What happens when a donor clicks "My donation is not eligible for a matching gift"?

Steps Involved When a Donor Marks Their Donation as Ineligible

Can I Modify the Ineligible Survey?

Who Sees the Ineligible Survey?

What Happens After the Company and Status Are Updated?

Donor Response and Matching Gift Status

FAQs:

For an overview of the automated outreach in the matching module, click here.

Steps Involved When a Donor Marks Their Donation as Ineligible

When a donor clicks the "My donation is not eligible for a matching gift" link, a series of actions follow:

Step 1: Donor Clicks the Link

If a donor is ineligible for a matching gift, they have the option to report this by clicking the red link in the email:

"My donation is not eligible for a matching gift"

This triggers a questionnaire where the donor provides further details on why their donation isn’t eligible.

Step 2: Donor Completes the Questionnaire

After clicking the link, the donor is redirected to a questionnaire asking why their donation is not eligible.

Survey Options Include:

I’m retired
I am self-employed, a government employee, or not currently working
I work for a nonprofit
I work part-time
My company doesn’t offer a matching gift program
I don’t work for the company you sent info for
My donation doesn’t meet my company’s program requirements
I don’t want to submit a matching gift request
I prefer not to say

Step 3: Donor Receives a Confirmation Message

When a donor submits the Ineligible Reason Survey, Double the Donation displays tailored confirmation messaging.

Each selection triggers:

Primary Message → Direct response to the donor’s stated reason
Secondary Message → Additional suggestions or alternative workplace giving opportunities

Example Scenario

If a donor selects: “I’m Retired”

Primary Message

The confirmation explains that some companies offer:

Matching gift programs for retirees
Volunteer grants for retirees
Corporate giving benefits extended beyond employment

The donor is encouraged to:

Check whether their former employer offers retiree benefits
Contact HR or CSR to confirm eligibility

Secondary Message

The donor is reminded that:

Family members may be eligible through their own employers
Other corporate giving opportunities may still exist

Step 4: Stage Update

After the donor submits their selection, their company and matching gift stage are updated based on their response.

The updated status is visible under the Company and Matching Gift Stage columns on the donation record in the matching module.

See the table below for a full breakdown of the Matching Gift Stages associated with each donor response.

Can I Modify the Ineligible Survey?

Yes, your organization can make basic modifications to the ineligible survey. You can customize:

The text below the survey heading
The paragraph text on the response page

How to Edit the Survey

Navigate to Email Customization → Appearance.
Locate the Ineligible Reason Survey card.
Edit the Survey Heading Text (appears at the top of the survey page).
Edit the Confirmation Page Paragraph Text (appears after a donor submits their response).
Click Save to apply your changes

Where Your Edits Appear

Below is a preview of where each editable field displays within the donor experience.

Survey Page (Donor-Facing)
This paragraph displays at the top of the Ineligible Reason Survey page, above the response options.

Confirmation Page (After Submission)

This message displays immediately after a donor submits their survey response. By default, this field is blank unless customized.

Who Sees the Ineligible Survey?

Only donors who have been identified as Match Eligible or are in the Identification in Progress stream will see the ineligible survey. If a donor is already marked as ineligible in the matching module, they will not receive the survey and will not get automated emails.

What Happens After the Company and Status Are Updated?

Blocklist Action:

If a donor marks their donation as ineligible, their email will be placed on the blocklist for 180 days by default. This prevents them from receiving future matching gift emails.

Exceptions:

Retired donors: They are permanently blocklisted.
Self-employed donors: They are placed on the blocklist, but future gifts are marked closed.
Donors whose gifts are below the minimum match amount: These donors are not added to the blocklist.

To learn more about the blocklist, click here.

To learn more about email sending limits, click here.

Donor Response and Matching Gift Status

The table below outlines the different donor responses, the corresponding matching gift stage, employer identification status, blocklist actions, and whether future gifts are marked as closed.

Donor Response	Matching Gift Stage	Employer Identification Status	Blocklist Action	Future Gifts Marked Closed
I've hit my max matching gift funds for the year.	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Not added to blocklist	No
Gift was below the minimum match amount	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Not added to blocklist	No
Gift is made outside the eligible window	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Not added to blocklist	No
Company does not offer a matching gift program	Closed (No Matching Gift Program)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	No
Donor is self-employed	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor is not currently working	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor is retired	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist permanently	Yes
Donor is a stay-at-home parent	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor works for the public sector	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor does not want to submit a matching gift request	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	No
Donor does not work for the company they received info for	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor works for a nonprofit	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
This nonprofit doesn't meet my company's matching gift program eligibility	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Not added to blocklist	Yes
Donor's company will only match donations made through their portal	Closed (Program Eligibility)	Complete	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor searched for employer, but result was not found	Identification in Progress	In Progress	Not added to blocklist	No
Donor does not submit the survey	Identification in Progress	In Progress	Added to blocklist - 180 days	Yes
Donor opts out of providing their employer name	Closed (Declined to Provide)	Declined to Provide	Added to blocklist - 180 days	No

FAQs:

Q: How do I view the confirmation messages that appear when a donor completes the ineligible survey?

A: You can view the confirmation messages by previewing the "Ineligible Reason Survey" in the email templates. Go to Automated Outreach → Match Eligible or Identification In Progress → Preview → Select "My donation is not eligible for a matching gift" → Submit the form.

Q: Are all donors added to the email blocklist after they mark their gift as ineligible?

A: No, the outcome depends on the donor’s reason for ineligibility. Some donors will be added to the blocklist, while others, like those whose gifts are below the minimum amount, will not be.

Q: How do I ensure that the donor’s status is correctly updated?

A: The status is updated automatically based on the donor’s selection in the ineligible survey. Ensure that the correct company and status are reflected in the donor record to avoid discrepancies.