Why Schools are Swapping HEPdata for Double the Donation

For educational institutions, from K-12 private schools to massive university systems, matching gifts represent one of the most reliable yet under-tapped revenue streams available. However, as donor expectations shift toward one-click digital experiences and the corporate giving landscape continues to expand, the tools schools use to capture these gifts must evolve.

In recent years, a significant trend has emerged. More and more, educational advancement teams are moving away from legacy systems like HEPdata in favor of modern platforms like Double the Donation. This post explores the “why” behind this transition and real-world results from schools that have modernized their approach.

We’ll cover:

• A Brief History of the Matching Gift Software Landscape
• Integration as a Gamechanger: Lessons from IUF
• Establishing Trust: Legacy Data vs. Dynamic Intelligence
• The $40k → $110k Revenue Leap: Another Real-World Success Story
• Beyond the Match: Capturing Broader Workplace Giving
• Security & Accessibility: Why IT Is Often Driving the Switch

Equipping your school with best-in-class technology reflects a fundamental shift in your fundraising philosophy. By transitioning from a reactive, manual process to a proactive, automated one, you ensure that matching gifts (and broader workplace giving) are a seamless part of the donor journey.

A Brief History of the Matching Gift Software Landscape

Before we can dive into what the landscape looks like today, it’s helpful to examine the evolution of matching gift technology. For decades, the industry was defined by manual look-up tools and static databases. HEPdata (established in 1997) was an early pioneer in this space, providing one of the first centralized repositories for corporate giving guidelines. In the era of direct mail and paper checks, having a digital directory was a significant step forward.

However, over the last several years, the landscape has shifted from a need for information to a need for integration. While HEPdata’s platform has become increasingly stagnant, Double the Donation emerged as the modern successor designed for the digital-first era. Rather than simply maintaining a list of companies, Double the Donation took a groundbreaking approach to scaling workplace giving. It built a dynamic ecosystem that lives exactly where donors are: on the donation form itself!

This rapid growth and dominance in the market aren’t accidental. While legacy tools became obsolete by failing to innovate, Double the Donation invested heavily in automation and direct CSR partnerships. For educational institutions, this represents a shift from legacy archives (where data sits until it becomes outdated) to modern growth (where software actively identifies and captures revenue).

Integration as a Gamechanger: Lessons from IUF

For a university system, the complexity of the tech stack can be a major barrier to innovation. The Indiana University Foundation (IUF) recently shared how moving to a more integrated approach fundamentally changed their results.

Abe Morris, a Segmentation Analyst at IUF, highlighted that their previous method involved a heavy marketing lift for very little reward. The foundation used to rely on a quarterly direct mail piece: a process that was both expensive and out of sync with the donor’s experience.

“I can’t tell you how big of an improvement this was for us,” Morris shared. “We were asking donors to take an additional action on a gift that could be upwards of 3 months old. At that point, they’ve paid off their credit card, and they may not even remember that gift.”

By leveraging Double the Donation’s ability to integrate directly with the giving website, IUF removed unnecessary friction.

“With Double the Donation on our giving website, it took a donor hearing from us about a matching opportunity to basically zero, capturing them at the perfect moment. That was just like night and day in terms of our ability to talk about matching opportunities with employers.”

The ability to eliminate friction is often the deciding factor in whether a donor completes a match or ultimately leaves it on the table. For the Indiana University Foundation, moving beyond the limitations of legacy outreach wasn’t just a technical upgrade. It was a strategic reimagining of the donor journey.

Establishing Trust: Legacy Data vs. Dynamic Intelligence

An educational institution’s reputation is one of its most valuable assets. When a donor is directed to an expired link or given outdated policy information by your school’s fundraising tool, it creates a sense of unprofessionalism.

• The Legacy Problem: HEPdata’s matching gift database is often considered stagnant. Donors are frequently met with dead-end URLs or out-of-date PDF forms that corporate CSR offices no longer accept.
• The Double the Donation Advantage: Through direct partnerships with CSR portals, Double the Donation pulls verified data straight from the source. This ensures donors receive accurate matching gift guidelines and submission links, and paves the way from “intent” to “impact” with actionable information.

This discrepancy in data quality represents more than just a minor technical glitch. When a legacy database supplies a link to a 404 Error page or a PDF form that was retired five years ago, it places the burden of research back on the individual. In the digital age, where supporters expect the same level of convenience from a nonprofit as they do from a major retailer, this friction often leads to abandoned matches.

On the other hand, when the information is correct the first time, donors are far more likely to engage with the matching gift process again in the future. This transforms a single gift into a lifetime of doubled support.

The $40k → $110k Leap: Another Real-World Success Story

The impact of swapping HEPdata for a modern solution is best measured by the growth of the matching gift checkbook. One mid-sized institution that made the switch shared a look at its first-year results:

“In our first year with Double the Donation, our matching program went from $40k to just under $110k. Since then (about 5 years ago), we’ve spent some time cleaning up our employment data and using the platform to send out automated emails, and we’re very happy with it.

It’s not a magic bullet, but for us it was much, much better than HEPdata.”

The growth from a $40k baseline to nearly $110k in matching gifts represents a 175% increase in revenue. And it didn’t result from a massive shift in the institution’s donor base. It happened because they finally had the tools to identify the supporters who were already there.

It’s important to recognize that this organization’s revenue jump isn’t an anomaly, either. On average, organizations that move to the Double the Donation platform from manual tracking or legacy databases see a 20% to 50% increase in matching gift funding year over year simply by automating the process.

Beyond the Match: Capturing Broader Workplace Giving

While “matching gifts” is the term most familiar to educational advancement officers, the truth is that it’s only a slice of a much broader workplace giving pie.

By limiting your focus to the traditional match, your school is missing out on several high-growth revenue streams. And if you’re still using a legacy tool like HEPdata, you’re likely only scratching the surface. Here’s what else you should be on the lookout for:

1. Volunteer Grants and Volunteer Time Off

Schools are often powered by the three Ts: Time, Talent, and Treasure. Many parents and alumni who may not have the capacity for a large cash gift are incredibly generous with their time. And employee volunteer programs can help you make the most of it!

• Volunteer Grants: Also known as “Dollars for Doers,” these programs pay your school a set hourly rate (often at a rate of $8 to $25 per hour) for the time an employee spends volunteering.
• Volunteer Time Off: Many companies now offer “VTO,” allowing employees to help out during work hours while still receiving their regular pay.

Double the Donation surfaces these opportunities automatically, allowing you to monetize the thousands of hours your community already spends on your campus. Unfortunately, that’s a feature largely absent from legacy databases.

2. Recurring Payroll Donations

Payroll giving is the ultimate “set it and forget it” revenue stream for schools and nonprofits. Instead of a one-time contribution, supporters can have a small portion of their paycheck sent directly to your institution every pay period.

Double the Donation’s database tracks which companies offer these streamlined giving portals, helping you encourage alumni to switch to a recurring, high-impact giving model that provides your school with a predictable monthly cash flow.

3. Corporate Sponsorships and Community Grants

Beyond individual employee actions, many companies offer departmental grants or event sponsorships for schools and other nonprofits. Whether it’s a grant for a new STEM lab, a sponsorship for the annual gala, or non-cash support such as technology or catering services, these funds often require specific application processes.

Double the Donation’s comprehensive database provides the necessary links and contact information, whereas legacy tools often fail to track these non-matching-gift opportunities.

The Verdict: Workplace giving is too valuable and expansive to ignore. Transitioning to a modern fundraising platform ensures your school is equipped to capture the full spectrum of corporate philanthropy.

Security & Accessibility: Why IT Is Often Driving the Switch

Today’s educational institutions often face rigorous technology audits. If a tool isn’t secure or accessible, it won’t pass an IT review. For this reason, it’s important to examine how your school’s workplace giving software handles things like security and accessibility.

Let’s take a look:

1. SOC 2 Compliance: Double the Donation is the industry leader in security, offering SOC 2 Type II compliance. Legacy providers often lack these third-party audits, making them a liability for university IT departments.
2. Digital Equity (WCAG): Schools have a legal and ethical mandate to be inclusive. Double the Donation’s tools meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, ensuring that donors with disabilities can navigate the matching gift process via screen readers or keyboard navigation. Unfortunately, that’s a feature often overlooked by legacy platforms.

Today, a software’s back-end integrity is just as scrutinized as its front-end results, especially when it comes to schools and other publicly-funded entities. When an IT department reviews a legacy provider like HEPdata, it often finds a lack of documentation on data encryption, penetration testing, and vulnerability management. In contrast, Double the Donation’s commitment to security protocols provides a “gold standard” audit trail that streamlines the approval and implementation timelines.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Institution’s Impact

In the competitive world of educational advancement, the tools you choose to power your mission are a direct reflection of your commitment to your community. Staying with a legacy provider like HEPdata might feel like the path of least resistance, but it leads to missed revenue, frustrated donors, and an overall stagnant program.

As the Indiana University Foundation discovered, transformation occurs when you stop chasing donors after the fact and start meeting them in the moment. By moving to Double the Donation, schools are not just upgrading their software; they are future-proofing their fundraising.

Don’t let legacy technology be the bottleneck that prevents your school from reaching its full potential. By prioritizing a modern, integrated, and accessible donor experience, you ensure that each supporter has the easiest possible path to increasing their impact.

Don’t let your school’s matching gift program stay in the past. Get a demo to see the Double the Donation difference today.