Thousands of businesses offer employee giving programs as a part of boosting their overall corporate philanthropy efforts. Of these charitable-minded companies, many incorporate matching gifts, in which businesses financially match donations made by their employees to eligible nonprofit causes.
For nonprofits looking to optimize their fundraising, that essentially means receiving free corporate donations for the cost of soliciting the initial gift—and it’s a fantastic way to make the most of the dollars they receive.
However, corporate matching gift programs continue to be significantly underutilized, with an average of $4 to $7 billion in matching funds going unclaimed by eligible donors each year. More than likely, your organization is not reaching its matching gift potential. Let’s discuss the four most common reasons why:
- Supporters are unaware of their employers’ matching gift programs.
- Donors find the match request process too complicated.
- Your organization is not leveraging automation software.
- You fail to communicate impact and gratitude.
It’s important to understand the obstacles in the way of maximizing your matching gifts before you can effectively address each one. Let’s dive in to find out how your team can improve your matching gift efforts and secure more corporate dollars than ever before.
1. Supporters are unaware of their employers’ matching gift programs.
One of the biggest reasons why your organization isn’t maximizing its matching gift potential, and one of the most significant obstacles to overcome, is the overarching lack of awareness surrounding these types of programs.
According to statistics from Double the Donation, more than 18 million individuals are employed by companies with matching gift programs, although approximately 78% of these match-eligible donors are completely unaware.
As a result, the responsibility for informing donors about these programs often falls with the nonprofit.
If your team is looking to educate your donors about the wide availability of matching gifts, consider promoting these opportunities with the following marketing and outreach avenues:
- On your nonprofit website.
- Through various social media channels.
- Via email and direct mail marketing.
When aware of their existence, donors love the idea of matching gifts. With just a few extra steps, they can secure an additional donation for a mission they care about without having to reach back into their own pockets. Making sure you overcome the awareness issue is a critical first stage in collecting more corporate matches.
2. Donors find the match request process too complicated.
Did you know that only 1.31% of donations are matched at the average nonprofit, despite 10% or more typically being eligible for an employer match? While a huge reason for this disparity is the lack of awareness, another critical challenge arises once donors begin looking into the process to request a match.
This process can vary widely depending on the company. For example, some businesses choose to simplify their employee giving programs with matching gift management software, while others rely on an array of online forms, downloadable PDFs, and physical documents.
As a result, many donors find the process tedious and time-consuming—or worse, they don’t know where to start.
First, there’s the effort involved with determining whether a donor’s specific gift is eligible for a match. Just because their employer offers a matching gift program doesn’t mean that any donation to any organization will be matched! Luckily, your team can streamline this part of the process by providing donors with the following information on their employers’ giving programs:
- Donation minimums and maximums
- Match ratios
- Eligible nonprofits
- Eligible employees
- Submission request deadlines
Once a donor has discovered that their gift is, in fact, match-eligible, they have to cross another bridge: establish the next steps to request a matching donation from their employer. Are there online forms to complete? Will they have to contact their HR department?
Again, your organization can simplify the process by directing them to information provided by their employer,. This might mean linking to online submission forms or passing along contact information for a corporate giving manager within the company.
In order to discover slowdowns and provide solutions for your supporters seeking matching gifts ahead of time, we suggest getting into the minds of your donors to see things from their perspective. After all, they’ve already made their donation to your organization. Of course, they’d want their gift to make twice the impact on your mission, but an overly complicated process is likely to cause increased levels of form abandonment.
3. Your organization is not leveraging automation software.
Simplifying the match request process for donors is important for maximizing corporate revenue—but you don’t want it to take up a ton of your team’s limited time and resources, either. That’s where automation comes in!
Matching gift automation leverages innovative technology and a comprehensive employer giving database to streamline matching gifts for your team and drive more matches to completion. Here’s how it works:
- Donors fill out your online donation form as usual and submit information such as their email address and employer.
- Your automation tool scans collected donor data for indicators of matching gift eligibility.
- A targeted email message is sent to each donor following their gift to educate them on matching gift opportunities.
- The donor is informed of their match-eligible status through your automation software and directed to their employer’s online submission forms where they request a corporate match.
- The donor’s employer verifies the initial donation with your organization and makes their matching gift.
Plus, your software system can collect valuable data insights throughout the matching gift process and provide you with a better look at your nonprofit’s matching gift revenue. This way, you can ensure that no match-eligible donations fall through the cracks and each donor is contacted regarding their gift—without having to spend the time manually communicating with each individual.
4. You fail to communicate impact and gratitude.
When you’re looking to maximize matching gift revenue, donor appreciation is critical. For the best results (and the best relationships), it’s important to thank your donors at the following steps along the way:
- Upon the supporter’s initial donation. Donors are not likely to go above and beyond to secure a matching gift for your organization if they felt their original donation was not appreciated. Be sure to thank each donor personally soon after receiving their gifts. Hint: this is also a great time to promote matching gift opportunities again!
- Once they indicate that they’ve requested a corporate match. Ask your supporters to let you know when they’ve requested a match from their employer. This way, you can have a better estimate of the amount of corporate dollars coming your way and, more importantly, thank them for taking this next step.
- After you receive the matching gift from their employer. Finally, you’ll want to thank your donor once again upon receiving the corporate match. Although this bonus donation did not come directly from the original donor’s wallet, recognize that it wouldn’t have been possible without their help.
Remember, at each of these points, it’s important that you communicate impact as well. Donors will be more likely to request a match when they recognize the tangible benefits that their initial support had on your mission. For example, if your organization works with stray animals, consider sending a message like this: “Thank you for your generous gift of $100 which helped us save 20 puppies. See if your employer will match your donation to save 20 more!”
Reach Your Matching Gift Potential
Matching gifts are a favorite corporate giving program as they allow fundraising organizations to capitalize on doubled donations and increasing engagement among supporters. In order to gain these benefits, however, it’s important to have a strategic plan in place to inform donors of matching gift opportunities, simplify the request process, leverage the right software, and communicate impact effectively. Good luck!
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