Matching Donations Have Helped Extra Lifer Jonny Klemmer Raise More Than $20k USD

We recently had the pleasure of talking with 5th year Extra Lifer Jonny Klemmer. He’s supporting OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and has a goal to raise $5,000 USD in 2020. Jonny utilizes matching donations not only by personally matching donations up to a certain threshold but also by getting his employer to match, too! See how he does it and how matching donations have helped him raise more than $20,000 USD since 2016.

Extra Life: Hi Jonny! First question — how did you get started with Extra Life?

JK: I first found out about Extra Life in 2015 when I stumbled across some 24-hour Twitch streams on Extra Life Game Day and was immediately hooked. Having heard of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals from other charity fundraisers I knew the cause was great, but combining it with gaming was something that I knew I’d enjoy being a part of. My brother and I signed up as a fundraising team the following year in 2016 and encouraged a few coworkers to join in 2017. Every year continues to grow and it just has been such an awesome cause and community to be involved with!

Extra Life: What gave you the idea to match your donor’s donations?

JK: I feel like donation matching is the best way to prove to potential donors that this is a worthy charity and something I’m serious and committed to. Because I don’t really have a regular stream audience or time to build one year-round, this also felt like a great way to encourage as many donations as possible around Game Day. The matching started relatively small, but the outpouring of support has led me to plan larger goals each year (and larger matches). This year’s maximum match will be ten times what the match was in 2016!

Extra Life: How do you think that matching donations have helped you get more donations?

JK: The most immediate way seems to be others feeling better about contributing, regardless of the donation size. I constantly stress that even a few bucks add up quickly and the donation matching helps drive that point home. When donors can see their $5-10 quickly turn into even more money for such a great cause I think everyone gets excited about what they are a part of. This is also true on the higher end for some of my larger donations that know it’s an incredible return on their donation because it is going twice as far.

Extra Life: How did you ask your employer if they did matching?

JK: Fortunately my employer, Nike, has a well-formed system for charitable donation matching and is constantly promoting charitable causes for employees to join in. I’d encourage any others to investigate or ask their employer for similar programs as even when it might not be advertised there are many companies who do the same!

Extra Life: Have you been to your selected CMN Hospital before? Do you know anyone who was treated there or have a personal connection to a children’s hospital?

JK: Previous years when fundraising in Omaha, NE I visited and toured the Omaha Children’s Hospital. It really was an incredible place and seeing all the impressive things they were able to do both for the children and families made it clear how important fundraising for this charity is. Visiting my newly selected CMN Hospital, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, is on my list for the future, but I have already chatted with them and seen their work so I’m confident this is also a great group!

My connection to children’s hospitals is solely based on the awesome work they do! Both past care that friends and relatives received, as well as stories from Extra Life kids like Victoria Enmon, provide a deep connection to such an incredible organization.

Extra Life: What does Change Kids’ Health, Change the Future mean to you?

JK: It might sound cheesy but children being our future has never been more true. In a time when many are struggling financially and therefore access to healthcare might be tough or limited, I think protecting kids’ health is the greatest way we can ensure we’re also protecting our future. Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Extra Life are perfect partners in that mission as they are consistently providing a solution to those tough issues that children are forced to face.

Extra Life: How are you planning to support Extra Life in 2020?

JK: Extra Life 2020 is going to be a blast! Last year’s event had a surprise stretch goal where I offered to shave my head and shockingly some generous donations made that happen. In 2020, along with a 24-hour Game Day stream, the “haircut” has become an official milestone (although some have suggested it be dyed pink first – we’ll see!). In addition, my entire $5,000 donation goal will be matched by me dollar-for-dollar so I can’t wait to see if we can beat last year’s impressive record!

Extra Life: Why do you think it’s important to give back to your local children’s hospital?

JK: Many people who have been fortunate enough with good health of themselves and their loved ones might not know, but medical costs can be an immense burden on a family. I’ve been really fortunate to have good insurance and savings to help with my personal expenses, but the thought of a parent having to juggle paying bills to afford medical care for their child is heartbreaking. I couldn’t think of a better use of any extra money than a charity that ensures those children can receive world-class medical care regardless of their financial situation.

Extra Life: Are you hosting a Game Day stream? What’re the deets??

JK: Definitely! The game day stream will take place on November 7th on my Twitch channel. I’ll be streaming 24 hours straight probably playing a wide variety of video games based on viewer recommendations/donations. Additionally, there will be some fun incentives and milestones including a “Hot Ones” hot sauce challenge, extending the marathon duration, and a “haircut” if we hit the donation goal! My Extra Life page will have a link to the stream and all the details: https://www.extra-life.org/participant/427988

Extra Life: Where can we find you on social media? Please include all your tags and public-facing channels here

JK: Year-round you can find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jonnyklemmer and around November you can find my fundraising, gaming and sometimes programming on Twitch.tv at https://www.twitch.tv/jonnyklemmer.

Extra Life: Thanks for your time Jonny! Is there anything else you want to share with us?

JK: Appreciate anyone reading about my involvement with Extra Life and I’d like to encourage you to contribute however you can! Feel free to donate to my page or your local CMN Hospital, or simply share this with some friends or family! Additionally, if you’d like to stop by and say hello on November 7th please come by my stream!

Are you interested in being featured on the Extra Life blog and social channels? First off, yay! You can submit a guest post at https://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/guest-post or email Brooke Johnson at bjohnson@cmnhospitals.org.

Don’t forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!