Matching Gift Campaigns For Giving Tuesday

Want to raise more funds during Giving Tuesday? Of course you do! What if there was a way that your donors could give twice what they actually donated to your nonprofit? With a Giving Tuesday matching gift campaign, they can! But how do you set up a matching gift campaign for Giving Tuesday? Read on to learn how! 

What is a matching campaign, and why does it matter? 

 A matching gift campaign is a fundraising strategy in which donations are matched by a matching gift donor, often at a 1:1 ratio. That means that for every dollar a donor gives, a second dollar is provided up to a maximum matching gift amount determined by the matching gift donor.  

Why do matching gift campaigns matter? Matching gifts energize donors because they can double their impact with a single gift. This is especially true if the match is limited by time, such as 24 hours for Giving Tuesday. 

How to secure a matching gift

There are two different kinds of matching gifts: gifts matched by a private donor and corporate matching gifts. Both are lucrative matching gift options for Giving Tuesday. That said, for Giving Tuesday, you’ll likely want to have a matching gift pledge from a major donor.  

A matching gift pledge is a pledge to match all gifts up to a certain dollar amount. This is helpful because every gift that comes in for Giving Tuesday will be matched until you’ve reached that matching gift goal. Your donors provide twice the good and your nonprofit earns more money. You can take it a step further by asking your donors to check if their company offers employee matching gifts for Giving Tuesday as well. 

How to find a major donor to pledge to match gifts 

So, how do you find a major donor to pledge to match gifts? Start by looking in your own donor database. Do you have a loyal, major donor who has been an integral part of your success for years? If so, reach out to them and ask them if they’d be the match for your matching gift campaign. Bonus points if you can get more than one donor to agree to a matching gift pledge. This lets you set your fundraising goal higher and earn even more in matching gifts. 

How corporate matching gifts work

In addition to working with major donors for a matching gift pledge, you can further double some donors’ impact on Giving Tuesday with corporate matching gifts. How do corporate matching gifts work? An employee of a company that offers gift matching makes a donation to your nonprofit. Then, they complete matching gift paperwork and submit it to their employer to have their gift to your nonprofit matched. The company processes the paperwork and then submits a donation to your nonprofit to match the gift of their employee. 

If you live in an area with a lot of employees of a company that offers gift matching, a matching gifts integration could help you earn more in donations by simplifying the process of submitting the matching gift paperwork. With a matching gifts integration, the employee searches for their employer when making their gift and, when found, submits their gift with a prospective match. Then, they’re sent an email with next steps to complete their matching gift paperwork. Many companies allow for employees to submit this information digitally, so the process can be done right after completing their gift. Pair this corporate matching gift with a matching gift pledge from a major donor and your donor has effectively tripled their impact! 

Qgiv offers matching gifts integrations with HEPdata, Double the Donation, and CyberGrants.  

How to promote the matching gift campaign

Want to ensure that more of your donors opt into matching their gifts? Try promoting your Giving Tuesday matching gift campaign. One great way to accomplish this is through social media pushes. As part of your social media strategy for Giving Tuesday, be sure to mention that donations will be matched. Similarly, text messages to your donors about your matching gift campaign can also work wonders. You could get matching gifts in minutes when you text your supporters. 

Either way, the message should mention the limited donation timeframe to qualify for the match. Giving Tuesday is a one-day event. That’s why it’s important to tell donors to give right now so their gift will be worth more than any other day of the year. 

Conclusion

A matching gift campaign for Giving Tuesday can be just what you need to reach your fundraising goals. With the tips above you can earn twice or (even three times!) the amount of a single donor’s gift this Giving Tuesday. Want more advice for Giving Tuesday? Check out our Giving Tuesday Resource Center!