How To Communicate With Donors About Matching Gifts

Every fundraising professional wants to maximize support for their organization’s cause. Whether their organization’s vision is to feed those in need, protect the environment, or support the arts, fundraisers are want to make a difference. Matching gifts offer a unique opportunity to take donors’ impact further and create a lasting impact.

Through matching gift programs, companies match employees’ donations to charitable causes. Essentially, nonprofits get two donations for the price of soliciting one. Someone donates $50 to your cause. Then their employer also donates $50. That adds up to $100 for your nonprofit. All your donors have to do is submit a match request form to their employer. 

However, chances are that your donor database has unfulfilled matches, meaning you’re leaving money on the table. Let’s spread awareness for this type of corporate philanthropy program. We’ll share best practices for how to promote these gifts to your audience.

Provide clear instructions.

To get their donations matched, supporters have to know how the matching gift process works first! Here’s how you can educate your donors about this opportunity:

• Provide resources. Create a step-by-step guide that breaks down the process into easy-to-follow instructions. Consider creating an FAQ guide that answers common questions. Like whether your nonprofit qualifies for most companies’ matching gifts programs. Or when common submission deadlines are.
• Leverage a matching gift search tool. Teach donors how to check their eligibility by looking up their employers. 360MatchPro’s matching gift database guide explains how this tool provides donors with relevant information on their employers’ programs. They’ll want to know about minimum and maximum donations, match ratios, eligible nonprofits, and employee eligibility status. It also provides instructions for completing the match process and finding necessary forms or company portals.
• Create helpful visuals. Use infographics or videos to explain the process. Visuals capture donors’ attention and make information more memorable. Plus, they’re great to pair with your written guide or share on social media.
• Offer one-on-one help. Provide contact information for a staff member who can answer donors’ questions and provide guidance throughout the matching gift process. 

Your nonprofit can also take extra steps to simplify the matching gifts process. For example, matching gift auto-submission eliminates the need for donors to fill out request forms manually. Instead, they’ll click a checkbox to opt into auto-submission when donating online. Then, the software handles the rest. Just make sure your outreach explains how to use this feature!

Reach out to match-eligible donors directly.

Identifying match-eligible donors enables you to drive more matching gift requests to completion. Here’s how you can find and effectively communicate with match-eligible donors:

• Explore your CRM for match opportunities. Identify donors who are employed by companies with matching gift programs. Then, use your matching gift search tool to check their eligibility.
• Send information regarding employers’ matching gift programs. Craft personalized messages to match-eligible donors that highlight their ability to double their impact through matching gifts. Address donors by name. Reference their employer’s matching gift program. And direct them to the necessary form or online portal their company uses. 
• Follow up consistently. Send reminder emails to encourage donors to submit matching gift requests. If they’re confused about the process, walk them through it and answer their questions.

Luckily, automation can simplify the follow-up process. For example, your nonprofit’s matching gift software might have automatic email tools that enable you to message eligible donors with a link to their employer’s request form. Meanwhile, it might send a different message to an individual whose match status is unknown, telling them how to check their eligibility and linking them to an employer matching gift search tool to do so.

• Image alt text: This email mockup gives an example of how to craft tailored outreach that encourages match-eligible donors.

This cuts down on the time spent researching individuals’ eligibility and following up with tailored communications manually.

Share impact stories.

Share impact stories from beneficiaries about the positive outcomes matching gifts have helped achieve. After all, fundraising research indicates that we make decisions based on emotions. What better way to evoke emotion in donors than by sharing a touching story?

Real-life stories demonstrate the tangible difference matching gifts make and inspire donors to get their gifts matched. Here’s a hypothetical example of this strategy in action:

Meet Jacob, a young student with a passion for learning but limited access to educational resources. Jacob’s family struggled to afford school supplies, making it challenging for him to keep up with his peers. However, thanks to the generous support of donors like Ashley, our nonprofit provided Jacob with a scholarship to attend after-school tutoring.

With Ashley’s donation and her employer’s match, we covered not only Jacob’s tuition fees but also provided him with books, materials, and one-on-one tutoring sessions. Today, Jacob is thriving in school and has set his sights on attending college to pursue his dream of becoming a teacher.

Featuring impact stories like this is a great way to say thanks to donors who take the time to submit match requests. It also inspires others to do the same. Impact stories can be particularly effective with program alumni or prospective donors for a grateful patient program. That’s because they remind previous beneficiaries of their own experiences. 

Spread awareness across multiple communication channels.

Help more donors discover matching gifts by promoting corporate giving across multiple outlets. You’ll reach a wider audience and maximize the number of match-eligible donors who double their contributions.

Here are just a few of our favorite channels for promoting matching gifts:

• Your nonprofit’s website: Create a dedicated page with information about matching gift programs and clear instructions on how donors can initiate requests. This is an ideal spot to embed your employer search tool and highlight success stories. At the very least, include this information on your Ways to Give page alongside other ways people can support your cause. 
• Emails: In your email newsletter, incorporate testimonials from matching gift donors and encourage donors to learn how to double their contributions. Then, direct them to your matching gift page.
• Letters: Solicitation letters are a natural way to promote matching gifts. Add a couple of sentences about how donors can double their contributions at no extra cost through matching gifts. You might even create personalized letters to match-eligible donors, addressing their recent contributions and referencing their employer’s matching gift program.
• Social media: Post regularly about matching opportunities. Don’t forget to use engaging visuals like infographics and videos to explain the process or emphasize the impact of matching gift fundraising.
• Corporate partners: Companies that employ your donors can promote matching gift opportunities. Not only will this result in more money for your cause, but companies will benefit from higher workplace giving participation. Help corporate partners promote the opportunity by creating matching gift flyers or emails for them to distribute internally.

These channels allow you to attract, retain, and upgrade donors via matching gift programs. By frequently encountering your messages across their preferred channels, donors will be reminded that their gifts can go further and that they should submit match requests to their employers each time they give.

Final Thoughts: Start Improving Your Matching Gifts Promotion

As fundraisers, it’s crucial to recognize the value of matching gifts in amplifying donor contributions and advancing your organization’s mission. By implementing thoughtful strategies, you can cultivate stronger relationships with donors, increase fundraising revenue, and ultimately create a brighter future for the community you serve.

From simplifying the match process to evoking empathy with beneficiaries’ stories, you can harness the power of matching gifts, drive change, and make a lasting impact.

Author: Adam Weinger

Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of tools to nonprofits to help them raise more money from corporate matching gift and volunteer grant programs.

Double the Donation’s robust solution, 360MatchPro, provides nonprofits with automated tools to identify match-eligible donors, drive matches to completion, and gain actionable insights. 360MatchPro integrates directly into donation forms, CRMs, social fundraising software, and other nonprofit technology solutions to capture employment information and follow up appropriately with donors about matching gifts.