Matching gifts are an incredible way to motivate additional support from your community. When establishing a matching gift, you can make a decision about how the matching dollars are designated based on your strategy and the preference of the matching donor.
Follow the Fund matches provide enhanced flexibility for offline matches around the designation(s) of the matching dollars.
Match Designation Options
Option 1: Single Designation -- All Match Dollars Designated to a Single Fund
In this scenario, all dollars from the match will be given to a single designation.
For Example:
- There is a match that is $1 per $1 up to $10,000, and the match dollars are designated to Scholarships.
- A donor gives $10 to Financial Aid, and is matched with $10 to Scholarships.
- Campaign totals increase by $20 ($10 from the donor and $10 from the match).
- Financial Aid leaderboard increases by $10, Scholarships leaderboard increases by $10 from the matching gift.
- When the Match is completed, the entire $10,000 unlocked from the match will be designated to Scholarships
Option 2: Follow the Fund -- Match Dollars Designated to the Funds of the Donation that Triggered the Match
In this scenario, dollars from the match will be divided up -- with dollars being incrementally designated to the same funds(s) as each donation that triggered the match.
For Example:
- There is a match that is $1 per $1 up to $10,000, and the match dollars are designated as 'Follow the Fund'
- A donor gives $10 to Financial aid and is matched with $10 to Financial Aid.
- Campaign totals and the Financial Aid leaderboard increase by $20 ($10 from the donor and $10 from the match).
- Another donor gives and splits their gift, donating $25 to Soccer and $50 to the Business School. They are matched with an additional $25 to Soccer and an additional $50 to the Business School
- Campaign totals increase by $150 ($75 total from the donor and $75 from the match).
- Soccer leaderboards & Tiered landing pages increases by $50 ($25 from the donor and $25 from the match).
- Business School leaderboards & Tiered landing pages increase by $100 ($50 from the donor and $50 from the match).
- When the Match is completed, the $10,000 that was unlocked may be distributed across hundreds of different funds.
Follow the Fund Match Reporting
When creating a 'Follow the Fund' match, it's important that schools can understand how those match dollars are divided up across many designations. Follow the Fund matches will have special reports available via the 'Matches & Challenges' tab of each campaign.
- Visit the Matches & Challenges Tab of your campaign settings
- Click the 'Download' arrow next to the corresponding match.
- This report will include information about each gift that triggered the match and how much money was distributed from the match -- the Matched Amount.
- This is a designation row report. Donors who split their gifts multiple ways will be included as multiple rows on the report: one row per designation.
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- For Example:
- $100 per Donor Follow the Fund Match is Established
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer, the 'Matched Amount' is $100
- $1 per $1 Follow the Fund Match is Established
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer and $50 to Baseball.
- Donor will show as two rows in the Follow the Fund match report.
- The 'Matched Amount' for Soccer is $10
- The 'Matched Amount' for Baseball is $50
- $100 per Donor Follow the Fund Match is Established
- For Example:
Learn more about additional scenarios and multi-split giving below.
Specifics: Follow the Fund Scenarios
#1: Split Gifts
If a donor gives to multiple funds within a single transaction, Follow the Fund Matches will split match dollars, distributing the match dollars across designations at the same ratio as the donor's gift.
Example for $ per $ Matches:
- $1 per $1 Match up
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer and $25 to the Annual Fund
- Match releases $10 to Soccer and $25 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $20, Annual Fund leaderboard increases by $50.
Example for $ per Donor Matches:
- $100 per donor Match
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer and $25 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer represents 29% of the donor's total gift. The Annual Fund represents 71% of the donor's total gift.
- Match releases $29 to Soccer and $71 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $39 ($10 from donor, $29 from $100 per donor match), Annual Fund leaderboard increases by $96 ($25 from donor, $71 from the $100 per donor match)
#2: Split Gifts + Restricted Matches
Schools may have a scenario where a match is restricted, only targeting a specific designation group. Follow the Fund match dollars will only apply to the eligible designations within that group, distributing the match dollars at based on the ratio of total eligible designations from that gift.
Example for $ per $ Match:
- $1 per $1, only designations within the Athletics group
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer (eligible for match) and $25 to the Annual Fund (not eligible for match)
- Soccer represents 100% of donor's gift that's eligible for the match. The Annual Fund represents 0% of the donor's gift that's eligible for the match.
- Match releases $10 to Soccer and $0 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $20 ($10 from donor, $10 from $1 per $1 match), Annual Fund leaderboard increases by $25 ($25 from donor, $0 from the $1 per $1 match)
Example for $ per Donor Match:
- $100 per donor, only designations within the Athletics group
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer (eligible for match), $50 to Baseball, and $25 to the Annual Fund (not eligible for match)
- Soccer represents 17% of donor's gift that's eligible for the match. Baseball represents 83% of donor's gift that's eligible for the match. The Annual Fund represents 0% of the donor's gift that's eligible for the match.
- Match releases $17 to Soccer, $83 to Baseball, and $0 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $27 ($10 from donor, $17 from $100 per donor match), Baseball Leaderboard increases by $133 ($50 from donor, $83 from $100 per donor match). Annual Fund leaderboard increases by $25 ($25 from donor, $0 from the $100 per donor match)
#2: Recurring Gifts
Like regular matches, Follow the Fund Matches will match recurring gifts depending on if they are time-bound or indefinite. If the Follow the Fund match is restricted or the recurring gift is split across multiple designations, the same logic from above will apply.
Example for Time-Bound Recurring:
- $1 per $1 Follow the Fund Match
- Donor gives $10 per month to the Annual Fund for 1 Year
- The total donor commitment is $120
- Match releases $120 to the Annual Fund.
- Campaign Totals and Annual Fund leaderboard increase by $240 ($120 from donor's recurring commitment and $120 from the $1 per $1 match)
Example for Indefinite Recurring:
- $1 per $1 Follow the Fund Match
- Donor gives $10 per month to the Annual Fund for 1 Year
- The total donor commitment is unknown, so only the first-installment amount is counted.
- Match releases $10 to the Annual Fund
- Campaign Totals and Annual Fund leaderboard increase by $20 ($10 from donor's recurring installment and $10 from the $1 per $1 match)
#3: Joint Gifts
Like regular matches, Follow the Fund Matches will treat joint gifts as 2 donors contributing the donated amount. Therefore, if there is a $ per Donor match, the gift will be matched twice -- once for the contributing donor and once for the joint donor.
Example for $ per $ Match:
No change when joint donor is included.
- $1 per $1 Follow the Fund Match
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer, and includes their partner as a 'Joint Donor'
- Match releases $10 to Soccer
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $20 ($10 from donor, $10 from $1 per $1 match)
Example for $ per Donor Match:
Change when joint donor is included
- $100 per donor,
- Donor gives $10 to Soccer, and includes their partner as a 'Joint Donor'
- Match releases $200 to Soccer ($100 for the contributing donor and $100 for the joint donor)
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $310 ($10 from donor, $100 for the contributing donor and $100 for the joint donor)
#4: Max Amount Matched Per Donor
Schools may have a scenario where they limit the max amount that can be matched per donor, ensuring $1 per $1 matches aren't used up by a few large donors. Follow the Fund Matches will split the limited match dollars, distributing the match dollars across designations at the same ratio as the donor's gift.
Example for $ per $ Match:
- $1 per $1 Follow the Fund Match, up to $100 per donor
- Donor gives $100 to Soccer and $50 to the Annual Fund
- Only $100 of the donor's $150 gift can be matched
- Soccer represents 67% of the donor's total gift. The Annual Fund represents 33% of the donor's total gift.
- Match releases $67 to Soccer and $33 to the Annual Fund
- Soccer Leaderboard increases by $167 ($100 from donor, $67 from $1 per $1 match), Annual Fund leaderboard increases by $83 ($50 from donor, $33 from the $1 per $1 match)
Offline Gifts: Follow the Fund
- Individual Offline Donors and Offline Donors in bulk function the same for Follow the Fund matches function the same as any other gift.
- Offline Donors will be included in Follow the Fund match reports
- Designation adjustments do not modify / impact Follow the Fund matches.
Further questions? Reach out to support@givecampus.com.