Fundraising is a big part of running any nonprofit organization. After all, it’s how you gather the support necessary to pursue your goals, garner relationships with key donors, and share your mission with the community.
So what happens when the world takes an unexpected turn toward economic uncertainty in the midst of a global pandemic? How can you keep your organization afloat and ensure that you’re still able to make a positive impact?
As a nonprofit professional, you’re likely well-acquainted with tight budgets and limited resources. Especially in the face of a global crisis, it’s more important than ever that you take advantage of every resource you have.
As we continue to navigate the unpredictable effects of the Coronavirus throughout the nonprofit sector, it’s crucial that you make every fundraising dollar count. One of the most effective ways to do that is through matching gift programs— a simple way to leverage corporate philanthropy and get two donations in one!
If your organization has yet to leverage corporate matching gifts, now is the perfect time to do so. To get your matching gift program up and running, just follow these key steps:
Ready to get started and double your donations? Let’s jump in.
The first step in boosting your matching gift revenue is finding the perfect matching gift database. The biggest concern facing matching gift programs today is the lack of awareness, and an effective database of corporate philanthropy programs addresses this issue head-on.
An effective database allows users to quickly search their employer, see the results, and be presented with suggested next steps all in a matter of seconds. An ineffective database, on the other hand, provides more questions than answers, and may even overwhelm the user.
Look for a matching gifts resource with these essential features:
Check out this matching gifts guide from re:Charity for more useful information on selecting the right searchable database for your organization.
Once you have the right database picked out, you have to decide how to best deliver the tool to your donors for use. You’re likely already familiar with the world of online fundraising, and hopefully you have a solid stream of revenue coming in through your donations website. That’s why it’s the perfect place to promote your matching gift programs.
Promoting your matching gift database on donation pages can lead to:
Especially in a time of economic uncertainty, many donors might need that little nudge to send them over and make their donation— and knowing their gift can be matched might be just the way to do it.
Even after the donor moves on from the initial donation page, it’s important to keep up with the reminders. If, for whatever reason, the individual submitted a donation without checking their matching gift eligibility, you still have a few key ways to reach them via various donor communications methods.
Be sure to promote your matching gift programs in these places as well:
Remember, your relationship with the donor isn’t over after they’ve made their donation. Follow-up messages are just as important to boosting donor retention levels, showing your appreciation, and promoting opportunities for matched gifts.
While targeting current and previous donors with your matching gifts promotion efforts is essential, it can also be important to blast more generalized messaging to your entire supporter base.
For example, consider starting an email campaign specifically to educate your audience about the importance of matching gift programs. You already know that the offer of a donation match is more likely to result in an increased number and size of gifts.
In order to craft an effective email campaign, consider these key tips:
As you inform your audience about the wide availability of matching gift programs and the overall mission your organization is striving toward, you can garner increased support and boosted desire to help your nonprofit and its constituents. Just be sure to direct individuals to your easy-to-use search tool whenever discussing donations or matching gifts.
A nonprofit organization needs to remain in sync and connected with the world around it, so being involved in current events is essential.
In the first few months of 2020 alone, we have come to see the effects of:
With these two huge concerns in 2020, along with whatever else comes your way in the future, supporters need to see that you care about your community and that you are doing what you can to improve it. And as a result, donors can know that their hard-earned money is going towards such a good cause as well.
Online advocacy and awareness campaigns are another great way to boost donor engagement during this time. Even if you don’t raise donations directly through those campaigns, you can still get your message out and significantly grow your audience in the process. Then, engage those new supporters and steward them toward increased fundraising involvement— for instance, by researching their matching gift availability!
As we step further into quite an unpredictable year, it’s important to do all that you can to keep solid foundations in place to sustain your nonprofit operations. Although we face economic uncertainty, many businesses are still looking to positively impact society through corporate giving programs. Therefore, it’s important that you, your team, and your donors know how to make the most of this generous assistance. Best of luck!
This post is authored by Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation.
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