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Reinvigorating Donor Engagement with a Matching Campaign
Research Acceleration: Rallying Support for a Rare Disease Cure
Hannah Lowe
President & Co-Founder
L-CMD Research Foundation
L-CMD Research Foundation partnered with MatchNice to launch an online fundraising campaign with a donation match to engage past donors, create urgency, and inspire supporters to act; which also served as a springboard for their upcoming five-year anniversary silent auction. By streamlining the giving process, the match boosted enthusiasm, expanded reach, and delivered remarkable results: they raised more online during the 30-day match than they had in the previous 6 months online, and saw a 185% increase in average gift size.
“We raised more with the match than we had in the previous 6 months. The match helped reinvigorate our donor base and added excitement and reminded people that we are here and we’re doing meaningful work."
📉 Challenge: Overcoming a Fundraising Lull
After a strong launch in 2021, the Foundation’s momentum slowed as research updates became less frequent. Without steady news to share, donor engagement plateaued, leading to a year-long fundraising lull.
“One big challenge was just the slow pace of research… without exciting updates every month, it’s harder to keep supporters engaged over the long term.”
📣 Impact: Reengaging Donors and Building Momentum
The match helped reconnect with prior donors, inspired 42 total gifts, and raised $10,000 in less than a month. It also primed supporters for their upcoming silent auction, keeping enthusiasm high and awareness growing.
“We probably wouldn’t have raised nearly as much without the match… it allowed us to do significant things to advance our research efforts.”
💡 Use Matching to Create Buzz and Enthusiasm
Hannah’s advice to other nonprofits is to use matching strategically, without overuse, to inspire excitement and mobilize supporters to spread the word.
“Matching always boosts enthusiasm… it creates buzz and pushes your
supporters to share your mission with people who don’t yet know you.”
🔬 Use of Funds: Advancing Crucial Research for L-CMD
Proceeds from the match allowed L-CMD Research Foundation to respond to unexpected results in one of its ongoing research projects, funding the rework and rerun of key experiments to keep progress on track.
“We had unanticipated costs after getting unexpected results… this funding allowed us to tweak and rerun those experiments so the project could move forward.”
