A Donor Perspective: Matching Funds Pool
Matching fund supporters were integral to the development and sustainability of each Blooming Art showcase. Each year, Swanee Hunt’s foundation cultivated donors and built relationships while also engaging other philanthropic families and giving institutions, and ARTWorks for Kids adapted the matching policies every year in response to successes and lessons learned.
2005
- Matching pool of $500,000, from two family foundations.
- Donations between $1,000 and $25,000 were matched; this included gifts from new donors and gifts from current donors that were at least $1,000 more than any previous donation.
- Matching policies were not public, although the amount of the pool—$500,000—was.
- Total raised: $1.3 million
2005 Blooming Art Gift Match Options
2005 Blooming Art Debrief Presentation
2006
- Matching pool of $500,000, from three family foundations.
- New policy: match the increase of a gift that reached $1,000 for the first time.
- Total raised: $1.5 million
2006 Blooming Art Gift Match Guidelines
2007
- Matching pool of $500,000, from three family foundations (two repeat and one new).
- Total raised: $1.4 million
2008
- Matching pool of $500,000, from three family foundations (two repeat and one new).
- Total raised: $1.2 million
2009
- Matching pool of $500,000, from four family foundations.
- New policy: in recognition of the economic climate, sustained support of $1,000 or more was matched with $1,000 from the matching funds pool.
- Total raised: $2.1 million
2009 Blooming Art Donor Match Policy
“Some of our regular donors have participated and some new donors have emerged because of the matching program. It’s a strategy that is working for us and energizing donors.”
Karen Boss, Hyde Square Task Force