Matching gifts are a vitally important source of funds for educational institutions and nonprofit charitable organizations. They are also an increasingly important way for companies to allow their employees to direct a portion of the monies their company has earmarked for charitable contribution.

Our Lady of Lourdes School has been the recipient of matching gifts from Alaska Airlines, Altria Group, Hanna Andersson, Intel, Miller Brewing Company, the Pfizer Foundation, Phillip Morris, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo, among others. Some companies not only match donations dollar for dollar, they also match volunteer hours.

There are over 7,500 companies nationwide who have matching gift programs. Companies who have employees in the Portland-Vancouver area that support matching gifts to educational institutions include Avon, Bemis Co., Boeing, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike, U.S. Bancorp, Wells Fargo, and Union Pacific, to name just a few. To find out if your company has a matching gift program simply ask your Human Resources department or stop by the OLL Development Office.

What counts?
Keeping track of and turning in your contributions is key. If you work for a company who matches contributions made to elementary schools keep track of all donations you make that are directed towards our school. This may include regular Sunday envelope contributions directed to the school, a gift or a pledge to the Angels for Education Annual Giving Campaign, etc.

If your company matches volunteer hours and you volunteer in any capacity for the school, such as health room attendant, room mother, Parents' Club, auction, etc., keep track of your hours!  You may be able to get a very significant matching monetary gift for our school.

Procedure for Matching Gifts
Gift Matching procedures can vary from company to company. The following example is typical.

An employee requests a matching gift form from the employer, usually from the human resources department or through the company intranet site. After completing the form, the employee sends it along with the donation to the educational institution or nonprofit charity. The nonprofit certifies on the form that it has received the gift and meets the company's guidelines for receiving a matching gift. The nonprofit returns the form to the company. The company verifies eligibility of the employee and the nonprofit recipient and sends the check to the nonprofit.

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