How Matching Gifts Can Play a Role in Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a widely popular international day of giving which, for many, allows nonprofits and donors to dive into the year-end fundraising season with a splash.

On the first Tuesday following Thanksgiving each year, millions of charitable-minded people choose to support a wide range of philanthropic causes. For a nonprofit, that means a significant pool of eager donors to reel in. However, it also means a ton of other organizations vying for your donors’ attention as well.

One of the best ways to make your Giving Tuesday campaign stand out, and encourage significant success, is by leveraging corporate matching gifts. But how? Matching gifts can offer the following key advantages to nonprofit fundraisers such as yourself:

1. Encouraging Donations
2. Increasing Gift Sizes
3. Doubling Contributions
4. Improving Donor Relations
   

Ready to dive in and find out how matching gifts can bring any Giving Tuesday campaign to the next level? Let’s get started with these top benefits.

1. Encouraging Donations

Of course, matching gifts can help your organization receive additional corporate donations with an effective strategy⁠—but did you know that they can also encourage individual donors to make their gift in the first place? In fact, statistics from Double the Donation show that 84% of donors are more likely to give if they know a corporate match is being offered.

This can be especially useful for groups of donors who are initially on the fence about giving. Perhaps they already support your organization but are unsure whether the limited amount they can give would really make a difference. Matching gifts can be exactly what they need to motivate them to take that next big step.

Imagine Sarah is a long-time supporter of your organization. She follows your nonprofit on all social media channels and is extremely passionate about your mission. As Giving Tuesday approaches, she realizes that she only has the means to make a $25 gift to your campaign⁠, and wonders whether a donation that size can even have an impact. When she sees that her employer will match that $25 at a 2:1 ratio, however, she recognizes that her initial $25 will become $75 for your cause. Ultimately, she decides to make her donation!

As you begin promoting your upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign this year, be sure to encourage matching gifts by informing donors about the wide availability of these types of programs. You never know⁠—it might be just the right push.

2. Increasing Gift Sizes

In addition to increasing the likelihood of giving, Double the Donation's studies show that 1 in 3 donors have indicated they’d make a larger gift if a matching donation will be applied.

Picture this: John is filling out your online donation form and sees that his employer offers a corporate match. However, he was originally planning to make a gift of $50 but sees that it would fall below his company’s minimum donation threshold of $100. Wanting to secure that matching gift for your organization, he decides to up his donation from $50 to $100.

Here’s another scenario: Jill is in the process of making a donation to your Giving Tuesday campaign when she discovers that her job will match her gift. Her initial donation already falls within her company’s guidelines but, wanting to make an even larger impact, Jill decides to increase her gift size as well.

When donors up their contributions as a result of matching gift availability, it means a larger gift for your nonprofit⁠—even before factoring in the match you’ll receive from their employer!

3. Doubling Contributions

On the surface, this is one of the most obvious benefits of matching gifts on your fundraising organization⁠—the extra corporate gifts. When eligible donors submit a matching gift request to their employer, your organization will likelyas well!

Here’s an example: Bob makes a generous donation of $1,000 to your nonprofit’s Giving Tuesday fundraiser. He determines that his gift is eligible for a match through his employer and completes the necessary steps to request that matching donation for your organization. Once his employer has confirmed the initial donation with your team, they submit their own gift of $1,000 (or even more!) to your campaign. Thanks to Bob’s original donation, and his added effort to secure a match from his company, your mission receives $2,000 to go towards your overall fundraising goal.

Increasing your fundraising efforts often requires an upfront investment to get the word out and solicit donations from supporters. Luckily, this powerful benefit allows your organization to receive an extra free donation for the cost of soliciting only the first.

4. Improving Donor Relations

Not only do matching gifts allow nonprofits to raise more funds with less effort, but they also drive increased engagement among donors who get to see the doubled impact of their contributions on a mission they care about. That’s a fantastic way to improve your donor relationships and keep supporters invested in your mission for the long run.

Don’t forget throughout the process as well! We suggest communicating your appreciation following the initial donation, once the donor indicates that they’ve requested a matching gift, and upon receiving the match from the company. This way, donors understand just how much you appreciate them going above and beyond a typical donation and will be more likely to continue their support going forward.

Consider the following: Jared makes a donation to your Giving Tuesday campaign which is then matched by his employer. Thanks to your organization’s strategic approach to donor communication (especially surrounding matching gifts), he feels that his dollars are being used responsibly to support the mission that he cares about. As a result, he chooses to give to your campaign the following year as well as get his gift matched again.

So how can you ensure your team is set up to reap the benefits of matching gifts this Giving Tuesday? Don’t forget to invest in a corporate giving automation tool!

Giving Tuesday is already a busy time for nonprofit fundraising professionals. Working with the right fundraising platforms can allow you to make the most of your efforts without requiring a ton of extra time and resources on your part. Good luck, and happy fundraising!