Matching items is usually a highly effective device for nonprofits. Company donation matching permits groups to amplify the worth of particular person donations and maximize their impression on the trigger. Nevertheless, the matching items course of can usually be a posh and overwhelming one for donors—in the end resulting in billions of {dollars} in obtainable match funding going unclaimed. In gentle of this problem, it’s essential to prioritize accessibility in matching present fundraising to simplify participation the place you possibly can.
We’ve written earlier than on highly effective methods to overcome widespread matching present challenges and take advantage of the chance to your mission. What you don’t wish to do is trigger supporters to face pointless boundaries as a consequence 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 impression of accessibility for matching items and focus on sensible methods to unlock your full potential. This contains:
Accessibility is not only an moral obligation in fundraising. It’s additionally a strategic choice that may considerably impression matching present outcomes by maximizing the inclusivity of your efforts.
And the extra you already know, the higher you possibly can place your crew for fulfillment.
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, bettering their general entry to data and companies. Concerning matching items, prioritizing accessibility signifies that all of your donors will be capable of obtain and interpret the data wanted to become involved.
Not solely will this lead to extra accomplished matching items coming your manner, however it additionally ensures that taking part donors have a extra optimum expertise doing so. This lets you proceed fostering constructive relationships with supporters, who will admire your crew’s dedication to inclusivity.
Plus, in the event you obtain funding from authorities sources or different grantmakers with accessibility rules, you possibly can guarantee your group is as much as par—and gained’t miss out on any alternatives obtainable to you.
Elements of Accessibility in Matching Reward Fundraising
An identical present fundraising technique sometimes entails a multifaceted method to selling the office giving alternative. Consequently, an efficient accessibility plan ought to anticipate to account for a number of features of your general engagement technique.
This could embrace the next objects, in addition to some other matching-gift-related donor touchpoints and supporter-facing supplies.
Written Matching Reward Info
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 means of matching items, 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 advocate implementing the next practices:
Prioritize clear and concise language. Keep away from complicated or jargon-filled messages to extend readability and comprehension amongst your viewers. It’s typically prompt that on-line content material targets a sixth to Eighth-grade studying degree!
Comply with a logical heading hierarchy. Organizing content material utilizing correct heading construction (i.e., H1, H2, H3, and so on.) helps facilitate navigation and understanding for customers using assistive applied sciences.
Make the most of acceptable 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 particular 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 an alternative of a generic “Click on right here,” you may say, “Click on right here to go looking our employer matching device.”
Multimedia Matching Reward Advertising Supplies
An efficient matching present advertising plan sometimes encompasses quite a lot of multimedia components to draw and retain your viewers’s consideration. When incorporating photographs and movies to enhance your written supplies, accessibility needs to be a key consideration.
For matching present movies, embrace closed captions to accommodate viewers with listening to impairments. This ensures inclusivity and permits everybody to interact together with your content material. Moreover, when utilizing photographs, present descriptive various textual content (ALT textual content) that precisely describes the visible content material. This may help customers who depend on display readers to know the context and which means of digital photographs.
On-line Donation Platforms
Along with the content material you create your self, it’s important that any third-party sources are accessible as effectively. 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 duty to make sure that the varieties meet your predetermined requirements. This may possible embrace display reader compatibility, type subject accessibility, clear navigation, responsive design, and extra.
In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with pissed off potential donors abandoning the giving course of. And with out that preliminary donation, your nonprofit gained’t qualify for the next matching present.
Searching for an internet giving platform that can provide an optimum supporter expertise? Double the Donation integrates with a few of the business’s prime donation instruments. Try our 75+ companions right here!
Devoted Matching Reward Expertise
Equally, you’ll wish to be certain that your matching present software program is dedicated to assembly accessibility requirements as effectively. Usually a separate device that integrates instantly into your on-line donation platform, matching present know-how must also give attention to providing an inclusive matching present expertise to your donors.
This could embody each side of your matching present promotions, from an embedded firm search device in your giving varieties and affirmation web page plugin to customized electronic mail follow-ups. Key components to recollect embrace display reader and different assistive know-how compatibility, responsive design, type subject 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 frequently 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 take 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 individual group’s method to accessibility in matching present fundraising.
Listed here are a few of the fundamental requirements you may 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 knowledge know-how utilized by federal companies. 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 companies, organizations offering items or companies to authorities companies, and organizations receiving federal funding.
Internet Content material Accessibility Tips
Internet Content material Accessibility Tips, or WCAG, is a well known set of tips developed by the World Vast Internet 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 offer 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 further attributes and properties that builders can use to make dynamic net content material and interactive elements extra accessible to assistive applied sciences, reminiscent of display readers.
European Accessibility Act
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is laws the European Union adopted in 2019 to harmonize accessibility necessities for numerous services as a method to construct on the EU’s Internet Accessibility Directive. The EAA goals to make sure equal entry to digital know-how throughout member states and enhance the accessibility of data society companies 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 Reaching Social, College, and Office Integration establishes requirements for Quebec.
These differing requirements present particular suggestions (and, in some circumstances, necessities) to make sure that builders design digital content material with accessibility in thoughts. It’s essential to keep in mind that nobody framework is above some other. As an alternative, it’s essential to find out which set of standards most carefully aligns together with your group’s wants, audiences, and aims.
Establishing a framework to your nonprofit—and using software program and different know-how that does the identical—in the end certifies that your matching present and different fundraising methods adjust to the relevant requirements above. Ultimately, the aim is to provide an optimized and accessible matching present expertise to 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 purchasers and their finish customers. Of the assorted accessibility requirements highlighted above, essentially 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 crew has dedicated to ongoing compliance with. Plus, our instruments meet the standards for ADA and WAI-ACT compliance as effectively.
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’ve renewed our VPAT to satisfy up to date requirements, reflecting the continual growth 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 normal stature because the chief in matching present know-how.
Wish to know what that entails? The next components are flagged as compliant by Double the Donation’s instruments, in keeping with WCAG 2.1.
Non-Textual content Content material
Pictures on the web site include related various textual content.
Information and Relationships
The web site has constant headers and world desk buildings to ascertain clear data and relationships inside the web site. Display readers correctly determine many of the data obtainable on the web site. Visually impaired customers are simply in a position to understand the relationships between a selected ingredient and its function.
Significant Sequence
The sequence of the content material current on the web site is significant and acceptable and doesn’t have an effect on the which means of the supplied content material.
Sensory Traits
No data is current on the web site which relies on sensory traits reminiscent of form, measurement, location, sound, and so on.
Use of Shade
Shade just isn’t used as the one visible technique of conveying data, indicating an motion, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visible ingredient.
Keyboard
The web site helps normal keyboard navigation and enter features (together with swiping to maneuver between enter fields and urgent [Double tap] to make alternatives). 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 disguise 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 target strikes in an accurate sequence order on the web site from left to proper and prime to backside.
Hyperlink Function
All hyperlinks are supplied with acceptable hyperlink textual content, and the person would be capable of perceive the aim of the hyperlink from its hyperlink textual content.
Pointer Gestures
All functionalities current within the web site will be operated with a single pointer and not using a path-based gesture until 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 Identify
All labels on the web site embrace textual content, and the identical textual content is outlined within the code as effectively to help speech recognition applied sciences.
Language of Web page
The language attribute is appropriately 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 person adjustments 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.
Identify, Function, Worth
All the web site components have a correct label related to their function, and the display reader acknowledges them appropriately with up to date values as effectively.
Orientation
The web site doesn’t limit 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 absolutely responsive. At a zoom of 200%, the positioning responds to that decision by adjusting the UI as it could if the person had been on a smartphone.
Pictures of Textual content
No data is conveyed to the person 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 data in 400% zoom.
Non-Textual content Distinction
The web site person interface elements have a distinction ratio of a minimum of 3:1 towards 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 protracted.
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 will be simply recognized by the person.
Standing Messages
The up to date content material robotically notifies the visually impaired customers through a display reader.
In different phrases, Double the Donation takes accessibility critically—and we proceed to pursue a constructive person 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 possibly can 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 manner.
So take the steps to check your present matching present technique. Is your web site as much as normal? Does your matching present platform adhere to a totally accessible framework? (Trace: in the event you already use Double the Donation’s instruments, the reply is sure. If you happen to’re not already a consumer, 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!
All for uncovering extra methods to enhance your matching present fundraising technique? Try these beneficial sources to continue to learn:
