Matching Gifts FAQ
Q. What is a matching gift?
A. A matching gift is a company’s payment matching wholly or in part a donation made by company employees. Most companies match 100%, some match 50% and some match even more!
Q. How does a donor apply for a matching gift?
A. The donor should contact their company’s Human Resources department for specific instructions. Please note that AIDS/LifeCycle is not an independent 501(c)3 and matching gifts must specify either San Francisco AIDS Foundation or the Los Angeles LGBT Center as the beneficiary of the matching gift.
Q. Which address should I use for AIDS/LifeCycle?
A. For donations to Northern California participants: use the SFAF address when applying for Matching Gifts: AIDS LifeCycle, c/o San Francisco AIDS Foundation, 1035 Market Street, Suite 400, San Francisco, CA 94103. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation Federal Tax ID # is 94-2927405.
For donations to Southern California participants: use the LALGBTC address when applying for Matching Gifts: AIDS LifeCycle, c/o Los Angeles LGBT Center, Dept. 9383, Los Angeles, CA 90084-9383. The Center’s Federal Tax ID # is 95-3567895.
For donations to participants that live outside of California: please contact Donor Services in San Francisco (donate_sf@aidslifecycle.org or (415) 487-3092) or in Los Angeles (donate_la@aidslifecycle.org or (323) 860-7385) for the appropriate address to use.
Q. How does a donor ensure that the match for his/her gift is applied to the correct participant?
A. Most applications and online forms have a field for “Designation” or “Purpose”. Please have the donor include: the participant’s name, the participant’s number and “AIDS/LifeCycle 2019” in this field.
Q. What information does Donor Services need to research a gift or match?
A. In order to research a pending match, contact Donor Services with: the donor/employee name, the company name, the amount donated as well as the Event/Participant number.
Q. When can the participant expect the match to appear in his/her fundraising total? Why doesn’t the matched amount appear when the application is submitted?
A. Matching gifts do not appear in a Participant’s fundraising total until the funds are received and allocated. Remember, Matching Gifts are paid out per the Company’s schedule. Many companies pay quarterly, some pay bi-monthly or as applications are received, and there are a few that pay annually or bi-annually. All the more reason to prioritize securing Matching Gift donations early in the season!
Q. Who can I contact with questions about matching gifts?
A. Please refer all questions to Donor Services in San Francisco (donate_sf@aidslifecycle.org or (415) 487-3092) or in Los Angeles (donate_la@aidslifecycle.org or (323) 860-7385.)