Matching Gifts: How to Make Your Donations Go Further
by Brittany LaGanke, Vice President, Project Management, CGC
Your current supporters are undoubtedly passionate about your mission, but relying solely on them to grow your revenue may lead to donor fatigue and staff burnout. To solve this issue, organizations must look to corporate giving as a largely untapped resource. Each year, companies worldwide set aside billions of dollars to support charitable causes and boost staff engagement, much of which is contributed through employee matching gifts.
By connecting donors with these programs, nonprofits can dramatically scale their impact without placing extra financial burden on their communities. But what exactly are matching gifts? How does a matching gift program work? And how can we leverage it for your nonprofit? In this article, we’ll provide the answers to these questions.
What Are Matching Gifts, and Why Do They Matter?
Matching gifts are a specific type of employee-driven corporate giving program in which companies match employees’ financial contributions to eligible nonprofits. For example, when an individual makes a donation to a school or charity, they can request that their employer match the donation. This process turns a single individual gift into a combined corporate donation.
Every corporation establishes its own guidelines to govern these donations. These internal rules outline minimum and maximum submission limits, match ratios, and employee eligibility status. Most companies match donations at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they match the donor dollar-for-dollar, though some generous businesses will match gifts at a 2:1 or even 3:1 ratio.
That said, for a matching gift program to succeed, you need to promote it to your supporters because they may not know about it. In fact, Double the Donation reports that 78% of donors aren’t aware if their company offers a matching gift program, resulting in $4–$7 billion in matching gift funds going unclaimed every year.
Simply mentioning these programs in your fundraising letters can significantly increase your response rate and raise your average donation amount. This shared giving experience boosts donor morale and deepens their emotional connection to your mission, too.
How to Leverage Matching Gifts for Your Nonprofit
1. Verify your nonprofit’s eligibility.
Before you launch a matching gift campaign, confirm that your organization qualifies for corporate philanthropy programs. Most companies establish strict guidelines regarding the types of institutions they’re willing to support. Generally, any organization with active 501(c)(3) status in the United States is eligible to receive these matching funds from major corporations.
While educational institutions, health organizations, and environmental groups are widely accepted, certain sectors face strict limitations. Houses of worship and religious organizations are often excluded from standard corporate matching unless they run secular community programs, such as a local food pantry. Additionally, political groups are almost universally barred due to legal and corporate neutrality guidelines.
2. Use matching gift software.
Manually tracking down employment information and corporate guidelines can quickly exhaust your development team. So, you should invest in dedicated workplace fundraising software so that your nonprofit can automate the identification and outreach process without adding manual labor to your schedule.
Workplace giving tools function by embedding a searchable database directly into your online donation pages. When a supporter enters their employer’s name on the form, the software immediately analyzes corporate guidelines to verify program eligibility. If a match is available, the tool presents the donor with a direct link to their company’s digital submission portal on the confirmation screen. For donors who skip this step, the system sends automated email reminders with clear instructions to ensure no funding goes unclaimed.
3. Market matching gifts to your supporters.
Since the primary obstacle facing corporate matching programs is a general lack of donor awareness, your nonprofit must prioritize consistent supporter education. Actively marketing these opportunities across your outreach channels ensures corporate matching stays top of mind for your supporters.
Here are a few marketing tactics you can implement:
- Add corporate giving to your main navigation. Update your standard “Ways to Give” website page to prominently feature matching gifts. This section should include a detailed explanation of exactly how a donor can submit a request.
- Send educational email campaigns. Design a dedicated email stream that focuses entirely on workplace giving benefits. Sending these informative guides right after a major fundraiser can catch donors while they are still highly engaged with your mission.
- Share visual tutorials on social media. Create short videos or graphics for your social channels that walk viewers through the matching gift submission process. Showing how quick and simple the process is can remove any technical anxiety your donors might feel.
If your staff struggles to communicate these corporate concepts clearly, consider seeking guidance from a professional. An expert fundraising partner can help you tailor an automated outreach plan directly to your audience. Additionally, leveraging external expertise ensures your marketing materials remain accessible, engaging, and highly effective.
Wrapping Up
Embracing corporate philanthropy is one of the most effective ways for modern nonprofits to scale their impact without exhausting their supporter networks. By turning standard contributions into doubled corporate payouts, your organization can build a sustainable revenue pipeline.
As your matching gift program grows, be sure to practice full financial transparency about the revenue you secure through these channels. Sharing regular updates about how much funding you receive through corporate matching gifts (and exactly which projects those funds support) builds immense trust with your audience. When donors see tangible proof that their matches are making a difference, they’ll feel inspired to participate in workplace giving in future campaigns.