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The title of the article next to an illustration of a man sitting on a calendar with a dollar bill, representing payroll giving.

What Is Payroll Giving? How to Make Donating More Efficient

February 6, 2024/in Learning Center /by Adam Weinger

According to America’s Charities, nonprofits raise about $5 billion from workplace giving each year. These funds are crucial in enabling charitable organizations to pursue their missions.

With so much donation revenue available through this channel, wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to streamline these contributions? That way, companies could better manage them, donors would be more inclined to contribute, and nonprofits would ultimately earn more for their causes.

Enter payroll giving. This form of workplace giving makes donating as easy as possible for employees. In this guide, we’ll review what payroll giving is and just how beneficial it is for companies, donors, and nonprofits alike.

What is payroll giving?

Payroll giving, also known as automatic payroll deductions, allows employees to contribute to nonprofits right from their paychecks. Since these deductions come out of employees’ paychecks automatically, it’s an easy set-it-and-forget-it way to give back. In most cases, these contributions are a percentage of the employee’s pay, but corporations that use CSR software with employee self-service tools may allow team members to adjust their contributions as they please.

How does payroll giving work?

With the help of workplace giving software, payroll giving simplifies the donation process. These steps illustrate how payroll giving works:

The company implements workplace giving software with payroll giving capabilities.
The company chooses which nonprofits they’d like to support through payroll giving.
Employees enroll and select the charity they’d like to support and how much they’d like to contribute.
The software deducts the donation like any other deduction—such as a 401K contribution or healthcare premium—and sends it to the nonprofit.

While most payroll deductions are pre-tax, payroll giving contributions are after-tax deductions. As a result, employees can claim these donations as deductible when they file their personal taxes. Companies that offer payroll giving should reflect employees’ contributions in their W2s.

What are the benefits of payroll giving?

While it’s clear that payroll giving benefits nonprofits since they receive the resulting donations, this form of workplace giving is also beneficial for participating companies and donors. Let’s dive into the benefits of payroll giving for each group.

Benefits of Payroll Giving for Companies

Not only is payroll giving easy for companies to manage, but it also offers a variety of other workplace benefits for companies. Payroll giving helps companies to:

Engage employees. Workplace giving methods such as payroll giving increase employee engagement. When employees feel that they are working together with their employer to make the world a better place, they’re more likely to find meaning in their roles and stay actively engaged in the workplace.
Keep employees around. Employees engaged in workplace giving have higher retention rates. In fact, employees who participate in workplace giving have 75% longer tenures with their companies than those who don’t.
Attract mission-driven employees. Payroll giving helps companies recruit employees who share their values and want to make a difference. Studies show that 71% of employees want to work at a company that gives back to charitable causes through philanthropy and volunteering. By offering payroll giving and promoting it during the hiring process, companies can attract mission-driven team applicants.

When companies offer payroll giving, they demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by helping employees find reputable nonprofits to contribute to and facilitating the giving process. As a result, they’ll build a workforce of like-minded, engaged employees who will stay long-term.

Benefits of Payroll Giving for Donors

There are so many different ways donors can contribute to their nonprofits of choice, so what makes payroll giving stand out? Payroll giving is an excellent donation method for donors because it’s:

Easy to participate in. Once donors enroll in payroll giving, they’re set to continue contributing indefinitely. The automatic donations make it extremely easy for donors to participate without taking time out of their busy schedules to make repeat gifts.
Inclusive. While these days nonprofits accept donations in cash, credit, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo, and more, not all employees have these payment methods at their disposal. However, all employees receive a paycheck, so payroll giving allows them to make a difference.
Tax-deductible. As mentioned before, payroll deductions come out of donors’ after-tax earnings, making these contributions tax-deductible. Donors can write off these costs and will owe less when they file their taxes.

Additionally, if donors don’t have the means to contribute a large sum at once, payroll giving enables them to break up their donation into smaller, more manageable amounts that they can gift to nonprofits on a recurring basis.

Benefits of Payroll Giving for Nonprofits

Payroll giving is one of many ways for nonprofits to generate donation revenue, so it benefits them by simply providing them with more funds. However, there are some less obvious benefits of payroll giving for nonprofits as well, including:

No transaction fees. Traditional online donation methods may require payment processing fees that lessen the value of each donation. Since payroll giving comes right from donors’ paychecks, there are no transaction fees, meaning the entire donation amount goes directly to the nonprofit.
Predictable funding source. Payroll contributions are a form of pledged donations. Nonprofits can plan for these gifts in advance, allowing them to better allocate their budgets.
Potential for long-term donor relationships. Donors who contribute to nonprofits through payroll giving do so on a recurring basis. Charitable organizations can identify regular payroll giving participants and establish long-lasting relationships with them.

Nonprofits can also analyze their donor data to determine which employers are most frequent among their payroll givers. Then, they can reach out to these companies to forge corporate partnerships that benefit both parties.

How do payroll giving and matching gifts connect?

Matching gifts are a type of corporate giving program where a company agrees to match their employees’ donations to nonprofit organizations, usually at a 1:1 ratio. By implementing matching gifts, companies can encourage their employees to donate to their favorite causes, with 84% of matching gift survey participants saying they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.

Learn more about matching gifts through Matching Gift Academy!

When companies apply matching gifts to payroll contributions, they can amplify the impact of their employees’ donations and allow nonprofits to earn even more for their causes. Some workplace giving platforms let companies apply matching directly through the software. Donors can also use a matching gift database to research their matching gift eligibility and fill out a matching gift request form to send to their employers.

Check out how our matching gift software, 360MatchPro, helps organizations boost donation revenue:

By combining the efficiency of payroll giving and matching gift software, donors can easily make an impact on their favorite causes and help nonprofits increase their revenue. Payroll giving and matching gifts go hand in hand to expand companies’ CSR efforts, allow donors to make a greater impact with the same donation amounts, and enable nonprofits to earn the funds they need to support their beneficiaries.

Final Thoughts and Additional Resources

When it comes to workplace giving, payroll giving stands out due to its extreme efficiency. That means it’s easier for companies to manage, donors to participate, and nonprofits to receive necessary funds.

Using a dedicated workplace giving platform, companies can kickstart the payroll giving process and help their employees contribute to their favorite causes. To learn more about workplace giving and how to get started, check out these resources:

How To Kick Off a Workplace Giving Program At Your Company. If your company doesn’t have a workplace giving program, check out this article for the steps you’ll need to get started.
Workplace Giving Software: A Guide to Increase Engagement. Once you’ve implemented your workplace giving program, you’ll need dedicated software to manage it effectively. Learn what features to look for and how to choose the right platform for your organization.
From Cubicle to Community: How to Empower Workplace Giving. For your workplace giving program to be effective, you’ll need employees to participate. In this article, you’ll learn tips for engaging your employees in workplace giving.

companies doing corporate philanthropy right

The Top 6 Corporate Philanthropy Infographics

There’s a good news / bad news situation regarding data on corporate philanthropy.

The good news:

There is plenty of data out there. At Double the Donation, we’ve even gathered statistics on many aspects of corporate giving over the years and stored it in one easily accessible location.

The bad(ish) news:

Sometimes you’ll come across so much data that you won’t know which way is up and which way is down, which data is accurate, which less so, which is relevant, which less so. You get the idea.

Well, we’re here to solve that corporate philanthropy conundrum.

Below you’ll find the top 6 corporate philanthropy infographics.

We’ve done the work of sifting through the many in order to highlight an elite few. So without further ado, here they are in no particular order.

Infographic #1: Giving in Numbers Brief

Put together by the CECP, in conjunction with The Conference Board, the Giving in Numbers Brief takes a comprehensive look at trends and statistics in corporate giving. The infographic is filled with data culled from the survey responses of 271 multi-billion dollar companies.

Here are a few highlights:

9 out of 10 companies offered a matching gift program
an average of 30% of employees volunteer
29% of corporate giving went to education related causes — a combined percentage from K-12 and higher education

Infographic #2: Top 10 Corporations That Gave Cash to Charity

Here at Double the Donation, we thought we’d throw our hat into the ring with an infographic of our own. As its title suggests, this graphic focuses on the ten corporations that gave the most cash to charity in the year the graphic was produced.

Walmart leads the pack with $311.6 million in cash donations. And not too far off the lead, in tenth, was Target with a still very generous $148.5 million. A breakdown of leaders in the philanthropic giving community is a good way to be introduced to the possibilities of these programs and programs like them.

If you’re interested in matching gift programs specifically, check out the top corporate programs.

Either way you slice it, if you’re looking into corporate giving, whether you’re an employee, nonprofit, or company, it is useful to get a sense for the power players in the world of corporate giving.

Infographic #3: BP’s Fabric of America

This infographic is a great example of a corporation taking the initiative to outline and highlight its own efforts. Through its Fabric of America Fund, BP will donate $300 to the charity of an employee’s choice.

Learn more about BP’s employee giving programs.

Infographic #4: Meaningful Match-Making by Benevity

This infographic focuses on how corporations can use matching gift programs to increase employee engagement. It offers tons of valuable and insightful advice.

Here are a few highlights:

Five tips for increased employee engagement in matching gift programs
1. Inclusivity — providing matching gifts for donations to a large range of nonprofits
2. Letting external matches occur — accounting for and honoring donations made outside of your company’s matching gift program
3. Expediency — make the matches as quickly as possible in order to demonstrate your commitment and dedication to your employees’ nonprofits of interest
4. Share-ability — give employees the chance to share the news of their recent gifts and matched gifts
5. Clarity — let your employees know exactly what the eligibility requirements are for your program
Match broadly to appeal to the inclusivity tip, but provide greater incentives for certain causes or nonprofits that your company is specifically interested and invested in helping.

Infographic #5: Corporate Citizenship — A Necessary Investment for Success

Boston College’s Center for Corporate Citizenship created a helpful infographic regarding the current state of corporate citizenship. The infographic revealed a general upward trend in business investment in corporate citizenship and a rising understanding of the necessity of these programs.

Specifically, the infographic zeroes in on the benefits of corporate citizenship, which it separates into three categories:

contributing to company success
returning value to shareholders
meriting additional investment

Corporate citizenship initiatives, which usually include employee volunteering programs and corporate philanthropic giving as components, are implemented with the idea of businesses serving the communities in which they thrive in, generating a mutually beneficial situation between the company and stakeholders.

Corporate Social Responsibility is a diverse topic to handle. Discover why it’s so important!

Infographic #6: State of Developing Good

YourCause created this infographic on the state of developing global good as a way of summarizing key international corporate giving statistics.

A couple stats that jump out at us include:

80% of adults around the world agree they can make the world a better place with their actions —
85% of companies in the US have a formal domestic corporate giving program in place vs. only 45% with a formal international program.

Both represent tremendous opportunities for companies to further their global impact.

These six infographics should more than whet your appetite for data, statistics, and analysis regarding corporate philanthropy. These were all put together with a lot of thought, care, and research. We hope you find the information invaluable to your quest for a greater understanding of corporate giving.

Nonprofit and Corporate Relationships Matching Gifts

Leverage Matching Gifts to Strengthen Nonprofit-Corporate Relationships

April 23, 2014/in Learning Center, Marketing Strategies /by Adam Weinger

We recently had a reader ask Double the Donation about how to strengthen relationships with corporations that offer generous matching gift contributions to their organization. She said she wished she had more ways to reach out to these companies post-matching gift donation to show them how a strong relationship could provide some great public relations benefits.

This is a great point! When corporations offer matching gift donations to a nonprofit organization, they may not realize how positive of an impact the contributions are having on the work of the nonprofit. It’s important for nonprofits to leverage matching gifts into positive PR for both you and the corporation to ensure future collaboration, and therefore, a stronger nonprofit-corporate relationship.

Suggestions of “Extra Thanks” for Generous Matching Gift Donations

Does your organization have one corporation in particular (or even a few!) that really stands out in the field of matching gift donations? It’s important that this company knows how big of an impact they are having on the work you do, and sometimes a simple, albeit wonderful, acknowledgement letter (that acts as a tax-deductible receipt, too) is not going to emphasize your thanks enough. So, what else can you do?

Press Releases

A simple and highly visible form of extra thanks is a press release to local publications. This could include information about the circumstances of the donation, how big of a matching gift partner they are (if, for example, you have many donors who work for one company that offers matching gifts on a recurring basis), and the kind of programs and nonprofit work the donations help progress.

And don’t forget to highlight the company on your own website. It’s not only positive publicity for the company but also encourages your other donors to see if their employers will match their donations.

The important thing here is that the company or companies providing matching gifts to your nonprofit organization are getting a public, positive recognition for the donations they make. They are more likely to donate in other capacities in the future, as well, when they see the kind of public acknowledgement they can get by donating to your organization.

Social Media

This one is seemingly a no-brainer, but it’s always amazing what kind of far-reaching impacts a Facebook or Twitter post can have on relationships. By thanking a corporation for their generosity with matching gifts and including the positive impact they are having on the community, your nonprofit is taking an extra (and again, simple) step to show the company and the public how thankful you are for their commitment to the cause.

Here’s a sample thank you post from the Children’s Craniofacial Association:

In case you can’t read the text on the image it says

It’s #ThankfulThursday & CCA thanks @Corning Inc. for the Foundation Matching Gifts Program, doubling employee donations to CCA!

It was retweeted four times and favorited six times, including from the main Corning account.

Donation Page Acknowledgements

On your website’s donation pages, you could include information about some of the benefits of matching gifts (for your donors), and also mention some of the top-giving companies in the area. This shows many donors the commitment of their employers to the community, which in turn increases the chances an individual will donate to your cause and also ask their company for a matching gift. Increasing the number of eyes that see a corporation’s name in a positive light also increases the likelihood of forming a stronger relationship with a company. Positive PR for a company (by a nonprofit organization) is a huge key for ensuring future collaboration.

Event Recognition

This is another easy way to recognize some of the major community players in the matching gift arena. Even if these companies are not sponsoring your charitable event, just mentioning the impact they are having on the work you do (without outshining the actual corporate sponsors, of course) is going to make a difference. Every company wants a positive image in the community because this increases their like-ability, and therefore their success. When your nonprofit organization is a key factor in increasing their success, the bond between the two will be stronger than ever.

Creating a Stronger Relationship

The above suggestions are just a few extra ways to say thanks to the corporations who have a strong commitment to matching gift donations. When a company sees the effort your nonprofit organization is putting forth to thank them for their generosity, it increases the chances of future giving, whether it’s with more matching gifts, grants, or even some form of sponsorship.

Make sure you’re saying thank you – it really can make all the difference!

Learn the basics of non-personal donations and why they're likely not eligible for matching gifts.

Matching Gifts: Requests for Non-Personal Donations

August 31, 2013/in Learning Center /by Adam Weinger

Corporate philanthropy is a tricky topic for most nonprofit professionals, because there are so many guidelines and restrictions that come with them. However, that does not mean your nonprofit should give up on developing a corporate giving strategy.

Oftentimes, both potential donors and nonprofits run into the issue of non-personal donations. From the donor perspective, some employers don’t offer matching gift donations. Because of this, they may consider giving their money to a friend whose employer does offer matching gifts to donate for them.

From the nonprofit perspective, some donors work at companies with fewer matching gift limits, so they wonder if they can funnel donations through these individuals to make sure all donations are matched.

To fully understand situations pertaining to non-personal donations, let’s look into a few key questions:

Are non-personal donations eligible for matching gift programs?
Why shouldn’t donors give non-personal donations?
How can a matching gift database identify other revenue opportunities?

If you’re ready to learn more about match-eligibility for non-personal donations, let’s get started.

1. Are Non-Personal Donations Eligible for Matching Gift Programs?

Nonprofits often have a strong desire to maximize donations from matching gift programs, and rightfully so! However, we strongly recommend that donors only take advantage of their own employers’ match programs.

Typically, company guidelines specifically state something like the following: “Gifts must be personal contributions paid either in cash or securities.” Oftentimes, matching gift programs are designed for personal contributions from employees only.

Thus, from a corporate standpoint, passing donations through a supporter who works for a matching gift company is at least frowned upon. The actual reprimands for doing this aren’t always clear, but the next section goes into a few possible consequences.

Hopefully, the nonprofit community recognizes that corporate philanthropy programs are intended to democratize the corporate giving process. In other words, companies want their employees to direct how the giving budget gets spent. Businesses want to give to causes that employees care about, not employees’ friends. These programs are completely optional, so hopefully, everyone utilizes them in the spirit for which they were designed.

2. Why Shouldn’t Donors Give Non-Personal Donations?

In addition to going against the spirit of corporate philanthropy, there are a few other reasons to avoid matching gift requests for non-personal donations. For more context, let’s go into a few of those reasons.

Potential Fraud

Whenever a matching gift request is submitted, the employee has to sign the form, indicating that the donation adheres to the company’s guidelines. Additionally, whenever a nonprofit verifies a donation, the nonprofit confirming the donation is also signing that it agrees the donation meets the company’s guidelines.

In other words, if someone donates a friend’s money and claims that it’s theirs, that’s a non-personal donation. Therefore, it goes against most company guidelines. By signing the form, both the nonprofit and the donor are agreeing that it adheres to the guidelines, which is not the case.

While we certainly aren’t legal experts, there’s a strong chance that both the employee and the nonprofit would be committing fraud by submitting or verifying match requests for non-personal donations. Doing so could put the employee’s job at risk while also jeopardizing the nonprofit’s eligibility for future matches and grants.

Tax Implications

By submitting a matching gift request for a non-personal donation, there are certainly tax implications. For instance, who gets to claim the charitable tax deduction on the original donation? Should it be the individual who gave his money to a friend to donate, or the friend who donated the money and submitted the match request?

Even if you don’t get into legal trouble for submitting a matching gift request, you’ll certainly run into issues when tax season comes around.

Takeaway: While these obstacles are difficult to overcome, they can be avoided altogether. Simply don’t submit or verify matching gift requests for non-personal donations.

3. How Can a Matching Gift Database Identify Other Revenue Opportunities?

While it may not be wise to submit a matching gift request for non-personal donations, you can pinpoint other corporate philanthropy opportunities. This is done with a matching gift database like Double the Donation.

By adding Double the Donation’s services to your tech toolkit, your nonprofit won’t miss out on important revenue opportunities. For instance, the tool:

Enables donors to search over 20,000 companies.
Can be embedded across your online fundraising channels.
Provides users with all available info on companies (e.g. forms, guidelines, etc.).
And more!

Larger organizations may benefit more from 360MatchPro by Double the Donation. This tool automatically identifies match-eligible donors, follows up with them, drives matches to completion, and even puts an automated match plan in place!

Plus, with either tool, your donors, who thought they couldn’t receive matching gifts, might turn out to be eligible!

Think your nonprofit can benefit from Double the Donation?

Start a free trial of the #1 matching gift database!

We always encourage organizations to stick to the spirit of the match programs. In other words, these programs are designed for personal donations, so employees should use them for personal donations. This answer might not be what most individuals and nonprofits want to hear, but it’s best to steer clear of these situations.

Even if your nonprofit doesn’t have many matching gift opportunities, using a database can enhance your corporate fundraising strategy. Plus, there might be more match opportunities than you thought!

Learn more about companies that match the nonprofit fundraising efforts of employees.

Donor-advised funds can make a difference in your nonprofit fundraising strategy. Learn more with this post!

Donor-Advised Funds: Are DAFs Eligible for Matching Gifts?

August 16, 2013/in Learning Center /by Adam Weinger

Donor-advised funds (DAF), which make giving charitable donations simple and easy, are quickly gaining popularity, but because nonprofits don’t know the ins and outs, they might not be fully taking advantage of them.

As a nonprofit professional, you likely know the DAF basics, such as how they allow donors to give today and receive a tax deduction now, rather than waiting for tax season. However, what if you could double these gifts through donors’ employers?

To fully answer this question, there are a few key points you need to review:

Typical Eligibility Requirements.
Corporate Examples.
How a Matching Gift Database Can Help.

If you’re ready to boost your nonprofit’s revenue, let’s get started!

10 More Companies with Volunteer Grants Greater Than $15/hour

February 5, 2013/in Lists and Rankings, Volunteer Grant Companies /by Adam Weinger

Volunteer Grants (aka Dollars for Doers) programs are an up and coming form of corporate giving. Unlike matching gift programs, in which corporations match donations from employees, these programs match volunteer effort from employees with corporate donations.

If you haven’t been following Double the Donation’s blog, catch up on part 1 of this topic where we introduced 10 companies which provide grants of at least $15 per volunteer hour.

Due to the positive feedback we received from readers, we’re doing a followup post. So without further ado, here are 10 additional companies which have truly embraced Dollars for Doers programs with generous grants per hour volunteered.

Companies with Volunteer Grants Greater than $15 per hour:

Travelers Company

Travelers offers two types of employee giving programs.

Matching Gifts of Money
Matching Gifts of Time

Through the “Matching Gifts of Money” program, the company doubles donations made by employees to nearly all nonprofits.

Through the “Matching Gifts of Time” program, the company directs a $500 grant to nonprofit organizations when an employee has volunteered for at least 24 hours with the organization ($20 per hour).

View additional details on Travelers Company’s volunteer grant program.

Macy’s

Whereas most companies apply very few restrictions to their volunteer grant programs, Macy’s only provides volunteer grants to educational institutions (including K-12). Through Macy’s “Earnings for Learnings” program, the company provides a $250 grant to schools where employees volunteer for at least 15 hours ($17 per hour).

Macy’s also offers a very generous matching gift program where the company will match each employee’s donations up to $22,500 annually to nearly all nonprofits.

View additional details on Macy’s volunteer grant program.

Kimberly-Clark

While Johnson & Johnson made our 2012 ranking of top corporate employee giving programs, Kimberly-Clark isn’t far behind. The company matches donations to nearly all nonprofits up to $10,000 per employee per year.

The Kimberly-Clark Foundation also recognizes the volunteer efforts of employees and their spouses or domestic partners. The company provides $500 grants to nonprofits where employees / spouses / domestic partners volunteer for at least 30 hours in a year ($17 per hour).

View additional details on Kimberly-Clark’s volunteer grant program.

PNC Financial

Through PNC’s “Grants for Great Hours” volunteer grant program, employees who volunteer for 40+ hours with a nonprofit early education program earn a grant of $1,000 for that organization ($25 per hour).

Additionally, PNC offers a less restrictive matching gift program where the company matches donations dollar for dollar to nearly every nonprofit and school.

View additional details on PNC Financial’s volunteer grant program.

Amgen

The Amgen Foundation supports volunteer efforts by providing grants to organizations where employees volunteer. Once an Amgen employee volunteers for 15 hours in a year with a nonprofit, he or she can request a $500 grant ($33 per hour).

Full time employees are eligible for up to $2,000 annually in grants for their nonprofit while part time staff can earn up to $1,000 in grants annually.

Amgen also matches employee contributions of up to $20,000 per employee annually to nearly all nonprofits.

View additional details on Amgen’s volunteer grant program.

PPG Industries

PPG Industries offers one of the most generous volunteer grant programs. Through PPG’s “Grant Incentives for Volunteerism by PPG Employees & Retirees (GIVE)” program, after an employee or retiree volunteers for 10 hours with a nonprofit organization, he or she can request a $500 grant for the organization ($50 per hour).

As an added bonus, if an individual also serves on the nonprofit’s board of directors; the company will double the grant and award $1,000 to the nonprofit ($100 per volunteer hour).

PPG Industries also matches donations to select organizations.

View additional details on PPG Industries’ volunteer grant program.

Devon Energy

Whereas most companies base their volunteer grants off the annual number of hours volunteered, Devon Energy provides grants for regular volunteering during shorter time periods. The company offers two ways employees can request $250 grants ($20 per hour) for their organization:

Six hours of volunteering per month for two months.
Three hours of volunteering per month for four months.

View additional details on Devon Energy’s volunteer grant program.

Soros Fund Management

Soros was recently recognized on our list of companies with the top employee giving programs. The company provides volunteer grants of $50 per hour up to $4,000 annually.

Additionally, the company is one of the many employers which triple or quadruple employee donations.

View additional details on Soros Fund Management’s volunteer grant program.

Chevron Corporation

Through Chevron’s “Grant for Good” program, the company provides grants as a way to recognize employees and volunteers who volunteer on a regular basis.

After employees volunteer for 20 hours with a single nonprofit, the organization can receive a $500 grant. Each employee or retiree is eligible to obtain two $500 grants per calendar year for either a single nonprofit or two different nonprofits.

Chevron also doubles donations made by employees and retirees through the company’s Humankind Program.

View additional details on Chevron’s volunteer grant program.

Pfizer

Pfizer encourages regular volunteerism among employees and retirees. The company provides $1,000 volunteer grants to organizations where employees volunteer on a regular basis.

After an employee or retiree volunteers for six hours per month for six consecutive months, he or she can submit a request for a $1,000 volunteer grant.

The company also matches donations made by employees and retirees up to $5,000 annually.

View additional details on Pfizer’s volunteer grant program.

Utilizing Resources:

All of these companies have embraced employee giving programs by offering grants above and beyond corporate averages. While the corporations may benefit from increased employee engagement, your nonprofit can also reap rewards.

These Dollar for Doer programs are a chance to double dip. Earn monetary grants along with benefiting from the assistance volunteers can provide. Make sure your nonprofit is encouraging volunteers to log their volunteer hours and submit these grants to their employers.

Tour Double the Donation to see how we help nonprofits raise more money from Dollar for Doer and matching gift programs.

Learn how to use social media to promote matching gifts today.

Social Media: 12 Matching Gift Posts to Schedule Today

January 18, 2013/in Learning Center, Marketing Strategies /by Adam Weinger

Social media – we all use it in one way or another. Whether we’re connecting with friends or catching up on the latest breaking news, social media has become an integral part of the daily routines of many.

But are you maximizing the impact of your social media platforms for your fundraising efforts, specifically in regards to matching gift programs?

Remember: With corporate matching gift programs, your organization is able to collect two donations for the price of soliciting one. Through these programs, employers pledge to match the donations made by their employees to nonprofit organizations such as yours, effectively doubling the impact of the original gift. These programs present a huge opportunity to increase your fundraising revenue,and you want to capitalize on them whenever possible.

Promoting corporate matching gift options using Twitter, Facebook, and the like is a quick, easy and cost-effective way (read: free) to reach your digitally savvy masses.

Social media is incredibly efficient, as you’re able to schedule posts in advance and on a recurring basis. This means you don’t have to remember to continue posting– the networks will do it for you! This paired with the extensive network available to you through these platforms makes social media an opportunity to use to the fullest.

We’re going to examine marketing matching gifts on social media through the following:

Sample Matching Gift Posts for Twitter
Sample Matching Gift Posts for Facebook

However, before you begin posting about matching gifts on social media– which will inevitably bring forth donors interested in the programs– ensure your internal matching gifts processes are comprehensive.

The Best Way to Market Matching Gifts

Once you begin posting about matching gifts on social media, there’s a decent chance you’ll have a few interested donors inquiring about their eligibility. The easiest way to push donors in the right direction and get them started with the matching gift process is by simply directing them to a comprehensive matching gift tool!

For example, Double the Donation’s 360MatchPro is the perfect tool for nonprofits looking to build their matching gifts solicitation processes. Embed this comprehensive, searchable database directly on your donation form and website, and then link to it in your social media posts. Then, when donors see your posts and are interested, they know exactly where to look to search for their own eligibility!

Additionally, this automated matching gifts tool allows for the immediate searching of a donor’s eligibility upon making a donation. Once an eligible donor is identified, the software sends automated marketing communications to inform the donor of matching gift opportunities.

Matching gift software provides you with an easy way to manage the influx of interest generated by social media posting. Now, let’s check out the following 12 sample posts to inspire your Twitter and Facebook-based matching gift marketing.

Sample Matching Gift Posts for Twitter

Because of Twitter’s 280-character limitation, be concise and to-the-point in your communications. Further, include a quick link to your organization’s giving page, website, or dedicated matching gift page so interested donors can access it on-the-fly via tweet

Here are some example matching gift tweets:

1. Did you know your gift can be doubled, tripled & even quadrupled? Your employer might offer matching gift programs.

2. Did you donate to us this year? There’s still time to submit a matching gift request from your employer!

3. It’s February – do you love us? We love you, too! Click here to see if your company will double your donations: <insert URL>

4. Ever wonder if your employer matches donations? Search our database to learn more about your employer at <insert URL>.

5. Last year, we raised $X from corporate matching gift programs – help make 20XX a better year!

6. Did you know that tons of organizations offer matching gift opportunities? Check to see if yours does.

7. It takes just a few minutes to submit corporate employee matching gift forms… have you submitted yours?

Additionally, with retweets, donors can also easily share the word about your organization’s offering. The platform was made with efficiency in mind—so if you want to simply and quickly inform your donors, Twitter is a great place.

However, to educate donors about matching gifts through more in-depth communications, consider using Facebook.

Sample Matching Gift Posts for Facebook

Facebook doesn’t present the challenge of character limitations as Twitter does, but that doesn’t mean you can ramble on. The following examples balance offering more in-depth information with catering to the shorter attention span associated with the internet.

Here are some example matching gift posts for Facebook:

1. We sincerely appreciate all donations to <Your Organization’s Name>! Did you know that your generosity has the potential to be doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled? Check to see if your employer offers a matching gift program!

2. What do Microsoft, Bank of America, IBM, and Verizon all have in common? Each one matches donations made by their employees’ to nonprofit organizations. This means that if you donate, or have donated to <Your Organization’s Name>, and work for one of these four companies, the company will double your donation. Many major employers offer similar programs. Search <insert URL> to find out if your employer offers something like this, as well as to access program guidelines, how-to instructions, and relevant forms.

3. A huge thanks to all of our donors, and a double thanks to those who submit matching fund requests from their employers! Does your employer offer a program like this? Check today!

4. Help us <Your Organization’s Mission>. Ask your employer to match, double, or even triple your donation today! Check out your organization’s matching gift options here: <insert URL>

5. We like to brag that our donors are the best. Not only do they contribute to us, but they also take the extra step to see if their employer offers a matching gift program that may double the total donation to our organization! Have you checked to see if your company offers a matching gift option? Thanks for being a super donor if so! Check here to see if your company has a program like this: <insert URL>

Just as with Twitter, donors can easily share your Facebook posts with their friends and family. It’s a great way to get in front of new donors you might not reach otherwise!

If used correctly, social media can be a valuable resource in marketing matching gift opportunities. For more information on how to use social media to market matching gift programs, check out some additional social media ideas.

To boost your nonprofit's revenue through corporate philanthropy, check out these San Diego matching gift companies.

San Diego Companies with Matching Gift Programs

January 6, 2013/in Lists and Rankings, Matching Gift Companies /by Adam Weinger

In previous articles, we dove into Atlanta matching gift companies and New York matching gift companies, but for this article, we’ll take a look at a west coast market.

California is home to many of the country’s most socially responsible companies. Because of this, California nonprofits are well-positioned to take advantage of matching gift programs.

As the 17th largest metropolitan area in the United States, San Diego is home to many leading companies. Nonprofits in San Diego can benefit from increased revenue by focusing on employee matching gift programs. If your nonprofit is located in the San Diego area, take a look at these major matching gift employers in your area:

Qualcomm
Kaiser Permanente
Sempra Energy
LPL Financial Services
Raytheon (formerly United Technologies Corporation)

Matching gift and volunteer grant programs are widely offered employee benefits. In fact, 65% of Fortune 500 companies match employee donations while 40% offer volunteer grant programs. You don’t want to miss out on these important revenue opportunities.

Ready to get started? Let’s explore a few companies in San Diego which match employee donations!

1. Qualcomm

With approximately 13,000 employees in the San Diego area, Qualcomm is one of the largest employers in the San Diego community.

Even though Qualcomm matches donations made only by full-time employees, its program is still quite generous. Annually, a Qualcomm employee can request donation matches starting at a minimum of $50. If eligible, the company will match the donation at a 1:1 ratio, doubling the employee’s gift.

Qualcomm also provides grants worth $250 whenever an employee volunteers for at least 15 hours. Employees can apply for additional grants for the same or a different charitable organization once they volunteer for another 15 hours.

However, the company has a combined limit for each employee for both their matching gift program and their volunteer grant program. Depending on the employee’s level (e.g. associate, director, etc. ), the limit ranges from $1,000 to $5,000 per year.

Learn more about Qualcomm’s matching gift and volunteer grant programs.

2. Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente employs more than 7,000 individuals in the San Diego metropolitan area.

Its matching gift program varies region-by-region, but fortunately for San Diego employees and nonprofits, they do offer a match program. Every year, Kaiser Permanente offers an employee giving campaign around September or November. The program is open to full-time and part-time employees. However, retirees are not eligible.

During the annual giving campaign, they match employee donations to most nonprofits. Match amounts range from $25 up to $5,000 at a 1:1 ratio.

Learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s matching gift program.

3. Sempra Energy

Sempra Energy employs more than 4,500 individuals in San Diego and serves approximately 3.7 million customers in southern California, making it the largest utility provider in the San Diego area.

The company is a strong supporter of local nonprofits and matches donations to most organizations. Donations eligible for matches range from $25 to $2,500. The program is open to both full-time employees and part-time employees.

Also, Sempra Energy offers two types of volunteer grant programs:

Individual volunteer grants. Employees who volunteer at least 10 hours with a nonprofit or a school may request up to $1,000, depending on the number of hours volunteered.
Season of Giving team volunteer grants. During the holiday season, when teams of employees volunteer together, they can request a Season of Giving grant.

Learn more about Sempra Energy’s matching gift program.

4. LPL Financial Services

LPL Financial offers a matching gift program for its financial advisors. Through LPL Financial’s program, full-time financial advisors can request matches for donations made to most nonprofits. They can request up to $500 in matching gift funds each year.

Outside of its matching gift program, LPL Financial finds additional ways to give back to its community. A few of these philanthropic strategies include:

Mentoring at-risk youth.
Teaching productive job search techniques to unemployed individuals.
The Employee Volunteer Corps that organizes volunteer events.
And many others.

Learn more about LPL Financial’s matching gift program.

5. United Technologies Corporation (UTC) (Now known as Raytheon)

In 2012, Goodrich merged with United Technologies, and as part of the merger process, the two companies combined their employee giving programs. Then more recently United Technologies joined Raytheon through a merger.

UTC used to match employee donations to most nonprofits. Each employee could request up to $10,000 in matching gift funds each year, as long as the request is made within 12 months of the initial donation. Now the program is under Raytheon’s employee giving program.

UTC also offers a volunteer grant program. When employees volunteer a minimum of 60 hours at eligible nonprofits, they can request a $250 donation. Each employee can submit grant requests for up to two nonprofits per year.

Learn more about Raytheon’s matching gift program.

How a Matching Gift Database Can Help

Corporate philanthropy, such as matching gift programs and volunteer grant programs, represent a major revenue opportunity for nonprofits. With a matching gift database like Double the Donation, you won’t overlook much-deserved revenue. Here’s how it works:

Your team embeds the tool across all your fundraising channels (e.g. matching gift pages and donation pages).
A donor or volunteer starts typing their employer’s name.
The tool generates autocomplete suggestions for the user to select.
The donor receives up-to-date info on their employer’s giving program.

Double the Donation works with nonprofits across the country, including San Diego. In the database, there are more than 20,000 companies that represent over 15 million match-eligible employees, making it the industry’s leading matching gift database.

Plus, larger nonprofits can streamline the process even more with 360MatchPro by Double the Donation. It enables email automation and drives matches to completion with live match tracking.

Think your nonprofit could benefit from Double the Donation?

Start a free trial of the leading matching gift database!

While the above companies are major employers in San Diego, there are many other local companies that offer these programs. Pinpointing them takes some research, simplified with a matching gift database.

If you’re a nonprofit, check out this list of the top national companies that offer employee giving programs. Now that you know some of the major employers in your area that offer matching gifts, start boosting your revenue!

Companies with Matching Gift Programs in Tampa, Florida

December 15, 2012/in Learning Center, Matching Gift Companies /by Adam Weinger

Nonprofit Matching Gift Programs

Matching gifts are becoming a favorite way of giving among America’s top companies. Matching gifts are an easy way to double your current donations. Familiarize your organization staff with this list of companies.

Unfortunately, many donors are unaware that their companies have these programs. Often the responsibility falls on nonprofits to inform their donors.

List of Companies in Tampa

Tampa has a dynamic economy that relies on industry, national defense, tourism, and shipping. The city is home to several multinational corporations and Fortune 1000 companies, many of which operate employee giving programs.

Learn about the top companies in Tampa, Fl with matching gift programs. Use this list to help your organization optimize its fundraising efforts.

Honeywell

Honeywell does not currently offer matching gift programs, but it does offer an employee volunteer grant program. Volunteers can earn up to $500 for a nonprofit by volunteering 50 hours.

Read more about the Honeywell employee volunteer grants.

Humana

Humana will match up to $1,000 for each of its employees who donate to eligible causes. The company also offers an interesting incentive for volunteers.

Read more about Humana’s employee giving programs.

Publix

Publix will match donations made between $25 and $5,000 per employee. Part-time workers and retirees are eligible.

Read more about the Publix matching gift program.

USAA

USAA will match gifts made between $25 and $500. They match on a 1:1 ratio. See if your organization is eligible.

Read more about the USAA matching gift program.

Interested in learning how Double the Donation increases nonprofit fundraising with employee matching gifts?