This article explains Double the Donation’s recommended approach to company exclusion settings in the matching module—when to show or hide employers in your donor-facing search tool, plus nuanced use of parent/child categories.
Pros and Cons of Company Exclusions
Our Recommendation
Show all companies in search results and let donors read each company’s matching gift and volunteer grant descriptions to determine eligibility. This creates the best donor experience and maximizes matching revenue.
Pros and Cons of Excluding vs. Including Companies
If you exclude companies
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You’ll get more “Why isn’t my company listed?” questions, which can frustrate donors and even derail the original gift while they email your team.
If you include all companies (recommended)
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Occasionally, an ineligible donor submits a request. However, this visibility can nudge companies to broaden guidelines, and some large nonprofits even follow up with companies: “Many of your employees support us—will you consider expanding eligibility?”
Why this matters: Companies categorize eligibility differently and share uneven levels of detail. Going too broad risks showing donors who aren’t eligible; going too restrictive hides donors who are eligible. Showing all companies avoids both pitfalls and helps you raise as much as possible.
Using Parent/Child Categories (Only When It Truly Helps)
Sometimes a nuanced category improves accuracy—use sparingly and only when your org type is commonly mentioned in corporate guidelines.
Good candidates for child categories
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Hospitals/Medical Centers (under Health/Human Services): Some employers match hospitals specifically but not all health orgs; choosing this child category ensures those companies appear.
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Athletics (under Educational): Some companies match gifts to educational institutions except athletic funds; selecting “Athletics” excludes companies that don’t match athletic gifts, reducing false attempts.
If your exact type isn’t listed, choose Other/General or select only the parent category. For tailored advice, consult your Double the Donation Client Success team.
Implementation Tips
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Start without exclusions; monitor donor questions and submission success.
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If needed, test a single parent category first (not children).
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Add a child category only where guidelines frequently mention your specific subtype (e.g., Hospitals, Athletics).
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Reassess quarterly; remove filters if donors report missing companies.