Some of you Mailchimp add-on users wanted to export donors to different Mailchimp lists based on the campaign that the donation was made. We have made it possible to do that plus a bit more. The settings for the Mailchimp list is in the bottom of the “Email” tab of the campaign form editor.
Continue reading New Feature: Per Campaign Mailchimp Settings
Did you know there are billions of dollars left unclaimed by nonprofits every year?
Unfortunately, it’s true—up to 10 billion potential fundraising dollars are left on the table annually. But, fortunately, there’s a way that we can start to change that.
How? By pushing to maximize donations through the power of matching gifts!
In this article, we’ll go over the basics of matching gifts and show you how your nonprofit can benefit from these programs.
Specifically, we’ll answer the following questions:
Matching gifts are a great way to take back those extra fundraising dollars, but you can’t take advantage of these programs if you don’t know how!
Ready to learn? Let’s get started.
Coming up with exciting, fresh fundraising ideas can be a difficult game. Luckily, the process of matching gifts is both easy and profitable.
If you’re unfamiliar with matching gift programs, the concept is simple: companies match their employees’ gifts to eligible nonprofits.
In many cases, that means the employer will literally double the gift. Your donor’s $50 becomes $100, $200 becomes $400, and so on.
Matching gift programs can be a great way to boost your general fundraising abilities, and they can also play a strategic part in helping you reach specific targets. Especially if you’re chipping away at large-scale projects (like a capital campaign), these additional funds can really add up!
These programs are put in place by employers to encourage charitable giving among their employees. Clearly, they’re great for nonprofits, who can get an instant boost to their fundraising, and they’re also beneficial for the companies.
Employees of companies with matching gift programs tend to be more engaged with their workplace and therefore more likely to stay at the company. Companies also receive tax benefits and a boost to their philanthropic reputation.
It’s no surprise, then, that 65% of Fortune 500 companies have matching gift programs in place!
Bottom Line: Corporate matching gift programs are a simple way to double employees’ donations to eligible nonprofit organizations. Many companies already have these programs in place, but most nonprofits don’t take advantage of them.
The process of matching gifts is simple, but there are a few basic components that you should understand as you get started.
First, it’s important to know the ratio at which a company will match donations.
By and large, most companies will give at a 1:1 (or dollar-per-dollar) rate, therefore doubling their employees’ donations.
However, while that may be the most common ratio, it’s not the only ratio you may encounter! Some companies match at .5 to 1, while others are so generous as to triple donations. There is no universal ratio, so you’ll have to work with companies on an individual basis.
While we’re talking numbers, you should also be aware of minimum and maximum matching gift limits.
Companies set minimum and maximum donation thresholds for the gifts they’ll match. The average minimum is around $25, while the maximum amounts are generally between $10,000 and $25,000.
As with ratios, there’s no universal standard for these amounts. Companies determine their own limitations, so you’ll need to do your research to find out the specifics.
Bottom Line: The matching gift process is simple, but there are some key elements to keep in mind. Be aware of companies’ varying match ratios, as well as minimum and maximum donation amounts.
Whether you’re a well-established organization or just starting out, you may be eligible to take advantage of these awesome corporate giving programs.
The good news is that the vast majority of registered nonprofit organizations are eligible for matching gift programs.
Educational, social, environmental, cultural, and healthcare-focused organizations or institutions are generally qualified for corporate matching gifts.
With that in mind, there are some organizations that generally are not eligible. These organizations include religious groups without a community-service component or organizations with a political affiliation.
Additionally, some companies narrow their focus to include only specific types of nonprofits. For example, a corporation may prefer to match gifts only to educational institutions, such as private universities or K-12 schools.
Since these restrictions may vary by company, the best way to know for sure if your nonprofit is eligible is to check with businesses individually.
Bottom Line: Most registered 501(c)(3) organizations can participate in matching gift programs, but companies can further limit the organizations they will donate to at their own discretion.
Now that you’re aware of the basics of gift matching, let’s take a more detailed look at the process from start to finish.
The first step to matching gifts is the gift itself—your donor has to make a contribution before their employer can match it!
Following the initial donation, the donor can check to see if their employer has a matching gift program in place. If the nonprofit has a matching gift tool on their website, this step can be as simple as searching for a company name and following the instructions from there.
The donor must complete the associated paperwork (or online form) to provide information about their gift. Usually, this includes the date of the donation, the donation amount, and the payment type.
At this point, it’s also important to consider the matching gift deadlines that a company may have in place.
While donors aren’t required to submit their requests immediately following their donation, there are general time constraints that must be followed.
Usually, that means the request must be submitted within:
If the request is within the company’s set parameters, the donor may submit their request online or by mail.
So, where does the nonprofit come in?
As you can see, the active player in this process is definitely the donor. The organization, meanwhile, is responsible for marketing matching gifts, confirming donations with employers, and acknowledging donors’ contributions.
Though your role might seem limited, it’s important that you know how this process works so you can adequately educate your supporters. Without understanding matching gifts, how will you promote them to your donors?
Bottom Line: The matching gift process is simple for donors, nonprofits, and companies alike. Nonprofits should be aware of how theses programs work, as well as the submission deadlines associated with them.
So, you’re on board with matching gifts and you want your donors to be, too. But how do you get the word out about these fantastic programs?
Only about 9% of donors take advantage of matching gifts. A huge majority of potential participants aren’t looking into corporate giving, and it’s your job as a nonprofit to turn those facts around!
The best way to implement matching gifts into your fundraising strategy is to be diligent in ensuring that your donors are aware of this opportunity.
There’s no end to the amount of matching gift marketing that you can do, but here are a few of our favorite places to promote these programs:
These tips are a good jumping-off point for where to advertise matching gifts, but you may also be wondering when you should focus your promotions on these programs.
You should keep your promotions rolling out on a regular basis, but there are some times of year that are especially ideal.
The end and beginning of the year can be a great time to remind donors of the gifts they contributed throughout the past year (and the year-end giving season). Additionally, this time of year is when many submission deadlines fall, so be diligent in making sure those match requests are submitted in time!
If you’re interested in sending more personal communications to specific donors, you can tailor your reminders depending on their individual deadlines. While this is a bit more intensive, it can pay off if you have donors whose larger contributions might be eligible to be doubled (or tripled!).
This strategy would be incredibly time-consuming if done manually. However, the right CRM can help consolidate much of the data you’ll need to pull this off and even automate some of your communications. (Still searching for a CRM that works for your organization? Take a look at this resource from Salsa!)
Bottom Line: Donors can’t maximize their donations through matching gifts if they don’t know how. By effectively promoting these programs at the right time and place, nonprofits can make the most of donors’ gifts.
If you’re looking for a buy-one-get-one deal on your supporters’ donations, consider implementing matching gifts into your fundraising strategy. These programs are great for companies, even better for nonprofits, and super simple for donors to start using.
Need more information on how corporate giving works? We recommend checking out Double the Donation for all the matching gift resources you might need.
While your organization is surely familiar with the process of securing donations from individual supporters, you may not be as well-versed in the ways your nonprofit can obtain contributions from larger entities, from small businesses to multinational corporations.
If your nonprofit hasn’t yet taken advantage of the many forms of corporate philanthropy, this article is the one for you!
Simply put, corporate philanthropy is the act of companies contributing to charitable causes, be that through monetary donations, volunteer time, or something else entirely.
Many companies have corporate giving programs in place to encourage employee charitable giving and volunteering. These programs are highly beneficial for companies, but they’re even better for the nonprofits they support.
In this article, we’ll go over four different forms of corporate philanthropy and show you how each can play a major part in your organization’s overall strategy.
Here’s a preview of the topics we’ll cover:
While this list isn’t exhaustive, it will give your nonprofit a solid introduction to the different ways you can implement corporate giving and maximize your donations.
With that in mind, let’s get started.
If you’re looking for a way to literally double (or triple!) your donors’ contributions, you’re in luck!
Matching gifts are as simple as they sound. Essentially, companies match their employees’ donations to eligible nonprofits.
While there are different ratios at which an employer might match a gift, most companies follow a standard 1:1 (or dollar-per-dollar) matching rate. That means a donor’s $100 becomes $200, and so on.
Most nonprofits are eligible to receive matching gifts, but some ineligible organizations include sports teams, certain types of religious groups, and political organizations.
Not only are matching gifts easy for you to implement as an organization, but they’re simple for your supporters to get on board with, too. The submission process is easy for donors and can usually be completed in less than ten minutes. (Tip: check out this sample page from the National Kidney Foundation to see how easy matching gifts can be!)
Depending on the specific company, the employee may have anywhere from as little as a month to upwards of a calendar year to complete their request to their employer. That said, it’s imperative that you educate your donors on this process so they can get their submissions in quickly — and you can receive your funds!
In order to make the most of this form of corporate giving, make sure that your marketing strategy is inclusive of matching gift promotions. Include matching gift information on your donation page, in social media posts and newsletters, and in person at events!
Most importantly, don’t forget to thank donors when you receive their donation as well as their matched gift!
Bottom Line: Matching gifts are the two-for-one deal of the nonprofit sector. These programs make it easier than ever to maximize donation potential through corporate philanthropy.
Dollars for doers programs turn volunteer time into fiscal donations.
Through these programs, companies provide monetary grants to organizations where employees regularly volunteer.
Also called volunteer grants, these programs are put in place by companies looking to encourage employee volunteerism, enhance employee engagement, and promote team-building through group community service.
Volunteers already offer a valuable service by dedicating their time and energy to your cause, but now their efforts can be amplified to impact your organization even further!
Most nonprofits are eligible for these programs, but companies do tend to be restrictive in terms of number of volunteer hours required for a grant. Companies usually only offer donations to organizations where employees have volunteered at least 10 hours (on average).
Some companies set a threshold for number of hours that need to be met to receive a grant, but others donate on an hourly basis.
In addition to individual volunteer grants, some companies also offer group volunteer grants for employees who participate in community service activities as a team.
Typically, the more employees that volunteer, the more money the company will donate. For example, Walmart grants $500 when 5 or more employees volunteer for 25 hours. However, when 50 or more employees volunteer together, Walmart will donate up to $5,000!
These group-oriented activities can even include participation in team fundraisers, such as walkathons or runs. These types of fundraisers pair exceptionally well with online peer-to-peer campaigns, where donors fundraise using their social networks.
If you think the peer-to-peer route might be a good fit for you, consider this list of software options from Double the Donation to get you started!
As you’re laying out your volunteer strategy, consider adding group-oriented opportunities to supercharge your volunteer grant potential.
Bottom Line: Dollars for doers programs combine the two most important aspects of nonprofit contributions: volunteers and fiscal donations. Volunteer grants can be a great way to boost your fundraising abilities through existing volunteers’ employers.
While monetary donations are an invaluable part of a nonprofit’s success, volunteers are an equally vital resource for your organization.
We’ve already discussed how you can tap into your existing volunteers to draw in additional fundraising dollars, but there are even more ways to maximize your volunteer resources through corporate giving.
Volunteer support programs enable companies to donate their resources to nonprofits in need.
These donations can be in the form of volunteer services or tangible goods. A few examples include:
The goods and services will obviously vary by company, so consider what resources would be of the most use to your organization before seeking out one of these kinds of grants. For instance, these donations might be especially useful for fundraising events or very specific projects, like a capital campaign.
While not every company has these programs in place, volunteer support programs can supply your nonprofit with specialized volunteers who can assist in ways that other volunteers may not be able to.
Plus, they enable nonprofits to receive top-quality products and services completely free. Clearly a major benefit!
Bottom Line: Volunteer support programs can equip nonprofits with invaluable services and goods from generous companies. Although you won’t receive any funds directly, you could benefit from up to thousands of dollars in donated resources.
If your organization is looking to effect positive changes in your community, you may be able to receive financial assistance from companies who share your vision.
Though the specifics vary by company, community grants are essentially lump sums of money given to nonprofits by companies. Often, companies give these out on an annual basis.
Community grants are a great option for organizations looking for funding to complete a large-scale project, continue a community program, or participate in disaster relief efforts.
Though most types of corporate grants require the employee to submit a request, community grants are typically requested by the nonprofits themselves.
Sometimes, a company will forgo the application process and choose the nonprofit themselves, but usually, nonprofits are responsible for explaining their needs and the solutions the grant would provide through a grant proposal.
Writing grant proposals can be a serious undertaking, but one of the most important steps is finding the right corporate partner — that is, who is the best company to provide the funds you need?
Just as you would perform prospect research to seek out the right individual donors, you need to put some thought into your process for applying for a community grant.
As you’re researching, you may want to ask yourself the following questions to determine which company is the best fit for your organization:
Bottom Line: Community grants can help your nonprofit meet fundraising goals for a specific project or long-term campaign. Although they’re not as immediate to implement as some other corporate giving opportunities, the payoffs from these programs are well worth the effort in the end.
Corporate philanthropy is a true win-win scenario — companies benefit from increased social impact, while nonprofits receive the donations they require to continue expanding their mission.
By taking advantage of different forms of corporate giving, your organization can increase donations, receive valuable resources, and maximize volunteer power.
For more information on how matching gifts work and how they can boost your fundraising revenue, check out Double the Donation!
