Matching presents could be a highly effective instrument for nonprofits. Company donation matching permits groups to amplify the worth of particular person donations and maximize their affect on the trigger. Nonetheless, the matching presents course of can usually be a fancy and overwhelming one for donors—finally resulting in billions of {dollars} in accessible match funding going unclaimed. In mild of this problem, it’s essential to prioritize accessibility in matching present fundraising to simplify participation the place you’ll be able to.
We’ve written earlier than on highly effective methods to overcome frequent matching present challenges and take advantage of the chance on your mission. What you don’t wish to do is trigger supporters to face unnecessary boundaries because of an inaccessible matching present expertise. Thus, extremely accessible software program is a must have in all conditions.
So right here, we’ll discover the affect of accessibility for matching presents and talk about sensible methods to unlock your full potential. This contains:
Accessibility isn’t just an moral obligation in fundraising. It’s additionally a strategic resolution that may considerably affect matching present outcomes by maximizing the inclusivity of your efforts.
And the extra you realize, the higher you’ll be able to place your staff for achievement.
The Significance of an Accessible Matching Items Technique
The significance of accessibility in matching present fundraising can’t be overstated.
Adhering to accessibility requirements aids organizations in creating inclusive digital experiences that cater to people with disabilities, enhancing their total entry to info and providers. Concerning matching presents, prioritizing accessibility implies that all of your donors will have the ability to obtain and interpret the data wanted to become involved.
Not solely will this lead to extra accomplished matching presents coming your approach, however it additionally ensures that collaborating donors have a extra optimum expertise doing so. This lets you proceed fostering optimistic relationships with supporters, who will recognize your staff’s dedication to inclusivity.
Plus, if you happen to obtain funding from authorities sources or different grantmakers with accessibility laws, you’ll be able to guarantee your group is as much as par—and gained’t miss out on any alternatives accessible to you.
Elements of Accessibility in Matching Reward Fundraising
An identical present fundraising technique sometimes includes a multifaceted strategy to selling the office giving alternative. Because of this, an efficient accessibility plan ought to anticipate to account for a number of points of your total engagement technique.
This could embody the next gadgets, in addition to every other matching-gift-related donor touchpoints and supporter-facing supplies.
Written Matching Reward Data
A lot of your viewers is probably going coming from a spot with no prior information relating to company present matching. Thus, you’ll possible produce written content material to clarify the importance and technique of matching presents, encouraging donors to become involved.
From devoted matching present letters to fast blurbs in on-line content material, it’s important that you simply hold accessibility in thoughts. To make sure inclusivity in written issues, we suggest implementing the next practices:
Prioritize clear and concise language. Keep away from advanced or jargon-filled messages to extend readability and comprehension amongst your viewers. It’s usually steered that on-line content material targets a sixth to Eighth-grade studying stage!
Observe a logical heading hierarchy. Organizing content material utilizing correct heading construction (i.e., H1, H2, H3, and so forth.) helps facilitate navigation and understanding for customers using assistive applied sciences.
Make the most of applicable formatting. Formatting strategies like quick paragraphs, bulleted and numbered lists, and ample line spacing makes it simpler to devour written supplies. Plus, it will increase “skimmability,” which is commonly the important thing to on-line content material.
Enlist descriptive hyperlinks for CTAs. When encouraging readers to take a selected motion in digital communications, use descriptive hyperlink textual content when attainable. This gives significant context as to the aim of the supposed motion. For instance, as a substitute of a generic “Click on right here,” you would possibly say, “Click on right here to look our employer matching instrument.”
Multimedia Matching Reward Advertising Supplies
An efficient matching present advertising and marketing plan sometimes encompasses quite a few multimedia components to draw and retain your viewers’s consideration. When incorporating photos and movies to enhance your written supplies, accessibility ought to be a key consideration.
For matching present movies, embody closed captions to accommodate viewers with listening to impairments. This ensures inclusivity and permits everybody to have interaction along with your content material. Moreover, when utilizing photos, present descriptive various textual content (ALT textual content) that precisely describes the visible content material. It will help customers who depend on display screen readers to grasp the context and which means of digital photos.
On-line Donation Platforms
Along with the content material you create your self, it’s very important that any third-party sources are accessible as nicely. For instance, your on-line donation pages could also be created by a fundraising know-how supplier and embedded into your group’s web site. Nonetheless, it’s your group’s accountability to make sure that the kinds meet your predetermined requirements. It will possible embody display screen reader compatibility, type area accessibility, clear navigation, responsive design, and extra.
In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with annoyed potential donors abandoning the giving course of. And with out that preliminary donation, your nonprofit gained’t qualify for the following matching present.
In search of a web-based giving platform that may provide an optimum supporter expertise? Double the Donation integrates with a number of the business’s prime donation instruments. Try our 75+ companions right here!
Devoted Matching Reward Expertise
Equally, you’ll wish to make sure that your matching present software program is dedicated to assembly accessibility requirements as nicely. Sometimes a separate instrument that integrates straight into your on-line donation platform, matching present know-how must also deal with providing an inclusive matching present expertise on your donors.
This could embody each side of your matching present promotions, from an embedded firm search instrument in your giving kinds and affirmation web page plugin to customized e mail follow-ups. Key components to recollect embody display screen reader and different assistive know-how compatibility, responsive design, type area accessibility and coloration distinction, and extra.
And to make sure your know-how supplier continues to stick to ongoing accessibility requirements, it’s a good suggestion to search for an answer that conducts common accessibility testing and complies with related requirements.
At Double the Donation, we regularly prioritize accessibility and try to supply all customers with a seamless matching present expertise. (Trace: Click on right here to skip to an in-depth have a look at Double the Donation’s accessibility standards.)
Understanding Key Accessibility Requirements
There are a number of accessibility frameworks and tips that assist guarantee tech-based services are accessible to people with various skills. Understanding the scope, priorities, and worth of every criterion can go a good distance as you develop your personal group’s strategy to accessibility in matching present fundraising.
Listed here are a number of the primary requirements you would possibly see when discussing digital accessibility:
Part 508
Part 508, established in 1973 and revised in 1998, is a U.S. federal regulation that mandates accessibility requirements for digital and data know-how utilized by federal businesses. It outlines particular necessities for software program functions, web sites, and different digital content material to be accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance with Part 508 is essential for federal businesses, organizations offering items or providers to authorities businesses, and organizations receiving federal funding.
Net Content material Accessibility Tips
Net Content material Accessibility Tips, or WCAG, is a well known set of tips developed by the World Large Net Consortium (W3C). It gives detailed technical specs and success standards to make net content material extra accessible. WCAG has completely different ranges of conformance, together with A (minimal), AA (intermediate), and AAA (highest), which give various levels of accessibility.
Accessible Wealthy Web Functions
ARIA (Accessible Wealthy Web Functions) is a set of technical specs that improve the accessibility of net content material and functions. It gives extra attributes and properties that builders can use to make dynamic net content material and interactive elements extra accessible to assistive applied sciences, equivalent to display screen readers.
European Accessibility Act
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is laws the European Union adopted in 2019 to harmonize accessibility necessities for varied services as a approach to construct on the EU’s Net Accessibility Directive. The EAA goals to make sure equal entry to digital know-how throughout member states and enhance the accessibility of knowledge society providers all through the European Union.
Canadian Accessibility Requirements
In Canada, there are completely different accessibility requirements relying on the province or territory. For instance, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) units accessibility requirements for Ontario, together with necessities for accessible web sites and software program. In the meantime, the British Columbia Accessibility Act dictates requirements for British Columbia, and the Act to Safe Handicapped Individuals within the Train of Their Rights with a View to Attaining Social, College, and Office Integration establishes requirements for Quebec.
These differing requirements present particular suggestions (and, in some instances, necessities) to make sure that builders design digital content material with accessibility in thoughts. It’s necessary to do not forget that nobody framework is above every other. As a substitute, it’s necessary to find out which set of standards most intently aligns along with your group’s wants, audiences, and targets.
Establishing a framework on your nonprofit—and using software program and different know-how that does the identical—finally certifies that your matching present and different fundraising methods adjust to the relevant requirements above. In the long run, the objective is to provide an optimized and accessible matching present expertise on your supporters.
Double the Donation’s Excessive-Degree Accessibility Framework
At Double the Donation, we perceive the significance of offering extremely accessible instruments for our shoppers and their finish customers. Of the varied accessibility requirements highlighted above, probably the most relevant standards relating to accessibility in matching present fundraising is that of Part 508—the U.S. Federal accessibility normal. Thus, that is the framework that our staff has dedicated to ongoing compliance with. Plus, our instruments meet the factors for ADA and WAI-ACT compliance as nicely.
In 2018, Double the Donation grew to become the primary matching present supplier to obtain a VPAT (or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) to replicate and talk this compliance. As of June 2023, we now have renewed our VPAT to fulfill up to date requirements, reflecting the continual improvement of each our instruments and the accessibility tips to which we adhere.
In different phrases, Double the Donation’s matching present know-how surpasses the U.S. federal authorities’s revised requirements for accessibility, as outlined in Part 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
And to this date, we stay the one matching present software program supplier with a VPAT. This demonstrates not solely our ongoing dedication to accessibility however our user-centric product design and common stature because the chief in matching present know-how.
Need to know what that entails? The next components are flagged as compliant by Double the Donation’s instruments, in accordance with WCAG 2.1.
Non-Textual content Content material
Pictures on the web site comprise related various textual content.
Data and Relationships
The web site has constant headers and international desk constructions to ascertain clear info and relationships inside the web site. Display readers correctly determine many of the info accessible on the web site. Visually impaired customers are simply capable of understand the relationships between a specific ingredient and its position.
Significant Sequence
The sequence of the content material current on the web site is significant and applicable and doesn’t have an effect on the which means of the supplied content material.
Sensory Traits
No info is current on the web site which relies on sensory traits equivalent to form, dimension, location, sound, and so forth.
Use of Colour
Colour just isn’t used as the one visible technique of conveying info, indicating an motion, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visible ingredient.
Keyboard
The web site helps normal keyboard navigation and enter capabilities (together with swiping to maneuver between enter fields and urgent [Double tap] to make picks). Keyboard focus strikes sequentially all through the web site with out the main target getting trapped in any part, and it’s handy to entry the performance.
Pause, Cease, Cover
A mechanism is supplied to cease, pause, or conceal the transferring/ scrolling content material.
Web page Titles
Descriptive and proper web page titles are current for pages all through the web site.
Focus Order
The main focus strikes in an accurate sequence order on the web site from left to proper and prime to backside.
Hyperlink Goal
All hyperlinks are supplied with applicable hyperlink textual content, and the consumer would have the ability to perceive the aim of the hyperlink from its hyperlink textual content.
Pointer Gestures
All functionalities current within the web site may be operated with a single pointer and not using a path-based gesture except a multipoint or path-based gesture is important.
Pointer Cancellation
No down-event of the pointer is used within the web site to execute any a part of the motion.
Label in Title
All labels on the web site embody textual content, and the identical textual content is outlined within the code as nicely to help speech recognition applied sciences.
Language of Web page
The language attribute is accurately outlined for the online pages.
On Focus
No interactive ingredient is triggered robotically on receiving the main target.
On Enter
Change of context doesn’t occur when the consumer modifications the setting of any enter controls.
Labels or Directions
The web site gives help for motor-impaired and cognitive customers because the labels and directions are supplied for the shape fields, that are clearly seen and readable to such customers.
Parsing
The markup of the web site has full begin and finish tags, attributes, and distinctive IDs.
Title, Position, Worth
All the web site components have a correct label related to their position, and the display screen reader acknowledges them accurately with up to date values as nicely.
Orientation
The web site doesn’t prohibit its view and operation to a single show orientation.
Distinction
The web site adheres to minimal distinction requirements.
Resize Textual content
The web site is totally responsive. At a zoom of 200%, the positioning responds to that decision by adjusting the UI as it might if the consumer have been on a smartphone.
Pictures of Textual content
No info is conveyed to the consumer through a picture of the textual content.
Reflow
The web site doesn’t require scrolling in two dimensions to current content material with out lack of info in 400% zoom.
Non-Textual content Distinction
The web site consumer interface elements have a distinction ratio of at the least 3:1 in opposition to adjoining coloration(s).
Textual content Spacing
The web site is compliant with WCAG textual content spacing necessities.
Content material on Hover or Focus
The content material that’s triggered by hover or focus is dismissible, hoverable, and chronic.
Headings and Labels
Headings and Labels on the web site present ample element of the content material they’re describing.
Focus Seen
All the weather current within the web site have focus visibility.
Constant Identification
Elements that present the identical performance all through the web site may be simply recognized by the consumer.
Standing Messages
The up to date content material robotically notifies the visually impaired customers through a display screen reader.
In different phrases, Double the Donation takes accessibility significantly—and we proceed to pursue a optimistic consumer expertise for donors and nonprofit groups of various skills.
Wrapping Up & Subsequent Steps
By making a tangible effort to spotlight and prioritize accessibility in your group’s matching present technique, you’ll be able to foster a way of inclusivity inside your fundraising. In spite of everything, you absolutely need all your donors to have the ability to help your trigger on this approach.
So take the steps to check your current matching present technique. Is your web site as much as normal? Does your matching present platform adhere to a completely accessible framework? (Trace: if you happen to already use Double the Donation’s instruments, the reply is sure. For those who’re not already a shopper, click on right here to get a customized demo!)
When everybody, no matter their skills or limitations, can contribute to your nonprofit’s matching present success, you’ll be set to take advantage of the office giving alternatives in your community.
Better of luck!
Fascinated about uncovering extra methods to enhance your matching present fundraising technique? Try these really helpful sources to continue learning:
