Directing Donors to Matching Gift Forms

Does your organization have a strategy in place to maximize fundraising from employee matching gift programs?��Directing donors to matching gift forms is a great place to start.

After all, one of the biggest challenges nonprofits face isn’t just��—it’s helping donors actually follow through. Even when donors are eager to maximize their impact, they often don’t know where to go or what steps to take. That’s where clear direction and smart strategy come in.

In this post, we’ll break down several key methods your organization can use to guide donors straight to their matching gift forms—making the experience a seamless one and boosting your fundraising potential in the process.

Specifically, we’ll cover:

Guiding Donors to Their Electronic Matching Gift Portals
Linking to Matching Gift Forms on a Company’s Website
Providing Donors with Matching Gift Forms on our Servers
Directing Donors to their Company Intranet or HR Contact
Skipping Matching Gift Forms with Auto-Submission

��ԹϺ��, we utilize a number of different approaches to direct your organization’s supporters to the forms they need to submit matching gift requests. We know each method isn’t created equal, so we’ve prioritized the information we provide to donors to maximize the likelihood they’ll ultimately submit a request.

Ready to find out how? Let’s get started with the basics.

What are matching gift forms?

Matching gift forms are the key documents that employees use to request a matching donation from their employer after they’ve contributed to a nonprofit organization. These forms are part of a company’s corporate philanthropy program, allowing eligible donations to be matched—often dollar for dollar—by the employer.

There are typically two types of matching gift forms:

Paper Forms��– Some companies still provide physical forms that employees fill out with their donation details, the nonprofit’s information, and sometimes a copy of the donation receipt. The employee then submits the form to their HR department or a designated matching gift administrator for processing.
Online Submission Portals��– Most modern companies now use digital platforms to manage their programs. Employees log in, search for the organization they supported, enter their donation details, and submit the request—all online.

The nonprofit may then be required to verify the donation before the match is approved and disbursed. It’s a simple process, but many donors don’t know where to start, making it crucial for organizations to guide them to the correct form at the right time.

Why directing donors to matching gift forms matters

You might be spreading the word about matching gifts, but if donors don’t know��how��ǰ��where��to submit a request, those potential matches can easily fall through the cracks. That’s why directing donors to their matching gift forms isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.

Here’s why it matters:

Increased Match Completion Rates
Even donors who are aware of matching gifts may not follow through without explicit instructions. Providing direct access to their employer’s matching gift form removes a key barrier, making it more likely they’ll take action.
Improved Donor Experience
Donors want their contributions to make a difference. When you streamline the matching gift process, you show that you value their time and are committed to helping their generosity go further—with minimal effort on their part.
Strengthened Corporate Relationships
When donors successfully complete a match, it opens a door between your organization and their employer. This can lead to long-term opportunities for corporate sponsorships, volunteer engagement, and deeper partnerships.

In short, directing donors to matching gift forms is one of the simplest and most effective ways to increase fundraising without asking supporters to reach deeper into their pockets. It’s all about turning good intentions into meaningful, multiplied impact⁠—and guiding them through the process of doing so.

Method #1: Guide Donors to Their Electronic Matching Gift Portals

Many of the largest companies offer an electronic matching gift submission process. While a few companies have developed their own proprietary process, the majority of companies contract the matching gift administration process out to a dedicated��corporate matching gift vendor.

Fortunately for nonprofits, in the majority of instances, the electronic login page is actually publicly available on a website that anyone can access. Therefore, we recommend directing donors to the login page, where they enter their username and password and proceed through the matching gift submission process.

Check out the example showcasing how our database directs users to the correct login pages for their matching gift forms:

Method #2: Link to Matching Gift Forms on a Company’s Website

While more and more companies continue to migrate over to an electronic submission process, many still require donors to print and complete a paper matching gift form. In many cases, the form is posted on a publicly accessible website, so we direct donors to the company page where the matching form can be accessed.

Here’s an example of a public-facing web page from Alliant Energy:

Method #3: Provide Donors with Matching Gift Forms on our Servers

If a company requires employees to submit a paper matching gift form, we do our best to provide the donor with a copy of the form. If it isn’t posted publicly on the company’s website, we request that the company provide us with a copy of the form. In these cases, we host the form on our server (typically as a PDF) so your donors can easily download it.

Here’s a sample form for Coca-Cola’s matching gift program hosted on our servers:

Method #4: Direct Donors to their Company Intranet or HR Contact

Sometimes, a company’s matching gift forms can only be accessed via the company’s intranet servers, often for internal security-related reasons.

In these cases, we typically encourage donors to access the form via a quick inquiry on the company intranet. If it’s an online submission process, we notify the donor and ask them to go to a specific location on the intranet or to search for “matching gifts.”

Here’s what this looks like for one company, Freddie Mac, using our matching gift database:

While this is less than ideal, simply telling donors, “Hey, company XYZ will match your donation up to $5,000, and your organization is eligible,” increases the likelihood they’ll log into the company intranet to retrieve and submit the form.

Bonus Method: Skip Matching Gift Forms with �ԹϺ��’s Auto-Submission

What if your donors didn’t have to fill out a separate matching gift form at all?

Thanks to��ԹϺ��’s auto-submission feature, select donors can now submit their matching gift requests directly from your donation form or follow-up email—no extra steps, no confusion, and no portal hopping. It’s the most seamless way to turn one donation into two.

Here’s how it works:

When a donor gives to your organization, they’re prompted to search for their employer.
If their company supports auto-submission, they’ll see the option to submit their matching gift request automatically—right then and there.
All it takes is a few clicks, and their match request is submitted in the background—no need to visit a separate platform or fill out a detailed form.

This feature drastically increases match completion rates by removing friction from the process. By enabling auto-submission through �ԹϺ��, your organization makes it easier than ever for donors to double their impact—and that means more matching gift revenue with less donor effort.

Want to see it in action? Check out this short clip:

Next Steps & Additional Resources

Making it easy for donors to submit their matching gift requests can mean the difference between doubling your impact and leaving money on the table. By implementing these methods in your strategy, your organization can streamline the process, remove donor confusion, and unlock more corporate matching opportunities.

It’s not just about raising more—it’s about empowering your supporters to do more with every dollar. Start applying these strategies today, and watch your matching gift revenue grow.

Looking to learn more about matching gift strategies and beyond? Check out these additional recommended resources:

Corporate Matching Gift Forms | The Ultimate Guide.��Take a deep dive into everything you need to know about corporate matching gift forms! This complete guide will help you help your donors understand the documents.
8 Ways to Encourage Donors to Submit Employee Matching Gift Requests.��In addition to directing donors to matching gift forms, check out these leading ideas for driving completed requests.
��Get our free downloadable resource to learn the ins and outs of corporate matching gifts. The more you know, the better you can target the programs!