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Nonprofit Leadership Traits

Matching Gift Participation Rates

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Has your organization ever taken a look at which companies are consistently providing matching gift donations to your organization?

If you have, you may notice that a disproportionate number of matching gifts come from a select few companies.

Survey Results | Participation Varies Widely by Company:

The Chronicle of Philanthropy released a report entitled “How America’s Biggest Companies Give” which was compiled from their Corporate Giving Survey.

Employee Matching Gift Participation Rates

Key Insights on Matching Gift Participation Rates:

Insight #1: 65% of Microsoft employees request a match from the company compared to less than 15% for Xerox, Dell, and Verizon. This is a direct result of Microsoft being one of the best at communicating matching gift information to employees.

Insight #2: Pfizer leads companies in the pharmaceutical industry with over 30% of employees participating in the company’s matching gift program.

Insight #3: Matching gift programs are widely utilized by employees in the financial services sector. American Express leads the pack with 70% of employees requesting the company match at least one charitable donation.

Insight #4: Based on this sample of companies, the consumer goods sector has the lowest employee participation rates. Of the companies that provided data, Johnson & Johnson leads the sector with 25% of employees having one or more donations matched by the company.

 

Impact on your Organization’s Matching Gift Revenue: Home Depot vs. Coca-Cola:

For instance, both Home Depot (~13K Atlanta employees) and Coca-Cola (~5K Atlanta employees) are headquartered in Atlanta and offer similar matching gift programs.

One would expect Atlanta based nonprofit organizations to receive a significant number of matching gift donations from each of these companies. Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case. The majority of nonprofits we’ve spoken to self-report far more matching donations from Coca-Cola compared to Home Depot each year. **

 

So what causes this discrepancy?

Organizations typically explain this phenomenon by talking about the number of employees each company has in the area. While it’s true that a company with a major presence in a city is more likely to provide a larger number of matching gifts, there’s an even more important factor.

How well a company internally promotes matching gifts dictates how likely an employee is to know about the program and submit matching gift requests.

We know it doesn’t take a genius to come up with the above statement, but it’s true. So many employees at companies with matching gift programs have no idea their employer offers a program. If an employee / donor lacks knowledge of their company program, there’s no way they’ll submit a matching gift request.

 

Closing the Gap:

Although your organization can’t change how widely companies promote matching gifts to their entire employee base, you can greatly influence the percentage of your donors who submit matching gift requests.

If you raise awareness and make it easy for your donors / their spouses to submit matching gifts, you can increase matching revenue.

We recommend nonprofits promote matching gifts in three locations:

  1. In the donation process
  2. Across your website
  3. In your communications

If you effectively promote employee matching gifts to your donors, you can overcome low participation rates.

Data Sources:
*Based upon a publicly available survey of companies which was conducted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
**Based on our conversations with membership and development managers at select Atlanta organizations.

Washington DC Matching GIfts

Washington, DC Companies which Match Employee Donation

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As the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. has a large variety of non-profits and corporate offices. Consequently, there are numerous opportunities for non-profits to take advantage of matching gift programs and volunteer grants.

Statistics on DC Matching Gift Companies

From a non-profit’s standpoint, DC is one of the best cities to headquarter. The presence of the Federal government allows for major funding opportunities for a variety of organizations.

  • There are over 4,100 non-profits in the DC area, a number that continues to grow each year
  • According to National Center for Charitable Statistics, non-profits in the metropolitan area bring in over fifteen billion dollars annually from private donations and government grants

Companies in DC with Matching Gift Programs

There are a number of Fortune 500 companies with offices in the District that offer matching gift programs.

Fannie Mae

fannie-mae-matching-gifts

Fannie Mae, the financial services company, is one of the largest employers in the District that offers a matching gift program. They provide up to $2,500 in matching gift funds for all non-profits for part-time employees, full-time employees, and spouses.

Additionally, they provide volunteer grants up to $500 for 100 hours of volunteer service, which sets it apart from other corporations.

Learn more about Fannie Mae’s employee giving programs.

Verizon

verizon-matching-gifts-program

Verizon is another large company in the DC area. They offer a matching gift program that provides up to $5,000 for any education-related non-profit and up to $1,000 for other types of non-profits. The matching gift program is available to all current and former employees.

Verizon also offers volunteer grants of up to $750 for employees who volunteer for a total of 50 hours.

Learn more about Verizon’s employee giving programs.

Booz Allen Hamilton Consulting

booz-allen-hamilton-matching-gifts-program

Booz Allen is another company headquartered in DC. They do not donate matching funds like similar companies in the area, but instead give larger volunteer grants when Booz Allen Hamilton employees volunteer. For 40 hours of employee volunteerism they will give $500, and for 80 hours of volunteer service a nonprofit can receive $1,000.

Learn more about Booz Allen Hamilton’s volunteer grant program.

Graham Holdings Company (Washington Post/Kaplan)washington-post-matching-gifts

Graham Holdings Company supports wide variety of charitable organizations, specifically organizations related to:

  • Civic and Community Services
  • Health and Human Services
  • Education
  • Culture and Art

Graham Holdings has a matching gift program in place, which will match a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $2,000 per employee per year. The company matches at a 1:1 ratio for nonprofits and a 2:1 ratio for educational institutions and organizations where employees are regular volunteers.

Learn more about Graham Holdings Company’s employee giving programs.

GEICO

geico-matching-giftsGEICO, one of the largest companies located in the Washington, DC region, has a matching gift program in which the company will match a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $500 per employee per year at a 1:1 ratio. The company will match up to $5,000 per employee per year at a 2:1 ratio when they donate to educational institutions.

Learn more about GEICO’s matching gift program.

Additional DC Matching Gift Companies

These are only a handful of the companies within the DC area that offer matching gift grants. There are many more to choose from with different matching gift and volunteer grant opportunities. So please, share this with your offices and coworkers to achieve the most amount of money for your non-profit of choice or take a tour of Double the Donation’s matching gift and volunteer grant service!

Learn how to use social media to promote matching gifts today.

Social Media: 12 Matching Gift Posts to Schedule Today

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Social media – we all use it in one way or another. Whether we’re connecting with friends or catching up on the latest breaking news, social media has become an integral part of the daily routines of many.

But are you maximizing the impact of your social media platforms for your fundraising efforts, specifically in regards to matching gift programs?

Remember: With corporate matching gift programs, your organization is able to collect two donations for the price of soliciting one. Through these programs, employers pledge to match the donations made by their employees to nonprofit organizations such as yours, effectively doubling the impact of the original gift. These programs present a huge opportunity to increase your fundraising revenue,and you want to capitalize on them whenever possible.

Promoting corporate matching gift options using Twitter, Facebook, and the like is a quick, easy and cost-effective way (read: free)  to reach your digitally savvy masses.

Social media is incredibly efficient, as you’re able to schedule posts in advance and on a recurring basis. This means you don’t have to remember to continue posting– the networks will do it for you! This paired with the extensive network available to you through these platforms makes social media an opportunity to use to the fullest.

We’re going to examine marketing matching gifts on social media through the following:

  • Sample Matching Gift Posts for Twitter
  • Sample Matching Gift Posts for Facebook

However, before you begin posting about matching gifts on social media– which will inevitably bring forth donors interested in the programs– ensure your internal matching gifts processes are comprehensive.

Learn the best way to market matching gifts.

The Best Way to Market Matching Gifts

Once you begin posting about matching gifts on social media, there’s a decent chance you’ll have a few interested donors inquiring about their eligibility. The easiest way to push donors in the right direction and get them started with the matching gift process is by simply directing them to a comprehensive matching gift tool!

For example, Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro is the perfect tool for nonprofits looking to build their matching gifts solicitation processes. Embed this comprehensive, searchable database directly on your donation form and website, and then link to it in your social media posts. Then, when donors see your posts and are interested, they know exactly where to look to search for their own eligibility!

Additionally, this automated matching gifts tool allows for the immediate searching of a donor’s eligibility upon making a donation. Once an eligible donor is identified, the software sends automated marketing communications to inform the donor of matching gift opportunities.

Matching gift software provides you with an easy way to manage the influx of interest generated by social media posting. Now, let’s check out the following 12 sample posts to inspire your Twitter and Facebook-based matching gift marketing.

Twitter is a great tool to market matching gifts.

Learn how to use Twitter in your matching gift marketing.Sample Matching Gift Posts for Twitter

Because of Twitter’s 280-character limitation, be concise and to-the-point in your communications. Further, include a quick link to your organization’s giving page, website, or dedicated matching gift page so interested donors can access it on-the-fly via tweet

Here are some example matching gift tweets:

1. Did you know your gift can be doubled, tripled & even quadrupled? Your employer might offer matching gift programs.

 

2. Did you donate to us this year? There’s still time to submit a matching gift request from your employer!

 

3. It’s February – do you love us? We love you, too! Click here to see if your company will double your donations:  <insert URL>

 

4. Ever wonder if your employer matches donations? Search our database to learn more about your employer at <insert URL>.

 

5. Last year, we raised $X from corporate matching gift programs – help make 20XX a better year!

 

6. Did you know that tons of organizations offer matching gift opportunities? Check to see if yours does.

 

7. It takes just a few minutes to submit corporate employee matching gift forms… have you submitted yours?

 

Additionally, with retweets, donors can also easily share the word about your organization’s offering. The platform was made with efficiency in mind—so if you want to simply and quickly inform your donors, Twitter is a great place.

However, to educate donors about matching gifts through more in-depth communications, consider using Facebook.

Facebook is a great tool for marketing matching gifts.

Learn how to use Facebook when marketing matching gift programs.Sample Matching Gift Posts for Facebook

Facebook doesn’t present the challenge of character limitations as Twitter does, but that doesn’t mean you can ramble on. The following examples balance offering more in-depth information with catering to the shorter attention span associated with the internet.

Here are some example matching gift posts for Facebook:

1. We sincerely appreciate all donations to <Your Organization’s Name>! Did you know that your generosity has the potential to be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled? Check to see if your employer offers a matching gift program!

 

2. What do Microsoft, Bank of America, IBM, and Verizon all have in common? Each one matches donations made by their employees’ to nonprofit organizations. This means that if you donate, or have donated to <Your Organization’s Name>, and work for one of these four companies, the company will double your donation. Many major employers offer similar programs. Search <insert URL> to find out if your employer offers something like this, as well as to access program guidelines, how-to instructions, and relevant forms.

 

3. A huge thanks to all of our donors, and a double thanks to those who submit matching fund requests from their employers! Does your employer offer a program like this? Check today!

 

4. Help us <Your Organization’s Mission>. Ask your employer to match, double, or even triple your donation today! Check out your organization’s matching gift options here: <insert URL>

 

5. We like to brag that our donors are the best. Not only do they contribute to us, but they also take the extra step to see if their employer offers a matching gift program that may double the total donation to our organization! Have you checked to see if your company offers a matching gift option? Thanks for being a super donor if so! Check here to see if your company has a program like this: <insert URL>

 

Just as with Twitter, donors can easily share your Facebook posts with their friends and family. It’s a great way to get in front of new donors you might not reach otherwise!

If used correctly, social media can be a valuable resource in marketing matching gift opportunities. For more information on how to use social media to market matching gift programs, check out some additional social media ideas.