Matching gifts

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Matching gifts increase the impact of fundraising efforts

Matching gift

Matching gifts are a powerful tool for nonprofit organisations to increase the impact of their fundraising efforts. By offering to match donations made by individual donors, organisations can encourage supporters to give more, increase overall contributions, and ultimately, achieve their mission more effectively.

FundraisingForce have written about this topic before to stress the importance of this funding methodology. The topic has been taught and written about a multitude of times include by the likes of Moceanic and others.

Matching gifts – more than double the donation

  • Encourages Increased Giving
    • One of the most significant benefits of matching gifts is that they encourage increased giving
    • When donors know that their gifts will be matched, they are often more willing to give more
    • Donors feel their gifts will have a greater impact, as they are effectively doubled by the match
  • Attracts New Donors
    • Matching gifts can also be an effective way to attract new donors
    • People may be more likely to give to a nonprofit if they know their gift will have a greater impact through a match
    • Individuals may not have given to the organisation before or may be on the fence about making a donation
  • Builds Relationships with Donors
    • By offering matching gifts, organisations can demonstrate their commitment to their supporters and build stronger relationships
    • When donors see that the organisation is willing to invest in their gift, donors are more likely to feel valued and connected to the organisation, which can lead to increased loyalty and future giving
  • Increases Awareness
    • Matching gifts can also help to raise awareness about a particular cause or organisation
    • When a match is offered, it can generate buzz, bringing attention to the organisation and its mission
    • This can lead to increased visibility and ultimately, more donations
  • Maximises the Impact of Gifts
    • Finally, matching gifts are an effective way to maximise the impact of individual gifts
    • When a match is offered, the impact of each gift is doubled, which means that the organisation can achieve more with the same amount of resources
    • This is particularly important for organisations with limited resources, as it allows them to stretch their dollars further and make a greater impact

Including matching gifts in charitable appeals is an important and effective strategy for nonprofit organisations. They serve a multitude of purposes. Organisations can achieve their mission more effectively and make a greater impact in their communities.

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Double their donation, double their impact

In the US, the last week of December is also the last week of the US financial year. Australian charities should imagine combining their Christmas and Tax Appeals in one. This is the scenario encountered for US charitable organisations!

Most US charities use matching challenges for the follow up wave to their year-end Appeal. This creates a sense of urgency where donors are encouraged to double their donation and to double their impact. Like Australian non-profit organisations, US organisations use count down clocks and every other means to add to the sense of urgency.

On 29 December, I received 17 appeals via email from various US-based non-profit organisations. Each of the emails asked me to give a last minute tax year-end gift.  15 of the 17 appeals offered a matching challenge whereby my donation would be matched and have double the impact. The emails came from universities, cultural institutions, hospitals, and health organisations. On 30 December and 31 December, the reminder emails continued with as many as 30 being received on each of the two days.

Donor History Embedded in Year-End Emails

One such email referred to the fact I had not given a donation this year. This email came from Mount Sanai Healthcare in New York City. Embarrassingly, the email reflected I had not given a donation once in 2018. While I was embarrassed, I was also impressed at the accuracy of the donor records. Emails showing any sort of donor history require good record keeping and testing.

Matching Challenges

Matching challenges work to bring in new donors, renew existing donors, and renew lapsed donors, like me. In this case, the charitable organisation added an extra push by reminding me I had not given a single gift this year. Some emails showed my giving history across the year and asked me to boost my year-end giving by an additional gift to match my average donation.

Australian charities conduct direct marketing appeals really well. Adding matching challenges and adding giving history for the existing financial year to tax appeals will make the Tax Appeals that much stronger. Happy New Year!

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#GivingTuesday 2018 – these fantastic results speak for themselves

#GivingTuesday 2018 has come and gone. Reports suggest the income from #GivingTuesday have broken all previous records. Results include:1

  • 150+ countries participating (including Australia!)
  • 3.6M online donations
  • 14.2B social media impressions
  • 110+ community coalitions
  • $380M dollars raised online
  • $105.55 mean online donation

These fantastic results speak for themselves.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration.

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the USA) and the widely recognised shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.

Australia Takes Increased Interest in #GivingTuesday

The terrific news is Australia and Australian nonprofit organisations were an increased part of the 2018 success. More Australians, nonprofit organisations, and suppliers to the nonprofit sector participated this year than in years prior.

Do you wish your nonprofit organisation had jumped on the bandwagon?

It is not too early to plan for #GivingTuesday 2019 and to weave the program into your 2019 calendar. Here are some best practice examples to consider for next year from Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Health System, Alzheimer’s Association, American Red Cross, and Joslin Diabetes Center.

Promote the Special Day

Reminding donors, lapsed donors, and prospective donors of the upcoming focused day of giving is critical. Their email in box will be busy with other charitable organisations doing the same. Create a campaign and messaging that will stand out amongst the others.

Countdown lock

Use a countdown clock in your messages leading up to #GivingTuesday and, certainly, in your EDMs throughout the #GivingTuesday itself.

Challenge Gifts/Matching Gifts

Challenge gifts and matching gifts are a terrific way to motivate new donors, lapsed donors, and existing donors to join/rejoin the giving family or to increase their donation on this milestone occasion.

 

Create a Sense of Urgency

Present a sense of urgency in the campaign.

 

 

 

 

Create Online Forms

Create online forms, which are dedicated to #GivingTuesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plan to Participate in 2019

#GivingTuesday does not have to be viewed as difficult. The campaign incorporates aspects of campaigns your nonprofit organisation already utilises throughout the year.

Mark your planning calendars now for 3 December 2019 and commence planning in the new year. 

 

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GivingTuesday has come and gone

Snip20151127_15The volume of charities I give to in the US is minimal compared to the number of charities I give to in Australia. Australia is my primary country of residence, so I guess it makes sense I am giving to in a larger way in Australia. That said, I was a bit disappointed at how few Australian nonprofit organisations I support reached out to me on #GivingTuesday  compared to the large amount of US charities I supported in years past who reached out to me on #GivingTuesday.Snip20151202_28

Charities in the US used #GivingTuesday far more effectively to do the following:

  • Set a financial target.
  • Encourage active involvement in the campaign.
  • Provide Email updates throughout the day.
  • Post updates on organisation’s website throughout the day.
  • Create a matching gift challenge to prospective donors and demonstrate a doubling of their gift.
  • Tell Email recipients a story about how their gift will make a difference.
  • Encourage donors to give on a day set aside to remind us all of the importance of giving and volunteering.
  • Used #GivingTuesday as a marketing component of and wrapped into their end of year (Christmas) appeal.

Snip20151202_31PayPal announced a boost of everyone’s gift, using their platform, by 1%. #GivingTuesday sought to exceed the world record for giving in one day in the Guinness Book of World Records. I was pleased to see Blackbaud and GoFundraise amongst suppliers promoting #GivingTuesday locally.

I recognise #GivingTuesday is a new campaign in Australia compared to the US. But, I am hopeful more charities will see its value and will jump on the bandwagon in 2016. You have 12 months to prepare. Perhaps we can encourage the suppliers and fundraising peak bodies to get involved to create a cohesive effort in the New Year? Let’s see how well the campaign does worldwide and if we can get any statistics on Australia’s piece of the campaign. Those results may be a motivator for more to join the campaign.

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FundraisingForce – A Year in Review

2015 Happy New Year Strands Line Glow Dark BackgroundFor FundraisingForce’s year-end blog, we thought it was appropriate to take a look back at our blog posts over this past year and to do a bit of a year in review. We launched the Website for FundraisingForce in early June and what a year (6 months, actually) it has been! This last year, FundraisingForce…

FundraisingForce sincerely hopes the various topics we have blogged have been of interest and benefit to you and others in your organisation.

Special thanks to RamtinWorld for designing a terrific Website and a platform for FundraisingForce to be able to communicate with all of you worldwide.

FundraisingForce wishes you all best wishes for 2015. Happy New Year!

Double or triple the size of your donor’s gift – at their employer’s expense

MatchImagine Joe Bloggs gives $50 to his favourite charity. Joe works for ABC Company. Joe overhears some colleagues talking about a new program where the human resources department has created an initiative to match all employee contributions to charitable organisations 2 for 1. All Joe has to do it get a form from the intranet, fill it out, and submit it to the charity. Joe takes pride in the fact that he works for ABC Company and ABC Company believes in the charitable involvement of its employees. This has proven to be an all around win – a win for the company, a win for the employees, and an even bigger win for the charity.

Imagine XYZ Charity has done some work on its database and has spent a considerable amount of time tracking where their donors work. The charity has also done some research to learn whether those employers have existing matching gift programs. XYZ Charity proactively reaches out to their donors to seek matching gifts when contributions are made.

You don’t have to imagine. Both scenarios are plausible. Yet, both are not happening at the rate they should. Employee matching gifts have not yet taken off in Asia-Pacific in the way they have in the US or the UK. But, you have a chance to make that happen.

Develop a matching gift program to launch in the New Year. Better yet, get one going before your Christmas appeal by:

  • Track employers for all your donors as a relationship in your organisation’s CRM
    • Gain this insight direct from the donor via surveys, conversations and other channels
  • Research the employers to determine whether these employers match giving of their staff
    • Learn this information from company websites and from other sources
    • Multi national companies, in particular, tend to match gifts
  • Track the matching gift ratio and other details in your CRM
  • Add matching gift language to your organisation’s website
    • Check out US charities to see examples
  • Add language to your receipts and acknowledgement letters to ask donors whether their employees will match their gift
  • Proactively ask about matching gifts in your appeal letters

The above include easy steps to take immediate action.

Together, we can drive change to increase the number of employers matching gifts in Asia Pacific and, at the same time, increase the number of gifts matched!

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Matching Gifts can double or triple a charitable gift

Do your donors get their gifts to your organisation matched by their employer?

DoubleThousands of employers worldwide match the charitable giving of their employers. In Asia-Pacific, many charities have not yet fully developed a matching gift program. Let’s get a movement started!

What are matching gifts? Employers match charitable giving of employees, retirees, and, often, their spouses. The match is often 1:1 or 2:1. Sometimes there is a minimum the employer will match and often times there is a maximum the employer will match as well.

Matching gifts double or triple a gift to your charitable organisation. It is common for an employee to not be aware that their employer matches chartable gifts. If they are aware, donors often times need to be reminded to seek the match from their employee’s human resources or benefits office. Not prompting the donor often times means you and the donor are leaving money on the table.

Remind donors about matching gifts in appeal letters and in receipt/acknowledgement letters, as well as on your organisation’s Website.

Why do employers match the giving of their staff? Employers match their employee’s giving to demonstrate a commitment to their employees and to support the charities their employees care most about. The employee has already vetted the non-profit organisation, suggesting a trust in the organisation by making their individual gift. The employee, in a sense, has done the heavy lifting for the company.

Matching gifts are major income for many hospitals, universities, museums, and charities in the United States. Those same companies matching gifts stateside are doing business in Asia Pacific and will likely match the giving of their employees in our part of the world.

Matching gift programs require a bit of development and once underway are a means to bring in healthy income into your organisation.

Does your organisation receive matching gifts from the employers of your donors? Tell us how you have achieved good results.