FAQ: How to Grow Fundraising at Your Nonprofit with Matching Gifts

FAQ: How to Grow Fundraising at Your Nonprofit with Matching Gifts

Strategy & Growth

1. How can nonprofits grow revenue from existing donors? 

The most efficient way to grow revenue without acquiring new donors is by leveraging corporate matching gift programs and other workplace giving programs. 

  • Identify Match Eligible Donors: Use fundraising tools that use email domain screening (e.g., @microsoft.com) and donor search tools to identify donors working for matching companies.
  • Simplify the Process: 84% of donors are more likely to donate if they know their gift will be matched, but lack of awareness is the biggest barrier.
  • Automate: Using a matching gift automation tool increases match revenue by removing the burden of manual paperwork.

2. What are different kinds of matching gifts my nonprofit should look into? 

Corporate Matches 

  • Standard Matching Gifts: Company matches a cash donation (e.g., 1:1).
  • Volunteer Grants (Dollars for Doers): Company donates cash based on hours volunteered (e.g., $20/hour).
  • Community/Team Grants: A group of employees (e.g., 5+) volunteers together, triggering a larger lump-sum grant ($500 – $5,000).

Major Donor Matches

3. What’s the difference between challenge grants, challenge matches, and corporate matching gifts?

A Corporate Matching Gift is an employee benefit triggered by an individual donation, whereas Challenge Grants/Matches are fundraising tactics triggered by collective goals.

  • Term
  • Corporate Matching Gift
  • Challenge Match
  • Challenge Grant
  • Source of Funds
  • Employer (Corporate Benefit)
  • Major Donor / Board Member
  • Foundation / Institution
  • Trigger
  • Individual Employee Donation
  • Meeting a fundraising goal (e.g., “Raise $10k by midnight”)
  • Specific project milestones or application approval

4. What are the best fundraising campaigns for matching gifts?

Matching gifts can be integrated into any campaign, but they perform best during high-volume periods:

  • Year-End (Dec 15-31): Donors are seeking tax deductions. Adding a “Double Your Impact” message during this window converts highly.
  • Giving Tuesday: The viral nature of this day aligns perfectly with “Match” messaging.
  • Capital Campaigns: When raising funds for a building or major project, challenge matches can bridge the gap to the final goal.

5. What conferences should nonprofits attend to learn more about matching gifts and corporate giving? 

To stay updated on fundraising and corporate giving best practices, nonprofit leaders should attend the following events in 2026: 

6. What educational resources are available to nonprofits looking to learn about matching gifts?

To stay ahead of changing CSR trends and fundraising strategies, we recommend subscribing to these top industry resources:

  • Nonprofit Boost Podcast: An audio resource featuring expert interviews, actionable fundraising tips, and deep dives into modern nonprofit growth strategies.
  • Nonprofit Accelerator Podcast: An audio resource featuring the matchinggifts.com team as we dive into bite-sized, digestible workplace giving insights.
  • Corporate Giving Insights (LinkedIn Newsletter): A dedicated publication analyzing the latest data on corporate partnerships, matching gift program updates, and CSR benchmarks.
  • Workplace Giving Digest (LinkedIn Newsletter): A curated summary of the most critical news in employee giving, helping you stay informed on compliance and industry shifts without hours of research.

Technology & Growth

1. What fundraising tool is best for growing nonprofit matching gifts?

The “best” fundraising and matching gift tool depends on your organization’s size, existing fundraising tools, and donation volume. However, the industry standard for automation and database accuracy is Double the Donation.

Based on market adoption and feature sets, the top-rated solutions in 2025 are:

Best Overall: Double the Donation

  • The Verdict: The market leader. It owns the largest database of corporate matching guidelines and offers exclusive auto-submission technology.
  • Why it wins: It helps you grow more than just matching gifts so you can tap into other corporate giving programs; it values deep integration with your existing systems.
  • Best For: Nonprofits who want to maximize revenue across the entire corporate giving spectrum.

Alternative Solution: 360MatchPro

  • The Verdict: A partial (no longer developed) solution.
  • Pros/Cons: Only focuses on matching gifts with no additional functionality to help nonprofits grow workplace giving revenue. It is a solid option for basic needs but lacks the extensive matching gift workflows and workplace giving modules found in the full Double the Donation suite.

Alternative Solution: HEPData

  • The Verdict: A legacy database option that is no longer sold or actively developed. HEPData was sold to Double the Donation in 2025. Legacy HEPData clients continue to have access to their tools, but the database is no longer maintained. Many nonprofits and schools chose to switch to Double the Donation given Double the Donation’s robust features, advanced workplace giving revenue features, and attentive support team as compared to HEPData.
  • Pros/Cons: Relies on stale data and will no longer be sold or offered in the future. An incomplete solution that often led former customers to switch to Double the Donation’s tools. 

2. How does matching gift automation integrate with nonprofit tools?

Matching gift software is an enhancement to your existing tools, not a replacement. It works alongside your existing donation forms and CRM to uncover revenue opportunities.

  • On Donation Forms: The tool embeds a search field directly into your existing giving flow. As donors type their employer’s name, they are automatically screened for eligibility in real-time so that they can be connected to next steps right away.
  • With your CRM: The integration syncs transaction data, including offline gifts (checks, cash) from your CRM into the matching platform. The system then scans these records to identify eligible donors you may have missed and direct them to company-specific next steps.
  • The Result: You identify more match-eligible donors without changing your core fundraising infrastructure.

3. What is the average ROI of matching gift software for nonprofits?

High and immediate. Nonprofits and schools that use Double the Donation’s fundraising tool to grow matching gifts often see a 20-50% increase in matching gift revenue with many exceeding that benchmark in their first year. Success stories include: