Strike a Match(ing Gift)!

1. Hit up the board. If they're making big gifts (and they should be), have them stipulate it's for a match.
2. Go to a major donor with a proposal. Spell out what the matching gift will do to help raise more money from smaller gift donors — show the major donor how a typical appeal performs versus what a match should do to lift response. Use the same pitch to the board. It's all about leveraging the money.
3. Send an appeal to the top donors in your file asking them to contribute to create a matching-gift fund that can then be used to leverage giving with small-gift donors.

MJF: Great ideas! But how do you know what's a good goal to set for a challenge gift?