Matching gifts are more than just a smart fundraising tactic. They’re a key motivator that can significantly increase donor engagement and generosity. When individuals know their gifts will be matched by their employers, they feel empowered, validated, and even excited about giving.

But what is it about matching gifts that makes people give more? In this post, we’ll dive into the psychology behind matching gifts, exploring the emotional and cognitive triggers that make this strategy so effective.

From the power of social proof to the satisfaction of doubling your impact, we’ll uncover the reasons donors are more likely to say “yes” when matching opportunities are on the table. And we’ll do so by walking through the following:

• Understanding Matching Gifts
• How Matching Increases Gift Conversion Rates
• Why Matching Drives Larger Donations
• How Matching Encourages Ongoing Engagement
• Using Psychology to Heighten Matched Giving: Top Tips

Ready to supercharge your fundraising efforts with the right matching gift ideas and strategies? Read on to find out how you can do so.

Understanding Matching Gifts

Matching gifts are one of the most powerful, and often underutilized, forms of corporate philanthropy. At their core, employee matching gift programs are a way for companies to support the charitable giving of their staff by doubling (or sometimes even tripling) the donations they make to eligible nonprofits.

Here’s how it works: when an employee donates to a nonprofit, they can submit a request to their employer to match the gift. If the nonprofit qualifies under the company’s guidelines, the employer sends an additional donation (typically dollar for dollar) to the same organization. Some companies even match donations made by spouses or retirees!

For nonprofits, matching gifts represent a huge opportunity to maximize fundraising without asking donors to give more. According to Double the Donation research, an estimated $4–$7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed each year. That’s often because donors are unaware of their employers’ programs or how to initiate the match.

How Matching Increases Gift Conversion Rates

Matching gifts don’t just boost donation totals. They also significantly increase conversion rates on fundraising appeals. When donors know an employer or a sponsor will match their gift, they’re more likely to take action, give generously, and complete their donations without fail.

At its core, matching gifts tap into a powerful psychological principle: impact amplification. When a donor sees that their $50 donation will become $100, the perceived value of their gift instantly doubles without requiring them to give more. This sense of increased impact makes the decision to donate more compelling and urgent.

Matching campaigns also introduce a sense of social proof and credibility. Donors often feel more confident contributing to a cause that has the backing of reputable companies like theirs, reinforcing the idea that their support is part of something bigger.

But don’t just take our word for it: the data backs this up, too. In fact, the aforementioned matching gift studies have shown that:

• 84% of survey participants indicate that they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
• Donation response rates increase by 71% when a matching gift is mentioned.

This means that simply highlighting a matching opportunity on your donation page, email appeal, or social media post can lead to a significant uptick in both participation and revenue. By making matching gifts a visible part of your fundraising message, you not only raise more but also convert more supporters into committed donors.

Why Matching Drives Larger Donations

Next up, one of the most compelling benefits of matching gift programs is their ability to encourage donors to give more than they originally planned. When donors know their contributions will be matched by their employers, they’re often inspired to increase the size of their gifts to maximize their impact.

Why? Matching gifts create a simple, persuasive value proposition: the more you give, the more is matched. For example, if a donor considers giving $50 but realizes that a $100 donation will result in a $200 total impact, they’re more likely to stretch their giving to the higher amount. This dynamic taps into a sense of generosity, urgency, and effectiveness, making people feel that their increased contributions are more meaningful and efficient.

Not to mention, a donor may recognize the availability of a matching gift so long as they reach their employer’s minimum threshold. For example, let’s say a donor was initially planning to give $20 but established that their company will match gifts of $25 or more. In many scenarios, the individual would increase their initial gift size⁠—or even follow up with an additional gift⁠—in order to hit the minimum amount.

The result? Research consistently shows that matching gift offers lead to higher average donation amounts:

• 1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.
• Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals increases the average donation amount by 51%.

Psychologically, matching provides positive reinforcement. Donors experience a greater sense of satisfaction knowing their generosity is being amplified and that they’re helping the organization in a bigger way without having to bear the full financial burden alone.

How Matching Encourages Ongoing Engagement

Matching gifts don’t just boost one-time donations—they also help build and grow long-term supporter relationships. By showing donors that their gifts are valued and amplified, matching gift programs can turn casual contributors into committed, repeat donors.

When a donor sees their employer stepping up to match their gift, it sends a powerful message: your support matters, and you’re not doing this alone. This reinforces a sense of community and shared purpose, which is a key driver of ongoing engagement. Donors feel more connected, not just to your organization but to a broader network of people and companies working toward the same goal.

This connection can lead to stronger emotional ties and increased loyalty. Donors who participate in matching gift programs are often more responsive to future appeals, especially when they see that your organization made it easy for them to multiply their impact the first time.

Matching gifts are also a great tool for reactivating lapsed donors. A compelling match offer can reignite interest by providing an added incentive to give again.

Using Psychology to Heighten Matched Giving: Top Tips

Successful fundraising isn’t just about asking for donations (or matches). It’s about understanding the motivations behind why people give.

By applying basic principles of psychology, nonprofits like yours can craft more compelling appeals that resonate emotionally, build trust, and ultimately lead to higher and more frequent contributions⁠ and matches.

Here’s how you can do so:

1. Leverage social proof.

Social proof is a psychological phenomenon that taps into our natural tendency to follow the behavior of others, especially in moments of uncertainty. In order to incorporate social proof into your matching gift strategy, we recommend:

• Featuring recent donor names (with permission) or anonymous tags like “A donor in Chicago just gave $50 that was matched by the Home Depot!”
• Including testimonials from donors who used matching programs: “I was thrilled to see that my company doubled my gift for a cause I care about!”
• Implementing counters or progress bars that show how many donors have given or how much has been matched so far.

In other words, when donors see that people like them are supporting your cause and taking advantage of matching gift opportunities, they’re more likely to do the same.

2. Mention matching before donors give.

For the best results, you’ll want to lead with matching gift language in your appeals and donation pages before donors give rather than first introducing the idea after the transaction.

Here’s how you can do so effectively:

• Include clear match offers in subject lines and headlines: “Your Gift, Doubled!”
• Make matching language visible above your donation form—not buried in a post-donation follow-up.
• Use bold, action-oriented phrases like “Double Your Impact Instantly” or “Activate a 2X Match Now.”
• Implement matching gift upsells to encourage larger, match-eligible donations as donors give.

All in all, supporters are more likely to give when they know ahead of time that their donations will be matched. Presenting the match opportunity prior to the donation decision increases motivation and urgency, ultimately driving more qualifying gifts.

3. Focus on increased impact.

Matching gifts can go a long way in increasing the impact of donations. For the best results, try framing matching in terms of the greater outcomes it makes possible.

Here’s how you can do so:

• Replace generic appeals with mission-driven language: “Your $50 becomes $100—enough to feed a family for two weeks.”
• Reinforce impact with concrete goals: “We need just 25 more matched gifts to fund an entire classroom.”
• Use visuals or infographics to illustrate the multiplier effect of matching gifts.

Rather than just saying a gift is doubled, demonstrate to donors what their increased impact accomplishes. This engages their emotions and makes the giving experience more rewarding.

4. Celebrate successful matches.

Matching gifts, like donations, shouldn’t be a one-time thing. Ideally, each time your match-eligible supporters contribute to your cause, you’ll want them to complete the match request process.

Therefore, thank donors enthusiastically⁠, and highlight the collective achievement of match milestones to communicate impact and celebrate matching gift success. This includes:

• Sending personalized thank-you emails that mention the match: “Thanks to your generosity, and your company’s match, your $100 just became $200!”
• Posting public match updates on social media or in newsletters: “Together, we raised more than $25K from matched donations—thank you!”
• Organizing shoutouts or honor rolls for matched donors (with permission), reinforcing social proof and gratitude.

All in all, acknowledging and celebrating successful matching gifts reinforces positive feelings and increases the likelihood of future giving. It also signals transparency and appreciation, keeping donors involved in giving and matching for the time to come.

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Final Thoughts & Further Reading

Understanding the psychology behind matching gifts can help nonprofits not only increase revenue but also build deeper, more meaningful connections with donors. By tapping into human instincts like reciprocity, social influence, and urgency, you can inspire supporters to act and to give more generously.

When matching gifts are positioned effectively, they don’t just boost donations. They increase donor satisfaction and long-term engagement. Ready to harness the power of psychology in your next campaign? Matching gifts may be your smartest play yet.

To learn more about corporate gift-matching and beyond, we strongly encourage you to check out the following resources:

• Double the Donation’s Matching Case Studies. Learn how other organizations are benefiting from matching gifts! Explore case studies from the industry-leading matching gift provider.
• Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics. Matching gift statistics can go a long way in understanding and communicating the value of matching gifts. Check out key findings here!
• Trends in Corporate Philanthropy: How to Tap In. As matching gifts continue to grow, the corporate philanthropy landscape is shifting. Check out key trends and strategies to know.

Let’s face it: matching gifts have massive potential. Still, turning that potential into consistent, long-term success requires more than just a few one-off campaigns or occasional reminders. If you want to truly maximize your revenue, you need a matching gift strategy that’s sustainable, scalable, and integrated into the core of your fundraising efforts.

That’s where we come in. This post is your no-fluff guide to building a matching gift program that doesn’t just work today but keeps working for you year after year.

We’ll cover:

• Starting With a Solid Matching Gifts Foundation
• Securing Leadership Buy-In for Matching Gifts
• Acquiring Team Member Buy-In for Matching Gifts
• Integrating Matching Into Your Existing Tech Stack
• Automating As Much of the Process as Possible
• Educating and Engaging Your Audience
• Ensuring Your Strategy is Scalable for Long-Term Success

By focusing on long-term infrastructure instead of short-term wins, your organization can unlock the full potential of matching gifts without overwhelming your team. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to strengthen your existing approach, the following sections will walk you through each building block of a sustainable matching gift strategy.

Let’s start at the foundation: making sure you have the right systems, data, and tools in place to support lasting success.

Starting With a Solid Matching Gifts Foundation

Before you can build a thriving, long-term matching gift strategy, it’s crucial to begin with a solid foundation. Matching gifts are a powerful form of corporate philanthropy, but to unlock their full potential, your organization needs clear internal processes, strong data hygiene, and a commitment to education, both for your team and your donors.

Here’s what you can do to get started.

Understand the Basics of Matching Gifts

A matching gift is a donation made by a company to match an employee’s charitable contribution, often dollar for dollar. Many companies offer matching gifts, but if your organization doesn’t have a system to identify eligible donors or promote these opportunities, you could be leaving significant funding on the table.

The first step is making sure everyone on your team understands what matching gifts are and why they matter.

Discover everything you need to know about corporate matching! Access Double the Donation’s Ultimate Guide to Matching Gifts today.

Audit Your Current Process

Do you have a system in place to track matching gift opportunities? Are your donation forms optimized to collect employment information?

Take time to audit your current donor journey and identify where matching gift conversations can be naturally inserted—whether that’s through confirmation pages, follow-up emails, or annual campaigns.

Invest in the Right Tools

Technology plays a key role in establishing a strong matching gift foundation. Consider investing in a matching gift automation platform to help identify match-eligible donors, trigger personalized follow-ups, and even submit matching gift requests on behalf of donors.

By taking time to build this foundation, you set your organization up for long-term success. A sustainable matching gift strategy starts with structure—once that’s in place, scaling becomes far more achievable.

Securing Leadership Buy-In for Matching Gifts

One of the most critical—and often overlooked—steps in creating a sustainable matching gift strategy is securing leadership buy-in. Without the support of your executive team, it’s difficult to allocate resources, implement necessary tools, or build a culture that values and promotes matching gifts.

Here’s how to get your leadership on board⁠—and why it matters.

Make the Business Case

Start by framing matching gifts as a strategic opportunity. Matching gifts are essentially “free money” that can significantly increase individual donations with minimal extra effort.

Share data on how much funding your organization may be missing out on, and highlight how even a small investment in tools or staff time can yield a strong return. Metrics speak volumes—especially to decision-makers focused on ROI.

Align With Organizational Goals

Connect matching gift opportunities to your broader development strategy. Whether your organization is focused on diversifying revenue, increasing donor retention, or deepening corporate partnerships, matching gifts can support those goals.

Demonstrate how a strong matching gift program enhances donor engagement and provides new entry points for corporate relationships.

Share Success Stories

Real-world examples help make the concept tangible. If your organization (or a like-minded peer) has seen strong results from matching gifts, showcase those outcomes. Illustrate how a focused effort led to increased revenue, greater donor satisfaction, or a stronger culture of philanthropy.

Success stories help leadership visualize what’s possible.

Position It as a Scalable Solution

Emphasize the sustainability and scalability of matching gifts. Unlike some fundraising strategies that require ongoing, high-touch efforts, a well-built matching gift program can be largely automated. Once systems and messaging are in place, the program can grow with a relatively low lift, making it a smart, long-term investment.

Ask for Specific Support

Leadership buy-in is more than passive agreement; it’s an active endorsement. Clearly articulate what you need from leadership: a budget for software, cross-departmental collaboration, or space in strategic planning conversations. The more specific your ask, the easier it is for leadership to say yes and champion the effort.

With leadership aligned and invested, your matching gift strategy can gain real traction. Their support can unlock funding, drive internal enthusiasm, and help embed matching gifts into the fabric of your fundraising operations.

Acquiring Team Member Buy-In for Matching Gifts

While leadership support sets the tone, your matching gift strategy truly comes to life through the rest of your team. Whether it’s frontline fundraisers, marketing staff, database managers, or volunteers, everyone has a role to play in identifying and encouraging matching gift opportunities.

That’s why acquiring team member buy-in is essential for long-term success. Here are a few things you can do to help!

Explain the “Why” Behind Matching Gifts

Start by helping your team understand the impact matching gifts can have—not just in terms of revenue but in donor engagement and stewardship. When team members grasp that matching gifts can double donations without asking donors for more money, they’re much more likely to prioritize them in their day-to-day work.

Connect Matching Gifts to Their Roles

Each team interacts with donors in different ways. Fundraisers can ask about employer giving during donor conversations. Communications staff can weave reminders into email campaigns and newsletters. Data managers can track employer info in your CRM.

When team members see how matching gifts align with their specific responsibilities, they’re more likely to take ownership.

Provide Tools and Talking Points

Equip your team with simple, repeatable resources. Provide email templates, call scripts, FAQs, and access to matching gift lookup tools. The goal is to remove the guesswork and make it as easy as possible for anyone on your team to mention matching gifts confidently and consistently.

Celebrate Early Wins

Recognition goes a long way. When a team member helps a donor secure a matching gift, celebrate it—publicly if possible. Highlighting these small victories reinforces the behavior and shows that their efforts are making a real difference. Consider tracking and sharing metrics, like total match revenue or number of matching gift submissions, to keep momentum going.

Make It Part of Your Culture

Ultimately, matching gifts should be embedded into your organization’s fundraising culture, not treated as an afterthought. Add matching gift education to new staff onboarding, include it in campaign planning checklists, and bring it up in regular team meetings. The more familiar and routine it becomes, the more naturally it will be integrated into daily work.

With team-wide buy-in, your matching gift strategy gains the consistency and enthusiasm it needs to grow. When everyone sees themselves as part of the effort, matching gifts become a shared opportunity rather than a siloed task.

Integrating Matching Into Your Existing Tech Stack

One of the most innovative ways to scale your matching gift efforts is by integrating them directly into the tools you’re already using. From donation forms to CRMs to peer-to-peer platforms, embedding matching gift functionality across your tech stack ensures that you’re identifying more match-eligible donors and automating the follow-up process—without adding manual work.

Choose the Right Matching Gift Tool

Not all matching gift platforms are created equal. When evaluating tools, prioritize those that integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, especially your donation platform, CRM, and peer-to-peer fundraising software.

Connect the Platform to Your Donation Forms

Your donation form is a high-traffic, high-intent touchpoint, making it a prime location for capturing employer information and prompting donors to check their matching gift eligibility. Look for tools that embed directly into your form and offer real-time search capabilities so donors can take action without leaving the page.

Sync With Your CRM

Integrating matching gift tools with your CRM ensures that donor data stays centralized and actionable. With matching gift status, employer information, and submission progress tracked in your CRM, your team can personalize outreach, report on results, and avoid duplicate efforts. It also opens the door to automated follow-ups and smarter segmentation.

Don’t Overlook Peer-to-Peer and Event Fundraising

Peer-to-peer campaigns, DIY fundraisers, and events are often missed opportunities for matching gifts. Integrating matching capabilities into your peer-to-peer and other event software allows you to prompt both donors and fundraisers to check for match eligibility, turning every participant into a potential matching gift multiplier.

By making matching gifts a natural part of your digital infrastructure, you’ll create a system that scales with your organization. The easier you make it for donors to complete the match process—and for your team to manage it—the more sustainable and impactful your strategy will become.

Automating As Much of the Process as Possible

A sustainable matching gift strategy isn’t just about promotion—it’s about efficiency. The more you can automate, the more you can scale without adding strain to your team.

From collecting employment information to screening for eligibility and sending timely follow-ups, automation is the key to turning matching gifts from a manual lift into a streamlined revenue generator.

For the best results, here’s what you should consider automating:

The Collection of Donor Employment Information

The first (and often most overlooked) step in the matching gift process is capturing employer data. By embedding an employer search field or dropdown in your online donation forms, you can gather this information directly at the point of giving.

Look for matching gift tools that offer autocomplete search functionality and real-time employer database connections to make this step quick and seamless for donors.

Matching Gift Eligibility Screening

Once you have employment data, the next step is determining whether a donor’s employer offers a matching gift program. Matching gift software can instantly screen employers against a vast corporate database, flagging match-eligible donors as soon as they give. This eliminates the need for manual research and ensures you don’t miss opportunities.

Personalized Follow-Up Outreach

Timing matters when it comes to encouraging donors to complete the match process. Automated follow-up emails, sent within hours or days of the original gift, can prompt donors to take the next step while the donation is still top of mind. Advanced platforms even allow you to personalize these emails with the donor’s employer name, matching gift instructions, and direct links to their company’s submission portal.

Tracking of Submission Status and Outcomes

Some tools can go a step further by tracking the status of matching gift submissions in real time. This allows your team to see which matches are in progress, completed, or need a nudge, without having to manually follow up. This visibility improves reporting accuracy, forecasts incoming revenue, and ensures no potential match falls through the cracks.

All in all, automating these key parts of the process frees your team to focus on higher-value activities, like building relationships, securing major gifts, or developing corporate partnerships. Instead of chasing down donor information or manually sending emails, your staff can work smarter, not harder.

Educating and Engaging Your Audience

Even the most robust matching gift program won’t succeed if your donors don’t know about it or don’t understand how to take advantage of it. That’s why ongoing education and engagement are essential.

By consistently promoting matching gift opportunities across your communication channels, you empower more donors to double their impact with minimal effort. Here’s how you can do so!

Make It a Core Message

Don’t treat matching gifts as a side note—make them part of your core donor messaging. From your website and donation forms to email newsletters and annual reports, regularly remind donors that their employers may match their contributions.

Use Clear, Simple Language

Avoid jargon and keep it straightforward. Many donors have never heard of matching gifts before, so your messaging should emphasize how easy it is: “Did you know your gift could be doubled by your employer at no extra cost to you?”

Simple, benefit-focused language helps demystify the process and encourages participation.

Add Visibility Across Multiple Channels

Promote matching gifts wherever donors engage with you. For the best results, this should include a combination of:

• Donation appeals that showcase matching gifts as a powerful way to double a donation’s initial impact.
• Thank-you emails with employer search tools or direct links to matching gift info.
• Social media posts highlighting matching gift success stories or company partners.
• Website pages dedicated to explaining the matching process and how users can check their eligibility.
• Printed materials like direct mail and event signage, especially for donor-centric campaigns.

The bottom line is this: the more often a donor sees information about matching gift opportunities, the more likely they are to act on it when the time comes.

Share Stories and Results

Donors are more likely to engage when they see real impact. Share testimonials from donors who successfully submitted matching gifts or show how matched donations helped fund a specific project.

Real-life examples create trust and demonstrate that the effort is worth it for a match.

Make the Process Easy

The more friction you remove from the process, the more likely donors will complete a match. Include step-by-step instructions, a searchable employer database, and support contact information for the best results.

After all, a donor may want to submit a match but get stuck—your job is to make sure they don’t give up.

By making matching gifts a consistent and compelling part of your donor engagement strategy, you’ll unlock more funding, deepen donor loyalty, and reinforce the idea that every gift, no matter the size, can go even further.

Ensuring Your Strategy is Scalable for Long-Term Success

Creating a matching gift program that works today is important, but building one that can grow with your organization is what ultimately sets you up for long-term success. A scalable strategy allows you to expand your reach, increase your revenue, and adapt to evolving donor behavior without constantly reinventing the wheel.

Check out these tips to do so:

Lean on Data and Reporting

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Use your CRM and matching gift tools to track key metrics like match-eligible donors, follow-up rates, match completions, and revenue generated.

Establish regular reporting routines so you can identify trends, spot gaps, and continue to refine your strategy over time.

Future-Proof Your Tech Stack

Choose tools and platforms that can grow with you. Whether it’s a CRM that supports deeper automation or a matching gift plugin that integrates with peer-to-peer fundraising and events, your tech should be flexible enough to support expansion without requiring major overhauls down the line.

Keep Donor Experience Front and Center

As you scale, never lose sight of the donor journey. A scalable program should still feel personal and easy to navigate.

Continue to test messaging, optimize your touchpoints, and gather donor feedback to ensure the matching gift experience remains frictionless as your volume grows.

Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration

Sustainable success depends on collaboration across departments—development, marketing, IT, and leadership. Make matching gifts part of organization-wide planning, campaigns, and conversations. When everyone understands how they contribute to the program’s growth, scalability becomes a shared goal.

Revisit and Refresh Regularly

Scalability isn’t a “set-it-and-forget-it” exercise. Periodically assess your strategy to ensure it’s keeping pace with new opportunities, technologies, and donor expectations. A regular review cycle helps you stay agile and ready for whatever comes next.

By laying the groundwork for scale, you position your matching gift strategy not just as a short-term revenue boost but as a lasting tool for fundraising growth. With the right systems, tools, and mindset, your organization can continue to capture more matching gift dollars year after year.

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Final Thoughts & Further Reading

Matching gifts aren’t just an add-on; they’re a powerful part of a well-rounded fundraising strategy when treated with intention. By laying the groundwork now, you’ll create a program that delivers real impact for your team, your donors, and your mission.

Sustainability in matching gift fundraising isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing things smarter and more consistently. With the right infrastructure, automation, and internal alignment, you can build a program that grows over time and deepens your relationship with donors.

Ready to commit to a matching gift strategy that lasts? The long-term payoff is well worth the effort.

Keep learning! Check out these additional recommended resources to grow your knowledge on matching gifts, corporate giving, and more:

• Free Download: Improve the Donor Journey with Matching Gifts. Incorporating matching gifts throughout supporter touchpoints can go a long way. Find out how you can build a sustainable strategy throughout the donor journey here!
• Consolidating Corporate Giving Across Your Nonprofit Team. One of the best ways to increase your matching gift efforts involves consolidating the process across your team. Learn how you can do so with the insights in this guide.
• Top 20+ Matching Gift Companies: Leaders in Corporate Giving. Not sure where to get started? See if your donors work for the particularly generous employers in this company compilation.

Matching gifts are one of the most powerful ways to increase fundraising revenue, yet many organizations leave this money on the table due to outdated, manual processes. The result? Every year, an estimated $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed simply because donors don’t realize their employers offer them, or nonprofits lack the tools to follow up. 

That’s where automation comes in. Nonprofits of all sizes are now turning to technology to streamline the matching gift process: from identifying match-eligible donors to automating follow-ups and tracking outcomes.

In this post, we’ll explore how automation is helping nonprofits close the gap and unlock more of this untapped funding potential. Specifically, we’ll cover:

• What is matching gift automation?
• Benefits of using automation for matching gifts
• How nonprofits are using matching gift automation in practice
• 3 leading organizations raising more with automation
• Choosing the right matching gift automation tool

Whether you’re part of a large development team or a one-person shop, smart automation can help you maximize every donation⁠, not to mention strengthen relationships with your supporters.

By the end of this post, you should have a clearer understanding of how automation works, why it matters, and how your organization can start capturing more matching gifts with less manual effort. Let’s dive in.

What is matching gift automation?

Matching gift automation can be generally defined as the use of technology to streamline and simplify the process of identifying, tracking, and securing employer matching gifts.

Traditionally, nonprofits have relied on largely manual matching gift methods, like asking donors to check with their HR departments or sending generic follow-up emails to encourage match submissions. These approaches are often time-consuming and ineffective, especially when donor data is incomplete or organizations lack the capacity to keep in touch consistently.

With automation, that process becomes much easier and more efficient. Matching gift automation tools can integrate directly with a nonprofit’s donation forms, CRMs, or other tools to identify and follow up with donors who work for companies with matching gift programs. Once a donation is made, these tools can:

• Instantly notify donors if they are likely match-eligible
• Provide direct links to their employer’s matching gift request forms
• Send automated follow-up emails with personalized instructions
• Track the status of match requests and completed matches

Some of the most widely used platforms—like Double the Donation and HEPdata—offer features that make it nearly effortless for nonprofits to capture more matching gift revenue while improving the donor experience.

Benefits of using automation for matching gifts

Matching gift automation offers numerous benefits to the organizations that adopt it. Here are some of the key advantages nonprofits tend to see when they get started with automation:

Increased Fundraising Revenue

The most obvious—and impactful—benefit is increased revenue. Automation helps identify more match-eligible donors in real time and nudges them to take action with timely reminders and direct links to their employer’s matching gift forms. When the process is this easy, more donors follow through, resulting in more matching gift dollars.

Time Savings for Staff

Without automation, staff may spend hours manually checking eligibility, sending follow-up emails, and tracking gift statuses. Automation eliminates much of that work, freeing up your team to focus on higher-level strategies like donor stewardship and campaign planning.

Better Donor Experience

Donors are more likely to complete a match when the process is simple and convenient. Matching gift automation tools can display company-specific instructions immediately after a donation is made, and follow up with helpful, personalized emails, making it easy for supporters to take the next step.

Real-Time Insights and Tracking

With automation platforms, nonprofits gain access to dashboards and reports that show how many donors are match-eligible, which companies are matching, and the status of each submission. These insights help organizations refine their strategy and report on matching gift impact more effectively.

How nonprofits are using matching gift automation in practice

As you can see, matching gift automation goes beyond just saving time. It actively drives more revenue by helping nonprofits engage donors more effectively at every stage of the donation process.

Here’s how organizations are putting automation into action with matching gifts:

Identifying Match-Eligible Gifts

One of the most powerful aspects of automation is real-time identification. As donors fill out an online donation form, matching gift software can detect where they work, usually through a simple employer search field or some form of email domain screening.

The system then instantly checks the donor’s employer against a database of known matching gift companies and determines whether the individual qualifies for a matching gift. That immediate insight then helps organizations personalize follow-up messaging and avoid missing out on valuable matches.

Triggering Post-Donation Follow-Ups

After the gift is made, automation tools can kick in to send timely, personalized emails to match-eligible donors. These configurable email follow-ups often include:

• Confirmation of employer match eligibility
• Direct links to the donor’s company’s submission portal or forms
• Step-by-step instructions to complete the match
• Gentle reminders over the days or weeks following the donation

Because these messages are triggered automatically, nonprofits can engage each eligible donor in real time⁠, all without lifting a finger.

Empowering Matching Gift Auto-Submissions

Some automation platforms (i.e., Double the Donation) go a step further by enabling auto-submission. This feature allows donors to complete the matching gift process directly from the nonprofit’s donation page, without having to navigate away or fill out additional forms later.

In terms of matching gift automation, auto-submission is a game-changer. For donors whose employers are enrolled in supported platforms, the entire process can take just a few clicks. This removes friction and makes it far more likely that the match will be submitted and approved.

3 leading organizations raising more with automation

Many organizations are already seeing significant returns from adopting matching gift automation. From major universities to veteran organizations and community radio stations, here’s how three nonprofit causes are using tools like Double the Donation to raise more with less effort:

University of Delaware

The University of Delaware needed a way to reduce the administrative burden of managing matching gifts while still maximizing the revenue potential. Before automation, the team spent significant time manually identifying match-eligible donors, sending reminder emails, and processing submissions.

Since implementing Double the Donation, the university has automated much of this workflow, and the results have been transformational.

“The most valuable aspect of Double the Donation is the time and effort that we save by having DTD send emails automatically. DTD eliminates the manual processes for mailings and emails to donors, enables us to anticipate incoming matching gifts more accurately, and lets us track the matching gifts we have received.”

Now, the team can focus more on donor engagement and strategic planning while letting automation handle the repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Better yet, they have real-time visibility into expected and received matches, allowing for more accurate forecasting.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

For the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, matching gifts were a promising but underutilized revenue stream. The organization needed a solution that could both encourage donors to submit matches and make the process easier for them.

After adopting Double the Donation, they quickly saw the power of an integrated, user-friendly platform.

“Double the Donation has been a great resource for our organization! Integrating their platform was seamless, and the entire process was incredibly user-friendly. The tools and automated emails they provide have significantly boosted our matching gift revenue, making it much easier for donors to maximize their impact.”

By embedding the matching gift experience directly into the donation process and following up with helpful, automated reminders, the organization saw a noticeable increase in match completions. Automation didn’t just raise more money—it improved the donor experience and deepened engagement.

WMNF

WMNF, a community radio station in Florida, needed a solution that was easy to implement and would provide immediate value. Like many smaller nonprofits, the team didn’t have time to manually track donor employment information or send personalized match reminders.

That’s why automation was a perfect fit.

“Very easy set up and user interface. Sales and onboarding staff were very pleasant and helpful to work with. You get website widgets, integration with your donation checkout form, marketing materials, and email auto responders instructing and encouraging donors through the process. Great automated solution for nonprofits.”

WMNF now uses Double the Donation’s website plugin and automated email follow-ups to guide donors through the matching gift process. With automation fully integrated into their donation forms, they’re capturing more corporate gift opportunities without burdening their small team.

Looking for even more matching gift success stories? Check out Double the Donation’s case study compilation here.

Choosing the right matching gift automation tool

When it comes to unlocking matching gift revenue, automation is a powerful ally—but not all tools are created equal. Choosing the right matching gift automation platform can make the difference between a streamlined, revenue-boosting process and a system that creates more work than it saves.

Here are a few key factors to consider when evaluating your options:

Ease of Integration

The best automation tools plug seamlessly into your existing systems—whether you’re using a donation form, CRM, or peer-to-peer fundraising platform (or a combination of all three). Look for tools that offer easy, no-code integrations so your team isn’t stuck in a long implementation process.

Currently, Double the Donation stands out in this area, offering the industry’s most extensive list of integrations with over 90 fundraising platforms and CRMs. This broad compatibility ensures a smoother setup and less back-and-forth with your tech team.

User Experience—for Donors and Staff

Automation should simplify the matching gift process for everyone involved. That means intuitive donation form widgets, personalized follow-up emails, and user-friendly dashboards for your team.

Double the Donation’s interface is modern, clean, and designed with both the donor and fundraiser in mind. Donors receive employer-specific instructions immediately after giving, while staff can easily track match-eligible gifts and submission statuses in one place.

HEPdata also offers employer search and matching gift functionality, but the user experience tends to be less intuitive and often requires more manual intervention.

Customer Support and Onboarding

No matter how powerful a tool is, responsive support and onboarding can make or break the experience. For the best results, you’ll want a partner who understands the nonprofit space and is committed to your success.

Many organizations report positive experiences with Double the Donation’s onboarding team, highlighting their helpful, hands-on approach to setup and training. Their team also provides a robust library of marketing templates and other resources to help you promote matching gifts effectively year-round.

Scalability and Reporting

As your program grows, your tool should grow with you. Look for platforms that offer detailed analytics, custom reporting, and scalable workflows that support a growing donor base.

With customizable dashboards and real-time tracking, Double the Donation makes it easy to see which gifts are eligible, submitted, or matched—so you can report on ROI and optimize your outreach over time.

While there are a few tools in the market, Double the Donation consistently stands out as the top choice for nonprofits looking to increase matching gift revenue with minimal effort. Its deep integrations, donor-friendly experience, and cutting-edge features make it a favorite among fundraising professionals like yourself.

So take time to evaluate your needs, and don’t be afraid to ask for a demo to see various platforms in action. With the right tools in place, you’ll be well on your way to capturing more matching gifts and maximizing the value of every donation.

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Wrapping up & additional matching gift automation resources

Matching gifts represent a massive opportunity for nonprofits. However, without automation, they’re easy to overlook. By integrating smart tools into their fundraising workflows, organizations can identify more eligible donors, simplify the match process, and boost revenue with minimal extra effort.

Whether you’re just getting started or looking to improve your current approach, adopting automation can transform how your nonprofit captures matching gifts. Now is the time to modernize your strategy and make sure no match goes unclaimed.

Ready to learn more about matching gift automation and beyond? Check out these additional recommended resources:

• Free Download: The Ultimate Guide to Matching Gifts. New to matching gifts or looking to sharpen your strategy? This comprehensive guide covers everything nonprofits need to know, from how matching gifts work to tips for promoting them year-round.
• Top 20+ Matching Gift Companies: Leaders in Corporate Giving. Discover which companies are leading the way in employee giving. This list highlights major employers with generous matching gift programs, plus insights into their eligibility rules and match caps.
• Matching Gift Automation: What 11 Nonprofits Have to Say. Wondering how automation performs in the real world? Hear directly from several nonprofits using matching gift automation tools to save time, boost revenue, and improve donor engagement.