Did you know you can elevate your fundraising events with matching gifts? Many event donations qualify for corporate matching by donors’ employers. In this guide from our friends at Double the Donation, learn how to pursue these opportunities with ease.
If you’re a nonprofit fundraiser looking to generate additional revenue through upcoming events, matching gifts may be the answer you’re looking for. In fact, in the realm of nonprofit fundraising, the combined power of corporate matching gifts and fundraising events can yield remarkable outcomes. That’s true in terms of donor engagement, corporate philanthropy, funds raised, mission impact, and more!
In this expert guide, we’ll explore the relationship between corporate matching gifts and fundraising events and explain everything you need to know to maximize your strategy.
Matching gift programs can vary widely in their guidelines and criteria, including when it comes to the eligibility of event donations. The good news is that many gifts contributed through fundraising events do, in fact, qualify for corporate funds. However, some companies do institute limits on the event donations they’ll match, often depending on the type of fundraising event or the kind of contribution made.
Let’s explore the eligibility of the following types of popular events.
Peer-to-peer fundraising events, such as charity event-a-thons and races, involve participants raising funds from their personal networks on behalf of an organization.
Fortunately, most donations individuals make to these fundraisers (such as a fulfilled pledge for a loved one’s 5K run) are typically matching gift-eligible. In some cases, the individual collecting funds could even qualify for a “fundraising match” from their employer, where the company matches the total amount the team member raised.
Consider this scenario:
John participates in a charity run organized by a local nonprofit. He sets up a personal fundraising page for the event and shares it with his friends, family, and colleagues, asking for donations to support the cause. His sister, Sarah, contributes $100 to the campaign. Because Sarah works for a matching gift company, she submits a match, which ultimately secures an additional $100 for the organization.
But it doesn’t end there! Across his network, John raises $1,250 for the fundraising event. When he discovers his employer’s fundraising match program, John completes a request that results in the company doubling that amount – bringing his fundraising total to $2,500.
Galas, concerts, tournaments, and other ticketed events can also qualify for matching gifts. However, the confusion surrounding matching gift eligibility typically stems from these types of events.
As a general rule, however, the amount eligible for a matching gift is equal to the tax-deductible portion of the ticket cost. In other words, it’s the total price of the ticket minus the Fair Market Value (FMV, or a good-faith estimation of the event’s per-person value).
Here’s an example:
Emily decides to attend a fundraising gala hosted by her favorite nonprofit cause. The event ticket costs $200 and includes dinner and entertainment worth an estimated $75.
When Emily receives a receipt for her transaction online, she sees that $125 is marked as a tax-deductible donation. Thus, she requests a matching gift from her employer for that amount (but not for the full $200).
Lastly, donation-based events are those where donors attend without a fixed ticket price. Rather than charging for admission, organizations encourage generous gifts of any amount to support their fundraising efforts. Thankfully, these contributions typically qualify for a full match from the donors’ employers!
Picture the following situation:
Mark attends a donation-based fundraiser featuring live music, carnival games, and other community activities. While there is no charge to attend the event, the nonprofit organizing it accepts voluntary donations to support its mission programming.
Impressed by the organization’s work, Mark contributes $150 to the fundraiser. He knows he works for a company that matches gifts, too, so he submits a match for his donation. His employer approves the request and supplies an extra $150, doubling the impact of Mark’s initial donation.
As such an event provides no direct benefits to donors (attendees are free to participate even if they don’t give), anything they do contribute is considered a tax-exempt (and often match-eligible) gift.
Pursuing matching gifts for event donations is essential for nonprofits to maximize their fundraising efforts. Doing so – and encouraging donors to complete the appropriate requests – allows organizations to double or even triple the impact of donations they receive.
To reap these benefits, however, you need to have a way to identify match opportunities among attendees. Check out the following tips and strategies to help your team screen donors for matching gift eligibility at your upcoming event.
As supporters complete your event sign-up forms, they typically provide details such as their name, email address, phone number, and more. Consider incorporating an optional form field where users can supply employer information! From there, you can use the data to screen for matching gift companies and identify match eligibility.
We mentioned that event donations can get tricky when it comes to determining the matching gift-eligible portion of the transaction. Fortunately, an event fundraising solution like Donorbox can provide donors with comprehensive gift receipts already broken down by FMV and tax-exempt status. From there, just let your donors know that their employers will likely match the tax-deductible portion of their gifts, and provide the steps they need to take to make that happen.
Donorbox Events does the tax work for you! Simply input the full price and fair market value of each ticket tier and the tool will calculate and display the tax-deductible amount.
Get started with Donorbox Events
Your event donors and attendees are likely to forget all about their match-eligible contributions to your organization. As a result, few will actually submit their matching gift requests without prompting. Thus, we recommend educating donors about matching gift programs through various channels, reminding them to maximize their impact by leveraging the opportunity.
At your event, make an announcement and provide on-site materials, such as a dedicated booth, a scannable QR code, or a sign that directs supporters to your matching gifts page for more information. Then, afterward, send an additional follow-up that reiterates the importance of matching gifts and provides easy-to-follow instructions for doing so.
More than likely, you already have innovative event software in your nonprofit’s fundraising toolkit to handle event ticketing and other payments, guest registration, donation processing, and other essential needs. If you’re looking to increase matching gifts throughout your event fundraising efforts, it’s a good idea to look into a matching gift platform, too.
To streamline the process and ensure maximum efficiency, we recommend the following practices.
Manually following up on match-eligible donations requires a lot from your fundraising team. Luckily, solutions like Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro can automate the matching gift fundraising process. This saves time and resources – and maximizes revenue – for nonprofits like yours! To get started, request a demo of the platform here.
Once you’ve subscribed to a matching gift service, you’ll want to connect the two platforms. This enables seamless data flow and optimizes for efficiency. When fundraising tools like Donorbox offer a ready-built integration with matching gift tools like Double the Donation, getting up and running with the solution has never been easier.
Use your integrated solution to enable matching gift-related follow-ups after your event commences. When you make an appeal for donations, encourage donors to give using the Donorbox donation form with employee matching enabled. You can do so by sharing a link, QR code, or text-to-give information.
When donors select their employer in your giving form, their data flows from your fundraising platform into 360MatchPro. The platform screens for match eligibility and triggers tailored outreach. This outreach encourages donors to complete their matches by giving them the steps they need to do so.
Take a look at how Work on Climate has integrated Employer Donation Matching into their giving form using 360MatchPro.
Learn more about Donorbox + Double the Donation
Matching gifts hold immense potential to bolster the impact of just about any nonprofit fundraising event. By understanding the nuances of match eligibility (specifically when it comes to event donations), proactively identifying matchable opportunities, and integrating innovative technology solutions, organizations like yours can unlock additional funds for your mission and its beneficiaries.
As you plan your next fundraising event, remember the power of matching gifts. Integrate donation matching into your overall event fundraising strategy to magnify your impact and more effectively advance your cause.
Good luck!
Adam is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of tools for nonprofits to raise more money from corporate matching gifts and volunteer grant programs.
Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive the latest blogs, news, and more in your inbox.
Adam Weinger