Matching Gift Databases: What Nonprofits Should Know in 2024
In the competitive realm of nonprofit fundraising, overlooking any revenue stream can be a critical oversight. This is particularly true for one lucrative yet often neglected area, matching gifts. Did you know that an astounding $4-7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year? This untapped resource can transform your nonprofit, helping to propel you toward your goals.
Enter the matching gift database–an invaluable tool in any modern fundraising professional’s arsenal. This innovative solution demystifies the process of securing matching gifts and educates donors about their eligibility. In turn, new matching gifts donations will boost your revenue, grow donor satisfaction, and keep you working toward your mission.
In this article, we’ll address the following questions seasoned professionals and newcomers alike may have, including:
- What is a matching gift database?
- Why should nonprofits leverage matching gift software?
- How does a matching gift database work?
- What features should a matching gift database include?
- What is the best matching gift software?
- What integrations should a matching gift database offer?
Now, let’s explore how a matching gift database can transform your fundraising strategy, turning overlooked opportunities into substantial gains.
What Is A Matching Gift Database?
A matching gift database houses information on companies’ corporate giving programs. It contains eligibility guidelines, minimum and maximum match amounts, and request deadlines. For example, our matching gift database stores over 24,000 company records, covering an estimated 99.68% of all match-eligible donors.
This tool makes it easy for nonprofit organizations to raise awareness about corporate giving. They can use this type of database to research donors and identify matching gift opportunities.
Why Should Nonprofits Leverage Matching Gift Software?
Matching gifts are one of the most common corporate giving programs. Many companies match donations that their employees make to eligible nonprofits, usually at a 1:1 ratio. That means a donor can double their contribution by simply filling out their employer’s matching gift application form.
Matching gifts are essentially free money for your nonprofit, but many organizations don’t tap into this form of corporate giving because they lack the resources needed to do so. As we mentioned, an estimated $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year. While more than 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs, 78% don’t know whether their employer offers a donation matching program or the program’s guidelines.
A comprehensive matching gift database fixes that. This tool can help you pinpoint these donors, so they can make a bigger impact on your cause. Even better, when supporters learn they’re eligible for a matching gift, they’re more likely to donate and give in higher amounts. In fact, 84% of surveyed donors said they’d be more likely to donate if a match is offered, while 1 in 3 indicated they’d donate more.
How Does a Matching Gift Database Work?
A matching gift database can be accessed through a search tool that you embed anywhere on your website. By adding it to your donation page, contribution confirmation screen, or on dedicated matching gift pages, you’ll raise awareness for matching gifts.
From there, here’s how a matching gift database works:
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- Donor accesses the database. The donor sees the matching gift database before, during, or after the donation process, as it’s embedded on your website.
- Donor searches for their company. The donor enters the name of their employer to find their matching gift requirements.
- Donor receives the results. The donor views the information that populates after they’ve searched for their employer, which includes minimum and maximum donations, match ratios, eligible nonprofits, and employee eligibility status.
- Donor views the next steps. The donor receives information on next steps to submit a match request, including links to the forms or guidelines needed to complete it.
- Company sends a separate donation to the nonprofit. Once the match request has been processed, the nonprofit receives a matching donation from the donor’s employer.
Matching gift databases are incredibly helpful, but better yet, auto-submission improves their functionality even further. While we’ll explore this feature in detail later, know that it eliminates the need for donors to manually complete a match request form.
What Features Should My Matching Gift Database Include?
When selecting a matching gift database for your nonprofit, exercise caution because the database’s accuracy and comprehensiveness directly impacts your fundraising success.
Choosing the right database ensures that your team can effectively identify matching gift opportunities, saving time and resources while maximizing revenue potential. Let’s explore the most crucial features that will define your success with corporate philanthropy.
Easy Setup
Setting up your database on your website should only take a few minutes, even if you don’t have a lot of web development experience. Our matching gift software comes equipped with an embeddable search tool, making it easy to add it to your donation form, confirmation page, ways to give page, or wherever else! Our onboarding team will also walk you through setting up the software, so you’ll be squared away.
Customizable and User-Friendly Interface
Beyond setup, your matching gift database should be easy to use for all of your donors. Ensuring it’s accessible is critical for maximizing results.
It’s also important to keep your organization’s brand in mind when you set up the database on your website. Match the database to your branding to create a consistent look by adding your color scheme, logo, and other personalized elements.
Accurate and Comprehensive Company Records
Corporate matching gift policies and eligibility criteria change frequently. A matching gift database with outdated guidelines or forms could lead to missed opportunities or errors in the matching process.
What’s more, accuracy and comprehensiveness are essential for maintaining trust with donors and corporate partners, as discrepancies can result in confusion or declined matches. Comprehensive guidelines and forms provide clear instructions, simplifying the submission process for your nonprofit’s donors.
Automated Follow-Up
Automated follow-up ensures timely and consistent communication with donors regarding the status of their matching gift requests, which is crucial in maintaining donor engagement and seeing their applications through to completion.
This automation saves valuable time and resources for the nonprofit by reducing the need for manual tracking and follow-up, which can be labor-intensive and prone to errors.
For example, our matching gift automation tools empower nonprofits to:
- Automatically identify match opportunities from donors’ work emails and employer information they’ve shared.
- Drive every match to completion via real-time tracking and custom automated matching gift letters.
- Reallocate your time to your top opportunities by automatically finding large match opportunities (e.g., 2:1 ratios) and manually following up with those donors for a personalized touch.
By promptly reminding donors to complete their part of the matching gift process, the likelihood of successfully securing these additional funds increases. Furthermore, automated follow-up keeps donors informed and involved, leading to a more positive donation experience and potentially encouraging future contributions.
Matching Gift Auto-Submission
One of the keys to successful matching gift fundraising is simplifying the process for donors. With auto-submission, you can accomplish exactly that. Auto-submission is the latest and greatest feature in the corporate giving world. It enables donors to avoid manually filling out match request forms for their employers.
When their employer uses a CSR vendor that integrates with 360MatchPro, employee donors are eligible for auto-submission. That means the employee can provide their corporate email address, click a checkbox to opt into auto-submission while donating online to your nonprofit, and let our tools handle the request process. That’s great news for your donors since our matching gift database integrates with some of the most popular CSR software vendors, like Givinga, Millie, POINT, and Selflessly.
For a closer look at how this feature works, watch this video from our team at Double the Donation:
Frequent Updates
Companies constantly update their guidelines and grow their programs to align with the latest corporate giving trends. Be sure to use a database that regularly updates its information and maintains clean, accurate data. This will ensure more matches can be submitted successfully.
Custom Match Program Functionality
A custom match program is designed by a company to align with a specific organization’s unique goals, donor base, and fundraising strategies. When a matching gift database enables custom match program functionality, it accounts for varying match requirements, ratios, and special eligibility criteria.
Currently, 360MatchPro is the only matching gift software that offers a custom match program management feature, helping nonprofits better cater to their donors’ unique giving situations.
Software Support
Make sure your matching gift database vendor provides technical support in case any issues come up, such as broken webpage links. Otherwise, donors may leave the matching gift page.
Volunteer Grant Information
Another common form of corporate giving is volunteer grants, a program in which companies donate to nonprofits where their employees regularly volunteer. Choose a matching gift database that includes information about volunteer grants to turn volunteer hours into more money for your organization.
What Is The Best Matching Gift Database?
If you’re ready to maximize your matching gift potential, consider 360MatchPro! Our database is the most comprehensive and up-to-date matching gift database for nonprofits.
Double the Donation is proud to provide a matching gift database and easy-to-use search tool that covers more than 24,000 companies and subsidiaries, representing 26+ million match-eligible individuals. (View our live dashboard)
If you work for an organization that is looking to up its matching gift revenue, then 360MatchPro by Double the Donation is an ideal choice. Here’s how it works:
- 360MatchPro by Double the Donation automatically scans information your donors provide during the donation process (such as email domains and employer names), searching for information about matching gift eligibility.
- Once the information has been identified, the software automatically sends customizable emails to eligible donors, encouraging them to take the next steps to submit a match request.
- The platform then tracks the progress of each match from start to finish, automatically following up to drive matches to completion.
In addition to U.S. companies, our database also covers Canadian companies with matching gift programs. If you’re ready to supercharge your corporate giving potential, give our matching gift software a try! Get a free demo of our platform to see it in action and start fulfilling your matching gift potential.
What Integrations Should a Matching Gift Database Offer?
Your new matching gift database should work with your current fundraising tools without needing to transfer data between systems manually. That’s why 360MatchPro by Double the Donation offers 50+ integrations with leading online donation tools, CRMs, peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, and CSR software solutions.
Integrations like these are essential to generating more revenue with your matching gift database. Your organization can leverage every resource needed to uncover matching gift opportunities. Let’s explore four key types of integrations.
Donation Tools
360MatchPro integrates with a number of top online donation tools, including:
Once 360MatchPro is integrated with your online donation tools, the platform gives donors multiple opportunities to identify their employer during the donation process. All you need to do is add the 360MatchPro employer name search field to your donation form to identify more matching gift opportunities during the giving process.
With the seamless integration, donors won’t be interrupted when making their gifts. Instead, matching gifts become a natural part of the process.
CRMs
360MatchPro integrates with several leading CRMs, including:
Once 360MatchPro is integrated with your nonprofit CRM, new donation records within your CRM platform will automatically flow into 360MatchPro. Within the 360MatchPro platform, donations will trigger automated email streams to drive the matching gift process to completion.
As donations are logged in your CRM, 360MatchPro’s platform automatically captures employment information and follows up with donors about matching gifts. This helps you identify more opportunities to double donations without added pressure on your team.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platforms
In addition to matching employee donations, many companies also match the funds their employees raise for nonprofits. That’s why 360MatchPro offers several integrations with top peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, such as:
Once 360MatchPro is integrated with your peer-to-peer fundraising platform, the system automatically identifies matching gift opportunities for each transaction and sends customized emails encouraging donors to check their matching gift eligibility.
CSR Software
We recognize that your nonprofit’s team isn’t the only group that uses your matching gift tools. Donors and companies can benefit from integrations, too. That’s why our matching gift software integrates with popular corporate giving software, such as:
These integrations streamline the matching gift submission process. When donors who work for a company that uses CSR software that integrates with 360MatchPro, they’ll be able to tap into matching gift auto-submission. This means that donors can automatically submit their matching gift requests to their employers. All your nonprofit needs to do is use 360MatchPro, and you’ll reduce manual data entry, enhance the donor experience, and maximize your potential matching gift revenue.
Resources to Resume Your Matching Gift Database Research
Finding the right matching gift database for your organization is the first step in bringing in matching gift revenue. Now that you’ve done the research, you’re ready to start securing funding via matching gifts!
As the leader in matching gift technology, our team at Double the Donation is confident that we can provide your team with the tools you need to thrive in the corporate giving space. Don’t forget to book your demo to see our tools in action.
In the meantime, continue learning about matching gifts with these resources:
- Matching Gifts: The Basics + Growing Revenue with Automation. Looking for more information about automation and matching gifts? Read our comprehensive guide!
- Matching Gift Databases: The Q&A Guide for Nonprofits. If you’re on the hunt for more answers about matching gift databases, check out this Q&A.
- Corporate Social Responsibility: How to Make Your Mark. Discover how companies impact nonprofits beyond matching gifts with this ultimate CSR guide.
