AlumniFOX: Corporate Matching Gifts for Higher Education
Did you know that an estimated $6-$10 billion in matching gift funds get left behind each year? That is a lot of donations that are not being taken advantage of!
Aside from being an additional source of revenue to reach your goals it is also an important fundraising strategy to be aware of. The value of an employer matching a donor’s gift incentivizes the donor(s) to give more often. We’ve seen this easily double the amount of an average donation - and that doesn’t take into account the matching gift portion!
Are your Donors aware of Matching Gifts?
80% of institutions have left money on the table in the last 3 years because their donors did not know that their employer offered matching gift funds. Donors want to support the causes they care about in any way that they can, but donors can’t participate in programs they don’t know about.
Over 18 million individuals work for a company that offers matching gifts, but many employees don’t know about it.
What are matching gifts?
When companies financially match donations that their employees make to organizations, it is viewed as a philanthropic activity. Many companies develop these types of programs because it aligns with their culture and social initiatives.
When an employee makes a donation, they’ll request the matching gift from their employer, who then makes their own donation. Companies usually match donations at a 1:1 ratio, but some will match at a 2:1, 3:1, or even a 4:1 ratio.
Why should you care?
Matching gifts from employers are extremely valuable as they are essentially free money for your University! You essentially will receive two donations for the price of one.
How can you take advantage of this “free money”?
Many institutions struggle with putting a system around optimizing this free money because:
- Many donors don’t know about their employer’s corporate philanthropy programs.
- Universities don’t have an easy way to know if someone’s employer will match gifts or what their specific policy is
- It becomes difficult to communicate guidelines and instructions on a wide scale for a process with so many moving parts
ENTER AlumniFOX
Wouldn’t it be nice if you had access to a living and breathing list of your Alumni who are currently at companies who offer matching gift programs? Furthermore, wouldn’t it be great to have this list constantly update throughout the year, so you can easily recognize new donor opportunities at a matching gift employer?
Get in touch with us so we can set you up on a free trial of this data so you can increase your fundraising revenue!
