For fundraisers, reaching donors who give through their workplace can seem daunting. However, I’m here to make the case that the effort to communicate with workplace donors is worth it! In fact, it is necessary.
For both donors and charities, the workplace giving landscape has transformed dramatically over the years. When Global Impact’s federation first formed in 1956, we were able to gain access directly to employers and managers and act as a true resource for their giving campaigns. After that, workplace campaign events facilitated an opportunity to communicate directly with donors.
As digital advancements have increased and in-person events have decreased, our strategies to connect charities with workplace donors have evolved beyond just campaign relationships. We also spread awareness to donors through specialized advertising, email communications, and continued events whenever possible.
As they say, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Despite the ever-evolving landscape, what remains true is that billions of dollars are generously donated by workplace donors every year. Your desire to share your mission broadly, acquire new donors, and retain existing donors also persists.
In this moment, it’s more important than ever to collect unrestricted funding, and workplace gifts are one of the most consistent streams of those funds. Not to mention, the opportunities for corporate matching dollars are abundant.
5 best practices for communicating with your workplace donors
For employees, giving at work is a secure, convenient way to pledge to the causes they care about. For charities, tailoring your fundraising strategies to reach them is more nuanced because the donations are often made through their online campaign portals. It’s not as simple as including a “Donate now” button and tracking conversions through your website.
The strategies listed below will help you navigate the nuances of workplace donor outreach, take advantage of gift matching, increase brand awareness, and retain existing donors.
1. Create a dedicated landing page
Make sure to include a workplace giving page as one of the ways to donate on your website. This page serves two purposes: it is informative for any potential workplace donors navigating your site, and at the same time, it gives a streamlined click-through link for any ads targeting this audience. You shouldn’t assume donors know all about their workplace giving program. In fact, according to our recent research, nearly one-third of employees are unsure if their employer offers a workplace giving program. A dedicated landing page helps them learn about this option.
On the page, make sure to include:
- Your Tax EIN and CFC five-digit number to make your organization easy to search for.
- Company matching resources like Global Impact’s workplace finder or Double the Donation’s matching gift search.
- Workplace giving platforms where your charity is listed, like Benevity and YourCause.
2. Adapt your messaging
You shouldn’t rely on your typical donor messaging when targeting workplace donors. Not every call to action will resonate. Instead, tailor your strategies to potential workplace donors.
For example, instead of “Donate now,” try the following CTAs:
- Give at work today
- Make your CFC pledge
- Donate through [company name]
- Learn more about your workplace giving program
- Give before [campaign end date]
- Share with a colleague
- See if you’re eligible for a company gift match
Keep in mind that each employee giving campaign is different. Many are only open part of the year, so you should align your efforts with the campaign dates.
3. Meet face to face
I mentioned above that donor events occur less often than they used to. Still, that doesn’t mean they never happen. Virtual and in-person events are still held occasionally by campaign workers and employers. Whenever it is possible to attend a campaign event, come prepared with stories, materials, and corporate volunteer opportunities to engage potential donors.
Be sure to ask your corporate partners about what campaign events they have planned and how you can be involved. If they aren’t offering an event, you can propose to host your own engagement event with their staff to get them excited about giving at work.
4. Make it part of your email strategy
Collecting workplace donor email addresses is not as straightforward as typical website donors. Often there is a waiting period before donor data is shared with your charity, and many donors choose not to release their contact information. That makes any contact information you do receive all the more valuable!
Personalize your communications to this group as much as possible. Go beyond including their name in the greeting. Reference their gift through work by including the company or campaign name.
Global Impact’s Strategic Workplace Advertising & Email Services (SWAE) Program makes this process easier by taking it off your plate, but if you prefer to do it in-house, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Familiarize yourself with each campaign’s rules and restrictions for donor communications. Many provide guidelines for how to use their contact information.
- Think strategically about the timing of your communications. You should remind them to renew their gift around the same time each year and consider any significant observance days (Giving Tuesday for example) that fall within the campaign giving dates.
- Depending on the size of each list, you might consider sending a personal appeal through your own inbox as opposed to a mass communication. Either way, a customized touch point will go a long way. It is always going to be easier to retain an existing donor than it will be to recruit a new one.
5. Send thank yous
Sending thank you notes should absolutely be the first step in the email strategy above. However, emails aren’t the only way to thank your workplace donors. If you receive mailing addresses with your donor data, consider sending physical thank you cards. Additionally, you can post thank you messages to your social media feeds as a way to reach anonymous donors and continue to spread awareness about this special way to give.
At Global Impact, we are here to provide the most up-to-date expertise when it comes to workplace giving strategies. I hope the tips above helped you find new ways to include this unique and valuable audience into your 2025 strategies.
If you want to learn more, I encourage you to consider participating in the 2025 SWAE Program for Global Impact Charity Alliance members or read our latest white paper about Inspiring Greater Giving in the Workplace.
