In the ever-evolving landscape of nonprofit fundraising, organizations are constantly seeking ways to optimize the donor experience and maximize contributions. One often underutilized strategy is the integration of matching gift touchpoints throughout the donor journey.
By leveraging matching gifts, nonprofits can not only boost donation amounts but also enhance donor engagement and satisfaction. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of matching gifts, how to strategically incorporate them into the donor journey, and best practices to ensure success.
But first, let’s start with the basics.
What Are Matching Gifts?
Matching gifts are a type of corporate philanthropy where companies match donations made by their employees to eligible nonprofits. This can double or even triple the impact of a single donation, providing significant financial benefits to organizations.
Despite their potential, however, few nonprofits truly capitalize on matching gifts—largely due to a lack of awareness among donors. In order to increase knowledge about the programs, fundraising teams like yours are beginning to take more proactive steps to promote matching gifts to their supporters.
What Is the Donor Journey?
The donor journey refers to the complete series of interactions a donor has with a nonprofit organization. Beginning with initial perception and ending with ongoing engagement and support, the journey typically includes the following stages:
- Phase #1: Awareness. A donor becomes aware of the nonprofit and its mission.
- Phase #2: Consideration. A donor considers supporting the organization.
- Phase #3: Decision. A donor decides to make a contribution.
- Phase #4: Retention. A donor continues to support the organization through additional donations or other forms of involvement.
While the specific touchpoints incorporated throughout the donor journey vary from one organization to the next, the experience generally encompasses a combination of fundraising appeals, notes of gratitude, progress updates, and more—not to mention matching gifts!
Promoting Matching Gifts at Each Phase of the Donor Journey
By integrating matching gift touchpoints throughout the donor experience, nonprofits can grow interpersonal connections with supporters and significantly enhance the impact of their fundraising efforts on their missions.
Let’s walk through the following phases and see how matching gifts fit into each step of the journey.
Phase #1: Awareness — Educating Donors About Matching Gifts
Donors in the “awareness” phase have not yet made a donation to your organization. They’re typically learning about your cause for the first time, and sharing information about matching gifts—and their impact on your nonprofit—can help strengthen the initial connection.
We recommend educating potential donors about matching gifts through a combination of your website, mass email blasts, social media content, and more. Highlight stories of how matching gifts have made a difference in your organization’s work to ensure supporters understand the programs’ value. Meanwhile, blog posts and explainer videos can be helpful resources for building a foundation of matching gift knowledge as well.
Phase #2: Consideration — Incorporating Matching Gift Appeals
Donors enter the “consideration” phase when they begin pondering if they’ll support your organization with their funds. Often, the step forward in the donor journey is triggered by a gift appeal or donation request.
In order to drive matches through this phase, simply acknowledging the matching gift opportunity in your fundraising outreach can go a long way. In fact, Double the Donation studies indicate that simply mentioning matching gifts in a donation appeal increases the response rate by 71% and the average donation amount by 51%. That means donors will be more likely to give—and to give in larger amounts—when they know a matching gift is available.
Phase #3: Decision — Encouraging Matching Gift Submissions
Donors entering the “decision” phase are ready to access your giving form (or are prepared to give using another method). Fortunately, your organization can simplify the process by incorporating matching gift information directly into your donation pages.
Doing so allows you to prompt each donor for the name of their employing company on your giving form, then provide actionable next steps and direct links to submission forms from the confirmation screen.
Phase #4: Retention — Sustaining Engagement Through Matching Gifts
The final phase is centered around retention—or keeping donors (matching gift and otherwise) engaged in the long run. To do so, you’ll want to ensure individuals are informed about the impact of their contributions, including how their completed matches amplified their support.
After a donation is made, we suggest immediately following up with information about matching gifts. For the best results, it’s a good idea to include matching gifts in your existing donation acknowledgments and send a dedicated email with details on how to submit a matching gift.
Then, you’ll want to thank your matching gift donors for their above-and-beyond support of your cause!
Your donors love supporting your cause, and matching gifts enable them to do so at an even greater level. Optimizing the donor journey with matching gift touchpoints is a powerful strategy for maximizing donations, increasing engagement, and building long-term support.
With the right approach (and the right technology to power it), matching gifts can become a cornerstone of fundraising success, encouraging greater support at every step of the way.
Good luck!
