Matching gifts are an effective fundraising tool that can significantly increase revenue for nonprofits. Companies and corporations run such programs where employees can double or triple their charitable giving by matching employee contributions to nonprofits of their choice. Yet most nonprofits don’t leverage matching gifts effectively because they aren’t informed, aware or responsive to donors. In this article, we will take a look at five emails nonprofits can send to generate matching gift dollars and maximise their impact.
Understanding Matching Gifts
Before we start discussing good email techniques, let’s talk about matching gifts. Most companies promise to match donations their employees make to charities. It basically allows a donor to double or even triple their donation, depending on their employer’s policy. But a majority of those eligible donors have never heard of it, and that’s a huge hole that nonprofits are primed to plug.
1. Awareness Programs: Make Donors aware of Matching Gifts.
First, remind your donors about the possibility of doubling their gifts through matching gift programs. Make it a compelling campaign to educate donors on how these programmes work and how much they really are. Do not be stingy, just send a visually appealing email explaining how matching gifts work in detail, and showing exactly how donors can double or even triple their precious donation for no additional fee.
Bring in graphics like infographics to illustrate an entire gift-match workflow in a very easily digestible way. Give donors access to useful resources such as a matching gift search engine so that they know immediately what’s available to them.
Don’t be shy to mention familiar brands that sponsor matching gift programs. Any well-known brand will encourage more engagement. By sharing what you can expect from these doubled donations, you can do a better job at motivating donors to participate. Make sure to mention how that extra donation can help them use their gift to contribute to your cause more.
2. Reminders for Current Donors
Once donors have contributed, it is crucial to follow up with them and inform them about the matching gift programs they can participate in. Incorporate a thank-you note in an e-mail immediately following the contribution donation and highly personal with a request to reach out to the employer regarding a matching gift program.
Tell them where to find them, via resources and websites, in the email itself. Consider writing a step-by-step guide that makes it less intimidating for donors to earn their matching gifts, and it as straightforward as possible.
The timing is critical; if you remind donors of their employer’s matching gift program the minute they donate, it will drastically increase their participation, resulting in more donations coming into your organization.
3. Success Stories and Impact Updates
Set the stage for matching gift potential by reminding donors emotionally of the practical effects of their giving. Once in a while, email them with great success stories and demonstrate how the donations directly benefit your organization, particularly if it was raised through matching gifts.
Don’t forget testimonials from beneficiaries whose lives were impacted by the donor’s generosity. Not to mention include quotes from donors whose donations were matched; these emotional exchanges can make the biggest difference for your audience.
You make it more urgent for your donors to join matching programs by demonstrating the measurable impact of their donations. Explicit results make them feel connected to your cause and motivates them to return the favor. It builds a culture of giving.
4. Seasonal Campaigns: In Step With Giving Days.
Combine your matching gift outreach with key giving days and other seasonal campaigns. You can use Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising events as ideal ways to encourage donors to join matching gift schemes. It’s the time you send targeted letters via email, pressuring donors to use this time to match gifts to their fullest potential.
Incorporate gratitude and community spirit into your messages to further entice your audience. And let them know these matchmakings last only a short time, and sometimes the best of them make all the difference. By tying matching gift campaigns to holiday campaigns, you’ll not only increase the chances of donor interaction, but also add an astonishing emotional weight to it.
5. Follow-Up Emails: Post-Donation Engagement
A thoughtful thank you email after a donor gives you a gift can turn a single gift into a long-term relationship. Remind donors of recent donations and let them know about matching gift opportunities gently and personally. Mention exactly how much they contributed, and show how that contribution could be amplified through employer matching.
This personalized touch is crucial to get the donor to feel connected to your cause and know exactly how to multiply their impact. By creating the space to share, you have given them a way of being participants who can continue to donate.
6. Celebrate Matching Gift Participation
Recognition can be a powerful motivator. In praising donors who participate in matching gift programs, you build community-and more likely than not, other donors will. Newsletters or separate emails can simply highlight anecdotes from individuals who have maximized their giving through an employer matching program.
Explicitly highlighting these donors’ lives-as well as recognising their giving-serves to illustrate the power of their collective generosity. Create a “Hall of Fame” for matching gift recipients or honor their contribution with social media shoutouts to create momentum and inspire further participation.
Conclusion:
Email communication is a critical part of harnessing the power of matching gifts to boost revenue for nonprofits. By making emails relevant, helpful and engaging, nonprofits can inform donors on the advantages of matching gifts, increase submissions and, in the end, do more good in their communities.
