How Lazarex Increased Matching Gift Conversions by 200%

Quick Brief: The Lazarex Cancer Foundation faced a critical challenge: ensuring every possible dollar raised went directly to helping advanced-stage cancer patients access clinical trials. However, a manual and fragmented approach to corporate matching gifts meant valuable revenue was being missed. By implementing a comprehensive matching gift software solution that integrated seamlessly with their existing fundraising platforms, Lazarex automated the identification and outreach process. This strategic pivot uncovered over $120,000 in match-eligible funds in a single year, increasing matching gift conversions by more than 200% and proving that automation is a vital tool in the fight for patient advocacy.

Introduction: Removing Barriers to Hope

For patients diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, hope often lies in clinical trials. These trials represent the cutting edge of medicine, offering treatments that can extend life or even provide a cure when standard therapies have failed. However, for many patients, the barrier to this hope isn’t medical; it’s financial. The costs of travel, lodging, and logistics to participate in a trial can be overwhelming, effectively shutting out patients who cannot afford the journey.

The Lazarex Cancer Foundation exists to tear down these barriers. As the only nonprofit in the United States that reimburses patients for the travel and companion costs associated with clinical trial participation, Lazarex is a lifeline. Their mission is clear: to improve patient access to cancer clinical trials, ensure trial enrollment retention, and increase diversity in cancer research.

The urgency of this mission dictates the organization’s operations. Every dollar raised translates directly into a plane ticket, a hotel room, or a tank of gas for a patient fighting for their life. In this context, efficiency is not just a business metric; it is a moral imperative. Lazarex recognized that to serve more patients, they needed to maximize every fundraising opportunity available to them.

One such opportunity was corporate matching gifts. Lazarex knew that many of their donors worked for companies that would match their contributions. However, without a systematic way to identify these donors and guide them through the submission process, a significant portion of this revenue was going unclaimed. By adopting advanced matching gift software, Lazarex transformed its approach from passive to proactive, identifying over $120,000 in additional funding to support its life-saving work.

The Challenge: The Cost of Missed Opportunities

Before implementing their current automated solution, Lazarex Cancer Foundation relied on a manual and somewhat passive approach to matching gifts. The organization used a “standalone search tool” on its website.

The Passive “Search” Model

The standalone tool functioned as a digital library. If a donor knew about matching gifts, navigated to the specific page on the Lazarex website, and searched for their employer, they could find the information they needed.

The Flaw: This model relies 100% on donor initiative. It assumes the donor knows what a matching gift is and is motivated enough to hunt for the information.
The Reality: Most donors are focused on the act of giving itself, supporting a loved one or a cause they care about. They are not thinking about HR paperwork. As a result, the standalone tool often sat underutilized, and potential matches slipped through the cracks.

The Administrative Burden

Internally, the Lazarex team faced the challenge of managing data without the right tools. Without an automated system to screen donations, staff members would have to manually research donors, a time-consuming process that takes focus away from patient advocacy and major donor cultivation. Lazarex realized they needed a change. They needed a system that would “take a proactive approach to matching gifts” rather than waiting for donors to come to them.

The Solution: A Seamless Integration Ecosystem

To solve this challenge, Lazarex Cancer Foundation upgraded to Double the Donation’s automated platform. The key to their success was not just the software itself, but how it was integrated into their existing fundraising ecosystem.

Lazarex utilized a multi-platform strategy, integrating the matching gift software into two distinct areas of its operations: its primary donation forms and its peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.

1. Donation Form Integrations

Lazarex Cancer Foundation’s integration with its core donation forms allowed it to embed the matching gift search tool directly into the main donation flow.

The Strategy: By placing the search field on the primary giving form, Lazarex captured employment data at the moment of highest intent. As donors entered their payment information, they could also tag their employer.
The Benefit: This seamless integration meant that Lazarex didn’t have to change their fundraising platform; they simply supercharged it. The data flowed automatically, allowing for real-time identification of eligible donors.

2. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Integrations

Recognizing the importance of community fundraising, Lazarex also integrated the tool with its peer-to-peer fundraising forms.

The Strategy: Peer-to-peer events (like marathons or community walks) are major drivers for medical nonprofits. These participants are often highly motivated but inexperienced fundraisers.
The Benefit: By integrating the tool into the P2P platform, Lazarex empowered its volunteer fundraisers to raise more money. A participant could easily tell their supporters, “Check if your company will match your gift to help me reach my goal!”

3. Automated Outreach

The final piece of the puzzle was automation. Lazarex implemented “automated matching gift emails” to follow up with donors.

The Strategy: These emails were triggered after the donation was complete. They provided donors with “direct access to matching gift forms and guidelines.”
The Benefit: This removed the friction of research. The donor didn’t have to Google anything; the specific form for their specific employer was delivered right to their inbox.

The Results: More Than $120,000 for Patient Access

The transition to an integrated, automated system produced immediate and tangible results for the Lazarex Cancer Foundation.

Financial Impact: $120,000 Identified

In less than one year, the system identified over $120,000 in match-eligible dollars.

Impact Translation: For Lazarex, $120,000 is a concrete number of patients helped. It represents dozens of flights, hundreds of nights in hotels near cancer centers, and countless miles of reimbursed travel. This is revenue that directly fueled the mission of “improving patient access.”

Donor Engagement: 58% Open Rate

The engagement metrics from the case study demonstrate that Lazarex donors are eager to amplify their support.

58% Email Open Rate: The automated matching gift emails achieved a 58% open rate.
- Analysis: This is nearly triple the typical nonprofit industry average of ~20%. It suggests that the messaging (likely focused on helping more patients) resonated deeply with the donor base.
High Interaction: The data showed that 45% of donors accessed matching gift forms or guidelines. This high conversion rate proves that the barrier to matching wasn’t unwillingness; it was simply a lack of convenient access.

Extensive Reach

The system allowed Lazarex to scale its outreach significantly, sending over 1,200 automated emails.

Efficiency: Sending 1,200 personalized emails manually would be a massive drain on a small team. Automation handled this volume instantly, ensuring that every eligible donor received a timely nudge.

Strategic Analysis: The Power of “Actionable Metrics”

A critical component of Lazarex’s success was its use of data to inform strategy. The solution provided a “matching gift dashboard” that offered actionable metrics related to intelligent matching gift fundraising reporting.

Why Data Matters

For a foundation focused on research and trials, data is a native language. The dashboard allowed the development team to apply that same rigor to fundraising.

Identifying Partners: The dashboard reveals which companies employ the most Lazarex donors. If the data shows a high concentration of donors at a specific pharmaceutical company or tech firm, Lazarex can approach that company for a deeper strategic partnership or sponsorship.
Forecasting: Knowing that $120,000 in potential matches exists allows the team to forecast revenue more accurately and plan their patient support budgets with greater confidence.

The Donor Experience: Making it “Easy to Help”

The core philosophy of the Lazarex integration was simplicity. The case study highlights that the tool “provides donors direct access” and makes the process “seamless.”

This focus on user experience is vital. The people donating to Lazarex are often patients, family members, or friends touched by cancer. They may be navigating complex medical systems or dealing with emotional stress.

Reducing Cognitive Load: By automating the search and submission process, Lazarex removed the cognitive load from the donor. They made it easy to say “yes” to matching without requiring the donor to do administrative work.
Empowerment: The automated email empowers the donor. It tells them, “You’ve already done something great; here is how you can double that impact with one click.” This reinforces the donor’s identity as a valuable partner in the fight against cancer.

Conclusion: Fueling the Journey to a Cure

The Lazarex Cancer Foundation is in the business of saving lives by bridging the gap between patients and medical breakthroughs. Their adoption of matching gift software reflects that same bridge-building mentality.

By bridging the gap between donor intent and corporate revenue, Lazarex identified $120,000 in critical funding. They transformed a manual, passive process into an automated, proactive engine that engages donors at a rate of 58%.

For Lazarex, this technology is not just about fundraising efficiency; it is about keeping the promise that “it’s not about hope, it’s about action.” Every match secured is another step forward for a patient in need.

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