Corporate Philanthropy Examples: 14 Companies Doing It Right
Why is Philanthropy Important for Companies?
Corporate philanthropy is important because it allows companies to show that they care about the causes their employees are passionate about. By implementing corporate philanthropy programs, companies can increase their positive impact on the world and support various charities as decided by their employees, benefiting both nonprofits and the greater social good.
According to Double the Donation’s research, corporations gave more than $20 billion to nonprofit organizations in 2022.
The two most common types of corporate philanthropy examples are matching gifts and volunteer grants.
Matching Gifts
Matching gifts occur when employees of a company donate money to a nonprofit organization and their company matches their donation. Employees submit forms to their employers requesting that their donations be matched by the company.
Volunteer Grants
Volunteer grants occur when employees of a company volunteer with a nonprofit and their company donates to that organization in return. Employees can submit a volunteer grant application to their company once they’ve reached the threshold of volunteer hours required by their company.
Corporate Giving and Philanthropy Statistics
Check out these compelling statistics from 360MatchPro that demonstrate why corporate philanthropy is so important:
- The top 10 companies donate over $2 billion annually through employee matching gift programs.
- Corporations gave more than $21 billion to nonprofits in 2022.
- 93% of companies have a minimum match requirement of less than or equal to $50.
- Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
- 84% of donors are more likely to donate if a match is offered.
- 1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied.
- 91% of companies match donations at a 1:1 ratio.
- 65% of Fortune 500 companies match employee donations and 40% offer volunteer grant programs.
- 85% of the top matching gift companies also offer volunteer grant programs.
- Automation increases matching gift revenue by 61% with auto-submission functionality expected to yield an additional 80%-200% increase.
Corporate Philanthropy Companies: Top 14 Examples
| COMPANY |
| 1. Google |
| 2. Microsoft |
| 3. ExxonMobil |
| 4. Johnson & Johnson |
| 5. Apple |
| 6. ConocoPhillips |
| 7. Dell |
| 8. Aetna |
| 9. General Electric |
| 10. Expedia |
| 11. Verizon |
| 12. RealNetworks |
| 13. Walmart |
| 14. Allstate |
| 15. Warner Media |
Corporate Philanthropy Examples
1. Google’s Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant Program
Google matches up to $10,000 annually per employee in donations to nonprofits, and $10,000 annually per employee to disaster relief. All full-time and part-time employees are eligible. They also match funds employees raise for charitable events where they actively participate, like walkathons or bike rides.
Their volunteer grants program requires employees to contribute a minimum of 1 hour, and the company will donate $10 per hour of volunteering.
Bonus: Google for Nonprofits
Google announced a 5-year goal to award $1 billion in grants and contribute 1 million employee volunteer hours. As part of their commitment to corporate philanthropy, they offer Google for Nonprofits. After being approved, nonprofits are granted free access to several of their collaboration and productivity tools, including Google Workspace.
With a Google for Nonprofits account, you can access the Google Ad Grants application. Approved organizations receive up to $10,000 each month to spend on promoting their web content via Google Ads. To make the most of the opportunity, we recommend turning to our recommended Google Grants agency to help you apply and create high-performing ads.
2. Microsoft’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
According to Microsoft’s corporate social responsibility report, the company gave $3.2 billion in donated and discounted technology to 302,000 nonprofits serving over 1.2 billion people globally. They work to empower people, strengthen communities, and protect the planet.
Microsoft will match up to $15,000 at a 1:1 ratio, while their volunteer grants have no minimum required hours and provide $25 per volunteered hour.
They also launched their Microsoft Ads for Social Impact program in 2022. With this program, organizations can receive $3,000 in funding to promote their web content across Microsoft’s search network, including search engines like Yahoo! and Bing. To maximize your results, we recommend turning to our recommended paid advertising agency to help you get started and configure your ads.
Learn more about Microsoft’s corporate philanthropy program.
3. ExxonMobil’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
According to ExxonMobil’s wordwide giving report, $43 million was donated by their employees and retirees through ExxonMobil’s matching gift and employee giving programs. Employees, retirees, and their families also volunteered more than 483,000 hours in recent years.
ExxonMobil will match the first $2,000 donated per employee at a 1:1 ratio to arts and cultural organizations and provides a 2:1 match on the first $7,500 donated to educational institutions (max $22,500 company contribution). They also offer a $500 grant after 20 hours of volunteering (up to 4 grants per employee per year).
Learn more about ExxonMobil’s corporate philanthropy program.
4. Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Johnson & Johnson prioritizes women’s and children’s health, strengthens the healthcare workforce, and ensures access to essential surgery. The company also offers innovative solutions to address global disease challenges and provides disaster relief and product donation. They take a global and local approach to their giving through partnerships, collaboration, technology, and innovative programming.
The company will donate $2 for every $1 current employees donate ($20,000 maximum company contribution) and $1 for every $1 retirees donate ($10,000 maximum company contribution).
Learn more about Johnson & Johnson’s corporate philanthropy program.
5. Apple’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
In 2022, Apple’s total employee charitable giving program exceeded $125 million, and their employees volunteered more than 250,000 hours.
The company matches employee donations to most nonprofits at a 1:1 ratio with a maximum of $10,000, while their volunteer grant program has no minimum hour requirement and donates $25 per hour that an employee volunteers.
6. ConocoPhillips’ Corporate Philanthropy Program
ConocoPhillips believes in and works toward the well-being of the communities in which they function through charitable giving, employee volunteerism, and civic leadership. They participated in 8 United Way campaigns and raised over $5.6 million in employee, retiree, and company donations. They also logged over 44,500 volunteer hours globally.
The company will match employee donations up to $10,000. It also offers two types of volunteer grants for current employees and retirees, as well as team volunteer grants.
Learn more about ConocoPhillips’ corporate philanthropy program.
7. Dell’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Dell has recently set a goal to volunteer 5 million cumulative hours of service over the course of several years and has committed itself to sustainability by recovering 2 billion pounds of used electronics and using sustainable materials in their products.
The company will match nonprofit donations up to $10,000 at a 1:1 ratio. For every quarter in which their employees volunteer more than 10 hours, the employee can allocate a $150 donation toward a 501(c)3 organization.
8. General Electric’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
General Electric strives to connect employees with their surrounding communities and offers a matching gift program. In the past, General Electric gave $129 million in total, with $30 million in matching gifts.
General Electric will match a maximum of $5,000 at a 1:1 ratio for all employee types.
Learn more about General Electric’s corporate philanthropy program.
9. Expedia’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Expedia takes pride in its team’s passion for individual giving and volunteering. They choose to honor that commitment by matching donations and providing volunteer grants to reinforce these efforts and support the organizations they care about.
Expedia will match up to $4,000 in donations for full-time and part-time employees and offers $15 per hour volunteered at a 5-hour minimum.
10. Verizon’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
In recent years, Verizon donated more than $4.6 million to disaster recovery projects throughout the United States. In total, $8,109,604 was donated by Verizon employees to nonprofits in 2022, and $9,175,405 was donated through their matching gifts program.
Verizon matches individual employee donations up to $5,000 for higher education or up to $1,000 for any other nonprofit. They also have the Champions program, which rewards groups of ten or more Verizon employees to team up and raise money for a cause, raising up to $10,000 of matching gift revenue. Once employees volunteer 50 hours with an organization in a given year, Verizon will provide a volunteer grant of $750.
11. RealNetworks’ Corporate Philanthropy Program
RealNetworks has pledged to donate 5% of its after-tax profits to charitable causes, which has led to the creation of the RealNetworks Foundation. The Foundation makes grants to charitable organizations and matches employee donations, as well as volunteer time.
The company will match up to $10,000 in donations for all employee types and offers $15 per hour that employees volunteer with a 10-hour minimum (4 hours if part of a team event).
Learn more about RealNetworks’ corporate philanthropy program.
12. Walmart’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Walmart is committed to increasing economic opportunity, strengthening local communities, and enhancing sustainability. As of May of 2023, Walmart has provided over $1.7 billion in total global giving.
While Walmart only matches gifts at the Executive level, its volunteer grant program requires a minimum of 1 hour and will donate $10 per hour up to 100 hours. They also have a group volunteer program in which groups of Walmart employees who participate in fundraising events together can request volunteer grants at a higher matching ratio.
13. Allstate’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Through Allstate’s Giving Campaign, employees can give year-round to the causes and charities they care about. In recent years, $6.48 million was donated by agents and employees, including the company match. Their maximum match amount is $1,000 at a 1:1 ratio.
Allstate offers a Good Hands matching grant program for higher education, as well as The Giving Campaign for all other nonprofits. Agency owners who volunteer are eligible for $1,000 grants, and employees are eligible for a $500 grant after volunteering 8 hours in a calendar year.
14. Warner Media’s Corporate Philanthropy Program
Warner Media is committed to giving employees the ability to broaden their own experience through volunteerism. The company also matches U.S.-based employee contributions to nonprofit organizations.
The company’s maximum match is $1,000 at a 1:1 ratio for full-time and part-time employees. Warner Media also awards volunteer grants of $500 for employees who volunteer for at least 30 hours in a year.
Learn more about Warner Media’s corporate philanthropy program.
Tap into Corporate Philanthropy with Double the Donation
Double the Donation is the leading provider of matching gift and volunteer grant solutions, offering a comprehensive database for both employees and nonprofit organizations. The database provides matching gift and volunteer grant information about thousands of companies across the United States, Canada, and the UK.
Double the Donation can help employees determine whether their company takes part in corporate philanthropy and offers two solutions:
Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant Search Tool
Employees can search for their employer in Double the Donation’s company name search tool (which can be embedded into any nonprofit’s website) to determine if they’re eligible for matching gifts or volunteer grants. From there, they can view their company’s profile, which will offer information like maximum match amounts, minimum volunteer hours needed, and guidelines for submitting a request to their company. Here’s how the tool works:
How the Search Tool Works:
STEP 1:
Access the database.
STEP 2:
Search for your employer.
STEP 3:
View the results.
Matching Gift Automation Platform
Double the Donation’s other solution is 360MatchPro, which automatically identifies opportunities for employees of philanthropic companies to have their gifts matched. The tool helps drive matches to completion through tracking tools and automated messaging options and also tracks eligibility for volunteer grants.
Automate outreach, as well as analyze and forecast your corporate philanthropy revenue all in one place.
Want to learn more about 360MatchPro? Check out this video!
Additional Examples of Corporate Philanthropy
Marketing Matching Gift Programs
Few organizations know about the impact of matching gifts, much less how to begin marketing them to unaware donors. However, you can take large strides toward raising awareness.
Explore these marketing tips to incorporate matching gifts across your fundraising and communications.
Corporate Matching Gift Programs
Corporate matching gifts are a type of corporate philanthropy in which companies financially match donations that their employees make to nonprofit organizations.
Learn the basics surrounding matching gifts and how you can best leverage them as a nonprofit or company.
Corporate Philanthropy: The Ultimate Guide
Corporate philanthropy is the act of a corporation or business promoting the welfare of others, usually through charitable donations of funds or time.
Learn how corporate philanthropy can help businesses, nonprofits, and the greater social good.
