As the calendar year comes to a close, nonprofits are preparing for one of the most crucial fundraising periods: the year-end appeal. This time of year is an excellent opportunity to engage donors and secure the funding your nonprofit needs to fulfill its mission in the year ahead.
However, one of the most powerful fundraising tools during year-end appeals often goes underutilized: matching gifts. By weaving matching gifts into your year-end campaigns, you can amplify the impact of every donor’s contribution. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss how to effectively integrate matching gifts into your year-end appeals to maximize donations, boost donor engagement, and increase the overall success of your campaign.
Specifically, we’ll cover:
● What Are Matching Gifts?
● The Power of Matching Gifts in Year-End Appeals
● How to Integrate Matching Gifts into Your Year-End Appeals
● Tips for Optimizing Matching Gift Engagement During the Year-End Appeal
The more you know about matching gifts, the better you can integrate them into your organization’s year-end fundraising appeals. Let’s get started with the basics here!
What Are Matching Gifts?
Matching gifts are corporate donation programs in which companies match employee donations to qualifying nonprofit organizations. This means that for every dollar an employee contributes, their employer will also contribute an equal amount, or sometimes even more.
Matching gifts represent a significant source of additional funding for nonprofits, yet many donors are unaware that their employers offer this benefit. For nonprofits, tapping into the potential of matching gifts can significantly increase donations, especially during year-end appeals.
The Power of Matching Gifts in Year-EndAppeals
The final months of the year account for a significant share of annual giving, with many donors waiting until the holiday season to make charitable contributions. During this period, individuals are often more inclined to give, and they can stretch their giving further with matching gifts.
By emphasizing corporate matching opportunities in your year-end appeals at this time, you can encourage donors to give more, knowing that their employers will help amplify their impact.
Here’s why matching gifts matter during year-end.
- Increased Donations: Matching gifts can double or even triple the size of individual donations, increasing the overall revenue from your year-end appeal. Plus, many donors are more likely to give (and to give in larger amounts) when they know a match is available.
- Boosted Donor Engagement: Match-eligible donors often feel a stronger sense of impact with your organization. Matching gifts foster a deeper connection to your mission, allowing supporters to get further involved.
- Corporate Relationships: Partnering with employers to promote matching gifts and broader corporate partnerships can help strengthen relationships with businesses in your community, creating opportunities for long-term collaboration.
All in all, incorporating matching gifts into your year-end appeals gives your supporters an added incentive to donate and provides an opportunity to generate more revenue from the same donor base.
How to Integrate Matching Gifts intoYour Year-End Appeals
Now that we’ve established the importance of matching gifts in your year-end fundraising strategy, it’s time to discuss how to effectively integrate them into your campaigns. Below are some keys trategies to maximize matching gift engagement during your year-end appeals.
Create Clear, Compelling Messaging
Donors need to clearly understand what matching gifts are and how they work. Use your year-end appeal to explain the concept in simple terms, and prominently include this messaging in your communications.
For the best results, highlight the following:
● How matching gifts can double or triple the donor’s impact.
● The eligibility criteria for matching gifts (e.g., companies that match donations, minimum and maximum match limits, etc.).
● How easy it is for donors to take advantage of matching gifts through your organization’s system.
In your messaging, emphasize the holiday spirit of giving and encourage donors to maximize the impact of their generosity. Use phrases like “Double your impact this holiday season” or “Give more with your employer’s matching gift program” to create urgency and excitement.
Promote Matching Gifts Across Multiple Channels
For matching gifts to be effective, they must be promoted at every stage of your year-end campaign. Therefore ,incorporate matching gift information into:
Email Campaigns: Include matching gift details in your subject lines, email bodies, and donation call-to-actions (CTAs). Plus, make sure to send a follow-up email dedicated to matching gifts after an initial donation is made.
Social Media: Use your platforms to raise awareness of matching gift opportunities. Create graphics, posts, and even short videos explaining how matching gifts work and how easy it is to get started.
Your Website: Ensure your website clearly promotes the matching gift opportunity, such as with a dedicated matching gift webpage. For the best results, this should include a link to a matching gift search tool that allows donors to look up their employer’s policy.
Printed Materials: For physical year-end appeal materials, include information about matching gifts with your donation forms, brochures, and any holiday cards you distribute. In other words, matching gifts should be included in all your materials!
Incorporate Matching Gifts into Your Donation Forms
When donors are making their year-end contributions, this is the prime moment to prompt them about matching gifts.Therefore, ensure that your donation forms include an easy-to-find section where donors can search for their employer’s matching gift program.
Some strategies include:
● Automated Search Tools: Integrate a matching gift search tool directly into your donation form to allow donors to quickly check if their employer offers matching gifts.
● Checkbox Options: Include a checkbox on the form that lets donors search for matching gift opportunities, simplifying the process.
● Matching Gift Instructions: Provide clear instructions or links to external websites where donors can initiate the matching gift process with their employer.
The easier you make it for donors to find matching gift opportunities while actively donating to your cause, the more likely they are to take advantage of this additional funding source.
Establish a Sense of Year-End Urgency
Many companies have specific deadlines for matching gift submissions, so it’s important to be aware of those dates and highlight them in your communications. In order to capitalize on year-end urgency, mention the fact that tons of companies’ match programs are closing their submission windows soon, and that getting a request in before year-end is often the best way to go.
Follow-Up and Remind Donors About Matching Gifts
Many donors forget to submit matching gift requests after they’ve made their contributions. To combat this, include follow-up reminders in your year-end appeal strategy.
● Email Reminders: Send targeted emails to donors, thanking them for their contribution and encouraging them to submit matching gift requests.
● Thank You Notes: Include matching gift reminders to reinforce the idea that their donation could be doubled if they take action.
● Regular Updates: Keep donors informed about the progress of the matching gift, especially as you approach year-end.
By continuously reminding donors of matching gift opportunities, you ensure they don’t miss out on maximizing their donations.
Engage With Companies Directly
When possible, directly engage with employers to discuss how you can align their matching gift programs with your year-end appeal. Then, remember to thank employers publicly or offer recognition in your year-end appeals, showcasing how their participation strengthens the impact of their employees’ giving.
Tips for Optimizing Matching GiftEngagement During the Year-End Appeal
To maximize matching gift donations during the year-end period, consider these additional tips:
● Participate in Giving Tuesday: Giving Tuesday is an excellent opportunity for nonprofits to raise more for their missions, and matching gifts can play a significant role here, too. For the best results, integrate matching gift information throughout your Giving Tuesday and broader year-end fundraising efforts to capitalize on heightened engagement.
● Highlight Matching Gift Impact: Regularly update donors on the total amount of matching gifts raised through the campaign efforts. This can inspire others to contribute by showing them the collective power of matching gifts.
● Offer Exclusive Incentives: Consider offering small incentives or recognition for donors who successfully complete their matching gift request. For example, you could offer a special acknowledgment or send a thank-you gift to those who double their donations through matching gifts.
● Measure Matching Gift Impact: It’s essential to track the success of matching gift initiatives during your year-end appeal. For the best results, measure the total amount raised from matching gifts, the number of matching gift donations, overall participation rates, and more.
By implementing these tips, you can significantly boost engagement and maximize the impact of matching gifts during your year-end appeal. When you make matching gifts a focal point of your year-end strategy, you'll encourage more donations, deepen donor relationships, and ultimately raise more funds for your cause.
Wrapping Up & Next Steps
Integrating matching gifts into your year-end appeals is a highly effective way to amplify your fundraising efforts and boost donations. By creating clear messaging, promoting matching gifts across multiple channels, and simplifying the process for your donors, you can unlock additional revenue and increase engagement in the long run.
With the right strategy, you can capitalize on the power of matching gifts during the holiday season, ensuring that your year-end campaign exceeds expectations. Don’t forget to track your progress and use data from this year’s appeal to fine-tune your efforts for future campaigns. Good luck!
