This article walks through the recommended best practices for managing your Double the Donation account to see the greatest success with the platform.
Getting Started: Ensure Your Account is Fully Set Up
Best Practices:
1. Passing in at least 90% of individual contributions (offline and online donations)
2. Follow up with donors in the Eligible But Not Submitted Report
3. Update donors to "Pending Payment" or "Match Complete"
5. Market Matching Gifts in every fundraising opportunity with your donors.
Getting Started: Ensure Your Account is Fully Set Up
Before diving into best practices, make sure your account is configured for success:
-
Integrate your donation platform and/or CRM.
-
Enable automated outreach — at least 2 emails in the "match eligible" stream and 1 email in the "identification in progress" stream.
-
Send all matching gift emails from your organization’s domain for brand trust.
-
Add the Double the Donation plugin to a dedicated matching gift page on your website.
1. Pass at Least 90% of Contributions into the Matching Module
Capturing both online and offline donations is critical.
-
Online donations:
-
Add the streamlined search tool to every donation form.
-
Donors using this tool are 2.5x more likely to identify their employer, unlocking matching gift eligibility.
-
-
Offline donations:
-
Record employer details when processing offline gifts.
-
The matching module will then provide donors with the correct forms to start their match.
-
This setup requires minimal ongoing staff time but ensures nearly all gifts (90–100%) flow into the system.
Learn more about integrations here.
2. Follow Up on the “Eligible But Not Submitted” Report
The Eligible But Not Submitted Report highlights donors who are match-eligible but haven’t yet submitted their matching gift request. This is low-hanging fruit for maximizing revenue.
How to act on this report:
-
Review monthly or quarterly in the Matching Module under Reports > Eligible But Not Submitted.
-
Send bulk emails or personally call top donors from this list.
-
Use available manual email templates or rely on automated outreach streams for consistency.
Learn how to use this report effectively.
3. Keep Donor Statuses Updated
Tracking donors through the matching gift lifecycle keeps your statistics accurate and helps close the loop.
Lifecycle stages:
-
Donor gives to your organization.
-
Donor initiates a matching gift request with their employer.
-
Employer either verifies the gift (e.g., CyberGrants, Easy Match) or does not require verification (e.g., Benevity, YourCause).
-
Your organization receives matching funds (typically within 1–3 months).
Best practices for updating statuses:
-
Mark donors as Pending Payment once a match is verified.
-
Update to Match Complete once funds are received.
Learn more about donor statuses.
4. Manage Your Matching Gift Portals
Employers often require nonprofits to log into portals for match verification.
Tips for portal management:
-
Keep consistent login credentials across your team.
-
Maintain a master list of portal links.
-
Assign ownership for portal reviews.
-
Proactively check for updates weekly or monthly.
-
Record matches in the Matching Module and update donors.
See our guidance on portal management.
5. Market Matching Gifts Across Fundraising Channels
Organizations that promote matching gifts in multiple places see 77% more match-eligible donations identified.
Where to promote matching gifts:
-
Donation forms and confirmation pages.
-
A dedicated matching gift page on your website.
-
Your navigation bar and “Ways to Give” page.
-
Email receipts and automated outreach emails.
-
Social media campaigns.
Access marketing templates and examples in your Double the Donation account under Resources > Marketing Assets.
Explore matching gift marketing examples.
6. Add the Volunteer Plugin
Many companies provide volunteer grants when employees volunteer with nonprofits.
Best practices:
-
Ask supporters if they volunteer with your organization.
-
Encourage volunteers to check eligibility through your volunteer plugin.
-
List volunteer grant details on your volunteering page.
-
Use your Volunteer Management System (VMS) to log hours and sync them with Double the Donation (available on Volunteering Standard Plan).
Volunteer grants can add thousands in additional revenue each year.
Learn more about integrations here.
7. Use the Payroll Giving Plugin
Payroll giving allows donors to give directly through their paycheck, often with matching opportunities from their employer.
Benefits of the Payroll Giving Plugin:
-
Alerts donors if their employer offers payroll giving.
-
Provides next steps for enrollment.
-
Identifies recurring donors eligible for matches.
-
Creates a seamless plugin experience within your branding.
This adds another recurring revenue stream and strengthens donor engagement.
FAQs
Q: Do I need to use all best practices to succeed?
A: No, but organizations that adopt most or all of these strategies typically see the greatest lift in matching gift revenue.
Q: How much staff time is required?
-
Some practices (like capturing 90% of donations) require only initial setup.
-
Others (like portal management or status updates) require ongoing review weekly or monthly.
Q: What kind of revenue growth can we expect?
A: Organizations often see a 20%–50% increase in matching gift, volunteer grant, and payroll giving revenue within the first year when consistently applying these best practices.