When I meet one-on-one with nonprofits the question I always get asked is:
How can I make the most of workplace giving for my organization?
There are a handful of pro tips that I share. Now I will share with the world!
Pro Tip #1: Put it on your website
Of course, your major call to action on your donation landing page should be your Donate Now button.
Example Button
However, including a “Ways to Give” section:
- Broadens your potential donor and volunteer base.
- Creates a link to send them to when sharing through your communication channels.
- Increases the relationship with an individual and the business.
Workplace Giving should be an option alongside endowments, planned giving, recurring, etc. I mean, if you can learn about how to donate a car on your website…workplace giving!
BONUS: Many workplaces offer matching gifts! Make it super easy for your donors to take advantage of these. It is estimated that $4-7 billion… yes BILLION (cry with me) dollars go unclaimed in matching gifts each year. Do NOT leave free money on the table (full disclosure, we don’t have matching gifts – but workplace giving is cool even without it).
The biggest barrier to donor utilization of corporate giving programs – is the lack of awareness.
By adding corporate giving options, including matching gifts information, to your website you are increasing the chances that your donors will take advantage of these opportunities and give even more. Donors have reported giving larger gifts when matching is available and when giving through payroll donation, America’s Charities reports donors give 2 – 4 times more and we have seen results as high as 3-6 times more.
How?
- Be specific
- If you know there are companies you are involved with – list them!
- Link to a Matching Gift Database
- Include relevant information (like our four digit code!)
- Reach out to your major workplace giving partners on the company side to help you with this information if you don’t know it. We want to help you succeed!
Here are four examples of how nonprofits have included workplace giving information into their websites.
St Jude’s is a national organization – so it could be overwhelming to list every workplace giving program they are in. They make it easy by providing a simple landing page with very clear calls-to-action. Including their own payroll donation form (I found this rather ingenious!) I can’t speak to how effective this form is in corporations accepting and processing them, but at the very least, it lets the company know someone wants to give them, provides the donor with valuable impact information, and isn’t company specific, reducing the need to replicate the form.
Check out that link! What a brilliant way to build your call to action into your URL. Their page is simple and to the point and lists contact information to take further action.
YouthCare makes it easy for potential donors to know if their workplace matches by listing some top local companies that offering matching right on their website. Donors don’t have to search to find out – taking the work out of it.
The Church Council provides immediate information on the donor impact, easily expandable rows with more information on each way to give, and they repeat their workplace giving information in the helpful information section. Which tells me – this is important to them and their donors!
I also want to note they use plain language. While, of course, different workplace giving programs have brands, sometimes it is clearer to call out the audience directly. For example, here instead of saying King County Employee Giving Program, they say “King County Employees”.
Have you included Workplace Giving in your web presence? What have you found that works? Let me know in the comments below.
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King County Employee Giving Program 