The title of the article: Direct marketing fundraising: talking to donors one-on-one.

Direct Marketing Fundraising: Talking to Donors One-on-One

/in /by

From connecting with new donors to encouraging current supporters to upgrade, marketing is a core part of fundraising. With tools like social media, TV ads, and search engine ads, you can reach thousands of supporters at the same time. However, it’s hard to build individual relationships when talking to hundreds of donors at once.

Direct marketing fundraising allows nonprofits to connect with specific donors and build individualized relationships without overspending or wasting resources on dead ends. So, how does it work?

In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials of direct marketing fundraising, including:

If you’re ready to cultivate relationships with all of your donors, let’s get started with a breakdown of what direct marketing fundraising is and how it differs from indirect marketing fundraising.

Get more value from each supporter with improved donor journeys. Download our guide.

What is Direct Marketing Fundraising?

Direct marketing fundraising is marketing and fundraising appeals addressed and sent to an individual. For example, if you receive an email addressed to you promoting a challenge gift opportunity related to a campaign you recently gave to, that would be direct marketing fundraising.

A venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between direct and indirect marketing.

In contrast, indirect marketing fundraising consists of marketing and fundraising appeals addressed to a broad audience. Usually, this audience is the general public, even if a nonprofit has a specific target audience. For example, a social media post promoting a family-friendly event may be aimed at families in the nonprofit’s local area with young children. However, anyone can stumble upon and interact with this post, making it a form of indirect marketing.

Benefits of Direct Marketing Fundraising

By definition, direct marketing has a smaller audience than indirect marketing, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. Here’s an overview of a few benefits you can experience from a direct marketing fundraising strategy:

  • Relationship Building. It’s far easier to build relationships with specific donors when you’re communicating with them one-on-one rather than talking with hundreds of donors at the same time. As such, direct marketing is especially effective at engaging recurring supporters who have made a commitment to your cause and are looking to upgrade their support over time.
  • Metrics. When messages are sent to individual donors, it’s much easier to track engagement metrics, such as open, click-through, and conversion rates. For comparison, it can be challenging to know if a specific social media post encouraged a donation unless a supporter volunteers that information themselves. Meanwhile, you can easily see a direct connection between a specific supporter receiving a fundraising email, clicking on a link in it, and making a donation.
  • Engagement. While indirect marketing materials need to address a wide audience, direct messages are tailored to just one recipient, greatly increasing the chances they will engage with your content. For example, you might provide specific campaign updates, event invitations, educational content, or whatever else the supporter has indicated they’re interested in.

Ultimately, nonprofits should pursue a mix of indirect and direct fundraising strategies. This helps maintain a healthy fundraising cycle wherein new prospective donors regularly learn about your nonprofit, while current supporters receive continual engagement that motivates them to upgrade their support.

Types of Direct Marketing Fundraising

Now that we’ve addressed what direct marketing fundraising is, how can your nonprofit go about it? Here are a few communication channels your nonprofit can leverage for direct marketing:

  • Email. Even when sent to your entire email list, emails have individual recipients. For example, you share your email newsletter with all of your subscribers, but that newsletter is still sent to them directly, rather than hoping they stumble upon it elsewhere, like they would with a paid ad.
  • Direct Mail. Direct mail has a lot in common with email when it comes to direct marketing. However, with the prevalence of digital marketing, direct mail can feel even more personal and be your go-to channel for highly individualized communication, like personalized event invitations.
  • Phone Calls. Make an individual connection and market your nonprofit directly by speaking with supporters one-on-one on the phone. If you’re missing supporters’ phone numbers, consider purchasing an append to flesh out your donor data.
  • Social Media. Up until now, social media has been the go-to example for indirect marketing. However, you can message supporters and reply to their comments to expand your direct marketing efforts to social media, depending on the platform’s capabilities.

You’ve likely seen advice to pay attention to supporters’ communication preferences , and direct marketing is where it matters most. If a supporter says they only want to be contacted via email, be sure that you use email when reaching out to them. Direct marketing is where you show off that you have paid attention to each supporter’s individual donor journey, and the way you contact them should also reflect that.

Direct Marketing Fundraising Strategies

Just like with any marketing approach, your strategy determines whether it will resonate with donors. Here are a few top strategies for how to make your direct fundraising appeals more effective and use the information you gather about supporters to improve your marketing efforts overall.

Collect Donor Data

Donor data allows you to create individualized messages for your direct marketing efforts. For each donor, build a donor profile that contains all of the data you’ve gathered about them throughout their engagement with your organization.

The data you collect will be relevant to your nonprofit’s goals. For example, nonprofits pursuing matching gift opportunities need to collect the following data:

A sample donor profile with nonprofit data like the individual's full name, education, employment details, and charitable involvement.

  • Demographic information such as name, address, and age is essential for every nonprofit and is the building block of other fundraising strategies.
  • Corporate affiliations can reveal whether the donor is eligible for matching gifts, has a high net worth, and may be able to help facilitate sponsorships and business partnerships.
  • Net worth can be found through prospect and wealth screening tools. Donors above a certain net worth may be marked as potential major donors and be put on an intense donor stewardship track overseen by major giving officers.
  • Political and nonprofit giving history can indicate a donor’s affinity for causes similar to yours. Check the missions of nonprofits and platforms of politicians they’ve donated to in the past.
  • Matching gift potential, such as whether a donor’s employer offers matching gifts, helps you determine whether a donor is eligible for a matching gift and if it’s worth pursuing these opportunities.
  • Communication preferences are how a donor prefers to be contacted. As mentioned, these are essential for effective direct communication.
  • Interests indicate why a donor is invested in your cause and what kinds of activities they may want to engage in, such as different types of events.

Donor data can be collected in a number of ways, such as directly asking donors through surveys and in various registration and sign-up forms. If you’re missing data or worry your donor database is out of date, you can also purchase research tools, like a wealth screening or corporate giving database.

Want to learn more about pursuing matching gift opportunities? Download our matching gifts guide.

Personalize Communication

Direct marketing is so effective because it allows for personalized communication. After all, do you feel more connected to a nonprofit when you receive an email addressed to “Valued donors” and thanks you for “all of your support,” or one that addresses you by name and references your specific contributions?

You can improve your donation appeals with two personalization strategies:

  • Segmentation. Divide your donors based on key characteristics, such as demographic data, donor status, or anything else relevant to your nonprofit’s goals. For example, you might have segments for new donors, recurring donors, volunteers, and advocates. This allows you to construct messages relevant to specific groups. For example, your recurring donors don’t need to be reintroduced to your nonprofit, but new donors may prefer educational messages that acquaint them with your cause and organization.
  • Personalization. The information specific to each donor, such as their name and engagement history, are personal details, and adding them to donor communications is the act of personalization. For example, you might use your email communication tool to address each donor by name and add their last donation amount to a fundraising request.

These personalization strategies help ensure the content you send to donors is relevant to their interests, increasing the chances they will engage with it. Plus, by addressing donors as individuals, they will feel their specific contributions matter, making them more inclined to continue supporting you.

Use Automatic Triggers

Writing individual emails to each donor whenever they interact with your nonprofit is not practical. Fortunately, you don’t have to when your email and fundraising platforms allow you to set up automatic triggers.

When donors take specific actions you would like to contact them about, set up an email trigger to send an automatic message or create a flag in their profile for your team to reach out to them. Here are a few common actions you may set up communication triggers for:

  • Donations. Whenever a supporter donates, you should reach out to them with a thank-you message. You might also set up an indicator to flag donors who give above a certain amount and deserve more appreciation than a simple thank-you message.
  • Membership sign-up. If you offer a membership program, you might trigger an email series welcoming new supporters to your organization. You may also set up triggers for membership renewal reminders and upgrade thank-yous.
  • Merchandise purchase. If a supporter buys your merchandise, you might want to reach out to them in the future to promote new items, alert them about sales, and share discount codes.
  • Matching gift process. The matching gift process has a number of actions that require communication, such as prompting donors after a gift to check their matching gift eligibility, follow-up to encourage donors to submit a matching gift application to their employer, and a thank-you message for going through the matching gift process.
  • Event registration. Along with thanking donors for registering for an event and providing them with attendance information, you might also flag donors who have shown interest in events to personally invite them to future ones.

Communication tools like email platforms and fundraising software can enable many of these triggers for you, meaning all you need to do is write the basic messages that get sent.

For matching gifts, you might even go the extra mile when it comes to automation with auto-submission. Matching gift auto-submission simplifies the matching gift process by submitting donors’ matching gift applications for them. Here’s a breakdown of how this cutting-edge technology works:

Create Donor Personas

Talking with donors one-on-one sounds great, but even with automation tools and donor profiles, is it possible to build individualized relationships with hundreds of donors? With donor personas, you can!

Donor personas are representations of hypothetical donors. Rather than composing a donation request to your entire donor base, donor personas allow you to market to one individual who represents specific segments of your donor base.

Here’s an overview of the content you should include in your donor personas:

A depiction of a hypothetical donor persona.

  • Demographic information. Divide your donor segments by demographic information, such as age, location, education, income bracket, and other relevant factors. For example, you might create one donor segment for college students, one for families with young children, and another for retirees.
  • Goals. What do donors want to accomplish related to your nonprofit? This might be to make a positive difference in the world, support a friend or family member, earn tax benefits, make friends, or create a legacy.
  • Challenges. What’s stopping donors from achieving their goals? This might be limited time or resources, or it could be a lack of knowledge about your cause and opportunities.

Use this information to create message templates for each donor segment. Then, fill in specific information, such as names, donation amounts, and engagement history, to create a strong appeal for each specific donor.

While few supporters will perfectly align with your donor personas, carefully constructed personas should cover the basics and allow you to create marketing appeals that hit on some of their interests. Plus, the more data you collect on your current donors, the more accurate your donor personas will be, and the more you can use them to define your target audience when reaching out to new prospective supporters.

Use an Omnichannel Approach

Direct marketing allows you to level up your donor communications with an omnichannel approach.

You may have heard of multi-channel marketing before, which is when you spread the same message across multiple communication channels to increase the chances supporters see and act on it. Omnichannel marketing also involves marketing across multiple channels, except each message builds on the one that came before it.

Here’s an example of how you might use omnichannel marketing to promote matching gifts:

A depiction of the numerous platforms an omnichannel strategy uses.

  • A supporter sees a search engine ad promoting your matching gifts page and subscribes to your newsletter.
  • You send that supporter an email explaining the benefits of matching gifts and providing directions for how donors can research their eligibility.
  • After the donor gives, you send them a text message encouraging them to check if they’re eligible for a matching gift.
  • When you receive the matching gift contribution from their employer, the donor receives a thank-you letter via direct mail.

Each step in this process builds on the one that came before it and responds to the individual donor’s actions. This type of highly personalized donor cultivation is highly effective at driving specific actions and is only possible with direct fundraising.

More Resources for Nonprofit Marketers

Direct marketing allows you to connect with individual supporters to develop relationships, increase engagement, and earn donations. Collect donor data to reach out with personalized content that encourages people to continue being passionate supporters.

Marketing is an extensive topic, and direct marketing is just one aspect. To develop a comprehensive marketing strategy for your nonprofit, explore these resources:

Learn how 360MatchPro can help you generate more revenue and make a more compelling pitch to donors.

Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Ed Fundraising

Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Ed Fundraising

/in , , /by

Colleges and universities often rely on generous donors to fund their academic programming, extracurricular activities, research and development, and more. In the realm of educational fundraising, understanding your supporters⁠—and their professional journeys⁠—can significantly enhance engagement and boost giving across the board. One of the best ways to do so involves making the most of employment data for higher ed fundraising.

That said, we urge you to consider the following questions:
Do you have comprehensive and up-to-date employment information for your donors, alumni, and other supporters?
And do you understand the vitality of these insights for your school’s overall fundraising?

By effectively sourcing and utilizing employment data, colleges and universities can create more personalized and compelling fundraising campaigns⁠—not to mention, target invaluable workplace giving opportunities.

In this guide, we’ll explore the importance of employment data, recommended methods for sourcing the information, and strategies for leveraging the insights in your fundraising.

If you’re looking for a way to bring your institution’s fundraising and engagement to new heights, comprehensive donor employment information is the tool you need.

Ready to get started? Let’s begin.

Why Does Employment Data Matter in Higher Ed Fundraising?

The more you know about your donors, the better you can engage them in your fundraising. Employment data in particular plays a crucial role in maximizing support for higher education. By providing insights into the professional networks and financial capacities of alumni and other supporters, you can significantly enhance targeted fundraising strategies, identify lucrative company giving opportunities, and more.

In essence, employment data equips higher education institutions like yours with the information needed to establish and grow stronger relationships with supporters⁠—individual and corporate alike. However, it’s important to take a proactive approach to continuously source new data rather than relying on stale or outdated insights. To uncover the most lucrative opportunities available to your team, you’ll want to ensure employment data accuracy as you gather the information.

6 Ways for Colleges and Universities to Uncover Employment Data

Do you lack complete or updated employment data for your donors? No worries! There are a number of ways for colleges and universities to gain access to this information.

To get the most complete picture of your school’s supporters, we recommend enlisting multiple of the following methods.

1) Donation form fields

Incorporating employment-related fields into donation forms allows colleges to directly collect information about a donor’s employer at the point of donation.

While a simple, optional form field encouraging users to supply their company name will suffice, we recommend embedding an employer search tool in your giving page instead. This way, users are prompted to enter their company name in an embedded form widget connected to a comprehensive database with information on thousands of companies’ giving programs.

Fun fact: 73% of donors will use a matching gift search field on a donation form when presented with the opportunity.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with a dontaion form tool.

2) Confirmation screens

Confirmation screen search tools can also be used to collect employment data after an individual hits “submit” on their gift. This approach ensures each donor is met with multiple opportunities to provide the information, making the process a seamless and efficient one.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with a confirmation page tool.

3) Data appends

Even after implementing the above methods to uncover employment information, a number of contacts in your database are likely to have some gaps. For this, a third-party data enhancement service might be the exact answer you’re looking for to help clean up your historical data.

All your team has to do is select an employer appends provider, supply the company with the information you do have on your donors, and they’ll fill in as much of the data as possible using a combination of public and privately held data sources.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with employer appends.

4) Email domain screening

Donors giving online are generally prompted to supply an email address so your institution can keep in touch. When an individual provides their corporate or work email address, it can offer powerful clues about their employers.

For example, you can determine that a gift made using an email ending in “@company.com” likely comes from an employee within the company.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with email domain screening.

5) Donor outreach

If, at this point, you’re still missing employer data, we recommend going straight to the source. Engaging donors directly through automated outreach is an easy, low-lift way to uncover additional employment insights⁠—especially using 360MatchPro’s prewritten email cadences.

Soon after a donor gives, simply follow up and encourage them to share the name of their employer and look into any available giving programs they may offer.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with donor outreach.

6) Online research

While more time-consuming, utilizing online resources such as LinkedIn, other networking platforms, or company websites is another way to gather employment information about donors.

Top tip: Due to the manual approach it requires, we recommend retaining online research for your highest-value donors and prospects.

Uncover employment information for higher ed fundraising with online research.

Supercharge fundraising with employment data for higher education.

How to Use Donor Employment Info to Boost Higher Ed Fundraising

Once you’ve built out your donor profiles with accurate and up-to-date employment information, you have what you need to initiate a data-driven fundraising plan. Check out the following tips to maximize your potential and empower your college or university with a stronger, more well-informed strategy.

Data-Driven Tip #1: Personalize communications.

Personalized engagements strengthen donor relations by facilitating a more meaningful connection. Customizing fundraising outreach with details specific to each recipient is a great way to make your communications stand out in supporters’ minds.

This can be as simple as addressing an individual by name in your greeting. However, it can also involve more advanced fields, such as referring to a donor’s employing company in relevant messaging.

Check out these examples: “More than 20 of your colleagues at Carl’s Computer Company support our school through your employer’s giving program. Will you consider joining them to give back to your alma mater?”

“Did you know your employing company offers a generous VTO program? That means you and your colleagues can receive paid time off work to volunteer with our institution!”

Data-Driven Tip #2: Estimate wealth data and capacity to give.

Donors’ employment data can also provide powerful insights into an individual’s potential wealth⁠ level—and, therefore, their approximate capacity to give. Not to mention, data append services often supply information about an individual’s job title or status, providing additional details to inform your fundraising strategy. This information allows institutions to identify major gift prospects, craft tailored appeals, and encourage larger gift amounts.

Here’s an example: Let’s say you determine that an existing donor holds an executive-level position at a lucrative and rapidly growing tech company. From that data, you glean insights into their expected salary range, and adjust your recommended donation ask accordingly.

Data-Driven Tip #3: Identify and pursue matching gift opportunities.

Matching gifts are a leading form of corporate giving. Yet despite their potential, more than $4 to $7 billion worth of matching gift funds go unclaimed each year. Your school likely qualifies for a significant amount of match revenue, and if you want to maximize these programs’ potential, knowing where your donors work is a must.

Donor employment data helps fundraising institutions identify employers that offer matching gift programs. This allows them to promote these opportunities effectively, encouraging donors to double or even triple their contributions.

Here’s an example: “Your employer, Pat’s Pet Supply Co., offers a generous matching gift program⁠—and your most recent donation likely qualifies for a match. By completing a brief online form, you can double the impact of your gift for our school to help us achieve [goal or project]!”

Data-Driven Tip #4: Encourage corporate volunteerism.

Tons of companies offer generous volunteer incentives⁠—such as Dollars for Doers or paid volunteer time off⁠—as a way to encourage their staff to give back of their time. Understanding donors’ corporate affiliations can enable schools like yours to uncover such opportunities and ensure supporters are well-informed.

By offering specialized volunteer opportunities that align with a company’s culture and values, your college or university can encourage volunteers to contribute their time and expertise through their company-sponsored program.

Here’s an example: “Businesses like Really Great Company offer generous grant funding to the organizations their employees volunteer with. Make your volunteer efforts count twice for our school and get involved with [upcoming event or program]!”

Data-Driven Tip #5: Facilitate prospective sponsor conversations.

Beyond existing employee-led giving programs, donor employment data can also help identify opportunities for new, broader corporate partnerships. How? The best partnerships are built around shared audiences⁠—so knowing where supporters work can be instrumental.

You can even encourage donors or alumni to facilitate a warm introduction between your team and their employer to break the ice!

Here’s an example: “In the past year, your company has matched more than 30 employee donations to our school. We are so grateful for the support, and we see an opportunity to expand our mutually beneficial partnership. Will you consider sponsoring our upcoming fundraising event?”

Top Employers with Workplace Giving Programs for Higher Education

Once you know which companies your donors work for, you can use the information to uncover the most valuable workplace giving opportunities in your network. But, in order to do so, you’ll need to be familiar with the companies that offer these programs.

We recommend investing in a corporate giving database (like Double the Donation) to gain access to thousands of companies’ program materials. In the meantime, we’ve compiled a list of ten employers with standout matching gift, volunteer grant, and VTO programs your team should know.

COMPANY NAME

MATCHING GIFTS?

VOLUNTEER GRANTS?

VOLUNTEER TIME OFF?

Allstate Insurance
DTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Allstate

YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $10 – $1,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 YES ✔️

$500 per 8 hours of service

YES ✔️

Skills-based volunteer days

Cisco SystemsDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Cisco

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $1 – $25,000
Match ratio: .25:1

 YES ✔️

$10 per hour of service

 YES ✔️

80 hours per year

Ernst & YoungDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_EY

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $100 – $1,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 Not at this time ❌ YES ✔️

Quarterly days of service

AramarkDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Aramark

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $50 – $2,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 Not at this time ❌ YES ✔️

Annual day of service

Intuit Inc.DTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Intuit

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $15 – $5,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 YES ✔️

$250 grants

 YES ✔️

32 hours per year

DeloitteDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Deloitte

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $50 – $32,500
Match ratio: 1:1

 Not at this time ❌ YES ✔️

8 hours per year

GM FinancialDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_GM

 Not at this time ❌ YES ✔️

$10 per hour of service

 YES ✔️

32 hours per year

Capital GroupDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Capital Group

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $25 – $5,000
Match ratio: 2:1

 YES ✔️

$100 per 10 hours of service

 Not at this time ❌

Warner MediaDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_Warner

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $10 – $1,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 YES ✔️

$10 per hour of service

 YES ✔️

40 hours per year

AppleDTD_Sourcing & Utilizing Employment Data for Higher Education_pple

 YES ✔️

Donation threshold: $1 – $10,000
Match ratio: 1:1

 YES ✔️

$25 per hour of service

 Not at this time ❌

Supercharge fundraising with employment data for higher education.

Wrapping Up & Additional Data-Driven Fundraising Resources

Employment data is a strategic tool for powering higher education fundraising⁠—from personalized engagement efforts to tailored workplace giving initiatives. When sourced and leveraged effectively, this information can shed light on groundbreaking opportunities, guiding your efforts as you enlist support from existing donors and their employers alike.

Interested in learning more about workplace giving opportunities for your college or university? Check out our recommended further reading below:

Supercharge fundraising with employment data for higher education.

A Deep Dive into Marketing Volunteer Time Off for Nonprofits

A Deep Dive into Marketing Volunteer Time Off for Nonprofits

/in , , , /by

Paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs continue to gain traction as companies boost their CSR while engaging employees in meaningful community activities. These initiatives not only reflect a company’s commitment to social impact but also empower organizations to make the most of their volunteer base. However, despite the growing prevalence of VTO, there’s a significant knowledge gap regarding workplace giving initiatives⁠—even among eligible supporters. And that’s where a well-thought-out plan for marketing volunteer time off to your audience will come in handy!

In this post, we’ll dive into the world of Volunteer Time Off for nonprofits and share key recommendations for effectively promoting VTO. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Read on to explore the transformative impact corporate volunteer initiatives like these can have on your organization, its mission, and your community as a whole.

Let’s get started!

What Is Volunteer Time Off?

Volunteer Time Off (which is also referred to as VTO, paid-release volunteer time, or employer-sponsored volunteerism) is a unique benefit that allows employees to spend typical work hours volunteering with charitable causes. This type of program supplies additional time off, above and beyond any existing vacation or sick leave, and is specifically designated for team members to participate in volunteer activities.

Marketing volunteer time off programs - example dashboard

VTO programs vary among companies in terms of eligibility criteria, time off granted, submission processes, and more. Some companies offer a set number of VTO hours per year, while others allow employees to use VTO on a flexible basis. The types of volunteer activities permitted can also range from community service projects to skills-based volunteerism and more.

Why Does Marketing Volunteer Time Off Matter?

As a form of corporate partnership, the purpose of Volunteer Time Off is multi-fold. First, the programs enable companies to demonstrate commitment to social responsibility and engage employees in meaningful ways. At the same time, employees are presented with a unique opportunity to give back to their communities and support their favorite causes—like yours⁠—without missing a day’s wages. This fulfills individuals’ desires to make a positive impact and fosters a sense of purpose in their work inside and outside the office.

For nonprofits, the availability of volunteer time off widens the prospective supporter pool, incentivizing individual involvement and significantly increasing engagement. However, many employees are unaware of the VTO programs offered by their employers, leading to a missed opportunity for companies and nonprofits alike.

That’s why marketing the programs is so essential, and why organizations like yours are taking increasingly proactive steps to drive awareness among their audiences. When done well, simply highlighting VTO opportunities in donor- and volunteer-facing materials will allow you to bridge the knowledge gap and unlock a new avenue for community involvement.

Get 360MatchPro to assist with marketing volunteer time off and other corporate incentives.

10 Top Strategies For Marketing Volunteer Time Off at Your Org

Crafting a Volunteer Time Off marketing plan is essential for organizations looking to supercharge volunteerism and engage supporters with corporate incentives. So, how, specifically, will you increase awareness of the programs among your audience to maximize participation? We recommend implementing the following strategies and best practices in your efforts.

1. Establish Volunteer Time Off metrics and KPIs to track.

When it comes to marketing just about anything⁠—including volunteer time off⁠ and other corporate giving programs—determining which KPIs⁠ (or Key Performance Indicators⁠) your team will track is an essential first step. Implementing the appropriate metrics in your promotional plan allows you to measure the effectiveness of your VTO program and identify opportunities for improvement in your strategy.

These might include:

  • Volunteer participation rates
  • Number of existing volunteers using VTO
  • Number of first-time volunteers using VTO
  • Total number of hours donated through VTO programs
  • Average number of VTO hours used by volunteers
  • Number of companies offering VTO for your volunteers
  • VTO volunteer retention rate
  • Tangible project impact
  • Digital engagement (email clicks, social media likes, etc.)

By tracking these indicators and more, you can supercharge your efforts with data-driven decisions, demonstrate the program’s value to stakeholders, and optimize volunteer engagement. And that will set you up for successful marketing as you begin promoting the opportunities to supporters.

By tracking these indicators and more, you can supercharge your efforts with data-driven decisions, demonstrate the program’s value to stakeholders, and optimize volunteer engagement. And that will set you up for successful marketing as you begin promoting the opportunities to supporters.

P.S. It’s easy to track these metrics and more with 360MatchPro Volunteer Hub!

2. Look at examples of other organizations’ VTO marketing efforts.

If your organization has yet to begin promoting volunteer time off to your audience, it can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. Fortunately, studying successful examples from your peers and other organizations’ VTO marketing efforts can provide valuable insights and inspiration.

Take a look at the following web pages from two nonprofits sharing information about Volunteer Time Off programs with their supporters:

Example #1

Example of an organization marketing volunteer time off

Example #2

Example of an organization marketing volunteer time off

Each one provides an essential overview of the opportunity, and analyzing their strategies can help identify best practices, innovative ideas, and common pitfalls to avoid.

3. Provide an overview of VTO basics on your nonprofit website.

As the examples showcase above, one of the best ways to promote volunteer time off to your supporters is to share information about the programs on your nonprofit or school’s website. After all, your website is an invaluable resource for volunteers and donors looking to get further involved with your organization. It makes sense for VTO to be a featured opportunity!

If you already have a Volunteers’ page on your site, be sure to add a blurb about Volunteer Time Off there⁠—along with instructions on how individuals can locate their companies’ guidelines. You can also include information on your workplace giving or “Ways to Give” pages or even dedicate a brand new page to all things VTO.

Regardless, a clear and concise overview can serve as an essential incentive for volunteer engagement. By making this information easily accessible on your site, you can educate visitors, encourage more individuals to take advantage of VTO, and reduce barriers to participation.

Top tip: Once you have VTO content live on your website, use Google’s Ad Grants program to promote the page to a wider audience at no cost!

4. Share impact-focused volunteer time off content on social media.

Another way to spread the word about Volunteer Time Off programs is by sharing information from your organization’s social media profiles. For the best results, the content you publish should highlight the benefits of volunteerism on your cause and emphasize the convenience with which individuals can support your efforts.

Try scheduling a combination of informational content, mission impact stories, volunteer testimonials, statistics and research, participating companies, step-by-step instructions, and more. Across all your posts, keep in mind platform-specific best practices, such as regarding multimedia materials, hashtags, linking strategies, and more.

Remember: Social media is a powerful tool. Use it to show supporters how they can do even more to move your mission forward in tangible, hands-on ways. As a result, you can amplify your organization’s message, attract new supporters, and build a growing community around your cause.

5. Source employment information from volunteers and donors.

In order to locate opportunities for supporters to take VTO while volunteering with your cause, you’ll need access to their employment data. It should be a no-brainer that you’ll want to know where your volunteers work⁠. However, you shouldn’t overlook the VTO potential of your donors, either! Most organizations’ donors and volunteers overlap by a significant amount⁠—and volunteer incentives like VTO can help encourage even more donors to give their time.

So, how can you get the information if it’s not already available? One of the easiest ways is to request employment data directly within your volunteer registration forms, donation pages, and more. However, other identification methods may include the usage of a matching gift company search tool, email domain screening, data appends service, and more.

6. Inform volunteers about VTO opportunities within onboarding.

Make sure volunteers are familiar with the idea of volunteer time off from the start of their engagement to ensure available opportunities do not go unclaimed. For this, we recommend incorporating VTO information directly within the onboarding or training processes.

This approach helps set expectations, drives immediate engagement, and encourages volunteers to see if they qualify. Early education about VTO can also enhance volunteer retention and satisfaction by making it easy for eligible supporters to get paid while supporting your cause!

7. Send personalized follow-ups after volunteer activities.

Personalized follow-ups help build a stronger relationship between each volunteer and the nonprofits they support, thus increasing the likelihood of ongoing engagement and retention. As you begin implementing a plan for marketing volunteer time off for your cause, you don’t want to overlook the power of personalized communication.

Here’s how this can work:

Let’s say your organization gains a new volunteer who works for Warner Media, which you know offers a generous amount of VTO. After the individual’s first volunteer shift, you decide to send a tailored thank-you note. The note should demonstrate your appreciation of the individual’s support and remind them about their company’s volunteer incentives.

When the individual reads the message, they’re ultimately inspired to complete the request process for their employer to count their hours toward the Volunteer Time Off program.

If you have access to program guidelines or submission instructions, that information can help simplify the experience for your volunteer, too!

8. Encourage VTO-eligible supporters to organize group events.

One of the most impactful ways to promote volunteer time off is by leaning into word-of-mouth marketing. To demonstrate the value, let’s say the same volunteer continues supporting your organization with their VTO. You already know the individual works for a company that offers volunteer time off for its employees. One of the best ways to get more VTO-eligible supporters through your doors is to empower existing volunteers to organize group events with their peers.

If Volunteer A receives dedicated VTO hours, it can be assumed that Volunteer A’s colleagues can likely request VTO, as well⁠. That means you’ll have a larger pool of individuals willing to do important work for your cause without facing the impact of a lost day’s wages.

Bonus: Free Sample Volunteer Time Off Marketing Materials

Ready to jump into marketing volunteer time off to your audience, but not sure where to begin? Feel free to use these sample graphics as a starting point.

Sample #1: General VTO Overview

Sample graphic for marketing volunteer time off

Here’s what this example does well:

With an attention-grabbing header and concluding with a clickable CTA button, this sample focuses on driving action among volunteers. When users click the button to learn more, they should be directed to a VTO resource on your site. There, it should overview the opportunity in detail and instruct supporters on how to determine their eligibility for the programs.

Sample #2: Informational Infographic

Sample graphic for marketing volunteer time off

Here’s what this example does well:

An infographic can be an excellent way to share tons of important information in an engaging and visually appealing manner. This sample content highlights a few key insights from our Volunteer Time Off statistics page, providing a helpful snapshot of the opportunity for nonprofits and their supporters.

Sample #3: Defining Volunteer Time Off

Sample graphic for marketing volunteer time off

Here’s what this example does well:

It’s important for your audience to have a solid understanding of VTO programs before you can expect them to participate. Therefore, starting at the beginning with an easy-to-understand definition allows you to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page.

Sample #4: VTO Company Spotlight

VTO company spotlight example

Here’s what this example does well:

One of the best ways to ensure supporters understand the VTO opportunity is to highlight real examples of the programs. This sample marketing material does so well by sharing specific guidelines and insights regarding the highlighted company’s programming. Plus, it encourages the organization’s audience to self-identify as eligible for the particular program!

Wrapping Up & Next Steps: Start Growing VTO

Volunteer Time Off programs can drive significant social impact for nonprofits, their supporters, and the companies interested in giving back. As a result, the opportunity is not one that should be overstated.

Start by encouraging your audience to tap into VTO and other workplace giving initiatives. From there, your team can harness the power of employee volunteerism to advance its mission more effectively than ever before.

Interested in supercharging your organization’s corporate engagement strategy? Check out these recommended resources for further reading:

Marketing volunteer time off is an excellent way to leverage corporate philanthropy.


The Power of Email Domain Screening For Matching Gifts blog post feature

The Power of Email Domain Screening For Matching Gifts

/in , , /by

Find out how email domain screening can bring your organization’s matching gift fundraising to new heights.

Matching gifts supply a powerful revenue source that allows nonprofits to amplify individual generosity by leveraging corporate philanthropy. These programs, through which corporations match employees’ donations to charitable causes, hold immense potential for bolstering fundraising and driving growth.

However, despite the widespread availability of matching gift programs, nonprofits often struggle to fully capitalize on this funding channel. Many supporters remain unaware of the opportunity, and identifying eligible donors on your own can be a time-consuming process.

Fortunately, there are a few ways organizations can uncover match-eligible gifts in their donor base with varying levels of ease. In this guide, we’re going to focus on one in particular: email domain screening.

Table of Contents

By reading this guide, you’re already on your way to identifying and collecting more matching gifts. Now, let’s dive in to explore the role that email domain screening can play in this endeavor.

What is Email Domain Screening?

As donors give online, they’re generally asked to provide an email address within an organization’s donation form. While some choose to share a personal email (think: addresses ending in gmail.com, yahoo.com, outlook.com, etc.), others opt to use their business emails (e.g., name@company.com) to make their gifts.

This can be a great way to uncover match-eligible gifts using an email domain screening process.

Sample donation form with email domain screening implemented

So, how does it work? When it comes to uncovering matching gifts, email domain screening involves an organization (or a dedicated software solution it enlists) checking for donations made using corporate email addresses. 

Domain screening streamlines the identification of eligible donors using information your supporters are already sharing. In the end, it simplifies the matching gift process for donors and maximizes the funds your organization collects through the programs.

The Email Domain Screening Process

The better your team understands the email domain screening process, the more equipped you’ll be to boost your organization’s matching gift revenue. Take a look at the following walkthrough to learn more about each stage involved.

  • Step #1: Data Collection

    As donors give online, the software collects their personal information, including email addresses and other contact information. The system also captures employment-related data, such as the donor’s employer name, if provided, and the associated email domain.

  • Step #2: Domain Extraction

    The software extracts the domain part of each donor’s email address. For example, if a donor makes a gift using the email john.doe@homedepot.com, the extracted domain would be homedepot.com. From there, the organization can establish that the individual (likely) works for the Home Depot, and update its records accordingly.

  • Step #3: Database Matching

    From there, transaction records for individuals who do provide corporate emails are scanned against known matching gift suppliers. This is generally done using a matching gift database (complete with guidelines and documentation for thousands of participating companies) or a list of top companies to uncover vital employment and eligibility insights.

    Then, donors whose email domains match with participating companies are identified as potentially eligible for matching gifts!

  • Step #4: Retrieval of Company Info

    For each eligible donor, the organization or software retrieves employer-specific matching gift information. These insights generally include minimum and maximum donation amounts, match ratios, submission deadlines, and direct links to online request forms based on the company extracted from the individual’s corporate email address.

  • Step #5: Personalized Donor Outreach

    Once matching gift information is retrieved, the organization or software solution generates targeted communications for eligible donors. (Hint: if you’re looking to save staff time, an automation tool is a must-have!)

    These communications should inform donors about their eligibility for matching gifts and provide guidance on how the recipient can initiate the matching gift process. Whenever possible, this should include instructions on how to submit a match, any relevant forms or links, and additional documentation required by the employer.

Email domain screening process

Supercharge matching gifts with email domain screening from Double the Donation.

How Email Domain Screening Uncovers More Matching Gifts

Email domain screening can significantly benefit an organization’s matching gift strategy. In fact, vetting donations made using a corporate email address can result in tons of new donors being flagged as matching gift eligible. All in all, that leads to more than a 1% increase in total revenue for nonprofits each year.

Let’s see what this means by the numbers for a few types of organizations:

  • Small nonprofits ⁠raising $100,000–$250,000 a year ⁠tend to see a return of $1,000 to $2,500 from email domain screening.
  • Medium nonprofits ⁠raising between $250,000 and $1 million a year ⁠⁠tend to see a return of $2,500 to $10,000 from email domain screening.
  • Large nonprofits ⁠raising over $1 million a year ⁠tend to see a return of $10,000 or more from email domain screening.

But the benefits don’t end there, either! In addition to direct financial returns, email domain screening also empowers fundraisers to…

  • Learn more about the supporters in their networks while building out increasingly well-rounded donor profiles
  • Encourage individual donors to take advantage of available corporate matching gift opportunities
  • Implement tailored communications using employment insights gathered from corporate email addresses
  • Maximize fundraising performance by streamlining the matching gift identification process
  • Allocate resources more efficiently, freeing up staff time to focus on other valuable fundraising and mission-relevant activities
  • Identify some of their most valuable corporate partners with which they share key audiences

Email domain screening helps identify matching gifts

The best part is that, with the right matching gift software, conducting an email domain screening requires little to no added effort from a nonprofit’s fundraising team. By enlisting this strategy to uncover more match-eligible gifts, organizations like yours can amplify their impact and achieve their goals more effectively than ever before.

Other Ways to Identify Matching Gift Opportunities

So far, we’ve talked a lot about email domain screening in this guide⁠. And while it’s a sound strategy for organizations looking to give their matching gift efforts a boost, it’s certainly not the only way to determine donors’ eligibility.

On average, nonprofits report that between 5% and 7% of donors use corporate email domains when completing their initial gifts. So, what can you do to supplement domain screening and engage with the remaining portion of your supporter base?

Let’s quickly walk through some other leading ways nonprofits can uncover matching gifts from within their networks. Keep in mind that the more screening mechanisms you enlist, the greater the likelihood that you’ll capture every opportunity without letting matches fall astray.

Enlisting multiple identification methods allows fundraisers to identify up to 30% more match-eligible donors.

Source: https://doublethedonation.com/matching-gift-statistics/

The benefits of using email domain screening along with other identification methods

1. Embed a company search tool on your donation form.

Make it as easy as possible for donors to provide employment information directly as they give⁠—even if they opt not to use a corporate email address. When an individual makes a contribution through your online donation form, ensure they encounter a field where they can input the name of the company they work for. Even better would be an auto-completing search tool, such as the one powered by Double the Donation!

In addition to email domain screening, a company search tool can help identify matching gifts

(P.S. Our company database search tool integrates with nearly all leading donation platforms and CRMs, making it a seamless opportunity to connect the solutions.)

DIVE INTO THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE MATCHING GIFT DATABASE

2. Add a matching gift widget to your confirmation screen.

After donors complete their gifts, they’ll generally be directed to a confirmation page on your site. Here, they should be thanked for their gift and provided with recommended next steps. And when you incorporate a matching gift tool on your confirmation screen, donors will have yet another chance to supply employment data.

Such a widget allows each donor to quickly search for their employer’s matching gift program by typing in the business name. If a program from their employing company is found, the individual can be marked as match-eligible in real time and encouraged to complete a matching gift request on your behalf.

Besides email domain screening, your confirmation page is another great place to identify matching gifts

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN IMPLEMENT MATCHING GIFTS IN THE DONATION PROCESS

3. Enlist email follow-up outreach.

Following a donor’s contribution, send a personalized follow-up email thanking them for their support and inviting them to provide their employment information if they haven’t already.

This email should also supply instructions on how donors can uncover their own eligibility⁠—such as by reaching out to their company’s HR department or CSR team.

After email domain screening, follow up with a tailored matching gift reminder

EXPLORE TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MARKETING MATCHING GIFTS IN EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS

4. Consider an employer append service.

Regardless of the methods you use to collect employment information and identify match-eligible gifts, you’re going to have some gaps in your donor records. And that’s where a data enhancement service⁠—specifically an employer append⁠—can come in handy.

All you need to do is partner with a data appends provider and supply the company with the information you have in your existing records. From there, the appending company conducts a variety of enrichment processes to augment each profile with fresh insights gleaned from a wide array of data sources⁠—including employment information and matching gift eligibility.

Besides email domain screening, a data append is another great way to identify matching gifts

SEE HOW YOU CAN APPEND EMPLOYER DATA TO YOUR DONOR RECORDS

5. Conduct a bulk matching gift screening.

If you already have accurate and up-to-date employment information for your donors, there’s another type of data enhancement service you can consider. That’s a bulk matching gift screening, where you provide an appends provider with your donors’ names, the companies they work for, and other data insights. Then, the appending company screens your donor profiles against its database of matching gift information and indicates each individual’s likely matching gift eligibility.

Besides email domain screening, a bulk match screening is another great way to identify matching gifts

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR BULK MATCHING GIFT SCREENING SERVICES

Wrapping Up

Email domain screening offers nonprofits an invaluable opportunity to uncover more matching gifts and transform their fundraising endeavors. By utilizing this technology, organizations like yours can tap into the vast pool of matching gift opportunities provided by corporate employers.

In doing so, you’ll reap benefits like streamlined identification practices (driving operational efficiency), heightened donor engagement, and increased revenue for your mission.

Interested in learning more about matching gifts and other fundraising strategies? Check out these recommended resources:

Take email domain screening and other match efforts to new heights with Double the Donation.

The title of the article next to an illustration of a woman leaning on a desk with graphs surrounding her

5 Political Campaign Lessons That Nonprofits Can Learn From

/in , , , /by

In major election years, political campaigns are at the top of everyone’s minds. Your organization’s supporters receive political advertisements and donation appeals alongside those from your nonprofit, and donors may even wonder where your organization stands on key election issues.

While 501(c)(3) nonprofits are prohibited from participating in or supporting specific political campaigns, that doesn’t mean you should ignore them. Not only can election results impact your organization’s work in the future, but there are also plenty of lessons you can learn from political campaign strategies to improve your own fundraising and marketing campaigns.

We’ll cover five concepts that political campaign staff understand well and explore how you can apply them to your nonprofit’s strategies.

1. Time is of the Essence

Since every political campaign runs on a hard deadline, they understand the importance of urgency in every facet of their operations. Political campaign staff plot out detailed field plans, campaign timelines, and editorial calendars to ensure that every action contributes to the ultimate goal of winning the election. They hit the ground running, leveraging volunteers to speak with hundreds of voters at a time about supporting their candidate.

You can approach your fundraising campaigns with the same mindset to increase their momentum and drive results. Try infusing more urgency into your nonprofit’s campaigns by:

  • Writing urgent calls to action. The calls to action (CTAs) that you include in fundraising appeals, social media posts, and emails should convey the importance of your nonprofit’s work and empower supporters to act now. For instance, the CTA “Donate to save a turtle today!” inspires more urgency than “Donate here.”
  • Hosting a phonathon. Political campaigns use phone and text banking to connect with many voters in short time spans. Your nonprofit can do the same by hosting a phonathon in which volunteers call and connect with numerous donors in one day using a standardized script.
  • Leveraging automation to connect with donors immediately. Marketing automation tools can help you increase the speed at which you reach out to supporters and drive more action. By automatically sending emails or texts immediately after a donor gives, for example, you can quickly strengthen that relationship and inspire further involvement.

Additionally, make sure to frequently update donors on the progress of your campaigns, projects, and programs to show them that your nonprofit is working urgently to put their donations to good use.

2. Public Opinion is Paramount

Political campaign strategists spend plenty of time and resources researching the opinions of voters and crafting messages that will resonate with them. They understand that voters get a candidate elected, just like a nonprofit’s donors enable it to further its mission, and they prioritize voter opinion effectively.

Donors’ opinions, priorities, and concerns should play a central role in your nonprofit’s strategy development, guiding how you approach marketing and fundraising campaigns.

To better understand and speak to your audience’s motivations, send out periodic surveys to ask for their feedback directly. Ask questions like:

  • Why do you donate to our nonprofit?
  • What do you consider to be the most important aspects of our cause?
  • What other causes are you interested in?
  • What kinds of programs do you want to see from us in the future?
  • If you could change one thing about our organization, what would it be?

Along with asking your donors directly, take into account research on the opinions of the general public. For example, 77% of consumers want to purchase from companies with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives like matching gift programs. With this in mind, your nonprofit might prioritize your matching gift fundraising campaigns to appeal to the public’s interest in CSR.

3. Volunteers are Drivers of Change

Similar to nonprofits, most political campaigns don’t have large teams and therefore have to rely on volunteers for major efforts like canvassing and phone banking.

Because these efforts are so critical to the success of political campaigns, campaign staff understand and value their volunteers’ power to enact change. Some campaigns even use distributed organizing tactics, giving leadership positions to select volunteers and empowering them to lead their own volunteer teams on behalf of the campaign.

Your nonprofit can take inspiration from these tactics by improving your volunteer program and empowering volunteers to act. Use the following strategies to do so:

  • Emphasize skill development. No matter what kind of volunteer opportunities you offer, they involve certain skills that volunteers get to develop when they participate. Highlight the opportunity to improve soft skills like leadership and communication along with relevant hard skills like gardening or teaching.
  • Host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Let volunteers take the lead on fundraising by hosting a peer-to-peer campaign in which they raise money on behalf of your nonprofit. These campaigns give volunteers a chance to develop their fundraising skills and deepen their relationship with your nonprofit.
  • Show appreciation to volunteers often. Volunteers are more likely to stay involved with your organization when they feel like their participation is appreciated and makes a genuine difference to your mission. Appreciate volunteers by sending thank-you emails, giving them small gifts, and regularly asking for their feedback.

With a more empowered, involved volunteer force at your disposal, your nonprofit can start taking advantage of corporate volunteering programs, too. Invite volunteers to tap into their employers’ volunteer grant initiatives to make an even greater impact on your cause.

4. Digital Channels Make a Difference

Your nonprofit likely already uses a variety of digital communication channels to connect with donors and spread greater awareness of your nonprofit’s work. But are you leveraging these channels to their full extent?

For political campaigns, digital marketing and outreach is a top priority. They use digital tools like text banking software, canvassing apps, and social media outreach tools to get their message in front of voters across as many channels as possible. They also use a mix of paid and non-paid advertising methods to reach new online audiences.

Think about the digital channels your organization hasn’t yet explored and how they could give your fundraising campaigns a boost. You might try tapping into video marketing, for instance. Or, you could leverage free programs like the Google Ad Grant to try out search advertising. Take stock of the resources you have at your disposal, then choose a few new digital avenues to tap into.

5. Mobilization Requires Multiple Touchpoints

Political campaigns don’t stick to one canvassing or volunteer recruitment method — they use a combination of phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, text messages, social media advertising, email, and more. Campaign staff understand that one message or conversation isn’t enough to mobilize voters and volunteers.

The same is true for nonprofits. To truly inspire action from your supporters, you need a multi-channel fundraising strategy that provides plenty of touchpoints with current and prospective donors. This may include channels like email, text, social media, direct mail, your website, and more.

For the best results, segment your audience based on factors like their donation histories, past involvement, and communication preferences. Then, tailor your outreach and fundraising appeals to the interests of each group to make every touchpoint more meaningful.

Applying These Lessons to Matching Gift Fundraising

Political campaigns and nonprofits may seem different on the surface, but both aim to enact change by touching the hearts and minds of their supporters. This is especially true when it comes to matching gifts — by mobilizing your donors to request matching gifts from their employers, you’ll inspire them to double their impact on the causes they care about.

To apply these political campaign lessons to your matching gift fundraising strategy, try taking the following steps:

  1. Use a matching gift automation tool to immediately follow up with match-eligible donors and instill urgency in your appeals.
  2. Solicit feedback from donors who have requested matching gifts before and use their opinions to guide your matching gift fundraising strategy.
  3. Promote matching gifts across all your online channels to create multiple digital touchpoints with match-eligible donors.

By incorporating these lessons into your organization’s next matching gift fundraising campaign, you can find new ways to engage supporters and mobilize them to act.

Person using data storytelling to present their findings.

5 Noteworthy Benefits of Effective Data Storytelling

/in /by

According to Steve Jobs, “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values & agenda of an entire generation that is to come.”

Good stories are backed by hard data. Translating collected data or evidence into a compelling and insightful narrative is known as data storytelling. The skill combines visualization, contextualization, and narrative techniques to engage, inform, or inspire a predefined audience. 

In this guide, we’ll explore some noteworthy advantages of effective data storytelling and provide strategies for how your team can start implementing it. Let’s dive in!

Builds trust

Data storytelling weaves your organization’s insights into a credible, comprehensible narrative that can increase trust among your team members, external partners, and the population you serve. Over time, this confidence can empower your organization to accomplish the following objectives:

  • Pivot internal strategies. When making changes to your internal organization’s structure or objectives, it’s essential to present the data that backs up each of these decisions. For instance, a nonprofit may use insights from its donor database to indicate a need for an improved donor retention strategy that addresses high rates of donor churn.
  • Recruit and retain talent. Effective data storytelling enables organizations to highlight their achievements to attract more top talent. By continuing to value data-driven decision-making, you can then set the tone for new team members to adopt the same evidence-backed processes in their work.
  • Maintain credibility. From the external stakeholder perspective, data-driven narratives indicate that your organization is trustworthy. For this reason, nonprofits use an annual report to break down their operations’ success and tangible outcomes.
  • Gather support. Data-driven proposals are often the foundation that investor relations and fundraising requests stand on. For instance, a nonprofit aiding in disaster relief could indicate that a donation of $50 could allow them to provide 10 emergency blankets, 12 hygiene kits, and seven disaster clean-up kits.

A culture of data storytelling opens the door to increased trust across several fronts while ensuring your team remains transparent and accountable. For nonprofits especially, using data storytelling to display your funds indicates professionalism and credibility. In turn, this can result in more matched donations, volunteer support, and a greater missional impact overall.

Data Storytelling Contextualizes Experiences

Data storytelling takes the audience beyond raw statistics to understand how an organization’s operational changes produce tangible, positive outcomes. These anecdotes, backed by your findings, can come in different shapes and sizes. Here are a few variations to consider across separate industries:

  • Customer profiles. Data narratives help organizations better understand the people they serve. For instance, healthcare organizations can use data narratives from a robust analytics platform to compare their patient’s health to the overall population. This way, they can access additional context related to their patient needs.
  • Before and after stories. Comparing data before and after a major project or transition can help accurately frame progress, recenter strategies, and celebrate successes. For example, a healthcare organization may compare its patient care quality before and after implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) workflow.
  • Stories from the field. Frontline perspectives provide context to abstract data points and can emphasize their findings. These “boots on the ground” stories help organizations zoom in on their data to measure intangible impact. That’s why considering your team’s experiences alongside your collected data can add new insights into your organization’s challenges or needs.
  • Testimonials. These stories have incredible utility to expand your organization’s impact. A personal story can help you connect with your donors, customers, or patients in a way that resonates and brings in more support.

Data storytelling adds color to your organization’s raw findings to emphasize your impact. As a result, the contextualized data can evoke empathy and inspire necessary action.

Creates meaning

Organizations prioritizing corporate citizenship measure their success with return on investment (ROI) and their social impact. Data storytelling helps audience members understand the significance of an organization’s initiatives. Let’s look at a couple of examples from different perspectives:

  • Stakeholders. If your organization relies on the support of corporate sponsors, data narratives can help ground your performance and persuade stakeholders to invest. For example, a well-designed infographic explaining your organization’s impact may convince nonprofit donors may increase their donation amounts.
  • Customers. Measured data points point out the tangible differences an organization’s efforts have made in a customer’s journey. For instance, a company may promote its client satisfaction scores to strengthen its existing customer relationships and appeal to new customers.
  • Administrators and staff. Sharing data-backed stories that illustrate the positive outcomes resulting from administrative expertise and responsibility can motivate team members to celebrate their progress and continue working toward their organizational goals.

When used with the right audience in mind, data storytelling translates collected data into understandable impact that can inspire motivation and gratitude.

Visualizes outcomes

Data storytelling can illustrate trends, progress, and outcomes clearly and compellingly. Visual representations of data make complex information more digestible and memorable, allowing stakeholders to grasp the impact of an organization’s work quickly.

You can use a wide variety of visualization tools such as charts, infographics, flowcharts, or even interactive solutions to frame your data. As an example, Arcadia uses dashboards to visualize healthcare outcomes and opportunities. When similar tools are used effectively, they can help organizations of all kinds by:

  • Monitoring operational performance. Real-time dashboards keep up with current trends and help monitor internal performance fluctuation so that leadership can get a better understanding of areas of improvement.
  • Keeping tabs on costs and resources. A cost-tracking dashboard measures expenses over time, compares your budget to economic trends, and provides cost-allocation insights. Typically these dashboards are housed within an accounting software or expense management system or within a CRM.
  • Graphing larger trends. Tools like Tableau or Google Looker Studio can assist with trend graphing to place internal initiatives in context. For instance, many organizations rely on predictive analytics to forecast future trends based on historical data.

The right tools can help you keep track of your resources so that you never skip a beat. This applies in the nonprofit sector as well. For example, a matching gift software vendor can visualize your matching gift goals and track your fundraising efforts in real time. As a result, nonprofits can clearly predict their matching gift revenue over time.

Unifies collaborators

Data storytelling fosters a sense of shared mission and purpose that can get team members on the same page. Leverage dedicated employee engagement tools to gather more data that unifies your team, including:

  • Recognition platforms. Motivate your team members with meaningful recognition from managers and peers. With these platforms, you can turn a staff member’s successful KPIs into positive kudos.
  • Feedback-based platforms. Providing consistent and measured feedback can turn an employee’s core metrics into productive conversations that keep all parties informed and aligned on expectations and next steps.
  • Internal communication and project management platforms. These solutions help your team set achievable growth goals and contextualize progress. This way, with every new touchpoint, you’ll be able to see the full story of your team’s improvement.

Contextualizing your internal metrics can lead to increased engagement and team member satisfaction. Over time, this evidence-backed conversation helps provide a common language and understanding of the team’s goals and achievements.

The value of data storytelling can be measured throughout several different industries—nonprofit, business, healthcare, education, and more. As you learn to weave your raw data into inspiring narratives, you can not only unlock the potential for informed decision-making but also create a bridge between complex data and organizational impact.

Graphic of a woman playing golf next to the title of the article.

Creative Marketing Ideas for Charity Golf Tournaments

/in , , /by

As a nonprofit professional, you likely already understand the importance of marketing in collecting funds and making your cause known. From attracting donors and pursuing matching gift opportunities to promoting your services to your target audience, marketing is a key strategy for successful nonprofits.

Your nonprofit’s fundraising events are no different. Successfully marketing your fundraiser is crucial to the event’s success, not to mention positive fundraising outcomes, and gets your community excited about participating.

When it comes to your charity golf tournament, it’s important to cast a wide net to attract new supporters to your cause. Golf events have a unique appeal. The sport is more popular than ever, so getting the word out about your golf fundraiser lets folks know that they can play the game they love while supporting a great cause.

Ready? Start spreading the word about your golf fundraiser today with these five creative marketing tips:

Without further ado, let’s dive in with our first recommendation.

1. Use an Event Website

An event website for your charity golf tournament serves as the homepage for the event and where folks can go to find more information and get involved. Customize the site with pertinent information about your nonprofit, its mission, and what the tournament is raising funds for. It’s also a good idea to include the tournament’s schedule, recognize sponsors, and give visitors the chance to donate.

And if you’re going to incorporate matching gifts in your event strategy (which you should!), you’ll want to ensure your site is equipped with matching gift information, too.

Sample matching gifts page on a nonprofit website

Interested in learning more about how corporate donation-matching can play a role in your event strategy? Jump to the bonus section now!

The best thing about an event website is that it makes promotion as simple as sharing a link in all your online channels—social media, email campaigns, your nonprofit’s website, or even online ads. You’ll also end up saving a ton of time by collecting registrations and selling sponsorships right on the website.

2. Choose a Memorable Event Name

A catchy tournament name is a great way to brand the event and your marketing campaign. A tournament logo is another option you can leverage in a variety of ways to help connect folks to the event and what it’s raising money for. For example, use the tournament logo and its branding on t-shirts for organizers and volunteers, hole signage, banners, email campaigns, promotional graphics, giveaways, and more. Of course, it should be front and center on the event website.

Get your planning team, staff, or board together for a brainstorming session to settle on a tournament name that makes a lasting impression. Some ideas to get your creative juices flowing might include:

  • Swing Fore the Kids
  • Putts Fore Pets
  • Fairway to Heaven
  • Putting for Miracles
  • Teeing Up Hope
  • Holes Fore Heroes
  • Scramble for a Cure

If you’d rather stick to a traditional tournament name, such as a “Charity Golf Classic” or “Memorial Golf Tournament” that’s perfectly fine—but consider a specific tournament logo that makes your event stand out.

3. Incorporate Gamification Elements

Competition is a natural part of a charity golf tournament. You can leverage friendly competition in your marketing to help engage supporters about your event. In fact, integrating gamification into your golf tournament gets supporters and participants invested before they even tee off. Try these gamification ideas to get started!

Use a fundraising thermometer or donation tracker on your event website and in social media materials. Post updates and graphics in the days and weeks leading up to the tournament so people can see how their donation can help move the needle towards your goal.

Launch a contest to encourage people to recruit additional teams to play in the tournament. Not only does this help spread awareness about your tournament and cause, but you can stoke a little friendly competition by offering prizes to those who bring in the most number of teams. You might offer mulligans, raffle tickets, and drink tickets as prizes.

Implement user-generated content challenges. Leveraging user-generated content in your marketing provides a great opportunity to broaden your campaign’s reach. For example, you could have golfers share posts with a photo of their teams in the lead-up to the event and have social media followers vote on their favorite team names or costumes by liking, commenting, or sharing posts.

Add an auction to your tournament and promote it in your pre-tournament marketing. Silent and live auctions can certainly be competitive—in the best way possible—because they drive more dollars for your nonprofit. High-end prizes like a donated stay-and-play opportunity at a destination golf club get donors excited and engaged before, during, and after the golf tournament.

4. Collaborate With Local Celebrities & Influencers

Influencer marketing is another tool in your nonprofit toolkit to spread awareness about your nonprofit and your golf event to new audiences who otherwise might not have known about it. Plus, online channels have made it easier than ever to connect with celebrities and influences who can help amplify your event. Consider these options:

  • Local celebrities. You don’t have to have A-list celebrities involved to make an impact. Local celebrities, like the mayor, local news anchor or meteorologist, radio personality or host, community sports team, or well-known business owner, are more accessible and can add a draw to your fundraiser. It’s a win-win—you’ll get great exposure and they’ll be publicly associated with a great cause.
  • Social media influencers. Whether you’re connecting with influencers in the nonprofit sector, the golf world, or in your local area, you can improve your event’s visibility with social media partnerships. NXUnite’s list of nonprofit influencers is a great resource for learning more about the nonprofit influencer space.

Once you’ve made contact with them, work together to outline a mutually beneficial partnership. Perhaps in exchange for promoting your tournament on their socials and appearing at the event, they receive a complimentary team registration or two. Consider devoting a specific part of the event to the VIP, such as a hole-in-one contest hosted by them or a signed raffle prize or auction item donated by them. Highlight their presence in your marketing materials to get the most out of the partnership.

5. Leverage Cause Marketing With Corporate Sponsors

You might think of sponsorships primarily in the context of monetary donations. But in fact, you can leverage your corporate partnerships for marketing purposes, too. Cause marketing is marketing carried out by a for-profit business to advance a charitable cause or better society—in this case, your charity golf tournament.

Reach out to your nonprofit’s current corporate partners with a mutually beneficial proposal, providing positive exposure and outcomes for both parties. Your matching gift software can help here, too, when you use donor employment insights to identify top prospects for marketing partnerships.

Identify corporate partnerships with Double the Donation's top companies feature

Then, much like with influencer marketing, think of ways to sweeten the deal in exchange for their partnership, like offering a complimentary team registration for promoting the tournament to their employees or clients.

If leveraging corporate sponsorships isn’t an option for your nonprofit, you might consider offering sponsorship packages for your golf tournament that include cause marketing components. For example, a local business might underwrite paid social media campaigns or television or radio spots in exchange for exposure to your tournament’s field. GolfStatus recommends targeting businesses that are interested in getting in front of the golfer demographic. In either case, you should work closely with the sponsor or partner to determine how you can meet each other’s needs.

Bonus: Double Event Donations with Matching Gifts

As a nonprofit fundraiser, you’re surely looking to get the biggest bang for your buck with your upcoming golf event. Fortunately, integrating employee matching gifts into your overall fundraising strategy can go a long way. And there are a few key ways to do so. These include:

  • Matching event donations — Any gifts contributed above and beyond an event ticket cost or registration fee can typically be matched by individuals’ employers as usual. Just let your donors know that they should complete the matching gift request process for their company. You can even use a matching gift database like Double the Donation to supply supporters with employer-specific submission forms, guidelines, and more.
  • Matching the tax-deductible portion of event tickets — The cost of an event ticket or registration fee might be match-eligible, too! However, this process may be a bit more nuanced depending on the individual’s employing company. While the donation portion of the transaction (which is also the tax-deductible amount) will likely qualify for a match, the event’s fair market value will typically need to be deducted from the payment total.

Matching gifts for charity golf tournaments

Corporate matching gifts not only supply nonprofits and their events with an additional source of fundraising revenue, but they also incentivize greater individual generosity. In fact, Double the Donation studies indicate that 84% of donors are more likely to give if a match is offered (resulting in a 71% increase in response rate). At the same time, 1 in 3 donors would give a larger gift if a match were available, leading to a 51% increase in average gift size.

In other words, incorporating matching gifts is one of the best ways to supercharge your efforts and bring your fundraising event success to new heights.

Wrapping Up

Once you have a date and location locked in for your charity golf tournament, you’ll want to start planning your marketing efforts so you can start gaining traction as soon as possible. Your planning team should play a crucial role in marketing your golf tournament. You might even appoint someone to take charge of marketing efforts to ensure campaigns are moving forward. A robust marketing campaign is critical to the success of your golf tournament.

Uncover how to double donations for your nonprofit in our guide to matching gifts. Download now!

The Complete Guide to Celebrating Matching Gift Month

Here’s How You Can Celebrate Matching Gift Month This February

/in , , , /by

February is a time to celebrate love and happiness⁠—and matching gifts. That’s why it’s been dubbed the official Matching Gift Month. This year, we recommend taking the opportunity to scale up your matching gift promotional efforts accordingly.

We’ll cover everything you need to know to celebrate corporate giving and drive action (and matches) this February.

This includes:

Looking for new and exciting ways to amplify your nonprofit’s matching gift efforts leading up to Match Month? You’ve come to the right place. At Double the Donation, we’re experts at matching gifts, and we’ve compiled a list of suggestions sure to elevate your engagement efforts this February.

Ready to bring your matching gift fundraising to the next level? Let’s explore top recommendations for making the most of Match Month⁠—and see what your team can do to bridge the knowledge and funding gaps alike.

What is Matching Gift Month?

Matching Gift Month is an annual celebration of corporate donation matching, often used to increase awareness and usage of match programs. Held in February each year, Match Month is an opportunity to recognize the extensive impact that corporate philanthropy programs, like matching gifts and more, can have on nonprofit fundraising groups.

Celebrating matching gift month with internal refresher courses

And what is that impact? Research indicates that an estimated $2 to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs each year. That’s a substantial source of funds provided to charitable causes like yours. Not to mention, the mere existence of a match incentivizes individual donors to give at new heights, too. The same reports state that 84% of donors are more likely to give if a match is available, while 1 in 3 would give a larger amount if a match were to be applied.

However, an additional $7 billion goes unclaimed by qualifying nonprofits and their donors each year⁠—largely due to a lack of information surrounding the programs. That’s why many mission organizations and schools are taking the opportunity to elevate their matching gift fundraising and push the initiatives forward this year. And Match Month is the perfect chance to begin.

10+ Powerful Ways to Celebrate Matching Gift Month This Year

These smart marketing and engagement ideas inhabit a fun sense of novelty this month. But they’re also impactful for long-term engagement in your organization’s overall strategy.

For the best results, we suggest integrating multiple of the following methods—both this month and beyond.

1. Give your internal team a refresher course.

Before ramping up your organization’s matching gift efforts for Match Month, it’s a good idea to take a look inward. Hopefully, your internal fundraising team should be well-versed in matching gift information. But perhaps you’ve had a few new team members join since your last group training. Or maybe your staff (and volunteers!) could just use a refresher.

The solution? Start the month off right with your own team. Take the time to reiterate the importance of corporate matching gift programs. Practice asking common matching gift questions, ensuring that all individuals have the knowledge and assets to answer them.

You can even provide your team with access to educational resources and other materials to help grow their knowledge and preparedness for the celebrations ahead.

We have some fantastic free eBooks, blog posts, templates, webinars, and more at Double the Donation.

Plus, we offer the industry’s first-ever Matching Gift Academy—an online learning hub encompassing 45 lessons and more than 7 hours of informational video content across 10+ modules.

When it comes to driving matching gift revenue, your internal team encompasses your greatest assets. Make sure they’re equipped to advocate for the opportunities as best they can!

Top tip:

Though the Academy is valued at $199 per year, current 360MatchPro clients can access the learning system at no cost. Just head to the back-end of your matching gifts portal to locate your organization’s unique coupon code!

2. Share on social media.

Your organization likely has at least one, but likely a number of profiles on popular social media sites. Whether it’s a Facebook page, an Instagram profile, or even a TikTok account, your strategic web presence can go a long way toward marketing matching gifts online.

And what better time is there to begin (or to elevate your strategy) than a month dedicated to all things matching gifts?

To get started, consider sharing the following types of content on your nonprofit’s social profiles:

Images and videos

Social media platforms are increasingly visual-focused. If you want to grab⁠—and maintain⁠—your audience’s attention as they scroll through their feeds, research indicates that incorporating eye-catching images and videos is the way to go. In fact, studies show that image-based social posts receive 2.3 times more engagement than those without, and posts with video content can see up to 10 times higher engagement levels.

That said, Match Month is an optimal time to produce and share matching gift marketing videos and imagery. Or get started with our pre-made social media graphics here!
(Hint: click each image to enlarge the attachment and download a copy.)

12345678
Matching gift month sample graphic
An overview of the matching gifts process to share for Matching Gift Month
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Matching gift month sample graphic
Matching gift month sample graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic
Sample Matching Gift Month graphic

360MatchPro users:

For more templates and sample matching gift posts, head to “Marketing Assets” within the “Resources” tab in your matching gift portal. Then, explore our customizable social media designs for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more⁠—including graphics specifically for celebrating Match Month.

Sample Matching Gift Month posts

Not a client yet? Get a demo to see if Double the Donation is right for your team and gain access to a range of tools and resources!

Industry research

Highlight key statistics that effectively demonstrate the potential that corporate matching brings. Double the Donation has compiled some of our favorite metrics here, including an overview of unclaimed funding and a wide range of participating companies.

Check out these examples:

65%

of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.

26 million+

individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.

11%

of corporate cash donations are made through matching gift programs.

$2.86 billion

was contributed through corporate matching gift programs last year.

$4-$7 billion

in matching gift funds are left unclaimed by eligible donors each year.

BROWSE OTHER MATCHING GIFT STATISTICS HERE

Success stories

Social media is driven by connectivity, networking, and social proof. That’s why case studies, testimonials, and other success stories can be some of the most influential content you can share!

Take a look at a few examples here:

  • Sharing the total sum of matching gift revenue (e.g., “Our organization collected more than $50,000 in matching gift funds in the past year from donors like you”).
  • Highlighting specific examples from prior match donors (ex: “Sarah from Home Depot secured a corporate match on our behalf equaling $5,000, bringing her total contribution value to more than $10,000”).
  • Spotlighting user-generated content from prior match donors (“According to Jennifer, long-time matching gift donor, ‘I love having the chance to stretch the value of my donation, and getting my employer to support my favorite cause is great!’”)
  • Showcasing historic community impact (“Thanks to generous matching gift donors last year, we were able to feed an additional 1,000 families in need through corporate match funding we received.”)

Your supporters care about the impact your organization (and, by extension, their donations) brings. When your followers see the influence that other matching gifts have had, they’ll be more likely to take steps to do so themselves.

Reiterate that donation-matching programs enable donors to double their impact without reaching back into their own wallets. If you can put it in terms of tangible impact (e.g., feed two shelter cats for the cost of one), even better!

3. Optimize your site for matching gifts.

Social media marketing is great⁠—but there’s only so much you can share in each post. So, how can you ensure your audience can easily access the information they need to take action? Be sure every matching gift-related item you share links back to additional resources for learning more.

The best place to house those resources is your organization’s website. If you already have a built-out matching gift web page (which you should), consider driving traffic to the page for supporters to learn more about the opportunity. And if you don’t have an existing matching gifts page, Match Month is the perfect time to build that online hub.

Here’s an example of a well-designed matching gifts page to consider:

Matching Gift Month - Match Page Example

This inspiring sample follows all of our recommended practices. Take a look at the embedded matching gift search tool (which empowers donors to locate the information they need in seconds), a helpful infographic to visualize the involvement process, a detailed FAQ section, and information about the institution required for donors’ requests. Not to mention, it’s prominently located on the school’s navigation menu!

From there, we also suggest integrating matching gifts directly into your online donation process. Ideally, this should include an employment data widget to your giving form and company-specific program details on the confirmation screen.

Consider adding a separate page about one-off matching gift programs, too. (We’ll talk more about those below!)

4. Send a Matching Gift Month newsletter.

Does your organization send regular newsletters as a way to keep donors and other supporters in the know about upcoming events and opportunities? A matching gift-focused newsletter—whether physical or digital—can serve as a powerful tool for raising awareness of matching gift opportunities.

And it’s a great way to elevate engagement with the annually celebrated Match Month.

Matching gift month newsletter

At the very least, consider adding a section about Matching Gift Month involvement in your standard newsletter. But an entire edition dedicated to matching gifts can go a long way toward inspiring participation in the programs!

5. Look for fundraising match opportunities.

Some companies extend their programs to encompass gifts collected by an employee through a peer-to-peer fundraising effort on behalf of a nonprofit organization—even if the funds didn’t come directly from the employee’s own wallet.

Programs like these are known as fundraising match programs. And since these initiatives can also be considered a form of donation-matching, they can fit perfectly into a well-rounded Matching Gift Month plan!

Here’s how it works:

  1. Your organization facilitates a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign in conjunction with Matching Gift Month (February).
  2. Your team screens your donors’ employment information to locate supporters who work for companies with fundraising match programs.
  3. Your team reaches out to fundraising match-eligible contacts and encourages them to fundraise on your nonprofit’s behalf. (Be sure to mention your Matching Gift Month celebrations and the opportunity for their total funds to be doubled by their employer!)
  4. Volunteer fundraisers solicit donations from their family and friends and participate in any associated event or campaign activity.
  5. At the conclusion of the campaign, fundraisers submit requests for their companies to match the sum of their funds raised.
  6. Fundraisers’ employers review the requests and verify that submissions adhere to program criteria.
  7. Fundraisers’ employers approve the requests and disperse funding to the organizations for which their employees fundraised.

For example, let’s imagine that John Doe of State Street Corporation raises $1,572 for your organization. This is collected from 15 peers and associates through a social fundraising effort your team hosts this Match Month. When John requests a match from his employer, State Street supplies an additional $1,572 for your cause. This brings the total value of John’s fundraising efforts to $3,144!

Fundraising match example for Matching Gift Month

That’s a lot of extra funding for your mission—all while engaging your donors at new heights and growing corporate support.

Top tip:

Use your matching gift database tool to uncover fundraising match opportunities in your donor network. Platforms like Double the Donation supply information about many types of corporate giving programs—including volunteer grants and fundraising matches when available.

6. Encourage non-eligible donors to advocate for new programs.

Unfortunately, not all companies match employee donations (though new programs are added every day). And some employers are likely interested in getting started⁠—they might just need a little push to do so.

Luckily, your existing (and non-match-eligible) donors can be some of your best champions for inspiring new matching programs. Sometimes, all it takes is an email from a philanthropic employee to get the ball rolling for a new corporate program. And Matching Gift Month can be the perfect time to begin laying a foundation.

Consider sharing a template like this to provide a baseline for supporters considering advocating on your behalf this month:

Matching gift advocacy template

Subject line: Request for a corporate matching gift program

Hi [manager or HR representative name],

I am writing to request the addition of a corporate matching gift program at [company name].

Thousands of companies across the globe have established employee matching gift programs, agreeing to match gifts made by their employees to qualifying nonprofit causes with their own corporate donations.

This is an extremely beneficial program to host for every party involved⁠—including the company, its employees, and the nonprofits they support. If you’d like to take steps to establish a matching gift program for the company, Double the Donation has provided a number of detailed guides that walk corporate leaders through the process.

Thank you for your consideration!

P.S. ⁠— February is National Matching Gift Month, so it’s a great time to get started!

We’ve even written a dedicated blog post on the topic. Feel free to send this article⁠—How to Advocate for a Matching Gift Program to Your Employer⁠—to your donors to guide them through the process of proposing programs for their companies.

Top tip:

Use 360MatchPro’s “Leading Companies” tool, which showcases the employers most often searched by donors using your company database tool, to identify businesses in your network without existing match programs! Then, craft a personalized plan for pitching a matching gift program or encouraging your donors to do so themselves.

7. Pursue one-off matching gift program opportunities.

Most companies that match employee donations agree to do so to most nonprofit causes. However, if an organization has an existing partnership with a corporation, it may seek a one-off (or unique) matching gift program that is exclusive to the cause.

In some cases, this type of offering can be an ongoing sponsorship opportunity. But it also may be limited to a particular period of time⁠—such as Matching Gift Month! Thus, February (and/or the weeks leading up to February) can be a great chance to begin pursuing such a relationship.

One-off matching gift program for Match Month

There are a few types of one-off matching gift programs to consider. These include…

  • One-off match initiatives with companies that do not yet offer complete matching programs. (For example, Carl’s Computer Company does not have an established matching gift program but agrees to match donations solely made to Atlanta University.)
  • Agreements with companies that do offer traditional matching gift program⁠s but want to match donations to your organization at a higher rate. (Ex: Carl’s Computer Company matches employee donations to all 501(c)(3) nonprofits at a dollar-for-dollar rate and matches gifts made to Atlanta University at a 2:1 ratio for the duration of Matching Gift Month.)

Keep in mind that both types of programs can be beneficial to your cause, your donors, and your corporate partners. In either case, your donors’ employing companies can be some of your most valuable prospects!

Top tip:

Once you’ve established a one-off match with a corporate partner, add the program details (including eligibility criteria and submission instructions) to your company search tool using 360MatchPro’s custom matching gift management feature. This way, the program will populate in your employer search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to access the information they need to participate.

8. Follow up on previously made donations.

Your organization’s work promoting Matching Gift Month might very well drive a number of new donations⁠—and matches⁠—to your cause. But another strategy you can employ involves following up on previously made gifts. Then, encouraging still-eligible donors to submit their requests retroactively.

Here’s a sample follow-up email you might send:

Donation follow-up example for Matching Gift Month

Not to mention, Match Month falls just a few weeks after the year-end giving season when most organizations see elevated giving. Many of those donations may still qualify for corporate matching, even into the first few months of the new year.

In fact, tons of companies set generous matching gift request deadlines⁠—often accepting submissions for up to a year after the initial donation is made. Take this opportunity to remind eligible donors about their employers’ matching gift programs and how they can get involved.

Top tip:

Use a matching gift automation tool (like 360MatchPro) to automate outreach and trigger personalized donation follow-ups!

9. Include matching gifts in staff email signatures.

This is perhaps our simplest suggestion for celebrating Match Month, but it can be particularly effective when paired with some of our other top ideas. We recommend adding a quick line mentioning matching gift opportunities to all of your team members’ email signatures.

Matching gift month email signature sample

More than likely, your organization sends a ton of emails⁠—from donation appeals to thank-you messages and even nonprofit programming outreach. By incorporating matching gifts in automatic signatures, you can use every piece of communication with your cause as a way to promote donation-matching.

While you could add a simple blurb beneath an individual’s name and contact information, making it stand out can produce great results. For that reason, consider getting a graphic made and added to each person’s signature.

You can even use the space to link to additional resources where recipients can learn more.

10. Consider matching challenge grants.

Corporate matching gifts aren’t the only type of match opportunity your organization should keep an eye out for⁠—they’re just the most widely available. But other match-based initiatives⁠, like challenge grants⁠, also have the potential to multiply the impact of a group’s fundraising success.

Rather than a company matching the donations its employees make to charitable causes, challenge grants are facilitated as a way to offer a donation match to all of a nonprofit’s supporters. Typically offered by a generous major donor, corporation, or foundation, these programs are generally organized according to a set time frame (e.g., a 24-hour period) or predetermined threshold (such as up to $10,000). Then, any individual who gives within the time frame prior to the match fund being depleted will have their gift doubled for your cause by the challenge grant supplier.

It’s important to remember, too, that challenge grants and matching gifts are usually not mutually exclusive. That means you can layer a few matching gift opportunities on top of one another (for example, a donor’s gift being matched through a challenge grant and by their employing company) to further amplify your efforts.

Challenge grant example for Matching Gift Month

And that’s what we recommend doing to celebrate Matching Gift Month!

Bonus: Make matching easy.

Our final idea for celebrating Matching Gift Month is one that will benefit your organization well beyond the 28 (or 29) days of February. A lot of our previous recommendations involve raising awareness of program opportunities in the first place. Now, we suggest going a few steps further and driving matches by simplifying the processes involved.

After all, donors love matching gifts. They love getting the opportunity to multiply their contribution impact. But even your most dedicated supporters might not follow through when the process is too complicated or time-consuming.

That’s why we recommend fundraising organizations employ matching gift software to streamline and simplify the process. For example, 360MatchPro by Double the Donation empowers nonprofits to:

  • Identify eligibility with the industry’s most comprehensive matching gift database and corresponding search tool, making it quick and easy for donors to locate the information they need to participate.
  • Provide employer-specific matching gift program guidelines (minimum and maximum donation amounts, qualifying employees and nonprofit causes, match ratios, and more) and direct links to online submission forms, thus driving more requests to completion with actionable next steps.
  • Enable innovative auto-submission capabilities, allowing eligible donors to complete the match request process directly from the organization’s giving page and removing critical roadblocks facing traditional matching gift submissions.
  • Trigger automated and personalized matching gift follow-up messaging to remind donors about matching gift availability and encourage them to take the next steps in their companies’ request processes.
  • Seamlessly implement a matching gift solution into their existing fundraising ecosystem thanks to ready-built integrations with nearly all leading donation tools, peer-to-peer platforms, CRMs, and more⁠—empowering organizations to get up and running with gift-matching strategies in minutes!

Celebrating matching gift month with matching gift software

Not only does this benefit your donors by making matching programs more accessible, but it also ensures more back-end efficiency for your internal team and results in matching gift revenue growth of more than 61%.

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A PERSONALIZED 360MATCHPRO DEMO

Inspiring Matching Gift Month Examples to Review

Drawing inspiration from other nonprofits’ Matching Gift Month efforts can be highly beneficial for organizations strategizing their own campaigns. Not only can successful examples provide invaluable ideas and insights, but they can also spark creativity among your team and establish a deeper understanding of what resonates with nonprofit audiences.

That said, take a look at these Match Month campaigns to aspire to.

Example #1: Matching Gift Month Social Media Post

This independent Massachusetts private school took to Facebook and other social media platforms to promote the corporate matching gift opportunity last Match Month.

Sample Matching Gift Month marketing by the Rashi School

This institution uses the post as a way to promote matching gifts and encourage unprecedented individual giving. Not to mention, it links to the school’s matching gifts page and company search tool. These resources can supply additional information and assist supporters in getting started!

Example #2: Matching Gifts Web Page

One university opts to use its matching gift web page as a way to increase awareness about Match Month celebrations.

Sample Matching Gift Month marketing by CWRU

The blurb, which is embedded in the web page, encourages users to research their companies’ matching gift programs and double their giving impact if they qualify. It also includes an informational matching gift video that uses animated graphics to visualize the institution’s matching gift efforts.

Example #3: Match Month Landing Page

This organization published a dedicated landing page on its website as a way to drive awareness of Matching Gift Month among its supporters.

Matching Gift Month example campaign

The page begins with a flashy and eye-catching graphic, shares specific performance metrics that reiterate matching gift impact, and implements an embedded company search tool. It even includes a template supporters can use to advocate for matching gift efforts when their employers lack such programming.

Example #4: Matching Gift Month Blog Post

In order to encourage Match Month participation among its supporters, this nonprofit published an informational blog post on its website.

Matching Gift Month example campaign

The article outlines the basics of Matching Gift Month, emphasizes the importance of matching gifts for the organization’s mission, and shares additional resources donors can use to pursue matching gift opportunities (such as a direct link to the dedicated Match Page and integrated search tool). Plus, it uses illustrated statistics to communicate the availability of employee gift-matching in a user-friendly way!

Looking for more matching gift success stories?

GET THE CASE STUDIES HERE

Wrapping Up

Matching gifts have the potential to elevate your organization’s fundraising, bringing your overall community impact to new heights. February’s celebrations can be a fantastic opportunity to jumpstart or scale up your efforts⁠. But it’s certainly not the only time to pursue this funding source.

As you aim to drive awareness of (and participation in⁠) the programs this month, remember that the value of a long-term matching gift strategy can boost your fundraising for years to come. Keep in mind that the practices outlined above—and powering your team with the right tools and resources—can help!

Get started with Double the Donation this month

Looking for more helpful matching gift resources? Check out our other recommended blog posts to continue learning:

Complete Guide to Matching Gifts

Matching Gift Programs Additional Resources for Matching Gift Month

Dive into the basics and beyond with this complete guide to corporate matching gift programs.

Find out everything from common guidelines and well-known programs to streamlining your efforts with matching gift software.

READ NOW

How to Encourage Matching Gifts

How to Encourage Matching Gift Requests This Match Month

Not all match-eligible donors will complete their submission processes right away. Discover several impactful strategies for driving more matches to completion with this smart guide.

Then, incorporate these methods to raise more!

READ NOW

eBook: Matching Gift Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to Marketing Matching Gifts This Match Month

Learn everything there is to know about marketing matching gift programs effectively with our free downloadable resource.

This guide covers top strategies for raising awareness and elevating matching gift fundraising with ease.

READ NOW

Mastering Donor Retention: How to Build a Stewardship Matrix

/in , /by

Nonprofits thrive on the generosity of committed donors, whose loyalty funds their mission-related work year after year. Not only do returning donors provide reliable support for nonprofits, but they also give 42% more than one-time donors on average.

But with retention rates hovering around 40% in recent years, your organization needs a clear plan for keeping your donors coming back. In this guide, we’ll explore how you can do just that by discussing a stewardship matrix in the following topics:

This means donor retention is not just a technique to raise more—it’s a necessity for fulfilling nonprofit missions! Let’s get started by defining a stewardship matrix.

Learn more about matching gifts to incorporate them into your stewardship matrix.

What is a stewardship matrix?


A donor stewardship matrix is an outline of the method and cadence your nonprofit will use when reaching out to donors. This stewardship plan standardizes outreach by establishing a dedicated timeframe for engaging each donor.

As a nonprofit professional, you’re likely familiar with stewarding donors, or the process of building relationships with donors after they contribute to your organization. While there are plenty of tips available for nonprofit leaders about engaging donors more deeply, the only way to successfully master stewardship is with a comprehensive plan.

To prepare a donor stewardship matrix, your nonprofit will need to evaluate the following:

An infographic listing statistics about donor segments, communication channels, and timelines, which are discussed in the text below.

  • Donor segments: Know the different appeals donors need to hear. For example, 40% of Millennial donors are enrolled in a monthly giving program and 52% are more likely to give monthly than to make one large donation. Your nonprofit might plan to promote monthly giving to this segment to increase the chances of these donors giving.
  • Communication channels: 48% of donors say that regular email communications are most likely to keep them engaged and inspire repeat donations, followed by social media (18%), print (16%), handwritten notes (12%), and phone calls (6%). Leverage these channels accordingly to reach donors in a way they’re likely to respond to.
  • Timeline: Knowing when and how frequently donors prefer to give can guide your requests. 94% of recurring donors prefer to give monthly, 3% weekly, 2% annually, and 1% quarterly.

When taking these details into account, your nonprofit can create personalized and meaningful communications for specific audiences. Let’s take a closer look at how to develop a stewardship plan.

How to create a donor stewardship plan


Acknowledging the need to steward donors is just step one. To craft a stewardship plan that effectively engages donors and secures their long-term support, follow these steps.

Segment your donors.

Your nonprofit’s stewardship efforts are based on its donor composition, meaning you must learn about the individuals that make up your supporter base to cultivate meaningful relationships with them. Start with an overview of your supporter base by visualizing donors’ current engagement levels in a pyramid format.

An example of a donor pyramid, which can be used to develop a stewardship matrix.

Your donor pyramid will be unique to your organization, but it can generally include first-time, recurring, and major donors. Keep in mind that the goal of your donor stewardship plan is to move supporters from lower levels of the pyramid to higher levels.

Along with these categories of giving levels, identify shared characteristics among your donors and group them into donor segments accordingly. Donors’ preferences and interests can help you more accurately target your outreach to appeal to them individually. Some common determinants of donor segments include:

  • Demographics
  • Involvement history
  • Communication preferences

To create these segments, you’ll need thorough and accurate donor data. Collect information about your donors through surveys, donation forms, conversations at a fundraising event, or by hiring a data appending service. Then, implement a standardized process for inputting data into your nonprofit’s database. Ensure it stays up-to-date over time and free of errors or duplicate entries.

Determine communication types.

Using what you know about your donors, start developing ideas about how to best engage each group. You’ll need a well-rounded approach to successfully move donors up the pyramid. Consider including the following types of communication:

The communication types in a stewardship matrix propelling donors through the donor pyramid.

  • Acknowledgment: Let donors know their involvement is noticed and appreciated by your nonprofit to immediately connect with them upon engaging with your organization.
  • Recognition: Take acknowledgment a step further by thanking donors specifically for their contributions. Remind them that your mission would be impossible without them and make them feel like an integral part of your work.
  • Reporting: 41% of donors say they would give again if they received personalized outreach on the impact of their support. Show supporters what their donations have accomplished to help them feel valuable to your organization, and show them what additional donations could accomplish to inspire further support.
  • Ongoing engagement: Develop a plan for ongoing engagement that accounts for donor feedback. This includes direct donor engagement strategies, like inviting them to continue their involvement in a specific way, as well as opportunities for donors’ voices to be heard, like feedback surveys.

Your stewardship matrix will only be complete with several types of communication since a variety of messages are needed throughout the donor lifecycle to engage them in different phases of giving. Keep your donor segments in mind as you establish these communication types and determine which messaging each group would prefer to hear.

Brainstorm stewardship activities.

Narrow your stewardship strategy by getting specific with the actions you’ll take to send these messages. Within the above categories of communication types, create specific activities to deepen donors’ connections with your organization. Some highly engaging ideas include:

  • Sending eCards for any occasion
  • Offering other involvement opportunities
  • Sharing impact reports
  • Soliciting feedback

To make these activities even more engaging, plan messages outside of your typical donation request or follow-up. For example, a fun eCard on a donor’s birthday can show that you care about them as individuals, not just ATMs with legs.

Outline a donor stewardship matrix.

After establishing your donor segments and developing a list of activities to engage them, your nonprofit can officially create its donor stewardship matrix.

Break down your activities into the different types of communication we discussed earlier and create a timeline for when those communications will be sent out. While your donor stewardship plan will be unique to your nonprofit and its supporter base, you can use the following template and steps as a guide to organize your communications:

An example of a stewardship matrix template.

  1. List out your communication types. These are the focuses of communication you outlined after donor segmentation, such as recognition or reporting.
  2. Assign activities to each communication. Create communication activities to achieve each of the goals listed in the previous step.
  3. Specify a timeline for each activity. Determine a deadline for each activity to be completed that ensures maximum engagement. For example, you’ll want to thank a donor within 24 hours of receiving their donation to show you value their gift and keep your organization top of mind.
  4. Assign donor segments with activities. List out your groups of donors and mark which ones should be engaged with each activity. For example, a welcome email would help first-time donors feel welcomed into your organization, but this wouldn’t apply to recurring donors who have been part of your nonprofit for years.

Remember that this donor stewardship plan will integrate with your organization’s overall communications strategy. Be careful not to overwhelm donors by ambushing their inboxes with thank-yous, donation appeals, and other communications.

The best way to organize your communications plan is to designate a specific stewardship committee within your marketing team. This way, those in charge of your stewardship plan will have an understanding of your overall communications and the resources to coordinate with your communications team so that the timing is well-planned.

Implement your donor stewardship plan.

After explicitly laying out your stewardship matrix, it’s time to put your plan into action! Immediately begin the process with newly-acquired donors and track your communications with them.

For existing supporters, use your newly created donor segments to launch stewardship efforts with them, as well. Be careful to track each communication and add special notes about interactions where relevant. This way, you’ll get to know your supporters even better and track their engagement with your organization over time.

Stewardship matrix best practices


Consider these additional tips for making the most of your stewardship matrix.

Regularly qualify your donors.

Imagine this: Sally, a senior in college, is a new donor who contributed to your nonprofit for the first time this year. You successfully steward her, and she continues to give frequently for the next five years.

A lot can change in five years, which is why you’ll need to re-evaluate your donor segments over time to ensure each donor is properly categorized. Sally, for example, might enter an entirely new segment after graduating college, getting a new job, and potentially going through other life changes, such as moving to a new city.

An image representing donor qualification, which nonprofits use when re-evaluating their stewardship matrix.

Donor qualification is the process of analyzing your donor segments and allows your nonprofit to keep an eye on its changing donor base. Ultimately, you’ll be able to uncover new stewardship opportunities by keeping track of donors’ life changes, not only by properly segmenting them but also by knowing them on a personal level.

Re-evaluate your plan over time.

Stewardship is a cycle in that as you learn more about donors through your donor stewardship plan, your activities and efforts should evolve. Regularly evaluate which areas can be improved and how you can strengthen relationships with your donors.

To do this, gather feedback from donors and your stewardship team. Donors can provide insight into how your current stewardship plan makes them feel, but your team’s feedback is similarly necessary for determining how their roles impact your plan and what areas for improvement they’ve identified.

Create giving societies.

Make it easy for donors to increase their engagement with clearly defined giving societies. Establish a donation amount required for membership (or an annual membership fee) to encourage donors to give more. In exchange, they’ll receive benefits associated with the membership, such as exclusive merchandise branded to your organization or access to VIP events.

By incorporating giving societies into your stewardship strategy, you’ll add an element of prestige to donating. Plus, this helps to cultivate a stronger community of supporters when members mingle at events and get to know each other better.

Tools for increased donor stewardship


While a thoughtful stewardship plan can significantly improve donor retention, the right tools can supplement your plan by streamlining your efforts.

Donor-facing technology

Whether your stewardship communications prompt donors to take a certain action or simply information, you’ll need to ensure they can receive your message and act on it easily. Consider the following donor-facing tools for your strategy:

  • eCards: Make your communications more engaging with digital greeting cards branded to your organization. These cards, typically sent via email, can be sent for any purpose, including celebrating holidays, acknowledging donations, or even collecting donations when supporters send eCards to friends and family members in exchange for a small donation to your nonprofit.
  • Accessible website: Many of your communications will send donors back to your website since it’s a hub for all the most important information about your nonprofit. Ensure your website is easy to navigate and follows your stewardship strategies, using elements such as beneficiary testimonials to make donors feel valued and important.
  • Matching gift auto-submission: Matching gifts are a proven way to engage donors, with 84% of donors saying they’re more willing to donate if a match is offered. Embedding an auto-submission tool on your nonprofit’s website makes it easy for donors to check their eligibility and submit a match request, instantly doubling or tripling the impact of their gift.

In addition to making match requests a breeze, auto-submission tools can further show donors that you’re working to maximize their gifts and drive real impact with every contribution, especially when paired with background information about the significance of a matching gift program. For more information on how to leverage such a tool, watch the video below:

Data management tools

To create donor segments and ultimately plan communications for your unique supporter base, you’ll need organized data in an easily navigable platform. Consider investing in a constituent relationship management (CRM) solution to manage your donor data and details about their contributions.

Depending on the solution you choose, some CRMs even automate many of the stewardship processes for you, such as donor segmentation or sending communications. These tools can even compile reports to make it easier for your nonprofit to draw insights from your donor data.

Online giving software

Various giving tools can make online donating easier for your donors by creating donation forms, safely processing payments, and automating donation receipts. According to Getting Attention, these tools can also simplify donor data collection for your nonprofit by collecting contact information, giving preferences, and other important details.

Next steps for your donor stewardship plan

With a stewardship matrix, your nonprofit has a powerful and unique tool for donor retention. It unlocks your ability to deepen relationships with supporters and ultimately raise more, decreasing the chances of donors lapsing over time.

Be careful not to neglect this tool as your supporter base grows and evolves. To effectively steward donors, your plan must also grow and evolve. Use the right technology, leverage valuable donor data, and always look ahead to identify other opportunities for engagement.

For more ideas and expert tips on stewardship strategies, check out these additional resources:

  • How to Start A Donor Retention Program for Your Nonprofit. Now that you’ve learned everything you need to know about creating a stewardship plan, expand your efforts by establishing a complete retention program. Learn everything you need to know to get started in this guide.
  • What Is Phone Number Appending? How the Process Works. Accurate donor data is crucial to every donor stewardship plan. Explore this guide to phone number appending so you can ensure your nonprofit has access to the most up-to-date contact information for each supporter.
  • Matching Gift Videos | Examples and Best Practices. Donors are more willing to give (and willing to give more!) when they know their gifts will be matched. Learn how to promote matching gifts to donors and encourage them to deepen their involvement with your nonprofit!

Get a demo to explore how Double the Donation’s software can enhance your donor stewardship plan.

Learn how a Google Grants agency can transform your digital marketing.

Hiring a Google Grants Agency in 2024: A Guide & 8 Agencies

/in , , /by

Through the Google Ad Grants program, nonprofits have the potential to amplify their marketing and connect with prospects searching for causes like theirs. The program empowers nonprofits to share their missions with people around the globe, but only if they’re strategic about how they allocate their funds.

Google Ad Grant agencies dedicate their time to helping nonprofits make the most of the opportunity. From applying for the program to pinpointing the right keywords, they cover every aspect of the process and eliminate the learning curve that comes with this opportunity. That way, you can focus on pursuing your mission and engaging the new constituents you connect with through your ad campaigns.

Whether you’re just now learning about Google Ad Grants or you’re looking to refresh your account management strategies, a Google Grants agency knows what it takes to keep your account compliant and make your ad campaigns excel. To help you effectively leverage your grant money, we’ll cover everything you need to know, from the basics of the program to our recommended Google Grants agencies that will help you make the most of your $10,000 every month. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Here at Double the Donation, we spend plenty of time working with nonprofits to maximize their fundraising revenue and make a greater impact on their causes. We’ve seen organizations do some pretty incredible things for their missions when they put thought behind their fundraising strategies and leverage corporate giving programs like Google’s. While we work exclusively with matching gifts, other powerful funding opportunities like Google Ad Grants impact the difference an organization can make, so let’s explore how specialized agencies can streamline that.

To improve your Google Ad Grants management, get started with our recommended Google Grants agency: Getting Attention.

An Overview of Google Ad Grants Management

Before researching specific Google Grants agencies, make sure you know what Google is offering eligible nonprofits through the program. This will help you understand whether outsourcing the work to a professional is the right move. If you’re already well-versed in Google Ad Grants, feel free to jump ahead to learn how an agency fits into your strategies.

What is the Google Ad Grant?

The Google Ad Grants program is a corporate giving initiative that gives 501(c)(3) organizations $10,000 every month to spend on amplifying their pages in Google search results. That adds up to $120,000 every year that qualifying nonprofits can invest directly into marketing their missions.

Nonprofits pick the landing pages they’d like to amplify, then build ad campaigns that target different keywords related to their mission. The goal of the program is to help nonprofits scale their impact by getting in touch with more donors, volunteers, and advocates online.

So long as your nonprofit complies with the program’s guidelines, the grant will automatically renew each month. The program has pretty strict guidelines for eligibility and ongoing compliance. That’s why organizations typically outsource account management to Google Ad Grant agencies who will oversee their campaigns and ensure their accounts remain compliant.

Are Google Ad Grants worth it?

While it can be challenging to create winning ad campaigns, any organization can (and should) apply for the program. It’s $10,000 of free funding every month that can really amplify your cause if you allocate it strategically. With proper Google Ad Grants management, the program empowers all sorts of nonprofits to:

  • Increase online conversions such as event signups, donations, and volunteer registrations
  • Connect with lifelong supporters who are motivated by their cause
  • Bid on competitor’s keywords so their ads can show up alongside their listings
  • Build brand awareness and spread awareness for mission-centric operations like matching gifts

Effective account management from a Google Grants agency offers these competitive advantages.

To really make the most of the program, the best approach you can take is to have someone at your organization spend at least a few hours each week learning about Google Ad Grants management once you receive your funding. If you face limited staff bandwidth and can’t invest the time you want into creating your campaigns, you might want to outsource the work to a dedicated Google Ad Grant management agency.

Either way, $10,000 a month is a good chunk of change that will pale in comparison to the amount of staff time you spend or the money you pay an expert to manage your campaigns actively.

Why should I invest in Google Ad Grants management?

This Google Ad Grants impact report explains that the return nonprofits see can be incredible with proper Google Ad Grants management. In fact, search ads have the highest ROI for nonprofits using paid advertising among any other paid advertising platform.

With billions of search queries processed per day, Google is the world’s most popular search engine. Advertising your cause on Google can put you in touch with a world of prospects, and properly managing the grant means you can deliver the right content to these individuals.

When you first get started, there’s a huge learning curve you’ll have to overcome. Between conducting keyword research and keeping up with Google’s compliance standards, newcomers have a lot to learn! And with an already-busy schedule, your team might not have enough time to devote to managing your Google Ad Grant.

Investing in professional Google Ad Grants management can help you overcome the learning curve, so you can make the most of your grant money from the start. Especially when you work with a Google-certified agency, you’ll have access to the best advice possible and have a direct line line to Google in case something goes wrong with your account.

Bonus! If you want to learn more about the basics of the program, explore our beginner’s guide to Google Ad Grants. It breaks down the essentials of the program, so you can determine if it’s a smart move for your nonprofit.

How A Google Grants Agency Can Help

From determining your eligibility to finding the right keywords, there’s a lot that goes into effective Google Ad Grants management. That’s where a dedicated Google Grants agency comes into play.

Agencies will take the guesswork out of account management and help you develop winning campaigns that supercharge your marketing efforts. They spend all of their time understanding the program’s requirements and learning how to leverage relevant tools that will maximize their clients’ results. Specifically, they help nonprofits with the following:

  • Google Grant application. If you’ve yet to apply for the program, a dedicated agency will help you do so by creating your Google For Nonprofits account, getting verified by Percent, ensuring your website has promotable content, and submitting your application for review.
  • Keyword research. A Google Grants agency will help you develop ad campaigns that target the right keywords. They’ll spend plenty of time researching the keywords associated with your cause and pinpointing the ones that qualified prospects are searching online.
  • Campaign management. A healthy account will have anywhere from 3-5 campaigns going at once to drive results. An agency will actively track these campaigns, report on performance, and make adjustments to your online content to maximize results. Through Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, they can create live dashboards and reports that keep you looped into your campaigns’ performance whenever you want.
  • Monthly compliance. The program’s guidelines are pretty extensive, and by not complying, your account will potentially be deactivated. One of the main priorities of your Google Ad Grants agency is to make sure you’re complying with the program’s guidelines at any given point. Some of these include maintaining a 5% clickthrough rate, avoiding single-word or generic keywords, and responding to the annual program survey. When you use a Google-certified agency, you’ll have access to the program’s latest guidelines, even if they haven’t been formally announced.
  • Landing page optimization. Your grant money will go to waste if the pages you’re promoting don’t inspire users to convert. Some agencies provide tips for improving your landing pages for campaigns to help boost traffic and conversions.
  • Reactivation if needed. Ideally, your Google Grants agency will help keep your account in good standing. However, things happen, especially considering the program has pretty strict guidelines. If your account ever lapses or gets suspended, your agency will help reactivate it. Better yet, an agency certified by Google will give you direct access to the Google Grants team, making it easier to resolve any issues.

These are some of the most common services you'll need from a Google Grants agency.

It’s best not to leave it up to chance. A Google Grants agency knows what it takes to create winning campaigns that inspire users to click through to your website. And like we mentioned, the money you spend on hiring a professional will be well worth it compared to the $10,000 in marketing money you’ll receive every month.

If you’re curious about any of these common services, Getting Attention’s Google Grant agency guide explores how agencies help nonprofits in-depth. That way, you can understand if investing in an agency is the right move for you.

Click here to explore the role a Google Grants manager plays in streamlining your ad campaigns.

Getting Started With A Google Ad Grant Agency

At this point, you’re almost ready to kickstart your buying journey and explore different agencies. As you explore your options, bear in mind that you should walk through a few steps to make sure you find a Google Grants agency that you can fully depend on to make the most of this CSR opportunity.

For instance, you’ll want to:

  1. Find Google Ad Grants agencies that meet your criteria. For one, many nonprofits look specifically for partners who are certified by Google. That’s because these professional Google Grants agencies have been vetted by the Google Grants team. When exploring these agencies, look for partners that offer services for the specific areas you need help with. For instance, if you want full transparency into your campaigns’ performance, double-check that your Google Ad Grant agency will provide comprehensive reports to your team. If you’re seeking help because your account’s been deactivated, make sure you find agencies that offer account reactivation services.
  2. Explore their website and offerings. An agency’s website is the first resource you can leverage to understand their approach and specializations. Read through their offerings thoroughly to make sure you agree with their approach. Oftentimes, an established agency might also include testimonials or case studies that display the work they’ve completed for their clients.
  3. Reach out to learn more about their approach to Google Ad Grant management. Before you decide to work with an agency, reach out to them to make sure they’re a good fit. This gives you the opportunity to ask any lingering questions and see if their team will mesh well with yours. Many agencies start with a complimentary audit of your account, so you can get a feel for what working with them will look like.

Finding the right Google Grants agency starts with these three steps.

By walking through these steps, you’ll be able to narrow down your options in no time. Remember, the right Google Ad Grants agency will act as an extension of your team and do everything it can to champion your cause. We recommend going with a Google-certified agency since these agencies demonstrate a clear understanding of the program. For reference, becoming a Google Partner involves requirements such as meeting a minimum optimization score of 70%, maintaining a 90-day ad spend of $10,000 USD across managed accounts, and being certified in Google Ads.

Whoever you choose, spending time to find a good fit up front will pay off in the long run as you’ll be able to fully rely on them to make the most of your grant money.

8 Recommended Google Ad Grants Agencies

To help simplify the extensive vetting process, we’ve put together a list of recommendations, so you can get an idea of which ones might be a good fit for your team. Each of these partners works with nonprofits to enhance their Google Ad Grants management and displays in-depth knowledge of the program’s requirements and opportunities. Use this list to narrow down your options and request their support as soon as you’re ready.

Getting Attention is our top recommended Google Ad Grant agency.

Getting Attention | Best All-Around Agency

Getting Attention specializes solely in Google Ad Grants management. They’re committed to maximizing your grant money, keeping your account compliant, and connecting you with lifelong prospects through powerful marketing campaigns. Backed by a team of seasoned professionals, they’ll act as an extension of your team and work with you to make sure you’re experiencing the results you expect. By managing every aspect of your Google Ad campaigns, they’ll help get your cause in front of qualified prospects who want to make an impact on your cause.

This agency is also a certified Google Partner, meaning the Google Ads team has personally reviewed their team’s abilities to manage Google Ad accounts properly. Their core services include:

  • Google Ad Grant Application. If you haven’t already applied for the program, let Getting Attention’s experts handle your application. They’ll check your eligibility for the program and walk you through every step necessary to get your account reviewed and accepted.
  • Campaign Management. They’ll maintain up to 5 active ad campaigns per month, do ample keyword research, consistently monitor ad performance, and make adjustments as needed. Not to mention, they’ll stay on top of reporting and pinpoint the most useful opportunities and goals for your team.
  • Ongoing Compliance. Proper Google Ad Grants management means staying on top of the latest rules. As Google Partners, Getting Attention is one of the first ones to hear about compliance rule updates, so you can keep your account in good standing.
  • Account Reactivation. Their team has extensive knowledge of the program’s compliance requirements. Plus, they have a direct line to the Google Grants team thanks to their certification. If your account is currently lapsed or ever gets suspended, they’ll get everything up to code, so you can continue amplifying your mission.

Getting Started With This Google Grants Agency

Getting Attention strives to be fully transparent with its clients, which is why they don’t charge any upfront fees and instead only charge a monthly fee of $500. Compared to the $10,000 in grant money they’ll secure for you, that’s a small price to pay for expert Google Ad Grants management, especially from a certified agency!

If you require additional services beyond what’s included in their pricing package, they’re open to discussing their experience with you to find a plan that will work. Reach out to discuss your needs with their team today.

Get a free consultation with Getting Attention!

While Nonprofits Source doesn’t do Google Ad Grant management, it does offer free educational resources about the program.

Nonprofits Source | Best Agency for Educational Resources

If you’re brand new to the Google Ad Grant program, the most vital thing you need in this stage is information, and that’s where Nonprofits Source steps in. This digital marketing agency empowers nonprofits to grow their digital footprints, and where it really stands out is its expansive educational library.

Know that they only offer general digital marketing services to nonprofits, though. These services include search engine optimization and web design. While they don’t manage Ad Grant accounts, they offer plenty of free resources about the program, such as:

  • An Ultimate Google Ad Grant Guide: Become a whiz on the program by learning the basics and how to use the Google Grant to launch your organization toward its digital marketing goals.
  • How to Apply for Google Grants: This guide walks through the key steps your nonprofit needs to take to acquire the Google Grant. It even shares pro tips for improving your website to drive more conversions with your ads.
  • Tips for Hiring A Google Grants Manager: If you still have questions about working with Google Grants agencies, this guide can answer your questions and give you additional recommendations for trusted agencies.

Exploring This Agency’s Resources

Check out Nonprofits Source’s blog for the latest tips in the nonprofit digital marketing world. In no time, you’ll be an expert! You can also partner with them for your SEO and website design needs.

Explore the Nonprofits Source blog!

DNL OmniMedia is a Google Grants agency that specializes in nonprofit technology.

DNL OmniMedia | Best Consultant for Nonprofit Technology

DNL OmniMedia is a nonprofit technology consultant. Their mission is to help your nonprofit leverage technology in ways that amplify your cause and focus on goals rather than getting bogged down with code and data. While they don’t specialize solely in Google Grants, they do offer services that will help enhance your Google Ad Grants management.

Their Google Ad Grants services include:

  • Google Grant strategy. DNL OmniMedia can make sure that your Google Ad Grant strategy aligns with other aspects of your nonprofit’s strategy. They’ll help you create a keyword strategy that makes sense for your cause and connects you with the right prospects.
  • Ad copy development. Their digital marketing experts will write and test ads that are designed for optimum impressions and clicks. That way, you can inspire readers to click through to your site.
  • Website development. Backed by a team of skilled developers, DNL OmniMedia will help you create your website and amplify your online presence. That way, you can create valuable landing pages for your Google Ad Grant campaigns that drive users to get involved.
  • Reporting. With Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, DNL OmniMedia will report back to your team on campaign performance and interpret the data for your team. That way, you can improve your site and campaign’s content.

Getting Started With This Google Grants Agency

DNL OmniMedia makes it easy to learn about their services and contact their team. Whether you’re looking to improve your Google Ad landing pages or better understand campaign data, this Google Grants agency is a reliable choice!

Learn more about DNL OmniMedia!

Allegiance Group is a professional Google Ad Grant agency that helps nonprofits leverage technology.

Allegiance Group | Best Agency for General Digital Marketing

Formerly known as Beaconfire RED, Allegiance Group works with nonprofits and associations to transform their digital strategies and grow their impact. Whether you’re focused on fundraising, advocacy, stewardship, or content marketing, they’ll tailor your digital marketing plan to do more good for your cause. One of their primary digital marketing offerings is Google Ad Grants management.

Their core Google Ad services include:

  • Website content optimization. They’ll leverage data to evaluate your website’s existing content and teach you how to create valuable content that you can then amplify through your ad campaigns. The Allegiance team has plenty of experience with A/B testing, too, so they can pinpoint what elements drive users to complete your online forms that you want to promote as well.
  • Keyword research. This Google Grants agency will help you find the keywords that your supporters are searching online and develop campaigns that target those terms. Aside from your Google Ad campaigns, they’ll also monitor your organic traffic and rankings to help create a more holistic SEM strategy.
  • Reporting. Allegiance Group takes data seriously. With custom implementations of Google Analytics using Google Tag Manager, they deliver reports and real-time dashboards that display your marketing performance, like page views, entrances, and goal assists. That way, you can continuously refine your campaigns.

Getting Started With This Google Ad Grants Manager

Allegiance Group empowers you to create a more holistic approach to your nonprofit’s digital marketing. Explore their site to get a sense of whether their offerings align with your Google Ad Grant needs.

Learn more about Allegiance Group!

RKD Digital is a Google Grants agency that helps nonprofits enhance their digital marketing strategies.

RKD Digital | Best Agency for Donor Cultivation

RKD Digital is a certified Google Grants agency that empowers nonprofits to get the most out of their grant money. They understand that nonprofits often have trouble making the most of their free advertising money without professional help and aim to eliminate those obstacles for them. They were the first full-service direct-response company to be added to the Ad Grants Certified Professional Community, so you know you’re in good hands if you choose them to handle your Ad Grant needs. From animal welfare groups to veteran organizations, they strive to help all causes succeed by connecting with donors.

Their team of experts will work closely to manage all aspects of your account through services such as:

  • Account Activation. Between filling out your application and securing validation tokens, RKD Digital will help you get your account up and running, so you can secure your free grant money.
  • Ad Creation. Their professional Google Ad Grants team will build high-level campaigns with ad groups and keywords. They’ll even write the ad copy for you.
  • Campaign Optimization. Once your campaigns go live, the work doesn’t stop there! Their Google Ad Grant agency will monitor your campaigns’ performance and make adjustments to boost conversions.

Getting Started With This Google Grants Agency

RKD Digital makes it easy to amplify your work and take advantage of the opportunities available to your nonprofit. Before lining up a consultation with their team, check out their services to make sure they offer what you need.

Learn more about RKD Digital!

TrueSense Marketing is a Google Grants agency that helps nonprofits grow supporter relationships.

TrueSense Marketing | Best Agency for Search Engine Marketing

As a certified professional Google Ad Grant agency, TrueSense Marketing is a smart addition to your marketing efforts. They’re made up of a team of more than 200 professionals who have extensive search engine marketing (SEM) experience that can take your Google Ad Grants management to the next level. They’ll handle everything from application to ongoing maintenance, so you can focus on other aspects of your mission.

Their core services include:

  • Google Analytics. Their team will implement tracking to view how users interact with your site, so you can pinpoint and optimize your most important content.
  • Hands-On Management. TrueSense Marketing will actively manage your account to ensure it stays compliant, edit your campaigns to maximize ad performance, and collaborate closely with your team to highlight the most valuable opportunities for your nonprofit.
  • Comprehensive Campaigns. With help from this Google Grants agency, you won’t be confined to only donor-based ad campaigns. They’ll help you leverage your grant money to reach an entire community of prospective clients, volunteers, advocates, and other supporters.

Getting Started With This Google Ad Grants Manager

TrueSense Marketing is devoted to helping you make the most of your $10,000 each month. You can explore their full list of services on their website and determine if they’d be a good fit for your nonprofit.

Learn more about TrueSense Marketing!

Koios is a Google Grants agency that works exclusively with libraries, library advocacy groups, and other public information advocates.

Koios | Best Google Ad Grants Agency for Libraries

Koios is a nonprofit organization specializing in digital marketing for public libraries, library advocacy groups, and other public information advocates. Their main service involves using the Google Ad Grants program to enhance the visibility of libraries online.  Koios assists libraries in applying for these grants, creating effective advertising strategies, and managing their Google Ads accounts.

They focus on increasing web traffic to library websites and resources, particularly by making library catalogs more discoverable in Google searches. Here’s an overview of this agency’s services:

  • Google Ad Grant Application. They’ll help you register with Google for Nonprofits and apply for the Google Grant. If your application is rejected, they’ll make the necessary adjustments to ensure it’s approved.
  • Ad Optimization. Koios will create standout ads and monitor your campaigns. They have an incredible 12.8% CTR, which helps libraries spread awareness and share the joy of learning.
  • Catalog Promotion. Their main offering is promoting each library’s Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) within Google SERPs, allowing the entire catalog to be searchable and visible online.

Getting Started With This Google Grants Agency

Koios works with libraries of varying sizes and tailors its pricing accordingly, offering a 60-day free trial period for new subscribers.

Learn more about Koios!

Reef offers Google Grants management services to Australian organizations.

Reef Digital Agency | Best Google Grants Manager for Australian Nonprofits

Located in Australia, Reef Digital specializes in managing Google Ad Grants among other digital marketing services. They were the first agency in Australia to receive the Google Ad Grants Certified Professional designation, which is a testament to their expertise.

After serving 50+ nonprofits, they know how to unlock the power of the Google Ad Grant. Here’s a rundown of their services:

  • Balancing Ad Grants and Paid Ads. They help nonprofits show their grant-funded ads wherever possible and use paid ads to supplement any gaps.
  • Google Grant Compliance. They’ll keep a close eye on your performance to keep your account in good standing with Google.
  • Supplemental Digital Marketing Services. Reef offers a range of services that can enhance your overall Google Ad performance, including landing page optimization, SEO, and content creation.

Getting Started With This Google Ad Grants Manager

Reef charges based on the complexity of your Google Grants needs. They offer a free Google Ad Grants audit to potential clients.

Learn more about Reef!

Additional Google Ad Grant Resources

The Google Ad Grant program offers an immensely valuable marketing opportunity for your team. You can amplify your work and expedite your mission, but only if you choose the right keywords and deliver optimized landing pages to prospects.

A professional Google Grants agency eliminates the guesswork and makes it incredibly easy to get your content in front of the right audiences.

Plus, agencies that are fully devoted to Google Ad Grants management spend their time learning the ins and outs of the program. They fully understand everything from compliance requirements to keyword research best practices. That way, you can rest assured that you’re creating winning campaigns and that your account will stay compliant. In turn, you can keep receiving your free $10,000 grant every month.

As the only agency fully dedicated to Google Ad Grants on our list, we highly recommend you check out Getting Attention. They offer everything you need to get your account activated and create optimized campaigns. Plus, they’re a certified Google Partner, so you know you’re receiving professional guidance.

Looking to learn more about the program? As you start researching different agencies, check out these educational resources:

Get a free consultation with Getting Attention, the best Google Grants agency for nonprofits.