How to approach organisations to match fund your project

Match funding can be the single biggest lever you pull in a crowdfunding campaign. When a business, funder or local authority commits to matching donations, every pound your supporters give effectively becomes two, three or more. Research shows people are 84% more likely to donate when match funding is on the table. So it’s worth doing properly.

But match funding rarely just appears. Somebody has to ask for it. Here’s how to go about approaching organisations, whether you’re applying to an existing fund or cold-pitching a local business for the first time.

Start with the two routes into match funding

There are broadly two ways to get matched:

1. Apply to an existing match fund. Many funders already run open programmes on Crowdfunder, from national names like Aviva Community Fund and Sport England to regional bodies like Creative Scotland. These have set eligibility criteria, ratios and application windows, so your job is to check eligibility and apply through the published process.
2. Approach an organisation directly (Add your own match fund). This is where you go to a local business, trust, foundation or council and ask them to become your project’s own match funder. It takes more legwork, but it isn’t reserved for big charities. A garden centre matching donations for a community allotment, or a local solicitors’ firm backing a youth football club, are exactly the kind of relationships that work.

This blog is mostly about the second route, since it’s the one entirely in your hands.

Know who to ask before you ask

The strongest match funding pitches are the ones aimed at organisations with an obvious reason to say yes. Before you write a single email, make a shortlist of:

• Local businesses with a visible stake in your community or cause (a builders’ merchant for a playground rebuild, a health food shop for a wellbeing project)
• Corporate foundations and CSR teams, who often have small grants budgets for exactly this kind of visible, feel-good spend
• Trusts and foundations whose funding criteria already mention your theme, whether that’s the environment, youth, arts or health
• Local authorities or parish councils, particularly if your project supports a public space or service they’d otherwise have to fund themselves

A pitch to a company whose values genuinely overlap with your project will always land better than a scattergun approach to fifty random businesses.

Build a case, not just a request

Organisations that match fund want to know three things: what the money does, why it matters to them, and what they get back. Structure your approach around those three points.

What the money does. Be specific. “Help us fix the roof” is weaker than “£2,000 will replace the last of the leaking guttering before winter.” Concrete, tangible asks are easier to say yes to than vague ones.

Why it matters to them. Connect your project to something the organisation already cares about, whether that’s their location, their customer base, their sustainability goals or their published funding priorities. Do the homework so they don’t have to.

What they get back. Be upfront about what you can offer: logo placement on your campaign page, a shout-out to your supporter network, social media tags, a mention in local press, or simply the reputational boost of visible community backing. Crowdfunder’s live matching mechanic and updates give a funder a visible return, which is worth spelling out.

Make the ask easy to say yes to

Vague requests get vague answers, so give the organisation something concrete to respond to:

• Propose a ratio. A 1:1 match is the simplest to explain and the easiest to approve.
• Suggest a cap. “Match donations up to £5,000” is a far easier internal approval than an open-ended commitment.
• Set a timeframe. Match funding tied to your campaign’s launch window creates urgency for both the funder and your donors.
• Offer options. Some organisations would rather match at a lower level than not at all. A tiered ask (£500, £1,000 or £5,000, each with a different level of recognition) gives them room to say yes at a level that suits their budget.

Get the timing and format right

Reach out well before you plan to launch. Most organisations, especially anything above a sole trader, need time to get sign-off internally, so give them a few weeks. A short, well-written email beats a long one: introduce your project in a line or two, make your specific ask, attach a one-page overview if you have one, and offer a call. Follow up once, politely, if you haven’t heard back after a week or two.

Learn from what’s worked

Community share offers like Bramley Baths in Leeds and the East London Waterworks Park both combined direct approaches to mission-aligned funders with public crowdfunding to hit six-figure targets. Neither relied on the crowd alone, both did the groundwork of finding funders whose goals matched the project before asking for support.

A few things to avoid

• Don’t ask too late. Chasing match funding after you’ve launched puts you on the back foot and rushes the funder’s decision.
• Don’t oversell. Be honest about your target and your realistic reach so the funder isn’t matching a campaign that quietly falls short.
• Don’t forget to say thank you. A funder who feels appreciated and sees the impact of their contribution is far more likely to come back next time, or to recommend you to others in their network.

Match funding turns a good campaign into a great one, and it starts with a well-aimed ask to the right organisation. Do your research, make the case clearly, and give them an easy decision to make.

If you already have a funder in mind, you can add your own match fund directly to your Crowdfunder project.