Marketing Material

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Marketing Matching

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Maximizing your giving day and matching gifts revenue with the tips in this guide.

Maximizing Your Giving Day Revenue with Matching Gifts

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Hundreds of institutions are gearing up for their yearly Giving Days, many of which are rapidly approaching come springtime. But what you might not know is that Giving Days and matching gifts go hand in hand⁠.

This is especially true when nonprofit or university fundraisers are able to effectively align the two ideas—and that’s why we’ve created this resource to guide organizations like yours through the process of doing so.

Specifically, this guide will cover everything you need to know about Giving Days and matching gifts, the impact of each on overall fundraising, and what your team can do to set your cause up for success.

We’ll walk you through the following key topics:

If your organization hosts an annual Giving Day (or is looking to organize one), you’d be remiss if you didn’t incorporate matching gift practices into your overall plan.

Ready to find out how? Let’s jump in.

Giving Days + The Importance of Matching Gifts

Giving Days are often some of an institution’s biggest money-makers. These campaigns enable fundraisers to collect large amounts of much-needed revenue that help sustain their missions throughout the rest of the year.

Matching gifts can work to elevate the ROI on these strategically planned efforts. At the same time, they provide a positive experience for donors and fundraisers alike.

Here’s what you need to know in order to make the most of each fundraising tool:

What are Giving Days?

A Giving Day is generally a 24-hour period in which an educational institution or nonprofit cause drastically ups its fundraising efforts in order to engage with donors and solicit a large amount of revenue in a short time. Giving Days typically rely heavily on online fundraising and may encompass a number of events as well.

Comprising a relatively small portion of the year (typically 1/365), Giving Days tend to see significant results⁠—with some organizations collecting the majority of their fundraising revenue during the limited amount of time.

What organizations host Giving Days?

Although fundraising groups of all shapes and sizes might establish an annual Giving Day tradition, these tend to be particularly popular among school fundraisers. This typically includes:

  • Colleges and universities
  • K-12 schools
  • Private religious institutions
  • Traditional public schools
  • Charter and magnet schools

Higher ed institutions and K-12 schoools alike often produce incredible results with academic-focused Giving Day fundraising efforts. In fact, many education-based causes even utilize their Giving Days as one of their most primary sources of revenue each year. And doing so is a fantastic opportunity to engage alumni and leverage school spirit to drive a sense of community toward a common goal.

Where do matching gifts come in?

Corporate matching gifts enable organizations like educational institutions and other 501(c)(3) nonprofits to maximize existing support and increase revenue. And this happens without having to ask your donors for more of their hard-earned dollars. All you have to do is encourage them to participate in their employers’ workplace giving initiatives!

Here's how Giving Days and matching gifts help raise money.

At a critical time like your annual Giving Day, support will likely be at an all-time high. That means getting those contributions doubled (and sometimes even tripled) is more important than ever.

Not to mention, fundraising studies report that the existence of matching gift opportunities is often a driving factor in donor decision-making. For example, 84% of donors stated that they’re more likely to give charitably if their employer offers to match their dollars. At the same time, 1 in 3 individuals surveyed indicated that they’d make a larger donation should a match be applied.

While each company that matches employee donations chooses which types of charitable efforts it will support, the good news is that education institutions (which are often the primary organizer of annual Giving Days) are almost always included as an eligible cause.

The bottom line is that you don’t want to miss out on the key benefits of matching gifts at any time⁠—let alone your most important fundraising day of the year.

Raising More with 360MatchPro: A Feature Overview

The right software can be the difference between a fruitful, goal-surpassing Giving Day campaign and one that ultimately falls short⁠—and surely, you’re looking to establish the former.

Find out what 360MatchPro by Double the Donation can offer, and see why it’s the leading solution in the education and nonprofit fundraising spaces.

Let’s walk through an overview of top features, functions, and benefits:

User-Friendly Company Search Tool

Millions of donors who work for companies with employee gift-matching programs are never made aware of the opportunities through their employers. One of the best ways to counteract this knowledge gap is by providing your supporters with Double the Donation’s intuitive matching gift company search tool.

This widget⁠—which can be embedded within your online donation form, confirmation page, dedicated matching gift web page, Giving Day campaign page, and more⁠—prompts donors to enter their employer’s name in an optional search box. As the donor begins typing, the smart tool auto-fills suggested company names, taking into account typos, spelling variations, and subsidiaries.

The donor selects the correct company from the search tool, which then pulls employer-specific matching gift program information from an extensive matching gift company database. Now, the individual has access to their donation eligibility criteria and online match request forms (if available) and is encouraged to take the next steps.

Double the Donation's search tool can be used to increase revenue for both Giving Days and matching gifts.

Double the Donation also provides nonprofit users with unique custom matching gift program functionality that empowers organizations to add and manage “one-off” match programs in their own database tool. So if your organization secures a custom matching gift partner ahead of your Giving Day (which we’ll cover in more depth below), you’ll be able to easily configure the program to populate when your donors search the company name.

One-off or custom matching gift programs can improve your Giving Day impact.

*As a note, this feature is designed specifically for fundraisers looking to manage custom matching gift initiatives—360MatchPro does not work directly with corporations. If you’re a company interested in creating a matching gift program, contact us, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.

Match-Eligible Donor Screening

Studies show that employing more than one approach to donor eligibility screening results in an average of 77% more identified match-eligible gifts. Luckily, 360MatchPro utilizes four main identification methods⁠—donation form search tools, confirmation pages, donor communications, and email domain screening.

The more opportunities you have to determine whether a particular donor is eligible for a corporate match, the more likely you are to ultimately receive a match from that individual.

Double the Donation's donor screening tool can be used to increase revenue for both Giving Days and matching gifts.

Automated Email Follow-Ups

Following up in the first 24 to 48 hours after a donor makes a gift can be a great way to inform or remind individuals about matching gift opportunities, share program guidelines, and keep your organization and its mission at the forefront of their minds. However, managing a ton of donor follow-up emails can be a huge undertaking on a typical day⁠—let alone on a Giving Day when you’ll likely process multiple times the normal number of donations.

That’s where automated email communication comes in! With Double the Donation’s email streams, organizations can enable customizable follow-up messages that trigger at just the right time to drive matching gifts⁠ while ensuring no donations fall through the cracks.

Double the Donation's automated follow-up tool can be used to increase revenue for both Giving Days and matching gifts.

Streamlined Data Management

Effective matching gift fundraising relies on the ability to collect, track, and analyze key data points. For this reason, 360MatchPro allows organizations to view where donors are in the gift-matching process, determine percentages and totals of matching gift eligible dollars, forecast matching gift revenue for the future, and more.

This functionality provides users with real-time data that can be used to measure current success, identify areas with room for improvement, and locate the highest-value revenue opportunities going forward.Double the Donation's data management tool can be used to increase revenue for both Giving Days and matching gifts.

Top-Notch Customer Support

Any software can have a bit of a learning curve, and ensuring you have the help you need to learn the ropes effectively is of utmost importance. This is especially true when you have a huge upcoming fundraising initiative like a Giving Day.

At Double the Donation, each new client has an onboarding specialist of its own to get up and running quickly⁠—sometimes in less than 24 hours! These matching gift fundraising experts are ready to guide you through the process of getting started, provide you with tips and tools for optimal practices, and be there to answer any questions your team may have.

Interested in learning more? Get in touch with the Double the Donation team today to request a personalized demo.

5 Key Tips for Matching Gifts on Giving Days

Looking for practical and actionable steps you can take to improve your nonprofit or school’s fundraising strategies regarding both Giving Days and matching gifts? You’ve come to the right place!

Here are some tried-and-true practices that we recommend for optimal engagement success:

1. Highlight matching gifts in all Giving Day communications.

More than likely, you’re already planning your upcoming Giving Day communication plan, which will comprise a number of different marketing channels and strategies to spread the word. Be sure to incorporate matching gift information in all of them!

Remember, donors are more likely to give⁠—and to give in larger quantities⁠—if a matching gift is available. Providing additional touchpoints about matching gifts during your Giving Day can be exactly what some of your supporters need to encourage them to make their donations.

This might include email blasts, social media posts, digital newsletters, blog posts, text messages, phone calls, fundraising appeals, and more.

2. Collect employment information during the giving process.

In order to provide donors with employer-specific matching gift guidelines, you’ll first need to have a record of the companies for which individuals work. And the best⁠—and fastest⁠—way to uncover this information is by simply asking them.

Donors already provide you with a ton of information during the donation process, such as their name, contact information, payment details, and more. What more is one additional, optional question?

When you prompt your supporters to provide the name of their employer directly within your online giving form, you can store that information with each donor record to use for effective matching gift communication strategies in the future. And if you already have access to this information for your school’s alumni, you can leverage those data points as well.

Then, you’ll be able to communicate to a donor not only whether their employer matches donations but whether their particular gift is eligible for the program and how soon they must submit a match request. And for companies whose matching gift request forms are available online, you can even provide the donor with the exact form they’ll need to complete!

3. Prioritize your highest-value prospective match donors.

When you automate your low and mid-level donor communications through 360MatchPro, you allow your team to retain more time and effort to put toward your particularly high-value prospective matching gifts. That might mean making a personal phone call to explain the importance of matching gifts, walking through the process of requesting a gift match, writing a personalized thank-you letter that highlights the increased influence of matching gifts, and more.

You already know the effect that a major gift can have on your institution’s Giving Day. Now, just imagine that impact being doubled when a huge donor participates in their company’s gift-matching initiative. It’s certainly worth going a few steps further to ensure these individuals are aware of the programs in place and how they can plan a role in your success.

Thus, you’ll want to keep an eye out for major donors who work for top matching gift companies, and see what you can do to go above and beyond in driving those match requests to completion.

4. Identify corporate partners to organize custom matching gift programs.

Another often-underutilized type of matching gift initiative called a custom or “one-off” matching gift program, has the potential to bring your Giving Day matching strategy to new heights. After all, not all companies have widely available matching gift programs. However, many are willing to consider the practice, especially in a smaller-scale initiative.

In the months or weeks leading to your upcoming Giving Day campaign, consider reaching out to donors’ employers who don’t currently match gifts and propose the opportunity for a unique, limited-scale program instead. Rather than matching donations its employees make to any nonprofit or educational institution, the company would commit only to matching gifts made to your specific group.

Custom matching gift programs can improve Giving Day and matching gift results.

Since custom match programs are generally time-limited campaigns in the first place, they work particularly well when aligned with Giving Day (or week, month, etc.) efforts. And if you use Double the Donation’s matching gift platform (as highlighted above)—or are looking to get running with it before your Giving Day (as recommended below)—there’s a built-in functionality for managing custom programs now available to all standard account users!

5. Get your fundraising tools set up ASAP.

It’s not too late to get set up with the matching gift tools you need, even if your organization’s Giving Day is quickly approaching. But you certainly don’t want to wait any longer! The sooner you plan to get your Giving Day software up and running, the more time your team will have to prepare for the big event and get acquainted with the solution.

The first step is to take a good look at your organization’s tech stack. If you’re lacking a matching gift software solution⁠—such as the industry-leading platform described above, 360MatchPro by Double the Donation⁠—it’s time to make that investment. Even better, 360MatchPro integrates seamlessly with tons of top donation platforms, including some of the largest school and higher ed fundraising tools. This allows your institutions to get started easier than ever before!

(Tip: Many organizations have reported raising several times the initial subscription cost on their Giving Days alone, providing a positive ROI sometimes within the first 24 hours of purchasing!)

Once you have your matching gift solution in hand, ensure it’s live and functioning within your online donation pages by the time your Giving Day rolls around, and you’ll be all set for success.

Final Thoughts

Giving Days and matching gifts share a lot of the same goals: to raise substantial amounts of revenue, provide donors with new and exciting ways to support their favorite causes, and equip fundraising teams with more efficient practices, to name a few. When the two fundraising components are intertwined, education and nonprofit fundraisers tend to see better results than they could have imagined.

With so many dollars flowing to organizations like yours on these special days, it would be a huge missed opportunity not to get those gifts matched when eligible. And luckily, Double the Donation is here to help!

To learn more about Giving Days and matching gift efforts, check out some of our other resources below:

Improve your giving days and matching gifts with Double the Donation.

Check out what life at Double the Donation is like as a team member.

The Ultimate Guide to Working at Double the Donation

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Double the Donation’s Atlanta-based team is continuing to grow!

Our staff is made up of personable sales professionals, dedicated nonprofit onboarding specialists, brilliant software developers, devoted partnerships success experts, and more⁠—and we’re always looking to add to the bunch.

Interested in the job? We figured you might have some questions.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at Double the Donation by exploring the following topics ⁠—

As we’re hiring across a range of roles, we aim to recruit outstanding candidates who are eager to hit the ground running. If you’re thinking about joining the team, making sure we’re a good fit is of utmost importance.

Explore this guide to learn more!

Double the Donation logo

What is Double the Donation?

Double the Donation provides nonprofits with the resources to capture employment information, identify match-eligible donors, automate post-transaction follow-ups with donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights.

More than $4-7 billion in available matching gift funding is left on the table each year. Those dollars have a lot of potential to drive nonprofit missions forward, but unfortunately, they’re never claimed⁠—largely due to a lack of awareness. That’s where our tools come in!

The company was founded in 2011 when Adam Weinger, Double the Donation’s President, was working at a major bank and made donations to his university, the local Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, and LLS. By the time he realized his company had a matching gift program, it was too late to get many of those donations matched.

Discussions with multiple nonprofits revealed they all viewed matching gifts as bonus money. As a result, Double the Donation was created to help organizations proactively grow their matching gift revenue and focus more resources on their mission.

What are our company’s core values?

Our company’s values help make up the foundation of the business, and we like to bring on team members who are on the same page.

Here are some key principles that are essential to our success:

  • We aim to support a culture and environment where high performers feel challenged, are empowered, and want to work. The more our team members are inspired to and actually want to work, the more that is going to get done at the business⁠—it’s as simple as that. As such, leadership intends to do what we can to drive such attitudes with a positive working environment.
  • Indecision is the only wrong decision. If you’ve got a reasonable shot at making the right call, take action! We don’t have a lot of time to waste, especially when it comes to assisting the nonprofits we work with and the fundraising efforts that help maintain their operations. At Double the Donation, we strongly encourage team members to take the initiative and make their own decisions to keep things moving forward.
  • Prioritize best-in-class responsiveness. As a whole, our team is able to maximize productivity when we prioritize responsiveness⁠—both internally and with external clients and partners. In doing so, we’re able to do more for the business and enable the nonprofits we work with to do more for their missions as well.
  • Give back to your community. Working so closely with nonprofit causes, it’s important that our team is dedicated to doing good where we can. That’s why we give to charities, coordinate volunteer events, and more!
  • Stay open to new ideas & advocate for them, but commit 100% once a decision is made. We’re always looking for new ways to improve the business and actively encourage team members to pitch their ideas. Upon making a decision, team members are expected to commit and aid in driving forward the plan.
  • Treat clients, partners, prospects, and team members fairly & exceed their expectations. We are dedicated to building a company and a team that thrives in an inclusive and supportive workplace. That means internally with other team members, management, and leadership, and externally with clients, partners, and anyone else we come into contact with.
  • The status quo is unacceptable. Strive to learn and grow professionally while pursuing the best ways to drive impact at the company. We look for team members who are willing to go the extra mile while making the business better in the meantime.

Sounds like you? Might just be the perfect match!

What does the hiring process look like?

Wondering how our hiring process works and, if you’re already in the middle of it, what your next steps will be?

Here’s a basic overview:

  1. An individual completes an online application here.
  2. The application, resume, cover letter, and other materials are screened and reviewed by a member of our team.
  3. Those chosen to move to the next level of the process will be prompted to complete a recorded video interview, along with a set of assessments.
  4. Next, an even smaller group will be invited to attend a live virtual interview over Zoom with members of our leadership team. At this stage, candidates will also be expected to complete a brief mock assignment and have an opportunity to speak with and ask questions of a team member currently in the role they are interviewing for.
  5. From there, the leadership team contacts an applicant’s provided references and makes their final decisions.
  6. A job offer will be extended to those deemed to be the best fit for the company, and candidates will have the opportunity to accept and move to onboarding.

Over the course of the hiring process, we make an effort to determine that the role and the company is the best choice for each individual. After all, we want to ensure new recruits are both productive members of the team and in a position where they can enjoy contributing.

Apply online to start working at Double the Donation.

How does new hire orientation & training work?

Once an individual receives an offer of employment⁠, what’s next? How do they go from “candidate” to “new hire” to “fully trained, productive member of the team”?

We like to ensure the process for team members being onboarded and trained is as seamless as possible⁠—which is where orientation comes in! And we have a number of tools and resources in place designed specifically to help.

For example, existing team members are eager to assist in getting new recruits up and running by providing support before, during, and after their first day on the job.

We also organize a mentorship program, where high-performing individuals volunteer to walk alongside new hires, share their expertise, and be a friendly face to answer any questions as they arise.

What kind of ongoing training is available?

We know that continual learning is one of the best ways to foster innovation and advancement, which is why training doesn’t end when an individual is “fully onboarded.”

In fact, we offer the following types of optional ongoing training for all team members to grow their knowledge at the business:

  • Scaling Up Book Club ⁠— This company-wide book club encourages team members to come together in a discussion of how the business is doing and what we can learn from the best practices provided in the book. Topics include management, obstacles to growth, core values, and team-wide objectives.
  • Manager Tools ⁠— Manager Tools is a business management podcast that dictates a lot of what we do as a company, including weekly one-on-ones and feedback provision. We come together to discuss a particular podcast episode and determine how to apply the advice at the business.
  • Food For Thoughts ⁠— Food For Thought meetings are led by individual team members who volunteer to share particular skills or practices that may be of interest to the rest of the company. Past topics have included negotiation tips, software update overviews, company roadmaps, copywriting, and more.
  • Ad Hoc Training Budget ⁠— Team members are also given an annual training budget with which they can purchase additional training materials to continue their learning on a relevant topic. This budget can be used for books, classes, certifications, e-learning courses, etc.

What do some team members have to say?

Let’s hear what a few of our team members have to say about their experience working with Double the Donation:

Hannah – Product Development and Innovation Manager

“If I had to describe Double the Donation in three words, I would choose exciting, innovative, and supportive.

Double the Donation team member headshot
I am currently working as a Product Development and Innovation Manager, which means that most of my time is spent helping our development team scope and prioritize the work that we do for our products. I also get to tackle some of the biggest, most exciting new initiatives we take on as a company!

I haven’t always been in a product role, though. In the five years that I’ve been with Double the Donation, I’ve gotten to explore and move across a number of different roles, including as a copywriter and Partnership Manager.

One of my favorite parts about the job is getting to develop and refine new skills such as communication, leadership, and business strategy. I feel as if my degree in English from Elon University has helped prepare me for my career, and I’ve continued to learn and grow through the experience offered at Double the Donation.”

Paula – Account Executive

“Fun, community, and impact are the words I’d use to describe working at Double the Donation.

Double the Donation team member headshotWorking as an Account Executive on the sales team has been an amazing experience in my first year here.

Before joining the Double the Donation team, I had been working as a Learning Coach in a 10-month AmeriCorps program for Hands on Atlanta immediately after graduating from Johns Hopkins University. I’ve long had a passion for working with nonprofit organizations, and I’ve found that I was able to continue in that way by assisting nonprofits in finding the tools they need for fundraising success.

I love knowing that we are helping drive more dollars toward charitable causes, thus having an indirect but significant impact on the organizations we partner with.”

Kyra – Nonprofit Onboarding Specialist

“I’d say Double the Donation is positive, client-focused, and inspiring.

Double the Donation team member headshotI’ve been working for Double the Donation for about six months, and I’m really loving the experience. I joined the team soon after graduating from George Mason University with a degree in Public Administration and a minor in Data Analysis.

I was drawn to the Nonprofit Onboarding Specialist role due to my background in customer service and years of nonprofit volunteer experience, and it really is the perfect fit!

My favorite part about the job is getting to interact with inspirational nonprofits around the world on a daily basis and knowing that I am able to assist them in maximizing their fundraising efforts.”

Grace – Partnership Success Specialist

“Double the Donation is dedicated, inclusive, and impactful.

Double the Donation team member headshotI joined the Double the Donation Partnerships team a little over six months ago, and I truly love my role, my colleagues, and the company I work for. I appreciate how enriching it is to work with like-minded people in the mission-driven space!

During my time at the University of Georgia studying Human Development and Communications, I volunteered and worked with local nonprofits, whose dedication and compassion I found inspiring. After graduating, I came on as a Partnership Success Specialist for Double the Donation, where I’m able to continue working with the nonprofit technology leaders that power the charitable organizations I support.

By partnering with software companies that provide online donation forms, nonprofit CRMs, social fundraising platforms, and more, I love knowing that our tools are working seamlessly together to provide a better solution for nonprofit fundraisers⁠—and in doing so, getting to make an impact on their philanthropy.”

Carson – Account Executive

“I think Double the Donation is leading, uplifting, and growing.

Double the Donation team member headshotI was hired as an Account Executive for Double the Donation around 3.5 years ago, and since then, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with thousands of nonprofits that are making an impact on the world around us.

Before joining the Double the Donation sales team, I attended Berry College, where I regularly volunteered for the Boys & Girls Club and the local Community Foundation. I’ve always been drawn to supporting mission-driven organizations, and I knew I enjoyed doing sales from previous experience selling for my school newspaper, so I figured that this AE position for a fundraising software company would be a perfect fit. And it was!

Beyond the opportunity to work with nonprofits, I also love this job and the experiences I’ve had here due to the chance to take an Account Executive position from the start, rather than go through a period of exclusive cold calling and handing off sales. It’s great to be able to go through the entire sales cycle and close deals with the organizations I interact with.”

Julia – Partnership Success Manager

“In three words, Double the Donation is genuine, creative, and invigorating.

Double the Donation team member headshotI started at Double the Donation as a Partnership Success Specialist a year and a half ago, soon after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in public relations and sustainability studies. Since then, I’ve moved into managing the partnerships team, where I have the opportunity to guide and supervise my colleagues as we grow our partnership initiatives.

I love working in this position because every day is different from the previous one, and I get to interact with so many different people on a regular basis⁠—including colleagues, clients, software partners, and more.

Another favorite thing about the company is the way that they encourage continual learning and personal growth. Each year, every employee is provided with a stipend that can go toward team member training costs such as reading materials, online courses, and other resources. I am always able to learn something new that can help position me for successful career development!”

Jonathon – Senior Software Developer

“Interesting. Efficient. Philanthropic. That’s how I would describe the environment and the team at Double the Donation.

Double the Donation team member headshotBefore joining Double the Donation as a Senior Software Developer, where I’ve been for a little over a year, I worked for an online travel agency platform for nearly five years.

One of my favorite parts of my role is being able to make a significant impact on the nonprofit sector. When I joined the software development team, the unit grew by 50%, allowing us to do even more to develop and improve technology that’s making nonprofit fundraising more efficient.

I also love working for this company because the leadership is always driving team members to be the best they can be. Individuals are motivated to grow from the very beginning of their career journeys through optional manager training, business strategy book clubs, team member presentations, and more. It’s a very rewarding and encouraging atmosphere that has helped me grow as a person and as an employee.”

Gabi – Partnership Marketing Copywriter

“As a company, Double the Donation is welcoming, empowering, and mission-driven.

Double the Donation team member headshotThis was my first role right out of college, and I’ve loved being able to grow alongside the company in the two years that I’ve been here.

Prior to joining the team, I studied Advertising and English at Florida State University. There, I began to explore the world of nonprofit marketing through two fantastic internships. Upon graduating, I came on board with Double the Donation in a content marketing and SEO copywriting position where I get to create valuable content to aid nonprofit fundraisers in making the most of matching gifts.

One of my favorite things about my role, and the company in general, is that I have a lot of freedom to bring my own ideas to the table. Leadership is very receptive to new ideas and suggestions and is always looking for new ways to elevate the business, and I love getting to take part in that.”

Hear from even more Double the Donation team members in this quick video!


What opportunities are there for career advancement?

Double the Donation prides itself on its vast and unique opportunities for growth⁠. There is tons of room for team members to be promoted inside the constantly expanding company, and no two individuals’ paths look the same!

Let’s hear from a few current managers and how they got to where they are today:

Eman ⁠— Client Success Manager

Double the Donation team member headshot

“I’ve been with Double the Donation for the past 4 and 1/2 years and started off in general support as a customer support specialist. This is where I spent my first year, where I then transitioned to a client success specialist. After a year in that role, I was promoted to a senior client success specialist for an additional year. Now, I’m currently working as a client success manager at Double the Donation, and I’ve been in this current role for 1 and 1/2 years.

I spend most of my time each day managing teams that help onboard nonprofit clients, as well as retain accounts and expand subscriptions. I’m also involved with managing our customer support and database teams.

For me, it’s certainly been a fast pathway of growth. I’ve been the first person within the client success space at Double the Donation, and it’s been fun to be involved in a lot of the processes we still use today. I love how every day is always new, and my skill set continues to grow. At the same time, my capacity for leadership also expands.

I learn from my team and our amazing clients more and more each day. I really enjoy helping nonprofits in general, and in the core of all that Double the Donation, that remains true.

I’m very thankful for the almost five years at the company, as I’ve truly grown in areas I didn’t think were possible. A company that supports its team members continues to flourish, and that’s why Double the Donation continues to grow each year.”

 Sydney Faye ⁠— Sales Manager

Double the Donation team member headshot

“Double the Donation is a company dedicated to driving in as much match revenue for nonprofits while furthering program and research success. As a team, we’re invested in driving social impact while supporting our clients and partners alike.

I have a background in higher education fundraising and joined the Double the Donation team in 2017, starting off in a support role.

After my first year with the company, I became the first member of our outbound sales team⁠—and a year later, I became a Senior Account Executive as more sales members joined the team. Eventually, after working to build out our sales structure, I was promoted to Sales Manager, where I am now responsible for both enabling both the Account Executive and BDR (business development representative) teams.

My favorite part of the job is getting to interact with nonprofits that have impacted my family or members of my community and seeing them grow their match gift revenue.”

Michaela ⁠— Acting Client Onboarding Manager

Double the Donation team member headshot

“Right now, I am acting as the Onboarding team leader, and I am preparing to officially manage the onboarding team. I will be “on deck” for management until early next year when I will officially be up for promotion to Onboarding Manager. Formerly, I worked as an Onboarding Specialist for a little over a year and a half.

One thing I love about working at Double the Donation is how not every day is the same, and I constantly have the opportunity to learn new skills. I’ve especially liked diving into some of the more technical aspects of our products and learning from my close interactions with the DTD product team.”

Erin — Partnerships Onboarding Manager

Double the Donation team member headshot“I’ve been the official Partnerships Onboarding Manager for the past several months, though before that I spent nine months “on deck” preparing for the role. Prior to that, I worked as a Partnership Success Specialist for nearly a year and a half.

I love working at Double the Donation, and specifically engaging in the community here. From getting feedback from my fellow team members to making friends with my fellow like-minded professionals in Atlanta to creating new initiatives in a collaborative office space, DTD is a place where I can feel challenged and welcomed by my coworkers.”

How does performance management work?

Performance management can be a nerve-wracking concept for many new⁠—and existing⁠—team members. But it plays a significant role in tracking individual contributors’ success in the business and providing opportunities for improvement and growth.

At Double the Donation, we aim to reduce the anxiety surrounding performance management as much as possible in a few key ways. Here’s how it works at the business on an ongoing scale!

Weekly

For one, we prioritize one-on-one meetings between directs (individual team members) and their managers on a weekly basis. During these conversations, directs are able to candidly discuss how things are going and flag any potential roadblocks to their manager.

At the same time, managers are encouraged to be continuously sharing specific pieces of feedback with their direct reports⁠—including affirming/positive and adjusting/negative feedback. This way, team members are able to run with the feedback, incorporating it into their daily operations, and nothing comes as a huge surprise come the official performance management review.

Biannually

Then, twice a year, the company goes through a more formal review of each individual’s performance over the last two fiscal quarters. This process is also where conversations surrounding adjusted compensation (i.e., raises and bonuses) and growth trajectories will occur.

There are two key stages of the official performance review⁠—an individual’s self-evaluation (where they are prompted to complete a 360-degree review of their own performance, as well as that of their peers and managers) and a conversation with their manager and leadership team. Together, the team member, manager, and leadership discuss what was shared in the self-evaluation and the manager’s evaluation of their direct. This will include a combination of wins, opportunities for improvement, and other relevant items.

What is life like at Double the Donation?

Double the Donation is a small business that is quickly expanding. We currently have a team of approximately 35 team members, though that number continues to grow. In terms of what it’s like to work here, we strive to maintain a work environment that is innovative, inclusive, and cooperative. And we know how to have fun, too!

The office is located in Inman Park in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia⁠—right off the Atlanta BeltLine. This provides team members and leadership with the perfect opportunity to take walking meetings in the beautiful space or head down to Krog or Ponce Street markets for lunch. We even provide electric scooters as a convenient mode of transportation around the neighborhood!

In order to foster workplace relationships, we also organize a number of social events where team members are encouraged to attend and mingle with one another. This includes board game nights, trivia and karaoke, dinners at local restaurants, baseball games, and more.

What is DTD’s hybrid work model?

Over the last few years, Double the Donation has become one of many companies taking a hybrid approach to work. We have a physical office space in Atlanta, with team members’ time typically being divided between in-office and work-from-home days.

In the first month or so of a new hire’s tenure, they are expected to spend significant time in the office, getting acquainted with their team and manager and settling into their role at the company.

On a longer-term basis, however, individuals are typically required to work only two days a week in the office, with the rest of the days being free to work remotely as they please. During this time, most meetings will be conducted in person on required office days in order to harbor face-to-face conversations and keep everyone on the same page.

Ready to join our unique, diverse, and growing team?

Click here to view current openings.

Apply online to start working at Double the Donation.

Discover how your human services agency can use case management software.

Using Case Management Software for Human Services Agencies

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Human services is a field that meets a wide range of human needs by delivering services to specific groups in an effort to improve their quality of life. Human services agencies can provide community health services, programs for violence survivors, aging and disability services, and more. 

For these agencies, providing quality services hinges on maintaining detailed records of each client interaction, or case, they encounter. These case records contain important information that describes individual clients and their history with the agency by noting factors like assessments, observations, treatment information, and outcomes. Well-kept, accessible records help paint a full picture of each client’s unique needs and save time by preventing caseworkers from performing repetitive, unnecessary tests and evaluations on clients.

The best way to facilitate keeping an organized, accurate client database is to invest in a robust case management solution that coordinates all client data on one streamlined platform. But before your agency can choose its case management software, it’s important to understand what this software is and how it can benefit your agency. Let’s dive in.

What is case management software?

Case management software gives your agency one central location to house all client data, noting specific details like contact and billing information, history with your organization, appointment scheduling and tracking, and communication features.

Nonprofits often use donor management software to track key donor data, like a donor’s giving history and past interactions with the nonprofit. Case management software works similarly to strengthen your clients’ relationships with your agency by recording past interactions and their progress through the services and programs you offer. 

Typically, this case management software has three functions for tracking client relationships:

  • Intake: Case management software uses digital intake forms to quickly capture important data about new clients, automatically storing it in its database.
  • Case management: Your agency has the tools it needs to make caseworkers’ workflows more manageable and meet client needs by recording detailed notes, promptly responding to requests for service, and flagging urgent issues.
  • Reporting and evaluation: Your agency can identify larger trends and evaluate data at a glance to make improvements to the program and quantify its efficacy.

Through these features, case management software can help your agency become more effective and reach more clients by reducing or eliminating slowdowns. 

Why do human services agencies need case management software?

 A robust case management system guides your agency through the process of enhancing data so that you can more effectively manage your caseworkers’ workflows and provide positive client experiences.

Here are a few common pain points that a case management solution can help your agency overcome:

  • Manual data entry. Entering each individual data point by hand is slow and inconvenient, taking away from the time your caseworkers could spend with clients. Using outdated data formats like spreadsheets not only makes data entry more complicated, but it also makes it difficult to find and reference specific client data.
  • Using several platforms. For some agencies, a client’s profile information may be scattered across multiple platforms. This means that caseworkers often need to access several different programs before finding what they need, requiring more time and effort from busy caseworkers. For instance, staff at a mental health service may need to use separate programs for scheduling appointments and billing or switch between multiple spreadsheets to track down a client’s history or contact information.
  • Lacking reporting capabilities. Accurate data reporting is important for tracking the agency’s successes, shortcomings, and case patterns. But, it’s challenging to create accurate reports when data is stored across multiple, outdated systems that could allow for duplicate entries or input errors.

Your agency might encounter other obstacles that are more specific to your field or the groups you serve. There are more specialized case management solutions available that address those specific challenges. For example, mental health services might choose software designed to suit these clients by placing a high priority on client privacy and mental health advocacy.

What should human services agencies look for in case management software?

While a program that provides disability services might need slightly different software features than a youth development program, there are a few basic attributes to look for in your case management software.

Ideally, case management software should offer:

  • A modern approach. The software you choose should reduce or eliminate the need for spreadsheets and navigating between multiple programs. Instead, look for software that stores all necessary information on one simple, user-friendly platform. Not only will inputting and accessible data be easier for your caseworkers, but your staff can work with data with less training.
  • Mobile capabilities. Your caseworkers may not always be seated at their desks or have access to their computers. But, they’ll still need to document essential client data. The software you choose should be mobile-friendly to allow caseworkers to take notes directly in the case management platform while in the field.
  • Reporting features. Reporting features can allow your staff to visualize data, picking up on patterns in a client’s history or larger, agency-wide trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. Strong reporting features can also allow your agency to accurately measure the impact of your services in furthering your agency’s mission.
  • Compliance features. Stringent privacy features protect your clients’ data, safeguarding your agency from risk and ensuring it remains legally compliant. These measures are particularly important for health programs and other agencies that receive sensitive information from clients as there is a large emphasis on keeping their data private.

One of the most important benefits of using case management software is the time that a more streamlined, up-to-date program can save your organization. By investing in a robust case management solution, you can give your caseworkers more time to spend working with their clients by reducing the number of tedious administrative tasks they have to perform.

Case management software can help your organization accomplish more without needing to hire more staff, increase funding, or expand existing programs. With the right platform, your human services agency can extend its services to more clients, helping broaden your impact and improving the lives of your beneficiaries.

Learn more about Double the Donation's year in review.

Double the Donation’s Year in Review: 2021

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Get started with Double the Donation by the end of 2021.

If you’ve been following along for some time now, you’ll know that 2021 was a big year for us over at Double the Donation. We partnered with fantastic fundraising solutions to provide thousands of mission-driven organizations with our constantly improving tools, working alongside nonprofits as they make their impact on the world.

Over time, we are continuing to develop our company, refine our products, and expand our network of social good. Let’s walk through a recap of what the past year has brought to our team!

Product Updates & Enhancements

We’ve made a lot of significant changes to the Double the Donation platform in the last year in order to provide increased functionality and streamline matching gift processes. These are some of our most impactful advancements:

  • Focusing on 360MatchPro: We’ve phased out Double the Donation’s Legacy Plan (formerly “Premium Plan”) in order to focus exclusively on our more effective, comprehensive automation solution, 360MatchPro. Now, all organizations can make the most of their matching gift potential using first-in-class 360MatchPro matching gift automation!
  • Launching multi-channel outreach: Thanks to a Twilio integration, we’ve rolled out multi-channel donor outreach⁠! This means fundraisers can communicate via automated SMS in addition to existing email functionality, reaching donors through multiple channels and providing opportunities for additional touchpoints.
  • Publishing real-time matching gift analytics: Our real-time matching gift dashboard (available online here) provides viewers with continuously updating information on our database development. This includes total company records, number and percentage of match-eligible donor coverage, form availability, and more!
  • Adding an end-of-year email stream: The end of the year can be one of the most crucial times for nonprofit fundraisers, and our new end-of-year email streams can help make the most of matching gifts. Our new customizable pre-written email templates allow you to retroactively follow up with match-eligible donors who had given previously in the year in order to boost year-end revenue.

Here are a few of our product updates over the past year.

For information on even more Double the Donation updates and enhancements, check out our product release notes. We’re always working to provide the best solution possible for our clients!

Expanding Client Base

The Double the Donation client network continues to grow as well! In 2021, more than 1,000 new accounts were set up on our 360MatchPro platform with thousands of additional organizations using our various offerings, allowing a range of mission-driven and charitable organizations to begin maximizing employer matching gifts.

That is in addition to the 8,500+ nonprofits already using the platform, which includes all sorts of schools and universities, arts and culture organizations, health and human services groups, and tons of other 501(c)(3) organizations.

Here’s what a few of our newest clients have to say:

CityTeam logoCityTeam: “Talk about seamless integration! The set-up for connecting DTD with our CRM system AND our email platform literally happened in just a few clicks. We appreciate the prompt replies from every DTD team member. The interface is easy to use, and we began seeing the ROI in the first go-live minutes.”

– Tamara Wheeler, Vice President of Marketing & Development

Food Bank for New York City logoFood Bank For New York City: “Double the Donation is such a helpful tool to ensure we are presenting the most current matching gift opportunities to our donors both during and after the online giving experience. The platform automates so many processes we would otherwise conduct manually.”

– David Jones, Vice President for Fundraising Operations

Heifer International logoHeifer International: “Our integration with Double the Donation was so easy, and we love having a dashboard at our fingertips. This allows us to follow up with donors and ensure that their matching gifts are applied properly.”

– Bert Kimrey, Director of Community Marketing

The Salvation Army logoThe Salvation Army of the United States (Nationals): “Not only does Double the Donation make it easy for Salvation Army donors to submit their matching gifts, but their tools were easy for our team to implement and use. We have been very impressed since making the switch.”

– Dale Bannon, National Community Relations and Development Secretary

And that hardly scratches the surface of the new accounts we’ve set up in the past year! Organizations like Vanderbilt University, the University of Notre Dame, UNICEF USA, and more are continuing to expand their matching gift strategies with our tools as well.

New Partnerships & Integrations

Last year alone, Double the Donation launched more than 22 new software integrations with innovative and leading fundraising solutions. These new partners continue to build on our growing partner network, providing a seamless matching gift experience for thousands of users.

Double the Donation has integrated with more than 22 new software partners.

Double the Donation continues to expand its partner network.

Thanks to partnerships like these, our matching gift software integrates perfectly with all sorts of online donation tools, peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, nonprofit CRMs, and more.

To find out whether your favorite fundraising platform(s) integrates with Double the Donation, explore our Knowledge Base and search for the provider in question! Or, check out a complete list of our 70+ integration partners here!

Overall Matching Gift Fundraising Success

The Double the Donation database has assisted users with collecting more than $156.1 million in matching gift revenue.We love seeing our software helping nonprofits collect more in individual donations and corporate funding. Their successes are our successes⁠—and last year, we’d certainly call it a success!

In 2021 alone, charitable organizations identified more than $156.1 million in matching gift revenue using Double the Donation’s tools. Additionally, our clients boast a 54% open rate for matching gift emails, more than 2.7 times higher than the average nonprofit rate of 20%.

Not only is our solution putting more dollars toward your cause, but it’s also improving supporter relations with increased engagement opportunities and magnified donor impact. That’s what we consider a win-win.

Matching Gift Database Development

At Double the Donation, we pride ourselves on having the most comprehensive and up-to-date matching gift database solution. In order to stay on top, it’s important that our industry-leading solution continues to grow.

As of December 2021, the Double the Donation database contains the following information:

  • 24,231+ total company records
  • 26,803,317+ employees represented
  • 99.68% coverage of match-eligible donors
  • 80.96% matching gift form availability

The Double the Donation database continues to grow and become a more comprehensive resource for nonprofits.

These metrics are currently at their all-time highs, and they’re only going up from here!

The extent of our matching gift coverage directly impacts the results that our nonprofit clients see. As such, we’ve made it a priority to ensure we are continuously adding new companies and subsidiaries, providing available online match request forms, and updating information where necessary.

Double the Donation Company Growth

Double the Donation has added 8 new team members in the past year.

As our product continues to grow, so does the company behind it. In 2021, the Double the Donation staff has expanded to include nine new team members in sales, partnerships, client onboarding, and marketing roles.

Plus, we’re also working to develop our client success teams by bringing on additional customer support staff. This allows us to better cater to the organizations that use our tools and meet their needs in the most effective ways possible⁠—which is always the goal!

As you can see, it was quite the year over here. We’re so grateful for the clients, partners, and donors who worked with us to make 2021 our year. We certainly could not have done it without you.

Here’s to seeing what 2022 will bring!

Get started with Double the Donation by the end of 2021.

How to Increase Donor Awareness about Matching Gift Programs

Increase Matching Gift Awareness [And Revenue!]

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According to recent studies, more than 26 million individuals work for companies that match employee gifts. However, an estimated 78% of the group has never been informed about the available philanthropic programming. Thus, in order to maximize funding, it’s important to increase matching gift awareness across your network of support.

In this guide, we’ll touch on some impactful marketing efforts to get your donors ramped up to submit those matching gift forms to their employers. But we’ll also cover why awareness is crucial to matching gift success, how you can set your staff up to champion your efforts, and what to do after educating donors about the opportunities at hand.

Specifically, you’ll learn:

Surely, your organization aims to maximize the impact of each donation you receive. Matching gifts are one of the best ways to do so⁠—but in order to drive results, your supporters need to know about them.

Let’s get started!

Why increasing matching gift awareness matters

Ensuring donors are aware of matching gifts is one of the biggest obstacles your organization will face. However, it’s essential for increasing funding through these programs.

There are billions (yes, billions⁠—to the tune of $4,000,000,000 to $7,000,000,000 worth) of corporate giving dollars left unclaimed each year. Why? Largely because the majority of eligible donors have never been informed of the opportunity.

In fact, without a strategic approach to increase matching gift awareness…

  • 78% of donors do not know if their company offers a matching gift program;
  • 15% of donors know their company has a program but are unsure if they’re eligible or how to submit a matching gift request;
  • Only 7% of donors are aware that their company matches gifts, know they’re eligible, and understand how to submit their matching gift requests.

Matching gift awareness percentages

Not to mention, donors love participating in matching gift programs⁠—so long as they know they exist. These initiatives allow them to double or even triple the impact of their giving to the charitable organizations they support. And they don’t even have to reach back into their own wallets to do so!

An analysis of donor behavior even indicates that nonprofit supporters are more likely to give⁠—and to give more⁠—when they know their donations will be matched. In fact, 84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered. And 1 in 3 donors would give a larger gift if matching is applied!

As a result, organizations saw a 71% increase in response rate and a 51% increase in average donation amount when matching gifts were mentioned.

Impact of increasing matching gift awareness among donors

That means when donors are aware of the opportunities, your organization can benefit not only from more corporate matches but from increased individual giving altogether.

Starting with your staff; driving awareness internally

Increasing matching gift awareness among donors is critical for a nonprofit to maximize its fundraising potential. However, before a nonprofit can effectively communicate the benefits of matching gifts to donors, it is crucial that its internal team fully understands the opportunity themselves.

After all, a nonprofit’s staff (or volunteers) are likely the primary point of contact with supporters. Therefore, it’s essential that the internal team understands the concepts behind corporate matching gifts and is equipped to support donors interested in participating.

Here’s what we recommend:

  • Conducting regularly scheduled dedicated matching gift training sessions for all donor-facing staff and volunteers;
  • Incorporating matching gift information in new team member onboarding materials going forward;
  • Developing easily accessible internal materials that provide an overview of matching gifts, frequently asked questions and answers, benefits, and more;
  • Establishing a matching gift team leader to whom the rest of the team can direct inquiries regarding matching gifts to learn more.

Luckily, Double the Donation offers a wide range of free resources that can help guide you through the process⁠—from educational blog posts to immersive webinars and more.

Increase matching gift awareness among your internal team

Staff members who are familiar with matching gift programs can best serve as advocates for the opportunity to eligible donors. By equipping staff members with the knowledge and tools necessary to promote corporate matching, a nonprofit can effectively communicate the benefits of matching gifts to donors and maximize its fundraising potential.

10 marketing methods to increase matching gift awareness among donors

Now it’s time to make your donors aware of the available programming that can double their impact on your cause.

There are a ton of ways to do so⁠—but we’ve selected a few of our favorite marketing strategies to increase matching gift awareness for your audience here.

1. Create a matching gift web page.

To make it easy for donors to learn about matching gift programs, create a dedicated matching gift web page on your nonprofit’s website.

This centralized hub of matching gift information should provide an overview of corporate donation-matching, explain the tangible benefits of these programs for your cause, and include an intuitive database search tool for donors to uncover their own eligibility.

You’ll also want to include basic information about your organization, including contact details for your matching gift coordinator, your tax ID number, and more.

Increase matching gift awareness with a matching gift web page

In doing so, you can target supporters who are perusing your website⁠—which can actually drive them further down the donation funnel and encourage them to give more⁠—and provide donors with a trusted resource with everything they need to get started.

Then, you can link to this hub in your other marketing materials, demonstrating how donors can learn more about the opportunity. You might even use your match page to train your internal staff on matching gifts!

2. Highlight matching in fundraising appeals.

We mentioned previously that when donors are informed of matching gift opportunities prior to making their contributions, they’re more likely to give and give in larger amounts. In order to drive awareness beforehand, your fundraising appeals can really come in handy.

As you craft your next donation appeal, incorporate a quick blurb about matching gifts and the amplified impact they bring. This can be just what you need to drive on-the-fence supporters into action-taking donors!

Here’s an example: “Dear [donor], Do you work for a match-maker? Thousands of companies⁠—employing millions of qualifying donors⁠—agree to match the charitable gifts their team members contribute to nonprofits like ours. Find out if your company participates by searching here⁠. Then, head to our donation form to make a match-eligible gift (or request a match from a previous and still-eligible donation)!”

3. Embed in online donation pages.

If an individual navigates to your nonprofit donation page, chances are that they’d like to support your cause. That makes your online giving forms the perfect place to promote gift-matching.

And it’s also one of your best opportunities to request employment information⁠. [Hint: Once collected, this detail can directly aid your team in uncovering and pursuing match-eligible donations.]

We recommend embedding Double the Donation’s smart company search tool that allows donors to choose from auto-completing search results. It even takes into account common typos and company subsidiaries for the most accurate results, ensuring users can quickly select their employer from our robust database and move on to the next steps without slowing down the giving experience.

Increase matching gift awareness with your giving forms

To encourage donors to complete the optional field, you’ll also want to include a short blurb about matching gifts that provides context as to why you’re asking for employment data. Here’s an example: “Millions of donors qualify to have their charitable gifts matched by their employers. See if your company offers such a program by entering your employer’s name in the box.”

4. Mention on your confirmation screen.

Immediately after completing an online donation, nonprofit supporters typically remain at a high level of engagement. It’s important to take advantage of this momentum and immediately encourage eligible donors to secure a matching gift.

And your donation confirmation or thank-you screen is a great place to begin! After all, matching gifts make a great “Next Steps” option for supporters looking to increase their impact after they submit their donations.

Consider adding a message to your confirmation screen such as this: “Thanks for your donation! Did you know your employer may match your gift and double its impact? Check if your contribution is eligible by searching for your company here.”

And when you embed Double the Donation’s matching gift plugin, you can provide quick and easy access to company-specific guidelines, forms, and more. Plus, if the individual provides their employer’s name during the giving process, the plugin tool will automatically populate with that company’s program details and direct links to submission forms!

Increase matching gift awareness with your confirmation pages

This allows individuals to quickly move from the “general awareness of matching gift programs as a concept” phase to the “specific knowledge of their company’s initiatives and guidelines” in no time. And remember⁠—the latter is where you want your donors to be!

5. Include matching gift information in donation acknowledgments.

If your nonprofit organization is not already including information about matching gift opportunities in donor acknowledgment letters, it’s super easy to start. Keep in mind, though, that you won’t want this to be your sole matching gift promotion. Automated donation acknowledgments and gift receipts are often quickly discarded and may ultimately end up in a “trash” box before the donor arrives at the included matching gift mention.

Still, including a brief section about corporate matching gift opportunities can be an excellent way to whet your supporters’ appetites regarding the programs. Direct donors to your aforementioned matching gift web page, and let them know that they should soon expect to receive an additional email follow-up dedicated to matching gifts.

It can be as simple as this: “Did you know that many corporations offer employee giving programs where they match donations to [your organization’s name]? Search for your company on our matching gift page to see if they provide matching gifts! Or keep an eye out for detailed next steps in a separate email.”

6. Send separate matching gift follow-up emails.

Chances are, some donors are likely to miss out on your confirmation page and/or acknowledgment promotions. But you still want to ensure that all of your supporters are exposed to matching gift information so they can make an informed decision about their next steps.

The best way to do this? Send dedicated matching gift emails after each donation you receive.

Increase matching gift awareness with follow-up emails

(This is also a great reminder avenue for donors who did become aware of matching gifts previously but ultimately opted to procrastinate their requests.)

If you have a record of a donor’s employer, you can even incorporate detailed and company-specific program guidelines. This will help recipients quickly determine match eligibility and lead them directly to their companies’ online submission forms to complete the request. If you’ve yet to identify a supporter’s employer, encourage them once again to provide that information so you can guide them through the matching process.

By highlighting matching gifts while your organization and its cause are still fresh on donors’ minds, you increase the likelihood that they will take action to double their gifts. That’s why we recommend sending these follow-up messages within 24 hours of receiving the initial gift. In fact, organizations that do so see an estimated 53% open rate, which is more than two to three times the average nonprofit email open rate.

7. Engage on social media.

Social media sites can be a great way to increase matching gift awareness across a wider audience. Plus, you can encourage supporters to interact with and share your content with their own followers.

Make sure to schedule regular messages throughout the year⁠, noting occasions like Matching Gift Month and more. Use your social platforms to share stories about how the money raised for your organization is helping grow your mission⁠—and how doubling those gifts helps amplify impact.

Increase matching gift awareness with social media

For the best results, adjust your messaging based on the platform on which you plan to share it. For example…

  • Twitter is great for short-and-sweet blurbs about matching gifts;
  • Facebook posts can be a bit longer and more in-depth;
  • Instagram is designed for image-sharing⁠—so be sure to choose eye-catching graphics that help demonstrate the power of matching gifts.
  • And don’t forget about vide0-sharing sites, either⁠—YouTube and even TikTok offer excellent opportunities for sharing matching gift videos and more.

Regardless of what you post or where you post it, you’ll want to provide direct links to resources users can access for additional information.

8. Enlist snail-mail promotions.

While electronic communication is speedy and efficient, there are still donors who would still rather the personal touch of a tangible mailing. If your organization employs direct mail outreach in your fundraising, consider exploring the tactic to increase matching gift awareness among your direct-mail-preferred donor segment.

However, you’ll want to keep in mind that the investment for this strategy can add up quickly⁠—so make sure you’re still expecting an appropriate return.

There are a number of ways to keep your costs low, too. For example, if you’re already hosting a direct mail campaign, you might include an insert on matching gifts into your existing fundraising packet. Or similarly, you can even print matching gift information directly onto your donation return envelopes!

Increase matching gift awareness with direct mail envelopes

Still, we recommend retaining physical mailings for only your most lucrative matching gift opportunities.

9. Host a live-stream event.

If they’ve never heard of the programs before, your donors are likely to have a number of questions about matching gifts. As you begin to integrate donation-matching promotions into your overall fundraising efforts, consider hosting a live-stream event.

This will allow you to engage with your audience in real-time, encouraging supporters to attend, ask questions, and learn more about getting involved with their employers’ corporate giving programs.

Not to mention, it will also provide a unique opportunity for your team to show the persons behind your organization with a virtual, yet face-to-face experience.

10. Employ end-of-year reminders.

Unfortunately, donations typically have a limited time span during which they qualify for corporate matching. Though it can differ from company to company, many program windows close at the end of the year. Thus, it’s critical that you increase matching gift awareness among donors before it’s too late.

And end-of-year reminders can be a great way to do so.

As the year comes to a close, consider sending additional outreach that reiterates the availability of matching gifts⁠. This can be especially beneficial for those who had been marked match-eligible despite not seeming to have submitted their matches.

Remember: the urgency at the end of the year can be an excellent tool for driving action along with awareness. So make the most of it!

After awareness ⁠— next steps to consider

Informing individuals about matching gift opportunities is phase one in securing additional financial support. But you can’t stop there!

After ensuring awareness of matching gifts, there are a few next steps we recommend to ultimately drive matches to completion, determine success, and thank donors for their above-and-beyond support.

Remind supporters about matching gifts.

Sometimes the initial steps you take to inform your audience about matching gifts won’t be enough to actually produce results. In those cases, take the extra step to remind qualifying donors about their matching gift eligibility after the fact.

Increase matching gift awareness with reminders

To do so, it helps to track which identified matches have been submitted by donors and which ones appear to remain unclaimed. Then, follow up on incomplete matches by reminding donors about the opportunity and how easily they can get involved.

Here’s a hint: manually tracking and following up on matching gifts can be quite the undertaking. We recommend employing automation software like 360MatchPro to identify, pursue, and monitor matches throughout the process.

Thank donors for their submissions.

Once you’re notified that an individual has completed their end of the matching gift request process, be sure to thank them for doing so. Communicate the amplified impact of an individual donation when matched, and show your appreciation accordingly.

To make your gratitude stand out in your recipients’ inboxes, consider employing customizable donor recognition eCards. It’s a fun and creative way to thank your matching gift donors for taking the next steps to amplify their giving impact. And it will keep your organization at the forefront of the recipient’s mind for longer, too!

Matching gift eCard example - increasing matching gift awareness

Matching gift eCard example - increasing matching gift awareness

Communicate gratitude for completed matches.

Your supporters also want to know if and when your organization receives the associated match to their donation. Despite the matching gift not coming from an individual’s own wallet, it’s important to recognize that the additional contribution would not have been possible without their actions on your behalf.

Plus, it helps close the loop with the original donor, confirming with them that the match was ultimately successful. Otherwise, they might never know⁠ it was completed, and they wouldn’t be as likely to request a match in the future.

Bonus tip: In your acknowledgments, you can even link a survey that asks donors how they learned about matching gifts. Consider listing your primary marketing efforts along with an “other” field or free response option. This will help determine which efforts are worth prioritizing in the future as well as which may be less impactful for your particular audience.

Identify ongoing opportunities.

Your organization should also be able to determine if a majority of matching gifts are coming from one company in particular or from a wide array of employers.

This is noteworthy because if your matching gifts seem to be coming from a few major employers, consider publicly recognizing the company as a valuable partner to your organization.

Increase Donor Awareness of Matching Gifts and Pursue Ongoing Opportunities

You can even reach out to pursue additional corporate sponsorships. This might include upcoming events, cause marketing opportunities, in-kind donations, workplace giving campaigns, and more.

Measure matching gift marketing impact.

Our final recommended step involves ensuring that your above-mentioned marketing efforts are actually working. One key piece of advice we have is to visualize your data with a chart or graph. This way, you can easily view the total (number, revenue, or percentage) of matching gifts received in a set time period.

Then, compare that figure to your previous month, year, etc., to show the difference between your results pre- and post-marketing strategy. Can you see a discernible difference in the number of matching gifts being sent in?

 To get started, you can download our free, editable Matching Gift Dashboard here >

Sample matching gift dashboard to measure matching gift awareness

But to scale up your reporting capabilities, the right matching gift software can make a big difference here as well. For example, Double the Donation empowers organizations to easily track metrics such as their:

  • Total individual donations
  • Percentage of donations flagged as match-eligible
  • Total number of matching gifts submitted
  • Number of matching gifts verified by your organization
  • Number of matching gifts ultimately received
  • Percentage of matching gifts completed
  • Value of received matching gifts
  • Percentage increase due to matching gift revenue
  • And more!

From there, you can take a look at your data, locate apparent trends, identify successes, and explore areas with room for improvement.

Wrapping Up

There are a variety of ways to market matching gifts to your donors, and increasing awareness of the opportunity can go a long way.

Too much money goes unclaimed by nonprofits and their donors due to a lack of awareness about corporate giving initiatives. This shouldn’t be the case!

Make sure you’re educating your supporters on a consistent and ongoing basis, and you could be well on your way to a substantial increase in matching gift fundraising success.

Interested in learning more about matching gift opportunities and how to drive participation for your nonprofit cause? Check out these additional recommended resources:

  • 8 Ways to Encourage Donors to Submit Employee Matching Gift Requests. Increasing awareness of matching gifts is the first key step. But then you’ll need to drive matching gift requests to completion in order to receive funding. Dive into eight recommended practices here.
  • How to Get Matching Gifts Trending at Your Organization. How can you use current marketing trends to get the word out about matching gift opportunities? We share several innovative ideas, from social media usage to artificial intelligence, in this recent blog post.
  • Top Matching Gift Practices | Actionable Insights & Examples. Explore real-world examples of matching gift success. This guide walks through tried-and-true tips from the nation’s leading nonprofits⁠—and how they promote matching gifts to their audiences.
  • Interested in learning more about communicating the value of matching gifts and securing buy-in from your stakeholders? Check out our immersive webinar on the topic!Simple Steps to Score Matching Gift Buy-In from Board Members

Increase matching gift awareness with Double the Donation.

Nonprofit Leadership Traits

Matching Gift Integration | 3 Methods

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One of the most common questions received by Double the Donation’s sales and customer support teams is around the different ways to integrate matching gift information into a website or platform. We support three different integration options:

  1. Host match pages on Double the Donation’s servers (designed for individual nonprofits)
  2. Embed match information directly on the nonprofit’s website (designed for individual nonprofits)
  3. Use our matching gift API (designed for fundraising platforms and service providers)

 

Host Matching Gift Pages on Double the Donation’s Servers

The easiest way for a nonprofit to share matching gift information with its donors is by building matching gift pages hosted on Double the Donation’s website. This option is included in all pricing tiers and can be done instantly through our online account set up process.

During the online sign up process you’ll choose a URL (ex. https://doublethedonation.com/xyzorganization) which will become your nonprofit’s custom matching gift website. You’ll enter basic information about your organization including:

  1. A description of your nonprofit
  2. Your organization’s contact information
  3. Upload a logo
  4. Choose a background color

That information is then automatically combined with our searchable database of companies which match employee donations or offer grants for volunteering into a site which you can share with your donors and supporters. Here are a few examples:

Example #1: Lafayette Partners in Education Matching Gift Page
(https://doublethedonation.com/lpie)

Create your own matching gift pages on Double the Donation's servers

Example #2: Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Matching Gift Page
(https://doublethedonation.com/abg)

Hosted Matching Donation Pages on Double the Donation's Servers

Sign up and build your own matching gift pages on Double the Donation’s servers.

 

Embed Match Information Directly on a Nonprofit’s Website

For organizations looking to integrate matching gift information directly on their own website, we also provide the ability to embed our matching gift widget.

This involves adding seven lines of code (generated automatically when organizations subscribe to select tiers) to the appropriate pages on the nonprofit’s website.

Insert our matching gift search functionality by using the code we provide

Add Our Matching Gift Search Directly to Your Own Website

Suggested locations to include our matching gift widget include:

  1. Dedicated match pages
  2. Ways to give pages
  3. Donation screens
  4. Confirmation screens

Here are a few examples:

Embedded Example #1: New York Public Media
(http://www.thirteen.org/support/employer-matching-gift/)

Embed matching gift data on a nonprofit's website

Embedded Example #2: National Kidney Foundation
(http://www.kidney.org/matchinggifts)

embedded-matching-gift-info-kidney-foundation

Nonprofits can maintain a fully branded user experience by integrating our matching gift search directly into pages hosted on the nonprofit’s website.

Sign up and embed matching gift information on your own site.

 

Use our Matching Gift API

The previous two options were integration methods for a single nonprofit but Double the Donation also provides a matching gift API for partners such as:

  • Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms
  • Donor management / CRM software
  • Online donation platforms
  • And any other companies interested in providing employee matching gift data to nonprofits and their donors

Our API provides complete access to the raw matching gift data making it easy for you to incorporate matching gift information into your company’s own service.

Visit the Matching Gift API section of our website for complete details.