Fundraising events are the heartbeat of many nonprofit organizations. Whether it’s a high-energy gala, a community 5K, or a pop-up at a local brewery, these moments offer something digital campaigns often lack: tangible connection. However, for many nonprofits, the "impact" of an event is often measured solely by the total on the thermometer at the end of the night. While that number is important, it often represents only a fraction of the room's actual potential.
The secret to maximizing that revenue? It lies in workplace giving. By connecting onsite event activities to employer matching gifts and volunteer grants, your organization can effectively double (or triple) its intake without asking for more from your donors' pockets.
In this post, we’ll cover exactly how you can do so:
- The Untapped Potential: Why Events are Workplace Giving Goldmines
- How to Connect Onsite Activity to Workplace Giving Opportunities
- Why the Kind Kiosk + Double the Donation Integration Is a Game-Changer
Let’s dive in and effectively bridge the gap between in-person excitement and corporate philanthropy!
The Untapped Potential: Why Events are Workplace Giving Goldmines
Most donors want their support to go further for the missions they care about, but few realize that their employer is willing to help them make that happen. According to Double the Donation research, approximately $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funds go unclaimed every year, and it’s largely due to a lack of awareness among qualifying individuals.
When you bring donors together for an event, you have their undivided attention. This is the perfect moment to move beyond a simple transaction and start a conversation about corporate involvement.
The Matching Gift Opportunity
Did you know that an estimated 26 million individuals work for companies that offer matching gift programs? Not to mention, 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if they know a match will be applied, and 1 in 3 will give a larger gift if it's to be doubled.
At a typical gala, if you raise $50,000 from individual gifts, you could be leaving tens of thousands in additional funding on the table simply because donors didn't know they could get their gifts matched (often directly onsite!).
Turning Volunteer Hours into "Dollars for Doers"
Events don’t run on donations alone; they run on volunteer support. From the registration desk to the cleanup crew, your event is powered by people giving their time. And that time can be monetized with employee giving programs!
Many companies offer volunteer grants (also known as "Dollars for Doers"), providing a financial grant to a nonprofit after an employee reaches a certain number of volunteer hours. With roughly 40% of Fortune 500 companies offering these grants, it can be a great way to make the most of your event helpers’ time and effort.
If a volunteer spends 5 hours serving at your walkathon, and their company offers $25 per hour in grants, that’s $125 in "bonus" funding. Multiply that by 20 volunteers, and you’ve just unlocked $2,500 in revenue with no additional solicitation required.
How to Connect Onsite Activity to Workplace Giving Opportunities
The challenge with events has always been the "friction" of the workplace giving process. If a donor has to go home, locate a separate portal, find the right PDF, and mail it in, the match probably won't be completed. To unlock onsite impact, you need to bring the process to the donor right where they are.
Integrate Matching into the Giving Flow
The most effective way to capture a match is to ask for it directly at the point of donation. By using an on-site giving solution, donors can contribute (and have their gifts matched) in seconds.
With the Double the Donation-Kind Kiosk integration enabled, the kiosk adds a simple, intuitive step. Here’s how it works:
- The Donation: A donor taps their phone to donate $100.
- The Search: The individual is prompted to enter their employer’s name right on the kiosk screen.
- The Result: The system instantly identifies if the company matches, and provides info on program guidelines and online request links.
- The Follow-up: If the donor doesn’t complete the process, Double the Donation automatically triggers a follow-up email with the links and forms they need to submit the match.
The best part? The whole process can take place while a donor is at your event. The opportunity grabs their attention while at the height of their engagement with your cause, making it increasingly likely that they secure their match right then and there.
Make Volunteer Check-In a Revenue Driver
Don’t just have your volunteers sign a paper waiver. Rather, use a digital check-in process. Then, when they arrive at your event, have them check in via a kiosk or mobile form that asks for their employer. (Hint: frame the optional request as a way to grow the impact of their support through company-sponsored giving programs. They’ll be more inclined to provide the information and be on the lookout for more information on how to get involved.)
This allows your team to flag volunteer grant-eligible individuals immediately, and even send them the necessary paperwork to claim their grant with ease.
Other Ways to Promote Workplace Giving at Your Events
By weaving the concept of workplace giving into the very fabric of your fundraising event, your team can shift involvement from a technical task to a shared mission. This creates a narrative in which every guest can be twice as impactful.
Here are a few leading ideas for doing so:
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Educational Signage: Place QR codes on table tents or posters that lead directly to your workplace giving page and integrated company search tool.
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The Emcee Mention: Don’t be afraid to include matching gifts in your event script. Have your host make a reminder: "Before you put your phones away, check if your company will double your gift! We have Kind Kiosks in the lobby that can tell you in five seconds or less."
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Incentivized Matching: Offer a small thank-you gift (such as an extra raffle ticket) to any donor who can show a "match initiated" confirmation screen. A little immediate gratification goes a long way in ensuring the paperwork gets started before they leave the venue.
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Corporate Partner Recognition: If you have corporate sponsors attending the event, publicly thank them for their existing matching gift programs. This not only honors their contribution but serves as a subtle reminder to their employees to check their eligibility.
People are often surprised to learn about workplace giving opportunities, so it’s important that your event serves as an essential education platform. By incorporating these touchpoints, you ensure that workplace giving remains top of mind from the moment a guest checks in until they head home (and even after that).
Why the Kind Kiosk + Double the Donation Integration Is a Game-Changer
Efficiency is the enemy of unclaimed funds. The partnership between Kind Kiosk and Double the Donation was designed to remove every possible barrier between a donor’s intent and a corporate check.
Here’s how it works:
Automated Identification
The workplace giving integration utilizes the world’s most comprehensive database of corporate philanthropy programs (covering more than 30,000 companies).
When a donor uses a Kind Kiosk, the system doesn't just ask "Does your company match?" It provides a searchable, auto-completing database tool that makes it essentially effortless for the donor to find their employer.
Seamless Data Sync
Nonprofit staff are busy enough on event day, often wearing multiple hats already. You shouldn't have to manually export lists (or do your own tedious research) to see who is match- or volunteer grant-eligible.
Instead, the integration ensures that:
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Every donation from an enabled kiosk shows up in your Double the Donation dashboard.
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Donations are automatically flagged as "Match Eligible" based on the employer data collected.
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The system tracks the status of the match, from "Identified" to "Submitted."
Personalized Follow-Ups
Amid the excitement of an event, a donor might forget to complete their match. Luckily, the Double the Donation integration solves this by sending automated, personalized emails that provide the individual with their specific company’s matching gift guidelines and forms. This takes the "to-do" list off the donor's plate and puts it into an automated system that runs while you're catching up on sleep after event-day.
Wrapping Up: Stop Leaving Impact on the Table
Your fundraising events are more than just a night out; they’re a gateway to deeper corporate partnerships and increased financial stability. By prioritizing workplace giving onsite, you demonstrate that your organization is a savvy, efficient steward of your supporters’ generosity.