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Matching Gift Best Practices: Raise More for Your Nonprofit

May 23, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications /by Jessica King

As a nonprofit professional, you likely already know the basics of matching gifts. But ask yourself this question:

Do I know how to implement matching gifts effectively as part of my team’s fundraising strategy?

As a nonprofit professional, you likely already know the basics of matching gifts. Matching gifts are an amazing fundraising tool that allows you to maximize your donation revenue. However, without a sense of matching gift best practices, you may be missing out on some essential matching gift opportunities.

That’s why here at Getting Attention, we’ve put together this guide to help you set your matching gift strategy into motion. We’ll start with the basics and then jump into some best practices you can leverage to make matching gifts work for your organization. Let’s dive in!

How Matching Gifts Work

There are a few different ways your nonprofit can collect matching gifts, but the most common ones are matching gift campaigns and corporate matching gift programs. Matching gift campaigns involve getting a business, benefactor, board member, major donor, or foundation to match donations made during a campaign up to a specific amount.

However, what many donors don’t know is that their own employer might match their personal donations to many nonprofits. That’s where corporate matching gift programs come in—and they’re the focus of this article!

Many companies match employee donations at a certain ratio—usually 1:1—to most eligible nonprofits. Corporate matching gifts are one of the most common forms of corporate philanthropy. Here’s a rundown of how the process works:

Check out the steps involved in the matching gifts process.

An individual donates to a nonprofit.
The individual submits a matching gift request to their employer.
The individual submits a request for a gift match.
The company reviews the request and verifies the donation with the nonprofit.
The company matches the donation.

This process is made easier with dedicated matching gift software that pinpoints your donor’s matching gift eligibility. A donation tool like Double the Donation Matching does all of the heavy lifting for you. Organizations simply embed the matching gift search tool anywhere on their website. Here’s how it works:

From there, donors can access Double the Donation’s comprehensive matching gift database, which houses information on more than 20,000 companies and subsidiaries and their matching gift programs.

Corporate Matching Gift Rules

As amazing as corporate matching gifts are, there are a few important guidelines to take note of. That means, as a best practice, following and meeting these guidelines will ensure your nonprofit reaps the benefits of matching gift programs.

Guidelines usually include:

Minimum and maximum match requirements. In order to qualify for a matching gift, the donation amount must usually meet specific thresholds. Minimum amounts are typically around $25, but these vary, as do maximum amounts, which can be anywhere from $1,000 and beyond.
Match ratio. Another important guideline to look out for is a matching gift ratio. They’re typically set at 1:1, but ratios range anywhere from 0.5:1 to 4:1.
Nonprofit eligibility. One of the biggest specifications to look out for is whether your nonprofit is eligible to receive matching donations. Usually, most nonprofits are eligible, including educational institutions, arts and cultural organizations, and health and human services. However, the most common type of ineligible nonprofit is religious organizations, though there are exceptions to this as well, especially if the donation is being used for a non-religious purpose.
Employee eligibility. It’s also best practice to understand your donors’ eligibility for matching gift programs. Companies often specify whether full-time, part-time, or retired employees are eligible for matched donations.
Nonprofit verification. Once a donor has submitted their matching gift request to their employer, it’s your nonprofit’s responsibility to verify the donation with the company. You’ll usually receive an email or letter with instructions on how to verify the gift through a corporate giving vendor. If you don’t follow the instructions and confirm the donation and your nonprofit’s eligibility, you will lose out on the match.

Understanding the basic matching gift guidelines from companies will give you access to the gifts your nonprofit needs to propel its cause forward.

Promoting Matching Gifts

Did you know that approximately $4-7 billion in matching gift funding goes unclaimed every year? That’s because too many donors are unaware that they’re eligible for matching gift programs. And even if they knew they were eligible, they wouldn’t know how to start their match request.

That’s why one of the most impactful matching gift best practices is promotion. Here are some additional statistics provided by Double the Donation for some perspective:

$4-7 Billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed per year.
65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.
Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
An estimated $2-3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually.
84% of donors say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
1 in 3 donors indicate that they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.

With so many employees working for companies with matching gift programs, it’s essential to spread the word to capture as many matched donations as possible. Plus, because more employees are more likely to increase their donations if they knew their employer would match!

To summarize, if you don’t promote this valuable opportunity to your donors, they won’t take the next step toward matching their donation. Luckily, we’ve identified some of the top ways you can effectively promote matching gifts to your supporters.

Online Donation Forms

Donors are at the height of their engagement when they arrive on your donation form. They’re serious about making a donation to your organization, which means this is the perfect time to promote matching gifts.

At the very least, ask donors in a prominent spot on your form if they are looking to get a matched donation from their employer. From there, link to an informational page on your website that explains what matching gifts are.

To drive even better results, insert a matching gift search tool on your donation page. Tools like these capture employer information on the donation form, then display that company’s matching gift information immediately following the donation.

These tools then track the donors who take the next step and click on their company’s matching gift form. Some of these tools will even autocomplete a company’s name in the search field as a donor types it in:

Adding matching gift information to your donation process, whether that’s on the actual donation page or confirmation page, can significantly impact the number of matching gift funds you ultimately receive.

Email Outreach

According to Double the Donation, mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals results in a 71% increase in the response rate and a 51% increase in the average donation amount. This statistic illustrates that email is a marketing trend that is here to stay.

That’s why using email outreach to make your matching gift appeals is so important.

Mention matching gifts in your emails, whether you’re sending out a regular newsletter or specifically thanking a supporter for their donation. Briefly explain what a matching gift is, how donors can submit a matching gift request to their employer, and how they can let your nonprofit know that they’re doing so. For example, refer to this email:

Dear Mary,

We really appreciate your support to our organization.

Did you know that we raised 1 million dollars from matching gift programs? which were submitted by over 6,000 donors? Please visit our matching gift page to see if your company will match your gift and to access the forms, guidelines, and instructions to submit your match. Here are the steps to follow:

Check if my company will match my donation!
Click the provided link to let us know you have submitted your request.

Thank you again for your support.

Kind Regards,

Matching Gift Team

Like in the example above, provide links in your email that donors can click to:

Indicate that they’ve submitted a matching gift request.
Indicate that their donation is not match eligible.

By including these links, your organization will be able to keep track of who is engaging with your matching gift appeals, as well as the status of each active matching gift request.

Direct Mail

Contrary to popular belief, direct mail is not dead! Many of your supporters may still prefer traditional mail to other methods of communication. Whenever you send out printed marketing materials or thank-you letters, include an insert or other mention of matching gifts.

Just as with email outreach, the insert should briefly explain what matching gifts are and offer ways for the supporter to learn more. You might even include a scannable QR code that directs the reader to a dedicated matching gifts page on your website.

To simplify the process of designing, printing, stuffing, and sending your mailings, consider reaching out to a direct mail fundraising platform. This can save your team time and money that can be reinvested into your mission and put efforts toward your highest value match opportunities.

Social Media

Social media is already an excellent marketing channel to promote giving opportunities. So why not promote matching gifts through this method, too?

Spread the word across social media platforms, whether you’re running a specific campaign or simply looking to bring in more corporate donations. Include information about matching gifts, such as how they work and how donors can learn about their employer’s programs. Then link to a dedicated matching gift page on your website.

There are many ways you can promote matching gifts. From mentioning them at the height of a supporter’s engagement to sending out matching gift appeals on a regular basis, following these best practices will keep your strategy in line and help you raise more.

Acknowledging Matching Gifts

While promotion can certainly get you a long way, you’ll want to sustain the new relationships you’ve created with your supporters. That means acknowledging both the donations and the matches you’ve received.

After you’ve sent out matching gift appeals via a variety of channels, and those matches start coming in, you should stay in contact with donors to retain their support and cultivate your relationships with them.

Here are a few best practices you can follow:

Thank donors for their original gift. This goes without saying, but always remember to thank your donors for their gift right after they’ve submitted it.
Thank donors for applying for a match. It’s crucial that you keep track of the donors who have submitted a match request to thank them.
Notify donors when the match comes in. This is often an overlooked step, but one of the best things you can do to show your appreciation and acknowledge your donors is notify them when your organization receives the match from their employer.

Even though the match was initiated by the donor, it’s the matching gift company that made the second gift. Typically, there’s no need to send a separate thank-you letter to the company—especially if it’s a large one. However, smaller companies might have a different preference, and if any company requests an acknowledgment letter, make sure to send one.

When it comes to acknowledging matching gifts, one of the best things you can do is be transparent. Openly demonstrate the impact matching gifts have had on your organization, and let donors know what that money has allowed your organization to accomplish.

Additional Resources

Matching gifts are game changers, but only when you follow best practices for educating your stakeholders, promoting opportunities, and acknowledging donors. The more effort you place into enhancing the specifics of your matching gift program, the greater revenue you’re more likely to experience. This is why it’s crucial to work to proactively bridge knowledge gaps and promote matching gift opportunities.

Looking for more information about matching gifts? We’ve handpicked some excellent resources from Getting Attention to help you out:

Matching Gift Academy. Expand your matching gift knowledge, learn best practices, and optimize your strategy with Double the Donation’s unique learning platform.
14 Important Matching Gift Questions You Need to Ask. Here’s our basic guide that explains the nuts and bolts of matching gift programs.
How to Use Matching Gift Forms 101: A Nonprofit Guide. Searching for more information about how matching gift forms work? Check out this article!
19 Matching Gift Companies with Impactful Programs. Finding the top matching gift companies can be a challenge. That’s why we’ve listed some for you here!

Click here to see how Double the Donatio can help you reach your matching gift goals.

Optimize your nonprofit budget with the help of the following five tips.

How to Optimize Your Nonprofit Budget: A Guide & 5 Best Tips

May 22, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Fundraising /by Jessica King

A nonprofit budget is an important financial document that helps organizations allocate expenses and predict revenue. Your budget is crucial in helping your nonprofit plan for the future, stay fiscally responsible, and reach its campaign goals.

This comprehensive guide will walk through the value of a budget and explain how it relates to the actions outlined in your marketing plan. We’ll cover the following points:

What Is a Nonprofit Budget?
Why Is It Important to Create a Nonprofit Budget?
What Makes a Good Nonprofit Budget?
What Should Be Included in a Nonprofit Budget?
How Much Do Nonprofits Spend on Marketing?
5 Best Nonprofit Tips

These tips will guide you through budgeting basics, and recommend new ways to stay on top of your finances, like supplementing your marketing budget with the Google Ad Grant. Let’s get started by defining what a nonprofit budget is and why it’s important.

What Is a Nonprofit Budget?

A nonprofit budget is a financial document used to plan how an organization will spend its money. It encompasses both your expenses and expected revenue for a set period of time.

A regularly updated and realistic budget helps you know exactly how much money is coming in and out of your organization, allowing you to manage your resources more effectively.

Why Is It Important to Create a Nonprofit Budget?

Your organization likely already has a sense of how much money it spends each year. However, rough estimates are unhelpful when it comes to balancing your finances, and documenting your nonprofit’s expenses concretely has numerous benefits.

A nonprofit budget allows you to:

Allocate resources effectively. When you have a better understanding of your revenue and expenses, you can allocate resources more effectively. For example, if you no longer qualify for a grant you’ve received in the past, you can take a look at your expenses to determine what to cut to make up for the funding.
Plan projects ahead of time. A budget enables you to plan ahead. With a clear picture of how much money is dedicated to each of your nonprofit’s program areas, you can plan specific initiatives for the year to come.
Set better goals. The best goals are SMART goals, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. When you align your goals with your budget, you ensure they’re achievable based on your current resources.
Communicate more efficiently with stakeholders. Let’s say you want to introduce a new project to your board members. Showing your board that you have already budgeted for the costs of your new initiative increases the chance that they’ll support it.
Predict future expenses. Monitoring your revenue and expenses throughout the year helps you better predict your financial situation for future years.
Avoid mistakes. It’s difficult to make financial mistakes when you have a clear, regularly updated document with your organization’s revenue and expenses.

Creating and sticking to a nonprofit budget will put your organization in a healthier financial position. As a result, you can spend less time worrying about your nonprofit’s expenses and more time helping your beneficiaries.

What Makes a Good Nonprofit Budget?

Financial planning is vital to an organization’s success and sustainability. The Better Business Bureau recommends that nonprofits spend under 35% of their funding on fundraising efforts and spend at least 65% on programs.

To meet these guidelines, your team must devise a budget that outlines projected expenses and revenue. A budget for a nonprofit organization should be:

Accurate: Information should be based on logic and strategy. Have your accounting team double-check each line item to ensure your records are accurate and reliable.
Transparent: Nonprofits must disclose certain financial information to the public per request. Earn the trust of supporters and prospective donors by building a budget that communicates your financial history, goals, and programs.

Accuracy and transparency are crucial for your nonprofit’s image. After you calculate your financial statements, pull insights and share them with your staff, volunteers, and board. This will increase engagement within your organization and allow your team to better understand your nonprofit’s financial health.

What Should Be Included in a Nonprofit Budget?

From daily operational costs to monthly donations, there is a wide range of elements that should be included in your nonprofit’s budget. We’ll focus on the primary revenue and expense items.

Income Sources

Nonprofits rely on a combination of income sources from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Track your diverse revenue streams by accounting for the following types of income:

Grants: Nonprofits can apply for grants from corporations like Google, private foundations, and the government. Most grants are restricted funds and must be spent on specific projects outlined by the grantor. In your budget, specify which types of programming each grant will cover.
General Donations: Monetary donations from major donors and a wider donor base are the lifeblood of nonprofits. In your budget, look at past years to estimate how much you can expect to raise from general donations.
Monthly Giving: Recurring gifts are a reliable source of income. Account for monthly, bi-monthly, and yearly donations.
In-Kind Donations: These include non-monetary donations, such as volunteered services or supplies.
Corporate Giving: Corporate gifts can take many forms, such as sponsorships, in-kind donations, and matching gifts. Consider working with a matching gift professional to further boost your donations.

Projected Expenses

Projections are the best way to assess how much you are likely to spend on each campaign or project. Include the following costs in your budget:

Administrative: This includes expenses for operations and management, including staff salaries, office space, utilities, insurance, and technology.
Programming: These are the costs needed to carry out your mission-related activities. For example, if a nonprofit is dedicated to feeding the homeless, program expenses would include food and food preparation costs.
Fundraising: Activities related to soliciting financial support, which can include marketing activities like online ads, print ads, and event

Now that you have the basic line items for your nonprofit’s budget, let’s focus on budgeting for communications and marketing in particular.

How Much Do Nonprofits Spend on Marketing?

Budgeting for marketing costs is vital. Your marketing budget ensures you have the funds needed to reach your goals and determine whether your plans are realistic.

In the for-profit world, it’s fairly standard to determine a marketing budget by allocating 10-20% of projected gross revenue to marketing and communications. For organizations in the nonprofit sector, try to allocate between 5-15% of your budget to marketing.

Of course, exact totals will vary from organization to organization. According to the 2023 M+R Benchmarks Study, nonprofits spent an average of $0.11 on digital advertising for every dollar of online revenue in 2022. Nonprofit investment in digital advertising increased by 28%, with 56% devoted to digital fundraising, 26% to brand awareness, and 15% to lead generation.

What’s most important is that you establish a detailed marketing and communications budget prior to the start of each fiscal year. Track costs and revenue to analyze your return on investment (ROI) for each fundraiser and campaign. For your annual marketing and communications plan, allocate a specific dollar amount to each strategy (direct mail, email, paid advertising, media relations, etc.), each of which should be broken down further by additional costs that may apply, such as printing, postage, and consulting fees.

The following nonprofit marketing budget template can help your organization stay on track. Simply add each marketing activity, the associated strategy, and how much the activity will cost.

Download Our Marketing Budget Template

5 Best Nonprofit Budget Tips

A strong nonprofit budget serves as a framework for making decisions and meeting your goals.

Take control of your nonprofit’s finances and start building your budgeting skills with these best practices.

1. Determine a budgeting approach.

No one-size-fits-all budget exists. Adjust your budget approach to communicate financial information in a way that works for your organization. Consider the following strategies when building your nonprofit budget:

Income-Based Approach: As the name suggests, an income-based approach prioritizes income. Determine how much income you can realistically count on and include only reliable revenue in your budget. Don’t include income projections to fill gaps. If your organization doesn’t meet these income targets, it will create a budget deficit.
Incremental Approach: The incremental approach builds upon your budget from the previous fiscal year. While this is a quick and easy method to prepare a budget, it’s more difficult to find funding for new campaigns or projects since unspent funds may have been reallocated to another campaign.
Zero-Based Approach: The current fiscal year’s budget is prepared from scratch without considering income or expenses from the previous year. Although this method is accurate and efficient, it’s time-consuming. Your organization will have to test several assumptions about where money will come from and how it will be spent.
Percentage Approach: Break down your marketing, communications, and fundraising expenses by percentages of the total budget. This approach is favored by those who believe that marketing and communications expenditures should directly reflect a nonprofit’s evolution and the size of its budget. If done correctly, communications spending will grow as your organization does.
Flat Dollar Approach: Some experts in the field consider a flat dollar approach to be more relevant and safer than the percentage approach since your total budget has to cover costs like utilities, rent, taxes, and health insurance. Give special campaigns, marketing, communications, and fundraising efforts a set dollar amount based on past expenditures. This method simplifies projections and gives you a clear baseline budget.

Each approach has its own benefits and limitations. That’s why most nonprofits implement a combination of these strategies.

Now that you have solidified a budget approach, share it with your leadership and staff.

2. Develop a budget with your entire team.

Team-based financial planning is the most effective way to ensure your budget aligns with your organization’s goals. Involve staff and board members in the budgeting process to create a comprehensive strategy that relies on a variety of perspectives.

Consider these steps to running a budget meeting:

Determine a timeline. From preliminary drafts to approvals, the entire budgeting process can take weeks to months. Set deadlines and milestones to track progress against measurable benchmarks.
Agree on goals. Calculate how much revenue is needed to cover your campaign and marketing goals, and make a plan of attack with your team.
Review past data. Examine financial statements from previous years to identify areas of growth and improvement. Then, problem solve! If you notice a slump in revenue, work with your team to revise past financial strategies.
Draft the budget. Find a budget template that works for your team’s organizational skills. Then, build out anticipated costs and expenses according to your finances.
Present findings to your board. Before the start of the fiscal year, hand your budget over to your board for review. They will assess the effectiveness of how resources are allocated, evaluate administrative systems, and measure progress toward goals.
Debrief. Budget planning takes time and energy. After you complete your budget, meet with your team to discuss what went well and what needs to improve before the next fiscal year.

Once you develop your budget, you will have a clear plan for moving forward, shaped by concrete data and strategies.

3. Include non-monetary contributions.

In-kind donations are donated goods, services, and time. If your organization is fortunate enough to attract in-kind donations, record these contributions to abide by legal standards and create plans to thank specific donors.

Consider the following examples of in-kind donations you may record in your budget:

Tangible goods: Equipment, office furniture, clothing, food, supplies, etc.
Intangible goods: Advertisements, patents, copyrights, etc.
Services: Accounting, printing, catering, consulting, photography, security, etc.

In-kind donations should be recorded at fair market value. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) defines fair market value as “the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.”

To determine the value of your in-kind donation:

Calculate what your organization would have paid for donated goods on the open market.
Track the hours of professional services donated to your organization.
Contact your donors and ask them to price their own in-kind services.

Volunteer hours do not need to be reported in a budget. However, your organization can still acknowledge the impact of volunteers in your audit or in a short narrative included in your budget.

4. Conduct regular checks of your budget.

Set regular team meetings to monitor your budget’s progress. Whether you hold these meetings monthly, quarterly, or annually, ensure that your entire team is involved. This will improve communications and management between departments.

Consider the following topics in your meeting:

Assess the “why” behind budgetary issues.
Determine which campaigns need more financial attention.
Review past finances to determine if your budget is on track.
Compare your budgeted revenue and expenses to actual amounts.
Inspect balance sheets for discrepancies.
Account for any unusual circumstances that may arise.

Monitoring your budget throughout the year is the key to financial success, along with setting aside enough funds for marketing.

5. Apply for a Google Ad Grant.

The average small business using Google Ads spends between $5,000 and $12,000 per month on Google paid search campaigns. That’s $60,000 to $150,000 of marketing expenses per year spent solely on ad clicks. Thankfully, Google created a grant to help nonprofits budget for marketing.

Google Ad Grants provide eligible nonprofits a $10,000 monthly stipend to spend on paid search ads, helping supplement their marketing budgets. While regular Google Ad accounts have to pay per ad click, Google Grant participants can display their advertisements for free. These ads enable your nonprofit to appear on Google when someone searches for topics related to your mission.

The ideal Google Ad Grant candidate has a website that effectively serves its audience and promotes its mission, helping drive more traffic to your website. With the Google Ad Grant program for nonprofits, organizations can:

Increase online conversions. Create ads that encourage people to click through to your website and take action.
Reach out to new donors. The Google Ad Grants program requires nonprofits to create ad campaigns based on their goals, such as acquiring new donors.
Recruit volunteers. Another common campaign goal is to recruit more volunteers. Create ads based on your programs that potential volunteers in your area may be interested in joining.
Market multiple ad campaigns. With the Google Ad Grant, you can create multiple ad campaigns that target different aspects of your marketing strategy.
Analyze and track performance. The Google Ad Grant integrates with Google Analytics, which lets you track your campaigns and goal progress. That way, you can adjust your campaigns as you go to make sure your ads are effectively increasing conversions.

We recommend setting a daily budget of $329 to run as many campaigns as possible and take full advantage of your grant.

As long as your organization complies with the eligibility requirements, the grant renews monthly. That means your nonprofit will be allocated funding for Google Ads indefinitely.

Our Final Tip: Work With a Team of Google Ad Grant Experts.

It’s no secret that budgeting guels your nonprofit’s ability to make an impact. When you work with a Google Ad Grant professional like Getting Attention to manage your Google Ad Grant, you’ll be able to develop a strong digital marketing strategy that works for your budget. Our team of experts offers free consultations and resources to help your organization create a successful marketing plan.

Our services include Google Grant application, Google Grant hygiene, Google Grant reactivation, keyword research, and Google Grant management. Maintaining your data and keeping it clean can be a pain point for many nonprofits. We’re here to champion your nonprofit digital campaigns.

To continue learning more about nonprofit budgets and how to optimize your strategy, check out these additional resources:

How to Create Your New Nonprofit’s First Budget. Your nonprofit’s first budget is a critical tool for both planning and managing cash flow. Learn how to set your budget up right with this guide.
The Small Nonprofit’s Guide to Budgeting. Too many small nonprofits operate without a budget. Learn how to fund your mission with this quick guide.
Understanding Your Finances: A Quick Guide for Nonprofits. Understanding your nonprofit’s finances will help you make smarter decisions both now and in the future. Learn how to get started with this article.
Where can I find examples of nonprofit budgets? Review these examples of nonprofit budgets to find the one that’s right for you.

Use online channels to market your fundraiser.

5 Pro Tips for Marketing Your Fundraiser in the Online World

May 22, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing /by Jessica King

Let’s face it—if you’re not using online channels to market your fundraiser, you’re missing out on more donors, more dollars, and more support for your mission. Whether you’re hosting a golf tournament fundraiser, a gala, or even a bake sale, these tips will help you level up your online marketing.

1. Use a marketing-savvy software solution.

Get your tech in place before you do anything else online. A software solution for your fundraiser is a key part of spreading the word and attracting participants and donors. According to GolfStatus, your event’s management platform should be able to:

Generate attractive, professional event websites
Manage online registration
Securely process donations and other payments
Help promote your events with marketing automation
Create and sell custom sponsorship packages
Offer a mobile app for event participants with push notifications
Effortlessly transfer fundraising data into your CRM
Be backed by a responsive support team

2. Track your campaign’s progress with online marketing metrics.

Bottom line, you need to know what’s working and what’s not in marketing your fundraising event. By creating a marketing plan that outlines key metrics, you can better understand the success of your different campaigns. The following metrics can provide useful insights:

Conversion rate. This is the percentage of viewers, website visitors, email recipients, etc. who complete a desired action, such as making a donation, signing up to become a volunteer, or registering for your fundraising event.
Social media following. Understand your social media campaign’s success by tracking likes, followers, comments, clicks, and shares on each respective channel.
Click-through rate. This is the percentage of recipients who actually click on the link, button, or other calls to action in your marketing materials.
Email open rate. This figure tells you the number of email recipients who opened the message. This metric is helpful for understanding if your subject lines are clickable enough to hook recipients into opening the email.

3. Be strategic about your social media presence.

While it might be tempting to create accounts or profiles on every social media platform out there and blast information about your fundraising event, it’s not the best idea. Not only will you spread yourself too thin, particularly if you don’t have a dedicated social media manager to post regularly and monitor each channel, but you’re likely to get less engagement. Instead, focus on building a robust social media presence on just a few platforms where your target audience is present.

Here are a few guidelines from Double the Donation for choosing which social media platforms to focus on and leverage to promote fundraising events:

Poll your supporters. Send out a survey to your donors, volunteers, and other supporters and ask them which platform(s) they use regularly.
Focus on the platform that aligns with your content strategy. Does your organization have a library of video at its disposal (or plan to create marketing videos)? Will you rely more on photos and written testimonials? Different social media platforms have different content focuses. For example, Instagram is best-suited for photos and videos, while Twitter is better for short text snippets.
Research your audience demographics. Factors such as age, hobbies, and location all contribute to what social media they consume and on what platforms, and are useful for targeting invitations to fundraising events. Gather demographic information to help choose which platform and content works for your nonprofit’s supporters.

4. Work with celebrities and influencers.

Online channels have made it easier to connect with celebrities and influencers. It may feel like a long shot, but nonprofits have a number of options to partner with those in the public sphere to amplify your cause and any fundraising events benefiting it. Keep the following in mind:

Local celebrities can have a big impact. This could be the mayor, local news anchor or meteorologist, radio personality or host, community sports team, or well-known business owner. This can add a draw to your fundraiser without the hassle or expenses involved with a major celebrity.
Focus on influencers related to your cause, community, or the type of event. Holding a singing competition or talent show? Consider reaching out to a performer who grew up in the area to be a guest judge. Throwing a golf tournament? Bring a long-drive professional to provide on-course entertainment (and raise extra money). Athletes, performers, businesspeople, and even well-known nonprofit professionals make great celebrity guests, especially if they have a connection to your cause.
Pitch a sponsorship opportunity. If an influencer isn’t able to be at your event but still wants to get involved, make it simple for them by offering a sponsorship opportunity for their brand. Their brand benefits from the power of cause marketing and your organization gets exposure for your event and mission.

Getting Started with Software

Your organization stands to benefit from an increasingly online world. Online marketing not only spreads awareness about your work, but garners support for fundraising events and your mission in general. You can maximize your online presence by getting a software solution in place for your fundraising event. Whether you need a ticketing option for a charity golf tournament or online bidding software for auctions, a web-based software will save you time, make it easy to collaborate with your team, and help raise even more money for your organization.

Check out these nonprofit marketing blogs to inspire your own.

Top 7 Nonprofit Marketing Blogs You Should Bookmark and Why

May 20, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications /by Jessica King

Staying in touch with nonprofit industry trends, new software updates, and current marketing best practices is an ongoing challenge. However, not keeping up with these changes may lead your nonprofit website to look outdated, your communications to stop receiving responses, or your overall fundraising revenue to decrease.

While you can do a simple Google search and click through the results to look for relevant resources, many nonprofit organizations and thought leaders in the industry actually have dedicated places to address these challenges. There, they discuss common tips, advice, and relevant news that can impact fundraising efforts.

That’s where nonprofit marketing blogs come in! Whether it’s their /tips or /resources or /blog page, many professionals in the philanthropic space maintain a running blog roll. In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of a nonprofit blog as well as dive into some of our favorites for you to check out.

Oftentimes, doing your own research can offer the valuable insight and guidance that your organization needs to answer nonprofit questions, get advice on top industry tools, and explore best practices to take your own fundraising to the next level. You just need to know where to look. Ready to learn more? Let’s dive in!

What Is a Nonprofit Marketing Blog?

A nonprofit marketing blog is usually a dedicated page hosted on websites of charitable organizations, fundraising professionals and consultants, and donation software companies. The blog roll will be made up of content like:

Educational guides — This might include software recommendations, best practices and tips, fundraising ideas, and more.
Industry updates — You might post news stories relating to your mission or community that impact your nonprofit.
Nonprofit updates — For instance, you might write announcements on upcoming fundraising events/campaigns or a summary/report of a recently held one.
Current events and trends — This might include general news updates within the fundraising or nonprofit world.
Impact stories — You might use stories from the very community members your nonprofit has impacted.

Most nonprofit marketing blogs feature a variety of content to engage their supporters in different ways.

Why Do Organizations Write Nonprofit Marketing Blogs?

There are many reasons why organizations implement a blog roll into their website. For one thing, a blog roll can act as a helpful SEO-building tool. That’s because it’s the perfect place to build backlinks, target high search volume keywords, and provide valuable nonprofit content that your supporters and audience actually want.

In turn, this can increase your ranking on search engine result pages and attract new prospects! Plus, it’s almost necessary for Google Grant users, as it’s required that nonprofit participants have valuable and promotable website content to receive the grant.

Ultimately, nonprofit marketing blogs position themselves as thought leaders in the space. If a blog is consistently releasing relevant news and industry trends of the nonprofit marketing world, it’ll soon become a go-to resource for philanthropic professionals all over.

As readers, if you ever have a question about how to improve your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, what text-giving tool is best, or how to implement prospect research into your donation strategy, turning to nonprofit blogs has proven to be a reliable and informational source. Specifically, nonprofit blogs:

Provide nonprofit and mission updates for passionate supporters — Your most active supporters don’t just give to your cause to feel good about themselves. They’re genuinely invested in your mission and want to know about recent accomplishments, campaigns, events, and other important updates.
Offer context and impact stories for new visitors — It’s very likely that when prospects want to learn more about your organization, they’ll check your website. Having a blog roll is the perfect place to host information and introduce new supporters to your mission and impact.

These days, there’s no shortage of blogs for nonprofit professionals to turn to. With so many great resources available, it can be hard to determine the most valuable nonprofit blog to consult. Let’s explore some of our favorite blogs in the next section.

Explore These 7 Nonprofit Marketing Blogs

Getting Attention

Getting Attention is made up of professional fundraising consultants dedicated to Google Ad Grant management. As a certified Google Grant agency, our team at Getting Attention helps nonprofits oversee their Google Grant accounts no matter what stage they’re at. From applying for the grant to ensuring the account remains compliant to reactivating a dead account, Getting Attention is there to help.

While we might be a bit biased, Getting Attention also has a great nonprofit marketing blog! We boast articles spanning a variety of essential nonprofit topics, from the basics of Google Grants to guides for planning a comprehensive nonprofit marketing plan.

Check us out with some of our favorite posts:

How to Apply for Google Grants: 5 Easy Steps for Nonprofits. New to the Google Ad Grant program? Check out this guide for everything you’d ever need to know about applying for the Google Ad Grant, the ultimate nonprofit marketing tool.
Promoting Your Mission: 13 Free Nonprofit Marketing Tools. In addition to the Google Ad Grant, there are so many other free nonprofit marketing tools you can use to move your mission forward. Check them out here.
Top 2023 Nonprofit Marketing Trends to Inform Your Strategy. Stay on top of the latest and greatest in nonprofit marketing with this 2023 guide.

Double the Donation

Did you know that an estimated $4-$10 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed each year? Double the Donation has the largest and most accurate database of matching gift and volunteer grant information in the nonprofit industry so your donors don’t miss a match opportunity.

As thought leaders in the fundraising and nonprofit industry, Double the Donation also has a dedicated blogroll. Their impressive blog consists of industry guides and nonprofit tips ranging from corporate fundraising to general fundraising guides to top software providers!

Here are some of our favorite posts:

Corporate Matching Gift Programs: Understanding the Basics. Whether you’re new to matching gifts or want to learn more about how the process works, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
Corporate Volunteer Grant Programs: Learn the Basics. Did you know your volunteers’ employers can give back to your nonprofit through a volunteer grant? Learn more in this article.
Corporate Social Responsibility: The Definitive Guide. Want to know more about how companies can support your nonprofit operations? Check out this guide on corporate social responsibility.

NXUnite

The NXUnite community is the perfect place to acquire new nonprofit knowledge and connect with others in the field. They host webinars and panels with experts in the mission-driven industry to help lead important nonprofit-related discussions.

The NXUnite blog roll is filled with articles about a variety of nonprofit topics from fundraising tips to breakthrough technology. Check out some of their articles below:

18 Free & Discounted Nonprofit Marketing Tools to Use Today. Looking to incorporate some new tools into your marketing strategy? Check out these 18 free and discounted nonprofit marketing tools your organization can take advantage of.
Venmo for Nonprofits: A Useful Tool to Boost Donations. You may use Venmo in your personal life, but what about your organization? Learn how nonprofits can use Venmo as an additional way to collect donations.
How to Start a Fundraiser: The Nonprofit’s Ultimate Guide. Whether you’re new to the fundraising world or just want a quick refresher, this guide will allow you to start a successful fundraiser in no time.

eCardWidget

If you’re looking for a creative new way to engage with your supporters, eCardWidget is a great place to start. They provide eCard software that nonprofits can use to thank their donors or even spread awareness of their cause. On their nonprofit marketing blog, eCardWidget shares important information about stakeholder appreciation, innovative nonprofit software solutions, and seasonal fundraising ideas.

Check out these articles from the eCardWidget blog:

Volunteer Appreciation: The Ultimate Guide + 15 Ideas. Since volunteers dedicate their time to your organization with no compensation in return, it’s important to let them know how much you appreciate them. In this article, eCardWidget introduces 15 different ideas you can easily implement to properly thank your volunteers.
12+ Best Hybrid Work Software Solutions for Remote Teams. Studies show that hybrid work can result in greater productivity and flexibility for both employers and employees. Learn more about how to give your nonprofit’s employees the best hybrid work experience with these software recommendations.
Birthday Fundraisers: How to Secure Year-Round Support. To secure more support, eCardWidget suggests hosting birthday fundraisers. This type of fundraiser allows your supporters to reach out to their personal networks and ask them to donate to your organization in honor of their birthdays.

NPOInfo

Data is everything when it comes to nonprofit decision-making. NPOInfo helps organizations raise more money with accurate, updated data in their databases.

Articles on NPOInfo’s blog roll include:

Donor Data Management: A Quick Guide for Nonprofits. When you manage your donor data properly, you can use it to strengthen the relationships you have with your supporters. Check out this article to learn more about donor data management.
Donor Cultivation 101: How to Build Lasting Relationships. It’s much easier to keep recurring donors than it is to acquire new ones. Make your donor relationships last with these donor cultivation strategies.
The Nonprofit’s Ultimate Guide to Data Append Services. Data appending occurs when you add missing data to your database for a clearer understanding of who your supporters are. A data append service can append data for you, making the process simple for nonprofits.

re:Charity

re:Charity is a nonprofit blog entirely dedicated to hosting fundraising resources, tips, best practices, industry guides, and software lists. There’s a breadth of information on re:Charity, with specific blog categories dedicated to fundraising, marketing, technology, and nonprofit strategies.

Here are some of our favorite articles:

Top 18 Fundraising Software Solutions for Your Nonprofit. Want to streamline the fundraising process? Check out these nonprofit fundraising software solutions.
8 Event-a-Thon Variations to Shake Up Your Next Event. It can be difficult to come up with new and fresh event ideas. re:Charity has you covered with eight event-a-thon variations for your organization to try.
Rebranding Your Organization: 5 Steps for Nonprofits. If you’re looking to rebrand your nonprofit, you might not know where to start. Follow these five simple steps to transform your organization’s branding.

Fundraising Letters

Fundraising Letters is a website dedicated to helping nonprofit leaders craft compelling and engaging communications with supporters. From basic fundraising emails, matching gifts, sponsorships, donation requests, and more, they offer fundraising letter templates for every occasion and cause—plus it’s completely free to download and use them!

Once on the site, you can also explore their blog roll. The Fundraising Letters blog contains educational resources provided by thought leaders throughout the nonprofit industry. Here are some articles you might see:

How to Guide Donors from Emails to Your Donation Page. Driving traffic to your donation page is crucial for fundraising. This how-to guide will help you guide your donors from other communications like emails to your donation page.
6 Best Outreach Methods for Your Next Capital Campaign. If your nonprofit has ever taken on a larger project, you’ve probably conducted a capital campaign to raise funds for it. You can improve your next capital campaign using the outreach methods Fundraising Letters recommends.
4 Strategies for Meaningful Nonprofit Storytelling. The best way to connect with your supporters is through storytelling. These strategies will help you incorporate nonprofit storytelling into your marketing strategy more effectively.

Crowd101

If you’re thinking about starting a crowdfunding campaign, there’s no better resource than Crowd101! Crowd101 hosts a wide variety of resources and blog posts to help fundraisers begin a crowdfunding event, market it effectively, and explore other fundraising tips.

Their blog is split into a few sections, like Getting Started with Crowdfunding, Crowdfunding Examples, and Fundraising Ideas! Here are some of their top blog posts:

19 Ways to Promote Your Crowdfunding Campaign. Crowdfunding campaigns are a great way to raise money for your cause. However, you must effectively market them to your supporters in order for them to be effective. Check out these 19 different ways to promote your crowdfunding campaign.
Omnichannel Marketing for Nonprofits: Use Donor Touchpoints. It’s good practice to use as many marketing channels as possible to reach supporters on a variety of platforms. This article lists some effective channels and tips for reaching donors effectively.
How to Boost a Nonprofit’s Donations with Campaign Tracking. Data helps nonprofits make well-informed decisions. Learn how you can collect data through campaign tracking and use it to help you boost donations.

Additional Resources

Having a dedicated nonprofit marketing and fundraising strategy is critical for your organization’s success and the pursuit of your mission. As a philanthropic professional, doing your due diligence in research is one of the best ways to keep updated with best practices and ensure that your own efforts produce results. Nonprofit marketing blogs are the perfect place to begin!

Want to continue expanding your nonprofit knowledge and learn about other marketing methods? Check out these additional resources:

Nonprofit Marketing: A Guide for Amplifying Your Mission. A nonprofit marketing blog should only be one component of your overall marketing strategy. Check out this guide to all things nonprofit marketing to help you more effectively promote your organization.
Nonprofit Marketing Plan: 8 Key Steps (+ Free Templates!) Set your organization up for success with a nonprofit marketing plan. We’ll walk you through how to create your own and offer templates to help you get started.
Google Ad Grants: The Complete Guide for Nonprofits. Marketing your nonprofit is made easy with the Google Ad Grant. Learn more about the program and how your organization can get $10,000 per month in ad spending.

Learn more about how to market the silent auction your nonprofit is hosting.

Marketing Your Nonprofit’s Silent Auction: 5 Strategies

May 5, 2023/in Nonprofit Fundraising, Nonprofit Marketing /by Jessica King

Silent auctions are one of the most popular nonprofit fundraising events, and for good reason. They can be held in person or virtually, appeal to a wide range of supporters, and make great annual fundraisers. Although silent auctions work well on their own, they can also be paired with other events like galas or golf tournaments to increase your organization’s fundraising revenue.

As with any fundraising event, your team will need to develop a marketing plan to spread the word about your silent auction. Effective event promotions will not only get supporters in the door, but also ensure they come excited to bid on your valuable auction items.

In this guide, we’ll walk through five strategies for marketing your silent auction, including how to:

Understand Your Audience
Leverage Multiple Communication Channels
Track and Analyze Marketing Data
Feature Your Auction Items in Your Marketing Materials
Acknowledge Your Event Sponsors

As you implement these strategies, try to make event registration as easy as possible. Create a streamlined online sign-up form and include links to it in all of your communications so supporters can easily register no matter how they discover your auction. Let’s get started!

1. Understand Your Audience

Before marketing your silent auction, it’s useful to know who you’re trying to reach. Understanding your audience allows you to create more targeted messages and leverage the most effective communication channels for promoting your auction.

To drive supporter engagement, try segmenting your audience based on shared characteristics, which could include their:

Demographics, such as age, location, education, family status, and employment.
Giving history, including their average donation amount, frequency and recency of giving, and lifetime value to your organization.
Past engagement besides monetary contributions—consider previous event attendance, volunteer hours, in-kind donations, and communication preferences.

Once you’ve identified these shared characteristics among supporters, decide which segments you want to prioritize in your event marketing and tailor your messages to those segments. For example, if your silent auction is part of a gala, you may focus on major donors and invite each of them individually. However, if you’re trying to engage younger supporters through your auction, posting regular updates on your website and social media will likely be effective.

2. Leverage Multiple Communication Channels

Although segmenting your supporters will let you know which communication methods to prioritize, it’s always most effective to leverage several channels. During your event marketing campaign, promote your silent auction using the following methods:

Your nonprofit’s website. Create a calendar of upcoming events at your organization, along with dedicated pages where supporters can learn more about each one.
Email marketing. In addition to sending out email blasts dedicated to the auction, feature it in your nonprofit’s regular newsletter if you have one.
Social media. Tailor your social media posts to each platform your organization uses. For example, you might first design a graphic and write a brief caption about your event for Facebook, then adapt that information into a short video for TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Digital ads. Google has an ad grant program that allows eligible nonprofits to receive a monthly advertising stipend, which you can use to promote your auction in Google search results.
Direct mail. While many nonprofits focus on digital event marketing, direct mail can still be useful for reaching certain audiences and supplementing your online efforts.

Leveraging all of these marketing methods creates more opportunities for supporters to learn about and register for your auction, boosting attendance and fundraising revenue.

3. Track and Analyze Marketing Data

Your silent auction marketing efforts will be more effective across the board if they’re data-driven. NPOInfo’s guide to nonprofit data collection suggests leveraging several types of marketing data to improve your outreach, including:

Website traffic, particularly the number of people who visit your event information page.
Email open rates, which are often affected by timing, frequency, and subject lines.
Social media engagement on auction-related posts, including likes, comments, and shares.
Click-through rates to your event registration form across all of your digital marketing channels.

Tracking and analyzing this information will allow you to identify what areas of your event marketing campaign are going well and where you could improve by adjusting your strategy. Your data can not only boost your impact in promoting your upcoming silent auction, but also help you develop a more effective marketing plan for future events.

4. Feature Your Auction Items in Your Marketing Materials

According to the auction experts at Winspire, procuring auction items that are high-value, high-quality, and of interest to participants is critical to your event’s success. To get supporters excited to attend the auction and place bids, feature photos and short descriptions of your big-ticket items in your promotional materials, such as:

Exclusive tickets to concerts, Broadway shows, or athletic events
Popular technology like new smartphones, smart watches, and TVs
Vacation packages—travel-related items tend to be best-sellers at auction!

Because silent auctions usually feature a wide range of items, you don’t need to design a full auction catalog as you would for a live auction that includes fewer, higher-value goods. However, you can effectively highlight a few of your most valuable silent auction items by creating a shorter PDF booklet, which you can link to on your website and in marketing emails.

5. Acknowledge Your Event Sponsors

Partnering with for-profit businesses can help your nonprofit offset costs for many fundraising events. Auctions particularly benefit from corporate sponsorships because sponsors can provide items for free or at reduced costs in addition to financial support. Your corporate partners can also help spread the word about your auction through word of mouth, and their customers may be interested in attending.

For a sponsorship to succeed, it needs to be mutually beneficial. In exchange for a business’s support, your nonprofit can provide them with free advertising. Include your sponsors’ logos in your marketing materials, on the signs at your event venue, and on the bid sheet for each auction item they contributed. Doing so not only increases brand recognition for the business but also helps you recognize and thank sponsors for making your auction possible.

The key to fundraising event promotion is to spread the word early and often, and silent auctions are no exception. Segmenting your audience and developing a data-driven, multi-channel marketing campaign are general best practices in nonprofit event marketing. Promoting an auction effectively also requires that you pay special attention to the way you feature your auction items and recognize the sponsors who provide them.

Learn more about these direct mail fundraising trends to refresh your next campaign.

3 Impactful Direct Mail Fundraising Trends for Nonprofits

April 11, 2023/in Nonprofit Fundraising /by Jessica King

As a nonprofit professional, you know that there are always new nonprofit marketing trends emerging. As the world of technology, social media apps, and influencers continues to evolve, these trends can take flight faster than ever.

While it’s easy to name the three new marketing trends you noticed on TikTok or Instagram this week, trends in more traditional marketing channels might not be at the top of your mind. But, keeping up with new trends and fresh ideas is necessary for every communication channel. By changing up pieces of your direct mail fundraising strategy, you can reduce donor fatigue and burnout.

These trends can help your nonprofit engage its existing donors and boost retention by creating a highly personal touchpoint that reflects donors’ values and preferences—like a passion for sustainability, for example. In this guide, we’ll explore three strategies you can use to put a new spin on your existing direct mail program.

1. Personalization.

One of the hallmarks of direct mail fundraising is its personal nature. Donors tend to feel more connected to your nonprofit when they are greeted by name through a tangible message that arrives in their mailbox. While social media posts and email messages could get lost in the crowded digital shuffle, direct mail gives each recipient something to hang on their fridge as a reminder to donate, volunteer, or attend fundraising events.

As technology and data analytics evolve, more nonprofits can add personalized elements to their direct mail. Here are some simple ways to make your direct mail campaigns more personal:

Greet donors by name. Move away from generic greetings and use an individualized approach by using the donor’s name. Because this greeting is one of the first things donors will notice about your direct mail, it sets the tone for a more personal message.
Highlight the donor’s impact. Pursuant’s guide to direct mail fundraising highlights the opportunity to personalize your messages by incorporating stories about your nonprofit and its beneficiaries that align with the donor’s interests. Make sure to highlight the specific ways their past and future contributions impact your cause.
Consider donor levels. When you segment your donors by their giving level, you can create custom campaigns for each group. Your donors have varying giving capacities, and it’s important to ensure you’re asking for the proper amount from them. This can keep you from leaving funds on the table or requesting an amount that makes donors uncomfortable.

Since pieces of direct mail tend to be direct with minimal copy, your nonprofit can personalize them further by including QR codes for digital resources the donor would be interested in.

For example, you can segment new donors and send them direct mail with codes to an online welcome packet that gives them more information about your organization, programs, and cause. This is an effective way to integrate your direct mail and digital marketing strategies to increase touchpoints with donors.

2. Analyzing data.

With the rapid progress made in the world of tech and data, innovations like artificial intelligence are paving the way for new ways to market and fundraise. Data analytics tools are more commonplace and are widely accessible to nonprofits of all sizes. More and more organizations are able to leverage data analytics to get the most out of their marketing efforts, including their direct mail fundraising campaigns.

Because you need donor data to personalize communications, you might already be familiar with using data analytics to improve your marketing efforts. But, you can also use data to track and boost your direct mail fundraising progress.

Your organization can use data analytics to benefit your campaigns by:

Tracking response rates to understand how relevant and engaging your direct mail is to donors.
Determining the best times to send direct mail based on past campaign performance.
Performing A/B testing to understand which appeals, trends, and strategies generate the most donor engagement.
Referencing donors’ past involvement (like attending a volunteer event) and philanthropic interests in messages.
Tailoring solicitations to donors based on factors like discretionary income, giving affinity, capacity to give, and more.
Prioritizing fundraising and marketing efforts by measuring donors’ predicted lifetime value (their average annual donation total multiplied by the number of years they will contribute).

Leveraging this data can help your nonprofit measure its marketing ROI more accurately. With these concrete numbers, you can better define success, set realistic yet ambitious goals, and identify ways to maximize efficiency.

3. A focus on sustainability.

Across all industries, there has been a shift toward more sustainable practices. People are discussing the importance of sustainability more often, consumers and supporters are holding organizations and businesses accountable, and sustainable practices (like recycling and net-zero energy) are being normalized.

Your nonprofit can participate in this important change in many ways. For example, you might opt to use more sustainable fundraising ideas, like the shoe drive or tree planting day listed in Double the Donation’s list of fundraising ideas. On the other hand, you can also streamline your operations to limit waste, especially for things like print marketing which can contribute to paper waste.

Here are a few ways you can follow this trend toward sustainability:

Use recycled materials. Recycled paper is often cheaper than non-recycled, and most people can’t tell the difference. Plus, recycled paper can help limit deforestation and conserve important resources like water and fuel.
Reduce waste. With a focus on data, your nonprofit can better target donors who will engage with direct mail and respond by taking action. You can save time, resources, and money on printed goods by sending them out to donors who show interest in engaging with mail.
Supplement efforts with digital channels. Your nonprofit doesn’t need to replace its direct mail fundraising efforts with a digital approach, but you can offer digital alternatives to supplement the strategy. Invite donors to subscribe to your digital newsletter, donate online, and view long-form content (like annual reports) on your website rather than via direct mail.

Many organizations switched to using postcard mailers. Postcards are very small and don’t require an envelope, reducing waste while saving your organization money. Making small adjustments like this, along with creative collaboration between your marketing and fundraising teams, can lead to more sustainable practices and extra wiggle room in your budget.

While direct mail fundraising has been around for decades, it’s important to remain up-to-date on trends and maintain a fresh, modern approach. By keeping up with new nonprofit marketing and advertising trends, your organization is more likely to meet donors’ needs and preferences, compete with what’s in their mailbox, and motivate them to take action in support of your cause.

In this post, we’ll cover some do’s and don’ts of planning legendary charity events.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Planning a Legendary Charity Event

April 6, 2023/in Nonprofit Fundraising /by Jessica King

Whether your nonprofit is preparing to host its annual gala or a one-off virtual game night, you likely have specific goals you want to reach, such as raising a certain amount of money, securing a particular number of new sponsors, or increasing your average attendance rate.

These goals are important, especially when you consider the investment of time, energy, and money that your nonprofit has to make for big events to happen. But what about leaving a lasting impression on your attendees, and providing them with a memorable experience that they’ll be talking about for years to come? In other words, how can you take your charity events to the next level, and make them legendary?

The answer lies in careful event planning. With the right approach to planning your nonprofit’s next event, you can ensure that you’ll meet all of your goals, and put together an occasion that your supporters won’t soon forget. To fine-tune your event planning strategy to this end, follow these do’s and don’ts:

Do pick an event idea that will “wow” your audience.
Don’t put off assembling an event planning committee.
Do recruit volunteers.
Don’t neglect your follow-up activities.

As you review these do’s and don’ts and consider how you can take your events to new heights, remember that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. An experienced charity event planning and production company can help you manage the many moving parts of your event, and give you the time and headspace needed to focus on making your attendee experience a legendary one.

Do pick an event idea that will wow your audience.

One great way to freshen up your event planning strategy is to pick a unique event idea you’ve never done before. As you consider the many different types of events there are to choose from, consider what you know about your nonprofit’s audience and select an idea that will resonate with them.

Here are some of the top fundraising ideas from Best Fundraising Ideas for you to consider:

Paint and Sip: This is a relaxing fundraiser that involves getting your supporters together to enjoy drinks and an evening of painting. Consider asking a local artist or art teacher to lead a painting class, and to offer tips and techniques to participants.

Car Show: Invite classic car owners to assemble for a car show. Your supporters can browse the collection of cars, enter giveaways, and purchase food from food trucks. For certain demographics, this idea can prove to be incredibly successful.

Talent Show: Tap into your community’s talents by hosting a talent show. Set up your show in an interesting venue, and recruit some of your board members or notable community members to act as judges. Make sure to offer an exciting prize for the winning act, like a trophy or gift basket.

Night at the Museum: If your organization runs a museum or can partner with one, try hosting an all-night event where attendees can explore the museum exhibits after hours. Allow attendees to hear from museum experts, admire the works around them, and enjoy good food with great company.

Of course, sometimes you’ll need to stick with event ideas you’ve been using for years. For example, you may have an annual winter ball or gala that is an established tradition in your community. To generate more interest, and to ensure your team is approaching the planning stage in a different way, you can always put a fresh twist on an already-established event.

For example, don’t overlook opportunities to transform your event into a virtual occasion. According to CharityBids’ guide to virtual charity events, these events allow for a flexible experience, help your organization save money, empower you to try new methods of raising money, and can even give you the chance to tap into exclusive experiences like celebrity appearances.

Don’t put off assembling an event planning committee.

To effectively plan and execute your event, you’ll need to create a planning committee made up of individuals who are committed to their responsibilities and to making your event the best it can be.

Here are the roles you’ll need to fill, along with their responsibilities:

Committee Chair: The chair will be in charge of communicating with your nonprofit’s leadership about the event, and ensuring the team is adhering to the budget. They’ll also ensure that all other individuals on the committee feel supported in completing their duties ahead of the event.

Event Designer: The event designer or planner, will handle all of the event details, including the venue, catering, decor, and entertainment. They’ll also be responsible for securing any necessary liquor or games of chance licenses for the big day.

Sponsorships Coordinator: A sponsorships coordinator is tasked with creating and maintaining relationships with event sponsors like local businesses or restaurants. One of the most important things they’ll do is ensure that your sponsors receive the benefits your organization promises them in return for sponsoring your event.

Communications Manager: This individual will lead the charge of marketing your event. They’ll guide the rest of your team in how to get the word out to the public and will inform the media about it if necessary.

Volunteer Coordinator: The volunteer coordinator will be responsible for recruiting volunteers for the event, training them in their roles, and managing the volunteer team during the event.

If your event will involve an auction, you may also need to recruit an auction item procurement specialist. They’ll be responsible for identifying auction items, managing relationships with the donors of the items, and gathering the items ahead of the big event. This is a big job, so in some instances, you may need a whole team of procurement specialists.

Do recruit volunteers.

Most often, nonprofits are most concerned about engaging donors during their events, but volunteers are a critical part of the event equation, too. Not only can your event run more smoothly with more hands to help, but your organization can also strengthen relationships with its volunteers by offering them fulfilling opportunities to get involved with the event.

As you recruit volunteers for your event, take what you know about your existing volunteers into consideration, and try to match them with roles that will resonate with their interests and skill sets. For example, if you know one volunteer has great graphic design skills, you might ask them to help you create virtual event invitations.

For volunteers who are signing up to work for your organization for the first time, take the time before and during the event to get to know them, chat about your mission, and ensure they’re comfortable performing their duties. Their experience volunteering during the event will play a big role in whether they return for another volunteer opportunity in the future!

Don’t neglect your follow-up activities.

Once your event is over, it can be tempting to move on to planning your next campaign or project. But if you really want to make a great impression on your event attendees, you’ll ensure that you perform follow-up tasks before you do.

As you plan your event, consider how you’ll reach out to your event attendees, volunteers, and sponsors to thank them for their time and contributions after the event is over. Doing so will help you have a plan in place to get started right after your event ends! Here are some popular options:

Traditional thank-you letters
Social media shout-outs and/or messages
Thank-you videos
Small gifts (like your nonprofit’s branded merchandise)

You should also let the larger community know how your event went. For example, you might post about your event on your blog, share pictures from the event on social media, or give an event recap in the next edition of your newsletter. This will show your community how your events are tied to your larger cause, and can encourage more people to attend your next event!

When it comes to nonprofit events, there’s no need to settle for good or great. You can make your next event legendary by approaching the planning process with care. Use these do’s and don’ts to make sure your next event will be one for the books!

Nonprofit compliance is essential to effective operations and can support marketing.

How to Grow Your Nonprofit’s Credibility Through Compliance

March 27, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Fundraising, Nonprofit Marketing /by Jessica King

Nonprofits are subject to numerous state and federal regulations. These requirements are necessary for the initial creation of a nonprofit organization, as well as its ongoing compliance, especially as the organization grows. But by adhering to legal regulations, a nonprofit can also communicate its integrity to its supporters.

When a nonprofit follows the rules set forth by the government, it not only stays rooted in its core cause, but also communicates to its supporters that they can trust the organization to steward contributions correctly and use those contributions to better beneficiaries’ lives.

In order to help you grow your organization’s credibility, we’ll walk through three compliance tasks that your nonprofit should prioritize:

Securing tax-exempt status
Defining bylaws
Registering for charitable solicitations

To garner the support of donors, volunteers, and advocates, your nonprofit will first have to show why they should give their support. Consider how following these three compliance requirements can prove your nonprofit’s credibility and encourage more support from your community.

1. Securing tax-exempt status

When you first create your nonprofit, your organization will have to prove to the IRS that it has charitable intentions through Form 1023. This is one of the determining factors in being classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and your organization’s first opportunity to demonstrate its credibility.

Before you can apply for tax-exempt status, you’ll need to prepare by taking these steps:

Establish a nonprofit corporation. File Articles of Incorporation to establish your organization as an entity separate from its founders.
Obtain a federal tax ID number (FEIN). Apply for an FEIN online through the IRS website. You can only do this after your organization has been legally formed.

After taking these preliminary steps, your organization will be ready to file Form 1023 to apply for tax-exempt status. This form, which is 28 pages long before any attachments and materials required for filing, is like a thorough examination of your organization.

Think of this process as an audit of your organization’s previous or planned activities. The IRS uses this application to ensure your organization aims to fulfill 501(c)(3) services. In doing so, it accounts for the validity of your organization’s work.

2. Defining bylaws

Another requirement of Form 1023 is the inclusion of your nonprofit’s bylaws. This is a set of rules that define how your organization will be governed by its board of directors.

These bylaws will protect your organization against risks and eliminate the guesswork when it comes to carrying out your nonprofit’s mission. These rules will be especially helpful in solving unique situations. For example, if you think of a clever organization name five years from now, you’ll want to have made the provision to allow for changing your nonprofit’s name.

You should include the following in your organization’s bylaws:

Organizational purpose: Explain what your organization aims to do and how it will accomplish that mission.
Board member details: Determine the term lengths for board members and the process for board member succession/removal.
Meetings: Establish the frequency and nature of meetings, as well as any relevant requirements or rules.
Conflict resolution: How will the organization handle any internal conflicts?
Changes: Don’t forget to include the provision that bylaws can be amended in the future.

According to Foundation Group, “good governance establishes a foundation for good work.” Clear governing rules allow your organization to be held accountable for its actions, which will ultimately make it more trustworthy.

After you’ve drafted and approved your organization’s bylaws, you may consider making them public. You might publish them on your website or refer to them in blog posts. A good website design will combine stylish branding elements with your most important organizational information so that anyone can access and understand the inner workings of your nonprofit.

Although publishing your bylaws is optional, it’s a valuable step toward transparency. When supporters can see and agree with your organization’s bylaws, they may better appreciate how serious your organization is about following them.

3. Registering for charitable solicitations

According to Double the Donation’s guide to nonprofit fundraising, “individual giving makes up nearly three-fourths of all charitable contributions.” When it comes to donations, your nonprofit will likely consider several methods of raising money that appeal to its supporters. From email outreach to silent auction events, your organization’s fundraising campaigns are essential to supporting your mission.

It’s important to prioritize compliance when requesting donations to show supporters that your request follows all the right protocols.

Before your nonprofit starts marketing its mission and asking for contributions, find out if you need to register for charitable solicitations. Most states require charitable solicitations registration, but there are nine that don’t:

Delaware
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Montana
Nebraska
South Dakota
Vermont
Wyoming

If your state does require this registration, it’s important to prioritize it and renew the registration when it’s due, usually annually. You’ll also have to register in multiple states if you plan on soliciting donations throughout the country. Completing your charitable solicitations registration shows supporters that you do things the right way and aren’t just in it for the money.

With the state’s approval of your registration, supporters can see that your organization’s structure and finances were examined before it was granted permission to ask for donations. Then, when they contribute, they’ll have confidence that their donations are going to exactly what your organization promotes.

Just as you’d prioritize supporters’ preferences when it comes to marketing channels or event features, think about how they view your nonprofit’s internal operations. Your donors should be able to trust that their time, money, and advocacy are supporting a good organization with an important mission and the right intentions.

Author: Greg McRay

Greg is the founder and CEO of Foundation Group, one of the nation’s top providers of tax and compliance services to nonprofits. Greg and his team have worked with tens of thousands of nonprofits for over 25 years, assisting them with formation of new charities, plus tax, bookkeeping, and compliance services. He is credentialed as an Enrolled Agent, the highest designation of tax specialist recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Greg and company work with charities and nonprofits all across the country and worldwide.

Learn more about the benefits of digital marketing for your nonprofit

5 Ways Digital Marketing Can Help Your Nonprofit Thrive

March 13, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Marketing /by Contributor

Your nonprofit champions a noble cause that needs attention from the public to get donations.

The best way to get more eyes on your organization is to craft a brand identity and leverage digital channels to market yourself.

That being said, the days of needing to buy a billboard or a full-page newspaper ad to get noticed are over. Digital marketing is the new standard for raising brand awareness, and your nonprofit should leverage the many digital channels at your disposal. All you need to get started is your computer and a nonprofit marketing plan. Let’s explore what digital marketing can do for your nonprofit and which channels are available for nonprofits to use.

The advantages of digital marketing for nonprofits

Before we discuss different digital marketing channels, let’s review what digital marketing can do for your nonprofit. With digital outreach strategies, your organization can:

1. Raise awareness for your mission

The first step in convincing prospective donors that your cause is worth their support is educating them about your mission. With digital marketing, your nonprofit can spread critical information about your initiatives so that your community understands your nonprofit’s purpose. Your digital marketing materials should:

Stress the urgency of your cause
Feature beneficiaries and their stories
Explain what your nonprofit is doing to help

The Internet is the world’s foremost information hub, so it should be your go-to channel to educate people. It can take time for your online content to get substantial viewership, but with access to the nearly 5 billion people logged on every day, you’re bound to reach readers curious about your cause.

2. Engage potential supporters

Once you’ve educated community members about your mission, your job is to convince potential supporters to get involved with your initiatives. Digital marketing allows you to share donation appeals far past your local community and supporter base. For instance, you could acquire a new donor in a different state simply by posting a donation appeal on your social media feed.

Another advantage digital marketing has over traditional tactics, such as print ads or telemarketing, is that it’s easy to integrate content across different channels and streamline the donor journey. Instead of sending a flurry of direct-mail flyers and mail-in gift envelopes, simply link to your website’s donation page in your social media bio. This solution is more user-friendly and convenient for both you and your potential donors, no matter which channel they encounter you on first.

3. Reach beneficiaries

Besides using digital marketing to collect donations, your nonprofit can also advance its mission by connecting with new beneficiaries. By sharing about your organization’s programs and their tangible impact online, people in need of your services can find your nonprofit more easily. Additionally, digital channels help interested parties bypass engagement barriers, such as physical distance or schedule conflicts, by linking directly to your virtual contact information.

4. Connect with other nonprofits and businesses

Your organization thrives off of connections within your community, and that includes like-minded businesses and nonprofits. Many socially responsible businesses partner with nonprofits to make a difference, and digital marketing materials can get you in contact with each other. Likewise, if there’s a nonprofit in your area that has similar goals and target audiences, you could throw a joint fundraiser to engage each others’ supporter bases.

5. Assert thought leadership

People want to support a reputable nonprofit, so establishing your credibility and knowledge is crucial. Informing people about your achievements, sharing the stories of happy beneficiaries and donors, and associating with other nonprofit thought leaders will convince your audience that you know what you’re talking about! Displaying this information is easier online, where you can post links to collaborations, interviews, and milestones.

Types of digital marketing for nonprofits

Now that you understand the main benefits of digital marketing, it’s time to create a marketing plan. To strategize efficiently, it helps to leverage a combination of the digital marketing tools at your disposal, which may include:

Your website: As the online hub for your nonprofit, a well-designed website should house all of the facts that turn casual web surfers into donors. For instance, a potential donor can browse through your site to assess your credibility, understand your mission, and ultimately make a donation, all from looking at your website’s content.
Social media: Sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were designed to help you connect with like-minded people. Even if you don’t go viral, you can still leverage these sites to access your supporters’ networks, post educational content like infographics, and advertise your fundraisers.
Google Ad Grants: You can imagine that the most popular website in the world is one of the best places to advertise your nonprofit. And, with Google Ad Grants, you can claim $10,000 of search engine advertising space for free every month. Microsoft offers a similar program for its network of search engines.
Email: Even if you’re a beginner to digital marketing, you’ve likely had experience with email already. It’s one of the best ways to instantly deliver newsletters and fundraising appeals to your supporters.
Search engine optimized (SEO) content: Your nonprofit can leverage the search engine results page’s visibility, even without a Google Ad Grant. By using tactics to boost your website’s SEO value, your site can climb the ranks on the search engine results page and get more attention.

The key to running a successful digital marketing campaign through any of these channels is to make data-driven decisions. In fact, NPOInfo lists marketing data as some of the most important metrics a nonprofit should monitor. Before you launch your digital marketing content, ensure your nonprofit CMS and CRM platforms are equipped with reporting tools that can gauge the success of your outreach efforts. Then, use your findings to address your campaign’s weaknesses and make necessary improvements.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, you’re excited about the potential benefits that go along with digital marketing. If you need guidance on your strategy, consider working with a nonprofit digital marketing agency. According to Fifty & Fifty, these agencies offer services such as graphic design, online ad campaign management, social media content creation, and more. Whether you hire outside help or venture into digital marketing on your own, create materials with your mission in mind, and you’ll go far!

Check out these 13 matching gift operational stats from Top Nonprofits.

13 Matching Gift Operational Stats: Top Nonprofits’ Insights

March 10, 2023/in Nonprofit Communications, Nonprofit Fundraising, Nonprofit Marketing, Nonprofit Tools /by Jessica King

There are millions of established nonprofit organizations, and the matching gift tactics they employ range from fully built-out strategies to lacking entirely. A recent research report by the Top Nonprofits team shares insights from the leading peer-to-peer focused fundraising groups⁠—specifically focusing on the P2P Top 30.

Here at Getting Attention, we found these findings to be particularly helpful in shedding light on the comprehensive matching gift strategies from some of the most successful organizations overall. That said, we decided to pull a few key matching gift operational stats produced by the study that we’d like to share with you.

Let’s dive in!

General Matching Gift Stats

Before we get started with the Top Nonprofits report, let’s review some general matching gift stats:

It’s estimated that $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed per year. This alarming number is likely due to the fact that many donors and organizations alike don’t know enough about matching gifts and how to determine matching gift eligibility. Therefore, nonprofits miss out on tons of potential funding.
65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs. More and more employers are starting to realize the extensive benefits that matching gifts provide for all parties involved. Companies and donors get to feel good about the impact they’re making. Meanwhile, nonprofits get more donation revenue that they can put toward serving their mission.
Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs. So many current and potential donors are eligible to have their donations matched. However, matching gift opportunities are not always advertised to donors, leaving nonprofits with a fraction of the donations they could raise.
An estimated $2-$3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually. This money can be a game-changer for nonprofits who are strapped for cash or are looking to expand their services. More donation revenue means nonprofits can help more beneficiaries.
84% of donors say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered. Not only are matching gifts a way to increase donation revenue, but they are also effective at getting people to donate in the first place.
1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation. Think about the exponential potential for giving that this stat points to. If matching gift-eligible donors contribute more to your organization, then so do their employers. That’s why promoting matching gift opportunities is crucial to increasing donation revenue.

These statistics illustrate how underutilized matching gifts are but also just how vital they can be to nonprofits’ success. Promoting matching gifts to your supporters can help double or even triple the donation revenue your cause receives.

Matching Gift Operational Stats from Top Nonprofits

Now that you understand some of the basic statistics regarding matching gifts, let’s dive into the matching gift operational stats compiled by Top Nonprofits.

1. 100% of the P2P Top 30 organizations employ some sort of matching gift promotion.

The first statistic that we want to note is that of the 30 organizations whose practices were analyzed in the matching gift study, every one of them had some sort of matching gift strategy built into their overall fundraising efforts.

Again, the extent to which matching gifts were incorporated certainly varied from one nonprofit to the next, but all 30 fundraisers mentioned matching gifts in at least one component of their efforts.

2. There is a positive correlation between matching gift strategies and overall fundraising revenue.

This graph from the study lays out the data, showing that nonprofits’ matching gift scores and their overall revenue tended to increase alongside one another.

All in all, it can be inferred that organizations with well-thought-out matching gift promotions are more likely to see elevated nonprofit funding. Additionally, those organizations with high levels of fundraising success are more likely to invest in a comprehensive matching gift strategy.

3. The mean matching gift strategy score for the P2P Top 30 falls at 7/14.

For their recent study, the Top Nonprofits team designed a dedicated scorecard to analyze various elements of participating organizations’ matching gift strategies.

Each statement accurately reflecting the organization’s matching gift strategy earns the nonprofit an additional point. The study references the following criteria:

Hosts a dedicated matching gift page on its website.
Mentions matching gifts within the donation form.
Uses an auto-completing company search field.
Includes matching gift information within the confirmation screen.
Has an embedded company information widget on the confirmation screen.
Populates company information widget with employer program details automatically.
Shares direct links to program guidelines + next steps on the confirmation screen.
Sends matching gift emails post-transaction.
Mentions matching gift opportunities in the confirmation email.
Leverages separate, dedicated matching gift email(s).
Triggers matching gift emails using the organization’s own domain and branding.
Links to program guidelines + next steps in follow-up emails.
Sends matching gift emails within 24 hours of the initial donation being made.
Uses matching gift software.

Overall, the average matching gift score for the fundraisers included in the project was calculated to be 7/14⁠. This translates to a ‘B’ on the overall grading scale.

Broken down by software provider, the study also notes that the mean score for organizations utilizing Double the Donation software falls at 8.1/14. Meanwhile, Affinaquest’s HEPdata users earned an average of 4.6 points, and organizations using no software (or a still-unknown provider) averaged 3.3/14.

4. Only 6.7% of organizations analyzed with the Top Nonprofits scale earned a perfect score.

(And they all used the same software provider: Double the Donation)

Of the nonprofits analyzed in the study (30 total), only 6.7% (or two organizations) earned a perfect score, having met all fourteen designated criteria on the grading scale.

This means that the vast majority of fundraisers have significant opportunities for improving their matching gift efforts⁠—and can easily do so by pursuing the elements missing in their current strategies.

We did note, however, that both organizations earning full marks employed the same matching gift software⁠—Double the Donation Matching tool.

5. There are 4 primary locations wherein top nonprofits typically promote matching gifts.

Though there were fourteen criteria laid out in the matching gift study, most matching gift promotional efforts can boil down to four overarching opportunities.

This includes an organization’s dedicated matching gift web page, donation forms, confirmation/thank-you screens, and follow-up email communications.

6. 93.3% of top nonprofits have a matching gift page on their website.

Nearly all nonprofits analyzed in the matching gift study currently provide a dedicated matching gift web page on their website. Even those scoring on the lower end of the scale had online matching gift hubs available on their sites.

In fact, this essential asset is one of the key foundations of a healthy overall matching gift strategy. It provides ample information for donors to learn about the opportunity and how they can get involved. Plus, most organizations link to the resource on their confirmation screen, in follow-up emails, and more.

Many of the P2P-based organizations analyzed also host separate event sites for their most prominent fundraising events. Of these groups, some chose to host their matching gift pages on the event-specific website, while others chose to present theirs on the parent organization site, and others still opted for separate match pages on each.

7. 53.3% mention matching gifts within their donation forms.

Mentioning matching gifts within an organization’s donation forms is an excellent opportunity to collect donor employment data. When the form provides context into the why behind employment data inquiries (i.e., to uncover matching gift opportunities), donors are typically happy to oblige.

And according to the matching gift promotions analysis, more than half of the organizations in the study integrated this tip into their practices.

Like just about every other aspect of nonprofit matching gift marketing, the ways in which they did so differed. This ranged from short and sweet labels marking the optional data fields for employer matching information to summaries of matching gifts and the benefits that come with program participation.

8. 83.3% highlight matching gifts on their confirmation screens.

Following the donation form itself is typically a gift confirmation screen. And according to the study, the majority of leading nonprofits use this chance to promote matching gifts. However, the extent of the confirmation page promotional efforts varies widely.

For example, some organizations offered single-sentence mentions that encouraged donors to pursue the opportunity on their own. The fundraiser may prompt individual donors to contact their company’s HR department to find out if their employer participates.

However, other nonprofits took a more advanced approach. These teams provided company-specific program guidelines and eligibility criteria and even direct links to online submission forms. This allows the donor to kick off the matching gift process from the initial thank-you screen with just one click!

While the former is better than lacking matching gift mentions altogether, the latter technique really works to simplify matching gifts for donors and ultimately aims to drive more matches to completion.

9. 16.7% do not include matching gifts on their donation forms or their confirmation screens.

Not including this information ultimately means that the fundraisers do not have an easy way to collect employment information during the giving process, nor do they offer instant next steps after an individual submits their gift.

This could cause an organization to miss out on available matching gifts. Because remember: more than 26 million individuals work for companies that offer matching gift initiatives. Yet 78% of the match-eligible segment has no idea that they qualify for such a program.

For nonprofits that fall into this group, incorporating matching gifts within the giving experience⁠—either directly within, immediately afterward or, in the best of both worlds, both locations⁠—is a quick and impactful way to ramp up matching gift marketing.

10. 86.6% enlist follow-up emails to remind donors about matching gift opportunities.

Once the donation process itself is complete, most organizations took the time (or, more likely, triggered automation) to follow up with donors regarding matching gifts. These typically fell into one of two categories:

Mentions of matching gifts within a more general confirmation or acknowledgment email
Dedicated, separate email focused on matching gift opportunities and how to get involved.

According to the study, however, not all follow-ups necessarily hold the same value. In fact, the report outlines tips and tricks for creating optimized matching gift messages, which include using the organization’s own email domain and branding, personalizing the contents with employer-specific information, and more. And the most strategic nonprofits utilize emails that provide direct links to the recipients’ online submission portals, empowering donors to launch the matching gift process right from the email.

11. 10% highlight matching gifts in confirmation emails and separate follow-up messages.

Though 86.6% of organizations follow up with donors about matching gift opportunities post-transaction (using some combination of confirmation emails that highlight matching gifts and separate matching gift messaging), only 10% of participating nonprofits incorporated matching gifts in both types of email communications.

Why does this matter? Well, the more opportunities a donor has to be informed and reminded about matching gifts, the higher the chances are that they complete their end of the matching process. Another common roadblock among fundraisers that enlist only confirmation emails to mention matching gifts is that donors are more likely to skim and discard the message without the reader even getting to the part about matching gifts. That’s a missed opportunity for donors and nonprofits alike!

12. Of those that send matching gift emails post-transaction, 52% do so within 24 hours of donors first contributing.

Another finding we saw in the study is that when it comes to following up on match-eligible donations, timeliness matters. In fact, one of the key criteria included in the matching gift scorecard asks whether the organization sends matching gift emails in the first 24 hours after the initial donor contributes.

And of the organizations that have enlisted matching gift emails, more than half do, in fact, meet this standard. The report even highlights that many organizations’ triggered their first matching emails within minutes of the donor clicking “submit” on their gift!

Not to mention, a separate compilation of matching gift operational stats from Double the Donation indicates that match reminder emails sent within 24 hours of an initial donation result in a 53% open rate. That’s more than 2-3 times higher than the average nonprofit email open rate⁠—inferring that donors are more likely to engage with the content when sent in a timely manner.

13. 73.3% of the Top 30 organizations use Double the Donation’s tools.

Organizations analyzed within the Top Nonprofits study of the P2P Top 30 can be divided into four categories based on software usage.

At the time of the report, 73.3% employ Double the Donation’s matching gift automation solution, Double the Donation Matching. Meanwhile, 16.7% use HEPdata tools, and 3.3% use Amply software. The remaining 6.7% of organizations did not seem to use any dedicated matching gift tools.

The following chart from the report helps visualize the findings:

So what does this finding imply? More top-earning nonprofit fundraisers are trusting Double the Donation to empower their matching gift efforts than any other provider.

Not to mention, Double the Donation users scored more highly on the matching gift score chart overall compared to users of alternative software solutions.

Download the full matching gift report here.

Wrapping Up

By analyzing the matching gift operational stats of top nonprofits, we can gain insights into best practices to follow and make a note of emerging trends in matching gift fundraising. From there, organizations like yours can learn from others’ successes and identify growth opportunities—then pursue those areas more effectively.

Interested in learning more about top matching gift strategies and best practices? Check out these additional resources to dive deeper:

The Matching Gift Research Report [From Top Nonprofits]. Check out the full study here! We referenced some of our favorite matching gift operational stats in this guide. However, the complete research report shares in-depth analysis of thirty leading nonprofit fundraisers that you won’t want to miss.
14 Important Matching Gifts Questions You Need to Ask. Got questions? We have answers⁠. Explore the basics of corporate matching gifts and how to leverage the opportunity for your team in this guide. The more you know, the better you can optimize your nonprofit’s efforts to drive results.
19 Matching Gift Companies with Impactful Programs. Get familiar with some of the most prominent matching gift programs and see if your donors work for these companies. View guidelines and initiatives for employers like General Electric, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, and more.