This guide will cover the basics of challenge gifts to help you leverage this form of giving for your fundraising efforts.

What are Challenge Gifts? A Guide to High-Speed Fundraising

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A thoughtful and robust fundraising strategy is key to any nonprofit’s success. As a nonprofit professional, you’re probably always on the lookout for new ideas and strategies to spice up your organization’s fundraising efforts. That’s where challenge gifts come in—when done correctly, this fundraising idea can supercharge your mission with increased gifts.

In this guide, we’ll go over the basics of challenge gifts and empower you to leverage them by covering the following topics:

To maximize the fundraising impact of your challenge gifts, consider investing in fundraising software that will streamline your fundraising processes and efforts. Matching gift software, in particular, will greatly increase the effectiveness of donations made during your challenge gift campaign.

Click to get a demo of Double the Donation’s matching gift software, improving the impact of your challenge gifts.

What is a challenge gift?

This image lists several types of challenge gifts your nonprofit can leverage, also covered in the text below.

A challenge gift is a donation that is contingent on another goal, usually another donation. Usually, the donor will commit to donating a certain amount to a nonprofit if the organization or its other donors fulfill a certain goal or take an action within a certain amount of time. Only then is the donation made.

Common challenge gift goals include:

  • Total money raised. This goal is fairly self-explanatory—essentially, the donor’s gift hinges on the nonprofit reaching a fundraising goal. For example, a major donor might commit to donating $20,000 if the nonprofit raises $40,000 worth of other donations during their next fundraising campaign.
  • Total number of donors. Instead of committing a donation based on the amount raised, some donors choose instead to base it on the total number of donors that give during a set amount of time. The goal for this type of challenge gift is to help the nonprofit recruit more donors. Some challenge donors may specify that they only count first-time donors, while others will count donations made by any donors.
  • Matching gifts. For a matching donation challenge, a major donor or sponsor will commit to matching gifts made by other donors. For instance, a major donor may match gifts at a 1:1 ratio up to $30,000. That means that if you raise $30,000 from other donors, then you’ll receive $60,000 in total. However, if you raise less than the match amount, such as $10,000, then you’ll only receive the match up to that amount, or $20,000 total.

Challenge gifts are a great way for a major donor to inspire and encourage other donors to give, resulting in greater fundraising success for the nonprofit. When handled properly, these challenges can be used to secure future support and improve the sustainability of your organization.

What are the benefits of challenge gifts?

This image illustrates the benefits of challenge gifts, also detailed in the text below.

At this point, you may be thinking: Aren’t challenge gifts just donations with strings attached? Why would I want those instead of straightforward donations?

Although you might feel that way, challenge gifts bring your nonprofit a variety of game-changing benefits. Some of these include:

  • Increase fundraising impact. The most obvious benefit of challenge gifts is that they incentivize supporters to give. Your supporters are invested in your nonprofit’s success, which makes it more likely that they’ll donate so that you can secure challenge gift funds.
  • Attract new donors. If the challenge gift is contingent on acquiring a certain number of donors, it will be especially useful in attracting new donors. Plus, challenge gifts inspire a sense of urgency, providing a compelling reason for potential supporters to engage through donations.
  • Engage board members. Board members who are passionately invested in your nonprofit’s cause may inspire and engage their fellow board members by making a challenge gift for them. For example, a board member might say that they will give an extra $30,000 if the board as a whole gives $200,000 by a certain date.
  • Strengthen existing relationships. The urgency from the time-sensitive nature of challenge gifts will also help you secure donations from previous donors. Alongside a great stewardship plan, challenge gifts can greatly contribute to engaging previous donors and increase retention rates.
  • Form corporate partnerships. Although challenge gift donors don’t have to be businesses, if they are, it presents an opportunity for you to form partnerships with companies that are invested in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Having such a partnership may lead to future support through initiatives such as volunteer grants.
  • Secure long-term support. Aside from short-term support for immediate fundraising campaigns, certain challenge gifts can also help your nonprofit secure long-term funding. For example, a challenge donor may create a bequest challenge for $50,000. Every time someone submits a signed statement that they have put your nonprofit in their estate plan, the donor will release $2,000 from the challenge gift total.

When it comes to boosting your fundraising and securing support, challenge gifts are a valuable opportunity for nonprofits to reliably meet their goals. While the donor dictates the terms of the challenge, the concept itself has a lot of flexibility, as it accommodates multiple types of challenges.

What are the drawbacks of challenge gifts?

We’ve already touched on the main drawback of challenge gifts—the inability to fulfill the challenge, and therefore the loss of the challenge gift funds. The most common restrictions on a challenge gift include:

  • Goal amount. Whether it’s the number of donors or the donation amount, each challenge gift comes with a goal amount that the nonprofit must reach. Without reaching this objective, part or all of the challenge gift might be forfeited.
  • Time. That challenge gifts are time-sensitive creates a great sense of urgency that propels supporters to give. However, that same benefit is also a restriction—your nonprofit only has a set amount of time to reach your goals. This duration can vary greatly, based on the challenge the donor has set.
  • Donation requirements. These refer to any extra requirements that the challenge donor places on gifts that count toward the challenge gift goal. We’ve discussed that the challenge donor might choose to restrict the type of donor that can participate in the challenge, but they can also restrict the type of donation that qualifies. For example, they might specify that the challenge only applies to direct donations and specify that purchases made at a fundraising auction don’t qualify.

Although challenge gifts have their drawbacks, with proper planning and consideration, you can mitigate their disadvantages. While they might put your nonprofit’s fundraising and donor acquisition strategies to the test, the result will be well worth it—a large amount of funds that you can leverage to support your beneficiaries.

Acquiring Support for Challenge Gifts: 5 Tips

To help you make the most of any challenge gifts your nonprofit receives, we’ll go over five tips for acquiring support to fulfill your challenges. Let’s dive in!

This image shows five tips for getting support for your challenge gifts, also detailed in the text below.

1. Create a challenge gift proposal.

While some donors may make a challenge gift unprompted, it’s more likely that your nonprofit will need to specifically seek out challenge donors, much like you seek out sponsorships. To do so, you’ll want to draft a challenge gift proposal to pitch to potential donors.

As you create your proposal, be sure to:

  • Introduce your nonprofit. Provide a general overview of your nonprofit’s mission, beneficiaries, and the purpose of the challenge gift that you’re requesting.
  • Give any relevant context. If there’s any relevant information that would help contextualize your proposal, add it. For example, if your nonprofit works with individuals experiencing homelessness and the weather is much colder than usual in winter, you may say that you’re fundraising for warm winter clothing.
  • Outline your goals. Whether your goal is to obtain funds, new donors, or bequests, outline it in your proposal. Be specific—for instance, you may say that you want to raise $100,000, attract 500 new donors, or obtain 300 bequests.
  • Determine the challenge details. Lay out the general details of your challenge so your potential challenge donor knows exactly what is expected of them. Let’s say you want to raise $100,000. In your proposal, detail that you want to do this through a matching donation challenge, where your challenge donor matches $50,000 worth of donations at a 1:1 ratio to help you meet your overall goal of $100,000.
  • Detail the benefits. Aside from describing what you need from your challenge donor, let them know what they’ll be getting from your partnership as well. For instance, if you partner with a company, include their logo and branding on your promotional materials. That way, they can access potential customers amongst your nonprofit’s supporters.

Keep in mind that your challenge gift proposal should look different depending on which potential donor you’re trying to connect with. Just as you would segment your regular donors based on their interests and preferences, make sure to tailor your proposal based on the donor’s gift capacity and previous engagement with your nonprofit.

2. Strategically connect with challenge gift donors.

This image lists several types of challenge gift partners to connect with, also covered in the text below.

There are different types of potential donors that you can connect with to pitch challenge gifts to. When first starting, we recommend reaching out to similar types of potential donors to get a better feel of interacting with them and minimize the number of proposals you need to customize.

In general, most challenge gift donors fall into one of the following groups:

  • Local businesses. When connecting with local businesses, focus on the benefits that you bring to the local community and how that will bring greater success for the business. For instance, your nonprofit’s environmental focus might enhance a business’ neighborhood and bring in more customers.
  • Large corporations. Large corporations will likely have more money to donate as a challenge gift to your cause but require more effort when forming a partnership. Keep your pitch focused on the benefits that they receive from the partnership. This could look like a shoutout from your nonprofit or a mutually beneficial CSR partnership.
  • Major donors. Especially if they’ve previously made donations to your nonprofit, major donors are invested in your mission and strongly want you to succeed. For these pitches, you can discuss more in-depth the benefits that your nonprofit will receive while emphasizing how their previous support impacted your success.
  • Foundations and grantmakers. For this group of potential challenge donors, you’ll likely go through a rigorous application process to be considered. However, foundations and grantmakers exist to provide support to nonprofits, so you can focus your application on what your nonprofit gains.
  • Celebrities and influencers. Celebrities and influencers receive a large boost in reputation for being associated with charitable causes such as your own. Plus, their influence will greatly increase the visibility of your challenge. Be sure to take both of these factors into consideration as you craft your appeal to this group of potential donors.

To help you narrow down the potential donors you should connect with, focus on those who have already indicated a philanthropic interest in some way. For example, businesses with existing corporate citizenship or CSR initiatives that align with your cause will be more open to aiding your nonprofit.

3. Thoroughly promote your challenge gifts.

Ensure that your challenge gifts drive the impact you desire by thoughtfully promoting them to all of your nonprofit’s supporters. Use the following marketing channels to do so:

  • Your website
  • Direct mail
  • Email
  • Text or SMS
  • Social media

Send communications before and during the challenge to drum up excitement and secure support. Provide all relevant details to supporters so they know how they can help. For example, if your goal is to acquire 100 first-time donors, ask your supporters to reach out to their friends and family to appeal for first-time donations. Provide templates for social media posts and emails that they can use to make their appeals easier.

Additionally, be sure to focus your messaging on urgency and speed. Emphasize the approaching deadline and don’t be afraid to send multiple messages during the challenge as reminders. To make this process more efficient, consider using a marketing tool to streamline your promotional efforts.

4. Maximize your gift impact.

When properly planned and marketed, one of the great benefits of challenge gifts is a boost in the number of donations made during the challenge. Maximize the impact of gifts by diving into matching gifts.

If you’re new to matching gifts, they are a form of corporate philanthropy where employers match their employees’ donations to nonprofits. Although most match at a 1:1 ratio, particularly generous companies may match at a higher ratio, such as 2:1 or even 3:1.

This is how it works:

  • An employee donates to a nonprofit.
  • The employee submits a donation match request to their employer.
  • The employer reviews the request.
  • The employer approves the match and donates the matching funds to the nonprofit.

As around $4-7 billion of matching gift funds is estimated to go unclaimed every year, it’s clear that one of the biggest obstacles to obtaining matching gift funds is awareness.

During a donation challenge period, you’ll be sending out many communications to supporters to urge them to donate. Maximize the impact of those donations by also reminding supporters to look into their employers’ matching gift programs. With a small amount of effort from them, they’ll be able to greatly increase the funds that you raise. Plus, it won’t require them to gift more of their money!

Click to book a demo of Double the Donation’s matching gift software, improving the impact of your challenge donations.

5. Celebrate achievements and goals.

When the period set by your challenge gift has ended, be sure to celebrate all achievements and goals met with your supporters. Recognize all the donors that have given during this time and thank them for participating in the challenge. Even if you didn’t meet your goals, saying a simple thank you goes a long way toward facilitating long-lasting and fruitful relationships.

If you did meet your goals, then consider hosting a celebration! This can take the form of a donor appreciation event, where you invite all those who gave to come and have fun. Or, if your donors are spread all over the country or the globe, send gifts to them instead. These don’t have to break your budget, as they can be small trinkets or merchandise branded to your nonprofit.

The most important thing here is to let your donors know that your success would not be possible without them. Show your genuine gratitude so that donors are incentivized to continue supporting your mission.

Additional Resources

Challenge gifts are an incredible opportunity for your nonprofit to buckle down and meet its goals. They also incentivize increased giving from your supporters through gamification, making them a worthwhile gift to receive.

If you’re interested in learning more about nonprofit fundraising opportunities, check out the following resources:

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

This article will explore why recognizing donors is vital and share recognition examples your nonprofit can emulate.

Donor Recognition: When & How to Acknowledge Supporters

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What would you do if your organization hit a record number of new donors within a year?

Celebrate! But what about after the initial excitement wears off? Discovering that donors share the same passion for your cause is exhilarating. However, many organizations fail to communicate their appreciation adequately, which can have negative retention effects.

In fact, lack of recognition is one of the top five reasons why donors choose to stop giving. That said, donor recognition is a key part of donor stewardship, which can usher first-time donors into long-term supporters.

In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of donor recognition and discover how your organization can create an effective acknowledgment strategy. Let’s dive in!

Click here to download the ultimate matching gifts guide and learn about acquiring and recognizing donors who work for philanthropic-minded companies.

What is donor recognition?

Donor recognition describes the practice of thanking your organization’s donors for their gifts to your nonprofit. It’s a way for nonprofits to express gratitude and reinforce supporters’ commitment to the cause.

Many nonprofits separate recognition into tiers based on the type of gift and amount given by a donor. We’ll explore this concept more later, but for now, know that nonprofits refer to this tier system to ensure their recognition level matches a donor’s generosity.

There are several methods for recognizing donors. Everything from a simple phone call to a fancy outdoor display falls under this category. At the most basic level, you should send a prompt donor thank-you letter or email acknowledging them for responding to your fundraising appeal and supporting your mission. As with any nonprofit fundraising letter, this thank-you should:

  • Be personalized with the donor’s preferred name
  • Include relevant, engaging images
  • Convey the impact of the donor’s support

Despite the various methods, the purpose of every donor recognition strategy is always the same: to acknowledge a donor’s generosity.

Why does donor recognition matter?

Donor recognition is a vital component of nonprofit fundraising and relationship-building. It’s what inspires donors to stick around and continue supporting your cause, so you can pursue your mission and build a community behind your cause. Let’s explore how meaningful donor recognition impacts both nonprofits and their donors.

This image describes the 10 benefits of donor recognition for both donors and nonprofits.

Benefits for Nonprofits

Acknowledgment plays a fundamental role in acquiring, retaining, and inspiring greater support. For nonprofits, meaningful donor recognition helps:

  1. Increase donor retention. Recognizing donors makes them feel like they are making a difference. It also indicates that your organization prioritizes showing appreciation regardless of the gift amount.
  2. Encourage recurring giving. Donors who feel recognized are more likely to give more and give more often. When you take time to recognize a donor’s gift, you indicate that they’ve made a smart choice to donate to your cause.
  3. Acquire more donors. Recognizing donors publicly can act as a form of social proof. When people see their friends donate to a cause, it motivates them to explore the organization and maybe get involved themselves.
  4. Promote a positive brand image. Organizations that prioritize donor recognition further their positive perception in people’s minds. People notice when nonprofits go the extra mile for their supporters.
  5. Encourage an atmosphere of gratitude. Staff, volunteers, and other supporters want to work for an organization that expresses gratitude regularly. The positive emphasis on appreciation creates a vibrant work culture.

Nonprofits rely on their donors to power their missions, making proactive recognition a vital part of their fundraising efforts. From retaining donors to expanding your community of supporters, showing gratitude goes a long way.

Benefits for Donors

On the other side of things, proper acknowledgment can impact donors in several ways, too. Here’s a quick rundown of how you can influence supporters by recognizing them:

  1. Make donors feel valued. Donors like knowing that their gift is appreciated. Frequently showing recognition makes them feel valued as important contributors to your organization.
  2. Affirm their decision to give. Donors could have given to any cause, or not given at all. When you recognize their contributions, you reassure them that they made the right choice.
  3. Deepen their connection with your organization. When organizations recognize donors individually, it makes them feel like a part of the team. This deepens their connection and can even encourage them to get involved in other ways like volunteering.
  4. Remind them of their impact. With plenty of distractions, donors can easily forget to support your organization regularly. But, when you recognize them, you remind them of their special part in driving impact. After all, 41% of donors will give again when they receive personalized outreach on the impact of their support.
  5. Offer community connections to like-minded people. Recognition policies, especially event-oriented ones, allow donors to connect with like-minded individuals and expand their personal and professional networks.

As you can see, consistent donor recognition accomplishes both nonprofit-related and donor-related objectives. That’s why creating a robust recognition program now can cause positive ripple effects for your organization for years to come.

When should you recognize donors?

The short answer: as soon as the gift is received. Expressing acknowledgment and gratitude promptly is what makes donor recognition matter. After all, saying thank you a few weeks or even a few days later does not carry the same meaning. Instead, aim to recognize a donor within 48 hours of receiving their gift. Many nonprofits document their official gift recognition and substantiation procedures in their gift acceptance policies.

Of course, more involved recognition strategies like a naming opportunity will take longer to complete. However, all donors should receive a prompt and personalized acknowledgment. More specifically, plan to thank donors at every touch point. For example, capital campaigns should use donor recognition strategies that actively support the larger campaign purpose and complement each stage of the project.

Increase donor support and retention with our guide to matching gifts in the donor journey

Who should your nonprofit recognize?

Your goal should be to make all supporters feel recognized and valued for their contributions, regardless of the size of their gift.

But, it’s important to choose recognition strategies that adequately address the level of a donor’s generosity. Responding with an unexpected abundance or limited amount of recognition can throw your donor relationships off-kilter, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction.

To avoid this, you’ll need to create donor recognition levels based on donation type, donation amount, engagement level, and donor type. Let’s explore each in more detail below!

This image describes how donor recognition levels are categorized by donation type, donation amount, engagement level, and donor type.

Donation Type

There are several different donation types, from matching gifts to in-kind donations. Generally, donors give through one of the following donation methods:

  • Cash: Direct monetary deposit to your nonprofit organization.
  • In-Kind: Food supplies, medical supplies, or other tangible goods.
  • Time: Donors can choose to devote part of their time to volunteering with your organization and may even apply for volunteer grants to help you raise more funds.
  • Matching Gifts: Many corporations offer matching gifts as a part of their philanthropic initiatives, meaning they match their employee’s donations at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio.

Depending on the type of donation, you can organize your recognition program to acknowledge donors’ specific gifts. For instance, if a donor opts to give through a matching gift program, your recognition should acknowledge their thoughtfulness in doubling their donation.

Donation Amount

Many nonprofits segment their donor tiers by donation amount. How you determine the tiers will depend on your organization’s average donation size. A smaller nonprofit’s average donation size might be $200 while a more established nonprofit’s average donation size might be closer to $2,000.

For example, a community-based nonprofit’s donation recognition levels might look something like this:

This image describes how a nonprofit might categorize donor recognition tiers based on donation amount.

  • Friends: $100 – $499
    • Tax receipt and handwritten thank-you note from the Executive Director
    • Recognition in annual report
  • Believers: $500 – $4,999
    • All the benefits of the Friends level
    • Exclusive updates on nonprofit activities, impacts, and forthcoming initiatives
    • VIP experiences and behind-the-scenes access or unique networking opportunities
  • Advocates: $5,000 – $19,999
    • All the benefits of the Believers level
    • Website or newsletter recognition feature
    • Named sponsorship recognition
  • Visionaries: $20,000 – $49,999
    • All the benefits of the Advocate level
    • Press release and major publication recognition
    • Special event recognition
    • Naming opportunities
    • Ongoing personalized stewardship

You can also organize these levels based on impact. For instance, a food pantry might categorize amounts by their ability to feed five families, 50 families, or 250 families. Adjust the amounts and the recognition titles to best suit your organization’s average donation size and mission impact.

Engagement Level

You can also categorize donors by their engagement level with your organization. This identifier will significantly impact how you decide to recognize them. Here are the various engagement levels to consider:

  • First-time donors: It’s important to promptly recognize first-time donors to affirm their decision to give to your cause and welcome them to your organization. Welcome packets full of fact sheets about your organization, branded merchandise, a thank-you note, and upcoming volunteer opportunities are a great way to recognize new donors.
  • Repeat donors: Currently active donors who know your organization well are also worth recognizing. Show them your appreciation with personalized phone calls, exclusive nonprofit updates, and event invitations tailored to their interests.
  • Major donors: Donors who give significant amounts of money to your cause deserve thoughtful recognition. Keep them in the loop with specialized impact reports and dedicated donor thank-you events as a part of your stewardship efforts.
  • Legacy donors: People who decide to dedicate their life’s earnings through planned gifts or estate plans qualify as legacy donors. Include these generous individuals in legacy society publications and send them exclusive updates on their future gifts’ impact.

You can categorize this donor data within a dedicated CRM so that your team can reference and update it throughout your relationship. That way, you’ll never miss a beat when recognizing new or long-time donors.

Donor Type

When you think of donor recognition, you might primarily think of individual contributors. However, there are a few different types of donors, and you should adjust your recognition strategies for each type. Donor types differ across three major categories:

  1. Individual donors are private individuals who contribute their personal funds. They are the most common type of donors and range from small contributors to high-net-worth individuals making major gifts.
  2. Corporate donors are companies that provide financial support or other resources. Corporate giving takes various forms, such as monetary donations, in-kind contributions, employee volunteer programs, or cause-related marketing partnerships.
  3. Foundations are organizations formed to provide funding and support to charitable causes. They can be private (i.e., established by individuals or families) or public (i.e., government-funded or endowed by corporations).

As mentioned, you’ll need to adapt your recognition efforts for each donor type. For example, personalized acknowledgments and donor spotlights are suitable for individual donors, while corporations might benefit from specialized CSR employee engagement programs. Foundation recognition, on the other hand, would take the form of grant acknowledgments.

Top Donor Recognition Ideas

Depending on the above considerations for each donor, there are several ways you can recognize them. As always, you’ll need to match the strategy to your relationship with the donor for maximum impact. Here are some top recognition ideas based on engagement levels and donation amounts:

This image organizes donor recognition ideas by donation amount, donor type, and engagement level to adequately match each idea to each donor.

Digital eCards

To make your recognition both prompt and personalized, use digital eCards. This approach allows you to send a branded thank you to donors. These digital tools make it easy to honor donors and spread the word about your cause. It’s as simple as logging in, customizing your design, drafting a thank-you, and sending it to your donor’s social media account or inbox.

Not to mention, eCards are a great source of revenue when you sell them to supporters, too. Check out this video for an in-depth review of how this technology works:


From thanking donors to raising funds, digital greeting cards can add a special touch to your fundraising techniques. Greeting cards are perfect for any occasion, including saying thank you to your valued supporters!

Phone Calls

Simple and straightforward, a phone call from your nonprofit’s Executive Director is a meaningful way to recognize a donor. This strategy will make donors feel seen by your nonprofit’s efforts. Be sure to have the donor’s donation type and amount handy so you can express gratitude for their specific gift.

Branded Gifts

Send your donor nonprofit branded merchandise as a thank-you! Blankets, t-shirts, hats, and hoodies all make for fabulous donor recognition gifts that will make your donor feel welcomed into your organization. If your nonprofit has an online gift shop, consider sending a donor a discount to choose a branded gift that best suits them.

Thank-You Notes from Beneficiaries

Your donors likely expect a thank-you message from your nonprofit’s team, but you can pleasantly surprise them with a handwritten appreciation letter from your beneficiaries. All you need to do is:

  • Sign up beneficiaries to write letters. Ensure they know that this is a small time commitment to encourage more people to join.
  • Provide writing resources for beneficiaries. Offer items such as a thank-you card template, paper, and pens to make the writing process as easy as possible.
  • Coordinate letter drop-off. Instead of sending letters themselves, ask your beneficiaries to drop their thank-you letters off at your office. This way, beneficiaries don’t need to pay for stamps, and your donors’ sensitive information is kept safe.
  • Send the thank-you notes to donors. Make sure to send your letters in a timely manner. If you’re worried about stamp prices, look into qualifying for USPS’ nonprofit discount to cut costs.

Take the following example from Youth For Understanding. The nonprofit offers study abroad opportunities, helping young adults learn about the world via semester and year-long exchange programs. They had previous program participants craft thank-you notes to send to their host families or anyone else who made their experience memorable.

This is a donor thank you note created by the nonprofit Youth For Understanding.

This idea is a fun twist on traditional approaches to nonprofit thank-you cards, allowing your beneficiaries to build personal connections with donors and secure their future support.

Explore donor recognition eCards.

Social Media Spotlights

Looking for a way to make an individual donor feel special? Social media spotlights are an effective option for highlighting your donor’s generosity. First, make sure your donor follows you online and regularly engages on the platform you choose. Then, with their permission, feature an image of them with a caption describing the impact of their generosity and why your team is grateful for their support. Or, host a livestream during a big campaign to thank donors.

Appreciation Videos

Appreciation videos are great for social media posts and blog posts on your website. These do not need to be long. However, be sure to include your executive staff thanking individuals for their support. You can also include, with their permission, a thank-you from the beneficiaries who your donors have helped. Doing this will help your donors understand the importance of their gifts.

Donor Lunch

Invite your donors to a dedicated lunch to celebrate their generosity. Send an invitation in advance and keep the invite list small to focus on a couple of key individuals. This option is great for donors who would appreciate more than a thank-you note but are uncomfortable attending a large dedicated event.

Donor of the Month Program

While your donors don’t give for the attention, you can still provide public shoutouts to your mid-tier contributors. Unlike social media spotlights, Donor of the Month is a time-bound award that’s given to the donor who’s made a big impact during that calendar month.

For instance, some good candidates for this award include a volunteer who decides to donate for the first time or an existing donor who smashes their peer-to-peer fundraising goal. You can highlight their dedication to your mission by:

  • Featuring them in your newsletter
  • Allowing them to write a guest post for your blog
  • Interviewing them and sharing the video on your website and social media accounts

Ensure your donor consents to being publicly recognized and notify them in advance so you can get your appreciation materials out on time.

Outdoor Displays

Take your recognition outside with a vibrant outdoor display to honor your donors. A nonprofit-specific monument or statue outside your facility can be a valuable addition to your headquarters. Consider partnering with design and construction partners to ensure that your display can withstand weathering and is designed to inspire. Include donor names in a plaque beneath the display.

Donor Plaques or Walls

Probably the most well-known recognition practices, donor plaques and donor walls are popular strategies. Donor plaques honoring the sole donors of a nonprofit project are often posted outside of buildings that the donors funded, for example. Donor walls can display several names and are best unveiled following a capital campaign.

Appreciation Events

Host a virtual happy hour or in-person dinner as a way to say thank you to donors. This can provide a valuable opportunity for donors to network with other supporters and discuss your cause. You could even run an online cooking class or informal craft tutorial. Or, you can make your event larger scale and host a fancy gala; just be sure to keep the focus on donor appreciation.

Donor Hall of Fame

Donor social media shoutouts and Donor of the Month are great ways to publicly appreciate your donors, but you can take this idea to the next level for major donors by starting a Donor Hall of Fame. This honor should be reserved for your most engaged and influential donors and awarded sparingly (e.g. once or twice a year). You can inaugurate donors by:

  • Hosting a dinner in their honor
  • Adding their picture to a wall in your organization’s office
  • Naming events and items after your donors

Unlike Donor of the Month and one-off shoutouts, this idea immortalizes your most impactful contributors. By going the extra mile with this idea, you can demonstrate how donations fuel your mission and that donors forever mark your nonprofit.

Board or Committee Invitations

Invite mid-sized and major donors to serve on advisory boards or committees. This form of recognition engages them more deeply in the organization’s work by showing you value their input and expertise.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering might not seem like an appreciation idea at first glance. However, many donors will appreciate engaging with your cause in new ways. By encouraging donors to volunteer, you’ll deepen their involvement in your mission. This will help them form a more personal connection to the work your organization does and see the impact of donations.

Private Tour

With this donor recognition idea, you’ll show donors where the magic happens! Even though they contribute to your mission substantially, many of your mid-sized and major donors may not have seen your office space and work sites before. Give donors an inside look into your organization by showing them around.

A great chance to use this type of recognition is when someone contributes to fund a specific project or initiative. For example, let’s say a major donor gave to your capital campaign to relocate to a bigger office. You might host an in-person tour or record a virtual one to show them around the new space.

Tips to Level Up Your Donor Recognition

Now that you have some creative donor recognition ideas, it’s time to brainstorm how you’ll cater each one to your unique donor community. Here are some ways to take these donor recognition ideas up a notch:

  • Communicate impact. According to Blackbaud, two of the top reasons donors churn are because they never received information on how their gift was used, and they don’t think the organization needs them. Avoid this by tying donations to tangible results. For example, show donors you need their support by telling beneficiaries’ stories and giving them an inside look into their impact.
  • Get permission for public recognition. While some donors might love a public shoutout, others might prefer private recognition, like a phone call or letter. Before acknowledging anyone publicly, ask them if it’s okay first!
  • Get creative. While a traditional thank-you letter can show appreciation, catch your donors’ attention by testing new recognition techniques. You have tons of powerful technology at your fingertips. Pair that with your team’s creativity, and you’ll come up with out-of-the-box ideas. Even formatting your letters as eCards can make recognition more impactful.

Creating a thoughtful donor recognition strategy can go a long way in showing that you genuinely care about their support. Pay attention to what resonates with donors, and you’ll learn how to show appreciation in more meaningful ways.

Final Thoughts and Additional Resources

Your donors are the reason you can continue pursuing your mission. By properly recognizing them, you’ll increase donor acquisition and retention. Remember, acknowledge your donors often and authentically to convey your nonprofit’s appreciation for them. Be sure to always ask for their permission for public recognition and mention how their specific gift impacted your mission. In turn, thoughtful recognition will pave the way for stronger donor relations.

Did you enjoy this guide to donor recognition? Check out these resources to learn more:

Click here to download the ultimate matching gifts guide and learn how to recognize donors who are eligible.

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:

 

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.

This article will review CSR statistics to help you supercharge your CSR approach.

16 Impactful CSR Statistics Charitable Companies Should Know

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The top companies know that sales are no longer everything. Employees, consumers, and investors want to know that businesses are committed to making the world a better place in their everyday operations. That’s where corporate social responsibility (CSR) comes in.

CSR encompasses a company’s efforts to contribute to society, from corporate philanthropy to environmental advocacy. Since CSR refers to various programs and initiatives, it can be difficult to conceptualize its impact and how companies should approach it.

To illustrate the multi-faceted nature of CSR, we’ve compiled a list of 16 helpful CSR statistics. This data will show the necessity of adopting CSR and which methods companies should use. Let’s dive into it!Learn more about how matching gift auto-submission can get employees engaged in your CSR program.This image reveals the top CSR statistics, as outlined throughout the article.

1. 93% of employees think companies should lead with purpose.

When employees come to work each day, they want to feel like they’re making a difference. Even if their jobs don’t directly affect those in need, employees take comfort in knowing that the companies they work for use their revenue and team time for good.

Make sure your employees are up to date with your company’s CSR initiatives. Consider sending monthly or quarterly updates about steps your business is taking to make the world a better place. Your team will take pride in knowing their employer is committed to improving society and your local community.

2. 71% of employees think it’s important to work at a company that gives back through philanthropy and volunteering.

More specifically, employees want to get involved in your CSR efforts. The two easiest ways for them to do so are corporate giving and volunteering.

When you start a corporate giving program, you show employees that you care about their interests and want to work together to give back to the causes they’re passionate about. There are a variety of different elements your corporate giving program may include, such as:

  • Matching gifts. Many companies will match employee donations to their nonprofit of choice, typically at a 1:1 ratio.
  • Volunteer grants. To incentivize employee volunteering, companies may contribute to nonprofits based on the number of hours their employees volunteer.
  • Fundraising matches. Instead of matching employee donations, fundraising matches apply to funds individual employees raise for walkathons, runs, or other events.
  • Community grants. Nonprofits can apply for grants offered by companies in areas such as disaster relief.
  • Annual giving campaigns. Companies may run specific fundraising campaigns during the end of the year or dedicated giving days.
  • Automatic payroll deductions. With automatic payroll deductions, employees can easily donate to their favorite causes on a regular basis.
  • Annual grant stipends. While annual grant stipends are somewhat rare, some companies distribute a predetermined amount of money to employees each year for them to donate to their nonprofits of choice.
  • Internal employee fundraising. Nonprofits and companies alike may rely on their team members to raise money for worthy causes.
  • Scholarships. Businesses may help students pay for tuition, living expenses, food, and other associated costs.
  • Sponsorships. For nonprofits hosting events, corporate sponsorships can be very helpful in securing necessary funding. Additionally, these nonprofits may promote and publicly thank their corporate sponsors, allowing businesses to gain positive publicity.

To ensure your employees understand how your program works, create a corporate charitable giving policy that outlines your program’s components and requirements. For example, you may limit donations through automatic payroll deductions to only environment-oriented nonprofits if sustainability is your company’s primary focus.

In terms of volunteering, you can encourage your employees to participate by developing a formal corporate volunteer program. Reach out to local nonprofits to line up volunteer opportunities for your team. You may also survey your employees to find which organizations they already volunteer with and organize volunteer events with those nonprofits.

3. 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs while 40% offer volunteer grant programs.

The two most popular forms of corporate giving are matching gifts and volunteer grants. Matching gifts occur when an employee contributes to a nonprofit, and their employer matches that donation. While most companies match employee donations at a 1:1 ratio, some may match at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio.This image shows one of the top CSR statistics: 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs.

No matter the matching ratio your company decides upon, matching gifts have the potential to double—or even triple—a nonprofit’s donation revenue. With this type of corporate giving, you incentivize employees to give back to their favorite causes and help worthy nonprofits earn more along the way.

Volunteer grants are like matching gifts with a volunteer twist. Instead of matching donations, companies contribute to nonprofits based on the number of hours their employees volunteer with them. As a result, companies can have a massive positive impact on their nonprofit partners by offering them additional funds and corporate volunteers.This image shows one of the top CSR statistics: 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.

The companies with the most successful matching gift and volunteer grant programs use corporate giving software. This type of platform allows businesses to manage components of their corporate giving programs, including:

  • Employee donations
  • Automatic payroll deductions
  • Matching gift requests
  • Volunteer hour logs
  • Volunteer grant requests
  • Team volunteer opportunities
  • Company corporate giving metrics

With all of their corporate giving information in one central location, companies can more easily communicate with their employees about their philanthropy programs and ensure donation request forms are completed in a timely manner.

4. 78% of donors are unaware if their company offers a matching gift program.

It’s difficult to make a large impact with your matching gift program if your employees don’t know about it. That’s why it’s so important to include matching gift guidelines in your corporate giving policy and promote matching gift opportunities to your team.

On the other hand, even knowing that your company’s matching gift policy exists doesn’t guarantee that supporters will participate. In fact, 16% of donors know their company offers matching gifts, but they’re not sure if they’re eligible or how to submit a request. Companies can make the matching gift process easier by leveraging corporate giving software.

Keep in mind that businesses like yours aren’t the only ones using corporate giving software. Nonprofits also use this technology to encourage matching gifts and volunteer grants among their supporters, which will overlap with your employees. Many nonprofits embed corporate giving database tools within their donation pages that allow donors to search for their employer, determine their eligibility, and submit a matching gift or volunteer grant request.

When your company’s corporate giving software integrates with nonprofit platforms, the nonprofit software will seamlessly send matching gift and volunteer grant requests to your system. Plus, software that specifically integrates with auto-submission tools can make it even simpler for your employers to get their gifts matched. Check out this video for an in-depth look at how auto-submission works:

Typical nonprofit corporate giving software enables donors to fill out their information and send matching gift and volunteer grant requests to their employers. With auto-submission, the process is even easier. All employees have to do is input their corporate email address, and the platform will send their employer the appropriate request on their behalf.This image shows how the matching gift auto-submission process works.

This approach ensures that more donors send matching gift and volunteer grant requests, increasing corporate giving participation and employee engagement. When choosing corporate giving software, look for a platform that integrates with those that have auto-submission capabilities, such as 360MatchPro, for best results.

5. 96% of companies find that employees who volunteer are more engaged than their coworkers who don’t.

In addition to benefiting those in need, volunteering can also improve employee engagement. When you organize volunteer shifts for your employees, you give them the opportunity to build valuable teamwork skills. Additionally, employees who work for companies that provide volunteer grants and facilitate volunteer outings feel empowered by their employer to make a difference.

Corporate volunteer programs give employees a hands-on opportunity to get involved in CSR. They’ll feel more invested in your company when they can directly contribute to your social good efforts, leading to higher engagement in the workplace.

6. 88% of Millennials find their jobs more fulfilling when their employers provide CSR opportunities.

With Millennials making up 39.4% of the workforce, it’s important to tailor your company culture to this large segment of working professionals. An overwhelming majority of Millennials believe CSR opportunities enhance their roles.

For many corporate employees, their job descriptions don’t necessarily include helping communities in a direct way, but most people feel best about themselves when they’re making a positive impact on others. CSR opportunities help close this gap.

Employees who give to their favorite causes or volunteer with nonprofits through their companies’ corporate giving programs feel a greater connection to the business. CSR makes jobs more than just jobs; these types of initiatives empower people to work with their employers for the betterment of society.

7. 55% of employees say they would take a lower salary to work for a socially responsible company.

Many employees feel so passionate about CSR that they would rather work for a socially responsible business than make a larger salary at a company that doesn’t prioritize CSR. This data is striking because it shows that companies in the midst of recruiting and hiring can entice applicants with their CSR initiatives.

While people certainly want to be paid in accordance with their skills and experience, there’s a growing sentiment that job fulfillment is sometimes more important than salary. As evidenced by the two previous CSR statistics, CSR programs enhance the employee experience and make people feel connected to their workplace.

Companies that want to attract purpose-driven applicants should take the time to develop comprehensive CSR programs. That way, they can demonstrate their commitment to social good and encourage prospective employees to join in.

8. 89% of corporate executives think employees are more satisfied when their company has a strong sense of purpose.

Not only do employees report that they prefer companies with a social conscience, but corporate executives also notice a difference in employee attitudes when companies are driven by CSR. Leadership teams recognize that CSR gives employees something to work toward in addition to their career goals and aspirations.

When employees feel satisfied in their roles, they’re more likely to put their best foot forward in the workplace. As a result, employees will be more productive and invested in their work, resulting in better outcomes for your business objectives.

9. 58% of companies say workplace giving programs are important in retaining employees.

One of the biggest challenges of running a business is retaining employees. Over the long run, it’s much more cost-effective to retain employees than hire new ones. Additionally, keeping the same employees around allows you to leverage their expertise and knowledge of the company to drive your goals forward.

That’s why when companies find an employee retention method that works, they stick with it. Since workplace giving programs make employees feel more fulfilled and engaged at work, they also help ensure employees stay with their current employers. Consequently, employees who participate in corporate giving have 75% longer tenures in the workplace.

10. 77% of consumers want to purchase from companies with CSR initiatives.

Your employees aren’t the only ones invested in your CSR program. CSR is becoming increasingly important to consumers, so much so that it’s influencing their purchasing decisions.

This figure indicates the potential positive financial impact of adopting CSR practices. To ensure customers know about the work your company does to better society, make sure to advertise different elements of your CSR program using a variety of platforms. Here are some examples of how you can promote your charitable efforts:

  • Posting pictures of your corporate volunteers on social media
  • Including how much your company donates to different causes each year on your product packaging
  • Updating your customers on your current CSR projects through your newsletter

While CSR may not directly influence sales, it can reveal your core values to consumers who feel inclined to support charitable businesses.

11. 73% of investors look to invest in companies that improve the environment and society as a whole.

Investors have the potential to skyrocket your company to success. These days, investors are not only looking for companies with high profitability but also those that are making a positive impact on the world around them.

Implementing CSR efforts and reporting on them can increase the likelihood that purpose-driven investors support your business. Be sure to research potential investors ahead of time and include information about your CSR program in your pitches, especially for investors who have shown a demonstrated interest in CSR.

12. 96% of G250 companies report on their sustainability efforts.

In its Survey of Sustainability Reporting, KPMG explains that G250 comprises the world’s 250 largest companies by revenue. Considering nearly all of them report on their sustainability efforts, we suggest your business does the same.

Reporting on your CSR efforts, such as sustainability initiatives, increases transparency with stakeholders, including employees, consumers, and investors. When you’re compiling your annual report, you may notice gaps in your CSR strategy that you can address with your team. That way, you can ensure your strategy is comprehensive and represents your company’s commitment to its values and specific CSR interests.

13. 87% of global investors accuse companies of “greenwashing” their sustainability reports.

When reporting on your CSR efforts, especially those that pertain to sustainability, it’s important to clearly describe the specific initiatives your company has carried out. It’s easy for companies to say they’re committed to sustainability without clarifying which components of sustainability they’re targeting and the actions they’re taking to do so. This practice is called greenwashing and leads to distrust among investors and the public.

Participants in PWC’s Global Investor Survey propose that companies who are serious about sustainability should structure their sustainability reports like financial statements with reasonable assurance. That way, companies can demonstrate the specific actions they’ve taken to promote sustainability and differentiate themselves from businesses that partake in greenwashing.

14. 76% of companies use CSR reports to enhance their reputation.

After learning about the positive impact of CSR on employees, consumers, and investors, it should make perfect sense that many companies report their CSR efforts to boost brand reputation. More than anything else, a company’s CSR program illustrates that it cares about its stakeholders’ priorities and uses its power and profits to help those in need.

For accurate, data-based reporting, start by pulling relevant data from your corporate giving software. Your platform likely keeps track of metrics such as how much money your company has raised and how many employees have participated in your CSR efforts. You can also use this data to evaluate which elements of your CSR program are most successful and which need to be revamped.

Then, you can obtain qualitative data for your reports by surveying stakeholders and nonprofits you’ve worked with. For example, you may interview an avid employee about their experiences as a volunteer and speak with a representative from your nonprofit partner to learn about the impact your CSR efforts have had on their mission. These types of testimonials can provide authenticity to your CSR reports.

15. The top 10 corporations alone donate $2 billion annually to nonprofits.

This CSR statistic quantifies the substantial impact CSR has on charitable organizations. Ultimately, your company’s CSR initiatives can provide much-needed revenue to nonprofits that can use those funds to better assist their beneficiaries.This image shows one of the top CSR statistics: The top 10 corporations alone donate $2 billion annually to nonprofits.

Find nonprofit partners that align with your company’s core values and mission. For example, companies that sell food products may partner with an organization that fights hunger. That way, your CSR efforts will be more meaningful and authentic to your business.

16. 94% of major US corporations plan to increase or maintain their corporate giving over the next few years.

CSR is not slowing down anytime soon. The majority of companies are growing their corporate giving programs to support even more causes and communities.

This image shows one of the top CSR Statistics: 94% of major US corporations plan to heighten or maintain their charitable giving in the next few years.

This data point indicates that CSR is not just a trend. It’s now a given for companies that want to stay relevant and positively perceived in the eyes of all stakeholders.

Additional Resources

Whether you’re looking to engage your employees, “wow” your consumers, win over stakeholders, or make a tangible difference in the community, CSR can help you achieve your goals. By contributing to nonprofit causes, you also satisfy your stakeholders and improve your brand image as a philanthropic company.

We hope these CSR statistics helped you better understand the trends and impact of CSR. For more informative statistics, check out the resources below:

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

Matching Donation Challenges: A Guide to Increasing Gifts

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

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

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

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

What is a Matching Donation Challenge?

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

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

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

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

Benefits of Matching Donation Challenges

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

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

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

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

How to Set Up a Matching Donation Challenge

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

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

1. Identify challenge details.

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

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

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

2. Establish your goals.

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

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

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

3. Seek out a matching donation partner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Promote your matching donation challenge.

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

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

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

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

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

5. Monitor challenge progress.

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

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

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

6. Follow up after the event.

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

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

3 Best Practices for Successful Matching Donation Challenges

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

1. Simplify your matching donation challenge with software.

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

Useful tools for matching donation challenges include:

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

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

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

 

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

2. Strategically choose when to host your challenge.

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

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

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

3. Emphasize increased impact.

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

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

Consider using the following language in your marketing materials:

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

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

Additional Resources

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

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

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

This article explores corporate social responsibility software and how to implement it.

How to Implement Corporate Social Responsibility Software

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are an effective way for businesses to engage employees while also boosting their reputation through corporate citizenship. In fact, 72% of consumers state they are more likely to recommend a brand that supports a good cause over one that doesn’t.

However, deciding you want to launch a CSR program is just the first step. To be effective, philanthropy needs to be organized. This enables you to maximize your resource allocation, ensure you’re helping reputable causes, and accurately report your impact to employees and consumers.

One key element of modern CSR programs is software. CSR software for businesses enables you to track every aspect of your philanthropic activities, helping you make the biggest impact possible.

To help, this guide will explore the essentials of CSR software by looking at:

Sponsorships, corporate volunteerism, workplace giving, and other CSR efforts have the potential to make a real difference in your community. The right software will aid your efforts to keep you on track, make your processes more efficient, and help you do good in the world.

Discover a top CSR solution: Matching Gifts. Start your matching gift program off right with auto-submission software. Learn more.

What is CSR Software? 

CSR software is essentially any business-oriented software solution that enables for-profit organizations to participate in CSR activities. As such, CSR software encompasses platforms with a variety of functionalities, including management tools for:

The image shows various types of CSR software programs, listed below.

  • Employee giving
  • Corporate volunteerism
  • Grants
  • Relief funds
  • Scholarships
  • Sponsorships

Essentially, any philanthropic activity that your company might participate in is likely to have a corresponding CSR software solution you can invest in. Note that many CSR platforms will have features to facilitate multiple types of corporate giving. However, different software has different focus areas, so consider what type of program you want to launch before looking into platforms.

5 Features to Look for in CSR Software

Once you know what type of philanthropy program you want to launch, you can start creating a list of top CSR platforms you’re considering. Assess these candidates based on their user-friendliness, how well they align with your budget, and whether they have the necessary features.

While your priorities will depend on your specific corporate giving program, a few top features to look for include:

1. Employee Giving Features

While there are types of corporate philanthropy that don’t involve employees, using a solution with employee giving program features will put your business in a good position to start one if you later have an interest in doing so. And many corporations end up launching some sort of giving program for their employees as it lets them have an active role in helping their communities.

For example, one popular type of employee giving program that highly benefits from software is matching gifts. Here’s a breakdown of technology’s role in this specific CSR program:

  • Employees check their matching gift eligibility. Create a dedicated space on your website or through your employee CSR portal that outlines your matching gift requirements. Putting this information online makes it easy for matching gift databases to access it. That way, employees who donate to nonprofits that use matching gift software can easily check their eligibility.
  • Employees access matching gift applications. Let employees conveniently fill out your matching gift application online. Some CSR software even has matching gift auto-submission features, which allow employees to complete their applications in just a few clicks. Here’s a video walking through the basics of our auto-submission software:
  • The business receives and approves applications. Once applications are submitted, your CSR platform can keep them organized. This allows for a more streamlined review process compared to paper applications where it’s possible to lose forms or receive incomplete ones.

Matching gifts are an especially effective type of CSR program because they give employees an extra incentive to participate. After all, 84% of donors state that they’re more likely to make a donation if they know it will be matched.

2. Reporting Tools

Employees and consumers want to interact with businesses that engage in corporate philanthropy. Make sure your CSR software will equip you with the reporting tools you need to gather data, keep it organized, and create reports showing your impact.

Reporting tools allow you to understand how well your CSR initiatives are performing, if resources should be allocated differently, and what tangible difference you have made. For a real-life example, let’s talk about a trend we saw in 2023. Many companies that previously paused their matching gift programs started them back up partly due to data demonstrating their importance.

Additionally, reporting helps you maintain transparency. Employees who participate in a workplace giving program want to know that their contributions are going to specific nonprofits that then use them to fulfill their missions. Plus, straightforward reports on your philanthropic spending will be useful when completing your business’s tax forms.

3. Nonprofit Vetting

Some CSR platforms connect corporations with a list of trusted nonprofits or provide them with the tools to vet nonprofits’ credentials. Ensuring you’re working with reputable organizations is essential for making an impact through your philanthropic efforts.

Software that provides a database of nonprofits looking for sponsorships, business partnerships, and other CSR assistance can also help you find new organizations to support. For example, you might search for small local nonprofits that do important work but get overlooked when compared to nationally known charitable organizations.

If your business only wants to work with specific types of nonprofits, databases with filtering tools can be incredibly useful. For example, you might set your parameters to exempt religious organizations, show only organizations that receive a certain amount of revenue annually, and sort by proximity to your business’s headquarters.

You can use this information to determine which organizations you’ll support and even provide a list to employees as part of your workplace giving program. They might appreciate having a range of organizations to support.

When choosing a CSR vendor, ask them about their vetting process, specifically what criteria they use. Some systems have different weights that can inadvertently penalize small but still reputable organizations.

4. Vendor Support

Purchasing any new software application is a major investment, and businesses need CSR software solutions that come from reliable vendors. Research vendor reviews from past clients to get trustable opinions on their professionalism, experience, and helpfulness. Specifically, look up whether the vendor provides the following:

  • Onboarding. Does the vendor hold onboarding sessions with companies to help them set up their software? Some vendors will have a team member walk you through the implementation process. In contrast, others will refer you to their trusted technology consulting partners, and a few may even leave your organization to figure it out yourself.
  • Training resources. Along with the software, what other resources does the vendor provide? This will likely come in the form of documentation about how to use basic features of the software, but some providers go above and beyond by creating training video series you can watch at any time. Thorough training resources are especially important to have for growing companies and those in high-turnover fields as you’ll regularly need to get new employees up to speed.
  • Technical support. If you encounter a technical issue, will the vendor be able to help? Vendors offer multiple types of technical support systems such as emailed support tickets, phone support, and 24-hour live chat. Ensure whatever vendor you partner with is easy to get in touch with and will provide support from a human.

Buying new software can be a lengthy process, so make the most of this time by getting to know your potential providers. Request demos, ask questions, and check reviews of their software to make a fully informed decision before committing to a purchase.

5. User Convenience 

It’s possible but difficult to run a low-tech CSR program. This method involves keeping physical forms organized long-term, which means you’ll need a good printer and lots of file cabinet space. These systems also tend to be slower and require more effort on both your employees and leadership’s parts, lowering participation.

In contrast, software enables you to keep all relevant program information in one location that anyone with a computer and internet connection can access. This can help you engage remote employees, speed up your programs, and stay organized.

For example, let’s take a closer look at one CSR feature we discussed earlier: matching gift auto-submission. 

Auto-submission is a new technology in the CSR space, but it can make matching gifts a significantly faster and easier process. Here’s a comparison of the matching gift request process with and without auto-submission:

Without Auto-Submission 

The image shows the matching gift process without auto-submission, written out below.

  1. A donor makes a contribution as normal.
  2. A donor is provided with their match eligibility information if the nonprofit has matching gift software. If not, the donor will need to look up their employer’s matching gift information themselves.
  3. The donor navigates to your CSR portal to fill out a matching gift application.
  4. The donor looks up information required for the application, such as the nonprofit’s tax ID and mailing address.
  5. If your CSR has a matching gift search feature, the donor can be automatically connected with the information they need about the nonprofit they gave to. Otherwise, they will need to fill in the information by hand and hope that it’s correct.
  6. The donor provides the rest of the needed information about their gift, such as how much they gave, when they donated, and what payment method they used.
  7. The donor confirms this information is accurate and submits the matching gift request.
  8. The matching gift request is submitted and sent to the appropriate parties at your business for review.

With Auto-Submission

The image shows the matching gift process with auto-submission, written out below.

  1. A donor makes a gift on the nonprofit’s website as normal.
  2. If the nonprofit has matching gift software (which is required for auto-submission), the donor can enter their workplace email to be connected with their employer’s application form.
  3. The donor chooses to have the gift automatically completed for them, and the matching gift request is sent to your business for review.

Any technology that can cut down an eight-step process to a three-step process is worth considering. Participating in CSR programs is entirely voluntary, and user-friendly software can make all the difference in whether or not your employees decide to engage. 

Check if your CSR software has matching gift auto-submission functionality. Request a consultation.

How to Implement Your CSR Software: 5 Steps

Once you’ve chosen your CSR software, you’ll need to plan your implementation. This involves not just setting up your software but gaining employee buy-in as well.

This process will vary based on your business’s past experiences with CSR programs, but in general, businesses can follow these five steps:

1. Develop Your CSR Program

Your chosen software manages your CSR program, so ensure you know what type of CSR program you intend to launch and how you’ll configure the software to facilitate it.

For example, you might choose a CSR software solution with matching gift functionalities to promote your employee giving program. From there, you’ll need to develop that matching gift program and set up your CSR software to:

  • Allow employees to complete matching gift applications online. Consider the requirements your business will put in place for this CSR initiative, such as minimum and maximum donation amounts, which types of organizations are supported, and whether part-time and retired employees can also participate. Then, make your forms accessible on your website or an employee portal through your CSR software.
  • Review matching gift applications. Once applications are submitted, your software should keep them organized for review and approval. Determine how you’ll conduct the review process or even if it will be automated if all form fields are filled correctly.
  • Distribute matching gift funds. Consider how matching donations will be delivered. Will you use your CSR software to handle contributions automatically? How will you ensure you have enough funds available for matching gifts? Is there a target amount you want your program to distribute through matching gifts?

These questions are a combination of fleshing out your CSR program and your software’s role. Make sure the process for participating in any CSR programs is fully ironed out before presenting it to employees or consumers to avoid questions, confusion, or mishaps.

2. Host a Training Session 

As with any new software you implement, determine how you will train employees to use it. This might involve sending out a recording and detailed instructions on how to use the software, hosting a live demo, or even having members of your CSR vendor’s team conduct the training session for you.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to create detailed documentation that covers how to use the software, fixes for recurring technical issues, and information on how to handle system updates. When you hire new employees or if a member of your technical team leaves, this documentation will speed up training and ensure knowledge is maintained.

3. Promote CSR Participation

Once your software is set up, it’s time to promote your CSR activities like corporate volunteer days and employee giving. To do this, you need to make your employees aware of your programs and motivate them to participate.

Lack of knowledge of CSR programs is more prevalent than you might realize. For instance, 78% of donors are unaware of whether their employer offers a matching gift program, leaving a lot of money on the table that’s earmarked for philanthropy.

Make sure your employees know about and are incentivized to participate in CSR by implementing strategies like these:

  • Provide regular program updates. Make updating your employees about your CSR programs a routine part of your communication. This helps communicate your impact and reminds employees to participate.
  • Offer freedom of choice. Employees want to give to the causes they care about in the method that works best for them. While you may want to impose certain limitations on what types of nonprofits your business will support, opening up your employee giving program to a wide range of organizations can boost participation by giving individual employees more control over their contributions.
  • Organize structured activities. Sometimes the easiest way to get employees involved in CSR activities is to make it a part of their day. Rather than encouraging employees to volunteer on their own time, you might plan a formal corporate volunteer day where your entire team volunteers at a nonprofit together. Or, you might discuss signing up for automatic payroll deductions with employees when they first join your business to get them to contribute to an employee assistance fund.

Additionally, employees may advocate for the creation of new CSR programs. Consider employee requests, the costs and benefits of these programs, and whether your current software is equipped to handle them. In some cases, you might find your CSR platform can already facilitate what your employees are asking for.

4. Gather Employee Feedback

After rolling out your new CSR software, be open to employee questions, suggestions, and frustrations. Workplace giving programs only succeed when employees buy into them, and ensuring that employee voices are heard and concerns are addressed is the first step to attaining that buy-in.

Create formal surveys and ask questions like:

  • How easy is the software to use?
  • Does it feel like any features or processes are missing?
  • Is it clear how your donations are being collected and used?
  • Have you experienced any technical difficulties since the software’s implementation?
  • Have there been any notable improvements to CSR programs since the software’s implementation?

The image is an example CSR software survey that a business might share with employees to collect feedback.

This feedback can help you make targeted improvements to your CSR program and point to future software upgrades. For example, you might learn that many employees are unaware your CSR software has corporate volunteerism functionality and send out written directions or a recording of someone navigating the platform showing how to access them. Or, you may learn that certain processes are slow and dissuade employees from participating in them, leading you to consider a new CSR software solution altogether.

Keep a record of employee feedback and refer back to it when announcing changes in your CSR program to demonstrate your commitment to listening to employees. This can not only boost buy-in for specific CSR initiatives but also help improve your workplace culture in general.

5. Explore Newly Added Features

When implementing your CSR software, take the time to explore all of its features. CSR vendors continuously update their platforms to provide better, more convenient corporate giving experiences, and a new update might bring new functionalities that improve your CSR program.

For one example, we previously discussed new technology for matching gifts, auto-submission. As the technology sees wider adoption, more CSR vendors may allow users to turn on auto-submission, enabling businesses’ employees to submit their matching gift applications in seconds.

Since your initial purchase, check if your CSR platform offers new tools like auto-submission or any other feature that will improve your corporate philanthropy programs.

CSR Software: Final Thoughts

CSR software has evolved over the last few years, providing new, innovative ways to make corporate philanthropy as easy as possible. These platforms will continue evolving as well, inventing new features to improve convenience, transparency, and impact.

For businesses interested in getting started with CSR, choosing a software solution is a major first step. Along with what you’ve learned here, continue exploring the ins and outs of CSR with resources like these:

Take the next step to improve your matching gift program. Learn if your CSR software supports auto-submisison.

This guide to employee giving explores motivations behind employee giving and strategies to inspire workplace gifts.

Why Do Employees Give? 8 Ways to Inspire Employee Giving

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Corporate giving programs enable businesses to work alongside their employees to make a positive difference in the world. These programs are often driven by employee giving, allowing your team to play an active role in helping the causes they care about.

However, while most employees enjoy working for employers with giving programs, even the most passionate employees sometimes need a little push to participate. This can be for a number of reasons, from being unsure how the program works to simply forgetting about it to even not knowing it exists at all!

To help your business make better, more effective contributions to good causes, this guide will explore eight ways you can encourage employees to donate through your workplace giving program. But first, let’s dig into just why employee giving is so important.

Matching gift auto-submission makes it easy to launch your employee giving program. Learn more.

Why does employee giving matter?

Employee giving is a win-win-win situation for businesses, employees, and nonprofits. Let’s take a closer look at what each of these groups can gain from a healthy employee giving program:

The Business Perspective

At first businesses, especially small organizations, may have reservations about jumping into corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives due to the associated costs. However, along with making a positive difference in the world, these donations can pay for themselves in a number of ways. 

Today’s employees, especially economically-present Gen Z workers and consumers, are socially conscious and want to associate with businesses committed to charitable causes. Let’s take a look at just a fraction of the research on CSR:

The image depicts three business-related employee giving statistics, written out below.

  • CSR efforts can improve customer relationships as 70% of consumers state that they want to know what the brands they buy from are doing to address social and environmental issues. 
  • Strong CSR programs have been linked to increased employee engagement, improved productivity, and even reduced turnover by as much as 50%.
  • 86% of employees want the opportunity to participate in corporate giving. 

An employee giving program is one of the easiest ways your business can get started with CSR. It’s employee-driven and is at least partially funded by them, sharing the potential financial burden. 

All your business needs to do is invest in the proper resources to facilitate employee giving, vet promoted causes, establish giving requirements, provide impact reports, and regularly promote the program. 

The Employee Perspective

Quite plainly, donating to a good cause makes the individual who donates feel good. They know they’re actively contributing to a cause that makes a positive difference in the world. Plus, when their employer also cares about and supports that same cause, employees know they’re working for an organization that shares their values, making them more engaged and invested in the organization. 

Employee giving programs can incentivize donating. If an employee gets quarterly reports about how much the business has contributed to good causes, that can remind them to chip in a contribution of their own. Some employee giving programs even allow employees to opt-in to automatic paycheck deductions, making the donation process automatic. 

The Nonprofit Perspective

Foremost, nonprofits earn valuable fundraising revenue from employee giving programs. While each individual’s donation alone is helpful, entire teams of like-minded donors all giving together can make a massive impact. 

Employee giving programs are also an opportunity for nonprofits to attract attention to their organization. Nonprofits can partner with local businesses to receive funds (or get highlighted to employees looking to give in more open programs), spreading awareness of their cause and attracting new donors. 

Looking for a new employee giving program? Discover matching gifts.

8 Strategies to Spark Employee Giving

Employee engagement programs like workplace giving programs can essentially run themselves after launch with businesses just needing to send the occasional reminder and impact report. However, to get them to that state, you’ll need to attain employee buy-in and make participation in your giving program a regular part of your company culture. 

Whether you’re starting a new employee giving program or trying to reinvigorate your current one, here are eight strategies that will inspire your employees to participate:

1. Plan a formal launch.

Brand new employee giving programs face two major hurdles: letting employees know the program exists and teaching employees how to participate. You can accomplish both of these by treating your giving program’s launch like you would any other business initiative. 

For instance, consider preparing the following materials for your giving program launch:

  • Announcement video. Part of inspiring your team means getting them excited, and a video announcement can do just that. Consider making a video announcement that both employees and customers can watch. You can use the video to present the program to your employees and then add it to your website to demonstrate your CSR to consumers.

The image shows an example thumbnail of an employee giving program announcement video.

  • Process documentation. Giving to charity is an uplifting but ultimately serious matter. Make sure your approach feels anything but slapdash by creating a formal policy for your giving program that’s accessible to employees. Explain the program’s goal, how it relates to your company’s values (or philanthropic statement if you have one), why certain giving requirements are in place, and what steps employees need to take to participate. 
  • Q&A session. Plan a meeting with employees to present your employee giving program to them directly and answer any questions. This could involve a tutorial on how to navigate your giving software’s interface, receive feedback on improvements employees would like to see, and generally get a sense of how your team feels about the new program.  

If you already have an employee giving program that’s seeing lackluster results, consider planning a formal re-launch to reintroduce it to employees. This can be an opportunity to respond to questions employees may have had but never got answered, re-confirm your commitment to social good, and make charitableness a more notable part of your company culture.

2. Provide bonus match incentives. 

In a survey, over 84% of donors stated they were more likely to give if their donation would be matched. Companies looking to increase employee giving can leverage this data’s findings by offering a matching gift program. 

In addition to encouraging more donations, corporate matching gift programs also signal to employees that their employer cares about the same causes they do. This can help increase employee loyalty and create a sense of teamwork as you and your employees contribute in equal measure to causes that matter. 

To start your matching gift program, consider the following matching stipulations:

The image outlines a variety of matching gift program guidelines, listed below.

  • Minimum and maximum donations. Establish how much employees have to give in order for their gifts to be matched. Setting a floor can help encourage larger donations, but be careful to strike a balance as too high of a minimum can also dissuade donations at all. Additionally, many companies also establish a maximum amount that they will match each year per employee. 
  • Match ratio. Most companies match at a 1:1 rate, but some organizations offer 1:2, 1:3, or even rarely 1:4. In contrast, others go lower with a 1:0.5 rate. While a lower rate is certainly an option, it will likely result in fewer employee gifts. 
  • Causes and types of organizations. What causes and types of charitable organizations will you match donations to? Narrowing your range of eligible organizations focuses your corporate philanthropy efforts but provides less freedom for employees. 
  • Employee status. Can only full-time employees apply for matching gifts or can part-time and retired employees also participate? If you’re looking for an extra generous approach, some companies even match gifts for their employees’ spouses. 
  • Application deadline. When do employees need to submit their matching gift application forms? When setting a deadline, be conscious of the end-of-year giving rush and how donors who give in late December may not have the time to fill out a matching gift application by January 1st. You can accommodate for these types of giving patterns by setting a deadline for a certain number of months after a gift is made rather than establishing a static calendar date. 

If you decide to incorporate matching gifts into your employee giving program, check if your CSR software has features that can help you create and process matching gift request forms. 

3. Be transparent.

Employees want to work for businesses with robust CSR programs. However, it’s also common for employees to be doubtful of corporate philanthropy, especially if businesses aren’t open about their charitable practices and spending. 

You can instill buy-in for both employees and customers by being as transparent about your employee giving program as possible. For example, make it a point to:

  • Share program goals. Be clear about why you are launching an employee giving program, how it will work, and what you hope to accomplish through it. This is an opportunity to share your official philanthropic mission statement and cement it as part of your business’s brand. 
  • Provide reports. Use your CSR software to monitor your philanthropic spending, what organizations you’ve donated to, and what impact those nonprofits have made. On a regular basis, such as quarterly or annually, share this report with employees and consumers. 
  • Answer questions. If employees aren’t sure why a decision is being made or how funds bookmarked for CSR are being spent, invite them to ask questions and give honest answers. Consider holding a Q&A session when first launching or restarting your employee giving program to clear up any confusion. 

Part of transparency involves having organized data so you can provide accurate reports and answers to questions. Use a CSR database that lets you keep track of all relevant activities and helps you maintain any relevant compliance regulations. 

4. Provide freedom of choice.

Businesses often only match donations for specific types of nonprofits. For example, it’s common to see businesses that match employee donations to all types of nonprofits, except for religious organizations. These limitations can help focus philanthropic efforts and ensure you’re only supporting reputable organizations your business has taken the time to vet. 

However, limiting employee freedom of choice can also limit employee giving. Many employees are motivated to participate in employee giving when they have the option to support causes they have a personal connection to, and not having that option can cause them not to give. 

Consider your employee giving program’s goals and meet with your team to learn what causes matter to them. Then, you can determine the level of freedom you want to grant employees. This might involve allowing them to choose from a range of nonprofits that tackle a variety of issues, nonprofits with a focus area relevant to your business, any nonprofit employees can think of, or something in between. 

5. Facilitate in-kind gifts.

Some members of your team may be interested in giving back in ways other than monetary donations. For these employees, consider adding in-kind donation options to your employee giving program. In-kind donations can be broken up into two categories:

The image lists a variety of items that are examples of in-kind donations, contrasting physical objects (clothes, food, etc.) with services (technical assistance, accounting, etc.).

  • Physical objects. Many nonprofits accept item donations, such as homeless shelters appreciating donations of clothes and blankets. To encourage this type of giving, run a donation drive and designate a place in your main office where employees can bring their physical donations. Seeing items, whether they’re clothes, food, dog toys, or anything else, pile up can encourage other employees to donate as well. 
  • Professional services. Employees can donate their specific skills to nonprofits. This is similar to volunteering but involves the employee performing a service the nonprofit would otherwise have to pay for, such as taking professional photographs, creating graphic design assets, or helping run a first aid tent at a 5K fundraiser. Research local nonprofits that could benefit from your employees’ unique skill sets. 

Your business can also participate in in-kind giving as part of your CSR program. For example, you might agree to donate all of your company’s old-but-usable computers when you upgrade to a new system. Or, you might combine in-kind gifts with your employee giving program, such as by promising to match employees’ donations of perishable goods to a food bank.

6. Expand to employee volunteering. 

Do your employees want a more hands-on approach to doing good in your community? If so, consider expanding your employee giving program with volunteer grants. Volunteer grants are donations businesses make to the charitable organizations their employees volunteer at. The grant amount usually depends on how long the employee volunteered. 

Here are the basic steps for how employees at most organizations that offer volunteer grants apply for one:

  • The employee volunteers. Use your CSR software to help employees find local nonprofits they can volunteer with and record their hours. 
  • The employee looks up their grant eligibility. Similar to matching gifts, your business will need to consider your volunteer grant eligibility requirements. Specifically, consider how many hours employees must volunteer. Some businesses provide grant amounts on a per-hour basis whereas others have minimum and maximum hour requirements. 
  • The employee submits a grant application. Determine what information you’ll need from employees to assess their grant applications. This may include hours volunteered, the nonprofit’s tax ID, contact information for the volunteer supervisor, and anything else that helps you verify the volunteer work. 

Use CSR software that allows you to track volunteering along with other relevant employee giving metrics. Encourage volunteering, and report to your employees how many total hours they spent helping charitable causes. 

7. Leverage matching gift auto-submission. 

While small businesses can run employee giving programs without CSR software, operating at scale makes it necessary. Luckily, CSR platforms have continued to advance to make workplace giving programs easier to participate in than ever. 

One important new technology is matching gift auto-submission, which recently completed its beta testing. Businesses that have CSR software with auto-submission capabilities can essentially turn on the feature and have their matching gift form connected with matching gift databases. As a result, employees can then have their matching gift applications completed for them automatically, dramatically speeding up the process. 

Take a look at the following video to see the auto-submission process in action:

Essentially, your employees can opt into matching gift auto-submission when donating to a nonprofit that uses Double the Donation. So long as your CSR software integrates with our tools, your employees won’t have to fill out a form to submit to your team.

Check to see if your CSR software has matching gift auto-submission capability and, if so, what you need to do to turn it on.

8. Set broad employee giving participation rules.

Lower the barriers for participating in your workplace giving program. The easier it is to participate, the more likely you are to inspire your employees to get involved!

For inspiration, Re:Charity’s list of ways to drive employee giving suggests the following:

  • Rethink employee eligibility requirements. Chances are, you’ll allow all full-time employees to get involved in initiatives like matching gifts and volunteer grants. Think about your part-time employees and retirees, too. If you’re feeling extra generous, you can even extend some of the same perks to employees’ spouses. For example, you might offer to match their donations to approved nonprofits, even if it’s at a lower rate.
  • Consider generous nonprofit eligibility requirements. While you can restrict which nonprofits are eligible, consider allowing any 501(c)(3) organization to benefit from your employee giving program. By allowing more nonprofits to be eligible, you’ll communicate that you care about the same causes your employees do.
  • Set low minimums and high maximums for matching gifts. If you offer a matching gifts program, set low minimums and high maximums. A minimum that’s too high may make it difficult for employees to meet requirements. The same goes for volunteer grants. Lower hour requirements are more likely to spark participation.
  • Provide flexibility for submission request deadlines. Your employees lead busy lives outside of work hours. Provide some flexibility as to when they have to submit a matching gift or volunteer grant request. Otherwise, deadlines that arrive too quickly might turn people away. One popular option is to set a deadline one year after the contribution is made.

You want employees to participate in workplace giving, so why wouldn’t you make it easy for them? Doing so will show that your company is serious about its social responsibility efforts.

Employee Giving: Final Thoughts

Your employee giving program allows your business to make a positive social impact and invite your team to participate. Give employees the opportunity to support the causes they want to, help facilitate their giving with matching gifts, and provide regular updates about the impact they’ve made. 

Of course, employee giving is a complex subject, and this overview might just be the beginning of your research. Continue learning about employee giving with these resources: 

Interested in improving your matching gift program? Check if your CSR software facilitates auto-submission. Contact us.

Companies with Innovative and Unique Matching Gift Programs

Companies with Innovative and Unique Matching Gift Programs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s jump in!

Microsoft ⁠— Highest Employee Participation

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

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

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

Learn more about Microsoft’s matching gift program.

General Electric — First Matching Gift Program

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

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

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

Learn more about General Electric’s matching gift program.

BP — Offers Charitable Giving Stipends

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

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

Learn more about BP’s matching gift program.

CVS Health ⁠— Incorporates Fundraising Event Matches

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

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

Learn more about CVS’s matching gift program.

Expedia ⁠— Internationally Eligible Program

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

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

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

Learn more about Expedia’s matching gift program.

HP, Inc. ⁠— Offers Volunteer Grants

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

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

Learn more about HP’s matching gift program.

RealNetworks⁠ — Unique 5-Year Anniversary Grant

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

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

Learn more about RealNetworks’ matching gift program.

Soros Fund Management ⁠— Highest Maximum Match Amount

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

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

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

Pew Charitable Trusts ⁠— Religiously Inclusive Program

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

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

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

Learn more about Pew Charitable Trusts’ matching gift program.

Nike ⁠— Sports-Related Triple Match Program

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

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

Learn more about Nike’s matching gift program.

Blue Shield of California ⁠— Special Board Member Match

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

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

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

Innovative Discovery ⁠— Seamless Auto-Submission Functionality

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

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

Learn more about Innovative Discovery’s matching gift program.

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

How a Matching Gift Database Can Help

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next Steps

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

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

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

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