Matching Gifts and Donor Stewardship:

Top Best Practices

When it comes to nonprofit, team, and school fundraising, few opportunities are as underutilized—and full of potential—as matching gifts. Thousands of companies offer to match donations made by their employees, yet billions of dollars in matching gift funds go unclaimed each year. Why? Often, donors are unaware that their gifts are eligible, and nonprofits lack effective follow-up strategies to close the loop.

That’s where donor stewardship comes in. By combining strong stewardship practices with targeted matching gift outreach, nonprofits can foster stronger donor relationships while unlocking increased revenue.

In this post, we’ll explore how to weave matching gift promotions into your donor stewardship strategy, enabling you to maximize impact, boost retention, and demonstrate to donors the true value of their generosity. Specifically, we’ll cover:

• Understanding Matching Gifts
• The Role of Donor Stewardship in Matching Gift Success
• Best Practices for Integrating Matching Gifts with Donor Stewardship

Ready to get started with practical tips and tricks and more? Let’s dive in.

Understanding Matching Gifts

Matching gifts are one of the most powerful (and often overlooked) ways to amplify individual donations to your nonprofit. At their core, matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy where companies financially match donations made by their employees to eligible nonprofit organizations.

These programs are commonly offered by companies of all sizes and industries. While the specifics vary by employer, most programs include a few standard criteria:

• Employee Eligibility – Some companies match gifts only from full-time employees, while others include part-timers, retirees, and even board members and spouses.
• Donation Amounts – Companies often set a minimum and maximum donation amount they’re willing to match (e.g., $25 to $5,000 annually).
• Match Ratios – Most matches are dollar-for-dollar (1:1), but some companies offer 2:1 or even 3:1 matches.

Despite the generous potential, matching gifts are frequently underutilized. The two primary reasons? Donors often don’t know if their employers offer matching gifts, and nonprofits aren’t always equipped to identify and follow up with eligible donors.

The Role of Donor Stewardship and Matching Gift Success

• Donor stewardship is more than a series of thank-you emails. It’s the foundation of long-term donor relationships. At its core, stewardship is about recognizing, engaging, and retaining supporters by showing them the impact of their contributions. When it comes to matching gifts, donor stewardship plays a critical role in turning one-time donations into multiplied impact.

  Why? Because matching gift programs require the donor to take action—usually by submitting a request to their employer. That extra step is where many matching opportunities are lost. Without a thoughtful stewardship plan in place, donors may never know their gift is eligible for a match, or they may forget or otherwise choose not to follow through.

  Here’s how donor stewardship supports matching gift success:

  • Increases Awareness: Educating donors about matching gifts during and after the giving process ensures that more people are aware of the opportunity to double their impact.
  • Encourages Follow-Through: Personalized reminders and check-ins increase the likelihood that donors will complete the employer submission process.
  • Builds Trust and Appreciation: Recognizing both the original donation and the corporate match (once received) shows donors you value every part of their contribution and are paying attention.
  • Strengthens Engagement: Donors who feel appreciated and informed are more likely to give again—and may even increase their future donations knowing they’ll be matched.

  When you view matching gift outreach as an extension of stewardship—not just a revenue tactic—you transform the way your organization builds donor loyalty. And in turn, you tap into a powerful source of funding that might otherwise go unrealized.

Best Practices for Integrating Matching Gifts with Donor Stewardship

To fully unlock the potential of matching gifts, nonprofits need more than just awareness—they need a strategy that seamlessly blends fundraising with donor care. That’s where donor stewardship comes in.

When you thoughtfully incorporate matching gift promotion into your stewardship efforts, you not only boost revenue but also reinforce your commitment to donor impact and transparency. Here’s how you can do so:

1. Educate donors about matching gift opportunities.

One of the most effective ways to boost matching gift revenue is also one of the simplest: educate your donors. Since many donors are unaware that their employers even offer matching gift programs, it’s critical to share this information early, often, and at key moments throughout the donor journey.

In order to do so effectively, the best time to introduce the concept of matching gifts is when a donor is already thinking about their impact—right as they’re giving. This puts the opportunity front and center, when motivation is high and the ask feels relevant. Even a simple message like “Many employers match donations—find out if yours does!” can spark action⁠—especially when paired with a search field or link.

2. Personalize matching gift follow-ups post-donation.

Generic follow-up emails won’t cut it when it comes to driving matching gift completions. To truly move the needle, your post-donation outreach should feel personal, timely, and relevant.

Therefore, start by including key details in your follow-up messages—such as the donor’s name, most recent gift amount, and the company they work for. Instead of a one-size-fits-all reminder, a personalized email might say: “Hi Sarah, thank you again for your $100 gift to Hope Foundation! Did you know that Microsoft matches employee donations? You could double your impact in just a few minutes.”

This approach not only reinforces the donor’s value but also makes the matching gift action feel straightforward and actionable. Not to mention, this level of personalization helps avoid message fatigue and increases engagement where it matters.

For the best results, send your follow-up within the first few hours of the initial donation, while the donor is still engaged. You can even automate a series of emails—starting with an immediate thank-you and match reminder, followed by a gentle nudge a week or so later if no action is detected.

3. Recognize and thank donors for submitting matches.

Submitting a matching gift request takes extra effort—and that effort deserves recognition. While it’s common to thank donors for their initial contributions, many nonprofits overlook the second gift: the corporate match. Acknowledging this added step not only shows appreciation, but also reinforces positive donor behavior and strengthens long-term engagement.

Therefore, when a donor notifies you (or your system detects) that they’ve submitted a match request, follow up with a specific thank-you that acknowledges both the action and the increased impact. A simple follow-up like: “Thank you for submitting a matching gift request to your employer! Your generosity—and your extra effort—helps bring even more support to our mission.” can make a lasting impression.

4. Let donors know when their matches are fulfilled.

Once a matching gift is received from a donor’s employer, don’t let it go unnoticed. This is a golden opportunity to close the loop, celebrate the full impact of the donation, and deepen donor trust through transparency and appreciation.

As soon as a match is confirmed and received, send the donor a personalized message letting them know. Something as simple as: “Great news—your $100 donation was matched by the Home Depot! Your total impact is now $200, and we’re incredibly grateful for your support.” goes a long way in making the donor feel their actions truly made a difference.

Closing the loop on matching gifts isn’t just a nice gesture—it’s a critical piece of your stewardship strategy. It builds trust, shows accountability, and reminds donors that their contributions—both personal and matched—have real, lasting impact.

5. Leverage technology for stewardship and automation.

Matching gifts and donor stewardship both thrive when supported by the right tools. One of the biggest hurdles in matching gift fundraising is identifying which donors are eligible. Luckily, matching gift technology platforms like Double the Donation automatically detect donors’ employers during the donation process and trigger tailored follow-up emails based on eligibility status. This ensures timely and relevant outreach—without requiring your team to dig through spreadsheets or research employer programs on your own.

Not to mention, when your matching gift platform integrates with your existing fundraising tools (such as the eTeamSponsor platform), it creates a unified view of donor activity. You can incorporate matching gifts directly within the giving process, track when donors submit matches, see which companies have fulfilled them, and store employer information for future campaigns. This seamless data flow enables more informed stewardship and supports personalized donor journeys over time.

Looking Ahead

Matching gifts aren’t just another fundraising tactic. They’re a relationship-building opportunity. When you educate, engage, and thank your donors with the right mix of personalization and timing, you not only increase your chances of securing corporate matches, but also deepen donor loyalty overall.

By integrating matching gift best practices into your stewardship strategy, you demonstrate transparency, gratitude, and a commitment to maximizing every dollar. And that’s a message donors will remember.

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