What are the administrative/legal requirements for matching gift programs?
There are two basic parts to a matching gift program: verifying that the employee or other donor has made a gift to a qualifying charity and documenting the matching gift program’s add-on to that gift. Many programs require the employee to complete a form and send it along with his or her gift to the charity. An appropriate officer of the charity attests to the charity’s receipt of the employee’s contribution and sends the form back to the corporation. The corporation then makes a determination regarding whether the gift qualifies for a match and, if so, sends out its contribution – singly or bundled with other gifts to the same institution. A recent development is for employees to request matching gifts through a touch-tone telephone system. Many grantmakers routinely request a receipt for a grant payment. Whether a matching gift program is required to secure a receipt for a contribution over $250 depends on whether it is run through a corporate giving program or by a foundation. Such
