When companies match employee donations, everybody wins.

Matching Gift Programs (MGP) are a great way for companies, donors, and nonprofits to combine forces and double their impact. Companies are perceived as socially responsible when they match donations to causes their employees support. Donors double their donations, and nonprofits and those they serve benefit tremendously from the contributions. However, MGPs are sometimes not well publicized, which is a huge opportunity-loss for everyone. As a company, employee, or nonprofit fundraiser, it’s never too late to get started.

Companies: Get More Bang for Your Buck

A company should publicize its MGP initiative to increase public awareness of how well it is living up to its social responsibility. For example, Macmillan, a leading publishing company, has a Matching Gift Program. It asked its employees to suggest organizations with missions and interests similar to its own: education and humanitarianism. One of our clients is a great fit because it is the largest educational organization in India. Macmillan could use this mutually beneficial partnership to leverage its contribution to education and literacy issues throughout the world.

Donors and Employees: There’s No Harm in Asking

Donors can stretch their dollars by asking if their employers have an MGP. If they have one, make sure it is publicized. If your company doesn’t have a matching gift program, make a case for setting one up. Enlisting other employees who’d like the opportunity to help nonprofits will make your argument stronger. Be persistent: If you don’t push for change,
who will?

Nonprofits: Reach Out and Speak Up

It’s in your nonprofit’s best interest to seek out companies that align with your values and inquire about Matching Gift Programs. Make a case for support: State similarities between your nonprofit and the company, show your organization’s impact, and offer to include the company’s logo in your materials to enhance their reputation and give your organization good PR. Taking this initiative can garner more corporate interest in your nonprofit. Corporations with money and resources need motivation to do social good, so reach out and inspire them!

Take a minute to browse your nonprofit’s website and ask yourself these questions: Is the ‘Donate’ button visible? Does it stand out? Is it on every page of your website? Does your website make it easy to donate? If your answers aren’t a definitive yes, you may be missing out on a lot of money.

We all know that 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on your car insurance, but one minute could earn your nonprofit a lot more!

Where’s the ‘Donate’ Button? Should Never be a FAQ

Whether your organization focuses more on programs, services, or research, it’s still crucial to get donations. Your website is the first place people will go to learn more about your organization and contribute to your cause. If it’s hard to figure out where the donate button is on your website, potential donors will quickly give up trying. And that’s more of a loss for you than it is for them.

Donation Buttons Should be Quickly Noticed

A great way to solicit contributions is to specify a call to action. A call to action may be to sign a petition, volunteer, or join a club. For nonprofits, one of the most important calls to action is to make a donation. And what better way to facilitate this than by having a donation button on every page of your website? (If you want to take it a step further, you can have multiple donation buttons on each page). Be sure to make it easy for your viewers by distinguishing the “Donate” button from other engagement options on your website.

Simplicity is Key

The donation process can be the tipping point between a donor’s decision to continuously contribute to your cause or not contribute at all. Try donating on your nonprofit’s website from a third-party perspective. Do you get so frustrated that you want to “X” out of the window or do you see your confirmation quickly pop up? Just remember, your answers say a lot about how others view your site, too.

By Natalie Glaser, a marketing intern at Red Rooster Group.

A nonprofit executive director once said that everyone wants to pay for the social worker, but nobody wants to pay for her desk and telephone.

Donors tend to have an unrealistic expectation that 100% of the money they give to a nonprofit will go directly towards programs. However, it’s important to look at the bigger picture when donating: Like all well-managed businesses, nonprofits have to deal with overhead costs. That doesn’t mean they are being wasteful; it means they are being good business managers.

No System, No Service

Businesses typically provide products or services that cater to a consumer’s need or desire. Nonprofits provide programs and services to solve societal problems, such as poverty or cancer. In this regard, businesses and nonprofits function very similarly: Whether it’s selling coats or giving coats away to homeless people, both need an infrastructure in place to help them reach their goals. That means electricity, rent, computers, telephones, etc. Those aren’t extras; they’re basics.

Paying for a Product Provides Jobs

Corporations are thought of as job-generators. Likewise, while a nonprofit offers helpful services, it also provides jobs. About 10% of the US workforce is employed by the nonprofit sector. Whether you’re for-profit or nonprofit, you are an employer and have to provide for your employees. That means fair wages and benefits.

Money Goes Where It’s Needed

If you buy a pint of ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s, your money may go towards an employee’s health benefits instead of the production of the ice cream. Similarly, if you donate to a nonprofit, your money may fund marketing for a fundraising campaign, and not go directly to programs. In both scenarios, you have to accept the fact that your money is helping the business or organization thrive, no matter how it’s being spent.

Visibility and the Bottom Line

Developing a brand that is recognizable will increase sales or donations. Companies spend millions on commercials, magazine, and social media ads to achieve visibility and improve their sales. Comparably, a nonprofit should also spend money to increase awareness of its cause and boost donor contributions.

Nonprofits need employees, office space, supplies, and recognition. Like any business, there’s a cost to all that. And like any customer, you can’t choose where your money goes once you pay. With businesses, you probably don’t care as much, unless you are concerned about living wages and the environment. For nonprofits, you can and should do a little research, such as checking the organization out on GuideStar or Charity Navigator.

But don’t be adamant about the ratio of “administration” to “program” costs, because it’s ultimately about their impact. After all, that is the bottom line for nonprofits.

By Natalie Glaser, a marketing intern at Red Rooster Group, working with clients on marketing strategies.

Don’t be afraid of the numbers. They can show how well your organization stacks up against the competition.

No matter the scope or size of your organization, get people to talk about it! If you have data to verify your organization’s accomplishments, publicizing it will get them talking.

Statistics Increase Sponsorships

Many corporations today are seeking partnerships with nonprofits. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship: The corporation is perceived as socially responsible and the nonprofit can use the money to provide programs and services. If your organization helped increase a school’s literacy rate by 90%, brag about it! If your healthcare organization gave 1,000 free vaccinations, brag about it!

Flaunting your organization’s success will make it stand out when corporations look for partners. This will ultimately have a greater impact on your clients, grantees, and members. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Let Your Nonprofit’s Numbers Do the Talking

From a nonprofit’s perspective, posting evidence of success on your website — such as graphs, testimonials or statistics — bolsters your brand’s image and encourages donors to contribute. If donors are unsure about which competing nonprofit to support, favorable statistics on your website may sway their decision.

For example, the Jericho Project, which provides services to the homeless, has a visible “Facts and Figures” section showing its success in keeping its beneficiaries off the streets. Pratham USA also does a wonderful job of creating an effective mix of powerful images and strong statistical data to show its wide impact in India. Everyone understands numbers, so if you have the data, use it.

Prove You Don’t Waste Your Donor’s Dollars

As a new or existing donor, you want to see your money being spent wisely. Knowing an organization is utilizing its contributions efficiently makes donating to it even more attractive. Also, knowing your money isn’t being mismanaged may motivate you to increase your donation.

Reassure Your Recipients

From a recipient’s perspective, it’s reassuring to know that the nonprofit helping you is doing the best it can. After all, you are the reason it exists.

Numbers don’t lie. Proving your nonprofit’s positive impact will maximize your reach and potentially increase donations.

By Natalie Glaser, a marketing intern at Red Rooster Group, who works with clients on marketing strategies.