by Guest Contributor • 10.26.2020
Adam Weinger President, Double the Donation
Matching gift programs are an excellent way to drive revenue for your organization without asking donors to contribute more of their own money. The problem is that it can be tough to know where to get started.
So many companies offer employer gift matching programs, but very few donors actually drive their gift matches to completion. In fact, over 18 million individuals work for employers who offer gift matching programs, yet only seven percent of donors who are eligible for gift matching programs actually submit their gift matching request.
So how are you supposed to begin educating these donors and encouraging them to drive these matches to completion?
Luckily there are gift matching software systems to help you out. Programs like the Double the Donation 360MatchPro tool can help you begin the gift matching process without much time or effort. This particular software identifies match-eligible donors and encourages them to take action. This automated system is easy to use, and it can help you double or even triple your gift matching submissions.
Keep reading to learn how to get started with employer gift matching strategies.
Step 1: Start the Conversation and Increase Awareness
Many donors do not pursue gift matching requests simply because they do not know about them. In fact, it is estimated that 78% of match-eligible donors don’t know anything about their employer’s matching gift program.
This is actually great news because it means that donors don’t avoid gift matching requests, they simply are not familiar with them. As a valued nonprofit, your organization has the perfect opportunity to inform donors of these programs.
This might initially seem a little daunting. It’s tough to imagine how you could find not only who your donors work for, but also their personal gift matching options. As mentioned above, gift matching software can actually do this work for you.
360MatchPro can be integrated directly onto your donation forms. This tool appears as a streamlined search bar where donors can enter the name of their employer. Once they enter a company name, 360MatchPro scans an extensive database of matching gift programs. This system was developed by skilled researchers who frequently update the information to ensure accurate results.
By placing a gift matching search tool directly onto donation forms and confirmation pages, you can increase matching gift awareness during the donation process while your donor feels most connected and committed to your organization.
360MatchPro can be integrated through many different software platforms so that it appears onto your donation forms. This tool can start the gift matching conversation – which educates donors while still checking for their gift matching eligibility. Be sure to check in with your Firefly Partners executive to learn more starting the gift matching process for your organization.
Step 2: Craft Curated Messages to Encourage Donor Action
Once donors are aware of the gift matching process, it is important that they still take action. Many donors can pursue their gift matching request from the donation form, but that is not always the case.
While planning your gift matching strategy, it is important to include outreach initiatives. Following up with donors is a great way to encourage gift matching requests. In fact, sending matching gift reminder emails within 24 hours of a donation results in a 53% open rate, which is 2-3 times higher than the average nonprofit email open rate. These gift matching reminders can help to further educate your donors and give them the final push they need to pursue their increased donation.
Following the donation process, the 360MatchPro tool can send automated yet personalized follow-up emails. These messages are auto-populated with your individual donor’s company gift matching details. 
This might include gift matching amounts, eligibility and contact information. By personalizing these emails, donors will feel a more sincere connection to the request. Not to mention the fact that they are sent automatically so that you do not have to take any unnecessary extra steps.
Through 360MatchPro, each aspect of these emails can be customized to reflect your organization’s unique voice. This includes the style, wording and visuals. You can even customize the sender email address so that your donors recognize the message as a part of your organization.
Following up with your donors through automated and personalized messaging is a valuable gift matching strategy because it reminds donors of these requests while also giving them detailed information about their employer’s program. This is vital to ensure that donors are submitting gift matching requests and increasing your donor revenue.
Be sure to fit curated messaging into your matching gift fundraising strategy!
Step 3: to Track Donor Insights to Ensure Valuable Results
As you can imagine, the gift matching process generates a lot of insights about your donors. This can include where they work, their gift matching programs and how they respond to different messaging 
strategies. While kicking off your new fundraising method, it is important to plan a way to keep track of these insights.
Some organizations use a database or spreadsheets to keep track of this information. On the 360MatchPro dashboard, these insights actually flow automatically after the donation process. This means that on a 360MatchPro page, there is a list of donors along with their contact information, employer, gift matching status and email open rates.
Using this automated system, you do not have to log each individual donor entry, it just happens for you. Then, you can use this information to plan valuable future efforts, like outreach strategies.
For example, if your donor works at Home Depot, and they submit a gift matching request, you can now 
automate a personalized email thanking them for their contribution. This is now a simple task because your dashboard showed their email address, employer and submitted gift match.
These insights are a great way to evaluate your fundraising strategies and ensure successful results. The 360MatchPro dashboard provides all of this information and more in a visual, easy-to-read format so that you can start increasing revenue through corporate gift matching.
Be sure to take advantage of donor insights to maximize your contributions!
Learn More About Gift Matching to Drive Results!
Matching gifts are a great way to increase revenue, and gift matching software makes it easy to do so. As you begin your gift matching strategy, it is important to educate your donors, follow up with them and track valuable insights.
If you are interested in setting up a 360MatchPro account to take advantage of employer matching gifts, please contact your Firefly Partners executive.
Want to see it in action? Schedule a 360MatchPro demo to attend a personalized session and address your organization’s specific needs.
