This guide explores how companies can make the most of their CSR efforts by using workplace giving platforms.

Workplace Giving Platforms: 5 Ways You Can Boost CSR Success

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It’s no secret that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is on the rise. According to Double the Donation’s corporate giving statistics, 39% of companies plan to expand their workplace giving programs in the next two years, and CSR is growing in popularity across companies all over the world.

However, 78% of donors are unaware of their company’s program specifics, which is why workplace giving platforms are crucial to your company’s CSR success. We’ve created this guide to explore everything you need to know about workplace giving platforms, including:

When it’s easy for employees to participate in workplace giving programs, your company will do more than help its community. Employee engagement levels, your CSR reputation, and nonprofit causes will reap the benefits of an organized and streamlined process for managing workplace giving. With that in mind, let’s get started!

Click here to chat with our team about leveraging workplace giving platforms that integrate with our tools.

What are workplace giving platforms?

Workplace giving is an employer-sponsored program through which employees can donate to charitable causes in various ways, including matching gifts, volunteer grants, and automatic payroll deductions.

Depending on the type of program your company offers, you’ll have to facilitate different donation methods. For example, if you choose to offer volunteer grants, you’ll have to track employees’ volunteer hours. That’s where workplace giving platforms come into play.

This image shows the definition of workplace giving platforms, which is written out in the text below.

Workplace giving platforms are software solutions that streamline a company’s corporate philanthropy efforts by managing giving and volunteering.

Using workplace giving tools, companies can efficiently manage their philanthropy programs, keep their employees engaged through easy participation, and boost the impact of their CSR initiatives. Let’s take a closer look at the ways workplace giving platforms can maximize your company’s CSR success.

5 benefits of workplace giving platforms

The type of workplace giving platform you need depends on the program your company runs, but there are software options for nearly every type of program. Let’s take a look at how specific platforms can benefit your company’s programs.

1. Matching Gift Management

Matching gift programs are one of the most common offerings companies have in terms of workplace giving.

By essentially doubling the donations their employees make to eligible nonprofits (based on the company’s guidelines), companies benefit nonprofits and help their employees make a difference for the causes they care about. However, running a matching gift program takes a lot of organizational power, especially if your company has many participating employees and donations to track.

To make it easy for employees to participate, choose a workplace giving platform that allows you to:

This image shows the ways workplace giving platforms can streamline your company’s matching gift program.

  • Track employee donations. Keep track of all employee donations in one central location so you can manage all of your incoming data more easily.
  • Approve matching gift requests. Approve match requests automatically or with a single click based on minimum/maximum match amounts, eligibility requirements, and other guidelines your company has put in place.
  • Engage your employees in giving. Engage your employees in the causes they care about by using a workplace giving platform that’s easy to navigate, flexible, and shows your company cares about giving back.
  • Track your impact. Workplace giving platforms should offer robust, real-time reporting so you can keep track of the social good your company is doing.
  • Enlist matching gift auto-submission. Instead of requiring employees to complete a separate request process for matching gifts, some CSR platforms now offer innovative auto-submission functionality through a recently out-of-beta integration with Double the Donation’s tools. All it asks for is a corporate email address from the employee donor, and the software system processes the request from there!

The right workplace giving platform should help your company manage its matching gift program with ease, streamline your overall giving process, and encourage employee participation.

Learn how to make matching gifts easy with auto-submission functionality!

2. Volunteer Management

In addition to matching gift programs, corporate volunteerism is becoming a larger component of workplace giving. Volunteerism can take many forms, and as companies develop or expand their volunteer programs, the right workplace giving platform can keep them on track for success.

To dive deeper into the ways that corporate giving programs can manage volunteerism, we’re going to break it down into three categories: volunteer opportunities, volunteer tracking, and volunteer grants.

Volunteer Opportunities

The first hurdle your company may encounter when developing a corporate volunteering program is actually finding volunteer opportunities for your employees. Using a workplace giving platform that offers a database of both virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities can help you jump that hurdle easily and efficiently.

Workplace giving platforms vet the nonprofits in their databases, meaning your employees can rest assured that they’ll be working with reputable causes and organizations. Beyond sifting through nonprofit organizations for you, workplace giving platforms also help you create custom volunteer events for your employees, offering features such as:

  • Planned shifts
  • Event capacity planning
  • Registrations

It’s great to get employees involved in your volunteer program, but it’s especially important that volunteers get to have a say in the opportunities available to them. That’s why offering a database of volunteer events is essential. Many companies also offer paid time off for volunteering (known as VTO), which gives employees a direct incentive to participate and increases employee engagement levels.

Volunteer Tracking

Once your volunteer opportunities have been confirmed, workplace giving platforms go further and allow you to track all elements of your employees’ volunteer efforts. This includes:

  • Volunteer signups
  • Logged volunteer hours
  • Your overall impact

Employees can easily track their hours for any kind of volunteer event, while you can view all the wonderful work they’re doing from one central location.

Volunteer Grants

Another way to engage employees in corporate volunteerism is by offering volunteer grants, which are monetary grants awarded to nonprofits in response to employees’ volunteer hours with that organization.

Like with matching gift programs, workplace giving platforms help you monitor volunteer grant requests that come through. As employees track their hours and request grants, you can easily approve and process each request in the same central system—much like you would with matching gifts.

All of these components of volunteer programs are important. Whether you’re offering VTO, trying to make it easy for employees to find volunteer opportunities, or processing volunteer grant requests on a regular basis, workplace giving platforms take the extra legwork out of the equation.

3. Additional Workplace Giving Program Management

Of course, workplace giving is made up of more than just matching gifts and volunteer programs. There are tons of different programs that contribute to CSR, and choosing the right workplace giving solutions can help streamline all of them.

Workplace giving platforms can help you manage:

This image lists the different types of programs that workplace giving platforms can help you manage, which are described in the text below.

  • Automatic payroll deductions: Workplace giving platforms with payroll integrations and features allow employees to select a nonprofit from a large database of pre-vetted 501(c)(3) organizations. From there, they can choose to set up a recurring deduction through the platform for as long as they’d like.
  • Disaster relief: Workplace giving solutions often offer tools to quickly create new disaster relief campaigns. After all, the faster companies can launch a campaign, the faster they’ll be able to collect and disburse funds to nonprofits in need.
  • Grant management: Many companies and foundations provide annual grants to important causes and organizations around the world. Workplace giving platforms can help grantmaking organizations manage all aspects of the grantmaking process, including grant proposals, approvals, budgets, and goals.

Workplace giving platforms also help companies build a community within their teams by supporting causes that are important to them.

Use a workplace giving platform to set goals, select nonprofits, spotlight volunteer opportunities, and more. These tools allow you to create a sense of urgency and keep your employees engaged in nonprofit causes and events all year long.

4. Employee Engagement

Whether you’re running a grant program, launching an employee giving campaign, offering payroll deductions, or starting other types of workplace giving programs, choosing the right solution to meet your company’s needs will benefit more than just your team and your brand. It will also deeply engage your employees and strengthen your company’s workplace culture.

Here are a few ways your workplace giving platform can engage employees:

This image lists statistics that prove workplace giving platforms can engage employees, which are detailed in the text below.

  • 90% of employees are more motivated and loyal who work at companies with a strong sense of purpose. When you invest in software that standardizes the process for getting involved in workplace giving, your program will become a central part of the workplace culture. That way, employees will know your company is serious about making a difference.
  • 87% of corporate leaders believe their employees expect them to support causes and issues that matter to them. Workplace giving platforms, like matching gift databases, can help employees determine their eligibility for certain programs and contribute to the nonprofits of their choice. This encourages employees to support the causes they care about—and lets them know your company is behind them all the way.
  • Nearly 70% of employees wouldn’t choose to work with a company that lacks a strong sense of purpose, and 60% would take a pay cut to work for a purpose-driven company. By leveraging workplace giving platforms, your company can effectively spread the word about its giving opportunities and standardize the process for getting involved.

It’s clear: Employees are more dedicated to companies that support charitable giving, and workplace giving platforms can help you show your support by simplifying the giving process! Check our list of employee engagement ideas to learn more.

5. Company Reputation

According to NonprofitsSource’s guide to workplace giving, an established giving program can enhance your reputation in the community. And just as your workplace giving platform plays an important role in your program, it also has a large impact on your brand reputation!

Use your solution to:

  • Demonstrate your commitment. Having a workplace giving program in place is one thing, but investing in software to promote and streamline the process demonstrates a deep level of commitment to charitable giving. When you invest in a dedicated workplace giving platform, employers and community members alike will know your company is committed to making a difference.
  • Measure your impact. Your workplace giving platform may offer tools for tracking and reporting the impact of your program through metrics like employee volunteer hours and dollars donated. Use these features to share the tangible impact your company makes
  • Partner with nonprofits. With the right tools, your company can pair its workplace giving platform with nonprofits’ solutions to maximize donations and raise awareness about your program. For example, if your platform integrates with Double the Donation, you can allow employees to automatically submit matching gift requests on a nonprofit’s website. This raises awareness of your program among nonprofits, which may lead to future partnerships and endorsements.

Workplace giving and improved company reputation are components of a cyclical strategy to increase the impact your company makes. Your efforts to give charitably will enhance your brand reputation, which will recruit more customers and supporters for your company. In turn, you’ll receive more resources to invest back into your workplace giving program, making a greater impact overall.

How to start using workplace giving platforms

1. Determine your needs

To start using workplace giving platforms, you’ll first need to decide which solution makes the most sense for your company. When researching platforms, consider the following:

  • The software’s capabilities: Make a comprehensive list of the tool’s features and determine which ones you’ll use the most. Which features do you need in a platform for your specific giving program?
  • The vendor’s reputation: Check reviews for the provider of the software. For further insight, you can ask other company leaders for their feedback on platforms they’ve tried.
  • Ease-of-use: Request a demo of the platform to familiarize yourself with how it’s used. That way, you can determine if you’re comfortable with the tool and how easy it will be for employees to access it, as well.

Don’t shy away from any questions you have for the software provider or during the demo. After conducting thorough research, choose a platform and get started!

2. Educate employees

Your employees are a key part of your workplace giving efforts—after all, their giving is often the first step in your company taking action to give charitably.

Create training materials to go over the platform (and your giving program) with employees. Teach them how to use the platform and how to make the most of your workplace giving programs.

Be sure to incorporate informative materials about workplace giving in new employee onboarding, as well. This ensures that every employee learns about workplace giving from the very beginning of their tenure with your company, maximizing the potential of their giving.

3. Promote your program

Leverage your company’s most frequently used communication channels to promote your workplace giving program, including social media, your website, email newsletters, and any other messaging platforms you use. This not only puts your program in front of employees but also garners the attention of nonprofits, which may partner with you after seeing your commitment to workplace giving.

Workplace giving trends

Interested in exploring new and upcoming trends surrounding workplace giving and the technology that empowers it? Staying on top of changes in the industry can help you ensure your team is equipped with the best tools possible.

Here’s what we’ve seen recently:

This image lists three trends surrounding workplace giving platforms, which are detailed in the text below.

1. More mid-sized and small businesses are rolling out CSR programs.

Historically, workplace giving programs such as matching gifts, volunteer grants, and more have been primarily offered only by the largest businesses.

Now, these types of programs are becoming more accessible than ever for mid-sized and small businesses as well! Why? For one thing, the sector’s been seeing increasingly flexible pricing scales for workplace giving platforms, making streamlined management more attainable for companies of all shapes and sizes.

Not only that, but new corporate giving vendors are entering the game with a specific focus on targeting mid-level businesses. This takes a lot of the administrative burden away from company leadership itself, meaning more corporations are willing and eager to roll out the programming.

If you’d like to be inspired by some small and mid-sized businesses with big workplace giving programs, take a look at these examples:

We love seeing new companies establishing and growing their workplace giving⁠—whether through matching gifts, volunteer grants, or other engaging initiatives for employees. In the end, it means more nonprofit funding, more workplace engagement, and more socially responsible businesses powering good in our communities. We’re excited to find out which companies are next!

2. Workplace giving platforms offer tighter integrations with nonprofits.

Corporate philanthropy programs essentially form partnerships between companies and nonprofits. Workplace giving programs take things a step further, empowering companies to directly support the organizations that their employees are already giving to.

Because a significant prerequisite to workplace giving success has to do with employees engaging with the nonprofits⁠—and submitting their workplace giving requests with their employer⁠s—in the first place, it’s essential that companies focus on ensuring a seamless process for doing so.

Workplace giving platforms know this, and that’s why they’re aiming to make the process of using their software as quick and easy as possible for both their corporate clients and, particularly, for their clients’ end users: employees. A huge part of that involves developing tighter relationships with the nonprofits on the receiving end of the programs.

For example, though software providers are focused on selling their tools to corporations offering workplace giving programs, most have built out separate nonprofit management portals with which organizations can facilitate their end of the workplace giving process. Within these nonprofit-specific portals, organizations can easily go in and verify individual donations, volunteer hours, etc., in order to move the requests to the next step. And this end of the platform is typically free for nonprofit causes, helping to further build those relationships through streamlined and accessible technology.

Plus, offering tighter integrations with nonprofits helps make the employee and donor experience more optimal as well. When an organization has already established an account with the workplace giving platforms their supporters use, individuals can typically complete their request process more easily⁠—for instance, having the ability to select from a search of pre-approved organizations rather than having to input all the information for the cause from scratch.

3. Vendors can now offer auto-submission, which fully streamlines match requests for donors.

In order to provide workplace giving technology that truly streamlines and simplifies matching gift programs for donors, nonprofits, companies, and employees, some providers have rolled out brand-new auto-submission functionality, which recently completed its beta testing.

Individuals can now submit their matching gift requests to their employers with a single click directly from the donation confirmation pages of the organizations they support⁠. All they have to do is enter their corporate email address and check, “Yes, submit my matching gift request!”

This video explains how it works.

Now, this helps in a few key ways. For one, it enables organizations to capitalize on donors’ giving momentum right when they’re at their highest level of engagement with the cause: while giving. It minimizes the risk of them saying, “Oh, I’ll do that later,” and then never coming back to it.

Not to mention, it also significantly decreases the amount of time and effort required of a donor to complete the process. Whereas a donor may have previously been asked to provide information about themselves, their donations, and the organizations to which they give, now all they need is an email address. The software ecosystem handles the rest of the data behind the scenes!

This graphic outlines the matching gift request process with auto-submission, showing how it improves workplace giving software’s functionality.

This graphic shows the matching gift request process without auto-submission and how that can negatively impact a company’s workplace giving platform.

This simplicity helps in a few key ways:

  • Nonprofits can drive more revenue. Organizations can capitalize on donors’ giving momentum when they’re at their highest level of engagement with the cause: while giving. It minimizes the risk of them saying, “Oh, I’ll do that later,” and then never coming back to it.
  • Donors can breeze through the request process. Auto-submission decreases the amount of time and effort required of a donor to complete the process. A donor may have previously been asked to provide a variety of information about themselves, their donations, and the organizations to which they give. With auto-submission, all they need is their work email address. The software ecosystem handles the rest of the data behind the scenes!
  • Companies can easily approve match requests. When automatically filled out, forms will have fewer (if any) errors compared to when filled out manually. That means less back and forth, so companies will experience a streamlined approval process.

At this time, auto-submission functionality is made available through workplace giving platforms that integrate with Double the Donation’s matching gift tools. Currently, this includes these corporate giving software providers:

  • Millie
  • Selflessly
  • POINT
  • And more!

That means that when an employee works for a company outsourcing their workplace program management to a CSR vendor like Millie, Selflessly, or POINT, they are already eligible to participate in auto-submission. That is, as long as the organizations they’re giving to also employ Double the Donation’s software.

But auto-submission remains a rapidly growing innovation; with the solution now out of beta, it will will soon incorporate many more corporate vendors (and their clients), companies (and their employees), and nonprofits (and their donors). And we can’t wait to watch all the matching gift requests being processed when they do!

Click here to explore how auto-submission boosts employee engagement in workplace giving.

Additional Resources on Workplace Giving Platforms

If you’re looking for more information about workplace giving and the platforms that can help you be successful, check out the additional resources below:

Click here to talk to our team about which workplace giving platforms enable auto-submission.

Top Corporate Giving Software to Drive Employee Engagement

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When it comes to engaging employees in your company’s workplace giving programs, finding tools that promote participation can be challenging. However, it’s well worth the effort since the easier it is for employees to take part in workplace giving, the more likely they are to do so—and the more nonprofits benefit as well.

To help your search, we’ve compiled a list of the top corporate giving software to drive employee engagement, create an organized giving process, help your company promote corporate philanthropy, and fine-tune your corporate giving strategy.

Here are some top popular options:

Use this list to find the best corporate giving software for your company and start boosting employee participation in your workplace giving programs. Plus, we’ll also explore top trends seen in modern corporate giving software platforms and how they impact companies, employees, nonprofits, and donors. 

Make corporate giving even easier for your team with matching gift auto-submission. Discover matching gift auto-submission.

Millie

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

Millie is one of the top corporate giving platforms, offering features that support corporate matching gifts, volunteer management, campaign management, and more.

Using Millie, your company can create volunteer events, search for volunteer opportunities, match employee donations according to your budget, and build campaigns around an event or cause.

Millie allows your company to create a social impact program that’s easy to use, flexible, and budget-friendly.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

Millie enables companies to give charitable dollars—funds specifically marked to be donations—to their employees and customers. Recognize outstanding employees and develop deeper relationships with customers and prospects by sending charitable gift cards that can be donated to nonprofit organizations.

Millie DTD corporate giving vendor partnership - Donor Amplification

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

Yes! This corporate giving software can be integrated with Double the Donation, the industry’s leading matching gift tool with auto-submission functionality. Employees of companies that use Millie will be prompted to enter their corporate email addresses from the nonprofit gift confirmation page to automatically submit their matching gift requests⁠, making it easier than ever for team members to participate in employee giving.

Pricing

Millie charges monthly fees based on the number of employees you have.

Learn more about Millie, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about Millie!

POINT

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

POINT is a collaborative volunteer platform that provides local nonprofit leaders with the tech tools they need for free, while companies can use the platform to engage employees and boost their CSR programs.

Using the POINT app, companies can manage volunteerism, giving, and partnerships all in one platform that’s easy for employees to use.

When local nonprofits post volunteer opportunities, your company can easily reserve spots for team members or send the information to employees for them to sign up themselves. You can also easily send gifts through a donation tool, strengthen nonprofit partnerships, and leverage automatic reporting. 

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

When a company buys a subscription to POINT, a registered 501(c)(3) organization gets access to POINT’s platform for free. This allows nonprofits to easily find and manage volunteers, saving them time so they can focus their efforts elsewhere.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

Yes! POINT integrates with Double the Donation to enable auto-submission functionality. Corporate employees using POINT can enter their email addresses. Then, they’ll receive a list of organizations associated with their app profile which they can submit their match request to. From there, the request is processed automatically!

Pricing

Pricing for POINT depends on the number of employees in your company. Visit their website to book a demo.

Learn more about POINT, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about POINT!

Selflessly

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software,

Selflessly is an all-in-one giving platform for corporate social responsibility designed to empower small and medium-sized businesses’ corporate philanthropy efforts.

This tool offers a range of solutions, including workplace giving, volunteering, gift matching, and reporting.

With Selflessly’s corporate giving software solution, businesses can better engage employees, improve their image with consumers, and support the philanthropic efforts they care about.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

Corporate gift matching is a key component of many companies’ giving efforts, making Selflessly’s donation matching tools one of its greatest assets. Plus, their partnership with Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro allows Selflessly to streamline the giving process for businesses and their employees continually!

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

Yes! Selflessly features innovative auto-submission technology made available through a seamless integration with 360MatchPro. All employees have to do is provide their corporate email address on the nonprofit’s donation confirmation screen, and the rest of the process will be completed automatically.

Pricing

Selflessly’s dedicated team works with each customer to make sure pricing fits their needs. Visit their website to request a demo or custom pricing.

Selflessly is one of our favorite corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about Selflessly!

America’s Charities

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

America’s Charities offers a variety of CSR tools for companies looking to grow their philanthropy programs.

Companies can choose from several software options, including three workplace giving technology solutions, special funds management (like employee assistance funds and disaster relief), and standalone services like charitable funds management and payment processing.

One of the most popular solutions, America’s Charities Engage, is an end-to-end giving and CSR solution that lets businesses manage grantmaking, donation matching, workplace giving, employee engagement, and volunteers.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

One size does not fit all, which is why America’s Charities offers a broad range of workplace giving-related services and software solutions. They have also had 40 years of experience in this field and have raised more than a half-billion dollars for tens of thousands of charities through various workplace giving programs.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Contact America’s Charities for specific pricing information and to request a demo.

Learn more about America's Charities, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about America’s Charities!

Benevity

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

Benevity is one of the leading providers of corporate giving software, offering companies employee engagement tools. 

Benevity’s platform helps companies find volunteer opportunities, set up and run volunteer grant programs, manage matching gifts, enable payroll donations, and more.

Using Benevity, your company can create a purpose-driven culture for employees, engage employees in current issues, and make participating in your social good programs easy with a mobile app.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

Benevity automates every part of your employee engagement program. This provider also offers integrations with Workday, VolunteerMatch, and Okta to provide employees with better, more convenient access.

Through the Benevity Causes portal, nonprofits gain access to corporate and individual donors and volunteers, leading to even more support from companies.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Contact Benevity to learn more about their services and pricing.

Learn more about Benevity, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about Benevity!

Bright Funds

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

Bright Funds is a leading provider of corporate giving software as a service for workplace giving,
volunteering, and grants management.

With a personalized, intuitive experience, Bright Funds makes it easy for your employees to do good.

Companies can set up their Bright Funds’s platform in less than a day with all the features they need to get their CSR program going. That includes matching gifts, volunteer events, custom campaigns, real-time reporting, and more. The fund model allows companies to create funds for disbursement to one or more nonprofits for maximum flexibility.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

With nearly a decade of experience, Bright Funds helps companies of all sizes multiply their impact through a comprehensive CSR platform. In addition to a seamless user experience, the platform supports global giving and helps companies save time with simple program administration, employee engagement tools, and managed donations disbursement. 

Bright Funds’ integrations with other popular workplace management systems such as ADP, Okta, Workday, Zenefits, and VolunteerMatch provide a better experience while simplifying implementation. 

Plus, the Bright Network is a free portal for nonprofits, allowing them to optimize workplace fundraising with digital tools such as electronic payments and donor reports.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Bright Funds supports companies of all sizes. Fees start at $2 per month per employee for companies under 300 employees and scale based on employee count. Contact Bright Funds for more details and register for a free 30-day trial.

Learn more about Bright Funds, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about Bright Funds!

CyberGrants

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

CyberGrants, soon to be Bonterra, is another top corporate giving software solution that offers fully integrated tools for grants management, employee giving, volunteerism, disbursement, disaster relief, and more.

Using CyberGrants, you can create several innovative CSR programs from matching gifts and political action campaigns to charitable spending accounts. 

Their real-time reporting, automated payroll, and rules-based approvals make it easy for companies to roll out social good programs and manage them efficiently.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

CyberGrants specializes in two areas: employee giving and grants management. That means if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for managing grant applications, disbursements, matching gifts, employee donations, and volunteer programs, CyberGrants is a great option.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Contact CyberGrants for a demo and to learn more about pricing.

Learn more about CyberGrants, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about CyberGrants!

SmartSimple

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

SmartSimple is a robust corporate giving solution that offers grant management, employee giving, matching gifts, volunteer management, volunteer grants, and more.

Using SmartSimple’s tools, you can streamline every step of your workplace giving programs, manage volunteering, administer your matching gift programs, and focus on in-kind giving.

Beyond their many corporate giving tools, SmartSimple offers detailed reports, dashboards, and maps using real-time data. 

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

Beyond its many robust corporate giving solutions, SmartSimple also offers a goals-tracking feature, which allows companies to track goals for each CSR and giving initiative. Define and measure your goals for all of your efforts. Then, share them with the rest of your company and its stakeholders to showcase your philanthropic impact.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Visit SmartSimple’s website for pricing information and to request a demo.

Learn more about SmartSimple, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about SmartSimple!

YourCause

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

YourCause is a top corporate giving software solution for managing workplace giving, employee volunteering, grants, and more.

Boost participation and employee engagement using their CSRconnect solution, which allows companies to manage disaster relief, seasonal campaigns, year-round matching, peer-to-peer fundraising, and volunteer events.

In addition to tracking donations and hours, YourCause provides robust reporting features that allow teams to track data and recognize outstanding employee participants. 

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

YourCause offers a free portal that allows verified nonprofit organizations to create and manage volunteer events, access donor information, and engage with companies and their employees. In turn, this can help your company form stronger relationships with nonprofits.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

No, this platform does not yet offer matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Pricing

Contact YourCause to request a demo and get more information about pricing.

Learn more about YourCause, one of the top corporate giving software providers.

Learn more about YourCause!

Corporate Giving Software Trends | What We’re Seeing

Corporate giving software has become increasingly important in powering companies’ giving programs. In recent years, it’s evolved and come a long way in terms of user experience, accessibility, and functionality. And we’re still seeing and expecting big shifts as innovation continues.

Let’s walk through a few key trends that pertain to corporate giving software and how they impact the industry.

Increasing ease of use for companies, employees, and more

As corporate giving technology continues to develop, both the corporations and the nonprofit organizations they support can benefit exponentially. Meanwhile, continuously updated platforms make staying current with the latest advances in technology even easier. 

Recently, corporate giving software providers have focused on elevating the user experience for the backend users (i.e., the companies purchasing the tools) as well as the front-end users (i.e., corporate employees) to optimize program participation.

More programs and tools catering to small and mid-size businesses

Corporate giving has historically been primarily exclusive to the largest corporations. There are many reasons for this. Most prominently, the technology infrastructure used to manage CSR programs was designed with Fortune 500 and other mega companies in mind.

Now, however, more and more providers are prioritizing tools that are both accessible and affordable for smaller and mid-level companies as well. In turn, corporate giving participation has opened up to businesses of all shapes and sizes, enabling more employers to take part with ease.

Additional Corporate Giving Resources

If you’re looking to learn more about corporate giving, employee engagement, or the tools that can help you expand your CSR program, check out these resources below!

Does your corporate giving software has untapped features? Discover if your CSR platform has matching gift auto-submission functionality. Contact us!

Corporate Matching Gift Forms | The Ultimate Guide

Corporate Matching Gift Forms | The Ultimate Guide

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Most match-eligible donors rely on some kind of matching gift forms to complete their end of the matching gift process. However, these forms (and the steps taken to submit them) can look wildly different from one company to the next.

In order to best simplify and guide employee donors through the submission process, it’s important that you understand the ins and outs of paper, electronic, and e-submission match forms⁠—plus form alternatives.

From the nonprofit side, giving your supporters the tools they need to complete a match request helps maximize the matching gift revenue you ultimately collect.

On the other hand, as a company, considering all available options for submission forms can make a big difference as you work to develop and finetune your matching gift program.

In this guide, we’ll provide everything you need to know about corporate matching gift forms, including:

As a main source of corporate philanthropy, matching gifts are not an opportunity you want to miss out on⁠. That’s true regardless of whether you’re looking at it from the nonprofit or the business perspective.

The right matching gift forms⁠—and an understanding of how to use them⁠—can bring your team’s strategy to the next level.

Let’s get started!

What are matching gift submission forms?

Matching gift submission forms are a specific type of documentation used within the corporate matching gift process.

When a company launches a matching gift program, it typically provides employees with access to a blank form (note: while some companies may still offer paper options, these forms are most often made available online and hosted within a corporate matching vendor platform). This document typically incorporates a number of fields that share context into the individual donation, the receiving nonprofit, and the team member submitting the request.

The form is then completed by the donor after making their initial nonprofit contribution as a way to formally request a match from their employer.

Corporate matching gift form example

Then, the application is submitted to the company through the business’s specified channel. From there, the employer reviews the provided materials, verifies the initial donation, ensures the gift meets the company’s matching criteria, and approves the match.

Why matching gift forms matter

From start to finish, the matching gift process encompasses a few key phases⁠. These include the initial donation, the employee request, the match review, and finally, the corporate gift.

Of these stages, the majority of match-eligible gifts drop off before or during the employee request component. For nearly all companies, the request stage involves the employee donor filling out an online matching gift form. And the ease with which an individual can complete their match form directly correlates to fulfilled matching gift success.

In other words, the best matching gift forms result in more matching gifts.

If that’s not enough of an answer, let’s take a closer look at why corporate matching gift forms matter…

To Donors

From the donor’s perspective, a matching gift form comprises the vast majority of the matching gift experience. Without it, there’s no employer donation ultimately secured, thus inhibiting the amplified giving impact an individual is aiming to make.

Not to mention, the donor is the one who actively completes the form to request a match on behalf of their favorite organization. It makes sense that a positive user experience is a priority for this key stakeholder!

To Nonprofits

An estimated $4 to $7 billion in available matching revenue goes unclaimed each year. That’s funding that could be going to nonprofit causes but is ultimately left on the table by qualifying organizations and their donors.

In fact, most fundraising groups see only a fraction of the matching gift dollars available to them. Since one of the most significant roadblocks facing incomplete matches is the submission process, nonprofits understand that optimized matching gift forms can go a long way toward driving matches to completion.

To Companies

Companies invest time and effort into launching their matching gift programs. It goes without saying that they want employees to partake. After all, heightened staff participation levels result in better overall CSR⁠—and, with it, increased employee engagement, improved company culture, unique cause marketing benefits, elevated brand reputation, and more.

However, complicated request processes can be a significant hindrance to team-wide engagement with the offerings. Thus, companies want to establish easy-to-use corporate match forms that provide positive experiences for their employees.

Elements of a corporate matching gift form

Regardless of the type of form a company utilizes, most matching gift submissions request the same pieces of information. And this information generally falls into three overarching categories:

Components of a matching gift form

Donor Information

Companies typically request a number of personal data points relating to the individual employee within the matching gift application. Though it can vary greatly from business to business, this information might include:

  • The donor’s name
  • Employee identification number
  • Corporate email address
  • Personal mailing address
  • Phone number

Providing these details generally certifies that the donor is who they say they are (i.e., an employee of the company from which they’re requesting a match). Plus, it ensures the employer knows who is requesting the matching gift for their own records and to track participation and donation totals over time.

Nonprofit Information

Most match forms also ask specific questions pertaining to the organization an individual has supported. This might include:

Information about the nonprofit can help determine that the organization meets the company’s eligibility requirements (i.e., mission type). Not only that, but it also ensures that the person in charge of the corporate matching program has appropriate contact information for the nonprofit group, should they need to get in touch to verify the initial donation.

Donation Information

This final section is typically where the company asks employees to provide details regarding the original donation. Again, this enables the employer to determine whether the initial gift qualifies for a match (falls within the donation threshold, is submitted prior to the submission deadline, etc.).

Commonly required fields include:

  • Gift amount
  • Transaction date
  • Payment currency
  • Donation method

Many companies also request proof of the original donation, which nonprofits often provide in the form of tax-deductible gift receipts. And that’s where the individual donor’s side of the matching gift submission typically ends.

However, some employers require the recipient organization to verify the initial contribution themselves. In those cases, a vital step of the matching process falls into the hands of the nonprofit group.

After an employee completes the matching gift request, the nonprofit is typically notified (whether by mail or within a CSR portal) that an employee has requested a match. At this point, the organization must log into the company’s verification system to confirm that the specified employee made a donation to the cause. They may even be asked to provide a letter verifying the organization’s IRS-sanctioned 501(c)(3) status.

3 types of matching gift submission forms (and alternatives)

There are currently three main types of matching gift forms⁠. These include paper, electronic, and Double the Donation’s standard form. However, innovative corporate giving platforms are developing streamlined submission processes that allow donors to bypass the matching gift form altogether.

Each company that offers a matching program is able to establish its own match request process⁠. This includes selecting one or more matching gift forms and/or alternatives to accept.

Let’s take a closer look at each submission type, and the general process asked of donors to complete it.

Paper matching gift forms

Paper Matching Gift Forms

When it comes to matching gift forms, paper documents are where it all started. In fact, the first-ever matching gift program was developed before the internet was even invented!

Today, however, most matching gift donors prefer electronic forms; though some companies continue to accept⁠—or even require⁠—traditional paper documentation.

We don’t recommend companies use this type of outdated match form. After all, it’s a lot of extra work for the donor, the nonprofit, and the company itself. Still, it’s important to understand the process should you run into a situation involving paper submission forms in any case.

And here’s how it typically works. Employees at corporations with paper match forms go through the following steps to submit their match requests:

Match Eligibility Identification

The first step involved in any matching gift process is determining match program eligibility. And there can be quite a few factors at play here, including whether the company matches employee gifts at all, whether the employee in question qualifies for matching, whether the donation amount and recipient organization meet the company’s standards, and more.

This information can be uncovered in a few ways, from the company itself to a third-party tool such as Double the Donation.

Request Form Location

The next phase of the process involves locating the appropriate matching gift form. And unfortunately, this can be a bit trickier with paper forms compared to other types of matching gift submissions.

Double the Donation or the employer may provide access to printable versions of the forms online, or they may be requested in person from the HR department or company leadership.

Paper Matching Gift Form Submission

Once the match request forms have been accessed, donors are prompted to complete and submit the document via the channel established by the company. Some employers may accept the forms in person (again, likely to the HR office or manager), while others may require match forms to be submitted via mail to a provided address. Others yet can offer some sort of fillable PDF option, which may be completed and submitted online.

Sample paper matching gift form

Electronic matching gift forms

Electronic Matching Gift Forms

Technology is rapidly progressing, so it makes sense that many companies have transitioned to electronic forms. Doing so not only reduces programming costs and administrative lift but also simplifies participation for employees.

Electronic forms give donors a bit more freedom regarding when, where, and how easily they complete their requests.

Here’s what the process typically looks like:

Employee Sign-In / Registration

To access and complete electronic matching gift forms, employees usually have to log into the company’s CSR platform. This step typically involves creating or signing in with a username and password for the site.

Sample electronic match form login screen

In order to locate the login page, individuals may be directed from their company’s HR department or manager, or they might receive a link through the nonprofit to which they contributed⁠—specifically if the organization uses Double the Donation’s tools.

Match Request Submission

Once in, the employee is prompted to complete the actual request process.

Like paper forms, individuals are asked to register their match requests by providing key data points. Though the exact process can vary based on the CSR portal a company uses, donors generally begin by searching for (or adding) the nonprofit they’ve supported from the portal’s list of verified causes.

From there, individuals typically provide a number of data points pertaining to their recent gifts⁠—such as payment type, domain amount, currency, transaction date, and more.

Sample electronic match form donation informationThen the request is complete, and donors can submit their application with a click of a button!

Double the Donation's standard matching gift form

Double the Donation’s Standard Matching Gift Form

Somewhere between a paper matching gift request and a complete online submission portal is Double the Donation’s intuitive standard match form.

Companies can easily opt into accepting this online form, which then enables streamlined automated electronic submissions for their employees. With this offering, donors can more easily complete their matching gift requests, thus increasing program usage and impact overall.

Double the Donation aims to make matching gifts as simple as possible, and the standard form was designed for just that purpose.

Here’s what the process looks like for eligible donors submitting the standard matching gift form:

Employer Selection

As donors give to nonprofits that use Double the Donation’s matching gift software, they’re prompted to enter their employing company in an auto-completing search tool embedded in the donation form. This is done to uncover match eligibility and determine whether the company accepts the standard matching gift form.

Employer selection from donation page for standard matching gift form

Identity Verification and Authorization

If so, the donor is provided with an opportunity to submit their match automatically, directly from the organization’s gift confirmation screen. Typically, all they are required to do here is verify their identity by providing a corporate email address and check a box that authorizes Double the Donation to submit the match request on their behalf.

Identity verification and authorization from confirmation page for standard matching gift form

Behind-the-Scenes Submission

Once authorized, Double the Donation pulls necessary information from the donation process itself and automatically fills in the blanks on the premade standard matching gift form. Upon completion, the form is sent as a PDF document to the matching gift coordinator designated by the company to review and approve as usual.

Behind-the-scenes submission for standard matching gift form

Matching gift form alternative: auto-submission

Matching Gift Form Alternative ⁠— Auto-Submission

Online match portals that facilitate electronic request forms have long been working to streamline and improve the match submission process. And Double the Donation shares the same goal.

Now, Double the Donation is partnering with select CSR software providers to do exactly that. By providing an innovative matching gift form alternative, auto-submission allows qualifying donors to submit match requests without a matching gift form at all.

Auto-submission was recently moved out of beta and is now growing its integrated network with CSR solutions.

All they’re typically asked to do is enter their corporate email address on the gift confirmation screen and authorize Double the Donation to submit a match on their behalf. From there, the integrated software ecosystem collects necessary data points and funnels the information directly to the employer’s corporate giving platform behind the scenes.

Then, the company reviews and approves the match within the software system as usual.

Matching gift auto-submission process

This revolutionary new function benefits donors (with streamlined submission processes and fewer roadblocks), nonprofits (with increased match revenue), and companies (elevated program participation) alike. It’s a win-win-win!

And as more companies and CSR providers begin rolling out the feature in partnership with Double the Donation, an ever-growing number of nonprofit supporters will be able to leverage the matching gift form alternative.

Learn more about matching gift auto-submission here.

How a matching gift database fits in

Double the Donation has compiled the industry’s most in-depth source of matching gift information. Our comprehensive database provides access to details regarding more than 24,000 companies’ (equating to approximately 99.68% of all match-eligible donors) program guidelines and request processes.

By sharing a summary of each company’s matching gift program, we aim to make it increasingly easy for donors to complete their matches on behalf of the organizations they support.
When donors search for their employers using the associated database search tool, they’ll instantly receive any available guidelines for their employers’ programs. If available (which, over 91% of companies’ forms are), a direct link to online match forms and other related documents will be given to them, too!

Here’s an example of what you might see when searching for an employer with Double the Donation’s matching gift database search tool:

Locating matching forms with a corporate matching gift database

Donors will also be provided with other relevant information, such as:

  • The company’s match ratio;
  • Minimum and maximum match amounts;
  • Eligible employee groups (full-time, part-time, retired, spouses, etc.);
  • Qualifying nonprofit mission types;
  • Match request processes and forms (online or offline);
  • Submission deadlines;
  • Other available programs (i.e., volunteer grants).

Locating matching guidelines with a corporate matching gift database

A corporate database can provide powerful insights into thousands of companies’ matching gift programs and next steps. That can go a long way toward maximizing program participation for donors by simplifying the processes involved.

Nonprofits interested in benefiting from our innovative matching gift database and automation software can do so by requesting a demo here.

As for companies⁠, make sure your giving program is included in our comprehensive database of corporate match information. This enables employees to have quick and easy access to program guidelines and forms from their favorite organizations’ giving pages! Click here to add your company to Double the Donation’s matching gift database.

Wrapping Up

Matching gift forms play a crucial role in the overall matching gift process⁠—not to mention strategic corporate match fundraising.

At this point, your team should know all about the different types and components of corporate matching gift forms, the value for nonprofits, companies, and donors, and more. Now, it’s time to get out there and start maximizing your matching gift revenue!

Interested in learning more about matching gift best practices? Check out these additional recommended resources:

Take matching a step further with auto-submission functionality.

Learn more about streamlining matching gift forms with auto-submission.

Year-end fundraising and matching gifts: It's not too late!

Year-End Fundraising and Matching Gifts: It’s Not Too Late!

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The holiday giving season is upon us. Luckily, it’s not too late to get started with matching gifts and year-end fundraising strategies before the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on New Year’s Day.

As you likely know, the end-of-year fundraising season is a critical time for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes. What better way to maximize such an impactful opportunity than with matching gifts?

To recap, matching gifts are a form of corporate giving where companies agree to match their employees’ charitable donations. For nonprofits, these programs produce additional fundraising revenue, increased individual and corporate engagement, and more.

However, our studies show that an estimated $4 to $7 billion in available matching gift funding goes unclaimed each year, essentially leaving tons of corporate donations on the table. And the #1 reason for this significant gap is a lack of knowledge concerning such programs!

This holiday fundraising season, set your organization up to make the most of matching gifts by increasing donor awareness—and Double the Donation is here to help! In this guide, we’ll cover the following key points:

⁠Ready to dive deeper into fundraising research and learn more about strategic donor appeals, retroactive outreach, automated email streams, and the software that can power it all? Let’s get started!

Boost your year-end fundraising and matching gifts with Double the Donation.

The Correlation Between Matching Gifts and Year-End Giving Success

End-of-year fundraising and matching gifts are each vital components of a successful nonprofit funding strategy. And the two complement each other to produce a seamless and impactful engagement plan.

After all, more donations flowing during the holiday season means more potential for matching gifts.

Meanwhile, promoting matching gift opportunities leads to more⁠—and larger⁠—donations in the first place!

The correlation between matching gifts and year-end fundraising success.

Not to mention, donation-matching opportunities also provide a great way to differentiate your appeals and retain your organization at the forefront of donors’ minds.

Let’s take a closer look at some statistics that illustrate the power of year-end fundraising and matching gifts.

A compilation of statistics representing the year-end fundraising and matching gift opportunity

A compilation of statistics representing the year-end fundraising and matching gift opportunity

Since we know the majority of giving takes place at the end of the year, your team has a significant opportunity to drive more matching gifts when you integrate the two strategies. Talk about a win-win!

Top Strategies to Implement for Impactful EOY Gift-Matching

Now that you understand the importance of matching gifts and their relevance during the holiday fundraising season, you might wonder what actionable next steps you can take to get started.

These expert tips should help!

1. Set up matching gift software ASAP.

You might worry that it’s too late to get started with any new software this year⁠—but that’s simply not true. In fact, the end of the year is typically the time you rely on fundraising software the most. You already have a lot on your to-do list, and equipping your fundraising team with the best tools also provides you with the biggest impact for the lowest effort.

And matching gift software can go a long way in driving matching gift results with minimal operational lift, thus allowing your team to raise more while retaining time and resources for other critical year-end efforts. Specifically, this type of solution empowers organizations by automating the processes involved with identifying match-eligible donors, triggering tailored matching gift follow-up messaging, and tracking matches to completion.

Luckily, implementing matching gift software can be quick, easy, and massively effective, which means that doing so as the end-of-year season approaches is a must.

Check out this case study from a nonprofit that onboarded its matching gift software in mere hours:

The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges was able to be fully onboarded with Double the Donation’s tools within 12 hours of buying⁠—all in time for an evening fundraising event on the same day! During this period, Metro YMCA of the Oranges integrated our matching gift tool with their online donation forms, configured automated matching gift follow-ups, and embedded the company search database in their website.This YMCA got set up with matching gifts in less than a day, which means it's not too late for your end-of-year and matching gift efforts.

In the following ten months, they identified more than $32,000 in match-eligible donations and maintained a 61% matching gift email open rate and a 9% click-through rate (each more than 3x higher than the average nonprofit).

The moral of the story? Tight turnaround times for software implementation are entirely possible when you need to get up and running quickly⁠—like when the end of the year is quickly approaching. However, it is a priority that you’ll want to dive into matching gifts as soon as possible to make the most of your tools as year-end giving ramps up.

Keep in mind that you also want to make the right decision when purchasing matching gift software for your team. We recommend prioritizing easy setup⁠ (including ready-built integrations with your existing solutions⁠), a positive user experience, and innovative functionality (like matching gift auto-submission).

Our top tip: Schedule a demo with the leading matching gift software provider to get started. 360MatchPro is consistently rated as #1 in the industry—see for yourself with a 2-minute overview below!

2. Train your internal fundraising team on the matching gift opportunity.

We mentioned a lack of donor awareness regarding matching gifts as a leading reason for the underutilization of the programs. But often, the knowledge gap extends to an organization’s internal fundraising team, too. And unfortunately, this can lead to matching gift opportunities slipping through the cracks⁠—and available corporate funds ultimately going unclaimed. Thus, getting your staff on board with matching gifts leading up to the year-end fundraising season can go a long way.

The better equipped your team members are to share information about matching gifts, the more effective they’ll be in advocating for and inspiring program participation.

Double the Donation provides a ton of educational resources designed to assist organizations in internal matching gift training⁠—including blog posts, webinars, downloadable resources, and more. But our top recommendation is our online Matching Gift Academy (which is even free for current clients).

And now is the perfect time to get started as holiday giving draws near!

3. Highlight the potential for matching gifts in end-of-year appeals.

You might have already drafted your year-end fundraising appeals, or you might be working on them right about now. Either way, consider incorporating a blurb about matching gifts!

As the statistics above illustrate, donors are more likely to give (and to give in larger amounts) when they know there’s a match available. Thus, matching gifts can be exactly what you need to coax on-the-fence supporters into becoming end-of-year donors for your cause. And it often starts directly within the donation request itself!

Picture this:

Jeff is an avid supporter of your organization, but it’s the end of the year, and he’s tight on funds. He considered skipping his year-end donation this year (thinking, “What good could my $50 really do, anyway?”) when he was informed that his employer would match his gift at a 2:1 rate.

At this, he realized his initial gift could be worth over three times the value of his own contribution (which seems a lot more significant to Jeff⁠), and he made his donation. That’s $150 you likely wouldn’t have collected if not for matching gifts⁠—and there are a lot of “Jeff’s” in the world, too!

Meanwhile, imagine another donor planned to contribute a certain amount⁠—again, let’s say $50. When the donor learns about matching gifts, they’re inspired to increase their own donation amount (perhaps to $100). This, in turn, drives up the match value as well, producing even more revenue for your cause.

The best part? The way you market matching gift opportunities to supporters can be simple. Incorporate a reminder about matching gifts in your social media, email, text, and other appeals across your nonprofit website and more. Consider saying something like this: “Make your year-end donation go further this year with company gift-matching. See if you’re eligible here.”

Fun fact: Double the Donation offers pre-made and customizable social media graphics and messaging templates, allowing our clients to get a head start on effective promotions!

4. Reach out to match-eligible donors retroactively.

When you incorporate matching gift outreach into your end-of-year strategy, it doesn’t have to be solely focused on new donations, either. In fact, many gifts made throughout the year can still qualify for a match!

Each business that matches gifts establishes its own criteria and submission guidelines. While it varies from company to company, many employers (such as Freeport-McMoRan, William Blair & Company, Victory Capital, and more) grant employee matches through the end of the calendar year. So, for a good deal of your match-eligible donors, their request window will be closing quickly.

That makes the end of the year a perfect opportunity to reach back out to these individuals, remind them about matching gifts, and encourage them to complete the request process with their employer. And it’s a fantastic way to boost year-end revenue from existing donors without requiring them to reach back into their own wallets.

5. Familiarize your team with year-end-specific workplace giving programs.

Most businesses with matching gift programs agree to double the donations their employees make year-round. But sometimes, a company establishes a limited-time initiative that is live only at certain times of the year. And the most common timeframe includes year-end-specific matching gift (or other workplace giving) programs.

For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offers a unique giving season match available to its thousands of employees worldwide. Running from mid-October through December each year, the company’s Annual Giving Campaign provides an excellent incentive for year-end charitable giving.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros offers its employees a generous donation stipend they can contribute to their favorite nonprofits on Giving Tuesday as a way to kick off the holiday season. That’s in addition to the $1,000 year-long match and end-of-year giving programs!

If you identify donors in your orbit who work for companies with these types of short-term philanthropy efforts, be sure to address available opportunities with targeted, personalized communications this giving season.

6. Consider custom matching gift partnerships.

Unfortunately, some companies have yet to establish any matching gift programs for their employees. But they might be willing to when presented with the opportunity⁠. In that case, we recommend reaching out to employers to propose custom (or “one-off”) matching gift initiatives.

Custom matches provide an easy way for businesses unfamiliar with matching gifts to get acquainted with the effort in a limited capacity.

If a company agrees to offer such a program, it’ll essentially encourage philanthropy by matching employee gifts made exclusively to your organization. And as custom matches typically occur in a defined time frame (e.g., a month), the giving season is a popular time for one to be organized.

Fun fact: Double the Donation now offers innovative functionality for nonprofits looking to facilitate these programs in their company database tool!

*As a note: This feature is designed specifically for fundraisers to manage matching gifts. If you’re a corporation that’s interested in creating a matching gift program, let us know, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.

7. Leverage automated end-of-year email streams.

Another significant matching gift roadblock lies with nonprofit fundraising staff who lack the time to manage and promote the efforts. In fact, Nonprofits Source reports that 80% of nonprofits struggle to establish workplace giving strategies with limited staff and resources.

Luckily, that’s where matching gift automation comes in!

Automated email streams enable nonprofits to configure and trigger customizable messages when an individual gives to your organization. This might include one dedicated to match-eligible donors, one for likely ineligible donors, and one for donors with unknown eligibility.

Doing so ensures that every donor receives matching gift outreach in a timely manner. And that no donation falls through the cracks, even when your team is juggling 100 different end-of-year tasks. Meanwhile, the time you would have spent issuing matching gift reminders can be reallocated to other fundraising and mission-related tasks.

Here’s an example of an email you might send:

Sample year-end matching gifts email

Year-end email streams can either take place directly following a giving season donation (typically within 24 hours of the initial gift) or retroactively, as detailed above. Both are excellent ways to encourage matching gift participation among donors and drive additional revenue for your cause.

Regardless, you’ll want to provide the donor with as much employer-specific information as is available. This should include donation minimums and maximums, match ratios, submission deadlines, and direct links to their company’s online request forms. And your automation system can gather all of that data so that you don’t have to!

Next Steps for Smart Year-End Fundraising and Increasing Matching Gifts

It’s not too late to launch matching gift strategies this year-end fundraising season. But it is time to get started now. After all, the longer you wait, the more potential matches you’re missing out on.

Prepare your team by incorporating these practices and investing in powerful and innovative matching gift tools. This allows you to maximize corporate donation-matching in the remainder of the year and into the new year, too.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

Boost your year-end fundraising and matching gifts with Double the Donation.

In this guide, we’ll cover all you need to know to create your own complete corporate charitable giving policy and boost employee participation.

How to Craft a Complete Corporate Charitable Giving Policy

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As a corporate leader, you know that achieving your company’s goals depends on the collective efforts of your executive team, employees, and other stakeholders. The same goes for your corporate giving initiatives. As philanthropy becomes an expanding priority for companies and consumers around the world, it’s more important than ever to rally everyone in your company to make a combined difference in the community.

While corporate giving programs are appealing to many socially conscious employees, many of them may not participate simply because they aren’t aware of the opportunities. That’s why creating a corporate charitable giving policy is vital to the long-term success of your program.

If your company needs a corporate giving policy, we’ve got you covered. We’ll walk through all the basics and best practices in the following sections:

More than 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs, but over 78% of them are unaware that their company offers this program or know any program specifics. Crafting a comprehensive corporate charitable donations policy is an easy and necessary solution to this lack of awareness.

Learn how innovative matching gift tools such as auto-submission can support your corporate charitable giving policy and boost participation.

What is a Corporate Charitable Giving Policy?

Corporate giving is one aspect of a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), or its role in promoting social good within the community. By contributing funds, services, and other resources to charitable causes, companies can demonstrate that they’re interested in more than just making a profit, but also improving society as a whole.

A corporate charitable giving policy outlines your company’s approach, guidelines, and processes for corporate giving. It serves as a source of truth for administrators and participants alike, spelling out essential details such as eligibility criteria and deadlines.

Only 19% of companies include more than a single paragraph on matching gift programs in accessible employee handbook materials or their website. Rather than leaving your employees in the dark, encourage them to embrace your corporate giving efforts by enlightening them about your programs. The more information you provide upfront, the easier it will be for employees to get involved.

Benefits of Corporate Giving

An official corporate charitable donations policy allows your company to tap into the full benefits of corporate giving. By demonstrating a more serious investment in philanthropy, you’ll be able to:

This image depicts four benefits your company can receive after enhancing its corporate giving strategy by creating a corporate giving policy.

  • Elevate employee engagement. Building a work environment with engaged employees is key to boosting their productivity, encouraging innovation, and maintaining their commitment to your company. A well-defined corporate giving program can produce a sense of pride among employees, helping them feel fulfilled and purposeful in their roles.
  • Increase talent acquisition. Recent research reveals that 54% of U.S. employees are willing to take a pay cut to work at a company with better values, and 56% would not even consider working for a company with values they disagree with. Therefore, having a clear corporate charitable giving policy can attract more socially conscious top talent for your company.
  • Boost company reputation. The priorities of modern consumers are changing. According to Accenture, 46% of progressive consumers would pay more to support a retail brand that takes action to improve society. A detailed, public-facing corporate giving policy can go a long way toward demonstrating your company’s social priorities and drawing in more customers.
  • Qualify for tax deductions. By engaging in corporate giving, your company can qualify for tax deductions. This means you can retain more overall earnings while retaining employees and generating a meaningful impact in your community.

To access these benefits, you’ll need to set up an effective corporate giving program that employees are enthusiastic to get involved in.

At the same time, corporate giving affects more than just your company. Thanks to these initiatives, nonprofits can raise more funds, find more volunteers, and acquire more resources for their causes. Mutually beneficial nonprofit-corporate partnerships allow both parties to expand their audiences and achieve more.

Main Types of Corporate Giving Programs

In your company’s corporate giving policy, you’ll specify all of the various corporate giving opportunities that you offer. While these will differ from company to company, let’s explore some of the main types you might include in your policy:

Matching Gifts

A matching gift program allows employees to double the impact of their donations to nonprofits. After they make a gift to a cause they care about, they can submit a matching gift request to their employer. As long as they meet all the criteria, the company will typically match that gift amount and make a contribution of its own to the nonprofit.

Whether or not your company already has a matching gift program, staying up-to-date on popular program guidelines ensures that you design a rewarding experience for your employees. Consider these common matching gift guidelines and trends to inform your corporate charitable giving policy:

This image illustrates three common matching gift guidelines and trends to consider when creating your corporate charitable giving policy.

  • 93% of companies have a minimum match requirement of less than or equal to $50.
  • 91% of companies match donations at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Higher matching gift caps yield higher employee engagement, with maximums above $10,000 seeing an engagement rate of up to 40%.

If your company is looking to increase participation in its matching gift program, think about lowering your minimum match requirement and increasing your match ratio. This way, you’ll inspire employees to make a difference by giving however much they’re comfortable with.

Refine your corporate giving policy by learning how a top matching gift company involves its employees in corporate giving.

Volunteer Grants

Corporate volunteer grants are another popular type of philanthropy similar to matching gifts. However, instead of matching donation amounts, companies award monetary grants to nonprofits after their employees volunteer a certain number of hours there.

In your corporate charitable donations policy, you’ll explain parameters such as eligibility criteria, restrictions, minimum volunteer hours required, and deadlines. Additionally, you’ll need to include how much funding you’ll award for every hour volunteered.

Beyond volunteer grants, there are a few other ways your company can encourage volunteerism among employees. For example, you can provide volunteer time off (VTO) to empower more employees to get involved in their community or organize corporate volunteer events to promote team-building.

Community Grants

Through community grants, companies dispense financial support directly to nonprofits, usually to address a local need or priority within their communities. To obtain this funding, nonprofits must meet the qualifications for the grant and complete an application process, which involves explaining what they’ll use the money for.

A community grant will typically align with your company’s overall mission and values. For instance, a healthcare company may offer grants for nonprofit programs related to improving the health of community members. You can also engage employees by asking for their input in the community grants you provide, such as by giving them the opportunity to nominate nonprofits or vote on causes to support.

Sponsorships

With sponsorships, companies can construct mutually beneficial partnerships with nonprofits as part of their corporate philanthropy strategy. You’ll fund a nonprofit’s event or project, and as thanks for your support, the nonprofit will recognize your company in its promotional materials. This leads to a win-win for both parties, as the nonprofit receives essential funds to conduct its activities and your company benefits from extra marketing.

In-Kind Donations

Your company can supply nonprofits with more than just monetary resources through in-kind donations. These gifts include various goods or services that can power a nonprofit’s mission. For example, you may contribute office equipment, gift baskets for an upcoming auction, or venue space for an event. Additionally, you could involve more employees by having them volunteer to provide free services to a nonprofit, such as graphic design or legal consulting.

Scholarships

Many companies choose to invest in next-generation talent by starting corporate scholarship programs. High school and college students can apply for these opportunities and secure significant funds to cover expenses such as tuition, educational materials, and other school-related needs. You can even focus your scholarships on areas relevant to your company’s sector to cultivate a talent pool of promising candidates in the future.

What to Include in a Corporate Charitable Donations Policy

Regardless of the corporate giving opportunities your company offers, the key to a successful program lies in communicating them effectively to your employees, nonprofits, and other stakeholders. A corporate charitable giving policy should be detailed yet concise, so readers can easily access all the information they need.

These are the main elements you should include in your corporate giving policy:

This image summarizes the main elements your company should include in its corporate charitable donations policy.

Overview

At the beginning, include a brief overview explaining the purpose of your corporate giving program. Connect these goals to your company’s larger mission and values. This will ensure that employees understand how their participation contributes to the overall success of your company and inspire them to get involved. Additionally, include a point of contact that employees can reach out to with questions.

Focus Area

If your corporate giving program centers on specific causes or areas of focus, specify these in your employee charitable giving policy. This way, your employees will know which types of nonprofits you prioritize supporting. For example, an education software company may primarily direct its corporate philanthropy efforts toward nonprofits with education-related causes.

Eligibility

Outline the requirements that organizations must meet to be eligible for your support. One common condition among U.S. companies is that only 501(c)(3) entities can benefit from their philanthropic initiatives.

Also, clarify which employees are eligible to participate in your program. Some companies limit engagement in their programs to full-time employees, while others allow part-time and even retired employees to get involved.

Restrictions

List any restrictions or exclusions in your corporate giving program. For instance, your company might have geographical limitations on the nonprofits you support. Or, you might opt not to include political or religious organizations, even if they have 501(c)(3) status.

However, it’s important to note that the percentage of Russell 1000 companies offering “unrestricted matching gifts” grew over 48% over the past three years. This means that more businesses are shifting their programs to broaden their support and create a more significant impact in their communities.

Giving Programs

Include all of your company’s corporate giving opportunities in this section, from matching gifts to scholarships. Be specific about details such as:

  • Match ratio
  • Minimum and maximum match amounts
  • Deadline to submit a request

In the case of volunteer grants, be sure to mention if there is a minimum number of hours an employee must volunteer before they’re eligible to submit a request.

Request Guidelines

In this section of your corporate charitable giving policy, walk through the exact steps an employee should take to submit a matching gift or volunteer grant request. The easier the process, the more likely employees will actually participate in your program.

For instance, 96% of employees prefer that their employer matches donations they make directly to a nonprofit, rather than only those made on the company’s corporate giving platform. Having flexible giving options and eligibility criteria allows you to better accommodate varying employee preferences and interests.

5 Steps to Create a Corporate Charitable Giving Policy

Ready to put together your company’s charitable giving policy and start powering change within your community? Use these basic steps as a jumping-off point:

This image illustrates five essential steps to follow when creating a corporate charitable giving policy for your company.

  1. Clarify your corporate giving goals. Begin by solidifying your corporate giving goals, including the kind of impact you’d like to have on society. Formulate your policy with your overall mission, values, and business strategy in mind. This ensures that all of your efforts contribute to a sustainable, cohesive, and engaging corporate giving program.
  2. Set your charitable giving budget. Take the time to determine the amount of funds your company will allocate to its corporate giving program. This budget will guide you as you work out specific criteria and other details of your giving opportunities, such as minimum and maximum match amounts.
  3. Collect feedback. Send out a survey to employees and other stakeholders to get a better understanding of their priorities, interests, and preferences when it comes to corporate giving. Identify common insights and take them into consideration as you conceive and finalize the specifics of your company’s program.
  4. Define specific criteria and focus areas. Based on the corporate giving opportunities you’re planning to offer, map out the criteria for participation and fund allocation. This includes focus areas, the types of employees eligible to get involved, and any restrictions you may have on which organizations can receive your company’s support.
  5. Verify legal compliance. After you’ve drafted your corporate charitable donations policy, avoid any potential fines, penalties, or losses by verifying that everything complies with local, state, and federal laws. Some points to bear in mind include tax deductions and reporting requirements. For instance, it’s important to understand and communicate that contributions made to organizations without 501(c)(3) are not tax deductible.

Consider creating multiple versions of your corporate giving policy. In doing so, you can share an external, public-facing document that focuses on showcasing your company’s values, devotion to philanthropy, desired impact, and commitment to transparency. Then, you can circulate an internal, employee-facing policy that includes more specific details on eligibility and participation.

Furthermore, once you’ve prepared your corporate charitable giving policy, make sure your company is equipped with all the tools to carry out its program.

For example, workplace giving software that integrates with matching gift tools like auto-submission simplifies the process for employees by automatically submitting requests on their behalf after they donate. This can significantly elevate your corporate giving program’s participation rates and help your company generate more of an impact.

Learn how innovative matching gift tools such as auto-submission can support your corporate charitable giving policy and boost participation.

3 Stellar Examples of Corporate Charitable Giving Policies

To set your company’s corporate giving policy and program up for success, it’s best to stay informed about the latest philanthropy trends and best practices. Let’s take a look at well-designed policies produced by other charitable companies.

IBM

As a multinational technology company, IBM considers itself a leader in CSR, detailing numerous charitable giving initiatives in its Benefits Summary. In a dedicated section for CSR, it lists the following opportunities for employees to get involved in, such as:

  • IBM Service Corps. Through IBM Service Corps, employees can participate in various pro-bono community projects to improve their leadership skills, contribute to social good, and practice problem-solving. Since its inception, nearly 4,000 IBM employees have completed over 1,300 projects around the world.
  • P-TECH and SkillsBuild Mentoring. These two programs allow IBM employees to become mentors, helping students and job seekers through project-based learning.
  • IBM Volunteer Grants. Both current and retired IBM employees can secure volunteer grants for the nonprofits they volunteer with, earning $10 per hour after reaching a minimum of 10 hours served.
  • IBM Matching Grants Program. IBM provides unrestricted matching grants to eligible nonprofit organizations, contributing up to a total of $10,000 per employee each calendar year.

IBM’s policy stands out due to the variety of engagement options the company provides to employees. This encourages more employees to participate according to their preferences and interests.

Verizon

On Verizon’s corporate philanthropy page, the company shares two separate corporate giving policies for matching gifts and volunteer grants. This allows them to go into more detail about each opportunity.

The matching gifts program policy delves into eligibility criteria, request deadlines, and exclusions. It even includes administrative notes, including when to expect matching payments and where to go for more questions about the program.

Similarly, the volunteer grants program policy covers eligibility criteria and other specifics such as the maximum amount that Verizon will contribute to a nonprofit per employee each year.

General Electric

The GE Foundation offers a comprehensive matching gift policy for employees, featuring General Electric’s logo on every page and even reports when it was last updated.

The company lists everything in clear sections, including:

  • Overview
  • GE participant eligibility
  • Charitable organization eligibility
  • Gift eligibility
  • Gift matching process

Under each section, General Electric goes into specifics about which types of organizations are ineligible, such as religious organizations, and how the foundation confirms gifts made to nonprofits.

Enhancing Philanthropy with a Corporate Giving Policy

A corporate charitable giving policy sets all of your company’s philanthropy efforts in stone. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is permanent. After you’ve shared the policy with employees and other stakeholders, be sure to collect feedback on both your giving program and the policy itself. Doing so enables you to identify areas to improve, details to clarify, and ways to engage more employees in corporate giving in the long term.

If you’re looking for tips and best practices for embracing corporate philanthropy and building a better workplace at your company, check out these additional resources:

Learn how to engage more employees with your corporate charitable giving policy by leveraging an auto-submission integration with your CSR software.

Checkr top matching gift company example with auto-submission

Company Spotlight: Get Inspired by Checkr’s Groundbreaking Matching Gift Program

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Companies participate in corporate giving for a number of reasons. A corporate executive might be inspired to give back to a particular cause that resonates with them and their values. A different company might do so in order to engage with its employees on a deeper level, fostering a positive workplace culture and driving satisfaction and retention. Another yet may choose to give in order to receive tax benefits or boost their public image.

Tons of businesses partake in matching employee gifts, and most intend to reap all of the benefits listed above. But there are a few that truly stand out in their efforts⁠—specifically when it comes to corporate matching gifts.

One such company? Checkr!

Want to find out how? We’ve compiled information to provide you with a solid understanding of the Checkr corporation, its philanthropy and matching gift endeavors, and what makes it stand out from the crowd.

This includes:

Let’s begin with the basics.

Company Background: About Checkr

Checkr, Inc. was founded in 2014 with a unique idea to modernize and advance the traditional background check process—while removing common obstacles and enabling a fairer hiring process for all.

Today, this background check screening company aims to aid other businesses with the right technology to make the right recruitment and hiring choices. Checkr is built on the idea of fair chance hiring that works to make the hiring process as even as it can be for all candidates⁠—including those with criminal backgrounds.

Checkr matching gift company screenshot
And Checkr understands the importance of corporate philanthropy in an overall business plan⁠—especially pertaining to strategic recruitment and retention practices. They’ve even written several blog posts citing matching gifts and overall corporate giving programs as key components for How to Recruit Talented Leaders and How to Increase Employee Retention at Your Small Business. Not to mention, the Checkr team offers its own corporate giving initiatives—including, but not limited to, matching employee donations to charitable causes.

Current Matching Gift Program Guidelines

Checkr matches charitable gifts made by all full and part-time employees at a 1:1 rate. With no minimum donation amount and open match availability to nearly all nonprofit causes, Checkr aims to make its employee matching gift program as accessible as possible.

Not to mention, they utilize matching gift auto-submission functionality to enable one-click matching gift requests, which ensures the process is quick and easy for employee participants.

Let’s take a quick look at Checkr’s employee matching donation guidelines:

Checkr matching gift program guidelines

  • Minimum employee donation matched – None!
  • Matching gift ratio – 1:1, or dollar for dollar
  • Qualifying employees – Current full-time and part-time Checkr employees
  • Eligible nonprofit recipients – Nearly all nonprofit causes qualify to receive Checkr matches. This includes:
    • K-12 schools
    • Higher education institutions
    • Health and human services
    • Arts and cultural organizations
    • Civic and community organizations
    • Environmental nonprofits
    • And many more 501 (c)(3) organizations
  • Submission process – Checkr employees can leverage auto-submission to complete the matching gift process in seconds from their favorite organizations’ donation forms or submit their match requests manually by logging into the company’s CSR portal, Millie.

New Feature! Auto-Submission With Millie and Double the Donation

Checkr’s employee donation-matching program has many admirable features that make it one of our top matching gift companies. But what really makes this employer stand out in its offering is its matching gift auto-submission functionality.

Checkr employs corporate giving platform Millie to facilitate its matching gift program. Historically, that meant providing an employee-facing portal with which team members can log in, provide basic information about their recent donations, and submit their matching gift requests.

Now, thanks to a successfully implemented beta integration between Millie and industry-leading matching gift software provider Double the Donation, the process for employee donors is easier than ever before.

In fact, all an individual has to do is enter their corporate email address from the confirmation screen of their favorite organization’s donation page. They won’t be rerouted to a separate submission platform or be required to reenter donation details. The software ecosystem handles it all seamlessly behind the scenes!

Overview of matching gift auto-submission with Checkr

What to Know About Checkr’s CSR Partner, Millie

In order to bring their philanthropy to the next level, the Checkr team chooses to leverage a social impact platform called Millie. Millie describes itself as offering a simple and flexible matching gift solution that’s budget-friendly for all companies. And for Checkr, Millie is able to help simplify the facilitation of their matching gifts and other corporate giving programs!

Millie logo

Here’s a look at Millie’s key offerings:

  • Essential matching donation management of programs that encourage both corporate and individual giving;
  • Campaign-hosting capabilities that enable companies to support and fundraise for various causes;
  • Remote and in-person corporate volunteer management tools;
  • Charitable gift cards, affinity groups, gamification campaigns, and more.

Plus, Millie has been at the forefront of corporate giving innovation with its new auto-submission partnership with Double the Donation, which is in its final stages of testing and refinement. This allows businesses like Checkr and more to streamline and elevate philanthropy, ultimately bringing advantages to every party involved. We’re excited to see what they do next, and how they bring forward-thinking companies along with them.

Millie DTD Donor Amplification

Other Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

In addition to Checkr’s standout matching gift program, here are a few other CSR efforts that the background check company pursues:

Checkr corporate social responsibility example

  • Bounce Back program ⁠— Bounce Back is a unique program developed by Checkr with the help of its dedicated employees. By providing tools and resources to post-incarcerated applicants and companies looking to establish fair hiring practices, Bounce Back aids in securing a more optimal workforce for everyone involved.
  • Free reentry simulation ⁠— In order to provide insight into the various challenges involved with employment post-incarceration, Checkr has invested in developing an interactive virtual reentry simulator. This free and accessible tool aims to share perspective and understanding of those looking to reenter society after a criminal record.
  • Expungement assistance services ⁠— Checkr believes that a criminal record should not put an end to an individual’s employment potential. And when it’s possible to clear a candidate’s record and reopen opportunities, the company is dedicated to helping with a fast and affordable solution.

The Checkr website states that “Checkr has committed to the Pledge 1% corporate philanthropy movement, pledging to donate one percent of its employees’ time, one percent of its product, one percent of the equity, and one percent of the profits every year to the mission of enabling fair chances.”

But they often go farther than just one percent! In fact, much of Checkr’s corporate offerings revolve around its overall mission of fair chance hiring.

Concluding Thoughts

Matching gift programs continue to expand in terms of both prevalence and potential. And companies like Checkr are leading the pack. By enabling innovative auto-submission, Checkr is demonstrating matching gift programs of the future.

And while bringing inspiration to other corporate leaders, they’re also benefiting their employees by offering next-level engagement experiences, the nonprofits receiving increased funding through the matching programs, and even their own bottom line.

Dive deeper into corporate matching gifts! Learn more with these additional corporate giving resources from Double the Donation:

Learn more about Double the Donation auto-submission

This guide explains what matching grants are and how your nonprofit can get started.

What Matching Grants for Nonprofits Are and How to Find Them

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Imagine a world where you could magically double the funds your nonprofit raises. You’d be able to accomplish twice as much for your mission without repeatedly going to your donors for larger contributions. What if we told you that there actually is a resource like this available to nonprofits?

In the world of philanthropy, there’s a game-changer that amplifies the impact of charitable giving and fosters a sense of shared purpose. It’s called matching grants!

In this article, we’ll delve into the essentials of matching grant programs. Along the way, we’ll share insight into what they are, where to find them, and how you can start leveraging this awesome resource. Here’s a rundown of what you’ll learn:

We’re all about corporate philanthropy and its incredible power for nonprofits, so we’re excited to share the power behind these transformative grants. Let’s dive in!

Use Double the Donation to receive matching gifts, a form of matching grants, year-round.

What Are Matching Grants?

Matching grants are grants provided by corporations, foundations, or individuals to nonprofit organizations wherein the corporation agrees to match a certain amount of money that the nonprofit raises.

Matching grants require your nonprofit to contribute to your fund like the grantor does. When applying for a matching grant, you’ll agree to contribute a specific amount to your own campaign. Then, if you win the grant, the grantor will match the funds your nonprofit pledged. Usually, this is at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio. While a 1:1 match means the funder will contribute the same amount, a 2:1 match means they will put in twice as much as your organization does.

In contrast to traditional grants where nonprofits are given a specific amount of money upfront, matching grants encourage nonprofits to raise money independently. For example, a nonprofit might have a matching grant where the grantor agrees to double every donation made through fundraising activities.

To acquire a matching grant, nonprofits often need to apply directly with the corporation. The corporation will set specific eligibility guidelines, and the nonprofit must submit a proposal stating how it will spend the money to further its mission.

The Difference Between Matching Grants and Matching Gifts

This chart explains the differences between matching gifts and matching grants for nonprofits.

At Double the Donation, we’re experts in the matching gifts field. While matching grants and matching gifts are similar, there are a few distinct differences. Let’s explore the primary ways matching grants and matching gifts vary:

  • Who Provides Funding: Matching grants are donations provided by corporations to nonprofit organizations. The company agrees to match a certain amount of money the nonprofit raises. Meanwhile, corporate matching gifts are a form of corporate philanthropy in which a corporation matches donations made by its employees to eligible nonprofit organizations.
  • The Goal: While the goal of matching grants is to encourage nonprofits to fundraise independently, the goal of matching gift programs is to encourage employees to support charitable causes. When an employee donates to an eligible nonprofit, they’ll submit a request to their employer, asking them to make an additional contribution to the same organization. Their employer will match the donation up to a certain amount, typically based on eligibility guidelines.
  • The Request Process: A nonprofit must apply for matching grants with the grantmaking corporation. For matching gifts, employees need to initiate the match process. After donating, the employee will submit a matching gift request to their employer, providing documentation of the donation.

To summarize, matching grants involve corporations providing grants to nonprofits on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis to support specific projects or fundraising efforts. Matching gifts require corporations to match donations made by their employees to nonprofits. While both types of programs aim to increase the impact of charitable giving, they differ in terms of initiation, purpose, and application.

In both cases, online platforms can help nonprofits uncover match opportunities and their requirements. For matching gifts in particular, our auto-submission tools can even submit a donor’s match request on their behalf. When a qualifying donor opts into auto-submission while donating, our tools will automatically confirm their eligibility and submit a match request to their employer on their behalf.

Leveraging Matching Gifts

To get started with matching gifts, watch this video that’s packed with matching gift tips that’ll set your organization up for success. You’ll learn best practices for educating donors and leveraging a matching gift database:

From appointing a matching gift specialist to proactively researching donors’ eligibility, there’s a lot you can do to leverage matching gifts at your organization. Armed with this knowledge, your team can make the most of these CSR programs.

The Benefits of Matching Grants for Nonprofits

Matching grants require quite a bit of work to set up initially, including building a relationship with a grantor, creating a grant proposal, and deciding the terms of the grants. Fortunately, the results are likely to more than make up for the time and effort spent.

Here’s a rundown of the benefits of matching grants you can share with your fundraising team to attain their buy-in:

  • Funding boost: Matching grants provide additional funding for your cause, multiplying individual donations by two or even three times their original value. This means your nonprofit’s projects can have a greater impact.
  • Increase in donor satisfaction: When donors give a campaign where matching will be applied, they’ll know they’re making a bigger impact on your cause. If someone gives $50, they’ll be excited knowing that their gift will actually be worth $100 thanks to the contributing company.
  • Potential partnerships: While working with grantors, you can show that your nonprofit is determined to make a difference and worth investing resources into. In turn, you can establish relationships with funders and potentially secure future support through ongoing partnerships.

From the grantor’s perspective, matching grants and similar CSR initiatives position them as socially responsible and help them give back to their communities. This can help companies present themselves as positive places to work, which will help to boost employee morale and attract top talent.

How Do Matching Grants Work?

At this point, you know the basics of matching grant programs and are ready to learn how the process works. First, decide which type of matching grant to apply for. As we mentioned, consider the assets your nonprofit currently has.

While applying for any grant will follow the same general process, we’ll look at the process for a cash matching grant to keep things simple:

This graphic outlines the matching grant program process, detailed below.

  1. Agreement: Identify a potential matching grant opportunity. This could be through a corporate philanthropy program, a foundation, or an individual willing to provide matching funds. During this stage, you and the grantor will work out the terms of the match, such as the ratio (e.g., 1:1, 2:1, or more) and maximum amount.
  2. Fundraising: Your nonprofit launches a specific fundraising campaign, event, or initiative with the goal of raising funds. This campaign should be designed to encourage donors to contribute to the cause, knowing their contributions will be matched by the grantor. Your donors can give to the fundraising campaign via various payment methods, such as online donations, checks, or cash.
  3. Verification: Your nonprofit documents each donation received during the campaign. Based on the grantor’s requirements, documentation might include donor information, contribution amounts, and payment receipts.
  4. Submission: Once the campaign wraps up or you reach the deadline the grantor set, your nonprofit submits documentation of all eligible donations to the grantor.
  5. Matching funds disbursement: The grantor reviews the documentation to ensure each donation meets the agreed-upon criteria. Once everything is in order, they’ll disburse the matching funds to your nonprofit. Now, your organization is free to use the funds to further your mission, support specific projects, or address urgent needs.
  6. Reporting: In some cases, grantors require the benefitting organization to provide reports or updates. These updates might include how you are using the matched funds or how they’re impacting your organization’s mission.

The process will vary depending on the grant type, but this is generally what to expect when pursuing this funding opportunity.

Types of Matching Grants for Nonprofits

When it comes to grant matching, there are a few key types to be aware of.

Consider your nonprofit’s assets when applying for different matching grants. Let’s dive into the different types of matching grants, so you can determine the best fit for your organization.

This graphic summarizes the different types of matching grants for nonprofits.

Cash Matching Grants

This grant involves a grantor providing a nonprofit with a monetary contribution that matches the funds raised by the organization at a dollar-for-dollar rate. If a nonprofit raises $10,000 and has a 1:1 cash matching grant, the funder would provide an additional $10,000.

For example, a grantor may match donations made by individuals during a specific period or fundraising campaign. Similar to matching gifts, this encourages donors to give more since they know their contributions will be matched.

In fact, 1 in 3 donors indicates they’d give a larger gift if their donation will be matched.

In-Kind Matching Grants

Unlike cash matching grants, this type of grant requires you to quantify the value of your resources. When filling out the grant application, your nonprofit will quantify its goods, services, staff contributions, volunteer hours, or other non-cash contributions in a dollar amount. You’ll use this estimation to meet the funder’s match requirements.

When searching for this type of funding, you’ll need to ensure you’ve accurately quantified the value of your non-monetary resources. For instance, this might involve documenting volunteer hours, valuing donated goods or services at fair market prices, or using accepted industry standards for valuation.

Volunteer Matching Grants

With this type of matching grant, the grantor promises to match the value of volunteer hours contributed by a nonprofit’s supporters. This type of grant is very similar to company volunteer grants, a CSR program in which a company donates to a nonprofit based on how much its employees volunteer.

For a volunteer matching grant, your nonprofit needs to provide information regarding how many volunteers you have and how many hours they worked during a specific time period. For example, let’s say a volunteer contributes 10 hours. In turn, the grantor might provide a monetary donation that equates to the value of those hours worked.

The current estimated value of each volunteer hour is nearly $32, which can add up quickly.

Other Grants

Grantors might allow you to use other grants you’ve received for matching purposes. Also called “braided funding,” this process involves “weaving” together different funding streams to support a specific project or initiative, hence the name.


For example, a nonprofit working on a community development project might secure a matching grant from one foundation, in-kind donations from a local business, and individual donations from community members. By combining these funding sources, the nonprofit can maximize the impact of its project while meeting the requirements of the matching grant.

How to Get A Matching Grant for Your Nonprofit

Whether you’re unsure where to look or need help applying, getting started with matching grant programs can be a tricky process. Keep reading to learn how to bypass any barriers!

Know Where To Find Matching Grants

You can find matching grant opportunities in many of the same places you would traditional grants. Discover matching grant opportunities by visiting the following resources:

This graphic outlines how nonprofits can locate matching grant programs.

  • Foundation websites. Many foundations and grantmaking organizations offer matching grant programs. Visit the websites of local, state, and national foundations to explore available grant opportunities.
  • Grant databases: Online platforms like Grants.gov, GrantStation, and Candid are great resources to check for grants. These databases provide information on different types of grants, including matching grants.
  • Local Government: Explore grant opportunities from local government agencies and municipalities. They may offer matching grants for community projects and initiatives.
  • Grant Alerts: Set up grant alerts from grant database websites. You can customize these alerts to receive emails when matching grant opportunities that align with your organization’s focus areas become available. USDA.gov is a great option for nonprofits interested in grant alerts.

You can also always join nonprofit associations, subscribe to publications related to nonprofit funding, or contact community foundations in your area!

Remember, corporate matching gifts are another easy solution for getting in on the gift-matching action. Look to your corporate partners and pay attention to where your donors work.
Then, look into these opportunities using a matching gift database. You can locate relevant matching gift opportunities and prompt donors to fill out a match request.

Download our guide to matching gifts to learn why these opportunities are easier to leverage than matching grant programs.

Write A Compelling Matching Grant Application

The application process for matching grants is pretty similar to that of traditional grants, but in most cases, the application will require you to go into more detail about how funds will be used. Grantseeking can get competitive, so put in the effort to craft a tailored application that stands out to funders.

As you get started, remember these tips for writing a compelling matching grant application:

  • Understand the guidelines.A big pain point for grantors is when applicants don’t follow the rules! Thoroughly review the funder’s grant guidelines and eligibility criteria. Check all instructions before spending time completing the application. That includes everything from including sufficient financial documentation to submitting the application by the deadline.
  • Create a strong case for support. Clearly articulate the problem your project aims to address and the impact it will have. Use data, statistics, and compelling stories to build a strong case for why your project is necessary.
  • Demonstrate alignment. Before starting your application, ensure your organization and project align with the funder’s priorities. In your grant proposal, highlight shared values and goals between the two groups.
  • Craft a compelling narrative. Write a persuasive narrative that tells your organization’s story and why your nonprofit, specifically, is the right organization to complete your project. Use concise, impactful language that’s easy to understand.
  • Customize each application. Tailor your application for each specific matching grant opportunity. Also, avoid generic templates since funders appreciate personalized proposals.
  • Highlight your resources. Grantmaking organizations want to know that your nonprofit has the fundraising capacity to meaningfully use the matching grant. Include proof via revenue statements or other financial documents to give your application legitimacy.

Are you still unsure of your grantseeking abilities? You can always seek feedback from nonprofit consultants or work with a grant writer. They know what funders are looking for and what will make your application stand out.

If your application isn’t approved, seek feedback from the funder, too. You can take their advice and apply it to future applications. Understanding the grantmaker’s mindset will put you in a much stronger position moving forward.

Wrapping Up: Multiplying Impact With Matching Grants

Matching grants have a ripple effect. Each single donation made during a matching grant campaign is magnified, providing even more support for your mission.

At this point, you should have everything you need to get started with matching grants. Start locating and applying for matching grant programs.

If you’re curious about other ways to multiply impact, explore these nonprofit fundraising and corporate philanthropy resources:

Get a demo of Double the Donation, so you can skip the matching grant forms and start leveraging matching gifts.

This guide to corporate citizenship will outline the importance of meaningful community impact for all organizations.

Corporate Citizenship: Creating Meaningful Community Impact

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With 77% of consumers aiming to support socially responsible companies and 93% of employees believing that companies must lead with purpose, it’s increasingly important for businesses to give back to their communities to set themselves apart from the competition. That’s where corporate citizenship comes in—by centering this concept at your organization, you’ll be able to reap a variety of benefits and see even greater success.

To help you embrace corporate citizenship at your company, we’ll cover the following topics:

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of corporate citizenship and the steps you can take to prioritize it in your business. Let’s get started!

Click to learn more about matching gift auto-submission and how it improves corporate citizenship programs.

Definition of Corporate Citizenship

This image shows the definition of corporate citizenship, which is also detailed in the text below.

Corporate citizenship is defined as a company’s contribution to the community it operates in. This concept covers how the company exercises its rights, responsibilities, obligations, and privileges within the local environment to meet its legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities. Organizations that prioritize corporate citizenship measure their success not just with return on investment (ROI) but also their social impact.

Focusing on corporate citizenship also brings a variety of benefits, empowering businesses to:

  • Build trust with customers. A common criticism of businesses is that they are overly greedy and inconsiderate of their community. Through corporate citizenship, you’ll show customers that you care about more than just your bottom line, securing their trust.
  • Set yourself apart from competitors. As the corporate landscape becomes increasingly competitive, corporate citizenship allows you to set yourself apart from rival businesses in a positive way. By doing so, you’ll be able to attract more customers.
  • Attract new talent. Aside from attracting new customers, strong corporate citizenship practices also appeal to potential employees. Talented individuals seeking new work are likelier to apply for employment at your business, filling vacancies in a timely fashion.
  • Increase employee engagement. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, employees who aren’t engaged cost the world almost $9 trillion in lost productivity. Through corporate citizenship, you can demonstrate that you share similar values with your employees to secure their engagement and motivate them to perform highly.
  • Promote employee retention. With almost 70% of employees saying that they won’t work for a company that doesn’t have a strong purpose, having dedicated corporate citizenship practices will help your business retain existing employees.

As expectations for businesses grow higher, your company must rise to meet them to stay competitive. From employees to customers to society at large, these groups all care about your company’s purpose and how you’re giving back to the community. Great corporate citizenship goes beyond surface-level issues. Instead, it requires you to establish practices and initiatives that address a variety of challenges using your unique resources.

Corporate Citizenship versus Corporate Social Responsibility

You may be thinking: Wait a minute! This sounds familiar. Isn’t corporate citizenship just a synonym for corporate social responsibility?

While there are varying definitions of corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility (CSR), according to the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship (BCCCC), corporate citizenship is a larger umbrella term that encompasses CSR. Corporate citizenship refers to the impact a business has on society. CSR refers to the specific activities that are happening within a company that will further its corporate citizenship. This includes projects, campaigns, and initiatives.

Additionally, another term that is associated with corporate citizenship and CSR is environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). This term helps us to categorize corporate citizenship efforts as environmental, social, or governance-related.

This image illustrates the difference between corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility, also covered in the text below.

So, for example, let’s say a restaurant has decided to focus more on corporate citizenship. They start by considering the amount of food waste they produce. To reduce that waste, they then decide to donate any leftover food to local food pantries. In this situation, the food donation program would be considered CSR that aids in environmental and social causes. Add this program to the restaurant’s other rights and responsibilities in society, and you get a greater picture of their corporate citizenship.

Developing Corporate Citizenship: The 5 Stages

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According to the BCCCC, there are five stages to corporate citizenship. In this section, we’ll go over each stage to help you determine which stage your organization is in and how you can become a better corporate citizen. Let’s dive in!

1. Elementary

At the elementary stage of corporate citizenship, an organization is more concerned about complying with existing laws than it is about creating a positive impact on its community. There’s little to no actual interest in corporate citizenship from leadership. Any CSR programs are undefined, underdeveloped, or even nonexistent. Any efforts made are mostly to protect the organization’s reputation, and these efforts are often viewed as performative.

That’s not to say that all organizations in the elementary stage of corporate citizenship are only doing the bare minimum because they don’t care about social or environmental good. For example, some small businesses may be at this stage simply because they do not have the resources for further community involvement.

2. Engaged

In this stage, company leaders begin to take an interest in society’s expectations and corporate citizenship. They experience the beginnings of a mindset shift for their organization’s role and responsibilities. Corporate citizenship in this stage is policy-focused—leaders create programs or initiatives that encourage employees and managers to take part in social and environmental good. Plus, they begin to have more discussions with shareholders and stakeholders who are interested in more innovative corporate citizenship practices.

Although organization leaders and employees are engaged with corporate citizenship, at this stage they’re still reactive in their policies rather than proactive. This is still only the start of corporate citizenship, and companies still have lots of room for improvement.

3. Innovative

As companies move through the stages of development, they gradually become more involved and proactive about corporate citizenship. In this stage, policies become more defined as business leaders discover methods that work for their organizations. This leads to an increase in program launches to support corporate citizenship, such as corporate philanthropy initiatives.

During this time, there may be some internal restructuring to make it more convenient for the company to fulfill its responsibilities. Additionally, there are usually increased discussions with stakeholders, experts, and leading companies.

Click to view our case study on how Checkr uses its matching gift program to support their corporate citizenship efforts.

4. Integrated

By the end of the innovative stage of corporate citizenship, a company’s biggest challenge will be to create a cohesive citizenship strategy. In the integrated stage, leaders are constantly setting new standards and monitoring performance in all areas, including social, environmental, and financial.

At the end of this stage, a company’s corporate citizenship efforts will be fully integrated into its core values, everyday activities, and lines of business. Plus, they’ll determine exactly how deep their commitment to citizenship is.

5. Transforming

A company in the transforming stage is often viewed as a leader in corporate citizenship. These organizations take their citizenship extremely seriously, and many aspire to make the world a better place. They partner extensively with other organizations to address problems socially and environmentally. Businesses in this stage are the ones everyone else looks up to as an example of great corporate citizenship.

Getting Started with Corporate Citizenship

This image outlines a few ways to participate in corporate citizenship, also covered in the text below.

If you’re unsure how your organization approaches corporate citizenship, then it’s likely that your company is in one of the first few stages of developing a corporate citizenship strategy. If you’re ready to begin your journey, consider these jumping-off points:

  • Re-examine your core values. Consider your core values and how they might be hindering your ability to become a great corporate citizen. Brainstorm ways to adjust your core values to support your dedication to corporate citizenship. For example, you might choose to center the concepts of respect and empathy toward employees, customers, and the greater community.
  • Prioritize ethics and sustainability. Implementing ethical and sustainable business practices may require operational changes at your company. However, making those changes will show other organizations and customers that you’re prioritizing corporate citizenship. Consider how your organization can reduce waste, conserve resources, and even support eco-friendly projects.
  • Embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Many businesses face criticism for what is perceived as performative social corporate citizenship, especially surrounding the topic of DEI. Although you may be just beginning your journey to becoming a better corporate citizen, seriously consider the way DEI plays into your business. Examine your hiring practices, create inclusive policies, and invest in training to ensure that you’re up to date with the best DEI practices.
  • Engage in corporate philanthropy. Part of becoming a better corporate citizen is giving back to the community. Through corporate philanthropy initiatives such as workplace giving campaigns, sponsorships, volunteer grants, or matching gifts, your business can contribute to the success of nonprofits in your community.

As you develop programs and make changes to become a better corporate citizen, share them with stakeholders and your customer base. Inform them of your intention to focus on corporate citizenship and ask them if they have any feedback for your company. By doing so, you’ll not only be including your community in the discussion, but you’ll also be crowdsourcing suggestions and getting a read on how your organization is perceived from the outside.

Examples of Corporate Citizenship

To help you understand how you can center corporate citizenship in your organization, here are a few examples of organizations with great corporate citizenship programs:

  • Microsoft. Microsoft has committed to four key areas where technology can benefit humanity and our planet. They’re determined to support inclusive economic growth, protect fundamental human rights, create a sustainable future, and earn the trust of their customers. Since 2017, they’ve helped over 50 million people in rural communities gain access to affordable broadband. Plus, in 2022, they trained over 4.5 million people in digital skills and connected them to opportunities in the digital economy.
  • Lego. As a toy manufacturer, Lego’s greatest step toward corporate citizenship is committing to fostering a healthy planet through sustainability. Since 2014, they have been a partner of the World Wildlife Fund. They’ve committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, reducing manufacturing waste, and using renewable energy in their manufacturing process.
  • Ben and Jerry’s. This ice cream company’s mission is to meet human needs and eliminate injustices in local, national, and international communities. They integrate these concerns into their day-to-day business activities by focusing on supplier diversity, sharing responsibility with other businesses, and ensuring all farmers in their supply chain can thrive. They’ve had a B Corp certification since 2012, demonstrating their commitment to being a great company for the world.

Becoming a good corporate citizen requires you to go above and beyond compliance on social and environmental matters. While that may seem overwhelming to an organization that’s just starting, keep in mind that it’s extremely difficult to jump straight to the transforming stage from the elementary stage of corporate citizenship. Start small and slowly grow your efforts to become a leader in the corporate citizenship space.

Additional Resources

Being a good corporate citizen comes with many benefits for your business, but above all, it allows your organization to be a responsible member of society. As you begin making adjustments to focus on corporate citizenship, don’t be afraid of making large operational changes. By doing so, you’ll better engage your employees, enhance your reputation, and make a greater difference in your community.

If you’re interested in more resources about corporate citizenship, check out the ones below:

Click to simplify participation in your corporate citizenship programs with matching gift auto-submission.

This guide will go over how you can increase gifts through a matching donation challenge.

Matching Donation Challenges: A Guide to Increasing Gifts

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With matching gifts, nonprofit organizations can double the impact of their donors’ contributions with just a tiny amount of effort. In fact, an estimated $2-3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually. But if you need funds by a specific deadline or want to finish out your fundraising campaign with a bang, a matching donation challenge is more suited to your needs.

When organized thoughtfully, matching donation challenges can greatly increase the gifts your nonprofit receives. To help you get started, we’ll cover the following topics:

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to confidently host a matching gift challenge of your own. Let’s get started!

Click to get a demo of Double the Donation’s matching gift software for your matching donation challenge.

What is a Matching Donation Challenge?

With matching gifts, your nonprofit essentially asks your donors to check with their employers to see if they offer donation matches. If these matches are offered, then donors will typically need to fill out a form requesting the match. Then, your nonprofit receives the funds from both the donor and the employer’s match. Usually, matching gift programs work on an annual basis—even if the donation was made months ago, a donor can still request a match from their employer if it’s still the same year.

Where matching donation challenges differ from matching gifts is that they are generally a much more time-sensitive fundraising initiative. Rather than having individual donors request matches from their employers, during a challenge, a major donor or corporate partner pledges to match donations during a set time frame.

For example, they could pledge to match every dollar donated up to $20,000 at a 1:1 ratio for the weekend. This incentivizes supporters to make gifts during that time, as their donations will have a greater impact.

While matching gift challenges are usually for the benefit of a nonprofit, that doesn’t mean that only nonprofits organize them. For example, the popular convention Dragon Con designates a charity every year for a dollar-to-dollar match during the convention dates.

Benefits of Matching Donation Challenges

Matching donation challenges offer nonprofits a variety of benefits, including the following:

This image lists the benefits of matching donation challenges, also covered by the text below.

  • Additional funding. Since donations will be matched by your partner, your nonprofit will receive additional funding without having to ask donors to give more.
  • Increased engagement. Due to their time-sensitive nature, matching donation challenges create a sense of urgency for your supporters. This results in an increased amount of gifts and drives high levels of engagement.
  • Supporter retention. Through the power of donation matching, your supporters’ gifts will make a greater impact on your nonprofit. This empowers donors to play a more rewarding role for your organization, and when they witness the impact of their gifts, they’ll be more likely to give again.
  • Corporate partnerships. Depending on the partner you acquire, matching donation challenges provide an excellent opportunity to solidify relationships with corporations and businesses. This can lead to future partnership opportunities, such as event sponsorships.

These benefits make matching donation challenges uniquely suited to augment your existing fundraising efforts. For example, if you have a year-end giving strategy in place, take advantage of the increased generosity at the end of the year and create a matching challenge for the last few days of December. That way, you’ll maximize the gifts that your nonprofit receives.

How to Set Up a Matching Donation Challenge

To properly leverage the benefits of a matching donation challenge, you need to know how to organize your challenge. Follow these six steps to help ensure your fundraising success.

This image lists the steps to setting up a matching donation challenge, also covered by the text below.

1. Identify challenge details.

The first step to creating a successful matching donation challenge is to identify the details of the challenge. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Will the challenge be a part of a larger fundraising campaign?
  • When will the challenge take place?
  • Will the challenge fall on any significant dates or times?
  • Are there any legal requirements or restrictions to consider?

By answering these questions, you’ll lay the groundwork for a carefully planned challenge. For example, if you decide that your matching donation challenge will be your main fundraising event of the summer, your plans should look different than if it will be the grand finale of your year-end giving campaign. In the former instance, you’ll be structuring your summer fundraising around your matching donation challenge. In the latter, you’ll need to plan other fundraising events and initiatives on top of your matching donation challenge.

2. Establish your goals.

As with any other fundraising initiative, the main goal of a matching donation challenge is to increase donations to power your nonprofit’s mission. After identifying the details of your challenge, consider how your fundraising initiatives have fared in the past to help inform what your goal should be.

For example, let’s say that you’re the leader of an organization dedicated to funding breast cancer research. You host an annual Pinktober fundraising campaign, and you usually raise around $50,000. However, this year, you’d like to raise $75,000 instead—$25,000 more than usual. You can plan to use a matching donation challenge to raise this amount, making your goal $25,000.

What’s interesting about a matching donation challenge is that the match amount generally represents half of your goal. In the case of the Pinktober fundraising campaign, your goal is to raise an additional $25,000 with your challenge. To have a successful matching donation challenge and fundraising campaign, you need to secure a partner who’s willing to match at least $12,500 worth of donations.

3. Seek out a matching donation partner.

After deciding on the details of your challenge and determining your goal for it, your next step is to seek out your matching donation partner. This individual or group will be responsible for putting forth the funds to match the donations made by your supporters.

Individuals and groups that are commonly nonprofit matching donation partners include:

This image lists the types of partnerships for matching donation challenges, also covered by the text below.

  • Local businesses. Since these businesses work in the same community as your nonprofit, they’re more likely to be interested in lending their support. Target businesses that work in a similar vertical to your nonprofit for best results. For example, if your organization is dedicated to solving food insecurity in your community, a restaurant may be open to partnering with you. Alternatively, you can work with businesses with similar values and visions for the future. For instance, an environmental conservation organization might partner with a sustainable clothing store since they both believe in preserving the world’s natural ecosystems.
  • Large corporations. Large corporations are also great prospects for matching partners, as they usually have larger budgets. When seeking a partner in businesses like these, check for companies that share your values or have corporate philanthropy programs. This demonstrates a vested interest in social good, making it more likely that they’ll partner with you.
  • Major donors. Major donors are some of your nonprofit’s staunchest supporters. You can propose a matching donation partnership in lieu of their generous annual donation, making them more likely to accept.
  • Board members. Your nonprofit’s board members may also be wealthy, making them another enticing option when seeking out matching donation partnerships.
  • Celebrities or influencers. Celebrities and influencers frequently align themselves with charitable causes—just look at Angelina Jolie, for example. If you have connections to these individuals, they have the funds to make the perfect partner.

When reaching out to potential partners, frame your ask in terms of the benefits that they’ll receive. For instance, if you share a similar target audience as a business, you might share your audience’s demographics and explain how, in exchange for their generosity, you’ll market their business in your advertising materials. As a result, they’ll gain exposure to new prospective customers. Plus, your corporate partner will get a boost in their reputation by working with your organization.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to limit yourself to a single partner! If multiple individuals or organizations are willing to be your partner for your matching donation challenge, don’t hesitate to accept multiple partnerships to help you reach your goal.

4. Promote your matching donation challenge.

It’s estimated that over $4 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed every year, yet 84% of individuals say that they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered. This shows that the biggest barrier to nonprofits claiming funds from matching gifts is a lack of awareness.

Generating enough awareness is also critical to matching donation challenges. To create that sense of urgency and entice your supporters into giving, you need to have a strong marketing strategy. Spread information about your challenge through the following marketing channels:

  • Website
  • Direct mail
  • Email newsletters
  • SMS
  • Social media

Announce your matching donation challenge in advance of the challenge’s start date to build excitement. Be sure to include the dates of the challenge, the dollar amount of donations that will be matched, and any restrictions on donations. For example, if your partner will match $25,000 at a 1:1 ratio but only if the donations are $100 or less, include that information in your materials.

By thoroughly marketing your challenge, you’ll be able to create a sense of immediacy to support your cause, resulting in more donations for your organization.

5. Monitor challenge progress.

When your matching donation challenge begins, monitor your donation progress toward the match maximum. Be sure to provide this information to your supporters as well—transparency about funds received will create a sense of trust. Additionally, if individuals see that you are nearing your match goal, they may be more likely to donate to your nonprofit.

For the best results, consider investing in a matching donation or matching gift software solution. These tools simplify matching donation challenges with data and analytics features. With the right solution, you can create fundraising thermometers or leaderboards that automatically update as gifts are made. Plus, you can even leverage your software to receive employer matches during your matching donation challenge, effectively tripling the impact of donations made during this time.

Click to get a demo of Double the Donation’s matching gift software for your matching donation challenge.

6. Follow up after the event.

At the close of your matching donation challenge, report the results to your match partner and supporters. That way, your partner will know how much they’ll need to match, and your supporters will know if you met your goal or not.

Regardless of whether your goal was met, be sure to thank all parties involved in the challenge. For instance, you might email thank you notes to all of your supporters, write handwritten thank you notes to your top donors, and spotlight your match partner on social media. By properly stewarding these relationships, you’ll ensure future support for your nonprofit.

3 Best Practices for Successful Matching Donation Challenges

Now that you know how to set up your matching donation challenge, let’s take a look at three best practices to ensure your success.

1. Simplify your matching donation challenge with software.

Without dedicated tools, your matching donation challenge will require a large amount of manual, time-consuming work from your nonprofit’s team members. The right software solutions will simplify your challenge, reduce work for your staff, and make it easier for you to garner support.

Useful tools for matching donation challenges include:

This image lists the best types of software for matching donation challenges, also covered by the text below.

  • Fundraising platforms. You may already be using a fundraising platform to collect donations from supporters. These tools allow donors to conveniently and securely make gifts to the causes they care about. Leverage your fundraising platform to create a unique donation form for your matching gift challenge to increase support.
  • Matching gift software. Many individuals work at companies that offer matching gifts of their own. With matching gift software, you’ll be able to triple the impact of a single donation, as it will be matched by both your challenge partner and the donor’s employer.
  • Marketing solutions. Remember that the biggest obstacle to matching donation challenges and matching gifts is awareness. Invest in marketing tools, like a social media management platform or email marketing solution, to boost your promotional efforts and ensure that you get your challenge in front of the right people.
  • Nonprofit constituent relationship management (CRM) software. Even after your matching donation challenge ends, your work isn’t over. Using a nonprofit CRM, you can collect donor data, track interactions with supporters, and create histories of support. With this information, you’ll be able to tailor your communications and properly steward relationships with new donors.
  • Data and analytics tools. Monitoring challenge progress can be a challenge in and of itself without a data and analytics solution. Use this to monitor challenge progress and gain insights into donor behavior. Plus, at your challenge’s close, you’ll be able to conveniently generate reports to demonstrate results and impact.

Set your nonprofit up for success by investing in the right tools for your matching donation challenge. Thoroughly research your options to find the right choice for your nonprofit’s unique needs.

 

Click to learn more about Double the Donation’s matching gift auto-submission feature to boost your matching donation challenge’s impact.

2. Strategically choose when to host your challenge.

At certain times of the year, individuals are more likely to give to nonprofits. If you host your matching donation challenge during these moments, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of increased generosity.

For example, the end of the year is a well-known season of giving, with 30% of annual giving happening in December. Aside from the holidays, GivingTuesday, a day of global generosity, also occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This makes year-end a particularly appealing time for a matching donation challenge, as it’s more likely that donors will give.

Other periods of increased giving include cause months, which is a month or period that is dedicated to a specific cause. For instance, February is Black History Month, March is Women’s History Month, June is Pride Month, and so on. If your nonprofit’s mission aligns with a cause month, consider hosting your matching donation challenge during that month for increased visibility for your cause.

3. Emphasize increased impact.

As you’re constructing your marketing materials for your matching donation challenge, keep in mind that the increased impact of gifts is not just the challenge’s primary benefit for your nonprofit. It is also a compelling reason for donors to lend their support.

Emphasize this benefit to donors as you make your appeal for donations. Stress that there’s no extra financial obligation on their end, as your matching partner will provide the additional funds.

Consider using the following language in your marketing materials:

  • Did you know you can double your donation if you make a gift between May 5th and May 11th?
  • Between December 1st and December 10th, our generous partner will automatically double any donation you make!
  • Our partner is providing a dollar-for-dollar match for donations made before July 25th. Increase the impact of your gift by donating now!
  • For the last 24 hours of our fundraiser, our partner will donate two dollars for every dollar you donate!
  • Remember, your donation helps us raise $2 for every $1 you give with our partner’s match!

Encourage donors to make gifts by strategically positioning the impact they’ll be able to generate for your organization. Since your matching donation challenge only lasts for a limited amount of time, make sure to use time-bound language like “Donate by midnight” and “Give by Friday” to spur action.

Additional Resources

Matching donation challenges are opportunities for nonprofits to generate a greater-than-usual amount of monetary support for their cause. By investing in the right software solutions, strategically choosing your challenge timing, and emphasizing the increased impact of gifts made during your challenge, you’ll be well on your way to generating the funds your nonprofit needs to power your mission.

If you’d like to learn more about matching gifts, take a look at the following resources:

Click to get a demo of Double the Donation’s matching gift software to boost the impact of your matching donation challenge.

Companies with Innovative and Unique Matching Gift Programs

Companies with Innovative and Unique Matching Gift Programs

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At Double the Donation, we maintain the industry’s most comprehensive and up-to-date matching gift database⁠—with records for more than 24,000 companies with matching gift programs. Since each company that offers matching gifts is able to determine its own minimum and maximum donation amounts, match ratios, qualifying employees and nonprofit types, and more, we end up with a ton of innovative and unique matching gift programs.

And truthfully, all matching gift programs are great. But there are a few that really stand out to us as offering something particularly special for their employees and the nonprofits they support.

Corporate giving engages employees’ passions and provides additional funding for nonprofits, which in turn helps entire communities. And offering creative programming and unique incentives for getting involved is a great way to drive participation and, therefore, impact.

Let’s look at a few employers with unique programs and what makes them stick out from the crowd. In this guide, we’ll explore the following companies’ initiatives:

  1. General Electric — First Matching Gift Program
  2. BP — Offers Charitable Giving Stipends
  3. CVS — Incorporates Fundraising Event Matches
  4. Expedia — Internationally Eligible Program
  5. HP, Inc. ⁠— Offers Volunteer Grants
  6. Microsoft ⁠— Highest Employee Participation
  7. RealNetworks ⁠— Unique 5-Year Anniversary Grant
  8. Soros Fund Management — Highest Maximum Match Amount
  9. Pew Charitable Trusts ⁠— Religiously Inclusive Program
  10. Nike ⁠— Sports-Related Triple Match Program
  11. Blue Shield of California ⁠— Special Board Member Match
  12. Innovative Discovery ⁠— Seamless Auto-Submission Functionality

There are a number of creative ways that businesses get their employees more involved in charitable giving. The ideas differ, but they all do a great job of helping charitable organizations increase fundraising revenue and better support their overall missions.

And when nonprofit fundraisers like yourself keep these companies at top of mind, you’ll be better equipped to make the most of such opportunities as they arise.

Let’s jump in!

General Electric — First Matching Gift Program

General Electric offers a unique matching gift program that offered the very first match program. When it comes to matching gift innovation, General Electric is likely going to top every list. That’s because GE pioneered the first matching gift program in 1954, and its 60+ years of matching gift history and generous donation limits continue to lead the way for other businesses to follow.

Since the inception of its matching program, the company has donated over $1 billion in employee matching gifts. That means that GE is a matching gift leader not only for being first but also for staying at the top of the pack for all this time.

Today, employees may request matching gifts up to $5,000 per year at a 1:1 ratio through the GE matching gift program.

Learn more about General Electric’s matching gift program.

BP — Offers Charitable Giving Stipends

BP is a unique matching gift company that gives employees $300 to donate to nonprofits every year. Each year, BP (formerly British Petroleum) gives employees $300 to donate to nonprofits of their choosing. That’s it—no strings attached. BP is committed to helping local communities, and they let employees feel more involved by letting them choose where the money goes. This program, known as the Fabric of America Program, is open to every current BP employee.

In addition to its charitable grant initiative, BP also offers a traditional matching gift program that matches up to $5,000 worth of donations per employee at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about BP’s matching gift program.

CVS Health ⁠— Incorporates Fundraising Event Matches

CVS is a company with a unique matching gift program that matches its employees' peer-to-peer fundraising efforts. Some companies, such as CVS, want to prioritize certain forms of giving. CVS incentivizes its employees to raise money for nonprofit events, like the popular run/walk/ride, which is also known as peer-to-peer fundraising. To encourage participation, the company matches the donations raised by employees between $250 and $1,000 per year.

For teams of volunteers, they offer even high fundraising grant donation caps. When five or more CVS employees fundraise for an eligible organization together, CVS will match up to $5,000 worth of fulfilled pledges, with a minimum of $500 raised across the team.

Learn more about CVS’s matching gift program.

Expedia ⁠— Internationally Eligible Program

Expedia, a company with a unique matching gift program, matches employees' donations worldwide. Matching gifts aren’t just for American companies, either. For example, Expedia and its subsidiaries have employees in over 30 countries. But for a long time, they did not match donations to nonprofits in all of those locations.

Now, Expedia offers matching gifts to eligible nonprofits across the globe! Donations are matched at a 1:1 ratio, and employees can request matches on as much as $4,000 worth of charitable gifts per year.

Through the Expedia Cares Program, employees can give back to their communities in a number of ways, such as through matching gifts, a global ambassador program, and more.

Learn more about Expedia’s matching gift program.

HP, Inc. ⁠— Offers Volunteer Grants

HP, a unique matching gift company, gives back to nonprofits through its Good Cards program. Employing more than 58,000 people, HP is a leader in the information technology sector. It’s also a leader in the matching gift world, specifically through its Good Cards program.

Each quarter, any employee who volunteers for at least 10 hours (and tracks their time through the company’s innovative internal volunteer system) receives a $50 grant which they can donate to a charity of their choosing. Plus, HP also offers a generous matching gift program where it’ll match philanthropic employees’ donations of up to $2,500 per year.

Learn more about HP’s matching gift program.

Microsoft ⁠— Highest Employee Participation

Microsoft is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. This major company is well-represented in the philanthropic world. Since 1983, it’s hosted an annual Giving Campaign that makes a considerable impact on eligible nonprofits. It also hosts another program called Hack for Good, which tackles pressing societal problems.

But one of its most impressive successes is its matching gift program. In fact, Microsoft is currently the largest contributor of matching gift and volunteer grant funds, and it also boasts the highest level of employee participation at over 65% involvement.

Our matching gift statistics indicate that, inclusive of the corporate match, Microsoft employees have donated more than $1 billion to nonprofit causes.

Learn more about Microsoft’s matching gift program.

RealNetworks⁠ — Unique 5-Year Anniversary Grant

RealNetworks is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. RealNetworks matches employee donations at a 1:1 ratio up to $10,000 per team member per year. That’s a whole lot of good⁠—but RealNetworks doesn’t stop there.

After five years with the business, employees receive a $500 grant that can be contributed to any eligible nonprofit. This unique corporate giving offering helps increase staff retention with the company, rewards long-term employees with a significant, mission-focused incentive, and ultimately benefits the nonprofits their employees support.

Learn more about RealNetworks’ matching gift program.

Soros Fund Management ⁠— Highest Maximum Match Amount

Soros Fund Management is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. Because this successful company encompasses fewer than 500 people, it can afford to offer generous donation maximums and matching ratios that are significantly higher than the typical employer.

Today, employee gifts are matched at a 2:1 ratio for gifts up to $100,000 per year, with partners being eligible to request donation matches at a 1:1 ratio. Most nonprofits qualify to receive funding through the matching program, with an additional volunteer grant initiative available as well.

Learn more about Soros Fund Management’s matching gift program.

Pew Charitable Trusts ⁠— Religiously Inclusive Program

Pew Charitable Trusts is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. The Pew Charitable Trusts is a generous matching gift provider for all sorts of nonprofit causes. In fact, full-time and part-time employees qualify to request matches at a 2:1 rate for personal gifts made up to $10,000 on an annual basis. That makes the company cap per employee a bountiful $20,000 per year!

But one thing that really makes this company’s matching initiative stand out is the fact that the program is inclusive of just about all kinds of religious organizations. This encompasses places of worship like churches, synagogues, mosques, and more—which are generally excluded from many companies’ match offerings.

So if your nonprofit group is religious in nature, the Pew Charitable Trusts is a top matching gift company to be aware of!

Learn more about Pew Charitable Trusts’ matching gift program.

Nike ⁠— Sports-Related Triple Match Program

Nike is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. Nike is another company that matches employee donations to most nonprofit causes, including educational institutions, health and human services, arts and cultural organizations, civic and environmental groups, and more.

Then, in order to further amplify impact for the causes most closely aligned with the company’s athletics-focused mission, Nike offers a unique triple match for employees giving to community sports-related organizations. For qualifying nonprofits, employee gifts are matched at a 2:1 rate, ultimately tripling the initial donor contribution up to $25,000 per team member per year.

Learn more about Nike’s matching gift program.

Blue Shield of California ⁠— Special Board Member Match

Blue Shield of California is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. Some companies also want to incentivize employee participation with nonprofits on a deeper level—such as by volunteering on the organization’s board of directors. That’s exactly what Blue Shield of California does!

This company offers a traditional matching gift program open to all current employees who support qualifying California-based nonprofits and select national organizations. Then, they offer an additional matching initiative for employees who serve as board members of nonprofit causes. This unique board member match goes above and beyond the typical match program, offering elevated match rates and increased maximum donation amounts.

Learn more about Blue Shield of California’s matching gift program.

Innovative Discovery ⁠— Seamless Auto-Submission Functionality

Innovative Discovery is an example of a company with a unique matching gift program. Speaking of innovation, legal services provider Innovative Discovery offers a particularly standout matching gift program in the way that employees can get involved. By introducing matching gift auto-submission through their corporate giving platform in partnership with Double the Donation, ID team members can complete their part of the matching gift request process more easily than ever before.

Now, with just a few clicks from their favorite nonprofits’ donation confirmation screens, employees can authorize Double the Donation to submit the matching gift request on their behalf—no separate forms or redirected pages required!

Learn more about Innovative Discovery’s matching gift program.

Learn how Double the Donation can help your nonprofit pinpoint companies that have unique matching gift programs.

How a Matching Gift Database Can Help

While these programs are certainly unique, there are tens of thousands of other companies that match gifts, too. It’s too many to keep up with on your own! Thus, to effectively uncover available opportunities and identify your organization’s eligibility, you’ll likely need the help of a matching gift database like Double the Donation.

Double the Donation is the industry’s leading provider of matching gift software, and we work with some of the largest organizations across the globe. We also boast the most accurate and up-to-date database of information regarding these programs. As such, we work to equip nonprofits and their donors with the tools they need to implement matching gift efforts in their overall fundraising strategies with ease.

The matching gift tool, which can be integrated across your organization’s website, donation form, email communications, and more, allows fundraisers to maximize corporate giving revenue by…

  • Enabling donors to search for their employers with an auto-completing company information field to identify and flag match-eligible donors;
  • Providing users with company information and matching gift eligibility criteria in real-time;
  • Guiding donors to request their matches with direct links to their employers’ online submission portals;
  • Tracking donors’ progress throughout the matching gift request and fulfillment processes.

Identify and pursue matches from companies with unique matching gift programs and more with 360MatchPro

Not to mention, it’s all automated⁠—allowing your team to reallocate more time and effort to your highest-value priorities!

Next Steps

Plenty of companies offer matching gift programs, so it’s important for nonprofits to promote corporate giving to donors. After all, one of the biggest roadblocks facing matching gift success is a lack of awareness of corporate giving. According to our research, that results in more than $4 to $7 billion dollars worth of potential matching gift funds going unclaimed each year.

Don’t let your nonprofit add to that statistic. Now that you know how to pinpoint available matching gifts, get started boosting your corporate fundraising efforts.

Stay up-to-date with your donors’ employers and keep your eyes peeled for top matching gift opportunities. You’ll be sure to come across even more unique programs!

Explore unique matching gift programs and more with Double the Donation.