HEP Educational Series

How to USE a Matching Gift Database (Gift Plus)

MATCHING AS A SERVICEMany donors are unaware of this employee benefit. Educate them and facilitate the process.

–“Thanks for the reminder – completed company match form.”–“Thanks Linda I had no idea we had this program.”

Provide donors with information about their matching program policies and restrictions that helps them make decisions about how to allocate their donations.

Your program can become a gateway to create more meaningful relationships for your donors.

Enhance stewardship and customer service by providing donors with the matching information they need to leverage their giving dollars.

WHAT IS THE VALUE-ADDED?More efficient use of your time. Let

HEP professionals do the research.

Allows you to provide better customer services to your donors.

Assurance of knowing the information you give your donors is accurate.

Matching gift applications and instructions are immediately available to you, to pass on to your donor.

GIFTPLUS - WHAT IS IT?A user-friendly database of over

20,000 matching gift programs maintained by HEP professionals available 24/7.

A search engine that gives you access to individual program requirements and contact information.

A tool that gives you access to information you need to update and maintain matching policy in your database and inform donors of matching potential.

NAME SEARCHES

1. I F T H E F I R S T S E A R C H Y I E L D S N O R E S U LT S , T RY E N T E R I N G T H E N A M E I N A D I F F E R E N T VA R I AT I O N .

• I . E . E & J G A L L O , E J G A L L O , G A L L O• I . E . C O C A C O L A , C O K E

2. S TA RT W I T H A B R O A D S E A R C H T H E N N A R R O W D O W N

3 . Q U I C K E S T S E A R C H : N A M E O N LY , T H E N C H E C K E D U C AT I O N A L & 5 0 1 ( C ) 3 S E C T I O N S .

4 . B U I L D Y O U R D ATA B A S E G R A D U A L LY.

MATCHING GIFT ARCHIVES M A T C H I N G P R O G R A M S U P D A T E S / A L E R T S C A N B E U S E D

T O K E E P Y O U R P R O G R A M P R O F I L E S C U R R E N T

H E L P S I D E N T I F Y N E W M A T C H E L I G I B L E D O N O R SA D V A N C E U S E R S : I N A D V A N C E D L O O K U P G O T O

B I O - E M P L O Y M E N T - E M P L O Y E R N A M E 1 E N T E R N A M E O F N E W M A T C H E M P L O Y E R

Y O U W I L L S E E A L I S T O F E M P L O Y E E S

M A Y N E E D T O C R E A T E N E W R E C O R D & M A T C H I N G P R O F I L E , A N D L I N K E M P L O Y E E S T O N E W E M P L O Y E R I D

S C H E D U L E R E G U L A R M A I N T E N A N C E U S I N G A R C H I V E S .

NAME SEARCH RESULTS

• B E S U R E T O S E L E C T A P P R O P R I AT E P R O G R A M : I . E . R E T I R E E S , V O LU N T E E R , R E T I R E E , E TC .

• L O O K AT T H E C I T Y F I E L D . I F O N E N A M E P R O D U C E S P R O G R A M S I N M U LT I P L E C I T I E S , M A K E YO U R S E L E C T I O N C A R E F U L LY , A S I T M AY I N D I C AT E A C O R P O R AT E S P L I T O F F , I . E . M O T O R O L A M O B I L I T Y & M O T O R O L A S O LU T I O N S , E A C H W I T H T H E I R O W N P R O G R A M W I T H D I F F E R E N T A D D R E S S E S

• C H E V R O N E X A M P L E I N D I C AT E S 3 P R O G R A M S C O N TA I N I N G T H E N A M E C H E V R O N . E X P L O R E E A C H A S A P P R O P R I AT E

CONTACT INFORMATION• Essential for collection of aged matching applications.• Be sure to update the information in your database.• EasyMatch indicates a probable matching e-application.• Princeton NJ address: JK Group/EasyMatch.• Provide matching application links to your donors.• We get a better response rate from emails.• Read comments carefully for information that isn’t

available elsewhere in the profile.• Boeing: Retirees matched 50 cents on the dollar .50:1.

Boeing employees use an online tool called TotalAccess to apply for gift matching. The program has expanded to include cash, and/or stock donations, volunteering and participation in cause-related walks - see guidelines link for details

• Pfizer: Eligible retirees will be match at 50 cents on the dollar. The maximum amount matched per retiree contributor will be $5,000 annually.

MATCHING GIFT APPLICATIONS AND PROGRAM PARAMETERS

Some programs have both hard copy and online matching applications.

Become familiar with basic guidelines of most frequent matching donor programs.

Pay attention to minimum/maximum parameters.• Make sure gift meets minimum requirement.• Make donor aware when maximum amount exceeded.• Northrop Grumman matches up to a maximum of $1000

annually per employee• Boeing matches up to $6000 annually per employee,

but matches retiree gifts at 50%

WHO’S ELIGIBLE FOR MATCHING?

• Pay attention to full-time, part-time and retired employees, as well as spouses .

• Let retirees know their gifts are still eligible for matching.

• Some Companies that match retiree gifts: PG&E, Boeing, Chevron, Pepsi.

• Search for matching program by educational institutions & 503(c)3: check Parent companies only, leave company name blank, make selection in Eligibility drop down box, i.e. Walks, Runs, Bikes, Non-profits, Disaster Relief, Middle Schools, etc.

MATCH ELIGIBLE ATHLETICS GIFTSMany programs will match gifts to athletic programs made

through a 501(c) 3, i.e. gifts to colleges & universities made through a foundation.

If neither box is checked, call the matching program and ask. If you get an answer, forward it to Marianna Funk for GiftPlus updating.

Many more programs now match athletics gifts than in the past.

Partner with your athletics Advancement staff to market matching to both donors and staff.

Advance users: make sure the athletics data is current in your program matching policies.

APPLICATION PROCEDURESMost common: • recipient organization receives application from donor,

completes, and mails to matching program.• Recipient receives request from matching program to verify

online matching gift application.• Hard copy applications: read carefully to determine

whether a 501(c)3 letter, receipt, or copy of check must be submitted along with application.

• If necessary, check with matching program to determine whether the donor’s original signature is required.

• Our donors prefer online applications. Be sure to provide donors with gift dates, amounts, org. name, and tax EIN/ID.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAMSMatching for volunteer hours often overlooked.Promoting & marketing is important for educational

institutions, as volunteer activities on campus are often compartmentalized.

Usually a minimum number of hours required within a 12-month period, i.e. Chevron, 20 hours in 12 months, minimum of $20, maximum of $500, eBay 50 hours in 12 months, $50 minimum, $500 maximum.

Activities eligible for volunteer matches are usually vague in order to be inclusive.

Examples of volunteer activities: driving & shopping time to purchase items for event, travel time to & from advisory board meetings as well as board meetings, time spent preparing posters, marketing items, sending e-mails, record keeping., preparing documents, hostessing, event set-up and clean-up, etc.

PAYROLL DEDUCTION GIFTS Some companies allow employees to make gifts through

payroll deductions, which are usually paid out quarterly. Employees must enroll, usually the last quarter of the year. Enrollment form usually offers the employee the choice of

having the gifts automatically matched. Matching gifts are paid out quarterly. Some payroll deductions gifts and matching are paid out in

the same check, i.e. Grant Thornton, Clorox, etc. Payroll deductions gifts have an extremely high matching

rate, around 90%, and low administrative costs. These gifts can be increased with donor education &

marketing.

DISTRIBUTIONS, DEADLINES, RESTRICTIONS

Use this information to identify aged matching applications for collection efforts. Be aware that a quarterly pay schedule like Chevron’s does NOT mean you will receive a check in those months.

Use deadline dates to determine which gifts are still eligible for matching, i.e. at the beginning to January identify all gifts from Chevron or Ernst & Young employees still eligible for matching, and send one last appeal.

Delete gifts no longer eligible for matching because deadline to apply expired.

Always make a copy of the matching application prior to mailing.Will not match gift from a prior giving cycle: see Fiscal Year at

the top of the profile.

SUBSIDIARIES, DIVISIONS, AND BRANDS Make sure these names are in your database linked with

the parent company. In Advance, can be added as an alias or DBA to the

parent company record When searching your database for possible new

matching employers using subsidiary or division, the parent matching program will pop up.

In Advance, use advanced lookup function to identify employees working for the subsidiaries and link them to the parent company record.

Adding these names will increase your pool of gifts identified as being matching eligible.