This blog post will explore some different types of corporate philanthropy.

14 Types of Corporate Philanthropy You Should Know About

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Did you know that corporations give an average of $20-$26 billion to nonprofit causes each year?

More than ever before, companies are committed to giving back to their communities and improving the welfare of others—they’re embracing corporate philanthropy.

But what exactly does corporate philanthropy look like when it’s put into action? We’ve put together this guide to explore different types of corporate philanthropy you should know about and how you can embrace them, whether you’re a company looking to start your own program or a nonprofit strategizing to increase giving to your cause. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Corporate philanthropy holds the potential to benefit both companies and nonprofits. In order to get the most out of these programs, it’s important to gain an understanding of the different forms they can take and how they work. Let’s get started.

Click through to get a demo of 360MatchPro and start leveraging matching gifts as a type of corporate philanthropy.

Corporate Philanthropy: A Quick Overview

First, let’s create a strong foundation for understanding the different types of corporate philanthropy by covering some basics.

What is corporate philanthropy?

This image and the text below define corporate philanthropy.

Corporate philanthropy is a term that refers to the ways in which a company gives back to its community or promotes the welfare of others. Most commonly, corporations donate money or time to nonprofits to accomplish these goals. However, each company’s program will look a little different, as they’re often built around the company’s unique values and the needs of the community it aims to serve. 

As you research corporate philanthropy, you’ll likely come across the term corporate social responsibility (CSR). Though related, CSR should not be confused with corporate philanthropy. CSR refers to the general attitude a company takes toward society and the role it plays in it. You can think of corporate philanthropy as a specific way that companies put their CSR into action.

Eye-Opening Corporate Philanthropy Statistics

Corporate philanthropy may sound good in theory, but you’re probably wondering if corporate philanthropy is successful in the real world. Let’s take a look at the numbers:

The Prevalence of Corporate Philanthropy Programs

The Effects on Nonprofits

The Effects on Companies

Clearly, companies that are leaning into corporate philanthropy are making a difference in their communities and even strengthening their workplaces. But wait—there are even more benefits!

The Benefits of Embracing Corporate Philanthropy

Corporate philanthropy is a win-win-win for the companies that embrace it, the employees who participate in it, and the nonprofits that are able to move their missions forward because of it.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits each party experiences when they participate in corporate philanthropy.

This image and the text below list some benefits of the different types of corporate philanthropy for different groups.

Benefits for Companies

  • Strengthened reputation and brand image. A company that demonstrates a commitment to making the world a better place is often perceived as a more appealing company to work for and buy from.
  • Boosted employee engagement. When employees are empowered to give back through their employers’ corporate philanthropy initiatives, they have more pride in their jobs and are more motivated to be high achievers.
  • Better connections with stakeholders. The investors, suppliers, and other groups who support a company’s operations want to see their partners making a positive difference in society. Stakeholders may even want to get involved in a company’s philanthropic work.
  • Tax benefits. Depending on the area in which a company operates, it may be eligible for tax deductions up to a certain amount if it engages in corporate philanthropy initiatives like matching gifts.

Benefits for Employees

  • Sense of purpose beyond daily tasks. When charitable work or giving is woven into employees’ working lives, they have a stronger sense of purpose and a more expansive view of their work. They can see the connections between what they do every day and what their company does to improve others’ lives.
  • Heightened camaraderie between employees. Philanthropic programs that encourage employees to volunteer or serve together enable people to get to know their coworkers outside of the day-to-day at the office. Employees can bond over shared values and experiences, which can help build friendships and improve how employees collaborate.
  • Enhanced skills. Some corporate philanthropy initiatives provide opportunities for employees to use their professional skillsets or to develop new skills. For example, an expert computer programmer might find it fulfilling to use their knowledge to tutor at-risk youth in coding. Or, an employee may enjoy the chance to do something they don’t do every day, like walking shelter dogs.
  • Improved health. Research shows that people who give back are healthier and happier. According to the Cleveland Clinic, philanthropic giving can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, boost self-esteem, help combat depression, and even extend the lifespan.

Benefits for Nonprofits

  • Amplified support. Any increase in support, whether it’s funding or volunteer time, is the obvious benefit nonprofits experience from corporate philanthropy. But its importance can’t be overstated. Nonprofits translate companies’ support into tangible results for their beneficiaries. More funding and time may also empower a nonprofit to drive new projects forward instead of staying in maintenance mode.
  • Increased visibility and awareness. Because companies often promote their philanthropic work, the nonprofits they partner with get more exposure while the causes they champion get more awareness and attention.
  • Access to new audiences. A corporate donor or volunteer may very well turn into a lifelong supporter. Tapping into a company’s philanthropic initiatives opens nonprofits up to entirely new communities of potential supporters and, better yet, gives them the chance to start building relationships with those potential supporters.
  • Access to skilled volunteers. When a company partners with a nonprofit to help drive its mission forward, the nonprofit has access to a whole new group of volunteers with diverse skills. Those skills might include customer service, landscaping, graphic design, or more!

Corporate Philanthropy Challenges To Be Aware Of

While companies, employees, and nonprofits can experience countless benefits from corporate philanthropy initiatives, there are also challenges that come with these programs.

For instance, the initial setup of a corporate philanthropy program can divert resources from a company’s business activities and require careful and consistent monitoring of employee engagement in the program. Or, a nonprofit may face difficult questions from its supporters regarding how it allocates funds from its corporate partner.

Whether your organization is a company or a nonprofit, be aware that you will face challenges as you work to lean into corporate philanthropy. However, don’t let the challenges you face deter you from getting involved with corporate philanthropy programs. With careful planning, open communication, and a commitment to making a positive difference in the community, nonprofits and their corporate partners can overcome the challenges of corporate philanthropy and share in the benefits.

14 Types of Corporate Philanthropy To Know

Now that you know what corporate philanthropy is and why it’s important for companies, employees, and nonprofits, you’re likely ready to start participating. Knowing what to look for in a corporate partner or what your company’s program can offer will be critical to your success. So, let’s explore 14 types of corporate philanthropy you should know!

This image and the text below list some different types of corporate philanthropy.

1. Matching Gifts

The most popular type of corporate philanthropy program that companies offer is matching gifts.

Through these programs, companies financially match the donations their employees make to charitable organizations, usually organizations deemed eligible by the company beforehand (e.g., educational institutions or youth-focused nonprofits).

The company will typically donate the same amount of money to the nonprofit, effectively doubling the donor’s gift. Sometimes the company will donate double or even triple the amount of the initial donation.

The beauty of a matching gift program is that it allows a donor to boost their donation’s impact without reaching back into their wallet!

Here’s how the process works:

This image and the text below describe how a popular form of corporate philanthropy, matching gifts, works.

  1. An individual donates to a nonprofit of their choice.
  2. The employee checks their corporate matching gift eligibility using a database search tool on the nonprofit’s website.
  3. Once the donor knows their donation is eligible for matching, they fill out any necessary online forms provided by the database tool.
  4. After the donor’s company reviews the forms, it follows up with the nonprofit to confirm the donation.
  5. Then, the company sends the nonprofit a donation!

This process is made even easier when a donor uses a CSR platform that offers auto-submission (more on this below). Instead of filling out multiple forms, all they have to do is provide their corporate email address. The rest is taken care of for them!

Each company’s matching gift program will look a little different, depending on the nonprofits they deem eligible for gift matching, the types of employees they deem eligible for the program (e.g., full-time, part-time, retired), the ratio at which they match gifts, the minimum and maximum gift amounts they will match, and the submission deadlines for the program.

If this type of corporate philanthropy sounds too good to pass up, learn more about matching gifts with these resources!

For Companies: How to Start a Matching Gift Program

For Nonprofits: Get to Know the Basics of Corporate Matching Gift Programs

2. Volunteer Grants

Sometimes referred to as Dollars for Doers, volunteer grants are another incredibly popular type of corporate philanthropy.

Through these programs, employers match the hours their employees have volunteered with a nonprofit with a donation to that nonprofit.

Volunteer grants are a way to turn time into money—and another way for your nonprofit’s supporters to drive more impact without spending a cent. 

The volunteer grant process works like this:

  1. An individual volunteers with a nonprofit on a regular basis.
  2. The volunteer uses a corporate giving database to check if they’re eligible for a volunteer grant from their company.
  3. After verifying their eligibility, the volunteer submits their application for a volunteer grant to their company.
  4. The company reviews the application and confirms the volunteer hours the volunteer has put in with the nonprofit.
  5. The company sends the nonprofit a donation!

Like matching gift programs, volunteer grant programs can differ. For instance, one company may give nonprofits a certain amount of money per hour volunteered, while another may donate a flat amount once a certain threshold of volunteer hours is met. Some companies may also offer team volunteer grants, where a grant is provided when a group of employees volunteers together!

Whether you’re a nonprofit or a company, it will be important to have volunteers log their hours. Verifying those hours will be essential to giving and collecting a volunteer grant.

3. Corporate Grants

When awarding a corporate grant, a company gives money to a nonprofit for a specific program or project. Typically, large companies will offer a grant program, as it can be a lot to manage. But this doesn’t mean smaller companies should shy away from the opportunity to award grants!

The process of getting a grant is a little more complex than something like matching gifts or volunteer grants. The nonprofit will have to apply for the grant with a compelling written grant proposal that clearly outlines its needs for the grant and what it will do with the money.

After reviewing the grant proposals, the company decides which nonprofit will receive the funding. The nonprofit must then use the money specifically for the purposes outlined in the proposal and approved by the granting corporation. To maintain a strong relationship with the company (and to lay the groundwork for future grant success), the nonprofit must report back to the company on how it used the funds and impacted its beneficiaries.

4. Employee Grant Stipends

Also known as employee grants or annual grant stipends, employee grant stipends are given on top of an employee’s normal compensation package each year to allow that employee to give to the nonprofit of their choice.

Grant stipends may not yield as much funding for nonprofits as something like a matching gift program, but they do put the power in an employee’s hands, allowing them to choose where their donations go. This allows a company’s employees to choose to give to an organization that aligns with their personal values or interests. Plus, employee grant stipends can be an attractive part of a well-rounded compensation package!

5. Automatic Payroll Deductions

With this kind of corporate philanthropy, employers make giving extremely easy for their employees.

To participate, employees simply arrange to have part of their paycheck deducted and given to a nonprofit of their choice. However, companies may dictate which types of organizations are eligible to receive donations. To offer this type of corporate philanthropy, companies will need to check that their payroll system enables this functionality.

6. Corporate Volunteer Programs

With a corporate volunteer program, a company coordinates with a nonprofit to set up times when the company’s employees can volunteer.

These volunteering outings may take the form of optional standing times for employees to volunteer with a nonprofit after work or on the weekends. Alternatively, businesses might host full-blown corporate volunteering days, where the entire company engages in a day of volunteer work.

Whatever they look like, corporate volunteer programs can be a lot of fun for the people involved. Employees can enjoy working alongside each other and nonprofits can get to know a new large group of enthusiastic potential supporters.

Plus, these programs allow nonprofits to tap into the company’s skill sets or specialties. For example, a graphic design company might volunteer with a nonprofit and spend time helping a nonprofit revamp the branding on its social media content. Or, a team of bakers might come together to bake and serve treats at a nonprofit event.

The possibilities are endless! And employees will love using the skills they’ve developed at work to do good in the community.

7. Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

Volunteer Time Off (VTO) is paid time off for employees to do volunteer work for nonprofits in their community.

According to the Academy to Innovative HR (AIHR), VTO is a relatively new form of corporate philanthropy. (Remember, 28% of employers currently offer VTO, with the number increasing each year.)

AIHR also notes that the amount of VTO usually ranges from eight to 40 hours per employee per year. While that may not sound like a lot of time, a day or two of VTO can be an attractive part of a benefits package and do a lot to nurture a culture of giving within a workplace. Plus, the collective VTO hours donated by just one company can translate into a huge amount of progress for a nonprofit’s cause.

8. In-Kind Donations

When you think of a donation to a nonprofit, you probably picture a check or credit card. However, donations of items or services, also known as in-kind donations, can also be extremely valuable for a nonprofit.

The great thing about in-kind donations is they cut out a step for nonprofits. Instead of having to purchase items or invest in services, they get access to them with less footwork, saving them time and money.

Here are some examples of how a company might provide a nonprofit with in-kind donations:

  • Give the nonprofit gently used computers or other technology when transitioning to new equipment for the company’s employees
  • Donate a day of weeding to clean up the grounds of the nonprofit’s facilities
  • Run a canned food or clothing drive on behalf of the nonprofit
  • Have the company’s accountants give nonprofits advice during tax season

In-kind donations are a flexible form of corporate philanthropy. Nonprofits should be specific in what they’re looking for—we suggest nonprofits post a wishlist on their websites. Meanwhile, companies should think of out-of-the-box ways they can give items or services.

9. Scholarships

You may be familiar with some private scholarship programs, like the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation or the Dell Scholars Program. You or someone you know may have even applied to these programs!

Giving scholarships to deserving students is an excellent way for companies to invest in the potential of the rising generation and show how much they value education. A company may decide to offer scholarships directly to high school students headed for college or students who are already studying at the undergraduate or graduate levels. Or, a company may partner with a nonprofit to fund an existing scholarship program.

10. Sponsorships

Setting up a sponsorship between a nonprofit and a company is an effective way to create a long-lasting partnership.

Through a sponsorship, a nonprofit provides frequent financial support to its nonprofit partner. In return, the nonprofit acknowledges its sponsors’ contributions through methods such as:

  • Issuing press releases to announce the sponsorships
  • Giving the sponsors a shout-out at events in promotional materials
  • Spotlighting the sponsors on its website
  • Creating a sponsorship acknowledgement wall or display
  • Providing sponsors with exclusive opportunities like behind-the-scenes tours or meetings with the nonprofit’s board
  • Giving sponsors tokens of gratitude related to the nonprofit’s cause (such as branded merchandise)

The months and weeks ahead of an event is an especially good time for nonprofits to seek out sponsors. Companies can not only provide funding for the event but also critical equipment or even venue space.

11. Cause-Related Marketing

Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) is a type of corporate philanthropy in which a company partners with a nonprofit organization to support a specific cause. The nonprofit then develops marketing campaigns that promote its products or services while raising awareness for the chosen cause or issue at the same time.

The key to a successful CRM initiative is to call the company’s audience to action. When they see the marketing materials promoting both the nonprofit cause and the company’s product, they should be inspired to do something on behalf of the nonprofit cause. This could be donating, sharing a social media message, or registering for an event.

12. Annual Giving

For this type of corporate philanthropy, companies encourage their employees to donate to nonprofits at certain times of the year. This is most common at the end of the calendar year. Donating is popular at the end of the year for personal tax purposes and because of the autumn and winter holidays that focus on giving and generosity!

This can be a fun way for companies to engage their teams around holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, and more. Companies can even get involved in their local communities’ GivingTuesday campaigns, which take place on the Tuesday after American Thanksgiving.

13. Employee Product Donation Programs (EPDP)

Some companies may encourage charitable giving among their employees by offering discounts on the products they sell, which can then be donated to nonprofits.

This is an especially popular form of corporate philanthropy for tech companies. And what nonprofit wouldn’t love new computers, tablets, or smartphones to streamline its operations?

14. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Fundraising

Companies may also partner with a nonprofit and transform their employees into volunteer fundraisers for the nonprofit’s cause.

This is done through peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising campaigns. For these fundraisers, participants (like a company’s employees) are given their own personal online fundraising pages. Then, the volunteer fundraisers solicit donations from their personal networks of family and friends, usually through social media.

This can be a powerful way to engage a company’s workforce, tap into employees’ competitive spirits, and even expand a nonprofit’s audience to volunteer fundraisers’ family and friends.

For Companies: How to Create Your Own Corporate Philanthropy Program

If your organization is a company, you might be interested in starting a corporate philanthropy program of your own after learning about the different options out there.

Here are some steps your company can take to set yourself up for success and engage employees in your efforts:

This image and the text below describe how to create your own corporate philanthropy program.

    • Consider your objectives. What are you hoping to achieve through your charitable efforts? You may want to make a positive social impact, build customer loyalty, or take care of your local environment. After you define your objectives, set clear and achievable goals, like “Launch a matching gifts program in March for all of our full-time employees.” Having a rock-solid goal will make it easier to bring your corporate philanthropy program to life in a way that maximizes your team’s efforts and minimizes the strain on your company’s time and other resources.
    • Choose the type of program you want to start. Review the list above to decide which type of program you’d like to start. Consider your company’s philanthropic goals, the shared values you have with potential nonprofit partners, and your employees’ interests. Taking into account the type of program that will resonate with your employees will be imperative because success will depend on their participation. Also, note that you can work up to running multiple types of corporate philanthropy programs. For instance, you may want to have both a matching gift program and a scholarship program, but currently only have the bandwidth for the matching gift program. That’s okay! One initiative is a great starting point and will provide the framework you need to expand your efforts later.
    • Design the program. Lay out what your program will look like and how it will work. Continuing with the matching gift program example, you should identify which nonprofits will be eligible to receive matched donations, what matching ratio you will offer, and what the minimum and maximum donation amounts are that your company will match. As part of your program design efforts, you may want to invest in a CSR platform to help you facilitate the program.
    • Partner with a nonprofit that resonates with your values. Partner with organizations that your company and your employees can be excited about working with. Your missions don’t have to be totally aligned, but that can be a bonus. For example, if your company manufactures toothbrushes, you could partner with organizations that provide dental care to people in need.
    • Create guidelines for employee participation. Identify who at your company can participate in the program. For instance, you might allow part-time, full-time, and retired employees to tap into your matching gift program. You should also lay out the process for how to kickstart the matching process and who employees can talk to if they have questions or encounter any issues.
    • Launch the program. When you roll out your corporate philanthropy program, be transparent with your employees (and the rest of your community) about the program’s goals and how it will work. Don’t be afraid to share that the program is part of a larger push for CSR or that you’re looking to make more of a positive impact on the community in which your company operates. This honesty will drive more interest in your program and get your employees excited to participate.
    • Engage employees in the program. Actively promote your corporate philanthropy program to your employees. For example, you might include information about your new VTO policy in your weekly company-wide newsletter or encourage managers to talk about the program in their next one-on-one meetings with directs. To make things more exciting, launch a participation challenge. You might see which department can volunteer the most hours with your nonprofit partner over the next quarter or see which team can bring in the most cans of food for your in-kind donation drive. Don’t forget to reward the winners!
    • Report on the program’s impact. After your program has been up and running for a good amount of time, take a look at how things are going. (Hint: A CSR platform can help you gather data on your program!) Report to your employees, nonprofit partners, and the larger community on the program’s impact and how you envision the future of your efforts.
    • Make adjustments as necessary. As you evaluate your program, you may find that some things need to change. For example, you may need to adjust your matching gift ratio or the scholarship amounts you’re offering to local students. Don’t be afraid to make changes. You can even seek feedback from your employees and nonprofit partners so that you have a better idea of how to improve the program.

Starting a corporate philanthropy program takes a lot of work and ongoing maintenance, but it’s worth the effort! You’ll positively impact your community and drive employee participation when you take a thoughtful and thorough approach from the very beginning.

  • The Winning Element of A Corporate Philanthropy Program: Matching Gift Auto-Submission

    Starting a matching gifts program is the easiest way for your company to dive into corporate philanthropy. But sometimes, the process of getting a gift match can be long and drawn out, meaning that employees may disengage with the process and your nonprofit partners may lose out on critical funding.

    You can solve this problem by leveraging a CSR platform that offers Double the Donation’s auto-submission functionality. Check out this video to get an overview of auto-submission:

    With auto-submission, you’ll:

    • Take any complexity out of the donation matching process for your employees
    • Guarantee all matching gift requests are formatted correctly (and actually submitted to your company)
    • Ensure that the matching gift funds reach your nonprofit partners faster

    To tap into the power of auto-submission and level up your matching gifts program, you’ll need to work with the right CSR platform. Double the Donation is not a CSR platform, but we partner with plenty of great vendors that leverage our auto-submission technology. Click the button below to learn more!

    Click through to learn more about matching gift auto-submission and how to leverage it!

    For Nonprofits: How to Tap Into Corporate Philanthropy Programs

    If your organization is a nonprofit, you’re probably eager to benefit from one or more of the types of corporate philanthropy discussed above! To do so, you need to have a strategic approach. Here’s what we recommend:

This image and the text below describe how nonprofits can tap into corporate philanthropy programs.

    • Build relationships with potential corporate partners. Get to know the business leaders who run companies in your local area or who share similar values or missions to your own. Get face time with them so that your teams are familiar with each other.  Invite them to events. Demonstrate the impact that you could have if you worked together. Then, when the time is right, ask how your nonprofit can become part of their philanthropic program.
    • Highlight the benefits of partnering with your organization. For instance, when reaching out directly to ask companies to partner with your organization, you might highlight the benefits you give sponsors, such as free publicity or exclusive perks. You could even speak to how your specific cause will help to engage that company’s workforce or how your causes align.
    • Promote corporate philanthropy among your supporters. Depending on the type of program, the onus will be on your supporters to help your nonprofit tap into their employers’ corporate philanthropy initiatives. Let your donors know that programs like matching gifts and volunteer grants exist and that they could be eligible. Encourage them to inquire about these programs at work, or even to advocate for the creation of a program.

Being thoughtful in how you approach corporate giving will allow you to tap into as many opportunities as possible. You’ll develop more impactful relationships with companies and ultimately drive greater outcomes for your mission.

  • The Key to Maximizing Corporate Support: A Corporate Philanthropy Database

    The most important tool for tapping into corporate philanthropy is a corporate philanthropy database, like Double the Donation’s industry leading database.

    Our database is the largest and most up-to-date collection of information about companies’ matching gift and volunteer grant programs. Here are a few fun facts about our platform:

    • We have 24,493 company records
    • This represents nearly 27 million employees
    • Our database covers an estimated 99.68% of all gift-match-eligible donors

    So, when you invest in our database and embed it on your donation form or your website, you’re empowering your donors (and your team members) to check their volunteer grants and matching gift eligibility and start the process.

    Click the button below to take Double the Donation for a test drive!

    Wrapping Up: Don’t Miss Out on Corporate Philanthropy!

    Remember, although there are many different types of corporate philanthropy out there, the benefits for companies, employees, and nonprofits are universal. Now that you know your options (if you’re a company looking to build its own program) or what to look for in a corporate partner (if you’re a nonprofit), you’re ready to experience those benefits for yourself!

    Want to continue exploring the world of corporate philanthropy and CSR? Check out these resources:

    Click through to get a demo of 360MatchPro and learn how to tap into the benefits of corporate philanthropy for your nonprofit!

How to Offer the Ultimate Employee Giving Experience

How to Offer the Ultimate Employee Giving Experience

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Picture this: you’re the owner of a mid-size technology company that employs around 100 staff members. You’ve been brainstorming ways to boost employee morale and show your target customers that you run a value-driven business making its mark on the world.

You stumble across the idea of corporate philanthropy and, more specifically, employee giving. Quickly, you realize that this one concept can help you meet your previously stated goals⁠—and the tax break would be an added bonus!

You decide to take the plunge and invest in developing a workplace giving initiative that will simultaneously benefit your company, your employees, and a wide range of charitable organizations.

But how can you ensure your staff will actually want to participate? By offering them an employee giving experience that prioritizes their wants and needs and is as simple a process as possible!

Here’s how you can do that:

  1. Inform employees of available workplace giving opportunities.
  2. Provide employees with ample ways to give.
  3. Make it simple for employees to determine eligibility guidelines.
  4. Ensure your company is listed in corporate giving databases.
  5. Incentivize participation in employee giving programs.
  6. Simplify requests with auto-submission functionality.

In this guide, we’ll dive into these valuable tips for employers like yourself looking to make the most of their workplace giving programs.

Ready to get started with our first step? Let’s begin!

Make sure employees are informed about your employee giving experience.

1. Inform employees of available workplace giving opportunities.

Before you can expect employees to participate in your workplace giving initiatives, you’ll need to ensure your staff is made aware of these programs in the first place. Prior to that, you’ll need to determine which types of giving programs you’ll be offering:

Here are a few of the most common examples:

  • Matching gifts: Your company matches employee donations to qualifying nonprofits, often dollar for dollar.
  • Custom matching gifts: Your company selects a particular nonprofit and commits to matching employee donations to that cause.
  • Volunteer grants: Your company provides nonprofits where employees regularly volunteer with monetary grants.
  • Employee stipends: Your company allocates a dollar amount to each employee annually, which they donate to the nonprofit of their choice.

Regardless of the combination of giving programs you choose, informing your staff about the new offerings and how to get involved is of utmost importance.

According to matching gift research, 78% of individuals eligible for corporate giving programs are completely unaware. As a result, they’re not able to make the most of these philanthropic initiatives.

We recommend providing informational materials that outline your corporate giving programs to all existing staff to get started. For example, you might hold a meeting, send a company-wide email, share a pamphlet, and add an explainer to your employee handbook. Then, be sure your staff knows where to go to seek additional details on the program!

Going forward, you’ll want to educate all new team members about workplace giving opportunities as well.

An optimal employee giving experience means offering multiple ways to give.

2. Provide employees with ample ways to give.

There are tons of ways that individual donors can support nonprofit causes⁠. So when you create your workplace giving program, your offerings must be inclusive of all types of employee giving.

Top donation channels might include (but are not limited to):

  • Nonprofit websites
  • Online giving tools
  • Peer-to-peer campaigns
  • Text-to-give
  • Direct mail
  • Recurring gifts
  • Phonathons
  • Paycheck deductions
  • Event pledges
  • Workplace giving or CSR platforms

The opportunities are endless⁠—and each staff member at your business might have a different favorite way to give.

According to the same matching gift studies above, “96% of employees at companies with matching gift programs have a strong or very strong preference for their company to match donations made directly to a nonprofit (such as through the nonprofit’s website, peer-to-peer fundraising platform, or mail) rather than only matching donations through a workplace giving software platforms. The more options an employee has to give and to get their gift matched, the more likely they are to utilize available company matching opportunities.”

To offer the best employee giving experience, 96% of employees prefer their company to match donations made directly to a nonprofit.This means that, in order to provide a positive employee giving experience for everyone, be sure to keep your giving (and matching) channels open.

Make your program guidelines accessible to improve the employee giving experience.

3. Make it simple for employees to determine eligibility guidelines.

As you work to ensure your company is well-informed about the existence of your employee giving programs, it’s equally critical that your programs’ eligibility guidelines are readily apparent as well. But what are these so-called guidelines?

Let’s take matching gifts (i.e., one of the most-used forms of workplace giving) as an example. In order for employees to participate in your company gift-matching initiative, you’ll need to provide your staff with the following information:

  • Donation minimums and maximums: This is the range within which you’ll match employee donations (e.g., $50-1,000).
  • Match ratios: This determines the rate at which you match employee donations. This is typically dollar for dollar (1:1) but can go up to 2:1 or 3:1 as well.
  • Qualifying types of nonprofits: You might choose a particular type of mission (e.g., environmental organizations) or exclude categories of recipients (such as houses of worship).
  • Qualifying types of employees: Most companies match gifts made by all full-time employees, while others may open the programs up to part-time workers, retirees, and even employee spouses
  • Submission deadlines: Your submission deadline is the date by which employees must submit a matching gift request to your company in order to be eligible to receive a match. This may be a certain number of months or align with your calendar or fiscal year.

Because these criteria are necessary for employees to determine their eligibility for a company match, it’s important that you communicate this information effectively. Ensure your guidelines are provided in any previously mentioned explainer materials and even on your business’ website. Even interested employees won’t likely be willing to search high and low for this information. If it is hard to find, you’re likely creating an unnecessary obstacle to program success.

Here’s an example of what these criteria can look like:

Providing employees with accessible guidelines improves the employee giving experience.

Plus, as a general rule, keeping your guidelines as open as possible will provide an optimal employee giving experience for your staff. For example, when you set low minimums, high maximums, and generous deadlines, more individuals’ gifts will qualify for your programming. The more employees who qualify, the more will participate. And you know that higher your levels of participation, the more advantages brought to your company.

Ensure your company is listed in corporate giving databases to simplify the employee giving experience.

4. Ensure your company is listed in corporate giving databases.

One of the easiest ways employees can uncover your aforementioned program guidelines is by accessing a corporate giving database. This is essentially a compilation of information on thousands of businesses and their available corporate giving programs.

For example, Double the Donation offers the industry-leading database for matching gifts and volunteer grants. Thousands of nonprofits utilize this comprehensive tool⁠—likely many of the same ones your employees will support.

Double the Donation help ensure a positive employee giving experience.

For organizations that leverage Double the Donation’s embeddable search widget, donors are typically prompted within the donation experience to enter their employer information in search of matching gift eligibility.

If your employees follow this process, you don’t want them to search your company name, only to be met with “no results found.” This can cause discouragement in the process, even if they know how to locate your program guidelines elsewhere. Plus, many well-intentioned donors simply forget to follow up after losing their initial giving inertia.

So what can you do to avoid this scenario? Make sure your business is listed in corporate giving databases, complete with your programs’ eligibility criteria and links to submission forms.

Luckily, Double the Donation accepts submissions for new companies to add to their most comprehensive database, making it as easy as possible for your business to increase its program reach. As a result, you provide the simplest, most optimal employee giving experience while actively supporting their favorite charities.

And if you go the custom program route with a nonprofit partner that uses Double the Donation’s matching gift database, the organization can ensure the program is added correctly using the platform’s one-off match program management feature!

*While 360MatchPro offers custom matching gift program management functionality, this feature is designed specifically for fundraisers looking to manage custom matching gift initiatives—360MatchPro does not work directly with corporations. If you’re a company interested in creating a matching gift program, contact us, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.

Custom matching gift programs' backend management for a positive employee giving experience

That way, your nonprofit-specific program will populate in that organization’s company search tool but won’t appear as an option for other nonprofit causes in order to avoid confusion.

Incentivize giving to improve the employee giving experience.

5. Incentivize participation in employee giving programs.

By now, your employees should be aware of your employee giving initiatives in place and understand how they can participate. But what if your staff requires a little extra push to get involved with your philanthropic efforts?

That’s where strategic incentivization comes in!

If you want to encourage individuals to partake in new employee giving experiences, consider motivating the team with giving goals⁠—either in terms of percentage of overall participation or in total fundraising goals.

Once your team reaches the predetermined objectives, you might treat the company to rewards like these:

  • Catered lunches
  • Additional PTO
  • Casual dress days
  • In-house masseuse services
  • Gift card rewards
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Company apparel and/or swag

Be sure to remind your employees that the ultimate benefit of a well-run workplace giving program revolves around providing mission-based organizations the funds they need to change the world. But some extra motivation never hurts, either!

Improve your employee giving experience with auto-submission

6. Simplify requests with auto-submission functionality.

Want to increase employee participation⁠ in (and satisfaction with) your workplace giving programs? Make it as easy as possible to get involved. And it’s never been easier than with auto-submission!

Here’s what you need to know:

The Historic Submission Process

Once an employee determines that they qualify for a workplace giving program⁠—such as matching gifts⁠—they’ve traditionally been required to complete a request process put in place by the company they work for. Typically, the individual will be asked to provide basic information about their donation (e.g., amount, method of giving, date the gift was made, etc.) and the organization to which they contributed (such as its mission, mailing address, tax ID number, and more).

New Auto-Submission Functionality

Matching gift auto-submission functionality recently came out of beta. Now some programs can offer the new functionality, which substantially streamlines the process for donors and increases the likelihood that matches will be submitted. Instead of asking for all of the above-listed information, companies taking part in auto-submission simply request the individual’s corporate email address. The software ecosystem will take it from there to process, approve, and disburse funding for the match.

How matching gift auto-submission works

Leveraging Auto-Submission Providers

If you’re interested in getting started with auto-submission capabilities, the easiest way is to partner with a CSR management platform that already offers the functionality through a seamless integration with Double the Donation’s innovative technology. These currently include the following providers:Companies and vendors offering an optimal employee giving experience

If you already work with a CSR platform that doesn’t yet offer this functionality, consider reaching out to your provider to advocate for the technology. After all, auto-submission is available with no added cost⁠—it’s free for both the matching gift company and the software vendor they use⁠—so you can offer the ultimate employee giving experience to your team.

Keep in mind⁠—the more employees who take part in your company’s matching program, the better the results you can expect to see in terms of team member engagement, brand reputation, and more. And auto-submission abilities set your team up for continued success on all accounts!

There’s little to no purpose in investing in an employee giving program if nobody at your workplace will participate. To drive participation, you need to look at your employee giving experience from a staff member’s perspective and determine whether it’s a positive one.

So provide ample opportunities and avenues for giving, make available programs known, simplify the processes involved, and incentivize participation. This can make a world of difference⁠—to your workforce, your community, and even your company’s bottom line.

Interested in learning more about employee giving? Check out our other educational resources:

Find out how to drive corporate philanthropy at your company!

This guide will cover the top employee engagement companies and what they’re doing well that your company can emulate.

Top 8 Employee Engagement Companies Leading By Example

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Employee engagement has become an increasingly important part of organizational success. After all, businesses with engaged employees are 23% more profitable than companies whose employees are not engaged.

However, if you’re just starting to prioritize employee engagement, it can be difficult to determine where to begin. It can be helpful to take a look at what other companies are doing to engage their employees to gain actionable insights into how your organization can handle your new priority.

To show you how you can center employee engagement in your organization, we’ll cover the following topics in this guide:

Before we dive into the companies leading by example with their employee engagement programs, you need to understand what exactly employee engagement is and why it’s important. Let’s get started!

Click to learn more about matching gift auto-submission and how it helps employee engagement companies.

What is employee engagement?

This image shows the different levels of employee engagement at companies, also covered in the text below.

Simply put, employee engagement refers to the level of emotional and mental connection an employee has to their team, general workplace, and employer. This translates to the employee’s commitment to the organization and dedication to achieving its goals. There are four different levels of employee engagement:

  • Highly engaged. Highly engaged employees have very favorable opinions of their team, workplace, and employer as a whole. They’re extremely committed to their organization and willing to go above and beyond to help achieve its goals. Plus, they’re likely to motivate other employees around them with their positive attitude.
  • Engaged. These employees like their work but might feel less satisfied about certain aspects of the organization. While they’re still committed to their organization’s success, they’re less likely to go above and beyond their call of duty than highly engaged employees.
  • Unengaged. Unengaged employees feel unattached to their team, workplace, and employer. They’re not committed to their organization and not dedicated to helping achieve its goals. While they’re not unhappy with their work, they aren’t happy either. These employees usually fulfill the bare minimum of their responsibilities and little more. They’ll put time into their work but not their energy or passion.
  • Disengaged. These employees are actively unhappy with their work and may even be resentful that their employer isn’t meeting their needs. This discontent may result in them acting out on their unhappiness, underperforming in their responsibilities, and even undermining the work of their more engaged coworkers.

As you begin evaluating the general engagement levels at your organization, keep in mind that engagement does not equal enthusiasm. It’s easy to look at a happy employee and assume that they’re engaged with their work. However, employee engagement is tied to your organization. Ask yourself: Is this employee connected to their work alongside being a happy person?

What are the benefits of employee engagement?

This image outlines several benefits of employee engagement at companies, also detailed in the text below.

We’ve lightly touched on a few benefits of employee engagement. The main one is profitability—employees who are determined to help your organization meet its goals are more likely to do their best to increase your cash flow.

Aside from profitability, here are a few other benefits for companies with engaged employees:

  • Increased productivity. Businesses with highly engaged employees are 18% more productive than those with unengaged employees. These employees believe that the work they’re doing is important and therefore are more likely to work harder.
  • Reduced absenteeism. According to Gallup’s employee engagement survey, companies that scored in the lower quartile of engagement were also 81% more likely to experience employee absenteeism. If your employees aren’t showing up for work, it will make it much more difficult for your organization to be successful.
  • Higher retention rates. If your employees are engaged with their work, their team, and your organization, they’re less likely to seek other employment opportunities. Higher retention rates reduce employee turnover, lowering costs related to re-hiring, onboarding, and training.
  • Improved recruitment. Happy employees will likely speak about your company in a positive light and be more open about their satisfaction with their work. Your organization’s reputation as an employer will improve through word-of-mouth, which will help you attract top talent and improve the quality of potential employees you recruit.
  • Positive workplace culture. Overall, the more engaged your employees are, the more positive they’ll be in the workplace. These individuals are excited to work and will raise the spirits of their coworkers, leading to a more positive workplace culture.

Employee engagement is important for all organizations, even those that work in the nonprofit sphere. Plus, it’s especially important for companies that have remote or hybrid employees, as those individuals are more likely to feel emotionally disconnected from their employer due to physical distance.

By prioritizing employee engagement, you’ll be able to leverage these benefits to your organization’s advantage. It’s a win-win—your company will see greater success and your employees will be happier to contribute to that.

Click to learn more about matching gift auto-submission and how it helps employee engagement companies.

The Top 8 Employee Engagement Companies

Now that you know more about what employee engagement is and how it’s helpful for your organization, let’s take a look at the top employee engagement companies that are leading by example.

Examples of top employee engagement companies

1. Checkr

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)Checkr’s employee engagement program emphasizes corporate giving and philanthropy, fostering a culture of generosity and social responsibility among its workforce. This initiative encourages employees to participate in various charitable activities, including matching gift programs, volunteer opportunities, and fundraising events.

By implementing a generous matching gift initiative, Checkr amplifies the impact of its employees’ donations, doubling their contributions to eligible nonprofits. This not only supports the causes employees care about but also enhances their engagement and satisfaction within the company.

Plus, Checkr is recognized as a Certified Leader in Matching Automation (CLMA), which represents its dedication to philanthropy with a streamlined engagement process and more. This makes it easier than ever for its staff to get involved!

2. Adobe

If you’ve worked with or created visual media before, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Adobe. This company offers a product suite for photographers, videographers, graphic designers, and more. Founded on the idea of creating innovative products that change the world, Adobe also prioritizes employee engagement alongside offering technology that empowers people to create.

Here are a few ways the company handles employee engagement:

  • Work and life integration. Adobe promotes work-life balance by offering a company winter and summer break. Plus, it offers a wellness fund for each employee up to $600 and sabbaticals starting at four weeks off after five years of working at the company.
  • Learning fund and reimbursement. This company supports employees on their learning journey by offering funds and reimbursements for educational material. It provides a learning fund of up to $1,000 every year and educational reimbursement of up to $10,000 a year.
  • Frequent employee engagement dialogue. Aside from these benefits, Adobe discusses how leadership can better improve the workplace. It keeps employee engagement dialogue going year-round by conducting regular surveys to understand their workers’ everyday experiences.

Additionally, Adobe has a special focus on helping employees from underrepresented groups gain visibility and grow in their careers. To that end, it provides programs that help employees build leadership skills and connect with other employees across the company.

3. Cisco

Cisco provides innovative cloud-based networking and security solutions to businesses. Its mission is to power an inclusive future for all with technology that connects the world.

Additionally, Cisco believes in creating a workplace where employees can find more than just a job. Ranked by Fortune as one of the best companies to work for, Cisco uses the following strategies to center employee engagement:

  • Company-wide shut downs. Throughout the year, Cisco will occasionally choose to shut down to let employees recharge. Plus, there’s a company-wide shut down at the end of the year, giving employees time off to spend with families over the holidays.
  • Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Cisco follows through on its mission of powering an inclusive future for all by giving back to the global community through CSR. It features a reporting hub and is environmentally and socially conscious throughout its entire supply chain, engaging its employees with these practices.
  • Employee recognition. High performers are motivated to stay connected and work hard with Cisco’s employee recognition initiative. This initiative singles out exceptional employees who deserve kudos for their achievements from colleagues and peer organizations outside the company.

Cisco recognizes that it’s important for workforce leaders to understand employee needs and provide an ideal work experience without sacrificing performance. And its efforts are working, as they are one of PEOPLE magazine’s top companies that care.

4. ExxonMobil

This oil and gas company pioneers new research and technologies dedicated to reducing emissions while creating more efficient fuels. It’s also committed to engaging its employees in meaningful ways—and it’s paying off. In a survey conducted by resume.io, ExxonMobil ranked 15th in employee retention in the United States with a median employee tenure of seven years.

A few of the ways this company focuses on employee engagement include:

  • Training opportunities. ExxonMobil is committed to enabling its employees to reach their full potential. It invests in talent by delivering educational training courses to employees so that they can develop new skills and initiates a leadership program alongside career advocacy and mentoring programs. Plus, it performs more than 10,000 internal job rotations to support development plans.
  • Emphasizing thriving. To ensure that employees are thriving in the workplace, ExxonMobile releases company-wide surveys to strengthen its culture framework. Additionally, it supports flexibility, health, and long-term security through its PTO policies, wellness programs, financial planning initiatives, and more.
  • Centering inclusivity and diversity. ExxonMobil strives to create an inclusive and diverse work environment starting from the top down. Since 2016, women and U.S. minority representation has improved by over 50%, and its employees come from over 160 nationalities. It also fosters inclusive behaviors through annual skills assessments and their culture framework.

This company’s employee engagement strategies have resulted in visible benefits. For example, it was awarded the top most attractive U.S. energy company for engineering students for 10 consecutive years and the second most attractive company globally. It also has strong global acceptance rates from potential employees, about 10-15% higher than other large companies.

Plus, ExxonMobil boasts corporate giving initiatives that keep its employees engaged with philanthropy. If you’d like to learn more about their programs, click on the button below!

Click to learn more about ExxonMobil’s matching gifts program and how it bolsters its efforts as a top employee engagement company.

5. Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is a healthcare organization that operates hospitals and medical offices and provides health insurance. Aside from caring for the well-being of employees at other organizations, it also focuses on engaging its own employees.

Here are three reasons why Kaiser Permanente is an example of a great employee engagement company:

  • Investing in employee well-being. Aside from investing in wellness research, this company has implemented various wellness initiatives, including healthy eating and resilience training programs. It offers employees various health insurance packages in addition to plenty of holidays, sick leave, and time off to recharge.
  • Giving back to the community. Corporate citizenship is one of Kaiser Permanente’s core values and it’s reflected in its employee engagement programs. In addition to weekly community outreach programs, employees have access to quarterly outreach programs to give back outside of the office environment.
  • Support for veteran employees. Kaiser Permanente is recognized as a top Military-Friendly Employer, offering military transition programs to prepare junior military officers for successful leadership roles within the organization. It actively tries to provide better employment opportunities for veterans and their spouses.

As a health-related company, Kaiser Permanente leadership understands the importance of creating a positive and healthy workplace environment to engage its employees.

6. Microsoft

This technology corporation doesn’t measure employee engagement—it measures employee thriving. It defines thriving as “to be energized and empowered to do meaningful work.” As one of its core aspirations, employee thriving is meant to help employees find their sense of purpose within the company.

A few ways Microsoft focuses on employee engagement and thriving include:

  • Prioritizing communication. Through its internal employee engagement program, AskHR, Microsoft prioritizes communication between human resources and employees to ensure that employee inquiries are properly addressed. Employees can use the AskHR app to submit a variety of requests that the HR team fulfills promptly. Additionally, Microsoft uses a pulse survey tool to review if employees are thriving and obtain feedback regularly.
  • Creating a growth culture. This company doesn’t just offer professional development opportunities; it promotes a growth culture and mindset. Rather than being “know-it-alls,” employees should be “learn-it-alls.” Microsoft supports employees seeking professional development by recognizing those who show a growth mindset.
  • Team-building and networking opportunities. Microsoft acknowledges that forming bonds with coworkers is part of a healthy, thriving workplace culture. It empowers its workers to do that by arranging team-building events to rally employees behind solid company values. For example, it bolsters its commitment to CSR through community volunteering activities.

From Microsoft’s perspective, thriving is different from work-life balance—the former is about being motivated to do meaningful work, and the latter involves an employee’s personal life, too. While it’s possible for an individual to thrive but lack work-life balance or vice versa, Microsoft is dedicated to creating a positive experience in both aspects for its employees.

7. NVIDIA

Multinational tech company NVIDIA designs top-of-the-line graphics processing units, cutting-edge computer chips, and effective employee engagement programs. This organization is dedicated to creating an empowering environment where employees have the support and inspiration to take on the world’s greatest challenges together.

Here are a few elements of their employee engagement strategy:

  • Physical and mental health. NVIDIA prioritizes physical and mental health by providing a variety of health plans for its employees. It offers a choice between five different medical plans, allowing employees to select the plan that works best for them. It also provides dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, and health savings accounts. Plus, it has resources for virtual care, so workers feel empowered to seek the care they need.
  • Programs for parents. This company has one of the nation’s best parental policies. It includes 22 weeks of fully paid parental leave, unlimited reimbursements for adoption and surrogacy expenses, and plans that cover in vitro fertilization and egg freezing. Additionally, for employees with older children, NVIDIA partners with Collegewise to offer complimentary college preparation resources.
  • Support for life changes. NVIDIA leadership understands that extenuating circumstances can impact an employee’s ability to work and engagement with their work. From marriage and divorce to moving to losing a loved one, this company offers resources and programs to help employees navigate their life changes.

Although NVIDIA lives in the technology industry, it understands that its employees are not robots or data points and deserve compassion and empathy. It’s committed to supporting its team members holistically, not just as employees, but as humans.

8. Spotify

Spotify is one of the world’s largest music streaming service providers, with over 550 million active users. It offers over 100 million songs and five million podcasts to listeners. Aside from that, it’s also one of the leading employee engagement companies.

A few ways that Spotify keeps its employees motivated and engaged in their work are:

  • Embracing self-leadership. Spotify leadership encourages all employees to drive their own development. This practice empowers employees to take ownership of their career trajectories and seek out what they need to grow.
  • Inspiring innovation. Innovation is one of Spotify’s core values, and it acknowledges that to innovate, you must disrupt the status quo. It encourages its employees to find new ways to be disruptive by making it safe to fail. This value creates a culture where employees are not afraid of being bold or taking risks and making mistakes.
  • Centering sincerity and collaboration. Sincerity and collaboration are two other core values at Spotify. This company puts these values into practice by leading with transparency, engaging with open minds, and delivering honest feedback. Employees recognize that they are all one big team, which means that they share ideas and best practices across business units and despite traditional hierarchies.

When it comes to its employees, Spotify’s approach is that they are all a band—dependent on each other to create the best audio experience. This employee engagement company focuses on creating an environment where employees are energized and excited to inspire those around them and drive innovation.

Additional Resources

Business magnate Richard Branson once said that businesses should “train people well enough so they can leave [and] treat them well enough so they don’t want to.” And these companies do—in some shape or form, they’ve mastered the art of employee engagement to create a great environment where employees are happy and even proud to work. As you begin forming or improving your organization’s employee engagement initiatives, consider taking a leaf out of their book to create a great experience for your team members.

If you’d like to learn more about employee engagement, consider the following resources:

Click to learn more about matching gift auto-submission and how it helps employee engagement companies.

Learn more about corporate volunteering platforms and how your company can leverage one.

Corporate Volunteering Platforms: Boost Employee Engagement

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Companies that serve their communities stand out to customers and employees. With robust corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in place, businesses can engage their employees and prove their commitment to bettering the world around them.

With 63 million Americans already volunteering with nonprofits each year, corporate volunteerism is an easy way for companies to get started with CSR. To ensure your program runs smoothly, invest in a corporate volunteering platform. This type of tool facilitates the logistics of corporate volunteerism, making it easy for employees to participate.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of corporate volunteerism and corporate volunteering platforms, including:

Whether you’re new to corporate volunteerism or want to make your existing program more efficient, corporate volunteering platforms are an excellent investment in your company’s CSR efforts.

What Is Corporate Volunteering?

Through corporate volunteering programs, companies encourage their employees to volunteer their time with charitable causes. These programs typically involve businesses promoting or organizing volunteer opportunities for their team. They may also feature incentives for volunteering, such as volunteer time off or volunteer grants.

What Are the Benefits of Corporate Volunteering?

While corporate volunteering clearly helps nonprofits gain more volunteer support, what about businesses? Why should your company start a corporate volunteering program?

There are so many advantages your company can unlock by starting a corporate volunteering program, including:This image shows the benefits of corporate volunteering, as outlined in the text below.

  • Better working environment. Team volunteer outings allow employees to bond as they work together toward a common goal. As a result, 64% of employees involved in corporate volunteering claim that it has strengthened their work relationships. Corporate volunteering is also a purpose-driven alternative to typical office social opportunities. In fact, 70% of employees believe corporate volunteerism is a more effective morale booster than happy hours and other similar company-sponsored activities.
  • Increased employee retention. CSR opportunities such as corporate volunteerism help people feel more engaged with their workplace. When people help to make the world a better place through their work, they’re more likely to stay at their current company, as evidenced by the fact that employees at purpose-driven companies have 20% longer expected tenures and 64% higher levels of job fulfillment.
  • Improved employee performance. Some volunteer opportunities help employees work on skills that they can transfer to the workplace. Volunteerism can also improve employees’ mental and physical health, allowing them to perform at their best.
  • Enhanced reputation. Consumers want to support companies with strong CSR initiatives in place. Considering that 77% of customers want to purchase from companies that contribute to the greater good, businesses need to actively promote their charitable efforts to stay relevant. Snapping some photos of your corporate volunteers in action and sharing them on your website and social media channels can demonstrate your commitment to CSR.
  • Purpose-driven applicant pool. In addition to adequate salary, generous benefits, and opportunities for mobility, 65% of people prioritize companies with CSR programs when applying for jobs. By showcasing corporate volunteerism and other CSR initiatives, your company can attract purpose-driven applicants who will help better your workplace and community.This image shows corporate volunteering statistics referenced in the text above.

From employees to customers to job applicants, corporate volunteerism allows your company to develop stronger, longer-lasting relationships with a variety stakeholders.

What Are Corporate Volunteering Platforms?

Corporate volunteering platforms are a form of volunteer management software. These tools help companies manage their corporate volunteerism programs and streamline communication with volunteers. By investing in a corporate volunteering platform, you can formalize your program and take your CSR efforts to the next level.

What Are the Top Features of Corporate Volunteering Platforms?

Each corporate volunteering platform has its unique features. We’ve compiled a list of some of the top features to look for when choosing your own platform:This image shows the top features of corporate volunteering platforms, as outlined in the text below.

  • Volunteer listings. What’s a corporate volunteering program without volunteer opportunities? Most platforms allow a place for you to organize volunteer outings or promote nonprofit volunteer events. That way, you can keep volunteer opportunities all in one place, as opposed to relying on email or direct mail to inform your employees.
  • Recruitment tools. Your corporate volunteering platform should make it easy for your employees to sign up for volunteering. For example, you may upload branded sign-up forms and allow employees to apply for volunteer opportunities straight from your platform.
  • Volunteer scheduling tools. Create a volunteer calendar so you can manage and update employee volunteer shifts. You can also add upcoming volunteer opportunities to the calendar so interested employees can save the date.
  • Volunteer database. Keep track of key volunteer information using volunteer profiles. Store contact information so you can send reminders about upcoming events and communicate any necessary details. You may also add data about the types of opportunities each volunteer prefers so you can highlight volunteer outings they might be interested in. Lastly, a volunteer database can help you keep track of how many times each employee has volunteered so you can recognize those who have gone above and beyond.
  • Mobile app. On the day of a volunteer event, the check-in process can be quite chaotic. To save time, some platforms offer an app that allows volunteers to check in beforehand. The app may also let volunteers access other features of the platform right from their phones or tablets.
  • Volunteer hour tracking. There are a few reasons why volunteers may track their hours. One of the most common is for volunteer grant purposes. Companies that give volunteer grants to nonprofits usually do so based on the number of hours their employees volunteer with certain organizations. Alternatively, companies may hold volunteer challenges and offer rewards for employees who volunteer the highest number of hours during a certain period of time.
  • Volunteer grant support. Once employees track their volunteer hours, they can complete a volunteer grant request form and send it to their employer. Facilitate this process by allowing volunteers to submit this form and track its progress right on your platform.
  • Communication tools. Prevent volunteer-specific communications from getting lost in email inboxes by leveraging messaging options within your platform. Corporate volunteering platforms may offer chat functions for individual conversations and group messaging.
  • Reporting capabilities. To understand and highlight the impact of your corporate volunteering program, look for a platform with reporting capabilities. For example, you may report on how many employees participate in your program, how many hours they’ve contributed, and which nonprofits you work with most often.

Of course, your company may not need all of these features to successfully manage your corporate volunteer program. Take the time to sit down with your team and determine which features are necessary before investing in a platform.

How Do You Select A Corporate Volunteering Platform?

With the different potential features in mind, you may be wondering how you should proceed with choosing a corporate volunteering platform. Follow these steps to make the best decision for your company:This image shows the steps for selecting a corporate volunteering platform, as outlined in the text below.

  1. Determine your platform priorities. What features are essential for your corporate volunteering platform? For example, if you offer volunteer grants, you may prioritize platforms with volunteer hour tracking and volunteer grant request features.
  2. Create a budget. Like with any new purchase your company is pondering, setting a budget is key. Platform providers may charge a flat fee or charge per volunteer, so be sure to get an estimate of how much different options cost.
  3. Research different platforms. Now, it’s time to explore the different platforms at your disposal. In addition to the platform provider websites, check out reviews and testimonials from real users to guide your decision-making process.
  4. Request demos. When you’re in the final stages of platform selection, request demos from the platforms you’re considering. That way, you can test out the software and see if it fits your volunteer management needs.
  5. Select your platform. Meet with your team to make the final decision. If there’s any uncertainty about which platform is best, consider having a small focus group of employees involved in your volunteer program test your options and report back on which one they prefer.

To ensure your corporate volunteering platform is effective, you’ll want to make sure your employees know how to use it. Schedule a meeting to teach your employees the ins and outs of the platform and answer any questions they may have.

Wrapping Up & Additional Resources

Starting a corporate volunteerism program is a great first step in developing your CSR repertoire. With the right corporate volunteering platform, you can take your program to the next level, engaging more employees and helping tons of worthy causes.

If you’re looking for additional ways to enhance your corporate volunteering program, check out the following articles:

 

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 of CLMA-certified companies:

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

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.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)But first… what is the CLMA?

One term you might see as you set off in search of the perfect corporate giving software is the CLMA. This designation, which refers to Certified Leaders in Matching Automation, recognizes corporate giving software solutions that go above and beyond in ensuring a seamless and accessible matching gift experience for the programs it facilitates.

Keep an eye out for the following badge to locate CLMA-certified providers.

 

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.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)CLMA-Certified?

Yes! Millie is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation, meaning the platform is known to offer the most accessible, streamlined, and transparent matching gift experience in the industry.

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!

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

CLMA-Certified?

Yes! POINT is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation, meaning the platform is known to offer the most accessible, streamlined, and transparent matching gift experience in the industry.

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 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 Double the Donation Matching. 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.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

CLMA-Certified?

Yes! Selflessly is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation, meaning the platform is known to offer the most accessible, streamlined, and transparent matching gift experience in the industry.

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!

Field Day

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

Field Day is an all-in-one social impact platform that helps companies facilitate corporate volunteering, donation matching, impact reporting, and professional services programs.

Using Field Day, companies can manage their entire social impact program under one roof to maximize their corporate giving efforts.  

With their central hub for donation management and matching along with their volunteer event management system, Field Day makes it simple for corporate employees to give back to the causes they care about.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

In addition to their corporate giving platform, Field Day also helps companies run impact campaigns that drive employee connection. Their help with the curation, execution, and reporting of impact campaigns ensures companies can create one of a kind campaigns.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

Yes! Field Day offers auto-submission functionality through their seamless integration with Double the Donation. Companies who use Field Day to facilitate their donation matching program enable their employees to submit matching gift requests directly from the confirmation page of a nonprofit’s donation form. This makes for a seamless employee experience and boosts engagement!

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)

CLMA-Certified?

Yes! Field Day is a Certified Leader in Matching Automation, meaning the platform is known to offer the most accessible, streamlined, and transparent matching gift experience in the industry.

Pricing

Field Day offers a Sandard Plan and an Enterprise Plan for companies of different sizes. Visit their website to book a demo.

Learn more about Field Day!

Uncommon Giving

Overview of This Corporate Giving Software

Uncommon Giving is a comprehensive corporate giving software solution that empowers businesses to manage and amplify their philanthropic efforts. Designed to streamline the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the platform enables companies to facilitate employee giving, manage charitable contributions, and track the impact of their donations.

With features like customizable giving options, automated payroll deductions, and detailed reporting, Uncommon Giving makes it easy for companies to integrate philanthropy into their workplace culture. Additionally, the platform fosters employee engagement by offering a wide array of giving opportunities, including matching gifts, volunteer grants, and fundraising initiatives, helping businesses align their charitable activities with their corporate values and goals.

Why This Corporate Giving Software Stands Out

What makes Uncommon Giving stand out is its lightweight, intuitive solution for companies and their employees, making it easier than ever to get involved with company-sponsored philanthropy. With an easy-to-use mobile app, portable giving wallet, and powerful reporting tools, the platform streamlines the entire giving process, enhances employee engagement, and allows companies to effectively track and maximize the impact of their philanthropic efforts.

Offers Matching Gift Auto-Submission?

Yes! Uncommon Giving integrates with Double the Donation’s industry-leading matching gift software to offer groundbreaking auto-submission functionality. This means employees using the tools can benefit from one-click matching gift submissions straight from their favorite charities’ giving forms.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)CLMA-Certified?

Yes! Uncommon Giving has earned the CLMA designation for corporate giving software thanks to its dedication to providing seamless and accessible matching gift experiences for its users.

Pricing

Uncommon Giving has pricing that begins at $1,999/year. The platform encourages companies to get a demo to learn more and see the tools in action!

Top corporate giving software - Uncommon Giving

Learn more about Uncommon Giving!

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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.

CLMA-Certified?

No, this platform is not yet a certified leader in matching automation.

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 UX 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.

The best platforms are even becoming Certified Leaders in Matching Automation to further demonstrate their commitment to providing an optimal experience for employees and the nonprofits they support.

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.

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. According to the CSR pyramid, businesses should promote social good in all economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic areas of their operations. Philanthropic activities like contributing funds, services, and other resources to charitable causes demonstrate that companies are interested in more than just making a profit.

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.

Image of badge indicating that an organization is a certified leader in matching gift automation (CLMA)Fun Fact: By working with a CLMA-certified matching gift platform, Checkr has become a Certified Leader in Matching Automation. That means it’s recognized for its dedication to providing the best possible experience for its employees participating in the program.

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 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

This image shows the five stages of developing corporate citizenship, also covered in the text below.

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.