MATCHING GIFT ESSENTIALS Making the most of your resources

1. MATCHING GIFT ESSENTIALS Making the most of your resources

2. Introduction Linda Stark –Matching Gifts Specialist California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, California Matching Gifts Specialist since 2006 (805)756-2713 lstark@calpoly.edu “Learn by Doing”

3. California Polytechnic State University Program Highlights • Matching ratio increased from 1 in 17 gifts matched to 1 in 13 gifts matched. • Grown the number of matched phonathon gifts since last year. • For the past 5 years we have received more matching revenue than any other University in the CSU system. • Substantial increase in the number of donor searches for matching gift program eligibility on E-Match Donor Link from HEP . • Developed successful marketing tools for use by on-campus constituents.

4. MATCHING BENEFITS • A pro-active matching program provides a service to your donors, enabling them to leverage/maximize their giving dollars. • Effective matching strategies will increase revenue and return on investment. • Any organization, small or large, can implement a matching strategies that stay within budgetary/staff restrictions.

5. Matching - serve your donors! • Send a brief e-mail to donors thanking them for their matching application. • Let your donor know what the next step is. • Provide matching gift applications or the link to the online matching gift application. • Send your donors a notification and thank-you when the matching funds have been received. • Make sure your contact information is easily accessible. • Send donors a courtesy reminder of matching eligibility.

6. Sample e-mails to donors • Thank you for your recent gift of $250.00 to Electrical Engineering and for taking the time to complete a matching gift application. Because of donors like you, Cal Poly has the best matching gift program in the CSU system! I’ll notify you by mail when we receive the Lockheed Martin matching funds. Please contact me if you have any questions. • Thank you for your recent gift of $250.00 to Electrical Engineering and for taking the time to complete a matching gift application. Because of donors like you, Cal Poly has the best matching gift program in the CSU system! I’ll notify you by mail when we receive the IBM matching funds, which will in March or April of 2012. Please contact me if you have any questions. • Thank you for your recent gift of $500.00 to the Deloitte Faculty Fellowship Fund and for taking the time to complete a matching gift application. Because of donors like you, Cal Poly has the best matching gift program in the CSU system! I’ll notify you by mail when we receive the Deloitte matching funds. Please contact me if you have any questions.

7. creating goodwill “Thanks for taking care of the paperwork, it made it much easier for me to pursue.” “Thanks for your help.” “Thank you for following up with me. Your time and effort are very much appreciated.” Hi - I mailed it today so you should see it shortly.  I included the matching gift person's name and fax number with the matching gift form. Hunt me down if you need anything from me. Thanks again. • Your personal touch may be the first the donor has experienced, and can help determine your organization’s relationship with the donor. • Creating a positive experience with your donor tends to create loyalty. • Going the extra mile will distinguish you from the rest of the pack.

8. WHO’S YOUR MATCHING CONTACT PERSON? • Designate one person as the official matching administrator. • Online matching gift programs require completion of an organization profile that includes one contact name, phone number, fax number, mailing and e-mail addresses. • Multiple contacts will confuse your donors and matching gift programs, and probably yourself and your co-workers. • Find someone who’s willing to become your matching gifts “specialist” and acquire the experience & knowledge necessary to become your in-house expert. • Your specialist will need to access donor employment information, giving history, and matching gift program profiles.

9. GiftPlus Online

10. Gift Plus On Line

11. Prepping the application • To save time, use stamps to fill in common fields in matching applications: org. name, address, phone & fax numbers, tax ID, e-mail address, name, title, etc. • Xstamper has reasonable priced stamps. • For greater time-savings, stamp once on a master copy and save for later duplication. Start a matching gift application library. • More time savings? Save the application as a pdf that can be printed or sent as an e-mail attachment. • Improve your response rate by making it easy on the donor. Fill in as many of the donor fields as you can prior to sending. • Mailing a matching application to your donor? Include a BRE. • Add your signature and date in blue ink.

12. Sample Matching Gift Application

13. Matching Gift Application - PDF

14. Review the completed matching applications • Use GiftPlus to determine matching eligibility to building funds, endowments, athletics, etc. • Review for new donor contact information: work and home address, work phone, e-mail address, etc. • Determine whether a 501(c)(3) letter or any other documentation is required. • Make a copy of completed application prior to mailing or faxing. Sometimes applications get lost in transmittal, and you’ll be asked to submit your copy of the application. • When faxing to the matching program, make a note of the date of transmittal for future reference.

15. Online matching gift applications • You’ll be required to create a organization profile, with one contact name. Make sure it’s the person who will be verifying the gift. • Use the same user name & password for all programs, to make login information easy to keep track of. • After verifying an online gift, print the verification. • If a gift ID number is provided, make a note of it. You made need it sooner or later, maybe sooner than you think! • Sometimes requests to verify a gift are received before the gift. Print the requests as a reminder to complete after receipt of the gift or save the e-mail in a file. • Creating a second contact, for those times when the primary is on vacation or sick leave, can be problematic. Avoid it, if at all possible.

16. Tracking the application • Use copies of your applications to identify aged claims • Contact matching gift programs by e-mail or phone to follow up on old claims. • Sometimes claims are denied in error. Follow up with an e-mail or phone call to the matching program, if you believe a claim has been erroneously denied. • Make a note of the promised date of payment, or save the e-mail, for follow.

17. E-Match Donor Link

18. Using E-Match Donor Link • Give your donors the capability to determine whether their gifts are eligible for matching. • E-Match usually provides donor with matching gift application or link, or a referral to Human Resources. • Giving the donor access reduces the time you spend on research and donor contact. • HEP maintains and updates their database, so you can focus on revenue-producing activities instead of database maintenance. • Market/publicize the link on you website, solicitations, newsletter/magazines, and gift receipts. • Through HEP you can track the number of E-Match searches on a monthly/annual basis.

19. Marketing E-Match Donor link

20. Matching Gift Ad for Web

21. HEP MatchMyGiftI phone, Blackberry & Droid

22. Letter to Donor • Thank you for your recent gift to Cal Poly. Your generosity is indispensible to Cal Poly’s success.   • If you have already requested a match for that gift, we’re doubly grateful – and there’s no need to read further. •  But if you have not taken advantage of this employee benefit, would you please take a few minutes to complete the Aerojet matching gift application? You can help us reap almost $40,000.00 dollars in additional support from corporate matching funds. (For matching purposes, if your employer has changed, please let us know.) •  Matching gift programs leverage your resources – and provide additional support to Cal Poly students. • To create a win-win situation for everyone, all you need to do is ask your HR Department for a matching gift application and instructions. •  If you have any questions, please contact me at (805)756-2713 or lstark@calpoly.edu. • Gift Date Gift Amount Gift Designation • 12/10/2010 $50.00 College of Engineering

23. Donor request for an intranet applicationProvide the donor with the gift date, amount, and designated fund they’ll need for the matching application Thank you for your 12/6/10 gift of $250 to biological sciences. I thought you might like to know that Genentech has a matching gift program that will probably match this gift dollar for dollar, allowing you to double the value of your gift at no cost to yourself. If you'd like to take advantage of this employee benefit, all you need to do is log on to your company intranet, where you will find instructions for completing a matching gift application. Please let me know if you have any questions.

24. donor request for a hard-copy matching applicationProvide the donor with the gift date, amount, and designated fund they’ll need for the matching application • Thank you for your 12/6/10 gift of $250 to biological sciences. I thought you might like to know that Lockheed Martin has a matching gift program that will probably match this gift dollar for dollar, allowing you to double the value of your gift at no cost to yourself. If you'd like to take advantage of this employee benefit, all you need to do is complete and return the attached/enclosed matching gift application. Please let me know if you have any questions.

25. donor request with application link • Thank you for your 12/6/10 gift of $250 to the College of Business. I thought you might like to know that Bank of America has a matching gift program that will probably match this gift dollar for dollar, allowing you to double the value of your gift at no cost to yourself. If you'd like to take advantage of this employee benefit, all you need to do is go to the link below, where you can complete an online matching gift application. Please let me know if you have any questions. • www.cybergrants.com/boa/branch.htm

26. Notification to donor of paid matching claim • Thank you again for your generous gift to Cal Poly. We’re doubly grateful that you took the extra time and effort to increase the value of your gift matching from Macy's Foundation, which we recently received. For gift clubs and recognition purposes, the matching gift is added to your gift for a combined total. •  Thanks to the high caliber of our students and faculty, Cal Poly has achieved national distinction for its programs. But we know that Cal Poly’s success depends on the generosity of supporters like you. You are the indispensable key to Cal Poly’s success. On behalf of all of us here at Cal Poly -- and those yet to come -- thank you for your support. If you have any questions, please contact me at (805) 756-2713. • Your Gift •  $500.00 to the Orfalea College of Business on 12/9/2010 • Matching Gift • $500.00 to the Orfalea College of Business on 3/8/2011

27. THANK YOU • Thank You for Attending • This webinar and the PowerPoint will be up on the HEP website in the Learning Center • For Further Information Contact either Linda Stark or HEP Development at • 703-669-5602