Top Strategies for Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website
Your nonprofit website is likely the number one place where donors come to learn about your mission and, ultimately, make a contribution to the cause. As a result, marketing matching gifts on your website is a great way to promote the opportunity while encouraging donors to give more and make a matching gift request.
As donors increasingly opt for online giving, an organization’s website presents numerous opportunities to educate supporters about matching gifts and guide them further down the donation-matching funnel. Because a nonprofit’s website is such a multifaceted tool, there are numerous ways to effectively market matching gifts within the online resource. In this guide, we’ll dive into a few of the most common and impactful methods for doing so:
- Matching Gift Pages
- Ways to Give Pages
- Blog Articles
- Images and Buttons
- Navigation Bars
- Website Pop-Ups
- Custom Match Pages
As with any modern organization, your website is often the first impression someone has of your nonprofit. You must make it count by sharing about matching gifts every chance you get. The more familiar donors are with gift-matching initiatives, the more likely they are ultimately to participate!
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With a Matching Gift Page
One of the best ways to ensure each donor has access to a wide range of matching gift information (and knows how to locate more) is to host a dedicated corporate matching gift web page on your website. This way, donors will have easy access to a landing page where they can learn about matching gift programs and discover if their employers participate.
This page can communicate relevant facts, such as matching gift statistics or annual donation numbers, and also allow donors to search for information using an embedded company search tool. It could even be as simple as stating what matching gifts are!
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for matching gifts on your dedicated match page:
- Begin with a brief overview of corporate matching gift programs (and where users can locate additional information on the topic).
- Explain the benefits of matching gifts programs, both for your nonprofit and for the donors themselves.
- Embed Double the Donation’s autocomplete search box in a highly visible location on the page.
- Include your organization’s contact information, including mailing address and EIN/tax ID number.
The goal of your matching gift page is to provide donors with a place to both learn about matching gifts and be spurred into action on the spot. With Double the Donation’s matching gift services, for example, you can empower donors to participate with year-round access to the forms, guidelines, and instructions they need to submit matching gift requests in minutes.
Example Content:
- “Did you know that more than 26 million people work for companies with employee matching gift programs? You might too! Learn more about your employer’s matching gift programs by entering the company’s name in the below search box.”
- “Matching gifts enable our organization to do more for the children in our community. When you request a donation match for your gift to the Children’s Play and Learning Center, you can provide much-needed resources for twice as many kids we serve. Find out more about the programs with our FAQ section, or find your company’s guidelines here.”
Take a look at how Save the Children implements top strategies to create a high-impact matching gifts page:
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With a Ways to Give Page
A functional website is a necessity for every organization. Not only is it a valuable resource for sharing information about your cause and operations, but it also offers an invaluable source of real estate for promoting revenue opportunities, both matching gifts and otherwise.
For many organizations, that’s where their Ways to Give page comes in!
A “ways to give” page is an area on a nonprofit’s website where people learn about a wide range of support options for the organization. This often includes online giving, upcoming events, direct mail donations, peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities, volunteer initiatives, and, of course, workplace giving programs such as donation matches and volunteer grants.
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for matching gifts on your “ways to give” page:
- Provide donors with direct access to the tools they need to research their own matching gift eligibility (like a matching gift company search tool).
- Direct donors to a page with more information (e.g., your dedicated matching gift page).
There are typically numerous ways for supporters to contribute to your organization, and you’ll want to advertise them all on your “ways to give” page. Then, as donors seek impactful opportunities to support your cause, remind them that having their employers match their donations is a simple way to make their gift go further.
Example Content:
- “Looking for more ways to support your favorite charities? See if your employer offers matching gifts!”
- “Did you know that thousands of companies match employee donations? Find out if your support is eligible for matching to double the impact of your gift.”
Check out Lehigh University’s Ways to Give page here to see these strategies in practice:
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With Blog Articles
Organizations often use online blogs to keep supporters updated on their efforts and tell the nonprofit’s story. Why not also utilize your blog to share ways for donors to double their donations, enabling your team to keep telling that story?
Blog articles are a great way to initiate a conversation about corporate philanthropy, particularly the role that individual donors can play. Consider telling in-depth stories about the importance of matching gifts while educating people on how to submit the necessary forms.
Best practices for marketing matching gifts with your prewritten articles include:
- Posting insightful stories about matching gifts and the effects the programs can bring to your organization’s mission.
- Incorporating relevant graphics and imagery that represent matching gifts alongside blog posts to help attract attention and increase awareness.
- Sharing matching gift donor testimonials and experiences, such as these examples from the University of Colorado Boulder and USA Swimming.
Many donors are unaware of matching gift and volunteer grant programs, so it’s essential to inform your supporters about these opportunities. To evoke emotion and encourage more donors to participate, we recommend carefully demonstrating the increased impact that corporate giving can have.
Example Content:
- “Corporate Employee Matching Gift Programs: What Are They and How Do They Benefit Atlanta University?”
- Use this article topic to inform donors about matching gift basics, from what matching gifts are to how they benefit your organization to how easy it is to submit a matching gift request. Sometimes, people just need to know that such programs exist!
- “Cat Rescue Club raises $200,000 from Matching Gifts and Saves 10,000 Additional Furry Friends!”
- Use this article topic to detail how matching gifts provide additional resources that can create opportunities that would otherwise not be possible. Make the story personal and relatable so donors realize the importance of taking a mere five minutes to submit a matching gift request.
Interested in getting a head start on your blog content? Double the Donation offers free, prewritten articles that your team can customize to suit your needs.
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With Images and Buttons
Images and buttons are each highly effective ways to draw attention to matching gifts within your organization’s website. Well-crafted visuals are significantly more eye-catching than plain text links (which are often overlooked). They can be an excellent resource for driving website visitors to take an intended call to action.
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for matching gifts using images and buttons:
- Brand your images and buttons with your organization’s colors and font choices, ensuring consistency with your website.
- Use imagery to help donors visualize the tangible impact that matching gifts can bring to your organization and its mission.
- Produce high-quality and visually appealing images and buttons (avoid blurriness, overcrowding, and imbalance) that also add value to your site.
- Choose and communicate an explicit action that you’d like website visitors to take (such as visiting your matching gifts page or searching their employer in your company database).
Once you have your images and buttons created and ready to go, consider incorporating one or more of these resources into your website, along with other digital communications, such as social media marketing and matching gift emails, as well.
Example Content:
- “Get your gift matched; request a matching donation from your employer here!”
- “Learn more about matching gifts! Click here to locate your company’s matching gift guidelines.”
Here’s how Sacred Heart University implemented effective matching gift imagery throughout its website:
P.S. Interested in accessing customizable matching gift graphics and templates? Explore the free resources Double the Donation offers to users on the platform.
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With a Navigation Menu
A website’s navigation bar is used to provide visitors with an easily accessible resource with which they can travel throughout the site from page to page. For many nonprofits, this navigation bar (also known as a “navigation menu”) incorporates the most highly-trafficked pages.
Depending on the organization in question, this may include items related to the organization’s mission and vision, an “about us” page, contact information for users to reach out to the team, and various ways to support the cause.
By including a link to your organization’s dedicated matching gift web page within your navigation bar, you can allow users to access that information from anywhere on your website.
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for matching gifts on your website navigation:
- Provide easy access to matching gift information directly from your site’s navigation bar by linking to your dedicated matching gift page.
- Choose phrasing that is straight to the point and easily understood by your donors and other website viewers (for example, “Double your Donation” or “Matching Gifts”).
- Place your link as prominently as possible within your navigation bar. Avoid too many subfolders, which can defeat the purpose of including it in the website menu at all.
Incorporating a matching gifts link in your navigation bar allows donors to easily discover matching gifts. Once a user clicks the link or button, they can dive into all the details about matching gift programs. But all it takes to spark that interest and get the user involved is typically just a few words within the navigation menu.
Take a look at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society website to see for yourself how navigable matching gifts are!
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With Pop-Ups
Website pop-ups are an incredibly effective tool for capturing donor attention and promoting matching gift opportunities during key moments in the donation or research process. By implementing pop-ups using your Content Management System (CMS), you can ensure that donors are reminded to check if their donations are eligible for a match, ultimately increasing the likelihood of donor participation and boosting the funds raised.
Popular platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix often have built-in pop-up features, or you can use third-party tools like OptinMonster or Sumo.
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for matching gifts via website pop-ups:
- Select core pages for targeting your matching gift pop-ups. This should include your donation page, “About Us” page, “Ways to Give” page, and beyond. The idea is to catch supporters’ attention from other key locations on your website, then direct them to your matching gifts page to learn more.
- Ensure an effective design. Use the pop-up design functionality within your CMS or other dedicated tool to create a visually appealing, branded pop-up that is clear and easy to close. Avoid making it too intrusive and ensure it fits seamlessly with your site’s overall design.
- Remember that timing is crucial. Pop-ups should appear at key moments, such as when a donor has just completed a transaction. You can configure triggers based on the page’s load time, scroll depth, or after the user has spent a certain amount of time on the page.
- Track and optimize. Don’t rely solely on a single static message. A/B test different headlines, CTA buttons, designs, and even the timing of your pop-ups to optimize their effectiveness. From there, ensure that you track their performance (monitor click-through rates, conversions, and the number of donors who actually engage with the matching gift opportunity) using the analytics and reporting features available in your CMS or pop-up tool. Then, use this data to tweak and optimize your pop-ups for even better performance.
By integrating pop-ups effectively on your website, you not only increase awareness about matching gifts but also encourage donors to take immediate action when they are most engaged. It’s a subtle yet powerful way to boost participation in matching gift programs and maximize your fundraising potential.
Example Content:
- “Double Your Impact! Does Your Employer Match Donations?”
- “Did You Know? Many Employers Match Donations; Let’s See If Yours Does!”
Marketing Matching Gifts On Your Website With a Custom Match Page
Some companies may not yet have the resources or the capacity to launch a comprehensive matching gift program for their staff. One approach that’s becoming increasingly popular among such businesses is the establishment of custom matching gift programs, which allow employers to experience the benefits of employee giving opportunities. In this scenario, a company would agree to match team members’ donations to a single nonprofit, often during a limited-time campaign.
And by marketing this unique (or “one-off”) matching gift opportunity, your nonprofit can pursue corporate partnerships more effectively. We recommend hosting a dedicated Custom Matching Gift Programs page on your website, keeping in mind that this resource will primarily target the companies themselves, rather than a company’s individual employees.
Make sure to incorporate the following best practices for your custom matching gift page:
- Host the page and the embedded interest form on your nonprofit website, and maintain consistent branding throughout your organizational materials.
- Clearly define the partnership opportunity. Many companies will be unaware that custom matching gift programs are an option, so you’ll want to review precisely what is being asked and offered.
- Provide a summary of your nonprofit’s mission and vision! Interested companies may already be familiar with your purpose, but a refresher can reiterate the impact the partner would make by supporting your cause.
Custom matching gift programs offer nonprofits an excellent opportunity to strengthen their relationships with philanthropic-minded companies that want to give back. But they take a bit of a different marketing approach to pursue, so it’s a good idea to determine where these initiatives fit into your overall corporate fundraising strategy and go from there.
Example Content:
- “Interested in supporting our organization with a custom matching gift program? Fill out the following form, and we’ll be in touch to discuss the next steps for developing a mutually beneficial partnership!”
- “By organizing a custom matching gift initiative, which is a unique type of employee giving program, your company would commit to matching donations made by your employees to our nonprofit organization.”
Here’s how the American Cancer Society structures its custom partnerships page:
*While Double the Donation offers custom matching gift management functionality, this feature is designed specifically for fundraisers looking to manage custom matching gift initiatives. Double the Donation does not work directly with corporations. If you’re a company interested in creating a matching gift program, contact us, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.
Final Thoughts & Additional Matching Gift Marketing Resources
Implementing matching gift promotions across your website is a significant step in boosting your revenue. Don’t overlook it!
Individuals looking to give for the first time will be more inclined to contribute. At the same time, existing donors will be able to easily locate the information they need to have their gifts matched by their employers. As your organization’s #1 marketing tool, marketing matching gifts on your website is essential.
Interested in learning more about effective matching gift fundraising practices? Check out our other educational resources on the topic:
- A Complete Guide to Fundraising Automation for Nonprofits. Raise more for your organization with less time, money, and resources by leveraging automation strategies. Find out how to fundraise better across your online giving pages, donor management system, matching gift tools, and more.
- How Donor Employer Information Can Boost Your Fundraising. Sharing company-specific matching gift information with donors is a great practice to follow. However, to do so, you’ll need to know where they work. Learn more about collecting donor employment data and what to do with it here.
- Matching Gift Databases: Our Comprehensive Guide. Marketing matching gifts across your website and more is made easier with a matching gift database. Explore this Double the Donation guide to uncover everything you need to know about the leading matching gift software solution.
