Matching Gifts & Giving Events | How to Maximize Your Funds

Team Funraise

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August 15, 2024

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5 minutes

Nonprofit Trends

Nonprofit Events

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Hey nonprofiteers! Please enjoy this guest post by our friends over at Double the Donation about the awesome benefits of corporate matching gifts.

Giving once, giving twice… sold!

In the world of nonprofit fundraising, every dollar counts. That’s why matching gift programs are such powerful gift tools for maximizing company contributions, allowing individuals to give twice without reaching back into their wallets to do so.

How? These initiatives can significantly amplify the impact of individual donations, transforming a $50 gift into $100, $150, or more with an employer match. And they work well alongside giving events, too, to grow engagement and funding alike.

To truly capitalize on these opportunities and grow their giving event revenue, nonprofit fundraisers like yourself need a strategic approach and a solid foundation of knowledge on matching gifts and fundraising events. In this post, we’ll explore how these strategies can work hand-in-hand to elevate your fundraising efforts and help you reach your goals more efficiently than ever before.

Let’s begin!

The Basics: What are matching gifts? How do matching campaigns work?

Matching gift programs are one of the most popular forms of corporate philanthropy there is, providing additional funds and corporate engagement opportunities for nonprofits and schools that participate in them.

Here's how a fundraising match program typically works:

An employee makes a donation: A current employee donates to a nonprofit organization of their choice. This can be through a one-time gift, a recurring donation, or as part of a fundraising event.
The employee submits a matching gift request: After making their donation, the employee submits a matching gift request to their employer, usually through an online form or a paper application. This process requires providing details about the donation, such as the amount, the recipient organization, and proof of the donation⁠—or using Double the Donation’s auto-submission functionality.
The employer reviews the match request and matches the donation: Once the request is approved, the employer matches the employee donation, often dollar for dollar, effectively doubling the original donation revenue to the nonprofit.
The nonprofit receives additional funds: The nonprofit organization receives the matching funds from the employer, increasing the total amount raised through the original donation.

A matching gifts program is a win-win for everyone involved: active employees get to amplify the impact of their charitable giving, companies enhance their corporate social responsibility gift efforts, and nonprofits receive additional funding to support their missions.

However, billions of dollars worth of matching gifts go unclaimed simply because active employees and nonprofits are unaware of the gifts program or how to access it.

How Do Matching Gifts Work For Event Donations?

While matching gifts for event donations operate similarly to traditional matching gift programs, there are a few nuances that nonprofits and donors should be aware of. Let’s see how it works for a few popular types of giving events below:

Peer-to-peer events

Donations made through a peer-to-peer fundraising event (such as a run/walk/ride) generally qualify for matching gifts by the contributors’ employers through their standard programming. However, it’s crucial to note that your volunteer fundraisers may qualify for additional funding through their employers, too!

Known as a fundraising match, Double the Donation defines this type of gifts program as involving a company matching all of the funds raised by an employee during a fundraising activity or event.

Example: Donor A makes a $50 donation to Fundraiser B’s personal campaign page (which raises a total of $1,200) on behalf of your organization. Donor A’s employer matches the $50 gift and Fundraiser B’s employer matches the sum of all donations with an additional $1,200.

Clink, clink; could we have your attention for a moment? We're sorry to interrupt—we'll get you back to Double the Donation's article in a moment, but we had to take interject with a little note (or series of notes, sorry) to show you how the industry's best fundraising platform and nonprofit CRM (Funraise!) works with the industry's best corporate donation matching tool (Double the Donation).

Funraise Interruption: If you're looking for a peer-to-peer fundraising tool that's head and shoulders above the rest, Funraise is it. Not only does it allow you to amplify your message through your fundraisers, we also make it easy to amplify your funds through tools like Double the Donation.

Auctions

Charity auctions are one of the most popular types of fundraising events, and they can be particularly lucrative opportunities for nonprofits and schools. But where do matching gifts come in? While a winning bid generally won’t qualify for a match, any additional donations made on top of or in place of a bid payment typically will.

Example: Donor A wins an auction item with a $100 contribution and donates an additional $500 to the cause at the event. While the $100 auction payment does not qualify for a match, the $500 donation does!

Funraise Interruption: Funraise's charity Auctions feature fits into Events and Ticketing like a hand in glove. Building a charity auctions site with your nonprofit's story infused in it is an elegantly simple way to allow people to participate in purchasing while also supporting your mission.

Donation-based events

Unlike events with ticket prices or fixed costs, donation-based events typically rely on voluntary contributions from participants rather than predefined fees. Fortunately for matching gift purposes, these are the simplest to determine corporate match eligibility, as the full donation amount will generally qualify for matching.

Example: Donor A contributes $100 to a benefit concert and requests a full match from their employer. Meanwhile, Donor B contributes $25 and requests a full match as well!

Funraise Interruption: Funraise's donation form has a 50% conversion rate. Imagine taking your current conversion rate and increasing it to 50%—while highlighting a corporate matching gifts feature. Talk about a sonic boost!

Ticketed events

A ticketed event is one that has a set fee for entry that nonprofit supporters must pay in order to access the event experience. However, the full ticket price is not always considered match-eligible⁠—especially if a ticket purchase results in the contributor receiving tangible goods or services.

To determine the match-eligible portion of an event ticket, you’ll generally need to subtract the FMV (or fair market value) of the items or experiences received to get the tax-deductible amount that can be matched.

Example: Donor A buys a ticket to a fundraising gala for $200, which includes a $40 meal and a $10 t-shirt. The individual subtracts the sum of the goods and services received ($50) from the total ticket price ($200), which results in a $150 donation that can be matched by their employer.

Funraise Interruption: Funraise's Events and Ticketing feature makes it easy to identify and account for the Fair Market Value portion of your ticket price.

3 Tips for Maximizing Event Funds With Matching Gifts

To enhance the effectiveness of your event fundraising, it’s crucial to understand how to maximize matching gift opportunities. In the following section, we provide practical tips and best practices for navigating the process of getting event donations matched.

1) Promote matching gifts leading up to your event.

Effectively promoting matching gifts in the lead-up to your event can significantly enhance your fundraising results. By incorporating information about matching gift opportunities into your pre-event communications, you can increase donor engagement and drive greater awareness.

Here’s how to promote matching gifts in the lead-up to your event:

Include Matching Gifts in Event Announcements: Ensure that all pre-event announcements and marketing materials highlight the availability of matching gifts. Whether you're sending out save-the-date notices, invitations, or promotional flyers, mention the potential for donations to be matched to encourage early employee engagement.
Leverage Social Media to Spread the Word: Use your organization’s social media channels to create buzz around matching gifts. Share posts and updates that outline the benefits of matching gifts, feature stories of past successes, and encourage followers to check if their employers participate in matching gift programs.
Highlight Matching Gift Opportunities on Your Event Website: Ensure your event’s website prominently displays information about matching gifts. Include a dedicated section that explains the process, has an embedded matching gift search tool, and outlines how donors can take advantage of these opportunities.
Engage with Corporate Partners: If you have corporate sponsors or partners for your event, collaborate with them to promote matching gifts. Encourage them to share information about matching gifts with their employees and leverage their networks to increase awareness and gift participation. You can even pitch a one-off matching gift program as a way for corporate partners to get involved!

By integrating matching gift promotions into your event’s pre-launch activities, you can maximize the potential for increased contributions and set the stage for a successful fundraising campaign.

2) Educate donors about matching gifts during your event.

During your event, taking time to educate attendees about matching gifts can significantly increase the likelihood that they will take advantage of these opportunities. While the event itself provides an excellent platform for engagement, ensuring that donors understand how to leverage matching gifts can help maximize their contributions and boost your overall fundraising success.

Here’s how you can effectively educate donors about matching gifts during your event:

Integrate Matching Gifts into Event Programming: Incorporate information about matching gifts into your event agenda. This could include short announcements during the event, presentations from sponsors, or dedicated segments that explain how matching gifts work and how attendees can benefit from them.
Set Up a Matching Gift Information Booth: If your event is in-person, consider setting up a booth or station dedicated to matching gifts. Staff or volunteers at the booth can assist donors in finding out if their employers offer matching gifts, provide information on how to submit requests, and answer any questions attendees may have.
Provide Clear, Accessible Materials: Ensure that all event materials—such as program booklets, signage, and handouts—include information on matching gifts. This should include instructions on how donors can check their eligibility and submit matching gift requests. Make sure these materials are easily accessible and prominently displayed!

By actively educating your donors about matching gifts during the event, you help them take full advantage of these opportunities, thereby increasing the total amount of funds raised for your cause.

3) Remind donors about matching gifts after your event.

Following up with donors after your event is a crucial step in ensuring that the potential for matching gifts is fully realized. Many donors may need a gentle reminder or additional information to complete the matching gift process, and effective post-event communication can make all the difference.

Here’s how you can do so:

Send a Follow-Up Email: Shortly after the event is the perfect time to send a personalized follow-up email to all attendees. Provide clear instructions on how to check if their employer offers matching gifts and how to submit a request!
Leverage Thank-You Letters: When sending thank-you letters or receipts for donations, include a reminder about matching gifts. These messages offer an excellent opportunity to thank them for their support and provide detailed information on how donors can double their impact.
Follow Up with Personal Calls: For major donors who made significant contributions, consider making personal follow-up calls. Use these calls to express appreciation for their support and remind them about the matching gift opportunity.

By implementing these post-event strategies, you can help ensure that donors are aware of and take advantage of matching gift opportunities, further enhancing the success of your fundraising efforts even after the event ends.

Matching gifts and giving events are a dynamic duo in the nonprofit fundraising toolkit. By leveraging both, you can unlock additional funds that might otherwise go untapped, making every donation stretch further.

Good luck!

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A final Funraise interruption: Double the Donation President, Adam Weinger, talked all things matching and fundraising with Funraise CEO and Co-founder, Justin Wheeler on the Nonstop Nonprofit podcast. We love this story he told about a Double the Donation customer's success matching peer-to-peer fundraisers with donation matching.

So, we started working with [Leukemia and Lymphoma Society] at the time they were bringing in about three and a half million dollars per year in matching gift revenue. ... They have a lot of large peer-to-peer fundraising events and they put a robust strategy around identifying which donors are matching gift eligible during the donation process and then following up with those donors. ... And ultimately, over two and a half years, they grew from $3.5M dollars to about $7.3M dollars in matching gift revenue.

Bonus! Matching Gift FAQ

Do matching gift campaigns work?

Heck yeah, matching gift campaigns work! Currently, nonprofits are leaving billions of dollars on the table that they could be using to make impact. By letting donors know that they can increase their contribution at no cost to themselves, donors are often inspired to increase their giving so that their companies match even more.

Not convinced? Double the Donation and Funraise have all the gift statistics, examples, and additional tips you could want.

How to set up a matching gift program?

Ahhh, the great adventure of corporate matching gift programs.If it were us, we'd start by setting up a dedicated matching gifts page. Once you've got that done, setting up a matching gift program is as easy as connecting your Funraise online donation form to Double the Donation.

Does matching increase donations?

Yes! Matching can only increase donation revenue—it won't reduce them! And with the ease of follow up, assistance from Double the Donation and Funraise, and a bit of persistence and patience, matching can increasingly increase your donation match revenue—through the corporate matching program, as well as increasing your average online donation and total donation revenue.

How to ask for a matching gift?

To ask for a matching gift, add a match request to your donation gift form, then follow up with match-eligible donors to see if they work for one of the thousands of companies that matches charitable contributions. Finally, offer additional gift guidelines so that donors can take advantage of their donation matches with little effort.

We've got a whole article on how to ask for a donation that includes information on gift initiatives, individual donors, personal donations, fundraising strategies, and more.

Why do organizations overlook corporate matching gifts?

Why, indeed? Charitable organizations often overlook corporate giving programs because they don't realize how easy it is to unlock match requests through a simple checkbox on Funraise's gift forms. Many eligible employees simply need to be informed of their gift eligibility so they can claim additional charitable donations.