What to Learn From Boys Town’s Matching Monday Initiative
Employee matching gifts can go a long way in driving individual and corporate support for mission-focused organizations. If you’re looking to turn matching gifts into a long-term donor engagement strategy, Boys Town’s Matching Monday initiative is a case study worth your time.
In a recent webinar, leading fundraising professionals gathered to unpack how this campaign not only drove impressive donation numbers but also deepened donor relationships, boosted brand visibility, and fostered a sense of community.
In this recap, we’ll cover:
- The history of Boys Town’s matching gift strategy
- Leading tactics for driving matching gifts at Boys Town
- How Boys Town is overcoming common challenges
- Matching Monday: Driving engagement with social proof
- Final thoughts & webinar replay
Ready to dive into an overview of Boys Town’s matching gift efforts? As we do, keep an eye out for any ideas you can implement in your own fundraising plan.
Let’s begin!
The history of Boys Town’s matching gift strategy
Boys Town’s matching gift journey began humbly in 2005, bringing in $17,000 in additional match revenue. However, what started as a modest initiative has since grown into a powerful fundraising engine, thanks in large part to strategic stewardship and innovative technology integration.
A significant turning point came in 2009 when the Donor Relations team assumed responsibility for the program. With a focus on deepening corporate relationships and creating intentional outreach, the team identified the top 25 matching gift companies among their donor base. These companies were then nurtured through consistent communication, including personalized thank-you letters and detailed impact statements, turning passive matches into long-term partnerships.
In the early days, Boys Town utilized the HEPdata platform to support their matching gift efforts. At the time, it was the primary tool available for nonprofits seeking to tap into corporate matching opportunities. While this solution helped lay a foundation for matching gifts, the organization knew there was more potential to unlock.
Fast forward to today, and Boys Town has fully integrated matching gift outreach into its online giving experience. Every donor is now asked if they work for a company that offers matching gifts. If they do, the giving form, powered by Double the Donation, automatically identifies their employer and provides specific matching gift program details. Even better, donors receive an automated follow-up email series with direct links to their company’s match guidelines and submission forms, dramatically simplifying the process.
This evolution has paid off in a big way. Since making the switch to Double the Donation and scaling their outreach, Boys Town has seen matching gift revenue surpass $200,000—and the trajectory only continues upward.
Leading tactics for driving matching gifts at Boys Town
Boys Town has transformed matching gifts from a background opportunity into a front-and-center fundraising strategy. How? By implementing a series of intentional, donor-centric tactics that make it easy—and compelling—for supporters to double their impact.
Here are a few of the key strategies that have driven their success:
Enlisting manual email domain screening
While automation plays a big role in Boys Town’s matching gift success, they also recognize the value of manual processes where they count. One of those is email domain screening. The team reviews donor email addresses to identify potential matches with known matching gift companies, especially when a donor may have skipped the matching gift prompt from the donation page. This extra layer of attention helps surface hidden opportunities and ensures no potential match slips through the cracks.
Don’t have time to enlist manual email screening? Consider a matching gift platform that automates the process!
Providing employee engagement resources for companies
Boys Town doesn’t just focus on individual donors—they actively support the companies behind matching gifts as well. One way they do this is by offering custom employee engagement resources. These might include email templates, intranet content, or impact materials that HR teams can share with their staff.
By making it easy for companies to promote their matching gift programs internally, Boys Town strengthens the corporate-nonprofit partnership and helps employers amplify their own culture of giving. It’s a win-win that deepens engagement on both sides.
Sharing updates and gratitude with matching gift contributors
Gratitude is a cornerstone of Boys Town’s donor strategy, and matching gift contributors are no exception. Donors who initiate a match receive personalized thank-you messages and updates that show how their gift—and their company’s contribution—made a real difference.
These updates often include impact statements, program highlights, or stories from the field that illustrate the tangible outcomes of their generosity. This approach doesn’t just close the loop—it opens the door to continued giving, corporate involvement, and deeper donor loyalty.
Utilizing LinkedIn outreach
In a particularly forward-thinking move, Boys Town has begun using Magnetic, an AI-powered tool that streamlines LinkedIn outreach. This tool helps the team identify and connect with leadership from companies offering matching gift programs and thanks them for participating. But it doesn’t stop there—it also opens a line of communication with the goal of cultivating these individuals into long-term corporate champions.
Through personalized LinkedIn messages, Boys Town can extend appreciation, share program updates, and explore deeper collaboration opportunities—all while keeping donor engagement at the center.
How Boys Town is overcoming common challenges
Even the most successful matching gift programs come with their fair share of challenges, and Boys Town is no exception. But what sets them apart is how proactively they’ve tackled these obstacles, adapting with creativity, data, and strategic outreach.
Let’s see how they’re navigating three of the most common hurdles:
1. Reaching the Next Generation of Donors
One of the biggest challenges Boys Town faces is an aging donor base. With many long-time supporters nearing or in retirement, Boys Town is shifting focus to engage the next generation. Their approach includes refreshing digital campaigns, optimizing mobile-first donation experiences, and using digital platforms to connect with younger professionals.
They also frame matching gifts as an easy way for time-strapped donors to maximize impact—something that resonates with younger audiences who are mission-driven but often budget-conscious.
2. Adapting to Changing Company Policies
As more companies revise their matching gift policies, Boys Town has responded by staying agile and informed. They continuously update their donor communications and database to reflect policy changes, reducing friction for donors.
By keeping a pulse on the corporate giving landscape, they’re able to guide supporters to viable opportunities and avoid dead ends. Additionally, they’re building stronger relationships with HR and CSR departments to advocate for flexible and inclusive giving policies.
3. Managing Delays in Company Payments
Delayed disbursements from companies can create uncertainty and complicate forecasting, but Boys Town has introduced internal tracking tools to better manage the timeline from donor match initiation to receipt. By setting clear expectations with donors upfront and maintaining regular communication throughout the process, they ease potential frustrations and keep the donor experience positive.
The team also prioritizes follow-up with companies when payments lag, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Matching Monday: Driving engagement with social proof
Boys Town’s Matching Monday initiative is a standout example of how intelligent storytelling and strategic recognition can supercharge donor engagement. The concept is simple but powerful: each Monday, Boys Town publicly highlights companies that have supported the organization through matching gifts, thanking them across social media platforms and showcasing the collective impact of corporate generosity.
This campaign taps into the power of social proof, showing current and potential donors that others—especially well-known brands—are stepping up to support the cause. This public recognition does more than say “thank you.” It inspires other donors to check if their own employers offer matching programs and encourages companies to get involved for the visibility and goodwill.
And the results speak for themselves! Throughout the ongoing campaign, Boys Town saw more than…
- 📈 547,944 total impressions
- 🎥 322,441 video views
- ❤️ 11,888 total reactions
- 🔗 9,973 post link clicks
- 🔁 832 shares
- 🗨️ 218 comments or replies
These numbers reflect more than just engagement—they represent a growing community of donors, employees, and companies who feel seen, appreciated, and motivated to take part. Matching Monday has become more than a social media campaign; it’s a weekly moment of connection, celebration, and momentum for Boys Town’s mission.
Final thoughts & webinar replay
Boys Town’s Matching Monday initiative goes far beyond the surface of a clever campaign title. From thoughtful timing to transparent storytelling and meaningful donor recognition, the insights shared in the webinar provide a clear blueprint for organizations hoping to replicate this kind of success.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s this: when you align corporate recognition with a genuine cause and clear communication, the results speak volumes.
Interested in learning even more from Boys Town’s matching gift strategy? Watch the webinar replay! Sign up to access the event below:
