 and $500 to the CRA-registered charity of their choice. After doing so, the company matches the gift to stretch its impact even further for the nonprofit cause!
AstraZeneca Canada offers multiple volunteer grant programs, too. Canadian employees or retirees who volunteer 40 hours with an organization can request a corresponding grant of $500. At the same time, the company provides $250 grants to organizations where employees serve as board members or coaches.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Enbridge Inc., a Canadian multinational pipeline and energy company, is renowned for its robust and multi-faceted CSR initiatives. This includes a generous matching gift program and a volunteer grant program designed to empower its employees to make a difference in the communities they serve.
These programs and more not only foster a culture of philanthropy within the company but also strengthen Enbridge’s commitment to social impact across Canada and beyond.
Nonprofit eligibility: Eligible Canadian and international post-secondary educational institutions
Suncor Energy is dedicated to making meaningful contributions to society through its corporate philanthropy efforts. Through a targeted and impactful matching gift program, the company encourages its employees to give generously by matching their donations to eligible charitable causes and higher education institutions.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Sun Life Financial is committed to giving back through a generous matching gift initiative, in which it empowers its employees to demonstrate their own philanthropy as well. When eligible full-time employees support nonprofit organizations of their choice, the company doubles their giving to produce an even greater impact.
One of the best things about this specific program? With no minimum donation amount required, employees can get involved with matching gifts to their favorite organizations with ease.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Canadian Pacific Railway (or CP) is deeply committed to corporate citizenship and community engagement, as evidenced by its matching gift program. Through the program, the company encourages its employees to support charitable organizations by matching their donations at a rate of 50 cents to every dollar.
By fostering a culture of philanthropy and supporting causes that matter to its employees, the Canadian Pacific Railway demonstrates its ongoing commitment to social responsibility.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Cenovus Energy, a Calgary, Alberta-based oil and natural gas company, aims to enact positive change in the communities in which it operates through its generous corporate philanthropy initiatives. Currently, these include a comprehensive matching gift program that empowers individual employees to request up to $25,000 per year for their favorite causes.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Scotiabank Canada offers a robust matching gift program, through which the company empowers its employees to support charitable organizations by matching their donations. With no minimum donation amount required and a lofty maximum threshold, individual team members have the chance to make an even greater difference for the nonprofit missions they care about.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Magna International offers a unique matching gift program through which groups of employees are encouraged to support nonprofit organizations in their communities. Specifically, teams of 10 or more employees should contribute a collective minimum donation of $500. Then, the company contributes its match up to $2,500!
By encouraging team-focused employee engagement in philanthropy and supporting causes aligned with its values, Magna builds its workplace culture and gives back at the same time.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Brookfield Properties is a multinational corporation with a substantial Canadian employee base. Through its generous matching gift program, Brookfield Properties encourages its employees to donate time and funds to eligible nonprofit causes by supplying matching funds to the organizations they support.
Currently, full-time Canadian and U.S.-based employees (excluding the Chicago office) with a one-year minimum service are invited to take part in the program.
Nonprofit eligibility: Educational institutions (K-12 included), health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and community organizations, environmental organizations, and more
Canadian fertilizer company Nutrien is dedicated to making a positive impact in communities through its comprehensive matching gift program and more. Through the match program, Nutrien empowers its employees to support charitable organizations with matching gifts worth up to $1.50 for every $1 initially donated.
Identifying Other Canadian Companies That Match Gifts
We covered fifteen standout Canadian matching gift companies above. But there are a ton of additional programs available from companies everywhere. In fact, there are so many companies that match gifts—based in Canada and otherwise—that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of each program’s guidelines on your own.
And that’s where a database solution comes in handy! With a matching gift database like Double the Donation, donors are automatically supplied with direct links to their companies’ match request portals along with program guidelines (minimums and maximums, eligible nonprofits and employees, match ratios, submission deadlines, etc.).
Alternatively, if a donor works for an unknown company (or your organization lacks a database tool), your team can encourage the individual to reach out to their HR department to learn more about any available giving programs.
How Double the Donation Can Help
360MatchPro by Double the Donation is a complete automation system that screens match-eligible donors and triggers tailored outreach accordingly. As a result, your staff saves time and maximizes its revenue.
With over 24,000 company listings, Double the Donation represents 26+ million match-eligible individuals worldwide. When it comes to Canadian companies that match gifts, recent analyses indicate that the tool remains the country’s most accurate and up-to-date source of matching gift information.
Check out these findings:
93-99% of individuals who work for Canadian companies that match gifts will find their employer in Double the Donation’s database.
$99,000 of $102,000 in matching gifts received by a global organization’s market in Canada were covered by Double the Donation’s database.
483,760 match-eligible Canadians were covered by Double the Donation’s database, while 4,124 were not.
All in all, Double the Donation’s database offers substantial coverage of the market, making it a great fit for Canadian-based organizations and their donors.
Meanwhile, additional benefits of 360MatchPro include:
More matching gift opportunities. By automatically flagging match-eligible gifts using emails, donation forms, and more, your organization increases the number of potential matches identified.
More matches driven to completion. Donors are presented with matching gift information or encouraged to supply employment data after giving. Then, automated outreach guides donors through the request process and ultimately drives more submissions to increase overall revenue.
More time to focus on top opportunities. Your team can primarily focus its efforts on tailoring follow-ups to your most valuable match-eligible donations. With everything else automated, you’ll have time to take an increasingly personalized approach with top-dollar donors.
360MatchPro essentially serves as your own matching gift team. Where you don’t have the staff, time, or resources necessary to perform matching gift outreach, the platform can step in and handle the rest!
Integrations & Customizations
If you’re thinking about investing in a matching gift database to supercharge your organization’s fundraising efforts, there are a few things to consider in your selection. As a Canadian-based organization, you’ll want to look for a solution that adequately covers the Canadian market and integrates with your existing tech stack for easy implementation and data management.
Fortunately, Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro does just that! Offering 100+ integrations with the leading Canadian and global fundraising tools, the software provides users with direct access to the industry’s most comprehensive database. These ready-built and simple-to-use integrations include:
CRMs
Peer-to-peer fundraising solutions
Online donation tools
CSR platforms
To get started, all you typically need to do is subscribe to Double the Donation’s tools. Then, activate 360MatchPro by entering your API keys into your fundraising platform.
Additionally, Double the Donation is designed to accommodate nonprofits operating in one or more geographic markets. For Canadian-based organizations, this means you can customize the database search results by adjusting the geographic regions that apply to your nonprofit.
360MatchPro will then tailor the matching gift search results and information your donors receive based on your selections.
Top tip: If your nonprofit’s tax status is based in Canada and you primarily have Canadian donors, it’s recommended that you only select Canada. However, if you’re registered as a nonprofit in multiple markets, such as the U.S. and Canada, or have a large number of donors in those markets, it’s recommended that you select both the U.S. and Canada.
Wrapping Up
Choosing the right matching gift database is essential. Make sure to look for a solution that’s designed to enhance your organization’s fundraising. That means seeking tools that specifically cater to Canadian organizations—and Canadian matching gift companies.
While we’ve listed some of the largest Canada-based employers and overviewed their matching gift opportunities, they aren’t the only businesses that offer such initiatives. Be sure to constantly research your donors’ employers and stay up-to-date on companies in your area. And remember: the right matching gift database can help!
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Keep learning! Check out these additional resources to continue exploring matching gifts for your organization:
Matching Gift Marketing Guide
After identifying match-eligible contributions, you’ll need to promote the matching gift opportunities to your donors.
Check out our free downloadable resource to get best practices and expert marketing strategies.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DTD_Double-Donations-With-Canadian-Companies-That-Match-Gifts_Feature-2-1.jpg6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-02-27 00:21:412024-10-01 12:33:10Double Donations With Canadian Companies That Match Gifts
Fundraising is the backbone upon which universities are built, helping to expand educational offerings, enhance campus infrastructure, and prepare the next generation of changemakers.
University fundraising, however, is not merely about securing financial contributions; it is a delicate and multifaceted dance of identifying your need for support, articulating the profound impact of your institution, and cultivating long-term relationships with donors.
With philanthropic giving to higher education increasing by 12.5% in 2022, donors are becoming increasingly more inclined to contribute to colleges and universities. Equipped with the most up-to-date information about university fundraising, you’ll be set to engage donors and garner their support.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about university fundraising, including:
Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking to refine your approach or a newcomer seeking a strong foundation of knowledge, these insights will help you build a sustainable fundraising program that stands the test of time.
Emerging University Fundraising Trends
Higher ed fundraisers have to stay up-to-date with evolving donor expectations, technology advancements, and shifting societal priorities to remain competitive and relevant in a dynamic philanthropic landscape.
Here are three university fundraising trends to be aware of:
Digital fundraising: With the increasing prevalence of online communication and giving platforms, universities are leveraging digital channels to engage donors and raise funds. This includes the use of crowdfunding campaigns, virtual fundraising events, and social media outreach to reach a broader and more diverse donor base. Digital fundraising also allows for data-driven strategies to maximize donor engagement and contributions.
Impact philanthropy: Donors increasingly seek transparency and accountability in how their contributions are used. Universities are responding by emphasizing the impact of philanthropic gifts and providing clear metrics on how donations are making a difference in areas such as scholarships, research, and community outreach. This trend encourages donors to align their contributions with specific initiatives that resonate with their values.
Ethical fundraising practices: Universities are embracing sustainable and ethical fundraising practices that prioritize long-term relationships with donors and the well-being of the institution. This includes a focus on ethical stewardship of donor relationships, a commitment to diversity and inclusion in fundraising efforts, and adherence to best practices in data privacy and security to build trust with donors.
Universities that adapt to these trends can position themselves for success in engaging donors and securing the resources needed to advance their missions.
The Most Popular University Fundraising Ideas
As you review the following fundraising ideas, consider how you can adapt them to align with your specific needs and alumni base.
Annual Giving Drive
The primary goal of an annual giving drive is to generate unrestricted funds that can be used to support the institution’s immediate and ongoing operational needs, such as scholarships, faculty support, program development, and infrastructure maintenance.
Some institutions may choose to run their annual giving drives on a fiscal year schedule rather than a calendar year schedule. Regardless, structure your campaign around this timeline:
Pre-campaign planning (11-12 months before the deadline): Form a campaign committee or team responsible for planning and execution. Work together to determine how much money you need to raise, what the funds will be used for, and how the contributions align with your institution’s overall mission.
Campaign preparation (9-10 months before the deadline):Develop a compelling case for support and prepare a launch plan that includes a coordinated announcement across channels.
Active campaign period: Reach out to potential donors through personalized and targeted communication efforts, whether that be through direct appeals, phone calls, or email campaigns. As the campaign nears its end, leverage urgency in your calls to action to ensure your goal is met.
Campaign evaluation (1-2 months after the deadline): Review donor data and assess the effectiveness of your segmentation and communication strategies. Share the impact of the campaign and how donations have been used.
It’s important to note that you may need to adjust the specific timeline for your annual giving drive based on your institution’s unique circumstances and objectives.
Matching Gift Programs
Matching gifts are a philanthropic practice in which employers, often corporations, financially match their employees’ charitable contributions to nonprofits and universities. When a university fundraiser secures a donation from a donor whose employer offers a matching gift program, the impact on university fundraising can be substantial. It essentially doubles the donor’s initial contribution, significantly increasing the total funds raised for the institution.
This matching process not only boosts the university’s financial resources but also encourages donors to give more generously, as they recognize the added impact of their contributions.
Raise awareness.78% of donors are unaware if their company offers a matching gift program, so it’s important to raise awareness of these giving opportunities. Include information about matching gift programs in your fundraising communications and on your university’s website. Ensure that donors are aware of the existence and benefits of these programs, and provide clear instructions on how to participate.
Engage corporate partners. Build relationships with local and national corporations to encourage them to establish or expand their matching gift programs. Collaborate with corporate partners to promote the program to their employees and alumni, facilitating a seamless matching gift process.
Simplify the process. Make it easy for donors to submit matching gift requests with 360MatchPro. The platform automatically sends donors the information they need to complete their match and follows up when needed. Plus, it allows universities to track the progress of matching gift submissions in one easy-to-use interface.
Watch the video below to learn how the University of Lynchburg leveraged 360MatchPro to streamline its matching gift process and generate increased revenue:
As you’ll see, 360MatchPro makes it easy to double the impact of your university fundraising efforts. To get started, request a demo!
For university fundraisers, crowdfunding can be a lucrative venture because it harnesses the power of the collective, tapping into a broad network of donors who are passionate about the university’s mission and projects, potentially resulting in substantial financial support from a diverse group of contributors. Even students can get involved, with nearly 8% of current students contributing to crowdfunding initiatives.
When you launch a crowdfunding campaign, be sure to:
Set clear and specific goals. Define clear and measurable goals for your crowdfunding campaign, such as the amount of funds you aim to raise, the project or initiative you’re supporting, and the timeline for the campaign. Specificity helps donors understand the purpose and urgency of their contributions.
Engage your university community. Use various communication channels, including social media, email newsletters, and campus events, to raise awareness and encourage involvement. Engage volunteers and ambassadors who can help spread the word and reach a wider audience.
Facilitate student-led fundraising. Consider creating dedicated sections or sub-campaigns on your crowdfunding platform where student groups, clubs, or organizations can create their own fundraising initiatives. Provide guidelines and support to help student groups set up and manage their campaigns effectively.
Use the momentum generated by the crowdfunding campaign to build on the success and cultivate ongoing relationships with donors for future fundraising initiatives.
Grant Writing
Pursue grants from government bodies, private foundations, and corporations to fund research projects, academic programs, and infrastructure development. Leverage these grant-writing tactics to increase your win rate:
Understand the grantmaker’s priorities. Before you begin writing a grant proposal, thoroughly research the grantmaker’s mission, goals, and funding priorities. Tailor your proposal to align with the specific areas of interest or focus outlined by the grantor.
Craft a compelling narrative. Tell a persuasive and engaging story in your grant proposal. Use clear, concise language to convey the significance of your university’s project or program. Highlight the potential impact on students, research, or the community, and provide concrete examples and evidence to support your claims.
Address the grant requirements. Pay close attention to the grant application guidelines and requirements. Ensure that your proposal meets all specified criteria, including format, word count, submission deadlines, and any requested attachments or supporting documents. Failure to adhere to these guidelines can result in your proposal being disqualified.
Grantmakers often want to see that their funding will have a lasting impact. Therefore, you should also outline a clear plan for the sustainability of your project or program beyond the grant period.
Corporate Partnerships
Corporate sponsors provide universities with a stable source of financial support that can enhance academic programs, scholarships, and research initiatives. Plus, the partnership can strengthen the university’s reputation and attract philanthropic contributions from other sources.
Research and identify alignment. Research potential corporate sponsors to identify organizations that align with your university’s mission, values, and goals. Seek out companies with a history of supporting educational initiatives or whose corporate giving priorities align with your institution’s programs.
Create customized proposals. Tailor your sponsorship proposals to the specific interests and needs of each potential corporate sponsor. Outline the benefits and opportunities that partnering with your university can offer, such as brand exposure, access to a talented pool of students, research collaboration, or community engagement.
Once you’ve secured a corporate sponsor, maintain a strong and transparent line of communication. Regularly update them on the progress of their sponsorship, including the impact of their support and any milestones achieved. Sharing success stories, data, and reports demonstrating the tangible results of their partnership reinforces their commitment and fosters a sense of ownership and pride in the collaboration.
Endowments
Endowments encompass invested donations that grow over time to provide increased value. Educational institutions can use this university fundraising tactic to fund:
Scholarships: Endowments often support scholarships and financial aid programs, ensuring that deserving students have access to higher education regardless of their financial circumstances. These funds can cover tuition, fees, books, and sometimes even living expenses.
Professorships: Endowments can be designated to attract and retain top-tier faculty members and provide resources for cutting-edge research and academic excellence.
Research programs: Lastly, endowments can fund university research programs. These funds may provide the school with research grants and fellowships, equipment, new research centers, or seed funding for pilot projects.
Creating endowments for your university is beneficial because it provides your institution with a stable source of income. This type of fundraising also attracts major donors, allowing you to build relationships with supporters who have the highest giving capacities.
Planned Giving
Encouraging donors to include your university in their estate planning can lead to long-term, reliable financial support. Identify donors who are nearing retirement or already retired, have a history of significant contributions, and are actively involved—these are prime candidates for planned giving.
Then, appeal to these prospective donors, keeping in mind that:
Timing and context are crucial. Choose the right moment and setting for your discussion. Invite prospective donors to a formal face-to-face meeting or virtual conversation where you can devote ample time to the topic without distractions.
Planned giving is a sensitive topic. Instead of directly asking donors whether or not they want to invest in planned giving, you might inquire about their long-term philanthropic goals, their connection to the university, or their aspirations for leaving a legacy. This approach allows donors to express themselves freely and can naturally lead to discussions about their estate.
The benefits may be unclear. If donors express an interest in planned giving, walk them through the benefits, mentioning the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy on their alma mater and receive significant tax advantages. Additionally, explain their giving options, including bequests, charitable trusts, and gift annuities.
Because planned giving often involves complex financial arrangements, you should consult with legal experts throughout this process to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
Special Events
Fundraising events can attract significant donations and enhance your networking opportunities. For the best results, host events that are creative and will inspire a large turnout like:
Art auction gala: Host an elegant evening featuring an art auction with pieces donated by alumni, faculty, and local artists. The event combines the appreciation of art with philanthropy, allowing attendees to bid on unique artworks while supporting the university’s initiatives.
Taste of the world festival: Celebrate cultural diversity by organizing a food and cultural festival. Invite local vendors and international student organizations to showcase their cuisine, music, and traditions. Attendees purchase tickets to taste various dishes, with proceeds benefiting international programs or scholarships.
Student talent show: Showcase the talents of students, faculty, and staff in a talent show or variety performance. Sell tickets for entry and use the proceeds to support student scholarships or arts programs.
Campus scavenger hunt: Organize a campus-wide scavenger hunt where participants follow clues and solve puzzles to discover hidden treasures or landmarks. Participants pay an entry fee, with funds raised going towards campus improvements or student initiatives.
Throughout the event planning process, consider how you can engage potential donors who may not be able to attend the event in person. For instance, when hosting a scavenger hunt, you might add an exclusive map to your website or mobile app that allows attendees to participate virtually.
3 Tips for Hosting a University Fundraising Campaign
As you prepare to launch your next university fundraising campaign, keep the following tips in mind to ensure it’s a success.
1. Develop a clear fundraising strategy.
Define your university’s fundraising goals and priorities. Establish a comprehensive plan that outlines the specific projects, initiatives, or areas that require funding.
Be sure to identify your target donors, whether they are alumni, corporations, foundations, or individual philanthropists, and tailor your strategy to appeal to their interests and values.
2. Diversify outreach.
Donors have varying communication preferences and motivations for giving. Using a mix of channels, including social media, email, direct mail, phone calls, and in-person events, caters to these preferences and increases the likelihood of engagement.
In addition to more traditional methods, you may incorporate more unique outreach opportunities like eCards. When you thank your donors or invite them to an event with an eCard, you grab their attention and communicate with them in a more interactive, exciting way.
You may also reach potential supporters through Google Ads. With the Google Ad Grant program, philanthropic arms of higher educational institutions can unlock $10,000 in Google Ad credits for free. This way, your organization can show up at the top of the search results for relevant searches and secure more support.
For the best results, segment your donor list based on factors like giving history, affinity to specific university programs, and communication preferences, and personalize your outreach accordingly.
3. Cultivate strong alumni relationships.
Alumni who feel connected to their alma mater are more likely to contribute. That’s why it’s important to engage with your alumni community on a regular basis, not just when you need their financial support.
Stay in touch through regular newsletters, social media updates, and invitations to alumni events. In addition, recognize their accomplishments and contributions to the university, seek their input on important initiatives, and provide opportunities for alumni to mentor or support current students.
A Final Note About University Fundraising
Remember that the fundraising landscape is not a fixed path but a vast terrain of opportunities waiting to be explored. With each step, you can gain experience, build lasting relationships, and contribute to the enduring legacy of higher education.
For more information on university fundraising, review these additional resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/University-Fundraising_Feature-Image.png7502000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-02-26 15:04:462024-02-26 15:04:46A Guide to Navigating University Fundraising with Confidence
According to America’s Charities, nonprofits raise about $5 billion from workplace giving each year. These funds are crucial in enabling charitable organizations to pursue their missions.
With so much donation revenue available through this channel, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to streamline these contributions? That way, companies could better manage them, donors would be more inclined to contribute, and nonprofits would ultimately earn more for their causes.
Enter payroll giving. This form of workplace giving makes donating as easy as possible for employees. In this guide, we’ll review what payroll giving is and just how beneficial it is for companies, donors, and nonprofits alike.
What is payroll giving?
Payroll giving, also known as automatic payroll deductions, allows employees to contribute to nonprofits right from their paychecks. Since these deductions come out of employees’ paychecks automatically, it’s an easy set-it-and-forget-it way to give back. In most cases, these contributions are a percentage of the employee’s pay, but corporations that use CSR software with employee self-service tools may allow team members to adjust their contributions as they please.
How does payroll giving work?
With the help of workplace giving software, payroll giving simplifies the donation process. These steps illustrate how payroll giving works:
The company implements workplace giving software with payroll giving capabilities.
The company chooses which nonprofits they’d like to support through payroll giving.
Employees enroll and select the charity they’d like to support and how much they’d like to contribute.
The software deducts the donation like any other deduction—such as a 401K contribution or healthcare premium—and sends it to the nonprofit.
While most payroll deductions are pre-tax, payroll giving contributions are after-tax deductions. As a result, employees can claim these donations as deductible when they file their personal taxes. Companies that offer payroll giving should reflect employees’ contributions in their W2s.
What are the benefits of payroll giving?
While it’s clear that payroll giving benefits nonprofits since they receive the resulting donations, this form of workplace giving is also beneficial for participating companies and donors. Let’s dive into the benefits of payroll giving for each group.
Benefits of Payroll Giving for Companies
Not only is payroll giving easy for companies to manage, but it also offers a variety of other workplace benefits for companies. Payroll giving helps companies to:
Engage employees. Workplace giving methods such as payroll giving increase employee engagement. When employees feel that they are working together with their employer to make the world a better place, they’re more likely to find meaning in their roles and stay actively engaged in the workplace.
Keep employees around. Employees engaged in workplace giving have higher retention rates. In fact, employees who participate in workplace giving have 75% longer tenures with their companies than those who don’t.
Attract mission-driven employees. Payroll giving helps companies recruit employees who share their values and want to make a difference. Studies show that 71% of employees want to work at a company that gives back to charitable causes through philanthropy and volunteering. By offering payroll giving and promoting it during the hiring process, companies can attract mission-driven team applicants.
When companies offer payroll giving, they demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by helping employees find reputable nonprofits to contribute to and facilitating the giving process. As a result, they’ll build a workforce of like-minded, engaged employees who will stay long-term.
Benefits of Payroll Giving for Donors
There are so many different ways donors can contribute to their nonprofits of choice, so what makes payroll giving stand out? Payroll giving is an excellent donation method for donors because it’s:
Easy to participate in. Once donors enroll in payroll giving, they’re set to continue contributing indefinitely. The automatic donations make it extremely easy for donors to participate without taking time out of their busy schedules to make repeat gifts.
Inclusive. While these days nonprofits accept donations in cash, credit, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo, and more, not all employees have these payment methods at their disposal. However, all employees receive a paycheck, so payroll giving allows them to make a difference.
Tax-deductible. As mentioned before, payroll deductions come out of donors’ after-tax earnings, making these contributions tax-deductible. Donors can write off these costs and will owe less when they file their taxes.
Additionally, if donors don’t have the means to contribute a large sum at once, payroll giving enables them to break up their donation into smaller, more manageable amounts that they can gift to nonprofits on a recurring basis.
Benefits of Payroll Giving for Nonprofits
Payroll giving is one of many ways for nonprofits to generate donation revenue, so it benefits them by simply providing them with more funds. However, there are some less obvious benefits of payroll giving for nonprofits as well, including:
No transaction fees. Traditional online donation methods may require payment processing fees that lessen the value of each donation. Since payroll giving comes right from donors’ paychecks, there are no transaction fees, meaning the entire donation amount goes directly to the nonprofit.
Predictable funding source. Payroll contributions are a form of pledged donations. Nonprofits can plan for these gifts in advance, allowing them to better allocate their budgets.
Potential for long-term donor relationships. Donors who contribute to nonprofits through payroll giving do so on a recurring basis. Charitable organizations can identify regular payroll giving participants and establish long-lasting relationships with them.
Nonprofits can also analyze their donor data to determine which employers are most frequent among their payroll givers. Then, they can reach out to these companies to forge corporate partnerships that benefit both parties.
What are some companies that offer payroll giving?
Because payroll giving programs are facilitated by a donor’s employing company, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with top businesses offering the opportunity.
Here are some leading employers with payroll giving programs. Do your donors work for these companies?
Costco Wholesale
JPMorgan Chase
CVS Health
3M Company
Warner Bros. Discovery
Eli Lilly and Company
Navy Federal Credit Union
Amazon.com Inc.
Advocate Aurora Health
Close Brothers
Gray TV
Adobe Inc.
Brit Insurance
Keep in mind, however, that this list is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a ton more businesses offering payroll giving initiatives, and you can encourage your donors to check with their employers directly, too!
How can you increase payroll giving at your org?
Focusing on payroll giving opportunities can lead to a substantial increase in donations for your organization. Doing so effectively involves a combination of strategic communication, proactive arrangements, and ongoing engagement efforts.
Here are several actionable steps your team can take to boost participation in the programs:
Drive awareness of payroll giving opportunities across your audience. To increase participation in payroll giving, it’s essential to first ensure that your audience is aware of the opportunity. This should involve regularly sharing information about payroll giving through newsletters, social media, your website, and more.
Register as an eligible cause for companies’ payroll giving systems. For your nonprofit to benefit from payroll giving, it’s crucial to be listed as an eligible cause within companies’ payroll giving systems. To do so, start by researching CSR platforms and seeing how your organization can register. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how you can apply for a free nonprofit account!
Plus, be prepared to provide any necessary documentation, such as proof of 501(c)(3) status, financial records, or impact reports, to meet the requirements of corporate partners.
Incentivize participation among qualifying supporters. To boost payroll giving participation, consider offering incentives to encourage more supporters to sign up. This could include recognition for payroll givers, such as listing their names on your website or in your annual reports or providing exclusive updates on the impact of their donations. You can even consider offering exclusive events, webinars, or other perks that show appreciation and make the act of giving more rewarding. By marketing the opportunities well, you can increase program engagement and participation.
Thank payroll giving donors for their generous contributions. Expressing gratitude to your payroll giving donors is critical for retaining their support and encouraging long-term participation. This can include personalized thank yous, such as handwritten notes or emails to acknowledge their contributions. Be sure to mention the specific impact their donations are making and how they align with your nonprofit’s mission.
How do payroll giving and matching gifts connect?
Matching gifts are a type of corporate giving program where a company agrees to match their employees’ donations to nonprofit organizations, usually at a 1:1 ratio. By implementing matching gifts, companies can encourage their employees to donate to their favorite causes, with 84% of matching gift survey participants saying they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
When companies apply matching gifts to payroll contributions, they can amplify the impact of their employees’ donations and allow nonprofits to earn even more for their causes. Some workplace giving platforms let companies apply matching directly through the software. Donors can also use a matching gift database to research their matching gift eligibility and fill out a matching gift request form to send to their employers.
Check out how our matching gift software, 360MatchPro, helps organizations boost donation revenue:
By combining the efficiency of payroll giving and matching gift software, donors can easily make an impact on their favorite causes and help nonprofits increase their revenue. Payroll giving and matching gifts go hand in hand to expand companies’ CSR efforts, allow donors to make a greater impact with the same donation amounts, and enable nonprofits to earn the funds they need to support their beneficiaries.
Final Thoughts and Additional Resources
When it comes to corporate philanthropy, payroll giving stands out due to its extreme efficiency in nature. That means it’s easier for companies to manage the programs, donors to participate in them, and nonprofits to access necessary funds. The simplicity of payroll giving removes common barriers to engagement, allowing for seamless integration into the daily operations of both businesses and nonprofits.
As a fundraising professional, understanding and leveraging the power of payroll giving is crucial. The more you target this opportunity, the more payroll giving funds you can expect to receive. By actively promoting payroll giving opportunities and educating donors about its ease and impact, you can tap into a consistent, reliable source of funding. Good luck!
To learn more about payroll and other forms of workplace giving, check out these resources:
Top Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics to Know. Get familiar with the corporate philanthropy landscape! Uncover inspiring matching gift and corporate giving statistics to become better acquainted with the opportunity in this blog post.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DTD_Payroll-Giving-Drive-Employee-Donations-For-Your-Cause.png3861030Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-02-06 20:35:302024-09-30 21:18:18Payroll Giving: Drive Employee Donations For Your Cause
February is a time to celebrate love and happiness—and matching gifts. That’s why it’s been dubbed the official Matching Gift Month. This year, we recommend taking the opportunity to scale up your matching gift promotional efforts accordingly.
We’ll cover everything you need to know to celebrate corporate giving and drive action (and matches) this February.
Looking for new and exciting ways to amplify your nonprofit’s matching gift efforts leading up to Match Month? You’ve come to the right place. At Double the Donation, we’re experts at matching gifts, and we’ve compiled a list of suggestions sure to elevate your engagement efforts this February.
Ready to bring your matching gift fundraising to the next level? Let’s explore top recommendations for making the most of Match Month—and see what your team can do to bridge the knowledge and funding gaps alike.
What is Matching Gift Month?
Matching Gift Month is an annual celebration of corporate donation matching, often used to increase awareness and usage of match programs. Held in February each year, Match Month is an opportunity to recognize the extensive impact that corporate philanthropy programs, like matching gifts and more, can have on nonprofit fundraising groups.
And what is that impact? Research indicates that an estimated $2 to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs each year. That’s a substantial source of funds provided to charitable causes like yours. Not to mention, the mere existence of a match incentivizes individual donors to give at new heights, too. The same reports state that 84% of donors are more likely to give if a match is available, while 1 in 3 would give a larger amount if a match were to be applied.
However, an additional $7 billion goes unclaimed by qualifying nonprofits and their donors each year—largely due to a lack of information surrounding the programs. That’s why many mission organizations and schools are taking the opportunity to elevate their matching gift fundraising and push the initiatives forward this year. And Match Month is the perfect chance to begin.
10+ Powerful Ways to Celebrate Matching Gift Month This Year
These smart marketing and engagement ideas inhabit a fun sense of novelty this month. But they’re also impactful for long-term engagement in your organization’s overall strategy.
For the best results, we suggest integrating multiple of the following methods—both this month and beyond.
1. Give your internal team a refresher course.
Before ramping up your organization’s matching gift efforts for Match Month, it’s a good idea to take a look inward. Hopefully, your internal fundraising team should be well-versed in matching gift information. But perhaps you’ve had a few new team members join since your last group training. Or maybe your staff (and volunteers!) could just use a refresher.
The solution? Start the month off right with your own team. Take the time to reiterate the importance of corporate matching gift programs. Practice asking common matching gift questions, ensuring that all individuals have the knowledge and assets to answer them.
You can even provide your team with access to educational resources and other materials to help grow their knowledge and preparedness for the celebrations ahead.
We have some fantastic free eBooks, blog posts, templates, webinars, and more at Double the Donation.
Plus, we offer the industry’s first-ever Matching Gift Academy—an online learning hub encompassing 45 lessons and more than 7 hours of informational video content across 10+ modules.
When it comes to driving matching gift revenue, your internal team encompasses your greatest assets. Make sure they’re equipped to advocate for the opportunities as best they can!
Top tip:
Though the Academy is valued at $199 per year, current 360MatchPro clients can access the learning system at no cost. Just head to the back-end of your matching gifts portal to locate your organization’s unique coupon code!
2. Share on social media.
Your organization likely has at least one, but likely a number of profiles on popular social media sites. Whether it’s a Facebook page, an Instagram profile, or even a TikTok account, your strategic web presence can go a long way toward marketing matching gifts online.
And what better time is there to begin (or to elevate your strategy) than a month dedicated to all things matching gifts?
To get started, consider sharing the following types of content on your nonprofit’s social profiles:
Images and videos
Social media platforms are increasingly visual-focused. If you want to grab—and maintain—your audience’s attention as they scroll through their feeds, research indicates that incorporating eye-catching images and videos is the way to go. In fact, studies show that image-based social posts receive 2.3 times more engagement than those without, and posts with video content can see up to 10 times higher engagement levels.
That said, Match Month is an optimal time to produce and share matching gift marketing videos and imagery. Or get started with our pre-made social media graphics here! (Hint: click each image to enlarge the attachment and download a copy.)
For more templates and sample matching gift posts, head to “Marketing Assets” within the “Resources” tab in your matching gift portal. Then, explore our customizable social media designs for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more—including graphics specifically for celebrating Match Month.
Not a client yet? Get a demo to see if Double the Donation is right for your team and gain access to a range of tools and resources!
Industry research
Highlight key statistics that effectively demonstrate the potential that corporate matching brings. Double the Donation has compiled some of our favorite metrics here, including an overview of unclaimed funding and a wide range of participating companies.
Check out these examples:
65%
of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.
26 million+
individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
11%
of corporate cash donations are made through matching gift programs.
$2.86 billion
was contributed through corporate matching gift programs last year.
$4-$7 billion
in matching gift funds are left unclaimed by eligible donors each year.
Social media is driven by connectivity, networking, and social proof. That’s why case studies, testimonials, and other success stories can be some of the most influential content you can share!
Take a look at a few examples here:
Sharing the total sum of matching gift revenue (e.g., “Our organization collected more than $50,000 in matching gift funds in the past year from donors like you”).
Highlighting specific examples from prior match donors (ex: “Sarah from Home Depot secured a corporate match on our behalf equaling $5,000, bringing her total contribution value to more than $10,000”).
Spotlighting user-generated content from prior match donors (“According to Jennifer, long-time matching gift donor, ‘I love having the chance to stretch the value of my donation, and getting my employer to support my favorite cause is great!’”)
Showcasing historic community impact (“Thanks to generous matching gift donors last year, we were able to feed an additional 1,000 families in need through corporate match funding we received.”)
Your supporters care about the impact your organization (and, by extension, their donations) brings. When your followers see the influence that other matching gifts have had, they’ll be more likely to take steps to do so themselves.
Reiterate that donation-matching programs enable donors to double their impact without reaching back into their own wallets. If you can put it in terms of tangible impact (e.g., feed two shelter cats for the cost of one), even better!
3. Optimize your site for matching gifts.
Social media marketing is great—but there’s only so much you can share in each post. So, how can you ensure your audience can easily access the information they need to take action? Be sure every matching gift-related item you share links back to additional resources for learning more.
The best place to house those resources is your organization’s website. If you already have a built-out matching gift web page (which you should), consider driving traffic to the page for supporters to learn more about the opportunity. And if you don’t have an existing matching gifts page, Match Month is the perfect time to build that online hub.
Here’s an example of a well-designed matching gifts page to consider:
This inspiring sample follows all of our recommended practices. Take a look at the embedded matching gift search tool (which empowers donors to locate the information they need in seconds), a helpful infographic to visualize the involvement process, a detailed FAQ section, and information about the institution required for donors’ requests. Not to mention, it’s prominently located on the school’s navigation menu!
From there, we also suggest integrating matching gifts directly into your online donation process. Ideally, this should include an employment data widget to your giving form and company-specific program details on the confirmation screen.
Does your organization send regular newsletters as a way to keep donors and other supporters in the know about upcoming events and opportunities? A matching gift-focused newsletter—whether physical or digital—can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness of matching gift opportunities.
And it’s a great way to elevate engagement with the annually celebrated Match Month.
At the very least, consider adding a section about Matching Gift Month involvement in your standard newsletter. But an entire edition dedicated to matching gifts can go a long way toward inspiring participation in the programs!
Programs like these are known as fundraising match programs. And since these initiatives can also be considered a form of donation-matching, they can fit perfectly into a well-rounded Matching Gift Month plan!
Here’s how it works:
Your organization facilitates a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in conjunction with Matching Gift Month (February).
Your team reaches out to fundraising match-eligible contacts and encourages them to fundraise on your nonprofit’s behalf. (Be sure to mention your Matching Gift Month celebrations and the opportunity for their total funds to be doubled by their employer!)
Volunteer fundraisers solicit donations from their family and friends and participate in any associated event or campaign activity.
At the conclusion of the campaign, fundraisers submit requests for their companies to match the sum of their funds raised.
Fundraisers’ employers review the requests and verify that submissions adhere to program criteria.
Fundraisers’ employers approve the requests and disperse funding to the organizations for which their employees fundraised.
For example, let’s imagine that John Doe of State Street Corporation raises $1,572 for your organization. This is collected from 15 peers and associates through a social fundraising effort your team hosts this Match Month. When John requests a match from his employer, State Street supplies an additional $1,572 for your cause. This brings the total value of John’s fundraising efforts to $3,144!
That’s a lot of extra funding for your mission—all while engaging your donors at new heights and growing corporate support.
Top tip:
Use your matching gift database tool to uncover fundraising match opportunities in your donor network. Platforms like Double the Donation supply information about many types of corporate giving programs—including volunteer grants and fundraising matches when available.
6. Encourage non-eligible donors to advocate for new programs.
Unfortunately, not all companies match employee donations (though new programs are added every day). And some employers are likely interested in getting started—they might just need a little push to do so.
Luckily, your existing (and non-match-eligible) donors can be some of your best champions for inspiring new matching programs. Sometimes, all it takes is an email from a philanthropic employee to get the ball rolling for a new corporate program. And Matching Gift Month can be the perfect time to begin laying a foundation.
Consider sharing a template like this to provide a baseline for supporters considering advocating on your behalf this month:
Subject line: Request for a corporate matching gift program
Hi [manager or HR representative name],
I am writing to request the addition of a corporate matching gift program at [company name].
Thousands of companies across the globe have established employee matching gift programs, agreeing to match gifts made by their employees to qualifying nonprofit causes with their own corporate donations.
This is an extremely beneficial program to host for every party involved—including the company, its employees, and the nonprofits they support. If you’d like to take steps to establish a matching gift program for the company, Double the Donation has provided a number of detailed guides that walk corporate leaders through the process.
Thank you for your consideration!
P.S. — February is National Matching Gift Month, so it’s a great time to get started!
Use 360MatchPro’s “Leading Companies” tool, which showcases the employers most often searched by donors using your company database tool, to identify businesses in your network without existing match programs! Then, craft a personalized plan for pitching a matching gift program or encouraging your donors to do so themselves.
7. Pursue one-off matching gift program opportunities.
Most companies that match employee donations agree to do so to most nonprofit causes. However, if an organization has an existing partnership with a corporation, it may seek a one-off (or unique) matching gift program that is exclusive to the cause.
In some cases, this type of offering can be an ongoing sponsorship opportunity. But it also may be limited to a particular period of time—such as Matching Gift Month! Thus, February (and/or the weeks leading up to February) can be a great chance to begin pursuing such a relationship.
There are a few types of one-off matching gift programs to consider. These include…
One-off match initiatives with companies that do not yet offer complete matching programs. (For example, Carl’s Computer Company does not have an established matching gift program but agrees to match donations solely made to Atlanta University.)
Agreements with companies that do offer traditional matching gift programs but want to match donations to your organization at a higher rate. (Ex: Carl’s Computer Company matches employee donations to all 501(c)(3) nonprofits at a dollar-for-dollar rate and matches gifts made to Atlanta University at a 2:1 ratio for the duration of Matching Gift Month.)
Keep in mind that both types of programs can be beneficial to your cause, your donors, and your corporate partners. In either case, your donors’ employing companies can be some of your most valuable prospects!
Top tip:
Once you’ve established a one-off match with a corporate partner, add the program details (including eligibility criteria and submission instructions) to your company search tool using 360MatchPro’s custom matching gift management feature. This way, the program will populate in your employer search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to access the information they need to participate.
8. Follow up on previously made donations.
Your organization’s work promoting Matching Gift Month might very well drive a number of new donations—and matches—to your cause. But another strategy you can employ involves following up on previously made gifts. Then, encouraging still-eligible donors to submit their requests retroactively.
Here’s a sample follow-up email you might send:
Not to mention, Match Month falls just a few weeks after the year-end giving season when most organizations see elevated giving. Many of those donations may still qualify for corporate matching, even into the first few months of the new year.
In fact, tons of companies set generous matching gift request deadlines—often accepting submissions for up to a year after the initial donation is made. Take this opportunity to remind eligible donors about their employers’ matching gift programs and how they can get involved.
Top tip:
Use a matching gift automation tool (like 360MatchPro) to automate outreach and trigger personalized donation follow-ups!
9. Include matching gifts in staff email signatures.
This is perhaps our simplest suggestion for celebrating Match Month, but it can be particularly effective when paired with some of our other top ideas. We recommend adding a quick line mentioning matching gift opportunities to all of your team members’ email signatures.
More than likely, your organization sends a ton of emails—from donation appeals to thank-you messages and even nonprofit programming outreach. By incorporating matching gifts in automatic signatures, you can use every piece of communication with your cause as a way to promote donation-matching.
While you could add a simple blurb beneath an individual’s name and contact information, making it stand out can produce great results. For that reason, consider getting a graphic made and added to each person’s signature.
You can even use the space to link to additional resources where recipients can learn more.
10. Consider matching challenge grants.
Corporate matching gifts aren’t the only type of match opportunity your organization should keep an eye out for—they’re just the most widely available. But other match-based initiatives, like challenge grants, also have the potential to multiply the impact of a group’s fundraising success.
Rather than a company matching the donations its employees make to charitable causes, challenge grants are facilitated as a way to offer a donation match to all of a nonprofit’s supporters. Typically offered by a generous major donor, corporation, or foundation, these programs are generally organized according to a set time frame (e.g., a 24-hour period) or predetermined threshold (such as up to $10,000). Then, any individual who gives within the time frame prior to the match fund being depleted will have their gift doubled for your cause by the challenge grant supplier.
It’s important to remember, too, that challenge grants and matching gifts are usually not mutually exclusive. That means you can layer a few matching gift opportunities on top of one another (for example, a donor’s gift being matched through a challenge grant and by their employing company) to further amplify your efforts.
And that’s what we recommend doing to celebrate Matching Gift Month!
Bonus: Make matching easy.
Our final idea for celebrating Matching Gift Month is one that will benefit your organization well beyond the 28 (or 29) days of February. A lot of our previous recommendations involve raising awareness of program opportunities in the first place. Now, we suggest going a few steps further and driving matches by simplifying the processes involved.
After all, donors love matching gifts. They love getting the opportunity to multiply their contribution impact. But even your most dedicated supporters might not follow through when the process is too complicated or time-consuming.
That’s why we recommend fundraising organizations employ matching gift software to streamline and simplify the process. For example, 360MatchPro by Double the Donation empowers nonprofits to:
Identify eligibility with the industry’s most comprehensive matching gift database and corresponding search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to locate the information they need to participate.
Provide employer-specific matching gift program guidelines (minimum and maximum donation amounts, qualifying employees and nonprofit causes, match ratios, and more) and direct links to online submission forms, thus driving more requests to completion with actionable next steps.
Enable innovative auto-submission capabilities, allowing eligible donors to complete the match request process directly from the organization’s giving page and removing critical roadblocks facing traditional matching gift submissions.
Trigger automated and personalized matching gift follow-up messaging to remind donors about matching gift availability and encourage them to take the next steps in their companies’ request processes.
Seamlessly implement a matching gift solution into their existing fundraising ecosystem thanks to ready-built integrations with nearly all leading donation tools, peer-to-peer platforms, CRMs, and more—empowering organizations to get up and running with gift-matching strategies in minutes!
Not only does this benefit your donors by making matching programs more accessible, but it also ensures more back-end efficiency for your internal team and results in matching gift revenue growth of more than 61%.
Drawing inspiration from other nonprofits’ Matching Gift Month efforts can be highly beneficial for organizations strategizing their own campaigns. Not only can successful examples provide invaluable ideas and insights, but they can also spark creativity among your team and establish a deeper understanding of what resonates with nonprofit audiences.
That said, take a look at these Match Month campaigns to aspire to.
Example #1: Matching Gift Month Social Media Post
This independent Massachusetts private school took to Facebook and other social media platforms to promote the corporate matching gift opportunity last Match Month.
This institution uses the post as a way to promote matching gifts and encourage unprecedented individual giving. Not to mention, it links to the school’s matching gifts page and company search tool. These resources can supply additional information and assist supporters in getting started!
Example #2: Matching Gifts Web Page
One university opts to use its matching gift web page as a way to increase awareness about Match Month celebrations.
The blurb, which is embedded in the web page, encourages users to research their companies’ matching gift programs and double their giving impact if they qualify. It also includes an informational matching gift video that uses animated graphics to visualize the institution’s matching gift efforts.
Example #3: Match Month Landing Page
This organization published a dedicated landing page on its website as a way to drive awareness of Matching Gift Month among its supporters.
The page begins with a flashy and eye-catching graphic, shares specific performance metrics that reiterate matching gift impact, and implements an embedded company search tool. It even includes a template supporters can use to advocate for matching gift efforts when their employers lack such programming.
Example #4: Matching Gift Month Blog Post
In order to encourage Match Month participation among its supporters, this nonprofit published an informational blog post on its website.
The article outlines the basics of Matching Gift Month, emphasizes the importance of matching gifts for the organization’s mission, and shares additional resources donors can use to pursue matching gift opportunities (such as a direct link to the dedicated Match Page and integrated search tool). Plus, it uses illustrated statistics to communicate the availability of employee gift-matching in a user-friendly way!
Matching gifts have the potential to elevate your organization’s fundraising, bringing your overall community impact to new heights. February’s celebrations can be a fantastic opportunity to jumpstart or scale up your efforts. But it’s certainly not the only time to pursue this funding source.
As you aim to drive awareness of (and participation in) the programs this month, remember that the value of a long-term matching gift strategy can boost your fundraising for years to come. Keep in mind that the practices outlined above—and powering your team with the right tools and resources—can help!
Looking for more helpful matching gift resources? Check out our other recommended blog posts to continue learning:
Complete Guide to Matching Gifts
Dive into the basics and beyond with this complete guide to corporate matching gift programs.
Find out everything from common guidelines and well-known programs to streamlining your efforts with matching gift software.
Not all match-eligible donors will complete their submission processes right away. Discover several impactful strategies for driving more matches to completion with this smart guide.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DTD_The-Complete-Guide-to-Celebrating-Matching-Gift-Month_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-02-01 16:05:182024-04-02 12:28:24Here’s How You Can Celebrate Matching Gift Month This February
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an opportunity for companies to give back to the communities they operate in and boost their reputations at the same time. From creating matching gift programs to improving your company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, there are several ways to get involved.
Review the following strategies and consider how you can incorporate them into your company’s operations. With the right mindset and intuitive social good software, you can navigate the ever-evolving CSR landscape with ease.
1. Familiarize Yourself With the Benefits of CSR
Before you create a CSR program, familiarize yourself with the rationale behind the movement and everything it can do for your business. First, embrace the fact that businesses are adopting CSR programs because of a clear demand — employees, customers, and shareholders alike want companies to be more socially responsible.
These statistics explain the rise in CSR-related initiatives and the profound impact they can have on your company:
93% of employees believe businesses should lead with purpose. By embracing CSR at your company and letting team members participate, you can show employees that your company is driven by a worthwhile purpose that they enjoy being a part of.
55% of employees say they would take a lower salary to work for a socially responsible company. This means that public, impactful CSR efforts that resonate with employees can improve your company’s employee recruitment, engagement, and retention efforts.
77% of customers want to purchase from socially responsible companies. When you prove to the public that your company is actively engaged in CSR efforts, you can retain more customers and boost sales revenue.
As these trends show, effective CSR programs can help your company improve everything from employee motivation to your business’s reputation. Plus, if you use a CSR platform to track and measure your programs’ results, you’ll be able to easily report on and publicize your company’s impact to access these benefits faster.
If any of your company’s key stakeholders are hesitant to adopt a CSR program due to the necessary investment of time and resources, share these statistics and others like them to demonstrate CSR’s proven value.
2. Reflect on Your Company’s Values
CSR programs are more likely to be successful when they represent a company’s core values and public priorities. Value alignment helps employees feel more motivated to participate in CSR activities and ensures that your company will retain a vested interest in the program long-term.
Take time to revisit your business’s core values and think about ways you could naturally align corporate social responsibility programs with them. For example, if one of your core values is giving back to the community, you should prioritize corporate philanthropy programs and community service opportunities for employees. On the other hand, a sustainable food service company would be more suited to create internal energy conservation initiatives or a program that donates leftover food products to community shelters.
Brainstorm ideas for a variety of programs that would align with your company’s interests, then research other companies in your sector to see what type of CSR programs they have. Choose one idea to explore first, then save the rest of the list for future program development.
3. Start With a Matching Gifts Program
As you evaluate your options for potential CSR programs, consider developing a matching gifts program first. Employee giving programs are especially effective for increasing employee engagement, and matching gifts are the easiest employee giving program for businesses to facilitate.
These programs involve your company financially matching donations that your employees make to eligible nonprofit organizations, often at a 1:1 ratio. This means that if your employee donated $100, your company would donate an additional $100 to the same organization. Matching gift programs allow your company to support a multitude of causes while helping individual employees make more of a difference.
Set eligibility guidelines for the gifts you’ll match. Determine what types of organizations will be eligible, such as 501(c)(3) nonprofits and educational institutions. Then, set a match ratio, minimum gift amount, and maximum gift amount. For instance, you might match gifts from $20 up to $2,000 at a 1:1 ratio.
Choose a CSR platform. Corporate social responsibility platforms allow you to easily manage matching gift requests and the disbursement of donations. Additionally, they help you track and report on your company’s total philanthropic impact.
Establish a matching gift request process. Choose a deadline for when employees should submit requests, such as within six months of the donation or by the end of the fiscal year. Then determine what information employees must provide about the gift and where they should submit the request, such as via your company portal.
Let employees know about the option. Create official documentation that outlines the matching gift request process and eligibility guidelines for employees, then distribute it to team members when you announce the new program.
To encourage employees to participate in your new matching gift program, emphasize the benefits of matching gifts for both employees and the organizations they support. Focus on how they can make more of an impact on the causes they care about without spending more of their own funds.
4. Offer Incentives for Volunteering
It’s likely that some of your employees already volunteer regularly, while others would appreciate an incentive to do so. By launching a corporate volunteering program, your company can embrace CSR and boost employee job satisfaction.
Consider offering one or more of the following volunteer incentives:
Volunteer grants: Similar to matching gifts, a volunteer grant program is employee-driven. Your employees volunteer for a certain number of hours at a nonprofit of their choice and fill out a grant request form. Then, your company donates a set amount (such as $100 per 10 hours) to the same organization.
Volunteer Time Off (VTO): In addition to vacation days, some companies offer a few days of VTO so employees can easily fit volunteering into their schedule and get paid for their time.
Company-wide volunteer days: Group volunteer outings allow your company to help an organization, engage employees, and foster team-building all at once. Choose a nonprofit to work with, then bring employees out for a fun day of community service.
No matter which programs you choose, a robust CSR platform can help you manage volunteer activities and monitor the impact of both your company and individual employees. With this information, you can recognize employees who volunteered the most and encourage team members to engage with your CSR programs.
As you explore what CSR looks like for your company, take note of any charitable organizations you interact with that seem especially aligned with your values. Cultivate relationships with these nonprofits through corporate volunteering outings and conversations with their staff, and they could become long-term partners you can sponsor in the future. The more you learn about your employees’ charitable interests and organizations that align with your core values, the more easily you’ll be able to develop and maintain impactful CSR programs.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bonterra_Double-the-Donation_Easy-Ways-to-Start-Embracing-CSR-at-Your-Company_Feature-scaled.jpg7201920Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-29 20:33:482024-01-29 20:33:484 Easy Ways to Start Embracing CSR at Your Company
You likely gather many details about your donors—those who support your cause with their funds, time, or resources. Perhaps you collect names, contact information, engagement history, interests, and hobbies. The more comprehensive an understanding you have of each supporter, the better you can tailor your fundraising strategy to effectively reach your target audience.
However, one critical piece of the puzzle that’s often overlooked is employment data. Knowing where your donors work can play a significant role in how you relate to them in terms of fundraising, corporate giving opportunities, and more. And if you don’t already have this data point on file? That’s where employer appends come in.
In this guide, we’ll provide a walkthrough of all things employer appends—including:
Understanding your donors’ employment status can elevate your fundraising efforts in huge ways. You won’t want to discard the wealth of information gathered through employer appends, nor the amplified impact it brings.
Let’s get started!
The Basics of Data Appends
Data appends are a particular type of data enhancement strategy that allows nonprofits and other fundraising groups to learn more about the individuals in their networks. These efforts aim to provide organizations with more comprehensive and up-to-date information, often concerning their donors and other supporters. This empowers fundraisers to adjust their messaging and overall engagement strategies by better discerning who a donor is and what makes them tick.
Organizations typically provide the information they do have to a company dedicated to data enhancement services. The company then compares donor information against a mega-database of individual data, filling in the details the organization lacks as they go.
Employer appends, in particular, empower organizations to collect new and optimized data regarding the companies their supporters work for. Beyond employer information, other common types of data appends include mailing addresses, email addresses, birth dates, and phone numbers.
As you’ll notice, these types of appends primarily fill in missing or outdated contact information. That makes connecting with supporters easy for email outreach, phonathon fundraisers, direct mail solicitations, and other campaigns.
What Are Employer Appends?
Employer appends are one of the most common types of data appends for nonprofits, schools, and other fundraising organizations. In this case, the unknown information an organization seeks is that of a donor’s employer.
By providing other data points—such as the person’s name, location, phone number, education experience, etc.—the intended result is to locate the company that the individual works for (and sometimes even their job title!). In the end, the organization receives invaluable insights that can help uncover matching gift and other workplace giving opportunities, estimate wealth data, and more.
How Employer Appends Work for Fundraisers
The employer appends process is simple. After locating a data appending service (we’ll cover what to look for below), you’ll want to collect as much data about your donors as possible. This should include:
Name
Unique ID number
Mailing address (home, business, or both)
Region (state, city, and country)
Email address(es)
Phone number(s)
College or university (along with class year and major/degree, if available)
Last gift amount
Date of last donation
Date the entry was last updated
You will likely not have every data point available for each donor. And that’s okay! However, starting with as much information as possible increases the likelihood that the appending service provider can locate and match supporter records to the right employer information.
From there, the appending service will conduct its own research, typically scanning a number of public and privately held databases, which may include government records, SEC filings, social media profiles, business registrations, and more.
When the service provider is able to match a donor record with an employing company, they make a note of the identified information, check the newly collected data for accuracy, and share their findings with the organization. Ultimately, the organization is able to utilize the information to its best advantage in terms of optimal fundraising and donor relations.
Benefits of Employer Appends for Nonprofits and Universities
Employer appends can bring big results to nonprofit fundraising. Knowing where your donors and other key supporters work plays a significant role in overall engagement strategies, not to mention enabling targeted efforts regarding available workplace giving opportunities.
Specifically, employer appending can help your team:
Determine matching gift eligibility —
Thousands of companies offer matching gift programs where they agree to match employee donations to charitable organizations.
However, you likely won’t know which donors are eligible for (and, as a result, which to follow up with about) matching opportunities if you don’t know where they work. In fact, this knowledge gap even results in over $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funding going unclaimed each year!
Once you have the information you need, however, you’ll be able to prompt qualifying donors to complete the match process and secure additional funding on your organization’s behalf. This is true not only in the form of corporate match revenue but in elevated individual giving (and donor engagement), as well.
Keep in mind that matching gift services—like Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro—can help nonprofits target and follow up with matching gift opportunities as well. However, employer appends are often able to provide additional data points with which to guide an organization’s strategy, allowing fundraisers to capture supporter information even if the individual is not currently in the donation pipeline.
Here’s an example: “Jody, did you know that your employer, the Home Depot, matches full- and part-time employee donations up to $3,000 per person each year? Click here to request your matching gift!”
Uncover volunteer grant opportunities —
Similarly, if your organization has a supporter base of dedicated volunteers, corporate volunteer grants can help stretch their donated time even further. These are additional giving programs offered by philanthropic-minded businesses, the difference being that employers contribute monetary funds to the organizations with which their employees volunteer their time. Volunteer grants, which are also referred to as “dollars for doers,” can be an excellent way to multiply the impact of volunteer time for your organization, and supporters love being able to get involved in that way as well.
But again, you’ll need to know which companies your volunteers work for, which is where your employer appends come in. That way, you can be sure to inform them about the opportunities, encourage participation, and direct them to their employers’ request processes to get involved.
Here’s an example: “Thanks for all of your help at the shelter this weekend and over the past several months, Sam!As a Verizon employee, your volunteer hours likely qualify you to request a corporate volunteer grant on our behalf. Click here to learn more about how to request your grant!”
Identify potential corporate sponsorships —
Corporate sponsors can bring your nonprofit’s next fundraising event to the next level, and knowing which companies your supporters work for can aid in determining top prospective sponsors and help get your foot in the door! Once you know where your donors work, leverage the information as an in with a potential sponsor or encourage donors to advocate for a partnership on your behalf.
Here’s an example: “Ashley, it’s great to connect with the Microsoft team. More than 100 of our nonprofit’s donors work for Microsoft, and we’ve received thousands of dollars in matching gifts from your company in the past. As it’s clear that we already have a lot in common, would you be interested in sponsoring our upcoming event?”
Estimate wealth data —
Your donors’ wealth levels can play a significant role in their ability to give charitably, and understanding their limits can help organizations determine ideal fundraising asks. Knowing which companies your donors work for, their roles in the businesses, and more can help shed light on their estimated incomes and, by extension, giving abilities.
Here’s an example: “Sarah, we thank you for your continued support of our nonprofit cause. Will you consider making a $10,000 donation to help us reach our year-end giving goal?”
Tailor donor communications —
You want your donor outreach to be as personal and targeted as possible. Including direct references to donor-specific information helps develop relationships and shows that you’re not sending the same copied-and-pasted message to each person in your contacts. And, as you likely know, targeted messaging can be one of the best ways to develop strengthened, beyond-surface-level donor relationships, build connections with the cause, and ultimately drive more nonprofit involvement among supporters.
Highlighting an individual’s employing company can be a great way to do so, especially regarding getting involved with workplace giving programs. And if you don’t already have your donors’ employment information, that’s where employer appends can help.
Here’s an example: “Jeffrey, the Walt Disney Corporation offers a range of corporate giving opportunities that can benefit our organization in big ways. As a member of the Disney team, you have the chance to participate in matching gifts, volunteer grants, and more.”
Learn more about your supporters —
The more you know about your supporters—donors, volunteers, and prospects alike—the better you can connect with the individuals who make your mission possible. Since most people’s careers are a key component of their lives and what makes them who they are, understanding where they work and what they do can be a key piece of the “getting to know your donors” puzzle. Plus, it can even help shine a light on their own interests and hobbies.
Here’s an example: “As a Petco employee, you likely care about the wellbeing of the little, furry friends in our community. That’s exactly what our organization, the Atlanta Animal Shelter, is dedicated to, as well. Learn more about how you can get involved with the cause here!”
Overall, employer records are an extremely beneficial tool for designing targeted and effective outreach. However, you likely don’t have that information on file for all of your supporters. By leveraging employer appends, you can collect the information you need to guide your organization’s engagement efforts toward success.
Employer Appends Services | What to Look For
It’s possible to conduct donor research on your own; however, your organization is significantly more likely to uncover accurate and up-to-date information about more donors more quickly when you outsource the efforts to a third-party provider. And employer appends services are dedicated to doing just that in the most effective and efficient ways possible.
So how can you select the right employer (or other donor data) appends provider for your needs? Be sure to do your research beforehand.
For example, here’s how it works with Double the Donation:
Organizations typically see successful appends rates between 20% and 50% of the records they provide to the appending service (which is significantly higher than the industry average).
Employer appends are typically completed and provided within a few days of the organization submitting their inputs.
Appends records are assigned an accuracy rating. This takes into account the uniqueness of a donor’s name and the level of detailed inputs initially provided, as well as the comprehensiveness and recency of the data source used.
As an added bonus, previously unknown corporate executives are often identified and flagged as potential major donors.
Multiple appending options are available, including real-time employer appends for Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro users, as well as one-time bulk appends services for any organization.
Employer appends can be uploaded into 360MatchPro to trigger matching gift emails and other automated donor outreach.
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Other Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Double the Donation get its employer data?
Our propriety screening method combines data from both publicly and privately available sources. These sources include public government records, SEC filings, social media profiles, business registrations, and a variety of other sources.
What hit rate should our organization expect?
We typically see append rates which range from 20%-50%. This is based on a variety of factors such as:
Donor demographics (higher append rates among organizations which have a greater percentage of donors still in the workforce)
Average donation amount (higher append rates for wealthier donors)
Type of nonprofit (higher append rates for higher education)
How does Double the Donation determine its “accuracy score” for each record?
Our accuracy score is based on a number of factors including:
Uniqueness of donor names: With only a name it can be tough to determine whether we’ve identified the correct individual. The number of individuals with the same name plays a role in our accuracy score. A search for a common name such as “Steve Smith” will have a much lower accuracy score than a more unique / one of a kind name.
Level of detail provided on a record: The more information that you provide on each record, the greater the accuracy score. Even though there may be 1,000 individuals named “Steve Smith” if we’re able to match additional fields such as a phone number or mailing address it increases the accuracy score for that record.
Our data source / date the data source was updated:
We recognize that not all of our data sources are created equal. The data source, as well as the update frequency, plays a role in each individual record’s accuracy score.
Which types of nonprofits see the highest append rates and the most accurate results?
Our ability to append employer data is dependent upon the input file an organization provides to us. Organizations which keep their databases up-to-date see the best results.
For instance:
Do you have an up-to-date email address?
Do you have an up-to-date mailing address?
For higher education institutions, can you provide us with the years your donor / alumni graduated?
How complete are the input files that nonprofits normally send to Double the Donation?
It depends. Very rarely does an organization have comprehensive data on all of its donors, especially when you consider an organization which raises funds from multiple channels (mail, online, phone, in-person, etc.)
We do request that you provide us with as much data as you can as it helps us locate and match your records to the appropriate individual.
Are subsidiaries and alternate spelling variations listed separately or all in a single subsidiary field?
Our matching gift database is comprised of the following two tables:
A table mapping subsidiaries to parent companies
A table mapping all company details to a single parent company
These tables are then joined using a unique ID that ties all the data together.
Can I use employer append files I already have with 360MatchPro?
An organization navigates to the “import wizard” to upload its employer appends CSV file.
The organization previews record uploads to ensure the data has been mapped properly.
The organization leverages employer append workflows to match Unknown Eligibility donors with the correct employers.
You can learn more about leveraging bulk employer appends files alongside 360MatchPro with our Knowledge Base article on the topic here.
Concluding Thoughts
The more you know about your donors, the more effectively you can target and attract them to your cause. Not to mention, having employment data on file empowers organizations to seek workplace giving opportunities as well.
You may have a solid base of information pertaining to donors’ employing companies already. However, employer appends can go a long way toward filling in the blanks and connecting the dots. This is especially true in terms of matching gift programs, volunteer grants, and more.
Interested in further developing your organization’s donor data strategy? Dive into these other forms of data appends services—and how they can benefit your team—below:
What Is a Date of Birth Append? A Comprehensive Guide. Uncover more about your organization’s supporters with date of birth appending. Find out donors’ ages for strategic segmentation, send birthday outreach, and more.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/DTD-The-Ultimate-Guide-to-Employer-Appends-for-Fundraisers.png3801000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-28 19:14:372024-06-03 18:21:30The Ultimate Guide to Employer Appends for Fundraisers
According to OneCause’s Fundraising Outlook Report, the percentage of organizations that identify donor retention as a critical priority has decreased from 57% to 51%. While it’s concerning that fewer nonprofits are trying to reduce costs and form lasting relationships by focusing on donor retention, this insight reveals an opportunity to get ahead and stand out from other organizations vying for attention in your sector.
While the average donor retention rate hovers around 40%, there are strategies your organization can implement to increase this number and secure more long-term support. The top way to keep donors coming back is to create a donor stewardship plan.
We’ll help you dive into donor stewardship by reviewing the following topics:
With a better understanding of donor stewardship and a dedicated plan, you can make stewardship an ongoing, iterative process at your organization and consistently build enduring donor relationships.
What is donor stewardship?
Donor stewardship is the process of extending a relationship beyond the donor’s gift. The ultimate goal of donor stewardship is to encourage them to give again by building a deeper connection with them. Developing that sense of loyalty will make your fundraising efforts more seamless in the future because you’ll have a strong supporter base to tap into.
For stewardship to be effective, nonprofits must form mutually beneficial relationships with their donors. While nonprofits receive financial support, donors get to feel good about the impact they’ve made and join a community of people passionate about your cause. To create these relationships, nonprofits implement stewardship strategies that keep donors updated on the impact of their gifts and provide them with additional engagement opportunities.
What is the relationship between donor stewardship and retention?
Donor retention is a measure of how many donors come back to contribute to your organization after their initial gift. You can calculate your donor retention rate by dividing the number of donors who gave again this year by the number of donors who contributed last year, then multiplying that number by 100.
In recent years, donor retention has been on the decline, with an overall donor retention rate of 42.6% in 2022, which was 3.5% less than the previous year. There are costs associated with acquiring new donors, and when your donor retention rate is low, your organization has to continuously maximize the time, effort, and resources it pours into donor acquisition.
Donor stewardship helps your organization conserve resources and build a more reliable donor pool. You need regular communication to remind donors of your cause and how vital their support is, and with a dedicated donor stewardship plan, you can keep in contact with donors and ultimately retain them.
Additionally, retained donors are more valuable to your organization because they give more, more often, and are more likely to engage with your nonprofit in other ways. Considering 94% of recurring donors prefer to give to their causes of choice monthly, stewarding these donors enables you to build a consistent community of supporters rather than a sporadic, constantly shifting list of one-time donors.
Lastly, you already have data stored for previous donors in your database or constituent relationship management platform (CRM). You can use this information to reengage and steward these relationships because you know more about their interests and preferences. With a data-driven stewardship approach, you can meet donors where they are and personalize your communications to retain their support.
The donor pyramid is a visual representation of different donor giving levels. Since first-time donors are likely your largest donor group, they occupy the bottom of the pyramid whereas the few major donors you have reside at the top. When you understand which category of the pyramid each donor fits into, you can better steward them up the pyramid and increase their support.
The main categories of the donor pyramid include:
Prospective donors. Some organizations include prospective donors at the bottom of the pyramid to represent all potential giving opportunities. You may omit this group or narrow it down to those who have shown interest in your cause but haven’t yet contributed monetarily, such as volunteers, social media followers, or newsletter subscribers.
First-time donors. Most nonprofits place first-time donors at the bottom of the pyramid. While these supporters have demonstrated interest in your mission, it’s crucial to follow up with them immediately after their initial gift to show your appreciation and share the impact of their contribution.
Recurring donors. Recurring donors may give on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or varying basis. You may create different segments for each of these groups and develop stewardship strategies depending on giving frequency.
Planned donors. Planned donors pledge gifts to be contributed to nonprofits once they pass away. These bequests are typically sizable donations, so it’s important to show your appreciation for planned donors’ contributions.
Major donors. The top of the pyramid is comprised of major donors who give the largest gifts to your organization. Depending on your nonprofit’s size and typical donation amounts, you may define your major gift threshold differently than other organizations do.
To form your nonprofit’s own donor pyramid, draw supporter insights from your donor database. This information will help you determine which categories to include, roughly how many donors are in each tier, and how to best steward each group to higher levels of the pyramid or larger commitments at their current tier.
How does donor stewardship fit into donor cultivation?
Donor cultivation is the process of acquiring new donors and strengthening relationships with them. While donor stewardship is the last step in the cultivation cycle, it’s important to understand each step in the process and how it informs your stewardship efforts:
1. Identification
The first step in the donor cultivation cycle is to identify potential donors. This step may involve reviewing your CRM for supporters who may be interested in donating, identifying previous or lapsed donors, or conducting outreach to those who are completely new to your organization and mission.
Some strategies for identifying prospective donors include:
Prospect research. When you’re looking for potential major donors, conducting prospect research can help you determine supporters’ giving capacity and willingness to contribute. That way, you can focus your outreach on those who are most likely to make a major contribution.
Existing connections. Current supporters and stakeholders in your organization can help you identify people in their networks who may be interested in contributing to your cause. Ask your board members, major donors, and staff if they have any connections they can leverage.
Surveys. Sometimes the best way to identify if someone would be interested in giving is to simply ask them. Send surveys to your supporter base asking them if they’re open to making a monetary contribution and what type of gift they would like to make.
In this stage, it’s important to emphasize your nonprofit’s mission and let potential donors know the impact their contributions could make.
2. Qualification
Now that you’ve identified potential donors, it’s time to narrow down that list further to prioritize those with the highest giving likelihood. Some factors you may assess to determine the most qualified potential donors are:
Previous engagement. Potential donors may have interacted with your organization in ways other than donating, such as attending an event, volunteering, following your social media accounts, or signing up for your newsletter. These interactions demonstrate potential donors’ interest in your nonprofit and may indicate their likelihood to donate.
Wealth markers. Identifying potential donors’ capacity to give is especially useful for determining who may become a major donor. These wealth indicators may include real estate ownership, stock holdings, and business affiliations.
Affinity markers. Just because someone has the capacity to give doesn’t mean they’re interested in contributing. Affinity markers such as political involvement and previous support for other charitable causes allow you to assess the alignment between a potential donor’s values and your organization’s mission.
While some of this information may be stored in your CRM or found in public records, it can be helpful to work with a fundraising consultant or data provider who can acquire this data for you.
3. Cultivation
The cultivation step involves laying the foundation for a long-term relationship with prospects. Before soliciting a donation, introduce potential donors to your organization and invite them to get involved with:
Educational materials. Allow prospects to learn more about your mission and work by providing them with educational materials. Send them introductory pamphlets, videos of your beneficiaries, and summaries of your services so they can become more familiar with your organization.
Volunteer opportunities. When prospects volunteer with your nonprofit, they’ll receive hands-on experience with your cause. As a result, they may develop a connection to your mission and be more open to donating.
Events. An event is a perfect opportunity for prospects to meet current donors and find out why they support your cause. Consider inviting prospects to your next fundraising or advocacy event so they can become immersed in your community and determine if they’d like to become more involved.
Personalizing your communications with prospects is also a powerful strategy for developing relationships with them. Use data from your CRM to learn more about your prospects and tailor your communications accordingly. For example, if a prospect recently volunteered with your nonprofit, thank them for their support and follow up with additional volunteer opportunities they may be interested in.
4. Solicitation
After getting to know potential donors and informing them about your organization, you can begin soliciting donations. When making your initial asks, keep these tips in mind:
Be specific. Using the data you’ve gathered about your prospects, suggest a specific donation amount that aligns with their giving capacity. You should also be clear about what that amount of money will allow your nonprofit to accomplish. For example, an animal shelter might specify that a $100 donation allows it to restock its pet food supply for one week.
Appeal to prospects’ emotions. Don’t be afraid to use emotionally charged language to show prospects why they should care about your cause and how they have the power to make an impact. Including a testimonial from a beneficiary or current donor can help make a prospect’s potential impact more tangible.
Mention matching gift opportunities. Did you know that 84% of people say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered, and 1 in 3 donors claim they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation? Informing prospects about matching gift opportunities in your ask can motivate them to donate and allow you to gain even more for your cause. Matching gifts occur when a company matches their employees’ donations to a nonprofit, usually at a 1:1 ratio. As a result, your nonprofit can double its donation revenue. Learn best practices for promoting matching gifts in the video below:
As the video states, raising awareness for matching gifts is key. Once potential donors know about the power of matching gifts, you can make the process easier by researching their eligibility for them or providing them with a matching gift database where they can easily find their employer’s matching gift policies.
If a prospect says “no” to your first ask, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed to garner their support. Continue cultivating a relationship with this individual until it’s appropriate to make another donation request. Even if they don’t end up contributing monetarily, they can still become an active member of your community by volunteering, attending events, and engaging with your content online.
5. Stewardship
You should begin the donor stewardship process immediately after a prospect becomes a donor. Follow these steps to kick off your stewardship efforts:
Thank donors for their support. Show donors your appreciation for their contributions. To quickly and efficiently thank donors, automate a thank-you eCard to be sent to each donor right after they submit their donation. For larger gifts, you may send a handwritten thank-you note or call major donors to demonstrate your appreciation.
Recognize your donors. Larger gifts may also warrant public recognition of your donors through plaques, donor appreciation events, or invitations to your nonprofit’s giving society. You can also recognize mid-level donors by creating social media or newsletter spotlights.
Report on their impact. No matter the size of their donation, donors want to know that your organization is using their funds responsibly. Update donors on the specific initiatives you’ve allocated their donations toward, whether that’s a new program, supplies, a fundraising event, or something else entirely.
While these steps are a great start to donor stewardship, you’ll need a dedicated stewardship plan to effectively sustain your relationships with donors.
Creating a Donor Stewardship Plan: 5 Steps
A systematic approach to donor stewardship ensures no donor gets left behind and that your team knows exactly how to uphold donor relationships. To create a donor stewardship plan, follow these essential steps:
1. Determine your donor stewardship goals.
The beginning of any plan should start with goal creation, and donor stewardship is no different. Goals developed using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goal framework allow you to measure the success of your stewardship plan more easily.
For example, your nonprofit may want to grow its recurring giving program. Here’s how your team could incorporate each element of the SMART goal framework into your objectives:
Specific. Our fundraising team will reach out to first-time donors to introduce them to the recurring donor program and demonstrate how recurring gifts will maximize their impact.
Measurable. Our goal is to convert 20% of first-time donors into recurring donors.
Achievable. Considering 57% of donors are enrolled in a recurring giving program, and we had 10% of last year’s first-time donors become recurring donors, this is a challenging yet realistic goal.
Relevant. Growing our recurring donor program will allow us to develop a more consistent revenue stream for our nonprofit, empowering us to better serve our beneficiaries and fulfill our mission.
Time-Bound. Our goal is to convert these donors to recurring donors by the end of the year. We will start communicating with first-time donors next week and track monthly progress.
Other common goals may include increasing your donor retention rate, bolstering your major gift fundraising, or improving your post-event outreach. No matter what your goals are, setting clear objectives allows your team to stay on track and create progress benchmarks so you can make adjustments as needed.
2. Segment your donors.
While reaching out to each donor individually would be ideal for stewardship, it’s often unfeasible. When you segment your donors into relevant groups, you can personalize the donor stewardship process more efficiently.
Common ways to segment donors include grouping by:
Donation amount
Donation frequency
Donation recency
Engagement level
Communication preferences
Demographics
Then, you can reach out to each group with communications and engagement opportunities that they’ll resonate with. For example, you may create a special newsletter for monthly donors that lets them know about upcoming events and volunteer outings happening each month.
3. Develop an outreach cadence.
Using your segments, create an automated outreach cadence that keeps donors’ shared characteristics in mind. New donors should receive more in-depth information about your organization and mission that they may not have received in the initial cultivation process. Then, you can automate more specific communications to your segments to streamline your donor stewardship.
By integrating your email marketing software and your donor database, you can create personalized campaigns depending on donors’ interests and current stages in the stewardship process. For instance, during the cultivation stage, you may send prospects within a ten-mile radius of your organization’s headquarters information about in-person events and engagement opportunities in their community.
4. Offer additional engagement opportunities.
To maintain relationships with donors, you’ll need to offer engagement opportunities other than simply donating. While you may already have general fundraising events and volunteer opportunities planned, take the time to develop additional opportunities for donors to engage with your cause, such as:
Cause-related workshops and speaker sessions
Meetings with beneficiaries
Tours of your facility
Exclusive major donor events
Fundraising event planning committees
When you share activities with your donors that are unaccompanied by a donation ask, you prove to donors that you’re committed to providing them with a positive experience with your nonprofit. Through a variety of engagement opportunities, you can build a strong community of supporters and advocates for your cause.
5. Collect feedback.
You can (and should) measure progress using the key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals you identified early on in the stewardship process. However, qualitative data in the form of donor feedback can give you insight into what your donors enjoy about your stewardship efforts and what your team could improve.
Send regular surveys to your donors to gather feedback about your donor stewardship plan. The questions you may ask include:
How often would you like our nonprofit to communicate with you?
Is our current communication frequency too little, too much, or the right amount?
What engagement opportunities have you most enjoyed?
What additional engagement opportunities would you like to see offered?
Is there anything else our nonprofit can do to improve your experience with us?
Analyze donors’ responses with your team to glean any insights you can apply to your donor stewardship plan. For donors with multiple ideas or many points of feedback, consider calling them to hear more about their experience and gain an even more in-depth understanding of your stewardship efforts’ efficacy.
Wrapping Up
With a comprehensive donor stewardship plan, your nonprofit can build strong donor relationships, increase donor retention, and earn more for your cause. Whether you’re trying to grow your recurring donor program, acquire more major donors, or follow up with event attendees more effectively, a dedicated plan will assist you in reaching your goals and stewarding donors to higher levels of the donor pyramid.
To learn more about elements of the donor stewardship process, check out these resources:
Nonprofit Basics: The Donor Pyramid. When you develop a donor pyramid, you can more easily steward donors to higher engagement levels. This guide presents tips for how to personalize your donor pyramid to your organization.
Donor Recognition: When & How to Acknowledge Supporters. Recognizing your donors allows you to show your appreciation and strengthen your relationships with them. Dive deeper into donor recognition strategies with this guide.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Donor-Stewardship_Feature.jpg7502000Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/logo-dtd.svgAdam Weinger2024-01-24 21:15:242024-10-01 12:46:26Donor Stewardship: How to Retain Support Effectively
Whether it’s a sorority, a food bank, or a socially responsible business, some organizations require their members to volunteer to build their skill sets and give back to their communities. Many nonprofits benefit from the temporary extra hands that mandatory volunteering provides, but there are many ways that you can convert these short-term volunteers into committed supporters, even after they’ve hit their hourly quota.
In this guide, we’ll go over the basics of mandatory volunteering programs and how your nonprofit can leverage them. Specifically, we’ll cover:
Let’s explore how your nonprofit can help your mandatory volunteering program reach its full potential.
Mandatory Volunteering FAQ
What is mandatory volunteering?
Mandatory volunteering is when an organization requires individuals to volunteer for a certain amount of time to receive benefits. Some examples of mandatory volunteering in practice include:
Educational institutions require students to volunteer as a graduation requirement.
Membership-based organizations require individuals to volunteer as a membership requirement.
Social service organizations require individuals to volunteer to receive social services, such as food banks where beneficiaries contribute volunteer hours for meals.
Judicial systems require individuals to volunteer in the form of community service as rehabilitation or restitution for minor offenses.
Businesses require their employees to volunteer as a team-building exercise.
Chances are, your nonprofit has an organization in your area that mandates volunteering. Volunteers for these organizations can make great additions to your program—we’ll explore the benefits in-depth in a later section.
How does mandatory volunteering work?
Before you add mandatory volunteering outreach into your nonprofit’s recruitment strategy, you should understand how it works. While each organization is different, most mandatory volunteering programs function like this:
The organization providing volunteers defines the objectives, rules, and structure of its mandatory volunteering program to complement its overall goals. Program guidelines might include the number of required volunteer hours or the type of volunteering the participant must complete.
Often, the organization providing volunteers reaches out to a nonprofit and establishes a partnership. While a partnership isn’t required, it ensures that the nonprofit has a steady stream of volunteers while guaranteeing placements for those who are required to volunteer.
The nonprofit provides custom onboarding and training for mandated volunteers based on their skill set, experience, and motivation for volunteering.
Once the volunteers have hit their required hours, the nonprofit thanks them for their work and gives them an exit survey to see how it can improve their program.
As you can see, mandatory volunteer programs benefit from open communication and mutual understanding between nonprofits and the organizations that mandate volunteering.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of mandatory volunteering for nonprofits?
Recruiting mandated volunteers isn’t the best solution for every nonprofit. Before deciding to add it to your outreach strategy, take these pros and cons into account:
Pros:
Expanded volunteer base. Mandated volunteers can improve your recruitment efforts and fill out your work schedule.
Consistent availability. Mandated volunteers will make a greater effort to schedule and attend volunteer shifts so they can hit their hourly quota.
Enhanced donation potential. Showing the importance of your mission through mandatory volunteering can inspire them to donate to your cause.
Improved community engagement. Forming partnerships with volunteer providers can help you make connections with other organizations in your community.
Potential for a long-term commitment. By being exposed to your nonprofit and mission, mandated volunteers might genuinely appreciate your staff, beneficiaries, and other aspects of your nonprofit and become long-term supporters even after they’ve hit their hours.
Cons:
Lack of connection to your cause. Since mandated volunteers come to your nonprofit to fulfill a requirement, they might not have a strong affiliation with your cause, which can lead to burnout.
Capacity challenges. Depending on the size of your mandated volunteer base, you might have to turn people away to avoid overwhelming your team or depleting your resources.
Mismatch of skills and needs. Since your mandated volunteers might have specific hour requirements and limited choices in their placements, it’s possible that their skills won’t be a good match for your nonprofit’s needs.
Various reasons for participating. Some of your volunteers might feel more or less enthusiastic about volunteering with you depending on their reasons for being there, which can impact their productivity and your overall performance.
High turnover rate. Since many mandated volunteers are motivated by their hourly benchmark, they’re more likely to move on after they’re done working with your organization.
How can you gauge if recruiting mandated volunteers is right for your nonprofit?
Adding mandatory volunteering to your recruitment strategy can be a big decision. Use this decision tree to evaluate whether your nonprofit would benefit from recruiting mandated volunteers. Any “no” answers mean it might not be right for your nonprofit currently and any “yes” answers mean you should proceed to the next decision.
Do you have a consistent need for volunteers?
Can you accept the costs of training mandatory volunteers knowing that they may not stay engaged long-term?
Can you provide meaningful and varied volunteer opportunities?
Do you have the capacity to manage and train a large number of volunteers?
Are there businesses, educational institutions, or social services organizations nearby to partner with?
Can you ensure a positive experience for volunteers?
Can your nonprofit accept the increased liability of working with mandated volunteers, including those fulfilling volunteer hours as part of court-ordered community service?
Please note that this is only a baseline decision tree. Each nonprofit is unique, so you should incorporate your own needs, goals, and preferences into account and adjust accordingly. Also, work with your legal team to review any potential legal issues or risks.
How to Turn Mandatory Volunteers into Lifelong [or Long-Term] Supporters
Accepting mandated volunteers into your program provides new opportunities to convert casual audience members into passionate donors and volunteers. You can convert them, boost fundraising, and secure your long-term success with these tips.
1. Spread awareness of volunteer grants and other CSR programs.
Many companies that mandate or highly encourage volunteering also offer other corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs, like volunteer grants and matching gifts. Mandated volunteers can amplify their positive impact by contributing volunteer grants to your nonprofit
Volunteer grants are a CSR program in which corporations promise monetary donations if an employee volunteers for a certain amount of hours with a nonprofit. Here’s how your nonprofit can promote and collect volunteer grants from mandated volunteers:
An individual volunteers extensively at your nonprofit
Your team identifies volunteer-grant-eligible participants with a CSR database like Double the Donation
Your nonprofit reaches out to them, promoting volunteer grants and providing instructions for researching their policy
The volunteer researches their company policy
If the volunteer has met the policy requirements, they submit volunteer grant forms
The company reviews the volunteer grant application
If the application is approved, the company donates funds to the nonprofit
Besides volunteer grants, you can also promote other CSR programs to boost support for your mission. For instance, you can spread awareness of matching gifts, a CSR program in which employees can get their charitable contributions matched by their employer if they meet the program’s criteria. Research the types of CSR programs that your mandatory volunteers might respond well to and spread the word at an upcoming shift.
2. Focus on making lasting connections.
While their reasons for supporting your nonprofit may differ, mandated volunteers should be treated the same as other volunteers, which means you should strive to forge a personal relationship with them. Furthermore, mandated volunteers who feel welcomed and valued are more likely to continue working with your nonprofit. Here are some ways you can make mandated volunteers feel like part of the team:
Get to know them personally. Simply learning all of your new volunteers’ names when they show up for their first shift demonstrates that you put effort into getting to know them as people. You can take it a step further by asking about your volunteers’ hobbies, experiences, and other personal information on their intake form.
Offer social activities. Facilitate a welcoming community by allowing your volunteers to get to know each other outside of their shifts. For instance, you could organize a dinner at the end of a shift so mandated volunteers can make connections while bonding over great food.
Invite them to fundraisers and other events. Introduce volunteers to new aspects of your organization by inviting them to fundraisers and other events. This can help them feel more connected to their work and gives you the chance to strike up a conversation with them.
Provide progress updates. Show your volunteers the real impact of their work by updating them on your nonprofit’s progress. For example, you could let food bank volunteers know that a week’s worth of work yields an additional three hundred meals.
Genuinely showing that you care about your mandated volunteers as people is the most important component of motivating them to stick around after they’ve hit their quota. Take every opportunity to talk to them, compliment them on a job well done, and integrate them into your volunteer community.
3. Show your appreciation.
Your nonprofit relies on the help of your volunteers to execute your programs and give back to your beneficiaries at a high caliber. Showing your appreciation for their efforts isn’t just a nice thing to do—it also improves volunteer satisfaction and retention. Try these strategies for showing your gratitude to mandated volunteers:
Create custom awards. Whether they’re performance-based or superlative, invite your volunteers to an awards ceremony where you recognize them for their accomplishments. Just make sure you get permission from each attendee to be recognized publicly.
Take extra steps to improve your program. Go above and beyond to make your program stellar so mandated volunteers will want to stay. Ask them for feedback once they’ve completed a few shifts with your nonprofit and keep them updated on which items you plan to implement. For instance, you might start offering snacks for shifts that occur around a meal or adjusting your shift times so more people can attend.
Offer volunteer development days. Skill development is a valuable perk that you can provide to show your thanks for their hard work and help them advance to a higher role within your program. For example, a food bank might offer training in floor management and more hours to high-performing individuals, giving them skills that they can add to their resumes.
Send personalized thank-you messages. No matter how long they work with your nonprofit, you should thank each volunteer for their time. A handwritten note adds a unique personal touch that can feel more authentic than an email, so try to send those when you can. If you can only send emails, make sure each one is addressed to the recipient by name and mentions the specific project they worked on.
Involve beneficiaries. Getting a thank-you message from a beneficiary can be an unexpected, yet welcome surprise for your mandated volunteers. Ask beneficiaries if they’d like to be part of a thank-you email or video. Your volunteers will feel more emotionally connected to your nonprofit when you match a face to the cause.
Thanking volunteers is a simple gesture that makes their work feel valued by your team and beneficiaries. Also, remember that not everything has to be a planned gesture—simply thanking volunteers verbally at the end of a shift can go a long way.
Wrapping Up + Additional Resources
Now that you know the details of mandatory volunteering, it’s time for your nonprofit to decide if adding it to your volunteer offerings is worthwhile. Once you’ve reviewed the pros and cons and conducted a needs assessment, evaluate your current community connections to gauge if you could easily forge any partnerships.
If you decide to integrate mandatory volunteers into your nonprofit’s ecosystem, personalize your stewardship approach and focus on providing a rewarding experience.
Looking for more information about how to incorporate corporate volunteerism into your nonprofit’s volunteer strategy? Start with these additional resources:
