Matching Gifts Best Practices October 24 th, 2012

Learning Objectives Review the results of the 2012 Matching Gifts Practices Survey to help to better understand trends in matching gifts and some of the best practices organizations are following to help increase their matching gift revenues. Get some expert advice from the webinar panelists. Broad topic, high level view, only 60 minutes. We have a wide variety of organizations attending, not everyone will be at the same stage of their programs.

Agenda (Estimated) Agenda/Introductions (5 Min.) Survey Overview (5 Min.) Survey Results (50 Min.) Resources (Provided as a reference and we likely won’t cover.) Questions (Ask at any time.) We’ll keep track and answers if we can’t get to.

Experience, Expertise, BIAS Sr. Vice President for Finance & Information Systems VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation Principal and Founder SupportingAdvancement.Com | SupportingFundraising.Com Finance, Information Systems, Operations (Most of Career) Large, Medium and Small Organizations Not for Profit and Private Sector Financial Statements, Audit, Investment Management Transaction Processing and Management Technical Infrastructure Database Management, Reporting and Data Warehousing Web, Online, Social Media, Marketing Part-Time Consulting

Panelists Linda Stark, Matching Gift Coordinator, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Linda Ray, Matching Gift Coordinator, Purdue John Wright HEP Development

Survey Overview

Survey Overview 7 Years (Since 2006) Participation Varies Majority of Participants Higher Education Survey Changed Slightly and Upgraded Every Year Comprehensive as it Can Be Not Perfect

Survey Overview - Scope Matching Gifts (Primary Emphasis) Private Matching Challenges Government Matching Programs (More Prevalent in UK, Canada, Asia) Survey focuses on all the major vehicles that provide leverage for increasing revenue from donors by providing matching incentives.

Review Survey Results

Do you have a defined MG program? While the percentage of responding organizations which indicate acceptance of matching gifts has remained about the same, the percentage of organizations reporting any structured matching gifts processing program has decreased once again which has been the steady pattern since the first survey in Concerns? Recommendations?

Responsibility for Matching Gifts Which works the best for increasing $?

Staff Devoted to Matching Gifts What’s the optimal number/threshold?

Matching Gift Revenue

Revenue Trends Causes for decreases are always a concern. Reasons?

Recent Received this week “ I have become proactive in our matching gift efforts, nearly doubling our matching gifts in one year. I created a matching gift library for our phonation callers, so they had the forms to mail with pledge cards, or the address to direct donors to. I send forms or websites when I receive gifts, but don’t receive matching information. I fill out the form as completely as possible before sending it on to the donor. We’ve also started a luggage tag program, though it’s just in its first few weeks. My hope is to learn about more alumni/donors who are working for matching gift companies that we don’t’ know about. “

Vendor Matching Gift Products What are the “state of the art” products?

Loading Directly Into Database Does automation increase results?

How Are Donors Informed?

Employment Information

Lobbying Organizations Is this a viable strategy/tactic?

Corporate Agents Who does this well?

Sending Reminders to Organizations Systematic Processes

Sending Reminders to Individuals Systematic Processes

Recognition for MG in Societies Seems like an easy win?

Postcards When Gifts are Matched? What are other best stewardship practices?

Panelists What other creative strategies/tactics are working?

Private Matching Challenges

Who’s doing this well/consistently?

Focus of Private Matching Challenges Other ideas?

Amount Raised Pyramid focus?

Government Matching Programs

Lobbying efforts?

Amount Raised Pyramid focus?

A Few Resources

Association of Advancement Services Professionals (AASP) Annual conference, web site has best practices, regional meetings. Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement (APRA) Numerous resources, local chapters, conferences, webinars and much more.

A Few Resources Council for Aid and Support of Education (CASE) Higher education focus, but a number of resources, listservs that you can subscribe to without being a member. CoolData Blog Lots of discussion on data, data elements, data mining. Higher Ed focused, but concepts hold throughout.

hepdata

Listservs

SupportingAdvancement.Com

SupportingFundraising.Com

Questions?