matched-giving

When a donor gives, their gift usually reflects a personal choice: they pick a cause, a nonprofit, an amount.

But many donors don’t realise there’s often “bonus” money waiting from their employer. It just needs to be requested. Employer matched giving is one of the most under-leveraged tools in philanthropy: it amplifies the donor’s impact, boosts nonprofit revenue, and strengthens donor engagement.

Here’s why matched giving is such a compelling route.

1. You amplify every donation: it’s “free money” for the donor (if claimed)

A core appeal of matched giving is that, for many donors, their employer is willing to match (or sometimes even multiply) their personal donation. Without doing additional fundraising, the nonprofit ends up with more for the same original gift.

It’s estimated that $2–3 billion is donated annually through matching gift programs—but $4–7 billion of available matching funds goes unclaimed each year. (millercooper.com)
Yet, only ~1.31% of individual donations to the average nonprofit are matched, despite an estimated ~10% of donations being eligible for a match. (doublethedonation.com)

In short: many nonprofits are leaving matching funds on the table. Encouraging donors to make use of their employer’s match is often high ROI.

2. It encourages higher gifts and more donors

Matched giving does more than just multiply an existing donation, it can change giving behavior.

Fundraising appeals that mention matching gifts see up to 71% higher response rates and a 51% increase in average donation size. (doublethedonation.com)
According to Double the Donation’s data, 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if a match is offered, and about 1 in 3 donors say they would increase their gift if it would be matched. (America’s Charities)
In one case study, a health nonprofit found that ~30% of eligible donors submitted matching gift requests after being informed, turning $100,000 in original gifts into over $180,000 total. (crowdchange.co)

Thus, matched giving can be catalytic to increased donor giving behavior.

3. It helps build a culture of philanthropy & donor loyalty

Beyond the dollar numbers, matched giving enhances the donor–organization relationship.

Donors feel their impact is amplified, which can increase satisfaction and propensity to donate again.
Companies that offer matching gifts often view it as part of their corporate social responsibility or employee engagement strategy, meaning donors see their employer supporting the same causes.
Many leading nonprofits embed matching gift prompts and follow-ups into their donor journey: 100% of the “Peer-to-Peer Top 30” use matching gift strategies.
Frequent matching gift follow-ups also help donors become more aware of their eligibility and program rules, gradually increasing match uptake over time.
Donor education over time helps reduce the “eligibility awareness gap” (see below).

4. The “eligibility gap” is mostly about awareness — which we can fix

A big reason so many matches go unclaimed is simply that donors don’t know their employer has a matching program or aren’t sure how to claim it.

According to Double the Donation, 78% of donors are unaware whether their employer offers a matching gift program. (doublethedonation.com)
Another 14% know there’s a matching gift program but aren’t sure if they’re eligible or don’t know how to submit a request. (GoFundMe Pro)
Only ~8% of donors know that their company matches and understand how to submit the match. (doublethedonation.com)
Using multiple outreach methods to flag match eligibility (on donation forms, in thank-you emails, via domain screening) can result in 77% more identified match-eligible donations. (360MatchPro)
Sending a matching gift reminder email within 24 hours yields a 53% open rate, which is ~2–3× higher than average nonprofit emails. (givelively.org)

Because most donors are blissfully unaware, smart prompts and follow-ups unlock a huge untapped resource.

5. From the nonprofit’s perspective, matched gifts can be high leverage

For a nonprofit, matched giving often has much better ROI than chasing entirely new donors, because:

The incremental cost to prompt a donor to submit a match is relatively low (email, website prompt, automated tools).
The upside is potentially doubling (or more) that same donation.
Over time, you can build institutional knowledge: which employers are common among your donor base, which matching programs are easier to work with, etc.

Nonprofits that are proactive with matching gift programs often see consistent uplift in revenue – and fewer “lost opportunities” each year.

How to Include Matched Giving When Issuing a “Better Giving” Donation Receipt

If your organisation receives a donation via Better Giving, then we issue a donation receipt to donors for their approved tax purposes. It’s a prime moment to surface matching gift opportunities.

So as soon as they’ve donated, we prompt them to ask their workplace whether they offer a donation matching scheme. We also provide a link to the names of hundreds of companies that do have programs.

But here’s a suggested workflow and content ideas to embed matched giving into your receipt process.

Suggested workflow & receipt structure

Go to your Better Giving Dashboard, ‘Settings’ and then create a message for adding to the tax receipt your donors get.
Acknowledge the gift first, clearly and gratefully.
Example: “Thank you for your generous donation of £XX to [Your Organisation]. Your support enables us to …”
Introduce matching giving possibility.
After acknowledgement, include a short section:
“Did you know your employer might match this gift and double (or even triple) its impact?”
Include a matching gift eligibility prompt.
Add words such as this – “Check with your HR or CSR department, or search your employer name + ‘matching gift’.”
Follow-up.
You always get details in your Better Giving donations page of who has donated – as well as an email alert, so make sure you follow up either manually or with an automated follow-up (say 24 hours later) reminding the donor about matching. This is especially effective given the high open rates of those forms of emails.
Track matched gift requests and acknowledgments.
Once the matching funds arrive, issue a matching gift acknowledgement (a mini-receipt) to the donor, making them feel credited and reinforcing their impact.

Sample Receipt ‘matched giving’ request (500 characters maximum)

Thank you so much for your donation. It will really help us meet our goals creating a mission for this service that’s replicated globally for maximum impact.

Want your impact to double?
Many employers offer matching gift programs that can match your donation, multiplying the value of your gift to our nonprofit.

Please check whether your employer participates: Contact your HR/CSR team and ask for their “matching gift / employee giving” program. You can then attach this donation receipt as proof.

Tips & best practices (for your team)

Automate the follow-up reminder (e.g. 24 hours post-donation) — donors are more likely to act when reminded promptly.
Track non-responders: if someone doesn’t submit a match within e.g. 30 days, consider a gentle reminder.
Report transparently: once matching funds arrive, send a matching gift “thank you / confirmation” to the donor, showing that their match was received and put to work.
Curate a matching gift FAQ page on your website and link to it in your receipt (and future emails).
Analyze and iterate: monitor which employers are the most frequent matches, which donors take up matching, and adjust outreach accordingly.

Final Thoughts

Matched giving is one of those “low-hanging fruit” strategies in philanthropic fundraising: the infrastructure is often already there in many companies, but many donors and nonprofits just don’t make full use of it.

By systematically coupling your “Better Giving” receipts with a matching gift prompt and support plan, you can unlock additional revenue, enhance donor satisfaction, and build momentum for future giving cycles.

Why Employer Matched Giving Is a Smart “Better Giving” Route