This article explains why thanking the company that provided the matching gift check or funds is typically not recommended.
Should You Thank the Matching Gift Company?
Should You Thank the Matching Gift Company?
When a nonprofit receives a matching gift check, one of the first questions that may arise is whether to send a thank you or acknowledgement letter to the matching gift company.
Corporate Preferences
At Double the Donation, we maintain a database of thousands of companies with employee matching gift programs. We’ve asked many corporate contacts whether they prefer receiving thank-you letters. The overwhelming majority of companies request that nonprofits do not send thank-you letters.
Why Do Companies Prefer No Thank You Letters?
Companies issue checks to thousands of nonprofits annually, and sending thank-you letters presents two main challenges:
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Volume of Letters: Companies receive so many thank-you letters that they are often discarded or simply added to a pile of similar letters.
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Better Use of Resources: Companies prefer nonprofits to use their time and money on activities that directly further their mission, rather than spending resources on sending thank-you letters.
What Should You Do Instead?
While thanking the company is not recommended, there are alternatives that are more impactful:
Thanking Donors
Many organizations choose to thank the donors for submitting a matching gift request. This approach is highly encouraged, as donor stewardship can motivate donors to submit matching gift requests again in the future.
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Automated Thank You Messages: The matching module in Double the Donation allows your organization to automatically thank donors for submitting a match request through an email stream. This helps maintain a positive relationship with your donors and encourages future participation in matching gift programs.
Additional Information
Double the Donation’s Role
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Double the Donation builds and sells fundraising software to nonprofits to help raise more money from employee matching gift programs.
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We do not manage matching gift funds for corporations, so there’s no need to send us thank-you letters.
Many organizations thank their donors for submitting a matching gift request, which we highly encourage! Stewardship can encourage donors to submit matching gift requests again in the future. Learn about how the matching module enables your organization to automatically thank donors for submitting a match request using the Thank You email stream.
FAQs
Q: What are the best emails to send to employers to help them encourage matching gifts?
A: Here are some strategies that nonprofits have found successful:
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Find an internal advocate:
Does someone at the company work for a supporter of your nonprofit? They can help market the matching gift program internally or introduce you to HR/CSR teams. -
Provide templates:
Companies appreciate editable templates they can use to remind employees about the matching gift program. People prefer editing over creating from scratch. -
Create social proof:
Share a social media post thanking a company and its employees for matching gifts. Encourage the company to share the post internally or make an announcement. -
Highlight employee participation:
If you know that many employees at the company already donate to your organization, mention it in outreach: “Dozens of your employees already support our mission, but not all are submitting their matching gift requests.” -
Set up a one-off match or promotional month:
Suggest that the company increase its match for a month or set up a one-off match, with promotions surrounding it to drive employee participation.