Matching Gifts and Peer-to-Peer: Why (and How!) to Do It

Matching gifts and peer-to-peer fundraising can be a dynamite combination. Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great method for raising money, building relationships with supporters, and boosting visibility in your community. Matching Gifts programs are a valuable tool for raising money, building relationships with corporate partners, and getting donors excited about supporting you.

How can you make the two work together?

There are lots of ways to do it. But here’s a breakdown of how we commonly see Qgiv users do it!

Find Matching Gifts Partners

Corporate philanthropy is increasingly important to companies and consumers alike. That’s probably true in your community!

In the event that you already have matching gifts relationships with companies in your community, ask them to support your fundraiser. If you don’t, decide if any local companies have missions or products that mesh with yours. You can also draw up proposals for community companies who are particularly philanthropic.

Once you’ve chosen who you’ll approach about matching gifts, decide what options to offer. Some popular ones are:

• Matching gifts that match dollars raised to a certain threshold (regardless of the donor)
• Gifts that will match funds raised by participants who work for their company
• Gifts that match funds raised by a company-sponsored team
• Gifts that match donations made by their employees

Once you’ve found your matching gifts partners, it’s time to:

Set Up Matching Gifts for Your Event

Enable matching gifts on your event’s registration and donation forms. If you’re using Qgiv, it’s really easy — you can read how to do it here, check our help desk articles, or give us a call!

In addition to adding it to your Qgiv form, you can also look into using something like Double the Donation. They’re a service that helps match donors and participants to companies that have matching gifts programs. A simple widget on your form helps donors find the right company, then boom! Their gift suddenly counts for double. (Hey Qgiv clients — we work really well with Double the Donation. Ask us how!)

Figure Out How to Market Your Matching Gifts

Donors LOVE matching gifts. What’s not to love? Their donations count double, and they feel good about getting more money to your organization than they planned on giving!

But donors won’t know that matching gifts are an option unless you tell them. Luckily, there are some simple ways to do so.

Because matching gifts and peer-to-peer fundraising are often (even usually) digital, it’s a little easier for you to spread the word. Consider trying:

• Including a matching gifts option or widget on your p2p pages
• Mentioning matching gifts in your peer-to-peer event’s main page
• Talk about matching gifts in event communications
• Ensure participants know how the matching gifts program will work

Give your matching gifts and peer-to-peer event as much visibility as possible. You’ll make make them more effective! It’s good for your organization, obviously, and makes donors feel more accomplished. Additionally, making them very visible inspires participation and reflects well on the companies involved. It’s a win for everyone!

Follow Good Donor Retention Practices

Donor retention takes time and effort, but the payoff is worth it. This is true when the donations are matched gifts, too!

Running matching gifts and peer-to-peer campaigns side-by-side means a little extra work on the donor retention side of things. But the effort is worth it! You’ll want a donor retention plan in place for at least three segments:

• Corporate sponsors (or major donors) who provide matching gifts
• Donors
• Event participants

Thanking donors and participants makes it more likely that donors will give again, participants will register again, and companies will support you in the future. However pressed you are for time, don’t neglect your donor retention! It’s one of the best ways you can set up your next event for success.

Want to learn to use Qgiv’s matching gifts tool for peer-to-peer fundraising? We can help! If you’re a Qgiv client already, check out this article or contact our support team. If you’re not using Qgiv, that’s okay; contact us online to learn more! You can also call us at 888-855-9595.