Matching grants can double the {dollars} raised on your #GivingTuesday marketing campaign.
By securing a #GivingTuesday matching grant, a funder is agreeing to match a certain quantity of cash raised on-line the day of the occasion, on the situation that the identical quantity may even be raised in on-line donations that day.
And donors are simply motivated to offer in the event that they know their donation can have twice the affect! In keeping with TechSoup, “Mentioning matching items in fundraising appeals leads to a 71% improve within the response charge and a 51% improve within the common donation quantity (and that’s previous to receiving matching reward funds).”
You shouldn’t should look far and broad to discover a donor prepared to supply an identical grant! Right here’s the place you may begin:
Board members
Your nonprofit’s Board of Administrators is invested in seeing your nonprofit fundraise efficiently, and infrequently you’ll discover your board members are prepared to speculate actually in addition to figuratively. Allow them to know that you simply’re seeking to safe matching grants for #GivingTuesday. You’ll be shocked by how keen they’re to assist out!
Company donors
Odds are, your nonprofit has firms you’ve labored with up to now and have a great relationship with. Whether or not they have an worker giving program arrange, have sponsored an occasion up to now, or have simply been publicly supportive of you, attain out!
Matching grants are a good way to steward your company donors by offering them with a marketable alternative to be concerned in your group’s fundraising. You possibly can steward them by thanking them publicly through e-mail and social media forward of the day, and reminding donors in your fundraising attraction about your matching reward from their group.
You possibly can clarify to them why having matching grant issues a lot on #GivingTuesday and provide to point out them some additional love by including their emblem to your #GivingTuesday web page and thanking them on social media.
Main donors
“Previous conduct is the very best predictor of future conduct,” as they are saying, and on the subject of one thing like donating to a nonprofit that’s additional true. Asking donors who’ve repeatedly proven their assist on your nonprofit to supply an identical grant on #GivingTuesday offers them a brand new and significant method to assist your work, and since they’ve already proven that they’re prepared to donate in a giant manner, they’re low-hanging fruit.
In case you’ve exhausted these choices, additionally contemplate volunteer teams, in-kind donors (e.g., grocery shops that donate meals to your nonprofit), or different companies you’ve been seeking to companion with.
When working to safe an identical grant for #GivingTuesday, you’ll must make a great case for why it’s so essential. Companies and donors might not perceive how important matching grants are on giving days, so listed here are just a few factors you’ll wish to hold in your pocket to assist sway prospects.
Matching grants encourage donors.
Folks love a great deal. For that cause, having the ability to double their donation to a trigger they care about could be the deciding issue for some folks in whether or not they’ll donate.
Offering an identical grant doubles their donation too!
When you’ve got a donor or enterprise that provides to your nonprofit yearly, you may persuade them to supply an identical grant on #GivingTuesday by explaining that their reward (whereas already extremely essential) can have a good larger affect when used as an identical grant on #GivingTuesday. They double the greenback quantity by bringing in donations, and creating alternatives for future donations by attractive first-time donors to make a contribution.
Matching grants can assist you win large.
You might have the chance to win prizes throughout “energy hours” all through the day. When used strategically, matching grants can be utilized to drive donations throughout these energy hours and win prize cash on your trigger. Having an identical grant out there throughout an influence hour offers your nonprofit a aggressive edge!
Matching grants create curiosity and drive site visitors.
On #GivingTuesday, it’s all about promotion and getting supporters to click on the hyperlink to your Mightycause web page. Having an identical grant out there offers you an angle to advertise your web page, creates buzz, and impressed donations.
Maria Booker, company partnerships professional on the Capital Space Meals Financial institution, says you must first contemplate who’s a great match for the matching reward. Consider organizations based mostly on the three “W”s:
- What are you able to not accomplish in your personal?
- When is the suitable time?
- Who’s the suitable particular person/entity to enhance your work?
Be sure that your ask is affordable. A donor that hasn’t ever given a present is much less doubtless to offer a $10,000 grant than a $1,000 reward. Begin small and keep in mind that stewarding takes time. If all goes effectively this 12 months you may ask for a much bigger reward subsequent 12 months.
Take into account tying the match to a selected use for the cash. Matching grants work very well on initiatives the place you’re elevating cash towards one thing that’s tangible and visual. Donors have a tendency to answer matches if they’ll see that their donation is definitely carrying extra worth.
In case your group plans to make use of a staff fundraising web page on Mightycause, you may add your matching reward donor as a “Sponsor” within the Sponsors part. Simply go to your Web page Editor on the left-hand sidebar and click on “Sponsors” to get began.
Get an early begin.
Ready till the final minute to begin speaking to your board, donors, and enterprise companions a couple of matching grant means you’re much less more likely to get one. Your potential grantors will really feel rushed to decide, which is disagreeable for them.
It’s possible you’ll want time to work out the main points that last-minute planning doesn’t provide you with. So, begin establishing conferences, making telephone calls, and sending emails as quickly as your nonprofit registers for #GivingTuesday to make sure you have loads to time to make it occur.
Assign a degree of contact for every prospect.
The folks you’ll be asking to supply an identical grant are folks your nonprofit will wish to construct or preserve a constructive relationship with. It helps to have a selected contact at your nonprofit in control of speaking with them. That manner, they don’t really feel as if they’re getting handed round between workers members, which could be irritating, trigger miscommunications, and make them really feel unimportant.
Put together some supplies.
Getting ready a flier, brochure and even only a easy graphic with all the knowledge your prospect must find out about matching grants makes your nonprofit look skilled and arranged. Be sure you embody #GivingTuesday’s date, a quick clarification of what #GivingTuesday is all about, how matching grants work and any phrases your nonprofit wish to embody. This additionally offers you nice fodder for following up ! As an example, after a telephone name with a possible grantor, you may ship an e-mail along with your data connected for them to overview.
Be prepared to supply one thing in return.
It’s nice to method companies with an concept of some perks your nonprofit can provide them in return for an identical grant. Issues so simple as linking to their web site in your Mightycause web page, tagging them on social media, or placing fliers or coupons for his or her enterprise in your nonprofit’s foyer could make offering an identical grant far more attractive.
Promote it.
Improperly advertising and marketing matching grants might as effectively not exist, so ensure you embody your matching grant in your whole promotions for #GivingTuesday. Put the knowledge in your web site and ensure your supporters know when it’s out there.
Say thanks!
If an individual or enterprise offers an identical grant on #GivingTuesday, ensure you go the additional mile to thank them! Along with the standard (a telephone name, handwritten thanks card) you may contemplate additional love. Considerate issues like shoutouts on social media, inviting them in for catered lunch at your amenities, throwing them a contented hour can assist safe your grant for subsequent 12 months.
We’ve obtained the complete rundown on managing matching grants right here. Bear in mind to say the match in your donor acknowledgment after #GivingTuesday. This can be a good way for donors to really feel nice about serving to you double the {dollars} raised on your mission. And in case your match was offered by a enterprise that was within the visibility and publicity of a match, this may be a good way to say thanks. If all goes effectively, you could possibly get a good larger reward subsequent 12 months!