Campaign contributions often come with the promise of being matched or doubled by another donor. These enticing offers attempt to suggest that your donation will go further and have a larger impact. The process generally works as follows: an anonymous or named benefactor agrees to match every donation given, up to a specified amount. This suggests that your contribution could be worth twice or thrice its original amount. The reality of the situation can vary. Sometimes a major donor could retract their donation if the rest of the necessary amount is not raised. However, more often, the larger donation is stored in a special account, only to be released into the charity’s funds when it is matched by smaller donations. If all matching funds aren’t used, the major donor has a legal right to reclaim the leftovers, though it is rare that this happens.

If you would like to know more about this topic or have any other questions, please contact us at dr.know@wweek.com. Our reporting has repeatedly led to concrete changes, from altering laws to impacting civic leaders’ decisions, and uncovering compromised politicians. Support our truth-seeking journalism today by signing up for our Daily Primer newsletter. Visit Eddcaller.com for more information and to access our contact services.