Many companies have these programs in place and the funds are already allocated.
Yet between $4 billion and $7 billion in available matching funds goes unclaimed every year, primarily because donors do not know their employer offers a match and nonprofits rarely have systems in place to tell them.
The opportunity is growing. Corporate giving reached a record $44.4 billion in 2024, a 9.1% increase from the prior year, according to Giving USA 2025. Matching gift programs account for a meaningful share of that total, and the number of companies offering them continues to expand. With the right approach, your nonprofit can start capturing these dollars without asking donors to give more.
Harness can guide you through the process, helping you identify opportunities and implement strategies to make the most of matching donations. This guide covers exactly how matching gifts work, which major employers offer them, and how to claim as many as possible.
What is donation matching?
Donation matching is a corporate giving program in which a company contributes an additional gift to a nonprofit to match a donation made by one of its employees. If an employee donates $100, the employer sends a separate $100 to the same nonprofit, effectively doubling the gift. Most companies match at a 1:1 ratio, though some match at 2:1 or higher. Programs are typically limited to registered 501(c)(3) organizations and subject to annual caps and submission deadlines set by each employer.
How do matching gift programs work?
The process has four stages. Understanding each one helps you identify where matches get lost and where you can intervene.
Step 1: The employee donates
A donor gives to your nonprofit through your website, a check, a workplace giving campaign, or payroll deductions. At the point of donation, they may not realize their gift is eligible for a match. That is why it is important to mention matching gifts early, on your donation page, in thank-you emails, and at fundraising events.
Step 2: They check their company's matching gift program
Not every company offers donation matching, so the donor needs to confirm their employer's policy. Key variables include:
- Match ratio: Most match dollar for dollar, though some go higher.
- Eligible nonprofits: Some only match donations to education, health, or environmental causes, while others support any registered 501(c)(3) organization.
- Minimum and maximum amounts: Companies may require a minimum donation or cap the total match per employee per year.
- Who qualifies: Some programs cover full-time employees only; others extend to part-time staff, retirees, or spouses.
Step 3: The donor submits a match request
This is where most matching gift opportunities are lost. Many donors forget to submit their request or assume it is complicated. In most cases it is a straightforward online form: log into the employer's matching gift portal, enter the donation amount and date, provide the nonprofit name, upload proof of donation, and submit.
Some companies are moving toward auto-submission, where a donor can complete the request with a single click from your donation confirmation page, removing the friction of a separate portal login entirely.
Step 4: The company reviews and matches the gift
Once the request is submitted and verified, the company sends the matching funds directly to your nonprofit. Your organization has effectively doubled the donor's impact without asking them for more money.
Most companies set deadlines for match requests. Some require submission within 90 days of the donation, while others allow up to a year. Including deadline reminders in your post-donation communications prevents money from lapsing.
Which companies match donations?
Thousands of companies across the US offer matching gift programs. According to America's Charities, 65% of Fortune 500 companies have active programs, and among multi-billion-dollar corporations the figure is even higher. The percentage of Russell 1000 companies that publicly disclose matching programs grew 11.8% over three years, according to Nonprofits Source, and the trend toward unrestricted programs that match to any eligible nonprofit continues to accelerate.
Named matching gift programs: key details
The table below covers seven major employers with well-documented programs. Details are sourced from Kindsight, Bonterra, and Microsoft's own published giving data. Always verify current terms directly with the employer, as programs are updated periodically.
Who qualifies for matching gifts?
- Employment status: Many programs cover full-time employees, but an increasing number extend to part-time staff, retirees, and spouses. Johnson and Johnson, for example, covers all three groups.
- Donation amount: Industry data shows the average minimum required for a match is around $34, and the average annual maximum per employee is approximately $3,728, though top programs go significantly higher.
- Nonprofit type: Some companies limit matching to education, healthcare, or environmental organizations. Most large programs now run open matching to any registered 501(c)(3).
How donors can check if their company matches gifts
Many donors will not research their employer's program without a prompt. Making it easy is one of the most effective things your nonprofit can do.
- Add a matching gift search tool to your nonprofit's website and donation page so donors can check eligibility before completing the transaction.
- Encourage donors to ask their HR or employee benefits team directly.
- Remind donors that most large employers list matching gift policies in their employee benefits portal or intranet.
Matching gift program guidelines
Match ratio: how much will the company contribute?
The vast majority of companies match at a 1:1 ratio. Some offer higher ratios:
- 2:1 ratio: The company doubles the donation. A $50 gift becomes $150 total. Johnson and Johnson uses this ratio for current employees.
- 3:1 ratio: The company triples the donation. Soros Fund Management, for example, matches at 3:1 for employees up to $100,000 annually.
Research from America's Charities shows employee engagement correlates strongly with cap generosity: companies with annual maximums above $10,000 see participation rates around 40%, compared to roughly 12% at companies with caps under $1,000.
Minimum and maximum donation amounts
- Minimums: The average minimum is around $34. Some programs accept gifts as low as $1 (Microsoft) or $10.
- Maximums: The average annual cap runs around $3,728 per employee, but top programs are far higher. According to CECP's Giving in Numbers, total median community investment per large company reached $21.5 million in 2024, reflecting the scale of the most committed corporate programs.
Eligibility: which nonprofits qualify?
Common eligible categories include educational institutions, health and medical nonprofits, environmental organizations, and arts and cultural groups. Some companies exclude religious organizations, political groups, or crowdfunding campaigns. Confirm your eligibility before encouraging a donor to apply.
Submission deadlines: when to request a match
Deadlines vary. The most common deadline is December 31st of the donation year. Others allow 3 to 12 months after the gift date. Google requires submission by January 31st of the following year; Bank of America by March 31st; GE Aerospace by April 15th. Reminding donors of their specific deadline in your post-donation email is one of the simplest ways to prevent money lapsing.
The awareness gap: why most matching gifts go unclaimed
The core problem is not a shortage of eligible donations. It is a failure of awareness and follow-through on both sides.
According to Nonprofits Source, roughly 78% of donors are entirely unaware whether their employer offers a matching program. Only 1.31% of individual donations are actually matched at the average nonprofit, despite more than 10% being eligible. On the nonprofit side, 57% of organizations rarely communicate corporate giving opportunities to donors at all.
According to America's Charities, approximately $5 billion is raised through workplace giving annually, much of it unrestricted. The gap between that figure and the estimated $4 to $7 billion in unclaimed matching funds each year shows exactly how much is being left on the table.
What this means for your nonprofit: You do not need donors to be more generous. You need them to be better informed. Every communication touchpoint is an opportunity to close the awareness gap and recover revenue that is already allocated.
Why promoting matching gifts changes donor behaviour
The evidence on this is consistent. According to America's Charities, 84% of donors say they are more likely to give if a match is offered, and 1 in 3 say they would increase their gift amount if matching applies. Matching gifts consistently ranks among the top five motivations for workplace donors.
Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals has also been shown to increase both response rates and average gift sizes. A single line on your donation form or in your appeal email noting that the donor's employer may match their gift can shift both the likelihood of giving and the amount given.
How to market matching gifts to your donors
1. Promote matching gifts on your donation page
The best moment to inform donors is when they are actively donating. Add a matching gift eligibility search tool directly on your donation page. A brief prompt alongside the donation form costs nothing to add and consistently increases awareness at the most actionable moment.
2. Send follow-up emails after every donation
Your post-donation thank-you email should include a matching gift reminder as standard. Reminder emails sent within 24 hours of a donation achieve open rates around 53%, more than double the typical nonprofit email average. A sequence of reminders timed around the donor's likely submission deadline pushes claim rates meaningfully higher.
3. Use social media to spread awareness
A regular cadence of matching gift content on your social channels normalizes the habit for your supporter base. Effective formats include the unclaimed billions stat, donor testimonials from people who got their gift matched, and short step-by-step walkthroughs of the submission process.
4. Train your fundraising team and volunteers
Equip staff and volunteers to mention matching gifts during events, phone calls, and one-on-one conversations. A brief mention along the lines of "Many of our donors double their gift through employer matching, which is usually a simple online form" plants the idea without pressure.
5. Add matching gift reminders to all thank-you messages
Thank you for your generous donation. Did you know your employer may match it? Many of our donors double their impact with a quick submission through their company's giving portal. It takes just a few minutes to check.
Using technology to capture more matching gifts
The biggest gains in matching gift revenue come from reducing friction between an eligible donation and a submitted request. Matching gift search tools embedded in your donation page let donors check eligibility in real time. Automated email sequences handle the follow-up without staff effort.
More advanced auto-submission solutions allow a donor to complete the request with a single click from your donation confirmation page. Their corporate email address verifies eligibility and the request is submitted to the employer's CSR platform automatically, bypassing the multi-step portal process that causes most eligible matches to go unclaimed.
Harness helps nonprofits automate matching gifts, manage donor engagement, and track match submissions without adding workload to your team. The right infrastructure turns matching gifts from an occasional windfall into a reliable revenue stream.
Stop leaving free money on the table
Matching gifts are one of the most cost-effective ways to grow donation revenue without asking donors to give more. The funds already exist, the programs are expanding, and more companies are making it easier for employees to participate. The limiting factor is almost always awareness and follow-through.
Nonprofits that actively promote matching gifts, follow up with donors, and use the right tools to simplify submission consistently capture far more than those that treat it as an afterthought. If you are ready to make matching gifts a meaningful revenue stream, Harness can help.
