Learn how to determine your Google Grants eligibility and get started with the program.

Google Grants Eligibility: How To Check If You Qualify

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Did you know Google awards nonprofits with free ad credits to boost their digital presence? It’s true, and it’s all thanks to a program called Google Ad Grants.

Through this program, any organization that meets the Google Grants eligibility requirements receives a monthly grant of $10,000 to spend on Google Ads. When used effectively, this funding can go a long way to boost traffic to your nonprofit website, spread awareness, and increase donations.

If your nonprofit wants to get started with Google Grants, the first step is to apply. In this post, we’ll walk you through questions you need to ask before applying to ensure your nonprofit obtains (and keeps!) your Google Ad Grant:

Applying for a Google Ad Grant doesn’t have to be complicated. Just follow our guide, and you’ll be on your way to your new Google Ad Grants account!

Get a free consultation with Getting Attention to determine your Google Grant eligibility.

What are Google Ad Grants?

Google Grants (formally known as Google Ad Grants) is a program where Google provides eligible nonprofits with an in-kind donation of $10,000 in monthly ad funding.

But let’s back up even further—what exactly are Google Ads in the first place?

Google Ads are the paid search results that appear at the top of your search results screen based on the keywords included in your query. Here’s an example of what an ad might look like:

If you're Google Grants eligible, you can create ads like this one and be placed at the top of search results - for free!

In order to see your ads appear here, your nonprofit must bid on relevant search keywords using your Google Grant money. 

There are certain compliance requirements for Google Grant recipients, including a $2 cap on your maximum bidding amount and a requirement that all keywords must be relevant to your cause. These restrictions mean that you won’t be able to spend your money on exceptionally high-traffic terms (think “animal rights organization” or “wildlife sanctuary”) or terms that are too general (think “free eBook” or “donate to nonprofits”), but it also means that you’re likely to see greater results from the ads you do run.

If your nonprofit meets the Google Ad Grants eligibility requirements, you can use the grant to promote your donation page, volunteer opportunities, educational content, and other mission-driven initiatives. Plus, you’ll continue to receive the Ad Grant for as long as you meet the program’s criteria.

Bonus! Already have your Google Ads account set up? Learn how to manage your Google Grant and see better results by reading this essential Google Ad Grant management guide from the Google-certified consultants at Getting Attention.

How do search ads differ from organic results?

Nexus Marketing’s guide to SEO for nonprofits explains that when users search keywords or phrases, Google delivers content based on what it assumes the user is attempting to accomplish. Below ads, Google provides organic results, which are pages that have demonstrated their authority and expertise to Google.

Paid and organic methods can both enhance your online presence, and each has its own benefits and challenges. Here are the key differences between Google Ads and organic search results:

A chart comparing the differences between Google Ads and organic results

  • Placement: Ads appear at the top and bottom of the search results page and are marked with a “Sponsored” label. Organic listings appear below the ads and are based on relevance to the search query.
  • Cost: You pay for each ad click, and costs vary based on keyword competitiveness. There’s no direct cost associated with SEO outside of choosing to hire a marketing agency. Rather, you invest time into SEO strategies and content creation.
  • Time to Rank: Ads start appearing on Google search results pages almost immediately. With SEO, results depend on search engine algorithms and ongoing efforts like backlink building, meaning content can rank highly early on or take some time.
  • Control: You have more control over which keywords your ads are shown for and who your ads are shown to. You have less direct control over organic rankings since they depend on the search engine’s algorithms and your content’s quality.
  • Duration: Ads run as long as your budget allows; Google will stop displaying your ads once your budget is depleted. Meanwhile, organic visibility can be sustained long-term with continuous SEO efforts, providing lasting value.

These strategies can complement each other, because Google Ads provide immediate traffic while organic SEO builds sustainable visibility. Know that anyone, including those who aren’t eligible for Google Ad Grants, can implement SEO strategies. For the best results, leverage both methods to market your content and maximize your search engine presence.

Why should nonprofits check their Google Grants eligibility?

Beyond expanding your marketing budget, Google Grants offer advantages for organizations that know how to optimize their funding. A key benefit is that 98% of searchers click on a result on Google’s first page, making Google Ads a powerful tool for driving traffic.

Especially when you put time into Google Ad Grants management, you might experience:

  • Greater visibility and reach for your nonprofit.
  • Increased traffic to key landing pages on your site (such as your donation form or volunteer information page).
  • Greater awareness for corporate giving opportunities.
  • Free promotion for your online content, including your blog or educational resources.
  • Potential for online donations, volunteer sign-ups, event registrations, and email list subscriptions.

Depending on your exact Google Ad Grants management strategy, you can use your ads to achieve nearly any goal you have in mind. With a bit of creativity and research, the options are endless!

The bottom line: Google Ad Grants is a highly profitable marketing tool that almost all nonprofits can leverage with very low risk. Through this program, you can put your name in front of thousands of new eyes every day—why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?

Are all nonprofits eligible for Google Ad Grants?

The program can be an exceptional resource for many nonprofits, but it’s important to know that not all organizations are eligible for Google Grants.

Specifically, the following types of nonprofits are automatically ineligible for Google Grants:

  • Schools or educational institutions (philanthropic arms of educational organizations are still eligible)
  • Government organizations
  • Hospitals or healthcare organizations (charitable arms or foundations associated with healthcare organizations are still eligible)

If you don’t meet these initial Google Ad Grants eligibility requirements, you may still be in luck. For instance, Google has similar philanthropic resources for educational institutions, known as Google for Education.

Basic Google Ad Grants eligibility requirements

After confirming that your organization isn’t automatically ineligible, you’ll still need to meet additional Google Ad Grant requirements the program’s coordinators use to ensure that all grant recipients are legitimate charitable organizations. Getting Attention’s guide to Google Grants eligibility breaks the requirements down into a few key pieces. Here’s a checklist based on those recommendations:

A checklist of the Google Ad Grant requirements, listed below.

To qualify for a grant, your organization must:

  • Hold valid charitable status in your country. In the U.S., you’ll need to be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Be registered with Google for Nonprofits. (Not registered? We’ll walk you through how to get started in another section.)
  • Have a functional, updated website that is secured with secure socket layers certification, highlights your mission, and features relevant content.
  • Adhere to the program policies for using your Google Grant funding. For example, you can’t use your Google Ad Grant to promote anything outside your mission’s scope or sell products that don’t contribute to your organization’s work.

Here’s a video from the Google Partners at Getting Attention that highlights these requirements:

Google implements these standards to make sure it’s only funding valid, upstanding nonprofits who can actually benefit from the ads. Take some time to review their Google Ad Grant requirements as a team (or with your Google Grant management consultant) and make sure you’re up to code. If not, you can always look into alternative fundraising strategies!

The bottom line: Google Ad Grants are not given to all types of nonprofits. Your nonprofit must abide by certain criteria, so make sure you understand the Google Grant eligibility requirements before attempting to enroll.

Should my nonprofit use the Google Ad Grant?

Even if you are eligible for the Google Ad Grant, whether or not you should apply depends on your organization’s goals. While the grant can provide significant benefits, some objectives may be better suited to other marketing strategies.

Here are a few goals that benefit more from other strategies than the Google Ad Grant:

  • Selling Products and Services: If your nonprofit sells products or services such as curriculum, training, or camp registrations, leverage targeted email marketing, social media advertising, and SEO to directly reach potential customers. These channels drive long-term, organic traffic that’s more sustainable than short-term results from Google Ads.
  • Boosting Long-Term Traffic: If your goal is to ensure steady traffic growth, SEO provides a more reliable approach than short-term ad campaigns. While paid ads require continuous funding, SEO efforts can yield ongoing benefits long after the initial work is done.
  • Becoming A Thought Leader: Building authority in your field is often achieved through high-quality content and backlinks. If your nonprofit produces detailed reports or educational resources, focusing on strategies like SEO can help these assets reach a broader audience.
  • Promoting Events: Promote events like charity runs or educational workshops using SEO, social media marketing, and influencer partnerships. These strategies help you reach a wider audience, generate buzz through engaging content and endorsements, and ensure your event is easily discoverable in search engine results.

The Google Ad Grant offers tremendous opportunities for many nonprofits. However, even if you meet the Google Ad Grants requirements, you should determine whether it’s the best approach based on your organization’s goals.

What can my nonprofit do to become eligible for Google Ad Grants?

If your nonprofit meets the baseline Google Ad Grants requirements but isn’t quite ready to enroll, there are a few measures you can take to get your application approved on the first try.

If you’d like to apply for a Google Ad Grant, there are several approaches your organization could take: you could DIY it, could hire someone onto your team to manage it, or work with a Google Ad Grant management consultant who can walk you through the application process.

Confirming your Google Grants application and completing your application yourself will be the least expensive option; however, it will require the biggest investment of your time.

Google Ad Grant consultants (who often offer other digital marketing or fundraising strategy services) have experience identifying issues that might keep you from receiving a grant and can make sure you don’t get denied on a technicality or mistake.

Once you’ve been approved for your grant, the consultant can help you put together a strategy for maintaining your Google Ad Grants eligibility and using your full $10,000 as effectively as possible!

Basic tips to qualify

Regardless of whether your team works with a consultant, take these steps to prepare for your Google Ad Grants application:

  • Prepare for the verification process. When you apply for Google for Nonprofits, Google’s validation partner Percent will confirm whether your nonprofit is legitimate, playing a direct role in confirming your Google Ad Grants eligibility. When creating your Google for Nonprofits account, make sure you give them everything they need to confirm that your nonprofit is real.
  • Make sure your mission is clear. Both on your nonprofit’s website and your grant application, your nonprofit’s mission should be front and center. Make sure Google can quickly understand what programs or efforts you’ll be using Google Ads to promote. Note: it helps to have a concise mission statement and your EIN in the footer of your site.
  • Update your nonprofit website. You’ll need to connect your Google Ads with your website, so make sure it’s in good shape and complies with legal requirements before applying. It should be secured with SSL encryption, feature a positive user experience, include limited advertisements, and feature quality content about your nonprofit’s mission. (Hint: follow our web design best practices, and your site will be ready in no time.)

A mockup of a nonprofit's website that meets the Google Grants eligibility requirements

From there, you should be on your way to receiving your account and funding. Keep in mind that the Google Ad Grants requirements may change according to Google’s current standards. To limit confusion and frustration, we recommend working with a consultant who can streamline the process. After all, it’s their full-time job to understand Google Ad Grants management, not yours!

The bottom line: There are steps nonprofits can take to increase their chances of receiving the Google Ad Grant, such as optimizing their websites and double-checking their charitable status. For best results, work with an expert Google Ad Grants manager who can get your application approved on the first try.

What should I do after confirming my nonprofit’s Google Grants eligibility?

Once you’re confident in your Google Ad Grants eligibility, it’s time to start the application process! Luckily, when it comes to managing your account, the application is the easy part. Follow these guidelines to start your enrollment:

  1. Sign up for Google for Nonprofits. Along with Ad Grants, Google offers other benefits to nonprofits as part of their Google for Nonprofits program. Once you’re a registered “Google Nonprofit,” you can also access the YouTube Nonprofit Program, Google Workspace, and other useful tools. Visit the Google for Nonprofits website to register, and expect questions about your tax ID, non-discrimination policies, and general contact and organization information.
  2. Wait for verification. As we mentioned, Google works with Percent to verify nonprofits’ legitimacy. The organization typically reviews requests within 2-14 business days, but keep an eye on your email if they contact you for more information or documentation.
  3. Register for Google Ad Grants. Once your Google for Nonprofits application is approved, access the Google Ad Grants application in your Google account. Log in, click “Get started” under Google Ad Grants, enter your website URL, and click “Submit website.” After your site is verified as secure, fill out the Google Ad Grants eligibility form and answer basic questions about your nonprofit and Ad Grant goals. Then, return to the Google Ad Grants section, confirm you’ve completed the form, and click “Submit activation request.”
  4. Accept the invitation from Google. After up to 10 business days, you should receive an email invitation from the Google Ad Grants team to join the program and set up your billing information. Now you’re ready to set up your account!

This is the typical timeline for confirming your Google Grants eligibility and applying for the program.

Completing the application is the easy part; the real work begins when you set up your first campaign. As we’ll discuss below, there are a number of compliance standards you have to follow to keep your Google Ad Grants funding.

Read this guide to learn how to apply after determining your Google Grants eligibility.

Creating Your First Campaign

Once you’ve defined your goals and strategy for managing your Google Grant account, follow these steps to launch your first campaign:

  1. Create your Ads account. Follow Google’s instructions to set up your account. Enter the required information to proceed to ad campaign creation.
  2. Set up your campaigns. Remember, there are a few key Google Ad Grant requirements for program participants. For example, use specific and high-quality keywords, and set up valid conversion tracking via Google Analytics.
  3. Have your account reviewed by Google. After you’ve finalized setup, submit your account for Google’s review using your account ID number (which you can find by clicking the person icon in the top-right corner of your account). Google will review your account to ensure it’s in line with its Ads policies, and you’ll be notified of your approval (or any errors that need to be addressed) via email.

That’s it! Your nonprofit should now have everything you need to start managing your account and driving results with your new ads.

The bottom line: To apply for the Google Ad Grant, sign up for Google for Nonprofits first. Once that’s done, follow Google’s guidelines to complete the Ads registration and approval process following Google’s guidelines, with assistance from your Google Ad Grant manager if needed.

Can my nonprofit lose its Google Grants eligibility?

Managing your account and maintaining your Google Ad Grants eligibility is an ongoing process. If you aren’t maintaining your Ads account to Google’s standards, your grant funding may be suspended temporarily or indefinitely.

To keep your account in good standing, pay attention to all Google Ad Grants requirements, such as:

  • No single-word, overly generic, or low-quality keywords. Sufficient research will ensure you’re choosing the best Google Ads keywords. Set up an automated rule so the system will pause keywords with a score of 1 or 2, so you can optimize your keyword list and avoid deactivation.
  • A minimum 5% click-through rate. To improve ad relevance and user experience, Google requires that all nonprofit accounts maintain a 5% click-through rate (CTR). Failing to meet 5% CTR for two consecutive months can result in temporary account deactivation or loss of Google Grants eligibility.
  • Valid conversion tracking. Set up Google Analytics to track meaningful conversions, such as donations, newsletter sign-ups, or volunteer registrations. You must also report at least one conversion per month.

Though these are some of the most important eligibility and management requirements, they aren’t the only ones. It’s important that your team stays active in your campaigns and is consistently optimizing your nonprofit advertising strategy in order to maintain your account.

Management options to maintain your Google Grants eligibility

You have a few options for maintaining your account, avoid suspension, and maximize your Google Grant results:

  • Use your existing staff to manage your ad campaigns, which may not be a great choice for smaller organizations already strapped for staff time.
  • Bring someone on full-time to manage your ads (this is the most expensive option).
  • Hire a consultant with experience in Google Ad Grant management.

For many organizations, hiring an external consultant is the best choice. A Google Ad Grants manager is generally less expensive than a full-time employee and has the benefit of working with lots of different organizations to achieve various goals. Chances are, they know what strategies work for organizations like yours.

We recommend working with Getting Attention. They’re a certified Google partner, so you’ll know you’re receiving expert insights and leveraging your grant fully. Plus, you’ll have a direct link to the Google Ad Grants team and can get your account working again if you fall out of compliance.

The bottom line: Google requires that accounts meet certain requirements to remain active. By paying attention to these goals, you can keep your account in good standing.

How do I get started with Google Grants?

Now that you know more about Google Grants eligibility requirements and the application process, you’re ready to get started!

Improve your chances of getting approved, maintaining your grant, and seeing great results from your Ad campaigns by working with a Google Grant consultant. Getting Attention offers free consultations to assess your nonprofit’s needs. Plus, they’re certified by Google, so you know you’ll receive Ad Grants account support from trusted professionals.

Their experts will handle every step of the process for you, even beyond the initial application. Here are their core services:

  • Google Grant eligibility check and application assistance
  • Campaign creation, including keyword research
  • Ongoing account management to comply with the Google Grant rules
  • Campaign reporting
  • Account reactivation for lapsed and deactivated accounts

Once you’ve assembled your team and are ready to begin your application, head to Google’s Get Started page and click “apply,” and you’re on your way!

Sign up for Getting Attention's newsletter to learn more about the program, including how to check your Google Grants eligibility.

How can I make the most of Google Ad Grants?

Acquiring the Google Ad Grant is one thing, but making the most of your funding is another challenge entirely. Properly managing your account is a learning process that involves closely monitoring your campaigns and making adjustments based on what’s working.

From optimizing your website’s content to crafting compelling ad copy,  generate more value from the grant with our favorite Google Ad Grant management tips.

Make the most of your Google Ad Grants eligibility by practicing these account management tips.

1. Optimize your landing pages.

Your landing pages are the web pages you’ll promote via Google Ads. When readers click on your ad, they’ll be directed to whichever page you choose on your site. It’s up to you to pick the ones that are most relevant to their needs.

For example, someone who searches “animal shelter volunteering” is clearly looking to volunteer, in which case,  you’d direct them to a volunteer signup page. Someone searching “donate to refugees” is looking to give, which means you’ll want to direct them to a donation form.

Beyond choosing the right landing pages, design your pages in a way that drives users to take action. To optimize each landing page, you’ll want to:

  • Include your ad’s keywords in the copy and headings of your page.
  • Feature a strong call to action (CTA).
  • Establish your brand identity by featuring your official colors and logo.
  • Include compelling imagery.
  • Have testimonials or other social proof that speaks to your legitimacy.

Your landing pages will seal the deal for your Google Ads. Make sure each one prioritizes the user experience and makes it incredibly clear that supporting your nonprofit is the right choice for each visitor.

2. Track meaningful conversions.

The primary purpose of the Google Ad Grant is to spread awareness of worthy causes and generate value for participating nonprofits. That’s done by achieving meaningful conversions.

A “meaningful conversion” is any action someone can take that your nonprofit finds valuable to achieving your mission. For example, Google breaks conversions down into a few primary categories:

  • Purchase or Sale: Donations, purchases, membership sales, ticket sales, and so on
  • Sign Up: Volunteer sign-up, email sign-up, new membership form completion, event sign-up, and so on
  • Lead Generation: Information downloads, clicks to call, clicks to social accounts, and so on
  • View of a Key Page: Time on site, pages per session, watching videos, and so on

You can work toward any conversion goal so long as it supports your work. Think carefully about what types of actions are actually meaningful to your nonprofit, especially considering that the Google Ad Grants team will require you to report at least 1 conversion per month.

3. Carefully choose keywords to display your ads to the right audience.

Your keywords are an essential part of your Google Ads. Think about the terms your prospects are likely searching online to kickstart your brainstorming session.

You can use the negative keyword feature to refine your ads further. NXUnite’s guide to Google Ad Grants explains that “negative keywords are used to prevent your content from showing up in searches that contain certain words.” Adding negative keywords allows you to eliminate searches from people who aren’t looking for content related to your services.

For example, let’s say you’re running ads that target keywords related to saving endangered bears. In this case, you might notice that your ads show up for search queries like “Chicago bears,” “teddy bears,” and “the Berenstain Bears.” To prevent this, use negative keywords that eliminate irrelevant search queries, such as:

  • -chicago
  • -teddy
  • -berenstain

In turn, you’ll ensure your ads only show to qualified prospects, reducing wasted ad spend.

4. Keep SEO in mind.

To maximize your presence within search results and encourage engagement with your cause, integrate your SEO and Google Ad strategies. The right combination of outbound (paid) and inbound (organic) strategies can help you reach and convert more visitors into supporters. Here’s how to make these strategies work together:

  • Align keyword research. Conduct comprehensive keyword research to identify your highest-return keywords for both paid and organic strategies. When you actively target these keywords with both SEO and paid ads, you’ll maximize ownership over these terms.
  • Ensure consistent messaging. Consistency across your ad copy and website reinforces your nonprofit’s brand and provides a seamless experience for users transitioning from paid ads to your website.
  • Optimize your landing pages. High-quality, keyword-rich content improves your organic search rankings and provides a better user experience for visitors who click on your ads, potentially increasing conversion rates.
  • Create valuable content. Create valuable, keyword-optimized content that aligns with the themes of your Google Ad campaigns. This approach not only boosts your organic rankings but also provides users who click on your ads with relevant and informative content.
  • Enhance your site’s user experience (UX). A well-structured, easy-to-navigate, and mobile-optimized site with fast loading times positively impacts your organic rankings, keeps visitors engaged, and reduces bounce rates from paid ads.

By aligning your SEO and Google Ad Grant strategies, you can create a cohesive and powerful digital marketing approach that maximizes your nonprofit’s online presence and drives both immediate and long-term results.

The bottom line: Meeting the Google Grants eligibility requirements is only step one. You’ll need to use strategies like optimizing your landing pages and picking the right keywords to make the most of your funding.

Additional Resources

Google Ad Grants are one of the most valuable marketing tools your nonprofit can access. Now that you know how to apply for these grants, you’re halfway to Google Ads success!

Remember, working with a professional can simplify your Google Ad Grant management and help you skip the learning curve that comes with the program. We suggest the certified professionals at Getting Attention for their attention to detail and dedication to helping nonprofits make the most of their $10,000 each month.

Check out these resources for more insight into online marketing and fundraising:

Get a free consultation with Getting Attention to determine your Google Ad Grants eligibility.

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism _ A How-To Guide For Orgs

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism | A How-To Guide For Orgs

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Corporate volunteerism refers to the practice of businesses encouraging employees to volunteer their time and skills to charitable causes. This can take a number of forms, including company-wide volunteer days, paid time off for volunteer activities, skills-based volunteering, and volunteer grant programs.

For nonprofits and schools, corporate volunteerism is a vital tool that can significantly enhance their capacity to achieve their missions. How? Corporate volunteer programs provide these organizations with increased manpower, diverse skill sets, enhanced visibility, and even the potential for financial support and long-term corporate partnerships.

Meanwhile, the companies offering the programs see increased employee engagement and enhanced CSR. However, for each group to reap the rewards of these programs, it’s essential that the efforts are marketed well. And that’s where this guide comes in!

Read on to uncover top corporate volunteer marketing strategies and tips you can implement in your own organization’s engagement plan.

Understanding Corporate Volunteerism Opportunities

Corporate volunteerism provides nonprofits, schools, and similar fundraising groups with easy access to skilled volunteers and other invaluable resources. Understanding the types of programs available to your organization and its supporters through their employers allows you to better target lucrative opportunities, deepen engagement with volunteers, and achieve your goals overall.

We recommend familiarizing yourself (and the rest of your team) with the following types of corporate volunteer initiatives:

Individual Volunteer Grants

Volunteer grants, also known as “Dollars for Doers,” are corporate programs where companies offer monetary donations to nonprofits where their employees volunteer. Typically, an employee must spend a set number of hours at the nonprofit for the organization to qualify for a grant, which may be paid out as a lump sum or based on a predetermined hourly rate.

Benefit for nonprofits: This program incentivizes volunteerism and rewards nonprofits with additional financial support!

Team Volunteer Grants

Similar to individual volunteer grants, team volunteer grants provide funding for the organizations at which their employees volunteer. The difference, however, is that team volunteer grants are awarded when a group of employees from the same company volunteer together. Team grants are generally larger in amount, too, providing lucrative funding when groups of employees get involved.

Benefit for nonprofits: This program incentivizes group volunteering among corporate staff and provides generous financial support.

Paid Volunteer Time Off

Paid volunteer time off (or VTO for short) is a corporate benefit where companies provide their employees with a set number of hours they can spend volunteering for nonprofits or community service activities. In other words, employees are encouraged to engage in volunteer work during regular work hours without sacrificing their regular pay.

Benefit for nonprofits: This program provides a powerful incentive for volunteer recruitment, engagement, retention, and more.

Skills-Based Volunteerism

Skills-based volunteerism involves employees offering their professional skills and expertise to nonprofits rather than general volunteer work. For example, a marketing professional might help a nonprofit develop a communications strategy, or an accountant might assist with financial planning.

Benefit for nonprofits: This program allows nonprofits to benefit from specialized knowledge that can significantly advance their mission.

Company-Sponsored Volunteer Days

Company-sponsored volunteer days are organized events where companies designate a day for their employees to volunteer as a group at a specific nonprofit, school, or community project. The company often arranges the logistics, and employees participate during work hours, incentivizing involvement with a free day out of the office!

Benefit for nonprofits: This program empowers organizations to rally corporate employees in group activities, allowing significant progress to be made on large-scale projects in a short amount of time.

Identifying Corporate Volunteer Programs in Your Network

Before you can market corporate volunteerism to your audience, it’s a good idea to uncover the best opportunities in your network. We recommend following these practical tips to do so:

Before you can market corporate volunteerism to your audience, it’s a good idea to uncover the best opportunities in your network. We recommend following these practical tips to do so:

1. Collecting Employment Information From Supporters:

Start by gathering employment details from your donors, volunteers, and other supporters. This can be done through surveys, event registration forms, or during volunteer sign-ups.

Knowing where your supporters work allows you to explore potential corporate volunteer programs they have access to, which could benefit your organization.

2. Researching Employers with Well-Known Volunteer Programs:

Once you have a list of where your supporters are employed, research whether these companies offer volunteer programs. Many large corporations, like Disney, Microsoft, Google, and thousands of others, have established volunteer programs.

Understanding the specifics of these programs can help you tailor your outreach efforts to match their requirements. Get started by looking into top companies offering volunteer grants, top VTO opportunities, and more.

Plus, there’s a significant overlap between companies offering matching gifts and those offering volunteer programs. If you already know of businesses in your network that match employee donations, it’s worth investigating whether they also offer volunteer grants or other volunteer opportunities.

3. Using Corporate Volunteer Databases:

Utilize databases and online platforms that track corporate volunteer programs to make the research process easier than ever before. Double the Donation offers the industry’s most comprehensive database of corporate volunteer information, complete with listings on thousands of companies’ programs.

Leveraging this database can help you quickly identify which companies have programs your organization could benefit from!

4. Conducting Manual Research:

Sometimes, a simple online search can yield valuable information. Try searching for a specific company’s name along with keywords like “volunteering” or “volunteer programs” (e.g., “Home Depot + Volunteering”).

While it will be a more time-intensive approach, this idea can help you discover details about a company’s volunteer initiatives, including opportunities they offer to their employees.

5. Encouraging Supporters to Check with Their Employers:

Lastly, be sure to motivate your supporters to inquire about volunteer programs within their workplaces. Many employees might not be aware that their companies offer volunteer grants or paid volunteer time off. By encouraging them to ask, you can uncover opportunities that might have been overlooked.

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism to Supporters

Marketing corporate volunteerism to individual supporters involves educating and motivating them to participate in and promote these opportunities within their workplaces. Here’s how you might approach this:

Educate Supporters on Corporate Volunteerism:

Start by informing your supporters about what corporate volunteerism is and how it works. Use newsletters, emails, and social media posts to explain the various types of corporate volunteer programs, such as paid volunteer time off, volunteer grants, and team volunteer days.

(P.S.; Check out our customizable marketing templates available for clients within the Double the Donation platform to get started!)

You’ll also want to include a section about corporate volunteer incentives on your Volunteers page⁠—and embed a company search tool so supporters can easily uncover their available programming.

Communicate the Impact of Corporate Volunteerism:

Share stories and testimonials that demonstrate the positive impact corporate volunteerism has had on your organization. Show how previous corporate volunteer efforts have helped achieve specific goals, whether it’s through completing a project, raising funds, or expanding your programs. This helps supporters see the tangible outcomes of their potential involvement.

Encourage Inquiries at Work:

For those who don’t find corporate volunteer information in your database widget, encourage them to check in with their employers about any available programs.

Many employees may not be aware of the opportunities available to them, so you’ll want to provide them with language they can use to approach their managers or HR leaders about the programs, making it easier for them to initiate the conversation and drive impact for your team.

Promote Suitable Corporate Volunteer Opportunities:

Regularly communicate the volunteer opportunities available at your organization that are suitable for corporate teams or individuals looking to volunteer through their workplace programs. Highlight any upcoming events or projects where corporate volunteers could make a significant difference and make sure these opportunities are well-advertised through your existing channels.

Offer Recognition:

Recognize and celebrate individual supporters and companies that engage their companies in corporate volunteerism. You can even publicly acknowledge their efforts through newsletters, social media, or at events.

Recognition not only makes the individual feel valued but also serves as an example to other supporters who might be inspired to take similar actions.

Leverage Peer Influence:

Encourage supporters who have successfully engaged their employers in corporate volunteerism to share their experiences with others. Peer recommendations can be very persuasive, so consider featuring these stories in your communications to inspire others to take similar steps. You can even encourage eligible volunteers to organize team events with their colleagues to support your cause!

Marketing Volunteerism to Corporate Partners

Marketing corporate volunteerism to corporate partners—both new and existing—requires a strategic approach that highlights mutual benefits, aligns with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals , and fosters long-term relationships.

Here’s how you can effectively market these opportunities to companies.

Understand Corporate Goals and CSR Objectives:

Before reaching out to corporate partners, research their CSR goals, values, and past volunteer initiatives. Tailor your pitch to show how partnering with your organization can help them achieve these objectives.

Emphasize how corporate volunteerism aligns with their brand, enhances employee engagement, and contributes to community impact. If possible, provide data that demonstrates how other companies have benefited from similar partnerships with your organization in the past.

Develop Tailored Volunteer Packages:

Create customizable volunteer opportunities that align with the company’s needs and interests. Offer a range of options, from one-day events to ongoing projects, and include both skills-based and general volunteer opportunities. Tailoring these packages makes it easier for companies to see how they can get involved in a way that suits them and their teams.

Highlight the Impact of Volunteerism:

Quantify and communicate the impact of corporate volunteerism on your organization. Provide reports that show how corporate volunteers have contributed to your mission, including metrics like the number of hours volunteered, projects completed, and the overall community impact. Why? Companies are more likely to invest in programs where they can see measurable outcomes.

Recognize Corporate Support:

Publicly recognize and celebrate the contributions of your corporate partners. This can include awards, mentions in your annual report, shout-outs on social media, or hosting a special recognition event. Acknowledging their efforts not only strengthens your relationship but also encourages continued contributions.

Facilitate Employee Engagement:

Make it easy for companies to involve their employees in volunteer opportunities. To do so, you can provide them with promotional materials, sign-up sheets, and detailed information on how to participate. Offer flexibility in scheduling and types of volunteer work to accommodate different levels of employee engagement and interest, too!

5 Organizations Marketing Corporate Volunteerism Well

As you look to revamp your own team’s corporate volunteerism marketing strategy, it’s a good idea to solicit inspiration from other organizations’ efforts. For this reason, we’ve selected a few nonprofits with standout promotional strategies to consider.

Organization #1: NFED

Corporate Volunteer Marketing Spotlight | Dollars for Doers Blog Post

The NFED, or National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias, is a nonprofit devoted to research, education, and support for those affected by ectodermal dysplasias. In order to supercharge their efforts, the organization promotes Dollars for Doers (also known as volunteer grants) as a key way for supporters to enhance their impact.

Take a look at this snippet of the blog post below:

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism A How-To Guide For Orgs_NFED example

Here’s what this marketing example does well:

  • Defines the importance of corporate social responsibility
  • Mentions and links to a matching gifts page for additional information
  • Encourages volunteers to look into volunteer grant opportunities through their employers
  • Emphasizes the value and doubled impact of matching gift and volunteer grant programs

Organization #2: United Way

Corporate Volunteer Marketing Spotlight | Volunteer Time Off Blog Post

United Way of the National Capital Area is a branch of the United Way organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. This nonprofit understands the value that volunteerism can offer its cause, and it promotes Volunteer Time Off as a key way to recruit, engage, and retain supporters.

Take a look at this snippet of the blog post below:

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism A How-To Guide For Orgs_United Way example

Here’s what this marketing example does well:

  • Uses research to demonstrate the prevalence and widespread availability of Volunteer Time Off programs
  • Highlights the benefits for companies, their employees, and the organization itself
  • Provides powerful insights into where VTO programs can be found, including by sector and geographic location
  • Showcases top opportunities for companies offering volunteer time off for their employees

Organization #3: LLS

Corporate Volunteer Marketing Spotlight | Volunteer Grant Page (With Employer Search Tool!)

LLS, or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, is a medical research-based nonprofit dedicated to leading the fight against blood cancers. The organization receives generous support from a wide range of volunteers, and the team provides a number of resources, including a corporate database search tool from Double the Donation, to streamline and increase participation in volunteer incentive programming.

Take a look at the landing page below:

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism A How-To Guide For Orgs_LLS example

Here’s what this marketing example does well:

  • Offers an embedded company search tool for volunteers to quickly locate program details, instructions, and forms
  • Provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the volunteer grant process
  • Shares important information volunteers may need to complete their volunteer grant applications
  • Highlights an easy way for supporters to get in touch with additional questions or inquiries

Organization #4: Habitat for Humanity

Corporate Volunteer Marketing Spotlight | Corporate Volunteer Page and Blog Post

Habitat for Humanity is a largely volunteer-based organization dedicated to ensuring every person has a place to live. As a result, the team does a lot to promote corporate volunteer incentives.

Take a look at these resources below:

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism A How-To Guide For Orgs_Habitat for Humanity example

Here’s what this marketing example does well:

  • Uses multiple communication channels to promote corporate volunteer programs to their audience
  • Highlights both volunteer grants and volunteer time off programs, demonstrating a range of opportunities in which individuals can participate
  • Speaks directly to companies that are considering implementing corporate volunteer programs
  • Actively drives engagement with a call to action button leading users to a volunteer sign-up page

Organization #5: Florida State Parks

Corporate Volunteer Marketing Spotlight | Corporate Volunteer Opportunities Page

Florida State Parks is a nonprofit organization that works with local governments, park users, researchers, and more to ensure maintenance and upkeep of more than 175 award-winning state parks, trails, and historic sites across the state. A big part of its mission involves empowering volunteers to play a role, and it often leverages corporate volunteer opportunities as a way to do so.

Take a look at the landing page below:

Marketing Corporate Volunteerism A How-To Guide For Orgs_Florida State Parks example

Here’s what this marketing example does well:

  • Highlights recent companies and teams that support the parks with corporate volunteer programs
  • Provides contact information for companies or individuals interested in organizing a company-sponsored volunteer event
  • Enlists photos of real corporate volunteer teams to leverage social proof
  • Provides examples of various types of volunteer projects companies could host to get involved

Bottom line: Spreading the word about corporate volunteerism is essential, and an organization’s website is one of the best opportunities to do so.

Wrapping Up & Next Steps

Successfully marketing corporate volunteerism requires a thoughtful and strategic approach that highlights the benefits for your organization, its supporters, their employers, and your community as a whole.

By effectively communicating about available initiatives, you can build a stronger, more engaged volunteer base that’s increasingly incentivized to give back to your cause. And you might even get some extra funding out of it all!

Ready to learn more about marketing corporate volunteerism? Check out our recommended resources and further reading:


Scale up your organization's corporate volunteer strategy with 360MatchPro 💡

Matching Gift Q&A with Workplace Giving Expert Tom Mansmith

Matching Gift Q&A with Workplace Giving Expert Tom Mansmith

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Matching gifts hold an incredible yet often untapped potential in the world of nonprofit and educational fundraising. To shed light on this powerful tool, we’re excited to present a matching gift Q&A session with Tom Mansmith, consultant and renowned expert in workplace giving and matching gifts.

With more than 20 years of experience in the field as the former Senior Director of Workplace Giving and Matching Gifts for the American Cancer Society, Tom offers invaluable insights and first-hand experience into how nonprofits can maximize their matching gift revenue, engage donors more effectively, and overcome common challenges to drive success.

Whether you’re a seasoned fundraising professional or new to the concept of matching gifts, this conversation is packed with practical advice and actionable strategies. Feel free to watch the video mini-series and read through the transcript below!

1. What are corporate vendor platforms, and what role do they have in matching gifts?

There are a number of corporate vendors who facilitate employee philanthropic giving. These technology providers work on behalf of businesses to streamline and to integrate the employee giving programs, which can include payroll deduction, matching gifts, volunteer grants, cause cards, and incentive programs.

Generally speaking, these providers supply an online platform where companies are able to manage their employee programs. They allow employees to give to accredited nonprofits, log their volunteer hours, pledge their payroll deductions, etc.

On the backend of these sites, nonprofits are able to verify the original contributions for matching gifts, see donor details, and confirm volunteer hours.

These platforms really are an integral part of the matching gift program. It’s not a company’s core business, but it’s part of their core value in employee engagement, so these corporate matching gift vendors play a vital role in the matching gift process.

💡 Recommended Reading: Registering Your Org with CSR Platforms + Key Steps For Each

2. What is the general processing flow when you receive a matching gift payment?

Most matching gifts your organization receives will come from a corporate matching gift vendor who processes the payments on behalf of a company.

Here’s how it works:

→ You’ll navigate to a third-party corporate vendor platform.

→ Go to the “Giving” section, where you’ll see a section for payments and transactions.

→ Once there, it’s going to give you a list of all of the payments your organization has received. Now, it’s a good idea to have the check number, the amount, and whether it was a check or a direct deposit.

→ When you’re on that page, search with the payment ID or date so you get the exact payment.

→ Once you’ve located the payment, you can go through all the donor details, including which employees the company was matching specifically.

This information can be viewed online, but you also have the option to download the reconciliation sheet. I recommend that you download the reconciliation sheet, as it will allow your finance department or yourself to process the payment accurately.

💡 Recommended Reading: Matching Gift Disbursement FAQ: Your Top Questions Answered

3. What are some common roadblocks for nonprofit organizations trying to earn more matching gifts?

That’s a long list, but let’s try to tackle a couple of them.

Leadership buy-in

You should make a real case to your organization’s leadership that matching gifts is a vital part of their overall revenue strategy.

When it says Double the Donation, it truly means doubling a donation.

So, I would make a strong case to leadership that matching gifts is a vital part of their overall strategy, and what that unlocks for you, hopefully, is additional marketing and FTEs, which are critical for processing and marketing for matching gifts.

Lack of staffing

I think everyone has been struggling with this, but if you’re someone who’s handling all of the matching gifts for your organization, you know what I’m talking about.

As you begin to scale, you’ll likely need additional staff. Without leadership’s buy-in, that’s a tough thing.

However,  having the appropriate amount of staff for the scale of your matching gift revenue stream is essential. I don’t know about your organization, but I imagine that for small or medium organizations, one or two people can do the job. And for larger organizations, many are stretched, but I would say that more than three people is appropriate for payroll deductions, volunteer grants, and matching gifts as they continue to grow.

Marketing dollars

I think it’s a real roadblock not to look at this both internally and externally. So, communication dollars should be used to socialize matching gifts internally to development staff that are running peer-to-peer events (gala, golf, other types of fundraising) and your corporate development staff, if you have that.

They really all should know something about matching gifts so that when they see an opportunity, they’re able to talk about matching gifts to the decision-makers in companies.

Lack of employment data

Many organizations hesitate to ask for and retain employment information. If you don’t know that someone works for a corporation that has a matching gift program, however, you miss the opportunity to tie their original contribution to that matching gift.

And I know that you can get pushback from your IT team or your event staff, for instance, that they don’t want something else on the registration page. But I’d argue that because it allows you to actually fundraise for the staff, adding “Who do you work for?” is critical for registrations for peer-to-peer events and on the main URL of your fundraising page.

Not taking advantage of technology

For the best matching gift results, you want to really take advantage of all the technology that Double the Donation has to offer in matching gifts.

What I mean by this, one, is that you have a matching gift activation on all of your fundraising pages. And, secondarily, that you’re utilizing Double the Donation to data-mine contributions that hadn’t been matched, but you find meet the criteria for matching.

💡 Recommended Reading: How Donor Employer Information Boosts Fundraising + Workplace Giving

4. How can I earn more matching gifts?

There are probably three things that I’d tell you. Here’s the first:

Socialize the impact of matching gifts with your developmental team.

Show them the impact and the dollars that donors are leaving on the table by not matching gifts. In fact, I’d even point out some key donors who didn’t take advantage of their matching gift program. That’s a really powerful motivator.

One of the best ways to do so is by providing your team with access to the Matching Gift Academy, which is free for Double the Donation clients to use ($199/year value).

Take full advantage of Double the Donation’s technology.

Make sure all of your donation pages have the DTD matching gift activation on them so employees can take full advantage of that.

Note: Double the Donation integrates with nearly all leading fundraising solutions, donation tools, and CRMs to make it increasingly easy to do so! Check out our integration partners here to see if you can connect your platform!

Regularly check your database through Double the Donation.

Look for those donors who were eligible for matching gifts but didn’t take advantage of it in the first round. That’s a goldmine for your organization to be receiving additional revenue!

💡 Recommended Reading: Double the Donation Overview: Scale Up Your Matching Gifts

5. How do you recommend getting matching gift buy-in from your team?

Making an internal business case with different stakeholders will advance matching gifts across your organization. Here are three teams you should consider engaging and getting on board with matching gifts.

Corporate development staff

Those are the individuals who go out and talk to corporations about grants and cause marketing. The third area that they really ought to be talking about is employee engagement, whether that’s payroll deductions, matching gifts, or other programs.

One of the things that matching gifts does is provide specific corporate information about employee engagement. Usually, the decision-makers don’t have a good idea of the level of affinity or employee participation in your cause.

What matching gifts will do is provide that corporate development staff member with some very specific talking points about your organization and the affinity of their employees.

It’ll show increased employee affinity, corporate engagement, and more. There’ll even be some great impact stories that you can research and provide for your corporate development team. Whether those are specific or anecdotal, that storytelling can be a huge part of your corporate development meeting.

And then finally, it provides an opportunity for your corporate development team to upsell. If there’s a big engagement with that company’s employee base, the company is going to be more likely to consider corporate grants or even a cause marketing deal.

Peer-to-peer staff

Whether you’re hosting a golf event, a gala, or a fundraising walk, all of those gifts are matchable for the participants who work for corporations that have matching programs. We’re talking about 65% of Fortune 500 companies.

And so, what does that do for peer-to-peer? Well, #1, it’s a lower cost of fundraising.

That doubled dollar, that second dollar you receive, lowers their overall event fundraising cost. And for most organizations, that’s a metric that leadership is looking at, so matching gifts is the way to do that.

You can even show the dollars that are left on the table. So, a good project is to do a little deep dive on those participants who were eligible for matching gifts. Then, show the potential dollars that could have been collected had matching gifts been presented. Those are dollars that are left on the table, and that’s probably the biggest motivator for peer-to-peer teams: to see what they could have had. And, of course, you’re offering what they can have, so that’s super important.

Then the final thing with peer-to-peer is that matching gifts allows for a deeper dive into that donor or employee profile. Now that you know who they work for, that can lead to more teams coming to support your cause from that corporation, maybe not just localized but a national team.

IT staff

For a lot of organizations, that main donation page URL is managed by the IT staff, so one of the things that I found when we had point of contribution activations for matching gifts is that we saw a greater conversion rate because when individual donors who work for companies think about the fact that their company would double that donation, they’re more likely to give.

We saw an increase in the original contribution, which was great. We also saw people going back in and raising their contribution, then going forward with the matching gift.

And then again also, those donor profiles, knowing who the individual works for, is very important for establishing a good CRM. Not to mention, increased security and API transfers is important to your IT staff, and Double the Dontion’s technology is highly secure with seamless data integrations, too.

💡 Recommended Reading: Matching Gift Buy-In: How to Spark Team-Wide Engagement

6. What are your top 3 tips for communicating matching gifts to your donors?

Communicating the matching gift opportunity is essential for fundraisers such as yourself. Here’s what I recommend doing to get the message across in the most impactful way possible.

Storytelling

I’m a big proponent of storytelling, and I think this is both true for pre-donation and post-donation. A very concise story about the impact of matching gifts should be provided, where the employer acknowledges the donor’s original contribution and recognizes the philanthropic choices of their employees. That’s a great partnership inside of that company, and I think you can tell a story about what those partnerships do to advance your cause. Be concise; I don’t think you have to be too specific but tell the story about their impact.

Generational appropriateness

I’m a Baby Boomer, and I consume information in a way that might be, or is, different from Millennials or Gen Z. I think that you ought to take the time to learn about generational communication differences. What do I mean by that? When you’re creating communications, you should do something more than just send an email, a flyer, or a leave-behind. Instead, you ought to, for example, do TikTok. Maybe you have Instagram or social media posts that can tell that story but in a generationally appropriate way.

Acknowledge the employee-employer partnership

The final thing, and I talked about this a little in the storytelling section, and this may be more true for your development staff that are engaging with corporate decision-makers, but making sure that they have the information available to them to acknowledge the partnership and the impact that it made on your cause.

In this sense, I think that you can be specific, so look at total matching gift dollars raised by employees, total matching gift dollars raised by that employer. Then, put that information in the hands of staff going out to corporations so that they can tell a story about the impact.

💡 Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Matching Gifts

7. What other fundraising opportunities can matching gifts uncover?

I think there’s probably three, maybe four. So, let’s take a look at those.

Corporate teams

My guess is that most of you have peer-to-peer fundraising. I would look for an individual who’s on a team, maybe it’s not a corporate team, but you have their employment information. Let’s say they work for a Fortune 1000 company, or that they donated online on your main web page. When they ask to have their gift matched, you uncover that they work for a major corporation.

Those are leads for developing teams within corporations. They obviously have an affinity toward your organization, and I wouldn’t shy away from recruiting from that pool of matching gift donors. Maybe they weren’t on a corporate team, but I would ask them next year to form one for your next big peer-to-peer fundraising event.

Cause marketing and corporate grants

I know this can seem like a stretch; you got a matching gift for $25 or $100, and now you’re going to go ask for a cause marketing deal or a corporate grant. But hear me out⁠—in scale, let’s say you had 50 employees who contributed to your organization, perhaps through a peer-to-peer event, and they all matched. Maybe they’ve even been doing it for a couple of years.

What you have in that organization is a group of employees who have an affinity for your cause. And I think it’s safe to say that the people who make the decisions within the company’s community development or corporate citizenship teams don’t have any idea that that’s going on. So, raising that with those decision-makers is the first step to start talking about other things that the corporation can do. It’s their corporate dollars that make a matching gift. It may not be the meeting, but it’s the knock on the door for upselling in corporate grants and in cause marketing.

Because you can show the affinity of their employees, which, by the way, companies hold very highly, you can begin to hold conversations about how else your organization could partner with a corporation.

Major gifts

How does a $100 matching gift get a major giver? Well, I think you’ll find that if you look in your database, you may have people who are giving much more than $100. Anyone who gives a $500 gift and has asked to match it could be a candidate for a major gift⁠—certainly to pursue it or to investigate it. One of the things I would do is, in your database, look at not just single donations but total annual giving.

If you have people who are giving more than $1,000, and then having that gift matched, I think that those are good candidates for larger gifts. They are obviously people who work for corporations, they may or may not have higher incomes, and those could be pursued by your major gift staff.”

💡 Recommended Reading: How to Identify Corporate Partnerships [With Double the Donation]

Ready to get started? Schedule a personalized demo with our matching gift experts to see if Double the Donation is right for you.

Double My Donations Now!

Wrapping Up

Tom’s expertise underscores the immense value that matching gifts can bring to any organization or fundraising strategy. By understanding the nuances of these programs and effectively communicating them to donors, teams like yours can unlock a significant source of additional funding.

We hope this matching gift Q&A has provided you with the knowledge and inspiration needed to enhance your matching gift fundraising efforts. By implementing these insights, your organization can not only boost its success but also deepen its connection with donors who are eager to maximize their impact.

Good luck!

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Matching gift buy-in across your organization is crucial, and this guide can help you achieve it!

Matching Gift Buy-In: How to Spark Team-Wide Engagement

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For nonprofit organizations, every dollar counts, and matching gifts are a straightforward, easy way to skyrocket funds. Once they get past the initial lack of knowledge, most nonprofit fundraisers have no issues getting donors motivated and submitting their matching gift requests. The real issue lies with getting your organization’s leadership and staff on board from the get-go to secure matching gift buy-in.

Unfortunately, team members may not initially see the value of matching gifts. They may think their efforts are better spent elsewhere. But as you probably know, matching gifts are a goldmine⁠—and can truly add up with a proactive team (hence why you’re reading this).

If you want to secure every last matching gift dollar possible, you need everyone on board and promoting matching gifts to donors. It’s up to you to clear the gap and build the momentum needed to generate team-wide engagement.

From leadership to staff, rallying up organization-wide support is crucial to fulfilling your matching gift potential. In this article, we’ll cover exactly what you need to accomplish this, from easy ways to educate your team on the process to data you can use to convey the importance of matching gifts. Specifically, we’ll cover:

  1. Securing Leadership Support
  2. Securing Staff Support
  3. Improving the Matching Gift Process
  4. Data to Share with Your Team

Together, we’ll create an end-to-end plan for securing your portion of the $4 to 7 billion in matching gift funds that go unclaimed each year.

Let’s get started!

Securing Leadership Support

Securing support is easier said than done, but without doing so, any outreach efforts will fall flat. You’ll see a small percentage of matches fulfilled at best. If you fall under this category, take a top-down approach by shifting your focus to leadership.

Sometimes, leadership buy-in can be difficult to acquire. However, you need to get those who are in control to see the value of matching gifts. Attaining support from these powerful individuals gives you the momentum you need to get the entire organization motivated for matching gifts. This is because these individuals can advocate for matching gifts and quickly spread the word to their subordinates.

So this begs the question: how exactly do you secure leadership support?

Considering that many nonprofits are stuck at the mixed buy-in stage and often struggle to get full support, building momentum takes a targeted, proactive approach. Here are great starting points for honing in on high-powered individuals within your organization:

Spend time thinking about matching gifts.

If you’re concerned with the amount of time needed to develop a matching gift strategy, start small. The amount of time necessary for optimizing your strategy is minuscule compared to the amount of matching gifts you could be receiving. All it takes is 3 hours a month.

Each month, return to these core components and add on as you see fit:

  • Which donors are eligible but haven’t submitted their matches yet? Reach out and drive these matches to completion.
  • What are the top companies where your donors work that don’t have matching gift programs? Initiate a conversation with them.
  • Can you identify companies that have had several donors submit matching gifts to your organization? Implement targeted outreach to foster deeper relationships with those employers.

Once you’ve fallen into a routine of consistently evaluating and improving your strategy, urge your leadership to do the same. The more time you spend thinking about matching gifts, the more refined and effective your strategies will be.

Leverage internal data.

Instead of simply talking about the difference matching gifts can make, show them. Humans are visual learners; they prefer to see the potential instead of relying on verbal promises.

In an eye-catching format, display the following organization-specific data:

  • Amount of Match-Eligible Donations vs. Actual Submitted Matches
  • Total Revenue Raised from Matched Donations
  • Number of Donors who Work for Companies that Offer Matching Gifts

Leverage the idea that between 5 and 10% of individual contributions are matching gift eligible, meaning you can substantially stretch donors’ dollars and improve retention. You can also use what other organizations are doing as a benchmark. This can help you make a case for matching gifts from a best-practice standpoint. Ultimately, you should harp on the benefits of matching gifts so you can rally up support sooner rather than later.

Luckily, Double the Donation offers an intuitive format for displaying key data points in a visually engaging way. Below, you’ll see an example of what a customer would see when logging into the Double the Donation platform. Notice how it presents the data in an easy-to-understand and concise way with visuals that demonstrate matching gift growth over time.

Leverage software to secure matching gift buy-in.

This is just a fraction of the data you should be sharing with your leadership. Jump ahead to see additional types of key data points that can help you illustrate your matching gift potential.

Have quick meetings with leadership.

Sometimes, less is more⁠—and you don’t want to take up too much of your leadership’s time. Fortunately, 15-minute-long meetings are all you need to get the matching gift message across. And when you respect leadership’s time, they’ll be much more likely to agree to a meeting in the first place. That’s true even if they’re uncertain or misinformed about your organization’s matching gift potential.

However, you have to make sure you effectively convey your message and generate a sense of urgency in that limited time period. After all, they’re taking time out of their busy days to meet with you, so make it count.

When planning for these meetings, take an education-based approach. Chances are, your leadership has minimal (if any) knowledge of matching gifts. Develop a presentation that spells out the basics and then looks at the long-term influence and expectations for your own organization. You’ll want to prepare actionable talking points to facilitate effective conversations.

After completing your initial one-on-one meetings, join quarterly meetings to keep the conversation going. You can provide updates on impact and matching gift growth within your nonprofit. Then, lead into ways your leadership (and the organization as a whole) can improve its efforts. This could be anything from developing your marketing strategy to improving data collection.

Securing Staff Support

Once you have leadership on board, you can transition your efforts to target the entire staff. Fostering a culture and mindset of matching gifts throughout your organization requires time and effort, but the results are undoubtedly worth it.

Keep in mind that at this stage, leadership will need to take a proactive approach when spreading the word to team members. Otherwise, you won’t build enough momentum to fulfill your potential.

Start by determining which specific staff roles to target in order to build momentum around matching gifts. Then, you can build your efforts out from there. Depending on your approach, tailor your efforts to target…

  • Individuals Heading Campaigns and Events. Present the potential matching gift revenue you’re facing with specific fundraisers. This way, they’ll be sure to advertise matching gifts across their communications with attendees.
  • The Finance Team. To maintain accurate data, your finance team will need to track and report on matching gifts. From the total matching gift revenue to match-eligible companies within your system, you can pinpoint areas where you’re falling short with your finance team’s assistance.
  • The Marketing Team. Marketing matching gifts across all communications maximizes visibility. Your marketing team is consistently conducting outreach, so ensure that those individuals are aware of the benefits that come with matching gifts. From direct mail to emails to social media, they’ll be much more likely to incorporate effective appeals in their outreach to donors when they understand the potential benefits.

As with any strategy, tailor your approach to your own organization’s structure and needs. For instance, higher education institutions will need their advancement team on board, while some nonprofits may need support from their IT departments.

By getting these individuals motivated for corporate giving, you’ll at least begin to generate some buzz around matching gifts. Let’s take a look at specific strategies for doing so:

Educate them via informational resources.

Creating educational guides on matching gifts can generate long-term value for your organization. Better yet, save some time by using these resources developed by the experts at Double the Donation.

You can disperse these throughout your organization to quickly spread the word. When you put the information right in front of your staff, they’ll be more likely to engage than if you urged them to conduct research on their own. Plus, when they’re well-versed in the ins and outs of matching gifts, they’ll be able to answer any questions donors may have.

Remember, educating staff is only half the battle. The other half is ensuring they implement the best practices. By developing specific matching gift training, you can accomplish both of these crucial tasks as quickly as possible.

Incorporate matching gifts into onboarding.

As you refine your strategies, begin training new employees on the matching gift process. This way, they’ll be educated from the get-go.

Explain the matching gift process to secure matching gift buy-in.

Depending on your own organization, here are just a few options for getting staff members up-to-speed on matching gifts:

One-Pagers. Explain the process of matching gifts and display some key data to drive your points home. This gives new employees (as well as current ones) a document to reference throughout their time at your organization.

Calls or Meetings. Speaking one-on-one allows staff members to ask any questions they may have. For the best results, make sure you (or whoever conducts the training) are well-versed in matching gifts prior to the call or meeting.

Webinars. Some individuals learn better with a hybrid approach. That is, they prefer presentations that are accompanied by visuals. A webinar is a great way to reach these team members and ensure they’re confident in their matching gift knowledge.

Improving the Process

As you’ve learned, developing an effective strategy is not a one-and-done deal. Rather, it’s an ongoing process. As time passes, you’ll need to refine your efforts in order to acquire optimal results and maintain support. To aid you in the process, consider the following key ideas:

Create a matching gift team.

One of the best ways to generate support is to give individuals personal responsibility in growing your strategies. Instead of relying on every individual to develop their own approach, assign specific individuals to a matching gift team. The more individuals you get involved, the greater the opportunities. You’ll gain a range of perspectives and can optimize your approach to the fullest extent.

However, don’t overload the team with too many members. Rather, take representatives from across the entire organization and consolidate them into one group. Then, task them with the following responsibilities:

  • Develop a matching gift plan.
  • Determine a budget for matching gift outreach.
  • Evaluate marketing opportunities.
  • Determine information to provide to donors.
  • Consider necessary software investments.
  • Evaluate reported metrics.

These are just a handful of the responsibilities you should assign to your matching gift team, but they can serve as a great starting point. As your experience grows, allow the team to adapt its approach. Encouraging select team members to become experts in matching gifts helps you extend your reach in as little time as possible.

Standardize the process organization-wide.

Your organization’s structure plays a crucial role when creating buy-in. The larger your organization, the more difficult it becomes to get and keep everyone engaged—especially when you’re dealing with multiple chapters.

To start, decide on the process you wish to use to promote, track, and reconcile matching gifts. Then, reach out to staff to implement the plan across the board to ensure there are no gaps in your strategies.

Invest in matching gift software to automate the experience.

One of the best ways to improve the matching gift process is to automate the entire thing from start to finish⁠—making it quick and easy for your staff and your donors to get involved. And that involves investing in matching gift software to do so.

For donors, the software simplifies the matching gift process by identifying their eligibility, providing clear instructions, and automating follow-ups, reducing barriers to participation and driving additional revenue through the programs.

For staff, it eliminates much of the manual work involved in tracking, promoting, and managing matching gifts, freeing up time to focus on other critical fundraising activities. By making the process easier and more efficient for everyone, matching gift software helps create a culture of enthusiasm and collaboration, encouraging team members to actively support and promote the program.

Data to Share With Your Team

Nothing speaks louder than numbers. Presenting the benefits of matching gifts may not be enough to get staff and leadership on board unless you have data to back up your claims. Let’s take a look at some of the data you can share with your team in order to get them on board with matching gifts.

General Matching Gift Data

As you get started developing your strategy, you may not be tracking organization-specific data. While specific KPIs will make the largest impact, you can illustrate the bigger picture with general data.

Put the following statistics in front of team members to shed light on the untapped potential that matching gifts present:

Demonstrate the importance of matching gift buy-in with these statistics.

  • An estimated $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year.
  • 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.
  • Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
  • An estimated $2 to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually.
  • 84% of donors say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
  • 1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.
  • Sending matching gift reminder emails within 24 hours of a donation results in a 53% open rate, which is 2-3 times higher than the average nonprofit email open rate.
  • Employing multiple approaches to identifying match-eligible donors results in 77% more identified match-eligible donations.

Demonstrate the importance of matching gift buy-in with these statistics.

Internal Data Nonprofits Should Consider

Sure, the above statistics are great for conveying the bigger picture of matching gifts, but what about your own organization? What do you stand to gain? How can you pinpoint exact numbers when you’re unsure of where to start?

When refining your strategies, there is a variety of data you should track. Track these key metrics and put them in front of your team to create buy-in:

  1. The number of matching donations
  2. Total revenue raised from matched donations
  3. The number of match-eligible donors from this year who did not submit
  4. The value of the matching gifts for this year’s donors who did not submit
  5. The number of match-eligible donors from last year who did not submit
  6. The value of the matching gifts for last year’s donors who did not submit
  7. Percentage of donations that included matched donations
  8. Percentage of total revenue raised from matched donations

No matter where you are in building your processes, data can help you build a case for increasing your organization’s focus on matching gifts. With overviews of your data, your organization will quickly be able to see where you’re succeeding and where you have room for improvement.

Pro Tip: Tracking data can be difficult, but you need to know where you currently stand in order to optimize your strategies. Use software like Double the Donation to automate the process.

Concluding Thoughts & Additional Resources

We hope that you’ve found this information to be insightful and helpful in creating buy-in for matching gifts. Corporate giving—matching gifts especially—represents a major revenue opportunity for organizations. The point that defines success is whether or not you ignite organization-wide motivation. 

Sparking team-wide engagement is no easy feat, though. Many nonprofit professionals don’t quite see its full value. Because of this, advocating for a cultural shift in mindset to matching gifts requires a hands-on plan of attack.

By expressing enthusiasm and leveraging the tips presented in this guide, you’ll start to gain traction and boost awareness across your organization. With a bit of persistence, you’ll generate the support you need to maximize your revenue potential in no time!

Ready to learn more about making the most of matching gifts? Check out these additional resources to help secure matching gift buy-in:

Secure matching gift buy-in with Double the Donation.

10 Tips to Boost Corporate Matching Gift Participation

10 Tips to Boost Corporate Matching Gift Participation

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Corporate matching gifts are a powerful yet often underutilized resource for nonprofits. In essence, matching gifts are donations that companies make to match the contributions of their employees, effectively doubling (or even tripling!) the original amount given. Imagine a donor gives $100 to your organization. With corporate matching gift participation, that $100 donation could quickly become $200 or more—without the donor needing to give anything extra.

For nonprofits, matching gifts can be a game-changer. Not only do they increase total donations, but they also deepen the impact of individual contributions, helping nonprofits reach their fundraising goals faster. Despite this potential, many nonprofits miss out on corporate matching gift opportunities simply because donors are unaware of the process or how to participate. That’s where strategic marketing comes in.

This article will explore 10 effective marketing practices specifically tailored to nonprofits looking to boost participation in corporate matching gift programs. From educating your donors to leveraging digital marketing and building corporate partnerships, these insights will help you maximize every donation’s potential—ultimately bringing in more funds to fuel your mission. Let’s dive into how you can unlock the power of corporate matching gifts!

1. Educate Your Donors on Matching Gift Programs

The first step in increasing corporate matching gift participation is ensuring your donors understand what matching gifts are and how they work. Surprisingly, many donors may not be aware that their contributions can be matched by their employers, leaving valuable funds on the table. Educating your supporters transforms their understanding and engagement with matching gifts, empowering them to amplify their impact without spending a dollar more.

Tips to Educate Your Donors:

  • Newsletters: Include a section in your newsletters dedicated to matching gifts. Explain the process, eligibility criteria, and how donors can participate. Highlight success stories to illustrate the impact of matching gifts.
  • FAQ Pages: Create an FAQ section on your website to address common questions like, “What is a matching gift?” or “How can I submit a matching gift request?” This serves as a go-to resource for donors.
  • Informational Packets: Design downloadable guides that explain the process step-by-step. Include details about companies offering matching programs and tips for submitting requests.

2. Utilize Targeted Email Campaigns

Email marketing is a highly effective way to raise awareness about corporate matching gifts. Well-targeted campaigns allow you to deliver relevant information to donors at the right time, encouraging them to double their contributions.

Tips for Effective Email Campaigns:

  • Segment Your Audience: Start by segmenting your email list to focus on donors who are most likely to be eligible for matching gifts. For example, you might create separate email lists for new donors, major donors, and recurring donors. Tailoring your message based on donor type makes it more relevant and increases the likelihood that recipients will take action.
  • Compelling Templates: Use email templates that make the matching gift process clear and accessible. A well-designed template could include a brief explanation of matching gifts, a call to action, and a link to a matching gift search tool. Simple, visually appealing templates can make your message more engaging and easier to follow.
  • Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): Your email should have a clear, concise CTA, such as “Check if Your Gift Can Be Matched” or “Double Your Impact Today.” The CTA should link directly to information on how to submit a matching gift request.
  • Timing is Key: Sending matching gift emails at key moments—like right after a donation, during year-end giving seasons, or around significant campaign milestones—can increase donor responsiveness. When donors are already in a giving mindset, they’re more likely to take advantage of opportunities to amplify their contribution.

3. Highlight Matching Gifts on Your Donation Page

Your donation page is where the magic happens—it’s where supporters take that meaningful step to give. So, why not use this key moment to inform them about matching gift opportunities? Adding information about matching gifts on your donation page is a simple yet effective way to boost awareness and encourage donors to maximize their contributions.

Tips for Featuring Matching Gifts on Your Donation Page:

  • Add a Matching Gift Widget: A matching gift widget is an easy way to let donors check if their employer offers a matching gift program. By simply entering their employer’s name, donors can quickly find out if their gift is eligible for a match, making the process convenient and accessible. Widgets can streamline the journey from “Can I match my gift?” to “Yes, I’ll match it!”
  • Create a Dedicated Section: Include a dedicated section near your donation form with a short description of matching gifts and how they work. A clear call-to-action (like “Double Your Donation!”), along with a brief explanation of the benefits, can make it easy for donors to understand the impact of participating in a matching program.
  • Use Simple, Encouraging Language: Remember, not all donors are familiar with matching gifts, so keep the language friendly and straightforward. Phrases like “Did you know you could double your donation at no extra cost?” or “Check if your employer offers matching gifts” are inviting and clear, encouraging donors to explore this option.
  • Include Visual Cues: Adding a small icon or graphic that highlights matching gifts can draw the donor’s attention. A small badge, logo, or button in your nonprofit’s branding can subtly guide visitors to take action.

4. Leverage Social Media Outreach

Social media is one of the most effective ways to get the word out about matching gifts. By meeting your supporters where they already spend time, you can amplify awareness, build excitement, and encourage more people to take advantage of these opportunities to maximize their impact.

Tips for Promoting Matching Gifts on Social Media:

  • Create Visual Content: Eye-catching graphics can make your posts stand out in busy feeds. Design visuals that explain the basics of matching gifts or show donors how their contributions could double with just a few clicks. Infographics, charts, or even short videos can be great tools to illustrate the potential impact of matching gifts.
  • Share Success Stories: People connect with stories, so use social media to highlight real-life examples of matching gifts in action. Share a story of a donor whose contribution was matched, demonstrating the impact it had on a specific project or campaign. This not only shows supporters the power of matching gifts but also brings a personal, human element to your messaging.
  • Encourage Sharing: Don’t hesitate to ask followers to share your posts. By encouraging sharing, you expand your reach to friends, family, and colleagues who might not yet know about matching gift opportunities. A simple call to action like “Share this post to help us reach more people!” can go a long way in increasing visibility.
  • Live Q&A Sessions: Platforms like Instagram and Facebook offer Stories and Live features, which are great for quick, interactive updates. Use Stories to post fun, bite-sized info about matching gifts, or go live to answer questions about the matching gift process. This type of content is engaging, easily digestible, and perfect for boosting awareness.

5. Engage Corporate Partners

Engaging with corporate partners who offer matching gift programs can greatly enhance your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. By building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with these companies, you’re not only supporting your cause but also giving businesses a meaningful way to engage with their employees and the community.

Tips for Engaging Corporate Partners:

  • Reach Out and Educate: Start by reaching out to local companies, especially those that already offer matching gift programs, and introduce them to your nonprofit’s mission. Many companies are open to partnering with nonprofits that align with their values but may not fully understand the impact of matching gifts. Hosting an informational session or sharing a presentation can go a long way in fostering a connection.
  • Show Appreciation: Let companies know you value their partnership. Simple gestures like thank-you emails, social media shout-outs, or featuring them in your newsletters can demonstrate your gratitude. Consider holding an annual appreciation event for corporate partners, where you can recognize their support and strengthen these relationships.
  • Collaborate on Joint Campaigns: Collaborate with companies to create campaigns that encourage their employees to participate in matching gift programs. For example, you could organize a “matching gift drive” where the company promotes matching gifts internally, and your nonprofit shares stories on social media about the impact of employee-matched donations.
  • Offer Co-Branding Opportunities: Let your corporate partners showcase their involvement in community initiatives by co-branding specific events or donation campaigns. When employees and the community see a company actively supporting your cause, it builds goodwill and boosts the likelihood of higher participation in matching gift programs.
  • Maintain Open Communication: Keep an open line of communication with your corporate partners. Regular updates on the impact of their matching gifts, along with information on upcoming initiatives, can keep your partnership active and rewarding for both sides. This ongoing dialogue shows the business that their involvement makes a real difference.

6. Create a Dedicated Matching Gifts Page on Your Website

A dedicated matching gifts page on your website can be a valuable resource for donors, helping them understand and take advantage of matching gift opportunities. By providing clear, easy-to-access information, you’re empowering donors to maximize their contributions—boosting support for your mission without any extra cost to them.

Tips for Creating an Effective Matching Gifts Page:

  • Add a Company Search Tool: Integrate a tool that allows donors to quickly search for their employer’s matching gift program.
  • Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Use compelling CTAs like “Double Your Impact!” to encourage visitors to explore matching gift opportunities.
  • Step-by-Step Guide: Include a simple guide outlining how donors can verify eligibility and submit requests.
  • FAQs: Add a section answering common questions like “What is a matching gift?” or “How do I get started?” to address any doubts.
  • Inspiring Stories: Share real-life examples of matched donations to highlight the tangible impact of these programs.

7. Simplify the Matching Gift Process

When it comes to encouraging donors to participate in corporate matching gift programs, simplicity is key. If the process seems complicated or time-consuming, donors might feel discouraged from taking that extra step—even if they’re eager to amplify their impact. By removing barriers and making the matching gift process as straightforward as possible, you can significantly increase participation rates.

Tips to Simplify the Matching Gift Process:

  • Step-by-Step Guides: Offer visual or written guides that clearly break down the process, such as checking eligibility, submitting requests, and receiving confirmation.
  • Direct Links: Provide links to employers’ matching gift portals or forms to save donors time.
  • Visual Aids: Use infographics or flowcharts to make the process more accessible.
  • Automation: Use automation tools to identify eligible donors and send personalized instructions.
  • Friendly Reminders: Notify donors of submission deadlines to ensure they don’t miss out on opportunities to match their contributions.

8. Use Data to Target High-Value Donors

Data is one of the most powerful tools for nonprofits aiming to make the most of corporate matching gift programs. By using data-driven strategies, you can identify high-value donors, segment them effectively, and encourage more impactful contributions through matching gifts. This approach allows you to focus your resources where they’ll have the greatest return.

Data-driven strategies help optimize efforts by identifying donors whose employers offer matching gift programs, allowing targeted outreach to maximize contributions. By segmenting donors based on matching gift eligibility, organizations can streamline marketing, ensuring the right message reaches the right audience. This targeted approach enhances the donor experience, making communication more relevant, personal, and impactful.

Tips for Identifying and Targeting High-Value Donors:

  • Leverage Your CRM: Many nonprofit CRM platforms allow you to track donor information, including employment details, donation history, and engagement patterns. Use this data to identify donors who might work for companies with strong matching gift programs. You can then segment these donors for tailored matching gift outreach.
  • Use Email Domain Matching: One quick way to identify potential matching gift eligibility is by looking at email domains. Some matching gift tools can flag donors using corporate email addresses, helping you pinpoint which supporters might be eligible for a match.
  • Conduct Predictive Analytics: For larger nonprofits, predictive analytics tools can help identify patterns in donor behavior. By analyzing past giving data, these tools can predict which donors are likely to make large contributions or have the capacity to donate more. This insight helps you focus on those who may benefit most from matching gift encouragement.
  • Survey Your Donors: Sometimes, the easiest way to gather information is to ask directly. Sending a short survey asking donors to share their employer details (while explaining the potential for matching gifts) can be an effective way to update your records and identify high-value donors.

9. Thank Donors and Acknowledge Their Impact

Expressing gratitude is essential for maintaining donor relationships and encouraging future engagement. When donors take the extra step to submit a matching gift request, recognizing their effort can go a long way.

Tips for Thanking Donors:

  • Personalized Messages: Send personalized thank-you emails or letters that highlight the donor’s impact.
  • Public Acknowledgments: With consent, recognize donors on social media or newsletters to celebrate their generosity.
  • Share Impact Stories: Show donors how their matched gifts have contributed to your nonprofit’s mission.
  • Exclusive Content: Provide matched donors with exclusive updates or invites to donor appreciation events.

10. Regularly Review and Improve Your Strategy

As donor behavior and corporate policies evolve, it’s important to regularly review and refine your marketing strategies for corporate matching gifts. Continuous improvement ensures that your efforts remain relevant and effective.

Tips for Reviewing Your Strategy:

  • Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Monitor metrics such as total funds raised, the number of matched gifts, and email engagement rates.
  • Donor Feedback: Collect feedback through surveys to identify challenges and opportunities for improvement.
  • A/B Testing: Test different elements, like email subject lines or website layouts, to determine what resonates best with your audience.
  • Industry Trends: Stay informed about corporate philanthropy trends and incorporate new strategies into your approach.
  • Quarterly Check-Ins: Schedule regular reviews of your strategy to ensure alignment with your nonprofit’s goals.

Final Thoughts

Corporate matching gifts present a unique opportunity for nonprofits to double—or even triple—their impact. However, many organizations fail to fully capitalize on these programs due to a lack of awareness or effective strategy. By implementing the best practices outlined above, you can turn matching gifts into a reliable source of funding while deepening donor engagement.

Key Takeaways:

  • Educate donors on matching gift programs to increase awareness.
  • Use targeted email campaigns and donation page enhancements to drive participation.
  • Leverage social media outreach and corporate partnerships to expand your reach.
  • Simplify the process, thank donors, and regularly review your strategy to ensure success.

By following these steps, your nonprofit can unlock the full potential of corporate matching gifts, amplifying every donor’s contribution and making a greater impact.

Boost corporate matching gift participation with Double the Donation.

Examples & Insights from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

10 Examples & Insights from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

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In June 2024, Double the Donation organized the industry’s first-ever Matching Gift Idea Exchange. This was an opportunity for nonprofits, schools, and other groups to share their best matching gift materials and be inspired by their peers’ ideas as well.

Why?

Matching gifts are a powerful tool for fundraising organizations, allowing them to maximize donations and engage supporters more deeply. However, few organizations are truly maximizing their matching gift potential, and a lack of promotion is a leading reason why.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into 10 inspiring examples and key insights from the completed Matching Gift Idea Exchange. From streamlined matching processes to creative promotional tactics, these examples demonstrate the power of matching gifts to significantly enhance fundraising with valuable inspiration and practical tips.

  1. Supplement your match page with video content.
  2. Make the page accessible from your site navigation.
  3. Host a matching gifts tool on event pages, too. ⁠
  4. Meet your donors where they are with SMS messaging. ⁠
  5. Leverage direct mail to promote matching opportunities.
  6. Pair corporate matching with matching gift challenges. ⁠
  7. Thoroughly thank donors for matching their gifts.
  8. Acknowledge companies that match to your cause. ⁠
  9. Promote matching through personal and mass emails.
  10. Turn corporate matching into a dedicated campaign effort.

Note: Explore how many clients use Double the Donation’s tools to streamline and enhance their matching gift promotions. Not a client yet? No worries! Click here to request a personalized demo.

1) Supplement your match page with video content.

An organization’s matching gifts page is one of its most invaluable assets, especially when it comes to marketing matching gifts effectively. Implementing the right content on the page is essential for driving more matches to completion!

What this Organization Did Well:

OKCMOA, or Oklahoma City Museum of Art, has embedded a minute-long informational video on their matching gifts page. This resource, which the organization submitted as part of our Matching Gift Idea Exchange, quickly overviews the matching gift opportunity, how it helps nonprofits, and how donors can determine their eligibility and next steps using Double the Donation’s matching gift database embedded above.

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Take a multimedia approach on your organization’s dedicated matching gifts page. We recommend incorporating a combination of text, video, and graphic elements to best grasp and retain your audience’s attention while they learn about matching gifts on your site.

Double the Donation clients can access a free, pre-made matching gift video (plus a ton of other graphics and materials) or request a custom-branded version for a fee within the platform.

2) Make the page accessible from your site navigation.

It hardly matters how well-designed your matching gifts page is if no donors can locate it on your website. That’s why making your information easily accessible is a must! Prominently featuring matching gifts on your navigation menu ensures a seamless donor experience and signifies the importance of matching gifts in your fundraising.

What this Organization Does Well:

Blue Faery (the Adrienne Wilson Liver Cancer Association) makes matching gift information easy to locate. All a user has to do is access the drop-down menu from the main “Donate” button and select “Matching Gifts.”

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Add a link to your matching gifts page to your main site navigation! Feel free to nest it under relevant parent pages, such as your “Donate” button or “Ways to Give” compilation for the best results.

3) Host a matching gifts tool on event pages, too. ⁠

Sometimes, an organization will host separate event pages or microsites to market upcoming opportunities (hint: this is a fairly common practice for run/walk/rides and other peer-to-peer fundraisers!). If that’s the case for your team, you’ll want to be sure you’re promoting matching gifts throughout your event pages as well⁠—after all, those gifts are often eligible to be matched, too.

What this Organization Does Well:

The Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is a largely peer-to-peer-based organization, and much of its revenue comes from large-scale fundraising events like the annual Tour de Pier. In order to ensure eligible gifts get successfully matched, the nonprofit has implemented a dedicated Matching Gifts page on its event microsite⁠—complete with a matching gift search tool and an overview of the programs.

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

And, in order to mitigate any confusion, the fundraising team even provides the correct name and tax ID number an individual should use when they go to submit their matching gift requests.

Best Practice For Your Team:

At the very least, mention matching gifts with a dedicated callout on your event or campaign pages. Even better? Establish a separate matching gifts page on your event site to ensure your audience is exposed to the idea and provided with the information they need to get started.

4) Meet your donors where they are with SMS messaging.

According to Nonprofits Source, mobile donations have increased by more than 205% in the past year, and 51% of nonprofit website traffic originates from a mobile device.

What does that mean for you? Your donors’ phones are where they’re at⁠—and you can meet them there with text message engagement strategies.

What this Organization Does Well:

This text message campaign from Save the Children demonstrates the ease with which a matching gift can be requested right from a donor’s mobile device. An individual receives one or both of the texts below and can initiate their match without hesitation simply by clicking the provided link. Talk about frictionless giving experiences!

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Take a multi-channel engagement approach by incorporating SMS into your outreach strategy in addition to standard follow-up emails and more.

Note: Double the Donation offers automated SMS messaging for its Enterprise-level users. Interested? Learn more about upgrading your account here.

5) Leverage direct mail to promote matching opportunities.

In today’s digital world, it can be easy to forget about the power of direct mail marketing. However, incorporating snail mail into your matching gift promotional strategy can have a big impact.

What this Organization Does Well:

Scripps College leverages beautifully designed, eye-catching direct mail cards as a way to draw its supporters’ attention to matching gifts. And, to empower donors to take the next steps without delay, the institution implements a scannable QR code that directs recipients to its online matching gifts page.

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Diversify your messaging with direct mail! If you already have a direct mail fundraising package going out, try adding an insert dedicated to matching gifts. Otherwise, consider a matching gift-focused postcard to spread the word.

6) Pair corporate matching with matching gift challenges.

Did you know that corporate or employee matching gifts represent only a single form of matching donation opportunity an organization might have? Matching gift challenges, or major donor matches, can also play a significant role in boosting a nonprofit’s fundraising. And they’re typically not mutually exclusive⁠, either—meaning donors can have the chance to multiply their gifts twice!

What this Organization Does Well:

UWC-USA noted in the Matching Gift Idea Exchange that it combines the power of corporate matching gifts with other forms of donation matching, including major donor matching gift challenges. In a campaign, interest is typically generated by offering a major donor match. Then, once supporters have navigated to the campaign page, UWC promotes corporate matching gift opportunities as well.

The results? The organization shared that campaign revenue is typically about 30% higher than for those without a matching gift offer. Plus, a significantly higher percentage of donors check to see if their companies provide a donation match!

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Try running a double-matching campaign! If you can find a major donor willing to put up a significant match amount, leverage that opportunity in addition to corporate matching gifts to get donors’ gifts multiplied again and again.

7) Thoroughly thank donors for matching their gifts.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to getting a gift matched. Thanking your donors for their involvement allows you to communicate your gratitude and close the loop at each step of the process.

What this Organization Does Well:

UNCF makes a serious effort to thank its matching gift donors at multiple touch points in the supporter journey. That includes upon the submission of their matching gift request and after the company pays out the matching donation.

To best grab the recipient’s attention and get their message across, the organization does so with a well-designed postcard (or two!).

A sample screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Showing thanks is essential for any donor relationships, and communicating gratitude to your matching gift donors is essential for retaining their support in the long run. As you do so, remember that they went above and beyond in requesting a matching gift. You, too, should go above and beyond in your thanksgiving.

8) Acknowledge companies that match to your cause. ⁠

When it comes to thanking donors for matching gifts, it’s generally recommended that you center your efforts around the individual who requested the match. However, acknowledging the company (AKA the entity that pays out the match) can go a long way in building long-term relationships, too.

What this Organization Does Well:

Michigan Technological University uses its matching gifts page for an additional purpose: highlighting leading matching gift companies that have completed matches to the school in the past year. This way, the companies listed can feel the appreciation of their support and donors accessing the page can gain at-a-glance insights into top matching gift companies in their network.

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Shine a spotlight on examples of companies that have supported your cause with matching gifts in the past. Not only is this an excellent way to thank these matching gift contributors (with additional publicity), but it can also inspire more donors (from the spotlighted companies and otherwise) to want to get involved.

9) Promote matching through personal and mass emails.

More than likely, email makes up a significant portion of your supporter engagement strategy. There are emails you send to all donors (mass marketing) and those you send one at a time.

For the best matching gift results, consider a mix of both types of outreach to grab your audience’s attention and drive more submissions to completion.

What this Organization Does Well:

Save the Boundary Waters takes a multi-faceted approach to promoting matching gift opportunities through email marketing. When a donor gives, they receive a personalized copy of the automated email (powered by Double the Donation) on the left. This encourages them to pursue a match for their recent gift while they are still at the height of their engagement with the organization.

Then, the team also regularly promotes matching gifts through a segment of its digital newsletter sent to all donors, on the right. This allows the organization to drive awareness of the programs across its entire audience at once!

Ideas and Insights From the Matching Gift Idea Exchange_Save the Boundary Waters A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Double the Donation research indicates that organizations that send a single matching gift email see an estimated 31% of eligible donations submitted for matching. Meanwhile, a second reminder email increases submissions by 45%, and a third email brings the total percentage of submitted eligible gifts to 49%.

So, what does that mean for you? To engage the greatest number of donors and achieve the best results, incorporate more than one matching gift email into your follow-up cadence. For even better results, vary the formatting and structure between newsletters, email blasts, personal reminders, and more.

10) Turn corporate matching into a dedicated campaign effort.

Rallying support around matching gifts can significantly amplify the support received from donors. Generating enthusiasm through campaigns, events, and other dedicated communications can go a long way in increasing awareness and participation in the programs.

What this Organization Does Well:

In this final submission from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange, Community Ministry has launched a dedicated campaign effort called the “Hunger Heroes.” This initiative included a campaign logo, a one-pager overviewing the opportunity and how donors can get involved, an email blast, and a number of related social media posts.

Donors who get their gifts matched by their employers then earn the “Hunger Heroes” designation as a way to celebrate their above-and-beyond support and leverage social proof to drive additional engagement in the campaign.

A samples screenshot from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange

Best Practice For Your Team:

Make matching gifts fun and exciting by adding a layer of novelty. Try providing donors with a digital “Matching Gift Donor” certificate or hosting an event alongside a big matching gift push.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

As the above examples from the Matching Gift Idea Exchange show, there are countless ways for nonprofits and schools to innovate and improve their matching gift efforts. By implementing the strategies highlighted above, organizations can unlock additional funding, strengthen relationships with donors, and drive greater community impact.

All in all, we hope these insights have inspired you to bring your matching gift efforts to new heights. Stay tuned to participate in the Matching Gift Idea Exchange next year!

In the meantime, check out these additional resources to grow your knowledge of all things matching gifts:

Matching Gift Insights and Ideas CTA

The title of the article next to an image of people implementing data hygiene best practices.

Top Data Hygiene Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations

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Picture this: Your wildlife conservation foundation is gearing up for an email marketing campaign. Your marketing team composes an engaging series of emails, complete with stories about real beneficiaries you’ve helped, statistics that illustrate your impact, and testimonials from donors and volunteers. Once the materials are ready, you send out the first batch of emails to your supporters.

However, when you check the open and click-through rates of your email, they’re much lower than you anticipated, and your bounce rate is way too high. What could have gone wrong?

While it’s possible your email didn’t catch your audience’s attention, it’s perhaps more likely that many of your supporters didn’t receive your email in the first place due to typos in your saved email addresses, switches to new email addresses, or a multitude of other reasons.

This scenario demonstrates the importance of keeping your database organized and up-to-date through data hygiene best practices. In this guide, we’ll equip your team with the skills they need to clean up your constituent data by covering the following topics:

With these tips, you’ll be prepared to maintain a clean database filled with information that can help you get in touch with your audience and earn more support.

What Is Data Hygiene?

Data hygiene refers to the process of cleaning your database. In this context, “cleaning” refers to updating, verifying, and supplementing the supporter information you’ve stored so it’s accurate and actionable.

While clean data is error-free, up-to-date information, “dirty data” refers to outdated, incomplete, duplicated, or incorrect information. During the data hygiene process, your team will remove and correct as much dirty data as possible to ensure you’re basing decisions on accurate information and preserving resources for the right people with viable contact information.

In the case of our opening example, the organization’s email address data was “dirty” because it contained outdated and incorrect supporter email addresses, preventing their messages from reaching supporters and limiting their fundraising potential.

Data hygiene best practices provide a framework for fixing errors and filling in gaps so you have your database is a comprehensive, reliable source of truth for supporter information.

Benefits of Following Data Hygiene Best Practices

Most organizations know that data is a useful tool for making decisions and reaching supporters. Even so, this information is only helpful to your nonprofit’s team if it’s accurate and up-to-date, and data can quickly become outdated.

In fact, data decays at an average rate of 30% per year. This means that every year, nearly a third of the information you have stored about your supporters, finances, marketing efforts, fundraising campaigns, and any other area of your nonprofit is no longer viable.

That’s why it’s so important to keep your data clean. By updating outdated information and removing incorrect data, you can prevent data decay. The benefits of following data hygiene best practices include:

The benefits of following data hygiene best practices for nonprofits, as discussed in the text below.

  • Improved decision-making. When you regularly update your database, you can be confident you’re basing decisions on accurate information. Without following data hygiene best practices, you’re more likely to launch campaigns that don’t reach your audience, resonate with them, or generate a positive return on your investment.
  • Higher engagement. Not only does clean data help you personalize your campaigns to your current audience, but it also encourages your supporters to interact with your content as it’ll be more relevant and engaging to them. For instance, if the nonprofit in the opening example were to append email addresses to their database, segment supporters into groups based on shared characteristics, and send targeted communications, they could potentially increase their open rate by 82% and their click-through rate by 75%.
  • Enhanced stakeholder relationships. Data-driven campaigns can help you build stronger relationships with prospects, donors, volunteers, and sponsors. Targeted, personalized messages make people feel seen and heard as individuals, enticing them to continue supporting your organization long-term.
  • Increased fundraising efficiency. Just like a for-profit organization, you have to spend money to make money, expending resources on marketing materials and staff member time. With clean data, you’ll reach the right people the first time, allowing you to reserve time and resources for those most likely to convert.
  • Reduced costs. With more efficient fundraising operations, you’ll naturally save on costs associated with dirty data, such as sending materials to the same people multiple times and managing returned mail.
  • Compliance with data regulations. Following data hygiene best practices ensures compliance with data laws and regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). You can highlight your compliance with these regulations on your website to build trust with donors and demonstrate your commitment to protecting their sensitive information.
  • More accurate reporting. Updated, organized information makes it easier to compile accurate reports about your programs’ impact and share them with stakeholders like donors and board members.
  • Streamlined internal collaboration. Keeping your database up-to-date improves internal communication and team member collaboration. For instance, if your fundraising team determines your organization’s major gift range based on recent fundraising data, your marketing team can develop branded outreach materials that are aligned with your major donors’ giving capacity.

Leveraging clean data creates a better experience for everyone involved in your nonprofit—from donors to staff members to sponsors to beneficiaries to volunteers.

Top Data Hygiene Best Practices for Your Nonprofit

Now that you understand the importance of proper data hygiene, it’s time to dive into some data hygiene best practices your nonprofit can implement.

The top data hygiene best practices for nonprofits, as discussed in the text below.

Audit your database or CRM.

You can’t start fixing data errors if you’re not sure what’s wrong. Start your data hygiene process strong with a database audit.

An audit provides an opportunity to survey your database or CRM and identify potential problem areas. It allows you to focus your data hygiene efforts and establish a clear plan of action.

During your audit, make sure to follow these steps:

  1. Clarify your goals. Your current fundraising campaign or marketing initiative’s goals should guide your data hygiene process. For example, if you’re running a direct mail campaign, focus on updating your supporters’ mailing addresses. This way, the process is more manageable, especially if you’re tackling data hygiene for the first time.
  2. Move all data to a central location. If you have any information stored in spreadsheets or physical forms, consolidate it in one platform for easier organization and analysis.
  3. Seek out inaccuracies. Lastly, identify any data inaccuracies, and form a plan for how you’ll resolve them.

Once your audit is complete, share the results with your team to get everyone on the same page about your data priorities and data hygiene plan.

Assign data responsibilities.

Once you have a clear data hygiene plan, it’s time to assign specific responsibilities to your team members. You may select a main data steward in charge of overseeing all data hygiene procedures and separate supporting roles amongst your staff.

For example, you may have team members responsible for verifying supporter mailing addresses, merging duplicate records, researching mailing address append services, and segmenting your supporters into relevant groups. As a result, you’ll streamline the data hygiene process and complete your objectives more efficiently.

Reevaluate your data collection strategy.

You likely collect data from your supporters through multiple methods, such as donation forms, surveys, and newsletter signups. Additionally, your organization generates data from its fundraising, marketing, and program activities.

While much of this information is helpful, more is not always better. Prioritize what information you need to collect and store to fuel your mission. This way, you’ll prevent unnecessary data buildup and make your database easy to navigate.

Common types of data you’ll likely gather include:

Nonprofit data types, as discussed in the text below.

  • Supporter information. When you know who your supporters are, you can personalize your messages to them. Supporter information you collect may include name, age, gender, employer data, and contact information.
  • Giving data. Basing donation requests on donors’ giving history can help you retain their support and encourage them to make larger contributions. Store information related to donors’ giving amounts and frequency so your communications match their level of commitment to your organization. Additionally, identify whether any of your donors are also involved in your nonprofit as volunteers, event attendees, or cause advocates so you can reference their nonmonetary contributions to your organization as well.
  • Campaign metrics. Keep track of the outcomes of your marketing and fundraising campaigns so you know which techniques resonate with your audience. This data may include event attendance rates, fundraising revenue, campaign conversions, and donor and volunteer retention rates.
  • Financial data. Planning a feasible budget depends on storing and analyzing accurate financial data. Pay attention to the revenue you generate from donations, membership fees, merchandise sales, sponsorships, and other revenue streams, as well as the expenses you incur for costs like staff compensation, marketing material production, and program expenses. Updated, accurate financial data is also important for filing your Form 990 correctly to maintain your 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status.
  • Marketing metrics. Assess your marketing strategy with data like email open rate, ad click-through rate, website engagement rate, and social media likes, comments, and shares. Storing this information helps you identify successes and establish appropriate benchmarks for future campaigns.

When discussing your data priorities with your team, review each data category and which metrics are essential to monitor. For example, if you’re running an email marketing campaign aimed at recurring donors, you’ll likely want to focus on tracking gift amounts and email open rates.

Develop data standards.

To avoid data errors and disorganization in the future, create data standards that determine how team members should input information. These rules will ensure everyone is on the same page and make it easy to find the data points you need within your CRM.

For example, you may develop standardization rules for inputting:

  • Mailing addresses. While some organizations may like to use the abbreviations “St,” “Rd,” and “Ln,” others may spell out “Street,” “Road,” and “Lane.” Neither option is wrong—it just depends on your team’s preferences!
  • Phone numbers. You may put parentheses around the area code or use dashes between each number sequence. Additionally, nonprofits with international constituents may opt to add the country code while local organizations may omit that detail.
  • Titles and abbreviations. Job titles or name titles like “Chief Financial Officer” or “Senior” can also be entered as their abbreviations “CFO” or “Sr.”

In addition to data input rules, you’ll also need to develop standards for how to fix problems as they arise. For example, would you like your staff to merge duplicate records or just delete extraneous entries? When everyone knows exactly how to respond to different data errors, they’ll work more efficiently and effectively.

Continuously update and validate your data.

Considering how often people move, change email addresses, and switch jobs, it’s essential to stay on top of your data and develop a plan for regularly updating it. This is the best way to ensure your database reflects your everchanging supporter base.

One of the most common ways to update your database is through data appends. A data append involves supplementing your current database with supporter information from third-party sources. Organizations use data appends to keep their supporter data up to date and fill in gaps in their CRM.

While the types of data you can append with depend on your provider, most data append companies will offer:

  • Address appends. With an address append filling in missing or outdated postal addresses in your database, you can be confident that your direct mail will reach your supporters, whether you’re sending newsletters, thank-you notes, fundraising appeals, or event invitations.
  • Employer appends. Appending employer data to your CRM can help you identify corporate giving opportunities and encourage your supporters to help you earn more for your cause.
  • Email appends. As we mentioned before, email addresses can quickly become outdated, between supporters switching email addresses, changing jobs or schools, or even inputting their addresses wrong. An email append ensures you can reach your supporters via this channel.
  • Phone number appends. Soliciting donations via text-to-give, running phone-a-thons, and thanking major donors through phone calls all require updated supporter phone numbers. Through a phone number append, you can fuel these outreach efforts.
  • Date of birth appends. When you know how old your supporters are through date of birth appends, you can segment them by age and send them relevant communications through their preferred channels. Additionally, you can send them birthday messages and well wishes to build strong relationships with them.

When investing in data appending, seek out a provider that works with nonprofits. That way, you can be confident they’ll understand your organization’s needs and work diligently to help you reach your goals.

How Does Nonprofit Data Hygiene Relate to Matching Gifts?

At Double the Donation, our specialty is helping nonprofits like yours earn more in matching gift revenue. If you’re not familiar, matching gifts are contributions that employers make when their employees donate to a charitable cause. They’re called “matching” gifts because companies typically match their employees’ contributions at a 1:1 ratio, but they may have a higher or lower match ratio depending on their matching gift policies.

You may be wondering, “How exactly does nonprofit data hygiene relate to matching gifts?” When you adhere to data hygiene best practices, you’ll see the following benefits for your matching gift process:

How nonprofit data hygiene relates to matching gifts, as discussed in the text below.

  • Easier identification of matching gift opportunities. Storing accurate, updated employer information in your database simplifies the process of assessing your supporters’ eligibility. Using a combination of precise employer data and Double the Donation’s matching gift software, Double the Donation Matching, you can help donors recognize matching gift opportunities and how they can act on them.
  • Timely follow-up. When you already have up-to-date donor contact information, you can quickly follow up with them about matching gift opportunities and encourage them to send matching gift requests to their employers. Additionally, Double the Donation Matching automates these communications so you can focus on your mission.
  • Maximized matching gift revenue. With more donors checking their matching gift eligibility and receiving communications about matching gifts, you’ll increase your matching gift revenue. As a result, you’ll unlock valuable funding for your organization at no additional cost to your supporters, helping you strengthen your mission and donor relationships.

Overall, clean data streamlines the matching gift process from beginning to end and ensures you get the most out of this giving channel.

Download the matching gift guide to learn how you can improve donor relationships even further with matching gifts.

Wrapping Up and Additional Data Hygiene Resources

While you might have once thought data was the key to a successful marketing or fundraising strategy, it should now be clear that clean data is the true driving force behind powerful nonprofit communications. Remember that nonprofit data hygiene is an ongoing process. Continue following data hygiene best practices, and update your procedures as needed.

If you’re looking to learn more about nonprofit data management, check out these additional resources:

 

Best CSR Companies: These Businesses Are Making an Impact

Best CSR Companies | These 9 Businesses Are Making an Impact

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In today’s business landscape, corporate social responsibility (or CSR) is more than just a buzzword—it’s a crucial aspect of how companies operate and influence the world. Leading CSR companies are recognizing the importance of giving back to their communities, investing in sustainable practices, and driving positive change. This commitment not only enhances their brand reputation but also attracts conscious consumers and employees who value ethical practices.

In this post, we’ll highlight nine exemplary companies that are setting the standard in CSR. From innovative environmental initiatives to impactful social programs, these businesses are making a significant difference in their industries.

What is CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility is a business model that helps companies be socially accountable—to themselves, their stakeholders, and the public. By practicing CSR, companies can be conscious of the impact they have on all aspects of society, including the environment, the economy, and beyond.

Critical aspects of CSR include:

  • Philanthropic Responsibility: Businesses engage in activities that benefit society. This can involve community development programs, charitable donations, volunteer efforts, and supporting social causes like education, health, and equality.
  • Ethical Responsibility: Organizations operate in a fair and ethical manner. This involves treating employees fairly, ensuring product safety, and conducting business with integrity.
  • Legal Responsibility: Businesses comply with all relevant laws and legal regulations, ensuring they operate safely and fairly on a consistent basis.
  • Economic Responsibility: Companies adopt practices that ensure fair trade, ethical labor practices, and transparent business operations. They strive to create economic value while also producing value for society.

These are the four components of the pyramid of CSR companies.

All in all, CSR initiatives help companies build a positive brand image, foster customer loyalty, attract and retain employees, and ultimately contribute to long-term business success.

Types of CSR

There are many ways companies can engage in and practice CSR. Here are some of the most popular ways businesses support charitable causes:

  • Employee gifting. Businesses often provide gifts to encourage employee loyalty and show appreciation for hard work. They can achieve these effects and have a CSR impact by gifting employees with funds to donate to nonprofits. 
  • Matching gifts. This program allows employees to multiply their impact on a cherished cause with the help of their employer, who will match their donation up to a certain amount. 
  • Volunteer programs. Some examples of volunteer programs are providing volunteer time off, volunteer grants (donating funds to nonprofits their employees volunteer for), and corporate volunteer outings.
  • In-kind donations. Businesses donate goods or services, not money, through in-kind giving. For instance, a technology company might donate computers to a nonprofit who needs updated technological infrastructure. 
  • Sponsorships. Businesses usually sponsor nonprofits when they have an event, providing funds or in-kind gifts to offset overhead costs.
  • Adopting sustainable practices. This might include opting for eco-friendly products or buying carbon credits.

What defines the best CSR companies?

The best CSR companies are defined by key characteristics that demonstrate their commitment to philanthropic, ethical, economic, and legal responsibilities. These companies go beyond mere compliance with legal requirements and actively seek to make a positive impact.

Wondering if your company meets the criteria? Looking for leading businesses to seek support for your nonprofit? No matter your intent, here are the defining attributes of the best CSR companies to consider:

Best CSR Companies Criteria

  • They have a well-defined CSR vision and strategy that aligns with their core business values and goals, and their CSR initiatives are integrated into their overall business operations. This information should be available online, in employee-facing materials, and more.
  • They invest in community development and social programs that address local and global challenges such as education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and more.
  • They prioritize employee welfare and active involvement in CSR activities such as giving and volunteerism.
  • They collaborate with nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and other businesses to amplify their impact.
  • They maintain transparency in their CSR efforts by regularly reporting on their progress and outcomes.
  • They demonstrate a long-term commitment to CSR by continuously evaluating and improving their initiatives with measurable goals and plans for achieving tangible results.

By embodying these characteristics, the best CSR companies create value not only for their business but also for society and the environment, setting a powerful example for others to follow.

And we’ve compiled a list of companies by which to be inspired below!

How does the CLMA designation reflect CSR efforts?

One of the greatest indicators of a company’s CSR efforts is its devotion to matching employee gifts. As a result, the CLMA designation, which is awarded to Certified Leaders in Matching Automation, reflects a company’s commitment to ongoing philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.

Graphic of the CLMA badge with benefits of the badge written in a circular pattern

This certificate directly reflects a company’s devotion to CSR by showcasing its dedication to facilitating seamless and accessible support for a wide range of nonprofit causes. Top companies that hold this designation exemplify the integration of automated processes to foster a culture of giving and social responsibility.

Why does this matter for nonprofits and other fundraisers?

Understanding the offerings of top CSR companies and other CLMA-certified employers is essential for nonprofits, schools, and fundraisers for several reasons. First, familiarity with companies offering standout matching gift programs allows organizations to effectively double or even triple the donations received, significantly boosting fundraising efforts.

These companies can also be significant suppliers of grants, sponsorships, volunteer services, and more, making them valuable targets for establishing lucrative long-term partnerships.

Top Companies with Standout CSR Strategies & More

Familiarity with top CSR companies can help nonprofits and schools identify partners committed to the greater good. At the same time, understanding the successes of leading examples can provide invaluable insights and ideas for improving a business or organization’s own practices and initiatives.

Read on to explore our selection of standout CSR initiatives and see which elements you can adopt in your efforts.

Chipotle is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #1: Chipotle

Company Overview:

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is a renowned fast-casual restaurant chain headquartered in Newport Beach, California. It is best known for its focus on serving high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients in its customizable burritos, bowls, and tacos.

Chipotle currently operates over 2,800 restaurants across the world, with more than 120,000 employees, and continues to expand its global footprint.

CSR Focus:

Chipotle’s CSR efforts primarily revolve around sustainability (including responsible sourcing and healthy living) and employee giving. The company places a strong emphasis on food with integrity, as well as giving to a variety of nonprofit causes its team members support.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

By integrating sustainability and giving into its core business model and engaging with stakeholders transparently, Chipotle sets a benchmark in the restaurant industry for socially conscious practices. This commitment not only enhances its brand reputation but also contributes positively to the communities it serves.

In doing so, Chipotle Mexican Grill has become a CLMA-certified leader in the matching gift industry. By partnering with Double the Donation-integrated corporate giving solution, Chipotle has implemented matching gift auto-submission functionality, making the request process seamless and accessible for its staff. This efficient system not only simplifies the donation matching process but also significantly boosts CSR by growing the amount of corporate funding paid out through successful matches and more.

Danone is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #2: Danone

Company Overview:

Danone is a multinational food-products corporation headquartered in Paris, France, with nearly 90,000 employees worldwide. It operates in four main business segments: Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, Waters, Early Life Nutrition, and Advanced Medical Nutrition.

Globally, Danone is known for its dairy and plant-based products, including brands like Activia, Evian, and Alpro.

CSR Focus:

Danone’s CSR efforts are centered around sustainability, nutrition, and social innovation. The company aims to promote healthier eating habits, support the communities in which its staff live and work, and reduce its environmental impact across operations.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Danone actively engages its employees in promoting sustainable practices through philanthropy, volunteerism, and other initiatives.

As a result, the food company is also CLMA-certified for its exemplary matching gift program. With the help of Double the Donation, Danone has integrated matching gift auto-submission into its CSR initiatives, providing an effortless experience for employees looking to double their charitable contributions. This streamlined approach enhances Danone’s CSR efforts by maximizing the impact of corporate funding through successful donation matches.

 

BerlinRosen is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #3: BerlinRosen

Company Overview:

BerlinRosen is a leading strategic communications firm based in New York City, specializing in PR, media relations, and digital strategy. With over 400 employees across New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and more, the firm serves nonprofits, advocacy organizations, progressive campaigns, and corporate entities.

CSR Focus:

BerlinRosen’s CSR efforts are centered around social justice, environmental sustainability, and community empowerment through effective communication strategies. The firm leverages its expertise in public relations to amplify voices and advocate for positive social change.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

BerlinRosen distinguishes itself by actively supporting organizations that drive meaningful community impact. This includes offering pro-bono services to nonprofits, advocacy groups, and more.

BerlinRosen is also recognized as a CLMA-certified employer due to its outstanding matching gift program. By collaborating with Double the Donation, BerlinRosen has implemented a user-friendly matching gift auto-submission system, simplifying the process for its employees.

Overall, the company’s commitment to supporting employee philanthropy⁠—as well as its dedication to communication as a tool for social good⁠—sets it apart as a leader in CSR within the public relations industry and beyond.

Creative Circle is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #4: Creative Circle

Company Overview:

With more than 18,000 employees, Creative Circle is a specialized staffing agency headquartered in Los Angeles, California. This company focuses on connecting creative professionals with businesses in various industries, such as advertising, marketing, and design.

CSR Focus:

Creative Circle’s CSR efforts are centered around promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the creative industry, supporting creative professionals, and fostering inclusive workplaces.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Creative Circle stands out for its commitment to CSR, supporting philanthropic initiatives that advance equality and equity in the creative sector.

As a CLMA-certified company, Creative Circle has implemented a robust matching gift program. Partnering with Double the Donation, Creative Circle offers a seamless matching gift auto-submission process, which makes it easy for employees to participate in corporate philanthropy. This innovative approach drives more revenue through the programs, focusing on facilitating employee generosity and reflecting its dedication to social responsibility and community engagement.

Toyota Connected is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #5: Toyota Connected

Company Overview:

A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Connected focuses on developing data-driven mobility solutions and connected vehicle technologies to enhance customer experiences and drive innovation in the automotive industry.

CSR Focus:

Toyota Connected’s CSR efforts revolve around sustainable mobility, environmental stewardship, and leveraging technology for social good. The company aims to create smarter, safer, and more sustainable transportation solutions for all.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

By integrating data-driven insights and technology with sustainability goals, Toyota Connected demonstrates leadership in CSR by driving positive social, environmental, and economic impacts through its innovative initiatives.

The company is also a pioneer in matching gifts, establishing a CLMA-certified program designed to provide its employees with a seamless and hassle-free matching experience that boosts their impact for their favorite causes (like yours!).

Teachable is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #6: Teachable

Company Overview:

With over 1,500 employees worldwide, Teachable is an online platform that empowers individuals and organizations to create and sell online courses. This company’s efforts ultimately provide tools and resources to facilitate online learning and entrepreneurship.

CSR Focus:

Teachable’s CSR efforts center on educational equity, supporting online educators, and empowering diverse voices in online learning and digital entrepreneurship.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Teachable, which stands out for its commitment to democratizing education and empowering educators from diverse backgrounds, is also CLMA-certified for its exemplary matching gift program. In collaboration with Double the Donation, Teachable offers a hassle-free matching gift auto-submission process, making it simple and straightforward for employees to enhance their charitable donations. This streamlined system amplifies Teachable’s CSR efforts by maximizing the corporate funding distributed through successful matches.

Overall, Teachable’s focus on facilitating employee generosity and supporting various causes demonstrates its strong commitment to social responsibility and community impact.

Microsoft is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #7: Microsoft

Company Overview:

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. With more than 220,000 employees across the world, Microsoft is known for its software products, cloud computing services, and hardware devices.

CSR Focus:

Microsoft’s CSR efforts focus on digital inclusion, environmental sustainability, and leveraging technology for social impact. The company aims to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more through its technology and initiatives.

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Matching gifts up to $15,000 per employee on an annual basis, Microsoft devotes significant resources to its corporate matching gift program. Plus, it offers each team member a full week’s worth of paid VTO and supplies volunteer grants equal to $25 for each hour an employee spends volunteering with nonprofit causes.

Microsoft also stands out for its comprehensive approach to CSR, integrating sustainability into its core business strategy and promoting ethical AI and data privacy practices. The company leads initiatives to address global challenges such as environmental sustainability, accessibility, and humanitarian crises, too. Plus, it offers free and reduced technology services for nonprofits and schools!

Google is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #8: Google

Company Overview:

Google LLC is a multinational technology company (with an employee count greater than 180,000 worldwide) that specializes in Internet-related services and products. This includes search engines, cloud computing, software, hardware, and more.

CSR Focus:

Google’s CSR efforts encompass environmental sustainability, digital literacy, and empowering businesses and individuals through technology. The company strives to make a positive impact on the world through innovation and responsible business practices.

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Google stands out for its commitment to sustainability and philanthropy, exemplified by its matching gift program, volunteer grant initiative, VTO offering, and more. Each year, employees can request up to $10,000 in matching gifts, $10 for each hour they volunteer, and 8 hours of volunteer time off.

The company also supplies free advertising credits to registered nonprofits, providing access to its paid advertising platform, and empowering nonprofit teams to promote their efforts, at no cost.

DIsney is one of the best CSR companies

Top CSR Company #9: Disney

Company Overview:

The Walt Disney Company is a global entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Burbank, California, known for its iconic film studios, theme parks, media networks, and consumer products. Inclusive of its subsidiaries, which include ABC, Hulu, Marvel, and more, Disney employs more than 225,000 people worldwide.

CSR Focus:

Disney’s CSR efforts focus on environmental stewardship, community engagement, and promoting creativity and innovation through entertainment and education.

What Makes This Company’s Programming Stand Out:

Disney matches gifts up to $25,000 per employee, encouraging its full-time and part-time employees to double their charitable donations to the organizations they care about. At the same time, the company promotes volunteerism through its EARs to You grant program (worth up to $2,000 each) and by offering up to 8 hours of paid VTO each year.

The company also stands out for its commitment to environmental conservation, exemplified by its goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and zero waste across its operations. By integrating CSR into its business practices and entertainment offerings, Disney not only entertains audiences but also contributes to societal progress and environmental preservation on a global scale.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

In an era where CSR is no longer an option but a necessity, the companies highlighted in this post stand out as true leaders, setting benchmarks for others to follow. Their commitment to philanthropy partnerships, volunteerism, and beyond not only enhances their brand reputation but also drives meaningful change in the world.

For businesses, emulating these strategies can lead to improved stakeholder relationships, enhanced employee engagement, and increased consumer loyalty. For nonprofits, forming partnerships with these companies and others like them will allow you to unlock funding, leverage new resources, and foster long-term innovation.

Interested in learning more about CSR and how it can impact businesses and organizations like yours? Check out these additional resources:

NONPROFITS:

Access more CLMA-certified companies with seamless and accessible matching gift programs.

EXPLORE OUR CSR DATABASE 👈

COMPANIES:

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See how your platform can become CLMA-certified to demonstrate your commitment to CSR.

LEARN ABOUT THE CERTIFICATE 👈

 

Matching Gifts-in-Kind: Are In-Kind Donations Match-Eligible?

Matching Gifts-In-Kind | Are In-Kind Donations Match-Eligible?

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At Double the Donation, we receive a wide range of inquiries from organizations seeking to maximize their matching gift revenue by proactively pursuing matches for all qualifying donations. One question that comes up on occasion has to do with matching gifts-in-kind⁠—and whether in-kind donations are eligible to be matched through corporate matching gift programs.

The answer to this question can be a bit nuanced as the matching gift eligibility of gifts can vary based on company-specific guidelines. But let’s dive deeper into the subject by exploring some of the most commonly asked questions along with hearing from real companies’ matching gift programs.

In this guide, we’ll cover the following:

Interested in learning more about matching gift best practices, leveraging in-kind donations, and how the two fit together? Let’s begin!

FAQ from Nonprofits and Donors on Matching Gifts-in-Kind

Understanding matching gifts and in-kind donations can be tricky. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions from nonprofits like yours (and sometimes even their donors!).

What are in-kind donations?

In-kind donations⁠—or gifts-in-kind⁠—are typically considered any type of non-monetary contribution to a nonprofit cause. While many donors provide cash (or check, credit card, bank transfer, etc.) that allows the organization to purchase goods and services required to keep their mission running, in-kind donations are offerings of the goods and services themselves.

One of the most common examples of gifts-in-kind is that of a canned food drive for a local food bank or pantry. People within a community are asked to provide donations of non-perishable food items which will then be distributed to the organization’s beneficiaries, as opposed to providing funds that the organization uses to make food purchases themselves.

Other types of in-kind donations you might see include crypto-currency gifts, vehicle donations, clothing drives, fundraising event prizes (such as auction items), technology and office equipment, free rentals (such as meeting spaces), or volunteer hours of specialized skills (such as graphic design, tax consulting, etc.).

How can you uncover in-kind donation opportunities?

If you’re looking to secure in-kind donations—whether it’s products, services, gift cards, or event sponsorships—the biggest challenge is often knowing where to start. The good news? There’s a smarter, faster way to find the companies that are already offering this kind of support: Double the Donation’s corporate giving database.

This powerful tool was designed to take the guesswork out of corporate philanthropy. In addition to its industry-leading matching gift data, the database now includes a growing directory of corporate in-kind giving programs, making it easier than ever to uncover opportunities that align with your nonprofit’s needs.

Instead of sifting through scattered web pages or relying on word of mouth, your team can access a centralized, reliable resource that saves time and boosts results. It’s perfect for nonprofits planning fundraising events, seeking supplies or tech, or looking to form long-term corporate partnerships.

Are gifts-in-kind eligible to be matched through matching gift programs?

This is a frequently asked question regarding gifts-in-kind⁠—by both the donors contributing the in-kind donations and the nonprofits receiving them. Here are a few examples of inquiries you might see:

From a donor ⁠—

“I work for a company with a matching gift program and want to donate food and supplies to a nonprofit to assist with a recent natural disaster. Do most companies match these in-kind donations?”

From a nonprofit ⁠—

“We’re reviewing our list of donors from the past few months and noticed that some individuals who made in-kind donations work for companies with matching gift programs. Are these donations eligible to be matched?”

If you’re looking for a quick explanation, you can assume the answer can vary depending on the company being asked, especially if the in-kind donation is given in the form of stocks or crypto-currencies.

This nuance adds a layer of complexity to matching gift programs – even if some parties define stock or crypto donations as “in-kind” gifts of property, many corporations classify these assets differently than personal property like a tractor trailer or canned food.

Because each company develops its own unique set of matching gift program guidelines, it can be difficult to provide a blanket answer for for which types of in-kind gifts are match-eligible. However, we’ll explore a few businesses’ eligibility criteria below to get a better sense of the relationship between matching gifts and in-kind donations.

Another thing to keep an eye out for when it comes to in-kind donations of time and services (rather than goods and products) is volunteer grants!

Similar to matching gifts, volunteer grants are workplace giving programs offered by companies where they agree to financially support the nonprofits their employees are involved with. Though not all volunteer work is considered an in-kind donation (it typically must be an individual volunteering their “specialized skills”), supporters who work for companies with volunteer grants may want to look into these offerings as well.

How do you determine whether a gift-in-kind is match-eligible?

The easiest way to find out if any nonprofit donation is matchable is by utilizing a company database such as Double the Donation. This is true for gifts-in-kind as well as your traditional monetary contributions.

With this tool in hand, all you (or your donors) need to do is begin a quick search of the company’s name⁠—the database widget will even autocomplete search inquiries and account for spelling errors, name variations, and subsidiaries⁠—and the specific matching gift guidelines will be available in seconds.

If a donor’s employer is listed in the database, it should include a document or online portal where users can go to find out more information about program eligibility. This is likely where the information about in-kind match qualifications is housed, which will provide you with your answer.

How does matching gift data support giving through in-kind donations?

Matching gift data can play an invaluable role in facilitating in-kind donations for your nonprofit. Even though in-kind gifts themselves are often not eligible for corporate matching, donor information gathered through matching gift programs can help you identify companies that are likely to support your organization in other ways.

By analyzing your matching gift donor data, you can uncover which companies your supporters work for (for example, using Double the Donation’s Top Companies report). Many of these businesses might have the capacity to provide in-kind contributions, such as goods, services, or gift cards, that align with your nonprofit’s needs. This data allows you to create a short list of companies to approach with a tailored pitch for in-kind donations.

For example, if your organization is seeking supplies for a community event or auction items for a fundraiser, you can prioritize reaching out to companies where your supporters are employed. Highlighting that their employees are already engaged with your cause adds a compelling reason for these businesses to contribute. Ultimately, matching gift data not only helps you maximize financial contributions but also serves as a valuable tool for uncovering corporate partnerships that can lead to meaningful in-kind support for your mission.

What Popular Matching Gift Companies Say About In-Kind Gifts

Thousands of companies offer corporate matching gift programs where they agree to financially match donations made by their employees. Employees and nonprofits want to know whether gifts-in-kind are matching gift eligible, but it can be difficult to determine as it varies from company to company.

But let’s hear from some real companies! Here are excerpts from a few companies with matching gift programs and what they say about in-kind matching in their program guidelines!

It’s important to note: While some of these companies do not offer matches on personal or real property, they do offer matches for stock and marketable securities – this distinction shows the nuance in matching gift programs that are important to learn. If you have employees who work for a match-eligible company, make sure they know if their stock or crypto-currency gifts qualify for a match, even if their “property” (as defined by their company), does not!

Here's what Google has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

Google:

Google is well known for offering a variety of employee giving programs. With matching gifts on personal donations, a fundraising match, and a dollars for doers program, Google supports organizations that employees are passionate about in a number of ways.

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what Google’s program guidelines have to say:

“Your gift must be in the form of check, credit card, or marketable securities with a quoted market value. Gifts of securities will be matched with cash. The value of the stock will be calculated using the price at the close of the market on the day of the transfer of the security. We don’t match any other forms of personal or real property, including in-kind gifts.

Google does offer a volunteer grant program where they contribute $10 for each hour an employee volunteers with a charitable organization.”

Learn more about Google’s matching gift program >

Here's what John Deere has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

John Deere:

John Deere offers a matching gift program for employees where each employee is able to request matching funds on up to $1,000 of personal contributions each year. The company matches donations to nearly all 501(c)(3) organizations.

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what John Deere’s program guidelines have to say:

“To qualify for a program match, employee gifts must:

  1. Be paid before a match is paid – pledges do not qualify.
  2. Be paid in cash, by check or credit card.
  3. Qualify as a deductible charitable contribution by the U. S. Internal Revenue Service.
  4. Be personal contributions by employees only – funds cannot be collected from others and pooled for program match purposes.

John Deere also offers a generous volunteer grant program, where eligible employees may request grants worth $25 for each hour they volunteer with an organization⁠—up to $1,000 per year!”

Learn more about John Deere’s matching gift program >

Here's what General Electric has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

General Electric:

Did you know that General Electric was the first company to institute a matching gift program? Yes it’s true. Back in 1954, General Electric created the Corporate Alumni Program to support its employees in their personal philanthropy and charitable giving. Since then, it has become a model for countless other employee matching gift programs.

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what General Electric’s program guidelines have to say:

“Gifts may be made via cash, check, credit card or stock.  Gifts may also be made by current payment from an entity such as a personal foundation or donor advised fund if that entity has been funded solely by the eligible GE participant (note that gifts made to such an entity cannot be matched). The GE Foundation will not match real estate, in-kind, or non-monetary contributions (e.g. services, materials, supplies, etc.).”

Learn more about General Electric’s matching gift program >

Here's what Beam Inc. has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

Beam Inc:

Beam Inc. matches donations from employees to a wide range of organizations, including educational institutions (K-12 and higher education alike), arts and cultural organizations, and youth-based nonprofit causes.

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what Beam Inc.’s program guidelines have to say:

“Examples of donations that are not eligible for a matching gift are those involving:

  1. Dues, payments, subscriptions, and contributions which accrue significant personal benefits to the donor (e.g., gifts, which cover the cost of services, tuition, fees, subscriptions, tickets, or other considerations).
  2. In-kind donations.”

Learn more about Beam Inc’s matching gift program >Here's what Alvaria has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

Alvaria:

Alvaria offers both an employee matching gift program as well as a volunteer grant program. Through its matching gift program, Alvaria matches up to $1,000 annually per employee per year. Additionally, through its Dollars for Doers program, the company provides $10 per every hour an employee volunteers (max $250 annually).

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what Alvaria’s program guidelines have to say:

“What gifts are ineligible?

  1. Gifts that result in a benefit to the employee. Examples include dues, subscriptions, fees, loan repayments, bequests, insurance premiums, tuition, tickets, and dinners.
  2. Gifts or payments for primarily political or religious purposes, unless specified for a community outreach program, such as a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
  3. In-kind gifts or gifts of real estate.
  4. And a number of other common restrictions.

Alvaria will provide $10 per hour in volunteer grants up to $250 per employee per year”

Learn more about Alvaria’s matching gift program >

Here's what State Farm has to say about matching gifts-in-kind.

State Farm:

State Farm Insurance offers a generous employee matching gift program where they agree to match up to $4,500 in individual donations per year. And all sorts of employees⁠—including current full-time, part-time, and retired team members alike⁠—are eligible to participate.

In terms of matching gifts-in-kind, here’s what State Farm’s program guidelines have to say:

“Ineligible Donations/Contributions and Designations –

  1. Contributions that are directed toward event tickets, dinners, gala, entry fees, and raffles.
  2. Bequests.
  3. Dues to organizations, groups, or clubs.
  4. Magazine or newsletter subscriptions.
  5. Payments for books, loans, or student fees.
  6. Tuition payments or other contributions that reduce or eliminate tuition.
  7. Unpaid, pledged contributions.
  8. In-kind donations and gifts made in lieu of a pledge.
  9. Insurance premiums other than life insurance.

State Farm offers a volunteer grant program (known as State Farm’s Good Neighbor Grant Program) which entitles an employee to request a $500 grant on behalf of a nonprofit organization they volunteered 40 hours of time with”

Learn more about State Farm Insurance’s matching gift program >

Each type of donation offers organizations like yours the opportunity to better pursue their mission and make their mark on the world. Unfortunately, most in-kind donations are not going to be eligible for corporate matches through donors’ employers. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have successful matching gift strategies alongside your in-kind fundraising efforts!

Learn more about matching gifts and the opportunities they bring nonprofit fundraisers with other Double the Donation resources:

This article will go over the basics of corporate sponsorships and how to secure one for your nonprofit.

How to Unlock Corporate Sponsorships: Get More Support

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Securing corporate sponsorships involves building relationships with corporate prospects on top of all the other important work you’re doing to raise support for your nonprofit. But these partnerships are well worth it, as corporate giving can be an invaluable source of revenue, positive social image, and ongoing support.

In this article, we’ll discuss some corporate sponsorship best practices your organization can leverage to secure the best partnership suited to your cause, as well as some of the top corporate sponsors. We’ll cover the following topics:

  1. What is a Corporate Sponsorship?
  2. How to Find Corporate Sponsorships
  3. Companies with Excellent Corporate Sponsorship Programs
  4. How to Ask for a Corporate Sponsorship
  5. How to Cultivate Relationships with Corporate Sponsors
  6. Developing Mutually Beneficial Partnerships with Auto-Submission
  7. Additional Corporate Giving Programs

Understanding the importance of corporate sponsorships is just the beginning. Securing the right corporate sponsorship is another story entirely. Let’s get started!

Raise more by tracking matching gifts and corporate sponsorships with Double the Donation.

What is a Corporate Sponsorship?

A corporate sponsorship is a form of support nonprofits receive from corporations to fund events, nonprofit programs, or specific projects. The benefits are twofold: nonprofits receive the help they need to continue serving their missions, while the company receives tax deductions and a positive reputation for its brand.

Corporate Sponsorship Types

Corporate sponsorships can take many forms. Here are a few examples of the most common types:

The four types of corporate sponsorships are shown and explained below.

Financial

This is when a company donates money to sponsor an event or program. Generally, nonprofits recognize the company through various event materials, such as signage, merchandise, and online advertising, in exchange for its support.

In-Kind

An in-kind sponsorship involves a company donating goods or services to an event or project. For example, a restaurant might provide catering services, or a spa may donate free spa packages as a raffle prize.

Media

Some companies cover the cost of promoting a nonprofit event through media sponsorships. This could include radio promotions, TV ads, or printed advertisements.

Corporate and Employee Giving

Beyond typical corporate sponsorships, other forms of corporate giving can help your nonprofit. These include automatic payroll deductions, volunteer programs, and corporate matching gifts. Read more about these below!


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Benefits of Corporate Sponsorships

Corporate sponsorships benefit both companies and nonprofits in the following ways:

Benefits for Nonprofits

  • Increased awareness. By leveraging a company’s audience, nonprofits can share their mission with more people.
  • Acquisition of new supporters. Corporate sponsorships can transform a company’s customers into their nonprofit partner’s supporters.
  • Boosted credibility. If potential supporters see a well-known company supporting your nonprofit, they can be confident they’re contributing to a legitimate cause and organization.

Benefits for Companies

  • Positive brand recognition. Helping nonprofits gives companies a chance to live up to their proclaimed values and demonstrate their community involvement.
  • Attracting new customers. Just as a company’s customers can turn into a nonprofit’s supporters, a nonprofit’s supporters can also be converted into the corporate sponsor’s customers.
  • Happy employees. When companies practice social responsibility, their employees can feel good knowing they’re working somewhere that honors their values and supports worthy causes.

Considerations to Keep In Mind Before Getting Started

Clearly, corporate sponsorships benefit all parties. But before getting started, there are a few things to be aware of to prepare for a sponsorship:

  • Legal compliance. Depending on what kind of agreement you make with a business, the sponsorship may be qualified as a commercial co-venture. This usually occurs during cause marketing campaigns that involve sharing revenue (e.g., a retailer selling a shirt and giving your organization part of the proceeds). However, it’s best to check with a lawyer to ensure you are complying with the law and meeting your state’s licensing requirements.
  • Dependency. Relying too heavily on support from sponsors, particularly just one or two businesses, could leave your nonprofit financially vulnerable if a business cannot or decides not to continue supporting your organization. Build a robust network of corporate connections and diversify your revenue sources to ensure your nonprofit is sustainable.
  • Potential conflicts. Conflicts are a possibility in any relationship, ranging in seriousness from a misread email to ethical concerns. You can limit conflicts by selecting corporate sponsors with values that align with yours and clearly communicating shared responsibilities and expectations early in the relationship. Ensuring all sponsorship agreements are detailed in writing can be useful for preventing and navigating conflicts that may occur.

Don’t let these factors prevent your nonprofit from taking advantage of the benefits of a corporate sponsorship. Proper due diligence, careful documentation, and clear communication can help you manage and even prevent these concerns altogether.

How to Find Corporate Sponsorships

When it comes to asking for corporate sponsorships, be intentional about who you choose to work with. As you research potential partners, consider the following tips to narrow down your search:

The four ways of finding corporate sponsors are detailed and explained below.

Contact Local Businesses

Start local! Approach the businesses in the immediate area of your event. To find candidates, use resources like:

  • Your local chamber of commerce directory
  • Networking events
  • Professional networking sites like LinkedIn
  • Social media platforms

These businesses are more likely to see the value in sponsoring an event in their own community, which can greatly impact their decision to partner with you.

Seek Out Shared Values

A corporate partner should align with your organization’s mission. For instance, if you’re an environmental organization, you should work with a corporation that values sustainability, environmental conservation, and other related issues. Your organization could end up losing credibility if you partner with a corporation that substantially harms the environment or has received bad press.

Browse a business’s website, social media platforms, and other resources to get a feel for its values. Many companies list their values publicly. Then, discuss these values with the company’s point of contact before confirming the sponsorship to ensure you understand what they mean in practice.

Look Online

Search for lists of companies that donate to nonprofits online. These companies have a reputation for their philanthropic behaviors, so they might be more interested in forming a partnership than a business with no previous interest in charitable giving. You might find one you haven’t thought of before.

Not to mention, corporate giving databases like Double the Donation can provide detailed information about available corporate sponsorships, grants, and more.

Leverage Points of Contact

If your board members, key donors, or other members of your organization have connections or contacts at a particular company, ask them to reach out directly and request a sponsorship. Or, at the very least, see if they’d be willing to make a warm introduction for your organization. This is where your donor employment information can really come in handy!

Additionally, companies may be looking to fulfill the ethical and philanthropic obligations laid out in the pyramid of CSR.

Top 10 Companies With Excellent Corporate Sponsorship Programs

Zipsprout’s guide to corporate sponsors shares some interesting corporate sponsorship statistics. We’ve combined these statistics with insights from our robust database of matching gift and volunteer grant programs to highlight the best corporate sponsorship and relationship opportunities.

Check out these top corporate sponsors!

Programs Offered
Wells Fargo Matching gifts and volunteer grants
State Farm Matching gifts and volunteer grants
PepsiCo Matching gifts and volunteer grants
U.S. Bank Matching gifts and volunteer grants
Bank of America Matching gifts and volunteer grants
Anheuser-Busch Matching gifts
Clif Bar Matching gifts
The Coca-Cola Company Matching gifts
Walmart Matching gifts and volunteer grants
McDonald’s Matching gifts

1. Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo has sponsored 2.89% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #1 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“Wells Fargo is committed to building an inclusive, sustainable future for all through a focus on opening pathways to economic advancement, championing quality, affordable homes, empowering small businesses to thrive, and driving an equity-focused transition to a low-carbon economy.”

– Wells Fargo’s Community Giving Page

Corporate Giving Information

Wells Fargo offers both matching gifts and volunteer grants. The company matches up to $2,000 per employee at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about Wells Fargo’s corporate giving programs!

2. State Farm

State Farm has sponsored 1.07% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #5 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“With more than 19,000 agents around the country, State Farm is a committed member of your community and we welcome any opportunities that build our brand and tie into our marketing strategies on both a local and national level.”

– State Farm’s Marketing Sponsorships Page

Corporate Giving Information

State Farm offers both a matching gift program and volunteer grant opportunities. The company matches up to $4,500 at a 1:1 ratio for full-time employees.

Learn more about State Farm’s corporate giving programs!

3. PepsiCo

PepsiCo has sponsored 0.98% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #6 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“At the heart of the PepsiCo Foundation is our belief in the potential possessed by the people and communities we serve. There are far too many communities around the world, however, that are systemically excluded from access to the essential resources they need to grow, prosper and thrive — like nutritious food, safe water and economic opportunity. That is why the PepsiCo Foundation’s work focuses on the creation of sustainable and innovative solutions to these three critical socioeconomic issues.”

– PepsiCo’s Philanthropy Page

Corporate Giving Information

PepsiCo matches employee donations up to $10,000, with a minimum donation amount of $25. The company also offers a volunteer grant program.

Learn more about PepsiCo’s corporate giving programs!

4. U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank has sponsored 0.97% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #7 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“Nonprofit donations and sponsorship are an integral part of our company’s philanthropic initiatives. In 2022, U.S. Bank contributed more than $32 million in corporate contributions and nonprofit sponsorships.”

– U.S. Bank’s Charitable Giving and Volunteerism Page

Corporate Giving Information

U.S. Bank matches up to $3,000 in donations made by active full- and part-time employees at a 1:1 ratio. The company also offers a “Dollars for Doing” volunteer grant program.

Learn more about U.S. Bank’s corporate giving programs!

5. Bank of America

Bank of America has sponsored 0.92% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #8 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“We have countless strong nonprofit alliances around the country, which include grants and sponsorships to local organizations that help improve financial lives and entire communities. Some areas we concentrate on are workforce development and education, basic needs like food and housing, and community development.”

– Bank of America’s Grants & Sponsorships Page

Corporate Giving Information

Bank of America offers matching gifts and volunteer grant opportunities. The company matches up to $5,000 in donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about Bank of America’s corporate giving programs!

6. Budweiser/Bud Light (Anheuser-Busch)

Budweiser has sponsored 0.76% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #9 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“We are business partners, collaborators, and community leaders working to make a difference around the corner and around the globe. We create jobs. We help our neighbors when natural disasters strike. We remain unwavering in our advocacy for responsible drinking. We put sustainable innovation at the center of our business by reducing our use of precious natural resources and continuously striving to leave our world a cleaner place for the future.”

– Anheuser-Busch’s Community Page

Corporate Giving Information

Anheuser-Busch’s matching gift program matches donations up to $5,000 per year at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about Anheuser-Busch’s corporate giving programs!

7. Clif Bar

Clif Bar has sponsored 0.74% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #10 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“From the volunteer work we do locally to the way we source ingredients globally, our commitment to the communities we touch is an important part of who we are.”

– Clif Bar’s Aspirations Page

Corporate Giving Information

Clif Bar offers a matching gift program to active employees, matching up to $2,500 in donations at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about Clif Bar’s corporate giving programs!

8. The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company has sponsored 0.72% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #11 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“Our mission is to make a difference in communities around the world by investing in transformative ideas and institutions that address some of our most pressing global challenges.”

– The Coca-Cola Foundation

Corporate Giving Information

The Coca-Cola Company offers a very generous matching gift program. The company contributes up to $20,000 per employee per year, matching at a 2:1 ratio.

Learn more about The Coca-Cola Company’s corporate giving programs!

9. Walmart

Walmart has sponsored 0.68% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #12 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“We seek to create value in the communities around the world where we operate, strengthening them through local grants supporting programs that help them thrive.”

– Walmart’s Local Community Support Information

Corporate Giving Information

Walmart matches up to $25,000 in donations made by executive-level employees at a 3:1 ratio. The company also offers a volunteer grant program.

Learn more about Walmart’s corporate giving programs!

10. McDonald’s

McDonald’s has sponsored 0.67% of nonprofits in a database of nonprofits that publicly list their sponsors, placing them at #14 on the list of top corporate sponsors.

“We show our commitment to helping others by facilitating fundraising and engaging volunteers for Ronald McDonald House Charities® programs and the McDonald’s® HACER® National Scholarships. Through involvement in youth sports, local charities and events that inspire the world, giving back is an essential part of the way we operate every day.”

– McDonald’s Community Page

Corporate Giving Information

McDonald’s offers a very generous matching gift program, matching up to $10,000 in employee donations (depending on role) per year at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about McDonalds’ corporate giving programs!

How to Ask for a Corporate Sponsorship

Once you’ve identified corporations you want to partner with, it’s time to plan how you’ll approach them. Forming the right ask depends on your goals, who you’re reaching out to, and when you plan to make contact. Here’s a helpful list of strategies to help you make the ask:
This image and the following text show a variety of ways you can effectively ask for a corporate sponsorship.

Promote Your Sponsorship Page

Creating a sponsorship page on your nonprofit’s website is a great way to condense the must-know information about sponsoring your organization. Include information like:

  • Your sponsorship levels
  • A case for support that explains why you need sponsors
  • How an interested company can reach out to your team

Then, promote this page across different channels, such as social media and paid advertising platforms like Google Ads. You can tap into paid advertising for free with the Google Ad Grant! If you apply and are approved, you can promote content like your sponsorship page on Google Search Results for relevant keywords.

Finding the right keywords can take some work, but you can always turn to a professional to handle the work for you. A Google Ad Grants expert like Getting Attention can help you optimize your sponsorship landing page and promote it using Google Ads.

Be Creative

You can ask a company to sponsor just about anything. Use aspects of your event that already exist, and turn them into sponsorship perks. Then, be sure to position them as excellent sponsorship opportunities for your potential partners.

Set the Right Sponsorship Levels

Just like you receive a variety of donation amounts from individual supporters, establish multiple levels of sponsorship for corporations to agree to. If you have an event with hundreds or thousands of people, make sure your sponsorship levels are high enough (such as $1,000 and up). You don’t want sponsorship to be priced so high that no one will want to participate, but by keeping levels elevated, sponsors will feel like the event is well-run and that you have confidence in what you’re doing.

On the other hand, if you’re planning a smaller event and have difficulty securing a large sponsorship, consider offering a lower sponsorship level with fewer perks. For instance, you could offer a $100 level for smaller businesses not interested in the larger sponsorship opportunity.

Explain Why You’re a Perfect Fit

As you make your ask, explain how this corporate partnership will contribute to building up the company’s brand. Do your missions align? What will working with your nonprofit help the company achieve in terms of its own goals? Keep these in mind and communicate them as clearly as possible.

Ask About the Company’s Objectives

That said, asking the company directly about its objectives and priorities demonstrates that you’re genuinely interested in bringing value to the partnership. Remember, your corporate sponsors have objectives, or “missions,” of their own. They’ll want to know they’re supporting a nonprofit that aligns with these goals and that the sponsorship can help them achieve them.

Tell a Story

Explain to potential sponsors how their sponsorship and support can directly impact someone as part of your mission. For instance, “$1,000 will help us provide meals to 5 families of 4 for a week.” Additionally, share how last year’s sponsors were able to help your organization accomplish its goals.

Tailor Your Ask

Rather than using one main template and filling in names, make your ask personal and write individualized letters. These should be addressed to a relevant person at the company who is most likely to be receptive to hearing about your cause. Make sure you do your research on who to ask. Go beyond just marketing contacts and speak to anyone who will sympathize with your mission and also be in a position to create a plan of action!

Consider In-Kind Donations

If a business declines to offer a monetary sponsorship, consider asking for a non-monetary sponsorship instead, such as coupons for free services on event day. You can also request that a portion of their proceeds on the event day be donated back to the organization. A business in the area could serve as a location for the kick-off party, packet pick-up, or after-event party.

You can also reach out to companies to provide services you’ll need at the event, such as photography, DJ/entertainment, signage, food, portable toilets, and tent/chair rentals. The value of their goods or services can certainly equate to a sponsorship level.

Leverage Your Data

Always back up your corporate sponsorship asks with supporter data. Determine what demographics a sponsor is targeting, and provide them with information about your event that would be relevant. For example, if a company tends to target women aged 50 to 60, let them know how many people or what percentage of participants attending your event fall into that group.

Meanwhile, your donors’ employment information can come in handy here, too! If a company’s staff are already supporting your cause, let the company know how they can get deeper involved while growing employee engagement.

Find the Right Timing

The timing of your sponsorship ask is important. A lot of larger companies earmark a specific amount of money each calendar year for charitable giving, so be sure to ask when is the best time for them to consider a sponsorship.

Oftentimes, you have to get your ask in very early to even be considered. Other times, you have to adjust your strategy to the business you’re reaching out to. For instance, if you’re reaching out to an accounting firm during tax season, you’re most likely not top-of-mind, and your request may go unanswered.

Propose a Plan

Part of crafting an appealing sponsorship ask means outlining your campaign initiatives and success metrics. This means defining your fundraising goal and the impact it will have first and foremost.

As mentioned before, use numbers and data to support your proposal. But also be sure to define your success metrics and use KPI benchmarks that show when you’ve achieved your fundraising goals. Be specific about how your organization plans to meet its objectives, and link this process to ongoing projects, as well.

Draft a Sponsorship Agreement

The biggest thing that will demonstrate that you’re professional and committed to the partnership is a sponsorship agreement. It should be written down to outline your goals, expectations, and other deliverables for your organization and the company. It’s also a good idea to include how you’re going to recognize the company for its support, such as through advertising materials, merchandise, or event printouts.

Follow Up

Haven’t heard back? Don’t give up! Continue to communicate with companies after you’ve reached out with a corporate sponsorship request. Always check back to ensure someone has received your call, email, or letter. If not, ask to speak to the appropriate person at the company, and/or resend your ask to that person.

How to Cultivate Relationships with Corporate Sponsors

Once you’ve secured your corporate sponsorship, don’t let the relationship fall by the wayside! In addition to presenting your partnership in a professional light, continuing to recognize and work with your sponsor can have a huge impact on your organization.

Here are some effective ways to work with a sponsor after they’ve agreed to support your cause:

This image shows ways to cultivate relationships with corporate sponsors.

Treat Them Like Part of the Team

Treat your corporate sponsors like part of the team, because they are part of the team. Many sponsors will feel more engaged and recognize that they’re getting more from their sponsorship if they hear from you often. This doesn’t mean sending them an email every day, but rather, treating them like a team member.

Use the same engagement tools and approaches you use with participants to connect with your sponsors. For fundraising events, offer them a free team captain registration, help them get their page set up, and provide fundraising coaching. The more a sponsor raises and the larger their team, the more exposure they will get. This will in turn make them feel like they’re getting more out of the sponsorship.

Pay Attention to the Little Things

Yes, big perks matter, but the little touchpoints make a big difference, too. Send a handwritten thank-you letter or a note from a participant or beneficiary of your cause’s work. If the sponsor also fundraised for your campaign, create a top fundraisers certificate that you send to them by mail.

These little touchpoints show that you acknowledge the importance of their support, yet the cost is minimal, which demonstrates good stewardship by not wasting the sponsor’s money.

Thank Your Sponsors Publicly

Feature sponsor logos and information in your event materials, such as merchandise, pamphlets, and online advertisements and emails. Then, give a shoutout on social media! Tag their company or business page, and publicly thank them in a post.

This will help your sponsor gain exposure as a reward for supporting your event, and it will also help solidify your partnership as beneficial and worthwhile in terms of the company’s branding. Most likely, the company will then re-post your original post to its full audience to help your event reach new constituents.

Additional Corporate Giving Programs

Corporate sponsorships are a fantastic source of funding and support for your nonprofit’s events and projects. But you should also research other forms of corporate philanthropy. Especially when combined with a corporate partnership, other types of philanthropy can maximize your fundraising revenue and keep your supporters engaged.

Of course, managing different areas of workplace giving like matching gifts, volunteer grants, payroll giving, and more can be tricky if you don’t have a centralized platform. Seek out software that can help you identify opportunities, collect data, and share insights for oft-overlooked types of corporate giving. This way, you’ll be able to capitalize on more opportunities for support, growing your funding and support through one organized database.

Here are a few of the different types of corporate giving opportunities your nonprofit can seek out and manage with software:

Matching Gifts and Fundraising Matches

Corporate matching gifts are the most popular type of corporate giving program with more than 26 million individuals working for companies with matching gift programs.

Through these programs, companies match the donations their employees make to eligible nonprofits. Typically, these matching gifts occur at a 1:1 ratio, but some companies will match at a higher rate. This means that your donors’ gifts could be doubled (or even tripled!) at no additional cost to the supporter.

Additionally, some employers match funds their employees raise on behalf of a nonprofit. For example, if you hold a walk-a-thon and an employee raises $250 in pledged donations, the match would bring it to a grand total of $500!

If you’ve already set up a partnership with a company, their employees will be encouraged to donate to your cause. While they are a popular form of corporate giving, matching gifts are still an overlooked revenue source. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness among all of your donors and supporters, whether they’re connected to known sponsors or not.

To help raise awareness among your supporters about matching gifts, consider investing in matching gift software. A solution like Double the Donation offers:

  • A comprehensive matching gift database that houses information about thousands of companies and their corporate giving programs. Donors can search for their employers using a straightforward search tool, which can be easily embedded into your website.
  • Email tools that help you identify matching gift opportunities within your existing donor database and trigger emails to relevant donors.
  • Email address detection tools that can identify opportunities based on a donor’s email domain. For example, Double the Donation can automatically pick up that an email address like donorname@wellsfargo.com means the donor likely works for Wells Fargo.
  • Follow-up emails that remind donors to check with their employer for matching gift opportunities.
  • Automatic match request submission for donors whose employers use a CSR software vendor that partners with Double the Donation.

These are just a few of the features that Double the Donation’s matching gift solution offers to spread awareness of matching gifts, remind employees to apply for them, and allow you to take advantage of this key revenue stream.

Find more matching gift revenue beyond your corporate sponsorship with Double the Donation!

Did you know you can make workplace giving even easier? Explore matching gifts auto-submission.

Corporate Grants

Corporate grants are gifts that businesses make to nonprofit organizations, usually for a specific purpose. Like other grants, these may involve an application process and often require your nonprofit to report how the grant was spent and the impact that funding had.

These grants can vary in size and scope, and they may be given in the form of:

  • Cash
  • In-kind donations (e.g, free products or pro bono services)
  • Other resources your organization may need

When it comes to finding corporate grants for your nonprofit, start with corporations you’ve already worked with during event sponsorships or other partnerships. Additionally, check online grant directories to source new funding opportunities.

Volunteer Grants

When you’re running your mission-relevant programs or any kind of fundraising event, it’s likely that your team will need volunteer assistance. But what if there was a way to turn these already beneficial volunteer hours into another source of fundraising revenue?

Volunteer grants are another common form of corporate philanthropy in which companies provide monetary grants to organizations where their employees regularly volunteer. If you fold this into your already established corporate partnerships, you may very well end up with extra funds for your mission!

Ask corporate sponsors to encourage their employees to volunteer at your event—especially if those volunteers offer specific skill sets that can benefit your cause. If the company also offers a volunteer grant program, this means you’ll get much-needed help at the event itself and you’ll raise more money.

Even if your volunteers don’t come from corporate partners, encourage them to look up their eligibility for a volunteer grant. Many matching gift databases also offer information about volunteer grants! Double the Donation Volunteering allows volunteers to find their employers’ volunteer grant program details. Embed the search tool into your volunteer page and volunteer registration forms for easy access.

Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Volunteer time off (VTO) is paid time off that employees can use to volunteer. VTO hours are designated specifically for volunteer opportunities with registered nonprofit organizations, meaning employees can take time off during the workday to help your organization.

These programs provide employees with flexibility and help them fulfill their desire to better their communities. For your nonprofit, VTO policies can bring significant benefits like:

  • Providing more volunteers without investing time and resources into recruiting.
  • Expanding your volunteer pool can lead to more regular volunteers, a boost in volunteer referrals, and additional support for future events, programs, and campaigns.
  • Attracting volunteers with diverse skill sets (e.g., professional services like graphic design) to help you accomplish more with just the help of your supporters.
  • Boosting retention by giving these new volunteers an easy way to fit future volunteer shifts into their busy schedules.

Similar to volunteer grants, you can leverage your partner company’s VTO policy during the sponsorship. For example, employees might take an afternoon off of work to visit your facility the day before an event and help set up. Or, they might return after the event to help you write thank-you notes for donors.

Payroll Giving

Payroll giving, sometimes called automatic payroll deductions, is another perk of building relationships with companies. Employees can arrange to have a certain amount deducted from their paycheck and automatically donated to a nonprofit of their choice.

Some of the top advantages of encouraging employees to engage in payroll giving include:

  • A lack of transaction fees.
  • The ability to build long-term relationships (particularly if you provide updates about the impact of these gifts).
  • Funding you can count on.

These recurring donations can make a huge difference for your organization. Like a monthly giving program, they provide sustainable, reliable funding that you can expect each month. This makes budgeting easier and more accurate, helping you plan projects to fulfill your mission and maximize your funding.

In-Kind Donations

As you probably guessed from reading about in-kind sponsorships above, in-kind donations involve companies donating equipment, products, or services, rather than money. This expands beyond your fundraising events. Maybe your team needs marketing or tax assistance. Many companies are willing to provide these services to nonprofits free of charge!

Educating your organization about the various corporate giving programs out there can help boost your fundraising revenue. Pair that with strong corporate partnerships, and you’ll have the resources you need to continue serving your mission!

Developing Mutually Beneficial Partnerships with Auto-Submission

The most successful corporate partnerships are built on a mutually beneficial foundation between charitable organizations and for-profit companies. One of the best ways to improve both parties’ sponsorship outcomes is to make the process as easy as possible for everyone involved. That’s why we recommend implementing corporate giving auto-submission!

A graphic explaining how auto-submission creates mutually beneficial corporate sponsorships, as explained below.

Double the Donation’s auto-submission functionality is a groundbreaking development in the world of matching gifts and corporate partnerships. And it can aid nonprofit fundraising in a few key ways.

How Auto-Submission Improves Standard Matching Gift Experiences

Auto-submission makes matching gifts easier than ever for nonprofit organizations, their donors, and the companies that support them. Specifically, it enables eligible individuals to complete their match requests in significantly fewer steps⁠—meaning more matches are ultimately completed and fulfilled.

It also reduces the administrative workload for the nonprofit and business, which allows each group to make a larger impact. Not to mention, auto-submission capabilities include improved reporting practices, complete with new data points that allow organizations to better track matches through the process.

Introducing Custom Matching Gift Partnerships

On the other hand, there’s a wide range of companies that may not feel prepared to jump into a full-fledged matching gift program for their staff. However, they want to find a way to support nonprofit causes and inspire their employees to do the same.

Our recommendation for these types of partnerships is a custom (or “one-off”) matching gift program⁠—where a company will agree to match employee donations to a single organization. These are typically more targeted partnerships than a standard matching gift program, which allows for deepening relationships between a nonprofit and a corporate sponsor. And auto-submission allows these partners to facilitate their offering with minimal lift.

Custom matching gift programs are a unique way to secure corporate sponsors.

Organizations that use Double the Donation can create custom match programs that are exclusive to their own database tool. And when auto-submission is enabled, employee giving transaction details are automatically passed from the nonprofit’s donation page to the business offering the program.

Additional Resources on Corporate Sponsorships

Corporate sponsorships can have a huge impact on more than just the money your organization brings in. They also affect your organization’s brand recognition, exposure, and credibility. Be sure to choose the right corporate partners for your sponsorships and put in the required research to find the best match. 

Looking for even more information about corporate philanthropy? Check out these resources below:

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