Creative Ways to Multiply Donor Impact with Matching Gift Campaigns

Looking for real-life matching gift campaign examples for your nonprofit’s next fundraiser?

You’re in the right place!

According to our friends at Double the Donation:

• 1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied
• 84% of donors say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered

In this article, I’m covering some solid gift matching campaign strategies to start your own matching campaign off on the right foot, including:

• Why hosting your own matching gift campaign is a smart move
• 3 unique examples of matching gift opportunities
• Best practices for running your own successful matching gift campaign
• How to raise more and stress less with the right fundraising software

For excellent examples and best practices of donation matching challenge campaigns that are specifically based on time limits, check out these 3 real-world donation matching challenge campaign examples.

Looking for what kind of matching campaign to run or how to get the right donors for a matching campaign? Check out:

• How to find matching donors for nonprofit organizations
• Matching Gift Programs for Nonprofits: 15 Types + 8 Tips

But before we dive in, let’s discuss why running your own matching campaign on your website might be a smart idea for your organization.

Why running your own matching gift campaign has added perks

Seeking out corporate matching partnerships, community or state-wide donor matching days, and special matching programs through Giving Tuesday celebrations are great ways to increase your funds.

But one of the biggest advantages of hosting a matching gift challenge on your own website is that your organization retains more of the funds raised.

Here’s why:

• Since donations are processed through your existing payment processor (often at a lower transaction rate) you avoid extra fees that can come with third-party platforms or large-scale giving day events.
• You maintain greater control over your donor data. When donations are routed through external campaigns, you might not get full access to valuable donor details like mailing addresses, emails, or employer information.

Running a matching campaign directly on your site ensures you can capture the key data you need to build lasting donor relationships and maximize present and future outreach.

And 4aGoodCause makes the whole online donations process easy for you and your donors—even without any technical knowledge.

Whether you’re running an event, a matching campaign, or building and growing a successful recurring giving program, you’ll raise more and stress less.

Next up, I’ll walk you through 3 examples that caught my eye recently.

3 unique examples of matching gift campaigns

You’re likely already familiar with corporate matching gift programs, where employers match donations made by their employees as part of corporate giving initiatives.

(I talk more about matching gift campaign types in Matching Gift Programs for Nonprofits: 15 Types + 8 Tips.)

But below, I’m going to walk through 3 examples of matching campaigns—and we’ll look at why campaigns like these work so well.

Legacy match programs

Legacy giving match programs can creatively bridge the gap between long-term commitments and today’s immediate needs.

This type of campaign can make legacy giving accessible, rewarding, and easy to act on. It shows donors they can make a difference now and for future generations.

As an example, Nine PBS offers a smart approach to legacy giving by adding an immediate incentive. When a donor commits to a planned gift, a $1,000 donation is unlocked right away—providing instant impact for a future gift.

Why a campaign like this works

• Immediate gratification for a future commitment: The present-day match provides an instant impact for what’s typically a long-term gift, addressing one of the biggest barriers to planned giving.
• Tangible incentive: Donors know exactly what their action unlocks. In the case of the Nine PBS example, $1,000 is given today for committed legacy gifts.
• Community and legacy appeal: This kind of approach taps into the donor’s desire to be part of something lasting and meaningful for the future of their community.

Percentage and round-up matches

Some nonprofits partner with businesses (often local retailers or restaurants) to offer “round-up” or percentage-of-sales matching campaigns.

• Customers of these businesses can round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, and the business matches the total rounded-up donations—either over a set period or via a sustained commitment.
• For percentage-of-sales campaigns, the business matches a certain percent of sales for an agreed upon time-frame, like 5% of sales annually.

This isn’t time-sensitive in the ways traditional donation matching challenges are because it’s often an ongoing commitment for the business that your nonprofit partners with, though the business might have overall budget limits.

If you’re partnering with a local business to start a matching program similar to this one, discuss match limits and timeframes ahead of time.

A corporate example of this is Jersey Mike’s Subs Giving Days, during which 100% of store sales are contributed to local nonprofit organizations each year on March 26.

Looking for a hyper-local example? Imagine partnering with a neighborhood coffee shop.

They could offer customers the option to round up their purchases, with the proceeds benefiting a local homeless shelter—and the shop commits to matching those contributions each year.

This approach is a win-win for both businesses and small to midsize local nonprofits looking for creative ways to fundraise. It also reinforces the power of community partnerships in meeting local needs.

Why a campaign like this works

• Micro-giving makes it accessible: A small round-up or checkout donation makes participation easy and affordable.
• Local focus: When running programs like this with local businesses, it makes the impact feel personal, tangible, and deeply connected to your community.
• Simple, clear offer: Pledging to match a percentage of sales or round-up donations is a clear, straightforward commitment that highlights a business’s dedication to supporting the community.

📚Learn more: 4 Key Figures to Guide Your Corporate Matching Gift Strategy

Matching physical donations

Some nonprofits partner with businesses to offer physical donation matching programs.

This kind of matching gift campaign can be incredibly helpful for animal rescues, homeless shelters, and crisis pregnancy centers where physical goods are cycled through often.

In these campaigns, for every physical item donated, a matching item is given to the nonprofit or directly to the community served.

These campaigns don’t have to be tied to a time limit—instead, they often run as ongoing initiatives or for a set period agreed upon by the nonprofit and business.

Whether it’s a one-for-one donation or a buy-one-give-one campaign, these partnerships can generate a consistent stream of in-kind donations to support your cause.

Bombas offers a popular example of a similar program where hardgood matches are donated to those in need.

If you’re partnering with a local business to create a physical donation match program, make sure to discuss donation types, logistics (who handles distribution), and match caps upfront.

Some businesses may set annual match limits to align with their corporate social responsibility or philanthropy budgets.

Here’s a good example of how this can work:

Imagine you’re a community care closet for the homeless partnering with a neighborhood shoe store. For every pair of shoes donated by a customer in the store, the business donates a second pair to your nonprofit’s care closet.

To advertise the program, the store sets up signs about your organization and also mentions the partnership with your organization at checkout.

At the time of the sale, the customer can purchase and donate a new pair of shoes to the closet—and the business will donate a second pair.

This direct, physical donation match provides a tangible benefit to the families you serve and makes it easy for customers to feel their impact in real-time.

Why a campaign like this works

• Clear and tangible impact: Donors (or customers) can immediately understand how their action results in direct support for someone in need. The simplicity and clarity of the impact make it incredibly motivating.
• Encourages ongoing participation: People can participate when it’s convenient and when they’re already making other purchases, and organizations can continue promoting the initiative throughout the year or season.
• Builds community and loyalty: Supporters feel good about their purchase or donation, knowing it helps someone in need and is being doubled. This builds long-term loyalty for both the nonprofit and the partnering business.

🧐What if there’s an easier way to maximize donations? There is. It’s called recurring monthly giving, and it generates 2.4X more revenue on average than one-time gifts. And our Monthly Giving Toolkit simplifies the whole program. Learn more.

Best practices for running your own successful donation matching program

If you want to inspire donors and increase matching gift revenue, running a thoughtful, inspiring donation matching program is key.

While I’m a big fan of company matches and big matching gift partnerships, I also like to encourage my clients to take advantage of running their own matching gift strategy with 4aGC’s unlimited campaigns.

But whether you’re launching a dedicated matching gift campaign funded by a board member or benefitting from partnering with a local business, these best practices can help your nonprofit fundraising efforts thrive.

This excellent example below of a matching gift campaign that’s ran in-house—rather than through a large corporate partner giving program—is from 4aGC client WBOI.

1. Promote matching gifts everywhere

Make it easy for donors to know if they’re match-eligible.

Highlight matching gift information front and center on your donation page, donation form, and in direct mail and email appeals.

Including matching gift request campaigns during the year-end fundraising season, when donors are most engaged, can lead to a significant uptick in participation.

📚Read more: Using multi-channel marketing to boost your fundraising

⭐️ Ready for consistent donations with less planning hassle? Monthly givers have a 83.6% average retention rate. Discover how 4aGoodCause helps you build a loyal base of recurring donors who are passionate about your cause.

2. Leverage corporate philanthropy and CSR Initiatives

Don’t limit your outreach to individual donors.

Tap into corporate philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs that offer employee matching gifts.

Partnering with local businesses or philanthropists, like the WBOI example with Dr. Rothman, can increase excitement and expand your reach.

Another idea: Inviting board members to contribute to a dedicated matching gift for special campaigns that can motivate future givers.

If you’re a 4aGC client, consider integrating Double the Donation with every campaign. Potential donors can use the search tool to enter employment information and find out if their employer has matching gift eligibility with your organization.

📚Learn more: How to use the Double the Donation integration

3. Clarify eligibility and fundraising goals

Clear communication about eligibility is crucial.

Tie your match program to specific fundraising goals, such as meeting a year-end deadline or funding a fundraising event.

This urgency helps donors understand how their gifts and matching dollars can make a difference today.

4. Follow-up and share success stories

Your email list and social media are powerful ways to spread the messaging about your matching gift campaigns—and their results.

Take the shoe store example mentioned earlier: Imagine how impactful it would be for people to see a photo of tall stacks of brand-new shoes ready to be donated to those in need.

Use communication platforms to celebrate wins, highlight your successful fundraising strategies, or thank businesses who have doubled their donations through customer or employee matching.

After your campaign, a thoughtful follow-up with your match partners with the results of their giving and impact stories keeps donors engaged and ready for your next nonprofit fundraising initiative.

⭐️ You don’t need to work harder to raise more. The average monthly donor gives $756 per year with the 4aGoodCause platform. Learn how 4aGoodCause helps you build a loyal base of recurring donors who are passionate about your cause.

Launch streamlined matching gift campaigns with 4aGoodCause

Whether you’re about to launch a matching gift campaign or start a monthly giving program, we believe the donation process should be straightforward—for your team and your donors.

That’s why the 4aGoodCause fundraising platform makes it simple to run campaigns that drive donor engagement, encourage larger gifts, and maximize matching gift funds.

With our software integrations (including Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro), you can bring a bit of automation to the process, help your donors surface eligible employee matching opportunities, and use customizable templates to keep your outreach clear and compelling.

Want to raise more funds and take the stress out of running campaigns?

You’re ready. And we’re standing by to support you.

Schedule a demo and see how 4aGoodCause can help you raise more and stress less.