Boost Year-End Donations Without Asking for More Money | Overflow

Double (or Even Triple) Your Impact: Donor Matching Gifts 101

When donors give to your organization, many don’t realize their employer may offer a matching gift program - a powerful opportunity to double or even triple their year-end donation. With over $4 billion in corporate matching gift funds left unclaimed annually, your organization has a proven church fundraising idea to increase year-end donations - without asking donors to give more.

In this blog, you’ll learn how to turn donation matching into a high-impact, low-effort strategy for your church’s year-end giving campaign.

Why Matching Gifts Matter for Church Fundraising

• Leverage donor generosity: When a donor gives $1,000 and their employer matches 1:1, your church receives $2,000. That’s a 100% increase at no extra cost.
• Inspire larger giving: Donors are more likely to give generously when their donation can be instantly doubled.
• Boost overall revenue: Matching gifts are essentially free money for your mission, but only if your donors claim them.
• Demonstrate impact: You can communicate to donors how their matched gift multiplies their generosity.
• Increase loyalty: Helping donors make the most of their giving strengthens long-term engagement.

How the Employer Match Process Works

• The donor makes a gift
  They give online, by check, or through your donation platform, and your team records the transaction.

• The employee checks eligibility
  The donor verifies whether their employer offers a matching gift program. Many companies post details through HR, a CSR portal, or giving platforms like Benevity or Double the Donation.

Encourage donors to confirm whether your church qualifies under their employer’s giving policies.

• The donor submits a match request
  They fill out a short form online or on paper, submitting info like gift amount, date, and your church’s EIN.
  Note: Some employers may reach out to you as the receiving organization to confirm the gift.

• The employer approves the match
  The company verifies eligibility and processes the match (typically monthly or quarterly).

• The organization receives the matched donation
  Once approved, your church receives the additional funds via check or direct deposit.

Key Matching Gift Deadlines & Constraints

Matching gift policies vary. Here are common deadlines and limitations to share with your donors:

• Calendar-year deadline: Many employers require match requests to be submitted by December 31 of the same year as the gift. Some allow limited carryover into the new year.
• Gift date vs. match request date: The donation must have occurred within the eligible period (usually the same year); the request must follow company rules.
• Annual match caps: Many companies cap how much they will match per employee per year. A common threshold is $10,000 in employee giving (i.e. they will match up to that). Others set lower caps (e.g. $1,000–$5,000).
• Match ratios vary: Some match 1:1, but others offer 2:1 or even 3:1, especially for executives or board members.

Pro Tip: Encourage donors to check with HR before mid-December. Some corporate portals close before year-end, and missing the deadline means missing the match.

How to Promote Matching Gifts at Your Church

• Identify high-potential donors
  Focus on donors who’ve given $5,000 or more - they most likely work at corporate employers with known match programs. They are also often the donors who are approaching or hitting employer match caps.

• Send year-to-date giving statements
  Provide donors a clear statement of how much they've given so far this year ( see how to do this on Overflow here). Use that as a lead-in: “You’ve given $XX,000 so far - and your employer may match that gift, doubling your impact.”

• Include easy next steps

  • Encourage donors to check whether their employer offers matching gifts.
  • Provide a simple step-by-step guide so submitting the match is easy. Include EIN, organization name, and address.
  • Create urgency with a deadline reminder: “Submit by December 31 to ensure your match counts for this year.”
  • Offer to verify donations or assist with documentation.
  • Attach their year-to-date giving statement to the email.

• Automate reminders

Send targeted emails in November and December:

“Your Generosity + your employer's match = double the impact for the Kingdom.”

Make sure to remind them of the match deadline!

• Followup and celebrate
  When a matched gift comes in, personally thank the donor and share how their multiplied generosity made a difference. Remember, the more you acknowledge a donor’s impact, the more likely they are to give again!

Companies with Generous Matching Programs

If you know your donors’ employers, personalize your outreach. Here are a few well-known companies that offer generous matching gift programs (always confirm specifics with HR):

• Microsoft: historically among the most active matching companies; employees often submit matches.
• GE / General Electric: one of the original matching gift pioneers.
• Johnson & Johnson: offers matching gifts (some sources show up to $10,000).
• Google: matches employee donations (often up to $10,000) and offers volunteer grants.
• Apple: offers a match up to $10,000.
• Bank of America: matching gifts program with minimum $24.
• Gap Inc.: supports matching gifts from employees (with varying caps).
• Boeing (local or regional relevance in Seattle): matches gifts between $25 and $10,000.
• Soros Fund Management: among the highest limits, with a 3:1 match in some reports.
• Pepsi, Co.: Often offers a 2:1 match.

Try adding a question in your donor email: “Do you work at one of these companies? Your gift could go twice as far!”

Sample Outline You Could Adapt to Donors

“Dear [Donor],
I wanted to share a quick update on your generosity to our church this year: you’ve given $X,XXX so far. That’s incredible - thank you for your generosity!
Did you know many employers offer matching gift programs that could double or even triple your gift at no extra cost to you? If your employer participates, you may be able to submit a match request through HR or a corporate giving platform.
To make it easy, here’s what you’ll generally need:
- The date and amount of your gift
- Our organization's name, address, and EIN (include them here for ease!)
- Your employer's matching gift form or platform link
Please check with your HR or corporate giving office to verify whether your employer participates and what their deadline is (many require submission by December 31). If you submit a match request, please let us know - we'll help with any verification needed.
Your generosity already goes far, but with your employer's match, it goes even further.
Thank you again for your faithful support. Together, we can accomplish more than we ever could alone.
Grateful for you,
Signature

Multiply Your Mission Without Asking for More

Matching gifts are one of the most overlooked fundraising strategies for churches and nonprofits, yet they’re one of the easiest to implement. Billions of dollars in employer matches go unclaimed every year.

Don’t leave generosity on the table. Send year-end giving statements today and invite your top donors to check their match eligibility.