Thousands of companies across the country have a program where they will match their employee’s donation to an eligible charitable organization.
Typically, an employer will match a donation dollar for dollar, but in some cases, organizations may even match a donation up to triple the original amount.
For higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations, matching gifts are a vital revenue stream and critical component of their fundraising. Matching gifts are free money for the organization and allow donors to give at least twice as much by simply completing the necessary paperwork in a matter of minutes.
As any fundraising organization knows, driving donations is hard work. Now that you’ve spent the time and resources to secure the gift, this is your opportunity to double its value.
Billions in unclaimed donations
It is estimated that up to $10 billion in matching gift revenue goes unclaimed every year. Roughly 8-15% of an organization’s donors are matching gift eligible, and surprisingly, a whopping 80% of matching gift eligible donors do not know their company will match their gift.
Generous corporate giving programs
With thousands of corporations offering matching gift programs, including 65% of Fortune 500 companies, there are millions of people who are eligible. Corporate giving programs and guidelines are always changing, which is why a dedicated team at Affinaquest tracks the policies of over 23,000 companies.
An underutilized revenue stream
With so many donors unaware of their employer’s matching gift policy, the responsibility of identifying these opportunities, notifying the donor and ensuring paperwork is complete falls squarely on the shoulders of an organization. For anonymous donations, additional research and outreach is involved to convert an opportunity. The process is time-consuming, complicated to manage and requires daily attention.
Donations with a deadline
Many corporate matching gift policies come with a deadline. If an employee donation is not matched by a corporation within one year, it is no longer eligible for a matching gift.
Giving that grows donor loyalty
84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if a match is offered. And once they’ve completed a matching gift, they know how easy it is to complete. As donor loyalty increases, matching gift revenue grows as well.
Solutions that simplify and scale matching gift strategy
Affinaquest’s AffinityX2 Matching Gift Solutions offer a simple, easy-to-use platform that identifies matching gift eligible donors, tracks their donations and automatically follows up until the necessary paperwork is complete. Putting a proven matching gift management strategy in place with AffinityX2 frees up countless staff hours and creates a reliable, constant revenue stream. Most organizations see a 53% increase in matching gift revenue in the first year.
One of the tools in the AffinityX2 suite of matching gift solutions is Match Lookup. It includes eMatch Donor Link, which allows your donors to search their employer before, during and after a gift to see if their company will match. This tool will help you configure the look and feel, place it on your web pages, and give you access to metrics to ensure you’re maximizing the tool.
To learn more about AffinityX2 and the Auto Match and Match Lookup tools, request a demo with the Affinaquest team.