If someone told you that you could have 1 week of vacation if you had your employer fill out just one form, would you pass that up? Of course not! Your donors feel the same way and will not pass up the opportunity to have their employer know how strongly they feel about your organization.
Matching gifts continue to grow as more nonprofit organizations (and donors) become aware of their availability, but matching gift services like Blackbaud's MatchFinder module are only as powerful as the data you track ... meaning you'll first need to know where they work. Our customers often ask "... how can we find out employer information? Who do our constituents work for?" There is no single answer for this question and there is no magic source to tell us which companies employ your donors. There are, however, several different ways to gather this information and many of the ideas listed below were suggested by other nonprofit organizations who once found themselves in a similar situation.
Request employer information in a thank you letter or annual newsletter, or on your web site
Simply adding a sentence that reads "Tell us your employer" with a fill-in-the-blank line won't work - you'll have to do better than that. Make sure you explain the efforts being taken to build a matching gift program, and include it in donor acknowledgement letters, appeal cards, and event registration forms (can anyone say ‘corporate sponsorships'!!!) If you are an educational institution, request and print employer information in your alumni giving reports (right next to the matching gift statistics section). On your web site, include a space on your giving page where donors can fill in their employer name.
"Who you gonna call? Your donors!"
Are you currently doing any telephone solicitation or personal thank you calls? If not, you should be. My husband recently received a call from his alma mater and proceeded to spend 20 minutes on the phone in a conversation that concluded with him writing a check. The caller should have asked where he worked, which would have impressed him to no end. Every communication with your donors creates an opportunity to gather more information about who they are and who they're connected to. If you need to gather employer information, just ask.
Tell your constituents what you're doing and how you feel!
Donors build relationships with your organization because they care. Your mission, goals, and impact on the community keep them engaged, and they want to know that you need their support and that their gifts are making a difference. As a good steward of those resources, share how and why you are focusing on a matching gift program. (Include how this will boost annual giving, create new relationships with local businesses, and take advantage of funds that are ready and waiting). By creating awareness you engage them in your mission and reach your goals more effectively.
Now it's your turn. Please post your own comments or questions about gathering employer information or starting a matching gift program within your organization. And for more information, read the whitepaper Jump-Start Your Matching Gift Program to get started today.
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