Matching gift programmes double money already given

Aug 29
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

A donor gives fifty. Their employer operates a scheme that would match it, turning it into a hundred at no additional cost to the donor. Neither the donor nor the charity mentions it, and the second fifty never arrives.

This happens continually. Employer matching is widespread among larger companies, poorly publicised internally, and almost never raised by charities. It is the rare case where more money is available for work that has already been done, and the only barrier is that nobody asks.

1. Matching gift programmes turn a completed gift into a larger one

Understand where the opportunity sits.

The persuasion has already succeeded, the donation is made, and the additional amount comes from a budget the company has already allocated. There is no further ask of the donor beyond a form.

2. Assume donors do not know

This is the main reason the money is left unclaimed.

Employees are typically told about matching once, during induction, and never again. Somebody who has worked somewhere for eight years may have no idea the scheme exists, so the charity mentioning it is genuinely useful information.

3. Ask on the thank-you, not on the appeal

Timing determines whether this feels helpful or greedy.

Raising it in the appeal complicates the ask. Raising it immediately after the gift, in the thank-you or confirmation page, reads as helping them make their donation go further, which is what it is.

4. Keep the request light

One sentence and a link is enough.

"Many employers will match this donation. It is worth checking, and we are happy to provide anything your company needs." Long explanations of corporate matching schemes are where donor attention is lost.

5. Be ready with what the company will ask for

The step that determines whether claims complete.

Your registered name and number, address, bank details, and someone able to confirm the donation and sign a form promptly. Delays here cause matching claims to lapse, and the donor is the one left chasing.

6. Target it where employers are likely to match

Effort belongs where the schemes exist.

Donors working for banks, large corporates, professional firms and multinationals. Community fundraisers who work for such employers are particularly worth prompting, because matched fundraising can double a whole campaign.

7. Extend it to volunteering and fundraising

Matching is often broader than donations.

Some employers match funds raised rather than only donated, and some contribute for hours volunteered. A supporter running an event may be able to claim considerably more than they realise.

8. Record which employers matched

Build the knowledge as you go.

A list of companies whose schemes you have successfully used, with the process and contact each time. It makes the next claim faster and lets you prompt other donors from the same employer.

9. Thank both the donor and the company

Two relationships rather than one.

The donor made it happen and deserves the credit; the company has now given to your organisation and may be open to more. A matched gift is frequently the first contact in a corporate relationship that grows later.

Mention matching somewhere permanent as well as in thank-yous. A short page explaining it, linked from your donate page, catches the donors who think of it months later and gives fundraisers something to send their colleagues.

Conclusion

Ask about employer matching, because it is additional money for a gift that has already been persuaded and made.

Assume donors do not know their employer offers it, raise it in the thank-you rather than in the appeal, keep the request to a sentence and a link, have your registration and bank details ready so claims do not lapse, prompt donors and fundraisers who work for large employers, remember that some schemes match funds raised or hours volunteered, record which companies you have successfully claimed from, and thank both the donor and the employer afterwards.