guest post // How to Market Your Nonprofit’s Matching Gifts Program
By Adam Weinger, Double the Donation
Every nonprofit leader understands the transformative impact of doubled revenue. While there are many corporate giving programs available to help organizations grow, matching gifts stand out as one of the most accessible ways to amplify individual donor impact.
To unlock this potential, you must actively market your matching gift program to your audience. Many donors are simply unaware that their employers offer these benefits, which is why a clear communication strategy is essential.
This guide will take you through the process of marketing your matching gift program, as well as help you explore how to integrate matching gifts into your nonprofit’s messaging to ensure no donation goes unclaimed.
#1 Choose the right channels.
To maximize the reach of your corporate giving message, you have to engage your supporters across multiple platforms. By implementing an omnichannel approach, you create multiple touchpoints that keep your mission top of mind.
Here are a few of our top recommendations!
Your website
Your nonprofit’s website serves as the primary resource for your community. As such, it should provide a comprehensive look at all the ways a supporter can give back (including through matching gifts and other employee giving programs).
For the best results, consider these action plans:
Embed a matching gift search tool or eligibility check directly on your campaign pages, donation forms, and confirmation screens to capture donor interest at the moment of giving.
Create a dedicated corporate giving landing page that explains matching gifts, as well as programs such as volunteer grants and payroll giving, providing a clear starting point for interested supporters.
Include a direct link to a matching gifts or corporate giving page in your primary header menu or footer menu to ensure visibility for every visitor.
Share educational content on your nonprofit’s blog about matching gifts and why donors should request a match or advocate for a matching gift program with their employers.
Compile a thorough breakdown of matching gift information into a single comprehensive ebook that interested supporters can download for free.
Invite your audience to attend a webinar in which matching gift experts discuss the opportunity and answer donors’ questions in real time.
Promote matching gifts in a podcast episode or series, sharing details about how your nonprofit uses matched gifts and the impact those donations have on your cause.
Then, to further increase visibility, consider leveraging the Google Ad Grant (which provides $10,000 in monthly search advertising credits) to drive targeted traffic to these resources.
Did You Know? Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gifts. Ensuring your website thoroughly highlights these programs helps you tap into this massive pool of potential revenue.
Matching gift videos
Video content is one of the most effective ways to break down complex topics into digestible pieces. Consider these tips for creating effective matching gift promotional videos:
Leverage informative graphics and screen recordings to visually walk supporters through the steps of checking their eligibility.
Focus on clear audio and natural lighting rather than expensive equipment; a modern smartphone in a quiet, well-lit room can produce excellent results.
Evoke an emotional connection by using storytelling strategies that demonstrate exactly how doubled donations fund specific projects or help real people.
The good news is that you don’t need a professional film crew to create compelling content that moves your audience to act. Instead, focus on clear and authentic communication to explain how workplace giving can help double donation impact.
Email campaigns
Email remains a cornerstone of nonprofit communication because of its direct nature and versatility. In fact, ZeroBounce’s Email Statistics Report for 2026 shows that about 93% of people check their emails every day!
To ensure your supporters know exactly how to get involved with workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts, follow these best practices for your email outreach:
Invoke a sense of urgency by explaining how timely match submissions help you meet immediate project deadlines.
Issue only one primary call-to-action per email to avoid overwhelming the reader and keep their focus on a single, actionable goal (i.e., submit your matching gift request!).
Ensure all relevant links for the next steps are provided, such as a direct button to your matching gift search tool or a company-specific submission portal.
Clear, focused emails remove the guesswork for your donors, making it simple for them to follow through on their good intentions and take the final step to ensure their contribution is ultimately doubled. Feel free to employ eye-catching elements, such as images, videos, and fun fonts, to capture recipients’ attention.
#2 Implement corporate giving software.
The effectiveness of your digital strategy depends heavily on the technology you use to support it. By leveraging a comprehensive corporate giving tool, you empower donors to check their eligibility and even auto-submit match requests to their employers as they give.
Using a versatile fundraising tool with matching gift functionality, such as Double the Donation, helps you reach donors when they are at the height of their engagement with your cause. These platforms simplify the process by removing the need for supporters to hunt down their own company policies or paperwork. When the experience is seamless, donors are far more likely to complete the match, ensuring your organization does not miss out on vital revenue.
But beyond matching gifts, look for comprehensive corporate giving software that can support all your needs in one place. A holistic platform will help you manage volunteer grants, payroll giving, and other corporate social responsibility initiatives alongside your standard fundraising.
#3 Segment your donors.
Anyone with experience in nonprofit marketing knows that sending the same message to all donors won’t be very successful. That’s because every donor is different, and different types of donors need to hear different messages.
Using data about your existing supporter base and prospective supporters, segment donors based on shared characteristics, such as:
History of involvement
Donation amount
Communication channel preference
Workplace giving eligibility
The right donor data is critical for sending relevant messages, especially when making targeted asks for specific donations. For example, you might invite your general supporter base to check their matching gift eligibility, but you’d only ask eligible donors to submit a match request to their employer.
Conduct an employer append to collect and organize information about donors’ employers, noting whether or not they’re eligible for matching gifts and other workplace giving initiatives. Be sure to also gather information about donors’ job titles, which can indicate their capacity to give or their ability to implement new CSR programs that benefit your nonprofit.
#4 Explore other types of corporate giving.
While matching gifts are a cornerstone of successful fundraising, nonprofits are limiting their potential if this is the only type of corporate philanthropy they focus on. There is a vast (and growing) landscape of workplace giving opportunities that can provide significant revenue and resources for your mission.
Consider pursuing these additional corporate giving programs to round out your strategy:
Volunteer grants: These programs are similar to matching gifts, but instead of matching a financial donation, companies provide a monetary grant in recognition of the hours an employee spends volunteering with your nonprofit.
Volunteer time-off (VTO): Many companies offer paid time-off specifically for employees to volunteer during regular working hours, providing your organization with skilled labor and dedicated support for events.
Payroll giving: This enables employees to set up recurring donations deducted directly from their paychecks, providing your nonprofit with a steady, predictable stream of revenue throughout the year.
Every organization has different needs, and each donor works for a company with unique benefits. To maximize your results, explore a range of corporate giving programs based on your specific goals and your supporters’ eligibility. Focusing on high-return opportunities enables your development team to build sustainable habits that lead to long-term growth.
Did You Know? Many companies that offer matching gifts also provide volunteer grants. In fact, 40% of Fortune 500 companies have a volunteer grant program, representing a massive opportunity for nonprofits to monetize their volunteerism.
As you set out to market matching gifts, be sure to view your communications as a gradual procession through the donation lifecycle. Start by educating supporters about matching gifts, then explain why they should submit a match request. Once you’ve introduced the idea and led donors to explore this opportunity, you can drive them to conversion with an easy-to-use fundraising tool that includes matching gift automation.
Then, continue with other corporate giving programs. Doing so enables you to build a more diverse and sustainable revenue stream for your mission.
This guest post was written by Adam Weinger.
Adam Weinger is the President of Double the Donation, the leading provider of nonprofit workplace and corporate giving solutions that serves more than 6,000 organizations. With more than 13 years of experience in the mission-driven software sector, Adam is passionate about helping nonprofits raise more from matching gifts, tap into workplace volunteer programs like volunteer grants and volunteer time off, and take full advantage of all kinds of corporate giving opportunities. Alongside his team, he also oversees Double the Donation’s annual Matching Gift and Workplace Fundraising & Volunteering Summits, which aim to educate nonprofits about these programs.