How To Leverage The Power Of Matching Gifts

Some non-profits just seem to know how to make every dollar work even harder. It’s great to donate money and see the organization spend it on something important. But what about when  an organization accepts your check, finds a source of matching funds to double the value of your gift, negotiates a deep discount on items they buy, and ends up getting $3 worth of value for every dollar you invested.

Now THAT’S impressive!

I always look for organizations that will accept the challenge to stretch the money I give as far as possible, and I implore you to do the same. It takes more research, but the answers will be there in their websites, the stories their staff tells on a phone call, and sometimes, in the excited stories your neighbors are telling.

For example, many United Way agencies qualify for federal government matching funds.  For every $100 gift, the government matches it with another hundred.  That’s incredible! That means that every time any one gives to the United Way, the money is automatically doing double duty.

Other non-profits will have unique matching gift arrangements worked out. Sometimes it’s just for a limited time or when the fundraising is focused on a specific time period. Whatever the parameters, it pays to seek out these kinds of arrangements and make them work for you to make your gift even more powerful!

Like what you hear? Pick up a copy of Every Gift Matters: How Your Passion Can Change the World, now available at Amazon.