We at Double the Donation track companies that offer employee matching gift programs in order to help raise money for our non-profit partners. Corporate gift matching is a popular form of giving among corporations in the U.S. and Canada, but can sometimes be a complex process. We’re often asked about one large company in particular, Citigroup. So we decided to clear up the confusion around the company’s corporate giving programs and current philanthropy work with this post.

Citigroup’s (Citibank) Corporate Giving

Citigroup is one of the world’s largest financial services companies. Citibank, possibly the most recognized business of Citigroup, has over 4,600 branch locations and thousands of employees.

Through the Citi Foundation, the company donates tens of millions of dollars annually to focus areas such as financial capability, microfinance, and enterprise development.

The Citi Foundation introduced Citigroup’s More than Philanthropy approach to economic empowerment. This foundation puts the strength of Citi’s business resources and people to work to enhance their philanthropic investments and help improve communities. For instance, the Citi Foundation recently sponsored a competition recognizing the best case studies about business strategies for alleviating poverty from 50 universities around the world. The end goal was to help further strategies to promote economic growth in developing countries.

With just under 260,000 employees, Citigroup has a considerable volunteer pool. Through its formalized volunteer programs, Citigroup aids its employees in reaching their volunteer goals. In total, in 2010 Citi volunteers logged 608,953 hour of service in their local communities. The company also encourages employees to take a paid day off work each calendar year to volunteer for an eligible organization of their choice.

Citigroup’s Matching Gift Program:

While Citigroup donates millions of dollars to nonprofits annually, unfortunately in May of 2009, the Citi Foundation suspended its corporate matching gift and volunteer incentive programs.

Especially in the financial services sector, matching gift programs are one of the most common forms of corporate giving. Nearly every major bank, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, offers generous employee matching programs. As companies such as Citibank continue to recover from the financial crisis of 2008, we anticipate they’ll re-implement initiatives such as their employee gift matching programs.

Another possible employee giving program that companies continue to implement are volunteer grant programs. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Citigroup continue strengthening its commitment to strategic philanthropy by implementing a grant program for volunteers.

By offering a matching gift or volunteer grant program, companies like Citibank can provide further financial support to nonprofit organizations which employees care about the most.

Over the past few months we published multiple lists of companies which provide volunteer grants of more than $15 per hour. You can review our previous posts at

HCR Manor

HCR ManorCare offers both an employee matching gift and volunteer grant program. After an employee volunteer for 20 hours, he or she can request a volunteer grant of $500 for the organization.

View additional details on HCR ManorCare’s volunteer grant program.

Campbell Soup Company

The Campbell Soup Company provides volunteer grants worth $20 per hour. For every 25 hours which an employee volunteers, the company will provide a $500 grant. Employees can apply for multiple grants each year.

The Campbell Soup Company also matches employee donations to educational institutions.

View additional details on Campbell Soup’s volunteer grant program.

AMD

AMD offers multiple types of volunteer grants.

Through the company’s Grant Incentives for Volunteer Efforts (GIVE) program, the company provides volunteer grants of $15 per hour up to $3,000 annually. The program is open to U.S. and Canadian employees as well as their spouses.

AMD also offers Team Development Grants. When teams of five or more AMD employees volunteer together, they can apply for an additional $500 grant. Click here to learn about similar companies which offer team volunteer grants.

AMD also matches donations made to most nonprofits so the impact of employee contributions is doubled.

View additional details on AMD’s volunteer grant program.

Levi Strauss

Levi Strauss provides volunteer grants of $20 per hour. Employees are required to volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours before they can request a volunteer grant. Above 10 hours, there are the following tiers multiple tiers:

10 hours = $200 grant (minimum)
20 hours = $400 grant
40 hours = $800 grant
80 hours = $1200 grant
100 hours = $1600 grant
120 hours = $2000 grant
140 hours = $2400 grant (maximum)

Levi Strauss also matches donations to almost all nonprofit organizations.

View additional details on Levi Strauss’s volunteer grant program.

Peabody Energy Corporation

Peabody Energy not only matches employee donations to nearly all nonprofits dollar for dollar, but the company also provides volunteer grants worth $25 per hour up to $1,000 per employee annually. There are four thresholds which employees can meet:

10 hours =  $250 grant
20 hours = $500 grant
30 hours = $750 grant
40 hours = $1000 grant

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

Symantec

Through Symantec’s Dollars for Doers program, Symantec encourages employees to volunteer on a regular basis by offering grants of $15 per volunteer hour. Symantec provides up to $1,000 in volunteer grants per employee each year.

Additionally, the company also matches donations up to $1,000 per employee each year.

View additional details on Symantec’s volunteer grant program.

Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)

Hospital Corporation of America offers multiple types of volunteer grants for employees who volunteer in their communities.

1. Through HCA’s Dollars for Board Service, HCA provides $500 grants when an employee serves on a nonprofit’s board.
2. Through HCA’s Dollars for Doers program, HCA awards $500 grants to nonprofits when an employee volunteers for at least 25 hours.
3. Through the Team HCA Project, the company is willing to provide up to $500 in funding for materials when a group of HCA employees volunteer together with a nonprofit.

View additional details on HCA’s volunteer grant program.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters provides grants to nonprofits where employees volunteer for at least 20 hours in a year. There are two thresholds:

1. 20-39 hours = $500 grant for the nonprofit
2. 40+ hours = $1,000 grant for the nonprofit

Additionally, Thomson Reuters matches employee gifts to nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio.

View additional details on Thomson Reuters’ volunteer grant program.

FBR Capital

FBR’s Giving Incentives for Volunteer Efforts (GIVE) Program provides FBR Capital with an opportunity to show its support for the volunteer activities of its employees. For every hour that an employee volunteers at a non-profit organization, FBR will donate $20 to that organization up to 50 hours or $1,000 per year.

FBR Capital also matches employee donations up to $1,000 annually at a dollar for dollar ratio. Any donations above $1,000 are eligible for the company’s incentive match program where the company provides a 10% match.

View additional details on FBR Capital’s volunteer grant program.

SAP

SAP supplements the contributions of SAP employees who volunteer their time to
nonprofit organizations with monetary grants. The grant per hour varies based upon the role the employee plays. The three levels are:

• Level 1: If you serve on a nonprofit board, your time is matched with a $20 grant per hour.
• Level 2: If you provide hands-on volunteer service, your time is matched with a $40 grant per hour volunteered.
• Level 3: If you provide emergency services, your time is matched with a  $60 grant per volunteer hour.

In addition to the volunteer grants, through SAP’s Dollars for Dollars (SAP$4$) Program, the company matches employee donations to nearly every nonprofit.

There is a $10,000 combined limit for both SAP’s Dollars for Dollars and Dollars for Doers programs.

View additional details on SAP’s volunteer grant program.

John Wiley & Sons

Employees at John Wiley & Sons are eligible to request volunteer grants of up to $500 annually. There are two different levels of volunteer grants.

• 12-30 hours = $250 grants
• 30+ hours  = $500 grants

View additional details on John Wiley & Sons’ volunteer grant program.

Additional Resources on Volunteer Grant Programs:

We encourage you to take a tour of Double the Donation’s service.

Types of Corporate Giving Programs

It’s widely accepted that around the new year, people tend to be in a giving mood. Whether donations are monetary or volunteer and service hours is up to each individual. Regardless, many companies nationwide offer corporate giving programs, allowing nonprofit organizations like yours to capitalize on each and every donation, especially important this time of year!

Let’s take a quick second to define the term Corporate Giving Programs. Corporate giving programs are charitable programs set up by corporations in which the company matches donations (time, money, expertise, equipment, etc.) made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations. Here are some of the top giving programs utilized by corporations nationwide.

Matching Gift Programs:

Many companies match monetary donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations. In fact, over 65% of Fortune 500 companies utilize this type of giving strategy. To put this in perspective, in 2011 alone, companies gave $14.5 billion in charitable contributions, according to “Giving USA’s 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy for 2011.”

Most companies with this type of program do a 1:1 match ($50 by a donor will yield a $50 match by the donor’s employer), but there are many companies who triple or even quadruple donations.

How do these programs work?

• Individuals donate.
• Nonprofits notify eligible donors. (“Did you know that your employee has a matching gift program?”)
• Donors submit matching gift requests to their employers.
• Nonprofits validate grant requests.
• Corporations cut checks.

Here are just three of the many companies that participate in matching gift programs:

ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil matches donations to educational institutions and to arts and cultural organizations between $20 and $5,000. The program is open to current employees, spouses, retirees, and surviving spouses.

Click here to learn more about ExxonMobil’s matching gift program.

The Home Depot Company

Home Depot matches donations to most nonprofit organizations between $25 and $3,000. The program is open to all full-time and part-time Home Depot employees.

Click here for additional details on Home Depot’s matching gift program.

The Walt Disney Corporation

Disney matches donations to most nonprofit organizations between $25 and $15,000! All Disney employees including those who work at ABC, ESPN, and any of Disney’s other subsidiaries can participate.

Click here for additional details on Disney’s matching gift program.

Want to learn about other companies? Check out Double the Donation’s comprehensive list of companies both nationwide and locally that offer matching gift programs.

Have more questions on matching gift programs? Read some commonly asked questions here.

Volunteer Grant Programs:

Maybe individuals don’t have the capacity to make a monetary donation to their favorite nonprofit organization, but maybe they’ve been volunteering for a couple hours per week here and there. This time adds up, and that’s where volunteer grant programs come in!

Many companies offer “Dollars for Doers” opportunities in which money is provided to eligible nonprofit organizations as a way to recognize employees who volunteer (and 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer these programs!) Some companies require as few as 10 hours of volunteer work to make a monetary contribution.

Here are a few companies who provide volunteer grant programs (also just randomly chosen from the many companies who offer this!):

Bank of America

After 50 hours of volunteer work, Bank of America will make a $250 contribution to eligible nonprofits. After 100 hours, they’ll make a $500 gift. And not only that, but Bank of America’s Dollars for Doers program is open to all employees and retirees.

Click here for additional information on Bank of America’s Volunteer Grant Program.

Dell

For every 10 hours that Dell employees volunteer, they’re eligible to allocate a $150 donation towards any 501(c)3 organization that is registered at www.yourcause.com.

Click here for additional information on Dell’s Volunteer Grant Program.

Verizon

Through Verizon’s Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP), an employee who volunteers for 50 hours can request a volunteer grant of $750 to that organization.

Click here for additional information on Verizon’s Volunteer Grant Program.

Additional Information On Volunteer Grant Programs

Want to view a few other companies with Dollar for Doer programs? Check out Double the Donation’s list of national and local companies with volunteer grant programs.

Do you have more questions on volunteer grant programs? Check out some commonly asked questions about volunteer grant programs here.

Other Corporate Giving Programs:

Some corporations offer other benefits to nonprofit organizations, like time, expertise, and even equipment donations or services.

Take a company like Microsoft.  Not only do they offer matching gift and volunteer grant programs, but they also have the resources to help your nonprofit through software donations and training.

Did you know that Microsoft provides software donations to more than 40,000 organizations every year. Your nonprofit could be a benefactor of this!

Check out their employee giving programs via Double the Donation here.

Utilizing Matching Gift Programs

Do you work at a nonprofit? If so, take a look at Double the Donation’s matching gift service.

We work with nonprofits across the country to help them increase fundraising from employee matching gift and volunteer grant programs. For many nonprofits, it can be a challenge to track where employees work and communicate out matching gift information to donors.

Let Double the Donation do the hard work of maintaining accurate records of companies which offer employee giving programs. Set up a custom website today which your nonprofit can use to raise more money from employee giving programs.

Learn more about Double the Donation’s matching gift service.

With over 65% of Fortune 500 companies offering matching gift programs, they’re one of the most popular forms of corporate giving. At Double the Donation, we work with nonprofits to help raise more money from this form of corporate giving. Since we’re often asked about matching gift programs at Lowe’s, Comcast, and Amazon.com we decided to highlight the current status of their employee giving programs.

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

With 1,600 locations, $50 billion in revenue, and 161,000 employees, Lowe’s is one of the largest employers in Canada and the U.S. The company has a long history of giving back to communities through its annual employee giving campaign and Lowe’s Heroes Program.

In past years, Lowe’s has run an employee giving campaign to provide employees with an easy way to donate to select nonprofits. In addition, the company provided a 50% match on donations to the handful of preselected nonprofits.

Through the Lowe’s Heroes Program, the company encourages employees to team together, adopt a volunteer project with a local nonprofit organization or K-12 public school, and make a difference. Lowe’s provides financial support to these organizations by providing materials for groups of employees to use.

Given Lowe’s pre-existing employee giving programs, it would be fairly easy to implement a more comprehensive employee giving program to make an even larger difference in local communities. The impact of matching donations from Lowe’s employees would be magnified in communities such as North Carolina (U.S. headquarters) and Toronto (Canada headquarters).

Home Depot’s match program could serve as a model for Lowe’s. While Home Depot matches employee donations to nearly all nonprofits, the Lowe’s Foundation could focus its efforts on K-12 public education and community improvement (Lowe’s primary philanthropic focus centers). A matching gift program could easily be modeled after Home Depot’s program, or could be focused exclusively on the categories which the Lowe’s Foundation already supports.

Comcast

Since 1999, the Comcast Foundation has contributed $122 million to nonprofits in communities which the company serves and the rate of donations only continues to increase. In 2011, the Comcast Foundation provided $15.5 million in grants to more than 920 organizations. Additionally Comcast Cares Day is the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort! If you’re a company with a similar “day of service,” make sure to read Chris Jarvis’ article on Comcast’s Cares Day where he had the opportunity to speak with Charisse Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment and Executive Vice President of the Comcast Foundation  (it’s a little old, but still extremely relevant).

While Comcast doesn’t currently offer an employee matching gift program, many of its peer companies offer programs. For instance, Verizon matches employee donations to nearly all nonprofits (max $5,000 for educational institutions and $1,000 annually to all other nonprofits) while AT&T offers a slightly more restricted program but matches up to $15,000 annually per employee. Given the number of similar companies with match programs, Comcast is high on our list of companies which may offer a matching gift program in the future.

There would be challenges with determining whether to offer the same matching gift program for NBCUniversal legacy employees, but enabling grant making decisions to be made by front line employees would benefit the company as well as local communities.

Amazon.com

As the leading ecommerce website, we’d love to see Amazon join the ranks of other tech companies who’ve started matching gift programs in recent years. There are a number of ecommerce / tech companies with new corporate giving programs which could serve as a model for Amazon.

For instance, eBay matches employee donations up to $500 annually as well as provides grants when eBay employees volunteer. LinkedIn, an even newer company, created a matching gift program in 2012 where the company matches up to $1,000 annually per employee.

As Amazon.com continues to grow and mature as a company, we expect there to be an increase in overall philanthropy at Amazon. We encourage the company to institute a matching gift program as a way to enable Amazon.com employees to have a greater say in where corporate giving dollars are allocated.

Many struggling families today think that giving to charity is out of the question during today’s economic hardships. Luckily, many big name employers are making it easy to make a difference in your community. Sometimes, you can get money for a charity of your choice without contributing any money of your own.

They’re called matching gift programs, and more and more companies are offering them. Companies you may work for like Walmart, Home Depot, LinkedIn, and many more.

And these companies that have giving programs are making a huge difference in the world. Microsoft helped contribute more than $1 billion over the course of 20 years. Google is funding technology that is making water cleaner in the developing world. Home Depot pledged $30 million to veterans housing initiatives.

Corporate matching is usually a part of a larger corporate philanthropy program. Home Depot offers grants of up to $5,000 dollars to nonprofits that use the power of volunteers. And Home Depot is encouraging its own employees to contribute to. Through Team Depot, Home Depot employees are making a huge difference:

In 2012, Team Depot completed more than 1,200 projects across the country; 550 of those were focused specifically on veterans. From building wheelchair ramps for disabled veterans and refurbishing a wounded warrior’s home to planting community gardens and painting local schools, our associates work with local nonprofit organizations to improve the homes and lives of thousands of deserving families.And aside from donating $500,000 annually to American Red Cross’ Annual Disaster Giving Program, Home Depot is known for mobilizing its employees and resources when disaster strikes.

Or take the example of Microsoft:

At Microsoft, giving is ingrained in our culture, a cornerstone of our citizenship and as our employees will tell you, one of the most rewarding — not to mention fun — aspects of our jobs.

When our giving program began in 1983, approximately 200 Microsoft employees raised $17,000 for nonprofits. Today, more than 35,000 employees participate in the campaign, which is approximately 65% of Microsoft’s total U.S. workforce.

Now we’ve reached a milestone that really has us shouting for joy: our 30th Employee Giving Campaign, and $1 billion in employee contributions to more than 31,000 nonprofits around the world since 1983.

How do they work?

You may think that 25 or 50 dollars won’t go a long way to make a difference. But there is a good chance your employer will match your $25 dollar donation with a $25 or even $50 donation.

And if you can’t part with any of your money, you can raise money for charity by volunteering with a nonprofit. Different employers offer different rates, but many companies will donate over $15 an hour to a nonprofit for every hour you volunteer with them.

The lesson is that you don’t need to be Bill Gates to make a difference. Thousands of companies worldwide are giving employees the opportunity to make a big difference on a small budget.

If you’d like to learn more about matching gift program, check out Double the Donation’s blog.

Ever wonder how Double the Donation obtains accurate and up-to-date matching gift information on employers across the world?

In a previous article, we discussed ways which Double the Donation obtains matching gift forms and guidelines. While our primary methods involve reaching out directly to community relations departments, we also monitor news stories and press releases for key terms that identify new corporate match programs starting up.

Here’s an example of how we identified that Bauer Built created an employee matching gift program.

Recent Example: Bauer Built Announced the Creation of an Employee Matching Gift Program on January 24th, 2013

About Bauer Built

Bauer Built is a 500 person company based out of Wisconsin. The company consists of three primary business segments (tires, petroleum products, and an administrative division.)

The company operates a number of facilities including 30 tire centers, 7 retread manufacturing plants, 3 rim and wheel reconditioning plants, and 11 wholesale distribution centers. Bauer Built also operates a transportation department, a vehicle maintenance department, and one car wash.

Bauer Built’s Matching Gift Press Release

On January 24th, 2013, Bauer Built issued the following press release:

Bauer Built Inc. is offering its employees a matching gift program to encourage and support their charitable activities and to spread the company’s own charitable activities throughout the markets it serves.

Bauer Built will match the contributions of employees to non-profit organizations and institutions that the Internal Revenue Service recognizes as tax deductible, the company said, and that are located in the geographic area of the employee’s residence or the company facility at which the employee works.

The program will match financial contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $250 per employee per calendar year to one or more charitable organizations, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

Participating employees must be employed in a full- or part-time position with the company for a minimum of one year. Each qualifying financial gift must be a minimum of $25, the company said.

How Double the Donation Utilizes the Corporate Match Information

At Double the Donation, our nonprofit clients rely on us to provide accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information on corporations with matching gift programs. Whenever we hear about a company that isn’t in our database of matching gift companies, we attempt to research the company further.

In this case, Bauer Built’s press release provided much of the essential information including:

• Employee eligibility
• Min and max amounts
• Eligible nonprofits
• And much more

In many cases we’re able to obtain a copy of the actual match form, thus making the process as easy as possible for donors who work at the company. Once the company is added to our database, the information automatically flows through to all our nonprofit clients’ matching gift pages.

Are you a nonprofit looking to raise more money from employee matching gift programs? If so, learn more about what we do.

Each year, corporations donate about $15 billion to nonprofits, with much of that coming through corporate employee matching gift programs. At Double the Donation, we maintain a database of matching gift companies to help nonprofits raise more money from these corporate giving programs.

Double the Donation’s Database of Matching Gift Companies

We’ve designed our matching gift database to make it easy for your donors to submit match requests to their employers. Most database entries include company specific information such as:

• Minimum and maximum match amounts
• Employee eligibility
• Matching gift guidelines and forms
• Company specific match instructions

View samples of Adobe’s, Goldman Sachs’, and Black & Decker’s matching gift programs.

Want to learn more?

Read about the standard elements of each company’s matching gift program which we include in our database.

Why do Organizations Rely on Double the Donation’s Matching Gift Database?

Raising money from matching gift programs isn’t easy. Organizations need to maintain accurate company records and find a way to communicate out this information. Combine those with the fact that the matching gift process must be initiated by donors, rather than a member of your team, and it’s no surprise that many organizations don’t focus on matching gift revenue.

At Double the Donation, we’ve centralized the entire process for organizations. Rather than each organization dedicating weeks (or months) to researching and building a database of companies with match programs, and then designing a system to communicate out this information, you can leverage Double the Donation’s service. It’s like having your own internal matching gift program coordinator for your nonprofit, but for a fraction of the cost.

Want to learn more?

Take a tour of Double the Donation’s service or view our pricing.

How does Double the Donation Maintain the Matching Gift Company Database?

Providing accurate and up-to-date matching gift information is at the core of Double the Donation’s service. We know our nonprofit clients rely on our service to raise more money from employee matching gift programs. In order to ensure up-to-date company specific records, we rely on a number of sources including:

• Community relations departments
• HR departments
• Matching gift program administrators
• Online research
• And more

Want to learn more?

Read about how Double the Donation obtains matching gift forms and guidelines, as well as our process for ensuring our database includes accurate matching gift information. 

Years ago, all companies required employees to submit match requests using paper forms. While they’re still offered at some companies, more and more companies continue to transition to electronic matching gift forms. This article is dedicated to outlining the different components of both paper and electronic match forms.

Paper Matching Gift Forms

Common Components of Paper Match Forms

Guidelines

At Double the Donation, we provide a summary of each company’s matching gift program to make it easy for donors to go through the process. Of course, companies have far more detailed guidelines with all sorts of fine print detailing how the program works.

Donor Section

This is where the company asks employees to provide details on the original donation. This typically includes:

• Employee identification numbers
• Personal information such as a mailing address and phone number
• Details on the organization receiving the donation (Name, address, etc.)
• Amount of the donation

Nonprofit Section

This is where the nonprofit verifies that the employee actually made the donation.

View an example by taking a look at Norfolk Southern’s matching gift program.

Typical Steps for Donors Submitting a Paper Match Form

Employees at corporations with paper match forms go through the following steps to submit their match requests:

1. Make a donation
2. Determine if their company matches employee donations
3. Locate and submit the appropriate matching gift form

We encourage you to explore Double the Donation’s service to see how we help donors determine their matching gift eligibility and make it easy for them to submit match requests.

Electronic Matching Gift Forms

It’s the 21st century so it makes sense that many companies have transitioned to electronic forms. Doing so not only reduces their costs in the long-run, but also makes it’s easier for employees to submit match requests instantly from anywhere.

Common Components of Paper Match Forms

Employee Sign In / Registration

Employees usually use their standard username and password to access the company’s electronic matching gift submission form. Sometimes retirees must register in order to use the system. This is often done through a third party company such as the JK-Group, Amerigives, or Causecast.

Employee Submission

Employees go through the process of registering their match requests. This typically includes:

1. Finding the nonprofit organization from the list of IRS 501(c)(3) organizations
2. Providing information about their previous donation such as the amount and date of the donation
3. Submitting their matching gift requests.

Nonprofit Verification

While the most challenging part of receiving matching gift funds is getting donors to initiate the matching gift process, don’t forget that your nonprofit also has a role to play.

After the employee registers the matching gift request, the nonprofit is normally notified by mail that an employee requested a match. At this point, the nonprofit must log into the company’s online verification system to confirm that the employee actually made a donation to the organization. Nonprofits may also be asked to send a letter verifying their 501(c)(3) status.

Examples of Companies Utilizing Electronic Matching Gift Forms

Wondering exactly what the matching gift process is like for your organization’s donors? Here are two articles which also include detailed screenshots:

Home Depot’s Matching Gift Process

Like Kimberly-Clark, Nestle, and many other major corporations, Home Depot leverages Amerigives’ matching gift platform.

See a demo of Home Depot’s process >

Capital One Matching Gift Process

Like Boeing, Texas Instruments, and many other companies, Capital One employees utilize CyberGrants’ matching gift platform. Employees go through the process which is integrated into Capital One’s intranet.

See a demo of Capital One’s process >

While volunteer grants represent a small percentage of overall fundraising for nonprofits, they shouldn’t be overlooked. These Dollar for Doer programs represent sources of free money that your volunteers can earn on your organization’s behalf.

Let’s take a look at two small nonprofits which are recent recipients of corporate volunteer grants.

Baxter’s Dollars for Doers Program Awards $500 to Crossroads House

Crossroads House recently announced that it received a $500 grant from Baxter on behalf of the volunteer efforts of Cindy Lowder, a Baxter employee.

Crossroads House is a comfort care home for those who have a terminal illness and have been medically determined to be in the last three months of life. As a small nonprofit, the grant helps with the nonprofit’s day to day operating expenses.

Baxter’s Employee Giving Programs

Baxter International offers both a matching gift and volunteer grant program.

Through the company’s Dollars for Doers program, employees can earn grants ranging from $100-$500 annually for nonprofits where they volunteer regularly.

Through Baxter’s matching gift program, the company matches employee donations to many types of nonprofits including educational institutions and k-12 schools, healthcare related organizations, arts & cultural organizations, and many other nonprofits.

The Guang Hua Chinese School receives $4,200 through corporate volunteer grant programs

The Guang Hua Chinese School (GHCS) is a nonprofit organization based in Pennsylvania that aims to teach Chinese (Mandarin) to both children and adults whose mother languages are not Chinese. The schools’ mission is centered around helping students explore Chinese language, culture, and heritage through classroom instructions, cultural programs, and special events.

The school recently announced that it received $4,200 from corporate dollar for doer programs at companies such as United Health Group and Merck. The funding is a direct result of parents who not only volunteered regularly with the school, but also took the time to submit volunteer grant requests to their employers.

Employee Giving Programs at Merck and United Health Group

Merck

Merck matches donations from employees as well as provides grants to nonprofits where employees volunteer regularly. Through the company’s match program, the company doubles donations from employees or retirees up to $30,000 annually.

Through the company’s “Touched by an Angel” program, Merck offers grants of up to $1,000 to nonprofits where employees volunteer. The specific amount varies depending upon the number of hours volunteered.

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

UnitedHealth Group

The UnitedHealth Group also offers both matching gifts and volunteer grants as a way to give back to nonprofits which employees care about.

UnitedHealth matches employee donations to nearly all 501(c)(3) organizations and provides grants of $200 to nonprofits where employees volunteer at least 30 hours in a year.

Learn more about United Health Group’s matching gift and volunteer grant programs

Have you noticed the ongoing shift from paper matching gift forms to electronic matching gift forms over the past few years? Is your corporation considering making the switch in the near future?

If so, here are seven reasons to better understand why the trend is occurring:

7 Reasons Companies Switch to Electronic Match Forms:

1. Employees like it – They can quickly submit and track the status of their match requests
2. Corporations have instant tracking and reporting capabilities
3. Going paperless shows your company is committed to saving the environment
4. Removing the manual data entry by matching gift staff reduces the errors and complications that result from re-entering information into an internal system
5. Easy to pull historical records
6. More employees have internet access at home than have printers
7. It’s less expensive for all parties involved

Curious what the electronic matching gift process is like for donors? View examples of Home Depot’s and Capital One’s electronic submission process.

Matching Gift Vendors for Corporations:

Is your company considering making the switch to an electronic matching gift system?

Here are three vendors which provide everything a company needs to outsource the matching gift administration process and leverage existing third-party technology:

AmeriGives

AmeriGives manages matching gift programs for many major corporations including Home Depot, PPG, and Kimberly-Clark.

The company is recognized for providing outstanding customer support to both corporations and the nonprofits receiving matching gifts.

JK-Group

The JK-Group is the largest administrator of matching gift programs. The company (also known as EasyMatch) manages employee giving programs for Apple, Intel, and American Express as well as many other companies.

Causecast

Causecast is one of the newer, but most innovative players in the space.

Causecast’s Community Impact Platform is designed to automate, and encourage Employee Engagement through corporate giving and volunteering programs. The CIP platform both enables employees to participate with approved causes, all while giving administrators tools for campaign creation, and detailed custom reporting.

About Double the Donation

At Double the Donation, we work with nonprofits to help them raise awareness and make it easy for organizations’ existing donors to submit match requests.

Take a tour of our service to see if it can benefit your organization.