Matches and Challenges – GiveCampus University

Matches and Challenges are powerful tools that allow donors to leverage their own giving to inspire others. They provide advocates and generous donors with a way to motivate additional support and boost campaign momentum.

Quick Reference: Matches vs. Challenges

	Match	Challenge
How it works	Donor commits to giving incrementally as other gifts come in	Donor commits to a lump-sum gift only once terms are met
Parameters	- $X per donor- $X per $1 donated	- $X if Y donors give- $X if $Y is raised
When dollars appear	Added incrementally as gifts apply	Added all at once once threshold is met
Donor counted in totals?	Counted immediately as soon as Match is created	Counted only when Challenge is achieved
Leaderboard impact	Increases as match dollars are unlocked	Increases only when Challenge is unlocked
Examples	“$2 per $1 donated up to $5,000”“$50 per donor up to $5,000”	“$1,000 if 50 donors give”“$1,000 if $1,000 is raised”

Note: Include give_full_match_challenge_amount in standard reports to reconcile donors who committed their full amount even if campaign terms weren't met.

Match Parameters

A Match can be set up in two ways:

$X per donor
$X per $1 donated

Examples

“Albus Dumbledore will match $2 per $1 donated up to $5,000”
“Professor Trelawney will match $50 per donor up to $5,000”

How do Match donors and dollars count?

The Match donor is counted in campaign totals and leaderboards as soon as the Match is created.
No match dollars are added until other gifts apply.
Match dollars are unlocked incrementally as gifts are applied.

Challenge Parameters

A Challenge can be set up in two ways:

Donor gives $X if Y number of donors give
Donor gives $X if $Y is raised

Examples

“Hermione Granger will give $1,000 if 50 donors give”
“Harry Potter will give $1,000 if $1,000 is donated”

How do Challenge donors and dollars count?

Challenges are all-or-nothing.
Challenge donors and dollars are counted only once the threshold is met.

Custom Headers & Descriptions

You can personalize Matches and Challenges with custom headers and descriptions.

Optional for both Offline and Online Matches/Challenges
Examples:
- Header: ⚽️ Soccer Match ⚽️
- Description: A group of gold medalists 🥇 are matching $100 for each gift made to soccer! Thank you Sophia, Mal, and Trin!

Directing Matches or Challenges

Matches and Challenges can be restricted to specific groups:

By Affiliation → e.g. Parents
By Affiliation + Class Year → e.g. Parents of the Class of 2024
By Class Year → e.g. Class of 2024 (any affiliation)
By Designation → e.g. Donors who give to Soccer
By Designation Group → e.g. Donors who give to Athletics
Combo → e.g. Parents who give to Athletics

Designating Matches or Challenges

Donors can also decide where their match dollars go:

Restrict to Parents, designate to Financial Aid → all parent gifts are matched with a Financial Aid gift
Restrict to Soccer, designate to Athletics Fund → all Soccer gifts are matched with an Athletics Fund gift

Additional Options

Minimum Match Amount

Require a minimum gift size to trigger the match/challenge
Example: only matching gifts above $1,000
Setup:
- Campaign Settings —> Motivation & Sharing —> Matches & Challenges —> Settings —> Enable "Let match creators decide if they only want to match gifts above a certain dollar amount.” —> Save.

Limit Match Amount Per Donor

Cap how much can be matched per donor
Example: $1:$1 match, capped at $500 per donor
Setup:
- Add new Match/Challenge → check Limit Amount Matched per Donor → enter max

Range of Classes

Direct a Match/Challenge to multiple class years
Setup:

1. Create Match/Challenge first directed to a single class year
2. Once it's created edit the Match/Challenge from: Campaign Settings → Motivation & Sharing → Matches & Challenges → Edit (pencil icon on the right)
3. Under Directed Years, you can add additional years then save.

Recurring Giving Matches/Challenges

Motivate recurring gifts (monthly/annual)
Setup: new Match/Challenge → “Who is this match for?” → select Donors that make a recurring gift

First-Time Donor Matches/Challenges

Encourage never-before donors
Setup:
- Load in gift data via the Data Importer
- Configure donor statuses'
- Set up Match/Challenge, and see new option to restrict only to first-time donors
  Directed Email Matches and Challenges
  
  When setting up a match or challenge, you can direct it to specific email addresses. This creates a private match that only appears to:
  - Logged-in administrators
  - The specific people whose email addresses were included
  Common issue: If an incomplete or invalid email address is entered in the directed emails field, the match may appear "invisible" on the campaign page to general visitors.
  
  To fix an invisible match:
  1. Go to Campaign Settings → Motivation & Sharing → Matches & Challenges
  2. Click the edit (pencil) icon next to your match
  3. Check if the match has email addresses in the "directed emails" field
  4. If you want it visible to everyone, remove all email addresses from that field
  5. Save your changes
  Editing Match and Challenge Settings
  
  Most match and challenge settings can be edited while active:
  - Dollar amounts and maximums
  - Match criteria and targeting
  - Directed emails and groups
  To edit an existing match or challenge:
  Editing Match and Challenge Settings
  
  Match and challenge settings can be edited while they are active. You can update:
  
  Dollar amounts and maximums
  
  Match criteria and targeting
  
  Directed emails and groups
  
  To edit an existing match or challenge:
  
  Navigate to Campaign Settings → Motivation & Sharing → Matches & Challenges
  
  Click the edit (pencil) icon next to the match or challenge
  
  Make your changes
  
  Save your updates
  
  Correcting Match Types
  
  If you have set up the wrong match type:
  
  For dollar-for-dollar matches, set "Match Type" to "Dollar" and "Dollars per match type" to "$1.00"
  
  For per-donor matches, set "Match Type" to "Donor" and specify the dollar amount per qualifying donor
  1. Go to Campaign Settings → Motivation & Sharing → Matches & Challenges
  2. Click the edit (pencil) icon next to your match or challenge
  3. Make your changes
  4. Save
  Correcting Match Types
  
  If you set up the wrong match type:
  
  For dollar-for-dollar matches: Set "Match Type" to "Dollar" and "Dollars per match type" to "$1.00"
  
  For per-donor matches: Set "Match Type" to "Donor" and specify the dollar amount per qualifying donor

Directed email notifications: immediate send

When you save a match or challenge with email addresses in the Directed emails field, GiveCampus sends a notification immediately to every address listed. There is no delay or staging, and the notification cannot be reversed.

If you add more addresses later and save again, only the newly added addresses will receive the notification; those already notified will not be emailed again.

Best practices

Add only verified, external email addresses when you are ready for notifications to be sent.
To review your match or challenge setup without sending notifications, leave the Directed emails field empty and use the backend UI to verify your settings.
Avoid uploading large lists or addresses flagged for do-not-solicit or do-not-email, unless you intend to contact those recipients immediately.

Reporting Fields for Matches and Challenges

Field Name	When It Appears	What It Means	Why It Matters
`match_id`	On gifts tied to a Match	Unique identifier for the Match	Track which gifts applied to which Match
`challenge_id`	On gifts tied to a Challenge	Unique identifier for the Challenge	Track which gifts applied to which Challenge
`give_full_match_challenge_amount`	On Match/Challenge donor records	Shows if donor opted to give full amount even if terms weren’t met (`true`/`false`)	Critical for reconciliation and stewardship
`directed_years`	On class-restricted Matches/Challenges	Lists included years	Confirms targeting for reunion/young alumni challenges
`designation_backend` (or `designation_backend_1–5`)	On designated Matches/Challenges	Backend ID tied to designation(s)	Ensures dollars are credited to correct fund/GL code
`donor_status`	On first-time donor Challenges	Indicates first-time donor status	Helps track acquisition
`minimum_gift_amount`	When min threshold applied	Minimum gift size required to trigger	Useful for leadership-giving tracking
`max_match_amount_per_donor`	When per-donor cap applied	Maximum matched per donor	Prevents over-crediting large gifts

👉 Pro Tip: Always include give_full_match_challenge_amount in standard reports so you can reconcile donors who committed their full amount even if campaign terms weren’t met.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does GiveCampus support offline Matches or Challenges?
A: Yes. Our Social Fundraising solution supports both. See our article on offline matches/challenges.

Q: When is the donor charged?
A: When the Match or Challenge terms are met.

Q: How are results reflected in totals and leaderboards?

Matches → Added as they accrue
Challenges → Added once achieved/unlocked

Q: Will offline gifts count?
A: Yes. Offline gifts entered while a Match/Challenge is active will count. Only upload offline gifts that should apply.

Q: Can donors pick a designation?
A: Yes. Donors can set this themselves, or GiveCampus can adjust on the backend. Email support@givecampus.com for changes.

Q: Can donors give the full Match/Challenge amount even if terms aren’t met?
A: Yes. Donors may opt to fulfill the full commitment at campaign end.

Reporting: field give_full_match_challenge_amount (true/false)

Q: What does the email look like when a Match/Challenge is sent to a group?
A:

Manually adding first-time donor matches for gifts without donor status

Some gifts do not automatically trigger first-time donor matches if they are not linked to an existing constituent record. These gifts appear under the No Donor Status view. To manually add a first-time donor match:

Navigate to Manage Gifts > No Donor Status. This view shows gifts that lack a matching constituent record and have not auto-triggered first-time donor matches.
Click the See Eligible Options button next to the gift. This reveals the matches and challenges available for manual application.
Select the appropriate match or challenge to apply to the gift. This ensures that gifts not automatically recognized receive the intended first-time donor benefits.

Note: Only manually match gifts that appear in the No Donor Status section; gifts with a valid donor status are processed automatically.

Handling multiple matches or challenges targeting the same designation

When you set up more than one match or challenge for the same designation, they run concurrently. This means that all active matches and challenges count for qualifying gifts simultaneously.

Key points:

• A single qualifying gift can contribute to more than one active match or challenge.

• There is no built‑in sequencing; one match or challenge does not automatically wait for another to complete.

• To enforce sequential matching, schedule the matches in different time windows or manually deactivate one match until the other is fulfilled.

This setup gives you flexibility over your campaign strategy. Concurrent matches can boost donor impact by offering multiple incentives at once; sequential matches might be preferred for a steady progression in donor engagement.

Managing sequential matching for the same designation

Matches and challenges for the same designation run concurrently by default. There is no built‑in sequencing, so one match does not wait for another to complete. To enforce sequential matching, adjust the scheduling of your matches or manually deactivate one until the previous match’s terms are met. For additional configuration options, please refer to our documentation.

FAQ: Finding and Reporting on Challenge Winners

Quick answer

View challenge winners by clicking the specific challenge in the backend. On the campaign page, winners appear in the match/challenge tile.

In the admin UI

Open the campaign (live or completed) via Campaign Settings > Motivation & Sharing > Matches & Challenges.
Click the challenge name or edit icon to view its completion status and details, including which gifts applied toward it.

On the public campaign page

Winners appear in the match/challenge tile. Note that if the challenge is directed (private), it may not be visible publicly, so verify winners in the backend.

Reporting and exports

Include the reporting field give_full_match_challenge_amount in your exports to reconcile payouts and identify donors who fulfilled the full challenge amount.

Additional tips

The challenge detail view in the backend is the authoritative record for completion status and winners.
For ended campaigns, challenge details remain accessible in the completed campaign settings, allowing you to review winners and related gift data.
For directed challenges, always confirm winners from the backend since they might not appear on the public page.

Editing match and challenge settings

Most match and challenge settings can be edited while active, including:

Dollar amounts and maximums
Match criteria and targeting
Directed emails and groups

To edit an existing match or challenge:

Navigate to Campaign Settings → Motivation & Sharing → Matches & Challenges
Click the edit (pencil) icon next to the match or challenge
Update your settings
Save your changes

Reporting and reconciliation note

Because challenges are all-or-nothing, challenge dollars appear only when the assigned threshold is met. Use the reporting field give_full_match_challenge_amount to reconcile donors who opted to fulfill the full commitment even if the challenge terms weren't met.