The Best Matching Gift Software for Nonprofits and Schools

The Best Matching Gift Software for Nonprofits and Schools

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The matching gift opportunity represents a massive source of untapped funding for charitable organizations, yet billions of dollars remain unclaimed annually. Implementing the right matching gift software allows nonprofits and schools to automate the identification of eligible donors and streamline the submission process, ensuring no corporate revenue is left on the table.

Our guide includes everything you need to know about matching gift software to set your organization up for fundraising success. We’ll cover:

Choosing the right technology is the single most important step in modernizing your corporate fundraising strategy and achieving (and surpassing) your revenue goals. Dive into the current landscape of matching gift software to help your team make an informed decision that maximizes your impact.

Let’s begin with the basics!

What Is Matching Gift Software?

Matching gift software is a specialized workplace fundraising tool designed to empower nonprofits and schools to secure more revenue from corporate donation-matching programs. While many fundraisers are familiar with the concept of matching gifts, the administrative burden of tracking thousands of different company policies often prevents these programs from reaching their full potential.

Luckily, the right software serves as a bridge among your organization, your donors, and corporations that want to support your mission.

There are generally two primary types of matching gift software solutions for nonprofits and schools:

  1. The first is a company database. This is a comprehensive repository of corporate giving guidelines, including minimum and maximum gift amounts, match ratios, and submission deadlines for thousands of employers.
  2. The second is an automation solution. While a database provides the information, an automation tool ensures that donors actually see that information at the right time.

The most effective matching gift solutions integrate these functions into a single workflow. For example, when a donor enters their employer’s name into a search tool on your donation page, the software instantly pulls data from the database to show them exactly how to request a match. Then, if they don’t complete the match request, an email reminder will trigger to encourage those next steps.

Without support from this kind of software, donors are often left to navigate complex corporate portals on their own, resulting in frustration and high drop-off rates. To achieve the best results, look for a solution that combines a robust database with high-performance tracking and outreach tools.

How Does Matching Gift Software Support Nonprofits & Schools?

The true value of matching gift software extends far beyond just collecting corporate checks. When done well, it fundamentally changes how donors engage with your cause.

Research shows that 84% of survey participants are more likely to donate if a match is offered during the solicitation process. This means simply having matching gift software visible on your giving forms can increase the number of donations you ultimately receive.

Matching Gift Software Statistics

Implementing a dedicated solution offers several other transformative benefits for your fundraising strategy, too:

  • Increased gift sizes: 1 in 3 donors indicate they would give a larger base contribution if they knew a match was going to be applied to their gift.
  • Improved response rates: Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals increases response rates by 71% and the average donation amount by 51%.
  • Significant revenue growth: The average matched gift is 1.5-2X the size of the average unmatched gift, providing a massive boost to your organization’s bottom line.
  • Unrivaled supporter engagement: High-performing matching gift strategies can result in over 75% engagement, which is 5x the average rate for nonprofit communications.
  • Reduced administrative processing: Matching gift software streamlines the identification, follow-up, and verification processes. This reduces the effort that often bogs down development coordinators.
  • Reallocation to high-impact stewardship: By automating administrative tasks, software empowers your team to pivot its focus to high-value activities, such as cultivating relationships or launching new campaigns.
  • Data-driven insights: Instead of manually compiling spreadsheets, the right technology delivers instant reporting and analytics, enabling leadership to make strategic decisions based on real data.

The returns on these tools are substantial. When donors see that their $100 gift can yield $200 or even $300 in impact through their employer, they feel more inspired to get and stay involved. This results in deeper engagement and longer-term retention over time.

What Are the Best Matching Gift Software Solutions Available?

As the demand for corporate social responsibility grows, matching gift software is becoming an increasingly essential component of any nonprofit tech stack. But how can you choose the right provider for your organization’s needs? Let’s take a look at the two top platforms in the matching gift space today.

Double the Donation Matching

Double the Donation is widely considered the best matching gift software for nonprofits and schools. Why? It’s largely because of its industry-leading database and innovative automation.

The platform currently includes listings for over 24,000 companies (with more added nearly every day), spanning more than 26 million eligible employees. That’s an estimated 99.68% coverage for match-eligible donors! In other words, when a donor searches for their company, they’re almost certain to find accurate results.

Double the Donation Matching provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed to maximize efficiency and revenue:

  • Extensive corporate gift-matching database: Access the most accurate and up-to-date repository of corporate giving guidelines.
  • Automated email streams: Trigger personalized follow-ups based on donor eligibility to guide them through the submission process after they give.
  • Matching gift auto-submission: Allow qualifying donors to submit requests directly from your confirmation screen, removing the need for external portals.
  • Extensive integration network: Connect seamlessly with over 100 different fundraising systems, CRMs, and peer-to-peer platforms for a turnkey setup.
  • Actionable reporting: Track match requests from the initial search to the final disbursement with real-time data and donor engagement metrics.

A look at Double the Donation's Matching Gift Software

Not to mention, it also offers powerful solutions for raising funds through employee volunteering, payroll giving, sponsorships, and more. This empowers teams to make the most of every facet of corporate engagement.

Here’s what one online review says: “When it comes to growth and evolution, Double the Donation is the clear winner. This is the only platform that has demonstrated significant growth over the years, with many large organizations turning to its software to meet their database needs.”

HEPdata eMatch Tools

HEPdata is an alternative matching gift software provider that offers a suite of tools for donor lookup and automated follow-up. Their primary offerings include:

  • eMatch Donor Link, which provides donors and fundraisers with access to a gift-matching program database
  • eMatchPortal, which is designed to identify match-eligible donors and reach out to them post-donation via email

A look at HEPdata's Matching Gift Software

While HEPdata has been a long-standing name in the industry, its current technology has significant limitations. For example, its website states that it’s currently “working toward integrations” and is asking fundraising platforms to get in touch. This indicates that the platform does not currently offer the same level of turnkey partnerships as other leading providers. For those seeking out-of-the-box automated workflows, this can be a major drawback.

Furthermore, many organizations find HEPdata’s database to be outdated compared to other, more modern solutions. This often results in donors receiving broken links or inaccurate information, as companies update their program guidelines and submission processes. Plus, it’s been reported that the way the details are displayed is less than intuitive.

Here’s what one online review says: “HEPdata offers information that can be used by both donors and nonprofits. However, the way their database presents its information may be confusing for some who are unfamiliar with the process.”

How Do CSR Platforms Relate to Matching Gift Software?

To understand the full ecosystem of matching gift technology, it’s important to distinguish between:

  • The tools nonprofits use to simplify fundraising
  • And the tools corporations use to manage their programs

Corporations typically manage their matching gift programs through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platforms. These tools serve as technical intermediaries through which matching gift requests are processed and funds are disbursed.

How matching gift software and CSR vendors work together

However, most CSR platforms offer a free portal through which a nonprofit can register as an approved cause. This allows them to verify initial donations from supporters and reconcile funds upon receipt.

Here are some names you should know:

Benevity, CyberGrants, and YourCause are the platforms that currently manage the majority of enterprise-level corporate giving programs. When a donor submits a match request, the nonprofit is typically required to log in to the appropriate portal. From there, they must confirm that the initial donation was actually made before the company releases the matching funds.
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In recent years, additional CSR platforms such as Field Day, Givinga, Millie, Selflessly, and Uncommon Giving have entered the market. These solutions have partnered with nonprofit matching gift software like Double the Donation to enable groundbreaking auto-submission functionality. By connecting the donor-facing search tool directly to the corporate management portal, these tools streamline the request process. The result? A significant increase in the number of matching gifts that are ultimately received.

Next Steps: Building Your Matching Gift Software Toolkit

Investing in matching gift software is a strategic move to unlock a massive and sustainable revenue stream for your organization. By automating the identification and outreach processes, your team can focus on building relationships with major donors while the technology handles the brunt of the high-volume administrative workload.

And it truly is an investment. The ROI for these tools is often realized quickly. As the development manager at New Life Ranch noted, their nonprofit team saw a definitive increase in revenue almost immediately after implementation, stating that the software “already paid for itself in 6-8 weeks.”

To kick things off, take some time to evaluate your current fundraising toolkit. Prioritizing a matching gift solution with database and automation capabilities will ensure the best possible experience for your community. Not to mention, the highest revenue growth for your mission!

We recommend checking out Double the Donation’s standout matching gift software. Request a personalized demo to get started today!