New to ioby? It might be best to start with our general FAQ here.
Match funding basics
How does match funding on ioby work? When you fundraise on ioby with match funding, donations to your campaign will be doubled instantly, so you move toward your goal twice as fast. So if someone donates $25, your page will reflect a donation of $50!
How do I get approved for match funding? Simply share your project idea via the brief form here. You’ll need to create an ioby account, or sign into an existing ioby account, to do this; the process typically takes 5-10 minutes. After you share your project idea with us, you'll be contacted by a member of our team within 1-2 business days. They can confirm for you if the project idea you shared is eligible for matching funds. They may check with the program funder or ask you some questions if we need a little more information. If you’re fairly confident your project is eligible for this match, feel free to begin building a fundraising page immediately after sharing your idea, or you can wait to hear from us.
If I’m approved for match funding, am I guaranteed to receive a specific amount? No, this is a challenge match, not a grant. Your team needs to raise a dollar to receive a dollar, and no amount of match funding is guaranteed in advance. If you begin a campaign, but then stop fundraising for several months, there is no guarantee that match funding will still be available later. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to all participating campaigns, so that funding flows toward projects with the most urgent funding needs and active teams.
How do I know if match funding is still available for my project? When you share your project idea, our team will alert you in the case that match funds are running low and you may not be able to access the maximum amount; then you can decide if you would like to go forward with fundraising or not. If you are already participating in the Jefferson Regoinal Match Fund, but have not yet met your fundraising goal, ioby will alert you when match funds begin running low.
How long will Jefferson Regional match funding be available? This will depend on how many projects participate. Funding will be distributed on a first-come basis as participating leaders fundraise, but we currently expect to have enough funding to support campaigns at least through spring of 2019.
Eligibility
What kinds of projects are eligible for match funding? To access this match funding, the project you are fundraising for must:
1. Provide an accessible, public benefit to the residents of any neighborhood(s) in the Jefferson Region.
2. Not be aimed at private profit for a specific individual, family, or business (for example, an individual's medical expenses, or business start up costs).
3. Be for something concrete and specific, not a pool of funds to be re-granted or used for an unspecified purpose in the future. Please note, all ioby campaigns must include a budget outlining how funds will be spent.
Examples of eligible projects include community gardens, afterschool programs, murals, street tree planting, youth programs, health initiatives, community festivals...you name it! Check out previously-funded projects to get a sense of the possibilities.
Who is eligible to receive matching funds? Anyone working on a project that make the Jefferson Region a great place to live, work, and play! Individual residents, informal groups of friends and neighbors, nonprofits, schools, community-based organizations, and community development corporations are all invited to submit their project ideas.
What if my group has more than one project idea? It’s best to pick one thing to crowdfund for at a time. If you’re trying to decide between several possible funding needs, keep in mind that crowdfunding works best for projects that are concrete and specific, where residents will be able to see the results or participate in the project they helped fund.
Match caps and budget questions
How much match funding can I receive on my campaign? $5,000 is the maximum amount that can be applied to any campaign from the Jefferson Region Match Fund. This cap helps ensure that multiple projects will have access to funding.
What if my project is small and I don't need $5,000? Or what if I don't think I can raise that much? That's totally fine! This program is appropriate for small-scale, grassroots projects and ioby has lots of experience supporting smaller campaigns. You are not required to try to use the full $5,000 in match funding.
Should the goal I set on my fundraising page include the amount of match funding I hope to receive? Yes. For example, if you need $2,000 to implement your project, your public goal on your page would be $2,000—you would only need to fundraise $1,000 of that goal, which would be doubled as you fundraise.
Shouldn't I set a big goal and hope for the best? You will only receive match funding equivalent to what you raise, so we encourage you to aim for an amount of funding that fits your team’s fundraising capacity and immediate budget needs. Also, it makes crowdfunding more difficult to set a larger goal than you have a plan to reach, because donors are less likely to give to campaigns that don't look likely to meet their goal. Our workshops, campaign planning tools, and your ioby Leader Success Strategist can all help you set a goal that fits your team size and fundraising plan.
Does match funding apply to any donation? Match funding is meant to make it easier for you to reach out to your networks broadly to ask for donations, and not meant for doubling just one or two large gifts. For that reason, we’ll only be matching up to the first $1,000 of any single donation.
Does ioby accept checks and can they be matched? Yes. It's not standard practice, but if you have a donor who prefers to give by check instead of credit card, they can send their check to ioby to be applied to your campaign. ioby's donation processing fee of 3% also applies to check donations, and check donations can be matched. We won’t be able to match a check donation until we receive and process the check, whereas online donations are matched instantly.
What if I use up all the match funding I was originally planning for, but want to keep fundraising? Great! With ioby’s flexible finish policy you can always raise your goal mid-campaign if needed. If you hit the $5,000 match cap, you are also welcome to keep fundraising additional unmatched dollars.
What happens if I don’t meet my goal? Our trainings and one-on-one support are intended to give you and your team the best shot as success. However, if you fall short of your goal, you'll still keep anything you raised and match funding you've earned. When you close your campaign, your Leader Success Strategist will ask you to adjust the budget on your page to show how you’ll use the smaller amount of funds toward your project.
Here are some examples of possible budget scenarios:
Your original goal: $4,000
You raise: $2,000
Match funding added: $2,000
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $4,000*
Your original goal: $4,000
You raise: $1,000
Match funding added: $1,000
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $2,000*
Your original goal: $4,000
You raise: $3,000
Match funding added: $3,000
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $6,000*
Your original goal: $20,000
You raise: $15,000
Match funding added: $5,000
Total disbursed at end of campaign: $20,000*
Your page will continue to accept donations after your goal is met and you can raise your campaign goal at any time during your campaign. When $5,000 in match funding has been applied to your page, the match will automatically shut off. At that point, donations will no longer be matched but you are always welcome to continue fundraising additional unmatched dollars.
*Minus ioby fees.
Reporting and Receiving your Funds
When will I receive my match funding? Donations to your ioby campaign page will be doubled instantly as people donate to your page. When you decide to close your campaign, you’ll receive the total you raised plus match funding as one lump sum, via check. ioby’s super-low fees will be retained from that total. Please allow 20-30 business days from closing your campaign to receiving your check.
What reporting is required if I participate? All participating campaigns are required to complete an online survey that we'll ask you to fill it out at the point that you close your campaign and request your funds. It should take about 10-15 minutes to fill out.
We may also follow up with you after you've implemented your project to ask you to share any great photos that we may use in our report to the program funder and to share the power of your work and inspire other leaders.
Other questions?
Contact Pittsburgh Action Strategist Miriam Parson at miriam.parson@ioby.org or 412-879-0086.