Matching Gifts Strategy to Grow Workplace Donations

Matching gifts are one of the most underused revenue opportunities in nonprofit fundraising. Many donors work for companies that will match their charitable gifts dollar for dollar, and sometimes more, yet a large share of those funds never reaches the nonprofit because no one asks, reminds, or makes the process easy.

For nonprofit teams facing pressure to increase fundraising efficiency, a smart matching gifts strategy can unlock revenue without acquiring new donors. Instead, it helps you maximize the value of donations you already receive.

This article explains how matching gifts work, why nonprofits miss out, and how to build a practical strategy that increases workplace donation revenue through better data, outreach, and follow-up.

What are matching gifts?

Matching gifts are corporate philanthropy programs in which employers financially match donations their employees make to eligible nonprofits. The most common structure is a 1:1 match, where a company contributes the same amount as the employee's donation. Some employers offer 2:1 or even 3:1 matches, while others set minimum and maximum gift amounts.

A typical matching gift process looks like this:

1. A donor gives to your nonprofit.
2. The donor checks whether their employer offers a matching gift program.
3. The donor submits a request through their company's portal or HR system.
4. The company verifies the donation and the nonprofit's eligibility.
5. The company sends the matching gift payment.

These programs are especially valuable because they increase the impact of a donor's gift without requiring the donor to give more out of pocket.

Many matching gift programs are tied to larger employee giving and workplace philanthropy initiatives. Nonprofits that understand those programs can capture more support from both donors and employers.

Why matching gifts are often left on the table

Despite the value of employer matches, many nonprofits recover only a fraction of what is available. The most common reasons are operational, not strategic.

Donors do not know their gift is eligible

Most donors are not experts in corporate philanthropy. They may not know whether their company offers a match, who qualifies, or how to apply.

Nonprofits ask too late or not at all

If the only mention of matching gifts appears on a buried web page, donors will miss it. The best time to prompt for a match is during the donation experience and immediately after the gift.

The process feels complicated

Corporate matching gift forms, deadlines, and verification steps can create friction. When the process requires too much effort, donors abandon it.

Donor and employer data is incomplete

If your CRM does not capture employer information consistently, your team cannot segment donors by workplace or identify strong matching gift prospects.

No one owns the workflow

Matching gifts often sit in a gray area between development, operations, and donor services. Without clear ownership, follow-up falls through the cracks.

Why matching gifts deserve a formal strategy

A matching gifts strategy is not just a nice add-on. It is a high-return fundraising practice because it improves revenue from existing supporters.

Benefits include:

• Higher average gift value
• Better ROI on fundraising campaigns
• More corporate engagement opportunities
• Stronger donor stewardship through increased impact
• Better fundraising forecasting when matching pipelines are tracked

For many nonprofits, matching gifts also reveal concentrations of support among employees of specific companies. That insight can open doors to broader workplace giving campaigns, volunteer partnerships, sponsorships, and grants.

Build the foundation: policies, data, and ownership

Before launching promotional efforts, make sure your internal systems can support consistent execution.

Assign a matching gifts owner

Someone on your team should own the process from start to finish. This does not mean they do every task, but they are accountable for results.

That person should oversee:

• Donation form messaging
• CRM employer data standards
• Email reminders and follow-up cadence
• Verification requests from companies
• Reporting on pending and completed matches

For smaller nonprofits, this may be part of one development staff member's role. For larger organizations, it may sit with donor operations or annual giving.

Standardize employer data collection

You cannot grow workplace donation revenue if you do not know where donors work.

At minimum, collect:

• Employer name
• Employment status if relevant
• Donation date and amount
• Match eligibility or status
• Submission date for match request
• Match payment date

Use consistent naming conventions. For example, "Microsoft" and "Microsoft Corp." should not live as separate employer records if you want accurate reporting.

Confirm your nonprofit eligibility

Most matching gift programs require recipient organizations to be eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits in good standing. Make sure your tax-exempt status and public charity information are current and easy to verify. The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search can help confirm your listing if needed: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.

Optimize your donation flow for matching gifts

The best matching gift strategies start before the donor clicks submit.

Add matching gift messaging to your donation page

Your donation page should clearly tell donors that their employer may match their gift.

Effective examples include:

• "Your donation may be eligible for an employer match. Check with your company to double your impact."
• "Many employers match charitable gifts made by employees and retirees. See if your company participates."

Keep the message visible but simple. Do not overload the form.

If your fundraising platform allows customization, include a field for employer name and a brief explanation of why you ask. Tools that help unify donation forms and donor records make this easier to manage at scale. Explore GiveRise features to see how streamlined donor data and fundraising workflows can support this process.

Capture employer information during checkout

If appropriate for your audience, add an optional employer field to the donation form. This single field can become one of the most valuable data points in your fundraising database.

Best practices:

• Make the field optional to reduce friction
• Use clear labeling, such as "Employer (for matching gifts)"
• Explain the benefit to the donor
• Map the field cleanly into your CRM

Reinforce the opportunity on the confirmation page

After the gift is complete, the confirmation page is a prime moment to prompt action.

Include:

• A thank-you message
• A reminder that the gift may be match eligible
• A direct next step, such as contacting HR or using the company's giving portal

If you know the employer already, personalize the message. A donor who sees a specific reminder is more likely to act.

Create a matching gift email follow-up sequence

One reminder is rarely enough. Donors are busy, and matching gift requests often happen days or weeks after the initial donation.

Recommended email cadence

A practical sequence might include:

1. Immediate receipt email: mention matching gifts and encourage the donor to check eligibility.
2. 3-5 days later: remind donors to submit a request if their employer matches gifts.
3. 2-3 weeks later: send a final nudge with simple instructions.
4. If employer is known: send tailored reminders based on the company's process or deadline.

What to include in each message

Each email should be short and action-oriented.

Include:

• A brief statement about impact
• The benefit of employer matching
• A simple next step
• Contact information for questions

Example:

"Thanks again for supporting our mission. Many employers match charitable donations, which could double the impact of your gift at no extra cost to you. If your company offers matching gifts, please submit your request through your employee giving portal or contact HR for details."

Segment donors to prioritize the best opportunities

Not every donor has the same matching gift potential. Segmentation helps your team spend time where it will matter most.

High-priority donor segments

Focus first on:

• Donors whose employers are known to match gifts
• Mid-level and major donors with corporate employment
• Recurring donors whose annual giving may qualify for cumulative matches
• Board members and volunteers employed by large companies
• Event donors and peer-to-peer participants who may have match-eligible gifts

Use workplace patterns to inform outreach

If multiple donors work for the same company, that is a signal. It may justify:

• A customized outreach campaign for those employees
• A workplace giving toolkit
• A conversation with the company's CSR or community relations team
• Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities in addition to matching gifts

This is where clean donor management becomes especially important. Systems that make segmentation and tracking easier can reduce missed opportunities and staff guesswork. If your team is comparing tools, reviewing platform pricing alongside matching gift workflow needs can help you plan realistically.

Make it easy for staff to verify gifts quickly

Employer matching often depends on timely verification from the nonprofit. If your staff is slow to respond, payments may be delayed or lost.

Create a simple verification workflow

Document:

• Who receives verification requests
• How gifts are confirmed in your CRM
• How quickly requests should be answered
• How match payments are recorded when received

Track statuses clearly

Recommended statuses may include:

• Eligible employer identified
• Donor notified
• Match request submitted
• Verification pending
• Match approved
• Match received
• Match closed/lapsed

A visible pipeline makes matching gifts manageable rather than mysterious.

Promote matching gifts beyond the donation form

A complete strategy includes multiple touchpoints across the donor journey.

Add matching gift language to core fundraising assets

Include reminders in:

• Campaign landing pages
• Annual appeal emails n- Direct mail reply devices or inserts
• Event registration and follow-up communications
• Year-end giving campaigns
• Monthly donor upgrade messaging

Train frontline fundraisers and donor-facing staff

Anyone who speaks with donors should know how to mention matching gifts naturally.

Examples:

• "Does your employer happen to match charitable gifts?"
• "Many companies will double employee donations. We can help you check if you'd like."

This is especially helpful in major gifts, board giving, and event sponsorship conversations.

Use social proof and examples

Donors are more likely to act when they understand the concrete outcome.

For example:

• "Last year, employer matching gifts funded 300 additional meals."
• "One donor's $500 contribution became $1,000 through their company's matching program."

These messages turn a technical process into a mission-centered opportunity.

Connect matching gifts to broader workplace giving revenue

Matching gifts are often the easiest entry point into workplace giving, but they should not exist in isolation.

Look for adjacent corporate giving opportunities

When you identify strong employee support at a company, explore related programs such as:

• Payroll giving n- Volunteer grants
• Dollars-for-doers programs
• Employee giving campaigns
• Corporate sponsorships
• Foundation grants tied to the company

Resources from organizations like Candid can help nonprofits research funders, giving practices, and corporate philanthropy trends.

Turn employer concentration into a strategic account list

If your nonprofit has several donors from the same employer, treat that company like an account.

Build a simple profile that includes:

• Number of employee donors
• Estimated match potential
• Volunteer participation
• Existing corporate relationships
• Relevant board or staff connections

This moves your approach from reactive to strategic.

Measure the right matching gift metrics

If you want to improve matching gift results over time, track more than just total dollars received.

Core KPIs to monitor

Track:

• Number of donations with employer data captured
• Percentage of donors with known employers
• Number of match-eligible gifts identified
• Match request submission rate
• Verification turnaround time
• Match revenue received
• Average time from donor gift to match payment
• Revenue by employer

Use benchmarks to identify gaps

For example:

• If employer capture is low, improve your form and donor data practices.
• If eligibility identification is high but submission is low, improve donor reminders.
• If submission is high but payment is low, review verification and follow-up.

This kind of funnel analysis helps you find the exact stage where revenue is being lost.

A practical 90-day matching gifts action plan

If your nonprofit does not yet have a formal strategy, start small and build momentum.

Days 1-30: Audit and prepare

• Review current donation forms and thank-you emails
• Identify whether employer data is being collected
• Assign ownership for matching gifts
• Document your current workflow
• Pull a donor list with known employers

Days 31-60: Launch core tactics

• Add matching gift messaging to donation pages
• Add employer field to forms if missing
• Create a 2-3 email reminder sequence
• Set up CRM fields and status tracking
• Train staff on basic donor conversations

Days 61-90: Analyze and expand

• Review submission and payment data
• Identify top employers in your donor file
• Segment likely match-eligible donors for targeted outreach
• Build one workplace giving cultivation plan for a high-potential company
• Refine messaging based on response rates

This phased approach keeps the work manageable while producing visible results.

Common mistakes to avoid

Even strong fundraising teams can lose matching gift revenue through a few avoidable errors.

Watch out for:

• Treating matching gifts as a one-time campaign instead of an ongoing system
• Hiding the opportunity in fine print
• Failing to collect employer information
• Not following up after the first receipt email
• Ignoring verification speed
• Forgetting recurring donors and event donors
• Not reporting on employer-level trends

The biggest mistake is assuming donors will handle everything themselves. Most will not, unless you make the path obvious and easy.

Conclusion

A strong matching gifts strategy helps nonprofits increase workplace donation revenue without depending solely on new donor acquisition. By collecting employer data, prompting donors at the right time, following up consistently, and tracking the full matching pipeline, your organization can unlock funds that would otherwise go unclaimed.

The opportunity is practical, measurable, and highly aligned with efficient fundraising operations. Start with your donation form, your thank-you emails, and your CRM. Then build a repeatable process your team can sustain.

If you're ready to simplify donor data, fundraising workflows, and the systems that support smarter revenue growth, try GiveRise and see how our platform can help your team capture more value from every gift.