How Corporate Gift Matching Can Level Up Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Success

Corporate gift matching is one of the simplest ways to boost nonprofit fundraising — yet sector estimates suggest $4 billion to $7 billion in corporate funds from matching gift programs go unclaimed every year per sector estimates. 

For nonprofits, that represents a major missed opportunity. Roughly 10% of donors in the workforce are employed by companies with matching gift programs — and many of those gifts could be doubled with just a little awareness and guidance.

“Looking at your revenue and your donations, you're going to get a high percentage of donors who are eligible for matching gifts, and all you need to do is tell them that they might be eligible,” Annemarie Dillon, director of workplace giving and matching gifts at the American Cancer Society, said. “And if they're taking that next step, you're doubling your impact there — you're doubling your revenue line right there.”

With these types of gifts, most companies match employee donations dollar-for-dollar, though some offer to match at higher (e.g., 2-to-1) or lower (e.g., 0.5-to-1) rates, according to Double the Donation — a database that helps nonprofits optimize workplace giving. That means nonprofits who proactively promote these programs can unlock significant new revenue — at no additional cost to their donors.

How the Matching Gift Process Works

Every company with a matching gift program has a different process, Adam Weinger, president of Double the Donation, said. At his company, employees are encouraged to put the match on their company credit card. Other companies may process matches on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

Regardless of the approach, there are certain common steps for nonprofits to get a matched gift from their donors’ employers: learn where donors work, determine if the company has a matching program and then guide donors through that process.

Once a donor has requested a gift match from their employer, the remaining steps depend on each company’s standard procedures. The American Cancer Society, Dillon noted, often sees these situations:

• Companies send a donation and an email detailing the match (e.g., who it’s for and whether it should support a particular program or service).
• Companies send a check or electronic payment, and the nonprofit must follow up for details.
• Companies use a platform where the nonprofit can find the necessary information.
• Companies ask the nonprofit to confirm the employee gift or require the employee to provide proof of donation.

“Then, of course, [we are] working with the companies if they need any sort of acknowledgement on their end, because it is a tax-deductible donation for the company,” Dillon said.

Platforms like Double the Donation can help reduce friction by integrating into the donation flow and eliminating the need for the donor to submit the gift, as well as the need for the nonprofit to verify the gift.

Tips to Increase Corporate Gift Matching

Though processes vary, Dillon said the most important thing nonprofits can do is communicate the opportunity.

“Sometimes nonprofits get a little, I would say, hesitant about giving too much information to donors, talking too much with donors,” Dillon said. “[Fundraisers say,] ‘We don't want to alienate our donors. We don't want to overcommunicate things.’ But this is something that we prioritize, and I would encourage any other nonprofit to prioritize because it is money on the table — that low-hanging fruit, so to speak — that people are often looking for to add that revenue component.”

The problem is, many employees hear about these programs only once — maybe during onboarding or in a stray HR email — and then forget they exist, Weinger said.

“Companies who have these programs roll them out because they want to support the organizations that employees care about,” he said. “It's just that employees are not always thinking about the program. So from a nonprofit standpoint, it's raising that awareness among donors and making it easier for donors to submit the matching gift request.”

Importantly, Dillon said getting donors to take that next step shouldn’t wait. Tell the donor about matching gifts in acknowledgments, receipts or quick follow-up emails to keep it top of mind.

“We're in a world of immediacy, so the sooner you're communicating with that donor … the more likely you're going to be to actually see that matching gift request come through,” she said.

Fortunately, most corporate gift matching programs give employees until the end of the calendar year to submit match requests. Occasionally, companies even offer employees a small grace period that extends into the new year.

“There's a great opportunity toward the end of the year to go back to your donors who are matching gift eligible and encourage them: ‘Hey, you've already donated. We really appreciate your support. Did you know that your company may have this program and there's a chance that you can get your gift matched?’” Weinger said.

Take Corporate Gift Matching to the Next Level

While getting matched gifts from your donors’ employers will have a huge impact on its own, Dillon highlighted a second, potentially greater opportunity: fostering corporate partnerships with those employers.

“Sometimes it's a big ask if you have a small nonprofit, but try to track that data — where are these matching gifts coming from?” she said. “Because that next step, the next phase in a matching gift program, can be prospect development. You've gotten matches from this company. The employees are interested. What more can you do? Where can you provide support to that company, engage more of their employees and maybe even create a partnership that has a long-lasting impact?”

Weinger added that nonprofits should designate staff to oversee corporate philanthropy revenue instead of treating corporate matching gift checks as bonus money.

“Nobody at the organization is saying, ‘We've got thousands of donors. How can we ensure that the individuals who are eligible are submitting those matches? How do we even know how much we're bringing in on an annual basis — and how do we set a goal to grow that and who is responsible and accountable for that growth?’ I think that a lot of organizations just view it as bonus money. Nobody owns it. And if somebody owns that goal, revenue growth occurs.”

Editor’s Note: This is the first part of a two-part series on gift matching. Read the second part on individual campaign matching here.