Matching items are probably the most underutilized but highly effective instruments in nonprofit fundraising. When applied successfully, they’ll considerably amplify donor impression and improve income with minimal effort. One group that has seen large success on this space is the Crohn’s & Colitis Basis’s matching reward journey.
Over the previous decade, they’ve completely reworked their matching reward program from a decentralized, inconsistent course of right into a streamlined, high-performing operation, yielding spectacular outcomes 12 months over 12 months. On this weblog submit, we’ll discover key insights from the Basis’s journey, together with how they assessed their start line, made a plan for enchancment, invested in the fitting instruments, and educated their employees to totally assist matching items.
Whether or not your group is simply getting began otherwise you’re trying to stage up your current program, Crohn’s & Colitis Basis’s story presents sensible, actionable classes for enhancing matching reward success.
Key Takeaways:
In search of the entire insights from this Digital Summit presentation? Get the session replay under. In any other case, let’s get began!
Key Takeaway: Assess Your Present State of affairs.
Earlier than you’ll be able to enhance your matching reward technique, it’s important to know the place the challenges lie. At first of its journey, Crohn’s & Colitis Basis confronted widespread obstacles—unconfirmed matches, shifting company pointers, advanced submission processes, and donor confusion, to call a couple of.
By figuring out these ache factors, nevertheless, they have been in a position to take focused steps towards enchancment. This included clarifying the matching reward course of, closing communication gaps, and simplifying donor steering. In the meantime, investing in donor training and inner coaching helped them higher assist their supporters and strengthen relationships—not simply with people, however with the businesses providing the matches.
Key Takeaway: Make a Plan for Enchancment.
When you’ve recognized your challenges, the following step is to create a transparent, strategic plan to deal with them. Crohn’s & Colitis Basis acknowledged that managing matching items on the native chapter stage created inconsistencies and inefficiencies. In response, they centralized all matching reward accounts to their nationwide workplace—a transfer that helped streamline processes, enhance communication, and improve general effectiveness.
This centralization, mixed with regular enhancements over time—together with launching an inner matching reward web site, implementing a affirmation request type, and rolling out quarterly employees trainings—enabled the group to construct a extra cohesive and scalable program. Because of this, they noticed a 26% improve in matching reward income only one 12 months after centralizing, with continued year-over-year development pushed by considerate planning and ongoing funding in instruments and coaching.
Key Takeaway: Spend money on the Proper Know-how to Streamline Operations.
Implementing the fitting know-how generally is a game-changer on your matching reward program. In 2019, Crohn’s & Colitis Basis partnered with Double the Donation, and the impression was quick—greater than a 21% improve in matching reward income.
The platform made it simpler to have interaction donors, information them via the matching course of, and guarantee they’d the fitting instruments and hyperlinks to submit their matches accurately. And this funding paid off in the long run. By 2021, the inspiration surpassed $500,000 in matching reward income. By 2023, they exceeded $600,000. Much more impressively, 60% of their donors are actually engaged in matching items, no matter how they work together with the group.
These outcomes underscore the worth of consistency and the significance of leveraging know-how to assist and scale operations. With the fitting instruments in place, Crohn’s & Colitis Basis has not solely grown its matching reward income but in addition enhanced donor engagement throughout campaigns and applications.
Key Takeaway: Prepare Your Employees on All Issues Matching Presents.
Employees training, or inner matching reward advertising, is crucial to the success of any matching reward program. At Crohn’s & Colitis Basis, complete coaching ensures everybody, no matter place or expertise stage, understands how matching items work and assist donors successfully.
Their all-staff coaching covers the whole lot from the essential definition of an identical reward to the step-by-step donor journey. Particular emphasis is positioned on probably the most generally missed step: the donor initiating the matching reward request with their employer. Dwell demos and real-life eventualities assist employees confidently information donors and troubleshoot widespread questions.
The coaching additionally clearly outlines obligations. Whereas at CCF, the Nationwide Operations crew manages the logistics and confirmations, chapter employees are geared up to deal with donor communication and supply the mandatory sources to make sure the method is accomplished. This strategy empowers all crew members to grow to be advocates for matching items, guaranteeing a easy expertise for donors and maximizing match potential throughout the group.
Key Takeaway: Present Inside and Exterior-Dealing with Matching Present Sources.
A profitable matching reward program is dependent upon clear, accessible sources for each donors and employees. The Crohn’s & Colitis Basis has constructed a well-structured system that makes it straightforward to provoke and handle matching items from each angle.
Externally, they use instruments just like the Double the Donation plugin on their web site, permitting donors to seek for their employer, comply with tailor-made directions, and provoke a match in minutes.
Additionally they created a concise, one-page Donor Accountability Type and a QR-enabled Matching Present Card—preferrred for occasions or digital sharing—to streamline donor engagement and improve match completions.
Internally, nevertheless, the inspiration developed a devoted matching reward intranet web site for workers. This hub contains the whole lot from an identical reward replace type (to inform the nationwide crew of donor exercise) to submission workflows and grant utility pointers. These sources cut back e-mail quantity, guarantee consistency, and hold everybody aligned.
By investing in each public-facing instruments and inner techniques, the Crohn’s & Colitis Basis ensures a seamless course of for donors and employees alike, boosting match completion charges and strengthening donor relationships.
Key Takeaway: Perceive the Matching Present Vendor Course of.
To run an efficient matching reward program, it’s important that your employees understands how third-party distributors function. The Crohn’s & Colitis Basis takes time throughout employees coaching to evaluate key distributors like Benevity, CyberGrants, YourCause, and Frontstream. In spite of everything, every of those platforms generally processes matching items and payroll deductions.
For instance, it’s vital to notice that every vendor has its personal timeline and procedures. Whereas Benevity matches sometimes arrive month-to-month, CyberGrants and YourCause every take a couple of weeks to course of. And delays are sometimes because of the distributors’ inner evaluate cycles. This data helps handle donor expectations and reduces confusion about reward standing.
By demystifying the seller aspect of matching items, the inspiration improves inner coordination, enhances donor assist, and ensures smoother, sooner processing of matching reward income.
Wrapping Up & Further Matching Present Sources
The Crohn’s & Colitis Basis’s matching reward journey is a strong instance of what’s potential when a company commits to strategic enhancements and constant execution. By centralizing operations, investing in know-how like Double the Donation, coaching employees often, and creating each inner and exterior sources, they constructed a powerful infrastructure that continues to drive outcomes. In the meantime, their success exhibits that even incremental modifications can yield vital good points over time.
For nonprofits trying to strengthen their matching reward applications, the Basis’s expertise underscores a transparent message. Begin the place you might be, determine your gaps, and make a plan. With the fitting strategy, instruments, and engagement, matching items can grow to be a core part of your fundraising success, too.
Able to study extra about matching items for organizations like yours? Take a look at these further advisable sources:
