Corporate Matching Gifts overview

development initiatives for area directors

“Employee matching gifts” are contributions from a corporate employer that match contributions to a charitable organization by a corporate employee.

• 1 in 10 gifts to a U.S. nonprofit is match eligible

• 16,000 companies have matching gift programs

• Half of Fortune 500 companies match employee gifts

• Minimum gift can be as little as $50

• Maximum can be as much as $20,000.

Summary

Nonprofits have historically approached companies for two types of corporate philanthropic support: event sponsorship and matching gifts. These two types of support often come from two budgets administered by two separate departments at larger companies.

Event sponsorship often originates from the marketing department, and can be a relatively small line item within a larger marketing budget. (Cause marketing also falls within this area.)

Matching gifts, however, often is a larger budget and can be found often in HR, Corporate Communications, or another administrative (not field or revenue center) department. It is vastly untapped because it does not proactively promote its work: it reacts to employees’ philanthropic actions. It is also possible under certain circumstances to match gifts given in a previous calendar year, making this an effective tool for current year giving shortfalls and also for allowing donors to see the full effectiveness of their gifts.

corporate matching gifts

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Greater NY Division | 350 West 51st Street, Community Room | NY NY 10019


How to find matching gifts

Many employees don’t know that their companies match. If they do know, they think that Young Life may not qualify because we are a sectarian organization.

Yet company policies change from year to year, and we can often propose an area of the mission that is acceptable to a company that would not otherwise give to a religious or sectarian group.

Here are a few steps to get you going:

• Ask your committee members and donors to send you the names of the companies they or their spouses work for.

• Give the list of companies (no need for names) to the Senior Campaign Director (CD).

• CD will screen the list and do in-depth research as needed.

• CD will send you results. Even if company doesn’t match gifts from Young Life, we will send you a PDF of the overview for you to send to your donor as a service from you to them.

• If a match is possible for a future gift, ask your donor to get a form from the company contact, or you can email/call the company contact for one if a gift has already been made which you’d like to match. Send the completed form to your donor to sign, etc., and submit.

steps to get gifts

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ways to educate donors

Keys to success

• Organizational commitment: Are we ready to find what might be “low-hanging fruit”?

• Access to quality data: CD has a subscription-based tool to screen any GNYD donor company.

• Easily repeatable process to educate/communicate with donors.

✴ Advertise in publications and on website✴ Mention matching gift opportunity in donation

reports✴ Include matching gift form with appeal✴ Consult with CD before meeting a prospect to see

if their company has a matching program✴ Thank donor when matching gift is received✴ Educate about campership, Capernaum, and

Young Lives. These are outward-facing, open to community, and fundable by many organizations that have restrictions on donating to charitable organizations.

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Self Improvement

Corporate Matching Gifts overview