Donation matching rounds

A matching round is one of the most powerful motivators in fundraising: a sponsor commits a pool of funds, and for a window of time every donation is multiplied. Pledgix handles the math, the messaging, and the accounting automatically.

How matching works

You create a match pool — a sponsor's commitment with a multiplier and a capacity. While the pool is active:

• A 2× multiplier means every gift is doubled: for each $1 a donor gives, the sponsor adds $1.
• A 3× multiplier triples gifts: the sponsor adds $2 per $1 donated.
• Matching continues until the pool's capacity is used up. If a donation would exceed what's left, it's matched partially with the remaining funds.

Donors are only ever charged their own gift. The sponsor's match is tracked separately and added to your displayed campaign total, so the progress bar reflects the full combined impact. If a donation is refunded, its match is automatically returned to the pool.

Availability: Matching is available on Pledgix Pro and Political plans — the Pledgix team can enable it for other campaigns on request. You'll find it in your campaign's Donations area under the Matching tab.

Setting up a match pool

In Donations → Matching, add a pool with:

• Sponsor Name (required) — for internal tracking, e.g. "Goldberg Foundation"
• Display Name (public) — the name shown on your campaign page (optional)
• Multiplier (required) — must be greater than 1; the form shows a live example of what each donated dollar becomes
• Pool Capacity (required) — the sponsor's total commitment, in your campaign's base currency
• Activation Threshold (optional) — the pool stays locked until your campaign total reaches this amount. Perfect for milestone challenges ("once we hit $50K, every gift is doubled!"). Leave blank for immediate activation.
• Active From / Active Until (optional) — time-box the round, for example to a 24-hour giving day
• Pool Active toggle — inactive pools are ignored

Each pool shows a status badge — Active, Locked (threshold not yet reached), Inactive, Expired, or Depleted — plus a utilization bar and summary cards for total capacity, matched so far, and remaining to match. If you run several pools, they're consumed oldest-first.

What donors see

When an active, unlocked pool exists, your campaign page automatically shows a matching banner: the multiplier ("your gift will be matched 2×" — or "Doubled"), the sponsor's display name, a countdown if the round is time-boxed, and a live pool progress bar. As a donor types an amount, they see a live preview: your $100 → sponsor adds $100 → $200 total impact.

At checkout, a highlighted "Your Impact is Multiplied!" message confirms exactly how much matching will be added to their gift.

Tracking results

Each pool has a Linked Donations view listing every matched gift — the donor's base amount, the matched amount, and the total — with CSV export. You can pause a pool at any time and reactivate it later.

Tip: Combine a matching round with the Live Screen at an event. Watching a doubled total surge in real time is the single best way to create urgency in a room.

A note on receipts: donors' tax receipts always show only their own gift — never the matched amount. Matching changes what your campaign displays, not what donors are charged or receipted.