Transcript Five Strategies for Growing Matching Gifts – PowerPoint

Five Strategies for
Matching Gift Success
Amanda Cose & Julie Nurse
Director and Assistant Director of Gift Services
Marquette University
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Agenda
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Overview of Marquette University and University Advancement

What is a matching gift

Matching gifts at Marquette

Five strategies for growing a matching gift program

Maintaining our records

Limitations and challenges

Conclusion
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Overview of Marquette University and
University Advancement
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Overview of Marquette University and
University Advancement
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What is a matching gift?

You’ve heard before, and we’ll say it again… Free Money! In addition to
the revenue, matches motivate our donors to give and take full advantage
of maximizing their contribution

Matching gifts are a part of charitable giving programs set up by
corporations in which the company matches donations made by their
employees to eligible nonprofit organizations.

A sample of qualified organizations that (typically) qualify:
• Educational institutions
• Healthcare based organizations
• Arts and cultural organizations
• Environmental organizations
• Community based social services
A sample of qualified organizations that (typically) are restricted: political
organizations, sports teams, certain religious organizations such as
churches.
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Programs are built on trust with a shared benefit for all parties involved.
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What is a matching gift?
Where it all began:
the General Electric
Foundation, 1954
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Matching gifts at Marquette
 Over $2.5 million since FY09
 Averaging over $500,000 per year
 Goal of increasing percentage of
matching gift revenue to total fundraising
revenue
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Matching gifts at Marquette
FY13 TOP FIVE MG COMPANIES BY AMOUNT
$64,674.88
$47,752.72
$33,500.00
$33,267.00
$27,830.00
NORTHWESTERN
MUTUAL
FOUNDATION
Marquette University
WISCONSIN
ENERGY
FOUNDATION
DELOITTE &
TOUCHE
FOUNDATION
GE FOUNDATION
EXXONMOBIL
FOUNDATION
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Matching gifts at Marquette
FY09-FY13 TOP FIVE MG COMPANIES BY NUMBER OF GIFTS
305
292
243
172
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WELLS FARGO
FOUNDATION
Marquette University
NORTHWESTERN GE FOUNDATION
MUTUAL
FOUNDATION
WISCONSIN
ENERGY
FOUNDATION
IBM
INTERNATIONAL
FOUNDATION
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 1 - Establish a Culture of Matching Gifts ▪
• Fundraising/development staff is key to
success – keep them informed!
• Link matching gifts to individual solicitor
credit for increased fundraiser incentive
to pursue matches
• Provide fundraisers with frequent lists:
• Managed prospects who work for
companies that match gifts
• Managed prospects who have
recently made gifts and work for
companies that match gifts
• Inform donors of match potential (more
about this later)
• Make it easy to obtain information
(utilize online giving website)
• Establish an internal contact person for
matching gifts (Julie serves as contact
for MU)
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 2 - Market the Program ▪
• Include language in acknowledgment letters and
confirmation emails for online giving:
• P.S. Did you know that you can double the impact
of your gift to Marquette? To find out if your
employer has a matching gift program, visit
www.matchinggifts.com/marquette.
• Create matching gift inserts to accompany
solicitations and pledge reminders
• Make note of matching gifts on direct mail pieces
• Provide matching gift information on your giving
website
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 2 - Market the Program ▪
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 2 - Market the Program ▪
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 3 - Solicit Matching Gifts ▪
 The best way to get a match is to ask!
 Utilize Phonathon callers
• “I see you work at ________. Let me see if _________ will
match your gift.”
• “Great, it appears that your employer will match your gift. Just
to let you know, you’ll need to go to your human resources
department and they will give you a form that you should send
in with your contribution.”
 We mail a quarterly letter to anyone who has made a gift in the last
quarter and may be eligible for a match (excluding those who have
already requested a match)
 Next year, we plan to mail a postcard instead of a letter
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 3 - Solicit Matching Gifts ▪
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Five strategies for growing a program
▪ 4 - Stewardship ▪
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Acknowledgments
 Thank you to donor when
gift is matched
 Thank you/tax receipt to
company
Recognition
 Matching gifts count toward
inclusion in annual giving
society, the President’s
Society
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Five strategies for growing our program
▪ 5 - Make Use of Good Data ▪
Marquette University
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Know the matching gift
companies that are in
your database

Store information about
matching gift
companies in their
donor record
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Keep current
employment data on
your constituents
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Share data with
relevant contacts
across the division
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Maintaining our records
Weekly / Ongoing
 Verify all pending forms (paper & online)
• CASE’s four-point test. Is this an eligible: gift, donor, organization and
purpose?
 Enter pledges in the Raiser’s Edge for all verified match requests
 Gift entry of matching gift funds that have been received
 Update our data with employment information, as received
Quarterly
 Run matching gift potential letter of donors from previous quarter
 Thank you letters to donors whose gifts were matched
 Receipts sent to companies that have matched gifts in the previous quarter
Annually
 Follow-up with all outstanding match requests / pledge balances
 Review outstanding pledges in the Raiser’s Edge, write-off balances
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Maintaining our records
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Limitations and challenges
• Creating an effective way to follow up with unfulfilled verifications
and declined contributions
• Logistics of maintaining online logins
• Matching contributions that were originally made through a
donor-advised fund
• In most cases, individual donors may not receive quid pro quo as
a result of a matching gift from their employer
• Confirming volunteer hours
• Verifying recurring gifts such as payment plans and installments
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Resources
 HEP Data: www.hepdata.com
 HEP/CASE Matching Gift Community (formerly Matchlist_L Listserv)
The HEP/CASE Matching Gift Community is dedicated to connecting fundraising professionals who work with
matching gifts. It provides a candid and open communication channel to allow fundraisers to share their experience
and to benefit from the experience of others. You do not need to be a member of CASE to join the HEP/CASE
Matching Gift Community.
To join the HEP/CASE Matching Gift Community, you will first need a CASE account. Once your account has been
created or confirmed, visit community.case.org, log in, and select My Profile > Subscriptions > Matching Gifts.
There, you can customize your message preferences. For more information, visit the CASE subscriptions page.
 Supporting Advancement: www.supportingadvancement.com
 CASE: www.case.org
 Fund Services: www.fundsvcs.org
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Conclusion
Amanda Cose
Director, Gift Services
[email protected]
414-288-4467
Julie Nurse
Assistant Director, Gift Services
[email protected]
414-288-4515
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