Payroll giving is a powerful tool that allows employees to contribute to nonprofit causes directly from their paychecks. This method of giving not only simplifies the donation process for employees but also provides organizations with a steady stream of funding. In this comprehensive payroll giving FAQ, we’ll explore the ins and outs of payroll giving, addressing common questions and concerns that nonprofits may have.
Payroll giving doesn’t have to be complicated. By unveiling the truths behind these common inquiries, we hope to guide your team through the process of growing your revenue with the programs. Keep in mind that with the right tips and tools, there’s a lot of potential there that you don’t want to overlook.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in with the basics.
What Is Payroll Giving?
Payroll giving, also known as automatic payroll deductions, is a type of corporate giving program that enables employees to donate a portion of their salary to charitable organizations. This system allows for seamless contributions, making it easier for employees to support causes they care about without the need for manual transactions.
Payroll giving essentially functions through a partnership between employers, employees, nonprofits, and a Payroll Giving system that connects them.
Let’s take a look at a step-by-step breakdown of how the process actually works:
Employer Sets Up a Scheme: First, an employer needs to register with a Payroll Giving agency. These agencies are approved organisations that handle the distribution of donations to charities. Once registered, the employer can offer the scheme to employees as part of their workplace benefits.
Employee Chooses to Participate: Employees who want to give simply fill out a form—either online or through HR—stating how much they want to donate and which charity (or charities) they want to support. There’s no minimum amount, and donations can be changed or stopped at any time.
Donations Are Deducted Automatically: The donation amount is deducted automatically from the employee’s gross salary, often before tax is calculated. This means the donor gets immediate tax relief, and the charity receives the full benefit.
Payroll Giving Platform Distributes the Funds: The employer sends the collected donations to the Payroll Giving platform, which then distributes the money to the specified charities. This usually happens on a monthly basis, providing charities with a reliable income stream.
Charities Receive the Full Donation: Once the Payroll Giving agency processes the donation, the chosen charities receive the full amount pledged by the employee.
In short, payroll giving is a hassle-free way for donors to support charitable causes with maximum impact and minimum effort—straight from their regular paycheck.
What Are the Benefits of Payroll Giving for Nonprofits?
Payroll giving offers a range of valuable advantages for nonprofits, making it a robust and sustainable fundraising tool.
Here’s how charitable organizations can reap the benefits from this type of giving:
Reliable, Regular Income
One of the biggest advantages is consistency. Donations through payroll giving are deducted each pay cycle, meaning nonprofits receive a steady flow of funds they can count on month after month. This predictability helps with budgeting, planning, and sustaining long-term projects.
Low Administration Effort
Because donations are processed through payroll giving platforms rather than typical donation pages, charities don’t need to manage individual donor transactions or paperwork. This reduces administrative costs and effort, allowing teams to focus more on their mission.
No Transaction Fees
Unlike traditional donation methods, payroll giving typically incurs no transaction fees, meaning the full amount goes directly to the nonprofit.
Higher Value Donations
Payroll Giving often results in higher-value donations compared to one-off gifts. Since the money is deducted automatically and regularly, donors are more likely to commit to giving more over time without feeling the financial pinch.
Engaged, Loyal Donor Base
Payroll donors tend to be more consistent and long-term supporters. Their commitment often translates into deeper engagement, advocacy, and even involvement in other fundraising activities, too.
Access to Corporate Support
Many employers offer matched giving, where they match or boost employees’ donations. This doubles the impact for the nonprofit and can lead to broader philanthropic engagement. Not to mention, having multiple payroll giving donors from the same company can signal to a nonprofit a potential corporate partnership opportunity!
For nonprofits looking to build sustainable revenue streams and deepen relationships with supporters, payroll giving is a smart, efficient, and scalable solution.
How Can Nonprofits Encourage Payroll Giving?
Encouraging Payroll Giving requires a strategic blend of awareness, partnership, and ongoing engagement. While the process is simple for employees, nonprofits need to take active steps to promote the option and make it easy for supporters to get involved. Here’s how:
Inform your audience about the benefits of payroll giving through newsletters, social media, your website, and beyond. As you begin marketing payroll giving, be sure to highlight how easy it is to participate and the impact their contributions can make.
3. Offer Incentives
Consider providing incentives for employees who participate in payroll giving. This could include recognition in newsletters, exclusive updates on the impact of their donations, or special events for payroll givers.
What Are the Tax Implications of Payroll Giving?
One of the standout features of payroll giving is its tax efficiency, making it beneficial not just for the charity but also for the donor. Here’s how the tax implications work:
Payroll giving donations are taken directly from an employee’s gross salary, before income tax is applied. This means the donor pays less tax overall, and the charity receives more of the intended donation upfront. There’s no need for the charity to reclaim tax, because it’s already accounted for in the process.
Additionally, unlike other tax-deductible donations, payroll giving doesn’t require the donor to complete a self-assessment tax return or any forms. The process is seamless, handled by the employer’s payroll department and the payroll giving platform.
What Are Some Common Challenges with Payroll Giving?
While payroll giving offers clear benefits for both donors and charities, it’s not without its challenges. Understanding these hurdles can help nonprofits and employers address them proactively and improve participation.
Here are some of the most common issues organizations may face:
Limited awareness among employees
Many employees may not be aware of their company’s payroll giving program. Nonprofits should work closely with companies to ensure that employees are informed about the opportunity to give.
Lack of promotion by nonprofits
Many nonprofits fail to actively promote payroll giving, either due to limited resources or a focus on other fundraising streams. As a result, supporters aren’t encouraged or reminded to consider giving through their payroll.
Administrative delays
The process involves multiple parties—employers, agencies, and charities—which can sometimes lead to delays in donations being processed and distributed. This may impact cash flow for nonprofits and cause confusion for donors.
Maintaining long-term engagement
Keeping payroll giving donors engaged over time can be challenging, especially since the giving process is automatic. Without regular updates and recognition, donors may feel disconnected from the impact of their support.
Wrapping Up & Next Steps
Payroll giving is a valuable avenue for nonprofits to secure funding and engage with donors. By understanding the mechanics of payroll giving and implementing effective strategies, nonprofits can enhance their fundraising efforts and build lasting relationships with supporters. For more information on payroll giving and how to implement it effectively, explore the additional resources and guides below:
5 Proven Ways to Increase Payroll Donations at Your Nonprofit. Discover actionable strategies to grow your payroll giving program. From employer engagement to targeted donor outreach, these five proven tips will help your nonprofit boost participation and secure more reliable support.
What Your Employer Appends Might Be Missing—and Why it Matters. Employer appends are a powerful tool, but incomplete or outdated data can limit their effectiveness. Learn what critical information might be missing from yours, and how it could be holding back your fundraising potential.
Is an Employer Append Right for Your Nonprofit? How to Know. Not sure if an employer append is worth the investment? This guide breaks down the benefits, challenges, and key indicators to help you decide whether this data enhancement is the right move for your donor engagement strategy.
Maximize Your Payroll Giving Potential with Double the Donation
Ready to transform your nonprofit’s approach to payroll giving? Double the Donation’s Payroll Giving Module is your key to unlocking a world of recurring support and corporate giving opportunities. With our comprehensive tools, you can effortlessly identify eligible donors, integrate a user-friendly plugin on your website, and access a wealth of resources to enhance your fundraising strategies.
Don’t miss out on the chance to drive more support and turn employment data into a goldmine of revenue opportunities. Get a demo now to learn how Double the Donation can complete your workplace giving strategy and help you capitalize on payroll giving.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DTD_Payroll-Giving-FAQ-What-Fundraisers-Want-to-Know_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngAdam Weinger2025-07-14 20:48:492025-07-31 12:12:24Payroll Giving FAQ | What Fundraisers Want to Know
If your donor database is missing key employment information, you might be wondering: Is an employer append right for your nonprofit?
Employer appends, or the process of enhancing donor records by filling in employment data, can unlock new opportunities for improved workplace giving efforts, better segmentation, and deepened corporate partnerships. But like any data investment, it’s important to weigh the benefits against your organization’s readiness and goals.
In this post, we’ll walk through the pros, cons, and key inquiries that can help you decide whether this strategy is a smart next step for your fundraising efforts.
Specifically, we invite you to ask yourself (or your team) the following questions:
If you answered “yes” to most (or all) of the above, an employer append might be a strategic next step. Now, let’s take a deeper dive into each key question.
Do you receive a high volume of individual gifts?
YES: One of the clearest indicators that an employer append might be a wise investment is the volume of individual donations your organization receives. If a significant portion of your fundraising comes from individual donors—especially in the form of small to mid-sized gifts—you likely have untapped potential for employer matching and corporate engagement.
Why does volume matter? Because even if just 20–30% of your individual donors are eligible for matching giftsthrough their employers, that could represent thousands of dollars in additional revenue you’re currently missing.
NO: By contrast, if your funding is primarily made up of grants, major gifts, or government contracts, an employer append may not deliver the same return. In those cases, employment data may be less relevant to your core fundraising strategy.
So, if you’re regularly processing hundreds or thousands of individual gifts each year, it might be worth it to consider an append. In other words, the higher your individual donor volume, the stronger the case for appending employer data.
Are you missing employment information in your database?
YES: Before you can take advantage of matching gifts or other workplace giving campaigns, you need one essential piece of data: where your supporters work. If your CRM is filled with blank employer fields, that’s a clear sign that an employer append could be beneficial.
Appending employer data helps fill these gaps efficiently, especially for organizations with a large donor base and limited staff capacity. Even if only a portion of your records can be matched, it’s often enough to uncover significant corporate giving potential and segment communications more effectively.
NO: On the other hand, perhaps you collect employer information consistently, whether through your donation forms, volunteer registrations, follow-up emails, or other supporter onboarding efforts—and don’t have many gaps in your donor base. In that case, you may already have a strong foundation in place.
In other words, if the employer field in your database is mostly complete and kept up to date, an employer append may not deliver as much added value. If so, your resources might be better spent on activating the employer data you already have through targeted matching gift outreach or broader workplace giving campaigns.
Does your organization have many volunteers?
YES: Volunteers often give more than just their time—they can also open the door to valuable funding opportunities, especially if you know where they work. If your organization relies heavily on volunteer support but lacks employment information for those individuals, you could be missing out on corporate volunteer grants and Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs.
After all, many companies offer financial donations in recognition of their employees’ volunteer hours. Others provide paid VTO, encouraging employees to give back during work hours at approved nonprofit partners. But you can’t take advantage of these programs if you don’t know where your volunteers are employed.
An employer append can help fill in those missing details. Plus, it allows you to follow up with volunteers about corporate giving opportunities tied to their time. Even if only a portion of volunteers qualify, the combined value of grants and engagement can make a meaningful impact. If volunteers are a core part of your community, enhancing your data with employer information is a strategic next step.
NO: If your organization doesn’t rely heavily on volunteers—or volunteer engagement makes up a very small portion of your operations—then an employer append for volunteer records may not deliver significant value. In this case, your time and resources might be better spent optimizing donor data or focusing on other segments of your supporter base, such as recurring givers or event participants.
However, if volunteer involvement grows, revisiting this opportunity could unlock new sources of funding and corporate engagement in the future.
Is your team ready to prioritize workplace giving?
YES: If your team already sees workplace giving as a strategic priority, an employer append can significantly enhance your efforts. However, adding employment data to your records is only valuable if your team has the resources to act on it. That means following up on workplace giving opportunities, running targeted campaigns, and having someone focused on corporate outreach or stewardship.
When workplace giving is embraced organization-wide, you unlock greater ROI and longer-lasting corporate partnerships. If your team is aligned, resourced, and ready to collaborate around workplace giving, an employer append can serve as the catalyst for smarter outreach and greater impact.
NO: If workplace giving hasn’t yet become a focus—or your team lacks the time, tech, or clarity to act on employer data—it may be worth holding off on an employer append until you’re better prepared. Without a clear plan to integrate employment data into your campaigns, stewardship efforts, or corporate outreach, the data may go unused and offer limited returns on your investment.
Instead, consider starting small. Develop a workplace giving strategy, assign ownership of workplace giving-related tasks, and ensure your team is equipped with program knowledge. Keep in mind that prioritizing workplace giving doesn’t need to be difficult, either, especially when your team is equipped with the right tools, as many teams are already stretched thin. Once you’re aligned on prioritizing workplace giving, you’ll be in a stronger position to turn employer data into meaningful results. At that point, an employer append can be a high-impact next step.
Do you have the right tools in place to support your efforts?
YES: If your organization already has strong tech infrastructure, like a modern CRM, mobile-friendly donation forms, and a workplace giving automation platform, you’re in a great position to act on the insights gained from an employer append. These tools allow you to leverage employer data, uncover employee giving eligibility, and send targeted follow-ups based on employment data.
Beyond basic functionality, think about how your tools help connect supporters to their next steps. Is your matching gift tool connected to your giving forms and CRM to enable targeted outreach? Is your corporate volunteering solution integrated with your VMS to provide seamless information and tailored program instructions?
If your systems support those experiences, you’re well-positioned to maximize the value of appended data and drive meaningful action.
NO: If your organization is still working with outdated systems, manual spreadsheets, or donation forms that don’t support employer-related functionality, an employer append might not yield strong results—at least not yet.
Without the right tools to store, track, and act on employment data, much of that insight may go unused. In this case, focus first on upgrading your tech stack. Prioritize a donor management system that allows for custom fields and segmentation. Plus, explore integrations that support matching gifts and workplace giving platforms.
When your tools are ready to handle and act on employer data, you’ll be able to extract real value from an append, boosting engagement, unlocking corporate funding, and streamlining supporter journeys.
Still wondering if an employer append is right for you? Take the quiz below to find out.
Donor employer information is the single most important piece of data for nonprofits, instantly transforming individual givers into potential corporate partners and enabling hyper-personalized outreach for matching gifts and volunteer grants. By failing to systematically collect, segment, and leverage this data, organizations miss opportunities to drive significant, untapped corporate revenue.
Wrapping up & additional employer append resources
Employer appends are a powerful tool for nonprofits looking to deepen donor insights and tap into underutilized corporate giving opportunities. But they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Evaluate your data quality, fundraising strategy, and capacity to act on new information and make a clear, informed decision about whether it’s the right fit.
If you’ve answered “yes” to many of the readiness questions shared above, your organization may be well-positioned to benefit from this next-level data enhancement.
Interested in learning more about employer appends and how your organization can benefit from them? Check out the additional recommended resources below:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DTD_Is-an-Employer-Append-Right-for-Your-Nonprofit-How-to-Know_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngAdam Weinger2025-07-11 17:24:392025-12-02 19:28:28Is an Employer Append Right for Your Nonprofit? How to Know
When it comes to equipping your team with enhanced workplace giving donor profiles, accurate and complete donor data isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. One of the most overlooked yet powerful pieces of information in your donor database is employer data. After all, knowing where your supporters work can unlock corporate matching gifts, boost campaign targeting, and significantly increase giving potential.
But what happens when this information is missing? That’s where employer appending comes in. This process helps nonprofits fill in the blanks, matching donors with their employers to build more complete, actionable profiles.
In this post, we’ll explore how employer appending works and why it’s a game-changer for enhancing your workplace giving strategy. We’ll cover:
Accurate employer data can be the missing link between a good fundraising program and a great one. In the sections ahead, we’ll show you how employer appending strengthens workplace giving donor profiles and empowers your team to make more informed, strategic outreach decisions.
Why do donor profiles matter for workplace giving?
Workplace giving programs thrive on strong engagement, and comprehensive donor profiles are what make that engagement possible. After all, a well-crafted donor profile is more than just a name and email address. It’s a collection of key data points that help your organization understand who your supporters are, how they prefer to give, and even what engagement opportunities are available to them. This information is especially critical when it comes to unlocking the full potential of workplace giving.
Why? One of the most valuable—but often missing—data points in a donor profile is an individual’s employer. And without it, you may be leaving thousands of dollars in matching gifts or volunteer grants unclaimed. However, simply knowing where a donor works allows you to identify their eligibility for corporate giving programs, tailor outreach messages, and segment communications based on employer partnerships or matching opportunities.
In short, complete and accurate workplace giving donor profiles enable your team to:
Identify workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts, volunteer grants, and payroll giving programs more efficiently
Increase participation rates by targeting eligible supporters with tailored engagement information
Strengthen corporate relationships by demonstrating shared support and rallying donors to advocate on your behalf
Enhance personalization in your appeals and stewardship efforts, demonstrating a deep knowledge of your supporter base
The more you know about your donors—including their employing companies—the more strategic and successful your workplace giving campaigns will be. That’s why maintaining complete profiles isn’t just helpful; it’s mission-critical.
How does appending employer data help?
Appending employer data is a strategic way to strengthen your donor database by filling in one of its most valuable gaps: where your supporters work. This process utilizes extensive third-party data sources to match your donors with their likely employers, based on identifying details such as name, email, or postal address.
The result? Richer, more actionable workplace giving donor profiles that drive greater fundraising impact.
Here’s how employer appending specifically helps your nonprofit:
It Uncovers Employee Giving Opportunities: Many companies offer employee giving programs, but if you don’t know where your donors work, you can’t alert them to these opportunities. Appending employer data allows you to proactively identify eligible donors and guide them through the participation process.
It Improves Campaign Segmentation and Personalization: With employer data on hand, you can tailor your messaging to resonate with specific workplace audiences or corporate partners. For example, consider sending targeted emails to employees of a company running a giving campaign or creating custom donation appeals aligned with that employer’s CSR priorities.
It Fills Data Gaps and Keeps Records Current: Donor records can become outdated quickly, especially if employment changes aren’t captured regularly. Appending services help refresh your data, ensuring your team has the most accurate and complete information to work with.
It Strengthens Corporate Partnership Opportunities: When you know which companies your donors work for, you gain insight into potential corporate sponsors or partners. This data can help you identify shared connections and demonstrate employee engagement when approaching companies for in-kind donations, sponsorships, grants, or expanded giving initiatives.
In short, employer appending transforms donor records from passive assets into strategic fundraising tools. By providing you with the employer-focused insights you need, it powers more innovative outreach, better workplace giving outcomes, and stronger donor relationships.
Getting started with employer appends for workplace giving
Employer appending can open new doors for workplace giving. Still, like any data-driven initiative, it works best with thoughtful preparation and execution. The process is relatively straightforward, but taking the proper steps up front will ensure you get the most value out of your appended data.
Below is a step-by-step guide to help your nonprofit get started the right way.
1. Assess the Quality of Your Existing Data
Before you begin the appending process, take time to review and clean your current donor database. After all, the success of an employer append depends heavily on the quality of the data you provide. If your records contain outdated contact information, misspellings, duplicate entries, or inconsistent formats, your match rate will likely suffer.
Key actions to take at this step include:
Removing duplicate records.
Standardizing naming conventions (e.g., using full names instead of initials).
Verifying email addresses and mailing addresses.
Filling in missing fields where possible.
Well-organized donor information not only improves your append results but also helps downstream fundraising and communications efforts. It’s great to start the process with fresh, clean data in order to drive the best results overall.
2. Choose a Trusted Data Append Provider
As it comes to data appending, selecting the right partner for your efforts is crucial. This enables you to avoid common employer appending mistakes and maximize the accuracy, relevance, and long-term value of your workplace giving donor profiles.
For the best results, a reliable append service should use verified and frequently updated employment databases, offer transparent match methodologies, and ensure overall data accuracy and integrity.
What to look for:
Experience working with nonprofits and schools.
High match rates and data accuracy guarantees.
Clear pricing structure—such as flat fee vs. per-match pricing.
Strong security and confidentiality policies.
Detailed workplace giving eligibility insights and next steps.
When selecting the right employer appends service, keep in mind that the more actionable the information they provide, the more you’ll be able to do with it for your cause.
3. Define Your Goals and Use Cases
Before diving into the appending process, be sure to clarify why you want to append employer data. The more specific your goals, the easier it will be to measure success and apply the new data effectively.
Common use cases include:
Identifying and targeting donors eligible for corporate matching gifts.
Uncovering volunteers who qualify for corporate volunteer incentives.
Triggering communications to employees of specific companies.
Discovering potential corporate sponsorship or grant opportunities.
All in all, realizing your goals will also help you prioritize which data fields matter most (company name, job title, industry, location, workplace giving eligibility, etc.), allowing you to adjust your appends process accordingly.
4. Upload and Append Your Donor Records
At this point in the process, it’s time to submit your file to your selected appends provider. Most services accept CSV or Excel files and require only a few basic fields—commonly donor name, email, mailing address, or phone number—for matching purposes.
Here are some tips for a smoother upload:
Include as many identifiers as possible to increase the accuracy of matches.
Make sure your data is formatted according to the provider’s guidelines.
Once you upload your data file, you’ve done your part! While turnaround times can vary, most providers will return results within a few days to a week.
5. Integrate and Act on the Data
Once your results come back, don’t let the data sit unused. Look for ways to use the appended employer information alongside your workplace giving platform—like Double the Donation—to identify matching gift opportunities, trigger outreach, or prioritize volunteer grant follow-up. The goal is to make the data actionable, fueling segmentation, outreach, and campaigns tied to employer-based giving.
Examples of how to use appended data:
Send a custom email to donors at companies that offer matching gifts, linking them to their employer’s submission form.
Create segmented content for existing volunteers who work at companies with volunteer incentive programs, encouraging them to tap into their workplace benefits.
Organize a payroll giving drive, where you encourage eligible employees to enroll in their companies’ payroll giving programs on your behalf.
Encourage a supporter who works at a company with an in-kind donation or grant program to advocate for your organization as a potential recipient.
At the very least, make sure your team understands how to use the new data and update relevant workflows accordingly.
6. Keep It Fresh
Employment data changes frequently—people change jobs, companies merge, and positions shift. To maintain accuracy, plan to run employer appends on a regular basis (every 6 to 12 months is typical).
Check out these tips for ongoing data hygiene:
Schedule regular audits and data refreshes.
Encourage supporters to update their employment info on donation forms, volunteer registrations, or email follow-ups.
Track employer engagement metrics to inform future corporate outreach.
Keeping your workplace giving donor profiles up to date ensures that your campaigns remain relevant and your workplace giving outreach is as effective as possible.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a more powerful, data-enriched fundraising program. With stronger employer insights, your team can unlock new corporate giving opportunities, personalize workplace giving outreach, and ultimately raise more for your mission.
Wrapping up & additional workplace giving appends resources
A strong workplace giving program starts with strong donor data. Luckily, employer appending offers nonprofits a smart, efficient way to enrich donor profiles, uncover new workplace giving opportunities, and create increasingly personalized outreach. By simply identifying where your donors work, you can gain valuable insights that fuel deeper engagement and facilitate fundraising success.
If you’re looking to maximize your workplace giving efforts, employer appending is a strategic step you can’t afford to skip. Now is the time to take a closer look at your donor records—and fill in the missing pieces that could make all the difference.
Interested in learning more about employer appends and their impact on workplace giving? Check out the additional resources below:
The Ultimate Guide to Employer Appends for Fundraisers. Looking to deepen your understanding of employer appends? This comprehensive guide walks you through the entire process—from how employer data is collected to how it’s used to boost donor engagement and matching gift revenue.
What Your Employer Appends Might Be Missing—and Why it Matters. This article uncovers common gaps in employer appends and the hidden impact they can have on your workplace giving. Learn what to look for, how to spot inaccuracies, and steps you can take to ensure your data is maximized.
Free Download: Guide to Developing a Workplace Giving Plan. Ready to take your appended employer data to the next level? Download our free guide to building a successful workplace giving plan. This resource provides the tools you need to establish a program that drives results.
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DTD_Steps-to-Market-Workplace-Giving-on-Your-Nonprofit-Website_Feature-1.png6001600Sydney Fayehttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngSydney Faye2025-07-07 20:40:352025-11-26 05:50:595 Steps to Market Workplace Giving on Your Nonprofit Website
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/DTD_Debunking-Common-Myths-About-DAFs-in-Challenge-Matches_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngAdam Weinger2025-07-01 16:14:282025-11-21 04:33:21Debunking Common Myths About DAFs in Challenge Matches
When it comes to nonprofit fundraising, data is power—especially when that data tells you where your donors work. That’s why many organizations invest in employer appends to fill in the blanks.
But what if the data you’re relying on isn’t telling the whole story? While many employer appends can identify where someone works, they often stop short of revealing the most critical insights, leaving nonprofits with partial information and missed opportunities.
In a fundraising environment where every dollar counts, understanding what’s not included in your employer appends could be just as important as what is. That’s why we’re covering what your employer appends might be missing—and why it matters—in this blog. We’ll explore:
Here’s a hint: When your employer data lacks insight into workplace giving eligibility—like matching gifts or payroll giving programs—you could be overlooking powerful opportunities to boost revenue and deepen donor engagement.
The good news? With the right data strategy, those hidden opportunities don’t have to stay hidden. Let’s take a closer look.
What are employer appends?
Employer appends are the process of enhancing your nonprofit or school’s donor database by adding missing employment information. In other words, identifying the companies where your donors work. This is typically done by matching existing donor records (such as names, emails, mailing addresses, or phone numbers) against external data sources that contain employment details.
The goal of an employer append is to fill in the blanks in your donor data . The process typically involves:
Submitting donor data – You provide a file with donor contact information.
Matching records – The data is compared against large databases of consumer or professional information to find potential employer matches.
Appending employer details – Where a reliable match is found, the donor record is updated to include their current employer.
Returning enriched data – The updated file is delivered back to your team for use in segmentation, outreach, or analysis.
While the output may simply look like a new column in your spreadsheet, that added employer information can become a foundational piece of your donor profile. Keep in mind, though, that the accuracy, freshness, and source of the appended data can vary depending on the provider, which is why understanding the append process is key to making informed decisions about your strategy.
What your employer appends might be missing
While employer appends can tell you where a donor works, they often fall short of revealing what really matters: the invaluable opportunities tied to that employment info. If your current or prospective data append service only provides company names without any insight into workplace giving or corporate philanthropy programs or the ability to connect supporters directly to those programs with minimal operational lift from your team, you may be overlooking powerful ways to deepen engagement and increase revenue.
Let’s break down the key gaps:
Workplace giving eligibility
Most standard employer appends don’t include details about a donor’s eligibility for workplace giving programs. These are critical elements that can transform a single gift into a recurring or matched donation—but they’re often missing entirely from basic data append services.
Here are some common programs that can help boost your fundraising revenue:
Matching Gift Programs: Thousands of employers offer corporate matching gift programs where they double or even triple donations their staff make to qualifying nonprofits. However, these programs often slip through the cracks due to a lack of donor awareness—and eligibility is not something typically covered by your standard append service.
Volunteer Incentives (Volunteer Grants and Paid Volunteer Time Off): Some companies reward employees for their volunteer hours with monetary grants or paid time off work. However, employer appends rarely flag whether a supporter’s company offers such a program, or how the individual can take advantage of it.
Payroll Giving Programs: Payroll giving is one of the simplest ways for donors to give consistently, yet it’s vastly underutilized. Traditional employer appends typically don’t identify whether a donor’s company has a payroll giving platform or how they can opt in, leaving both the donor and nonprofit in the dark.
Without this added layer of information, you might know where a donor works, but not how they can support your mission through their workplace. And knowledge is the first step to maximizing the programs’ impact! Not to mention, many companies offer multiple types of giving programs, meaning that without insight, you may be missing out on numerous revenue and engagement opportunities.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities
Another major blind spot with employer appends is the lack of visibility into a company’s corporate giving potential. While these appends may tell you where your donors work, they typically don’t reveal whether those employers have existing programs—like matching gifts, sponsorships, or grants—that support nonprofits their employees care about. That’s a missed opportunity, because many companies actively look to fund and partner with organizations their workforce is already supporting. Without this layer of insight, nonprofits risk leaving valuable corporate funding on the table.
Some of the opportunities that basic employer data typically misses include:
Corporate Grants (with Open Applications): Many companies use their corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets to facilitate nonprofit grantmaking—including dedicated programs with open applications. Still, unless your data highlights which employers offer them, your organization could miss out entirely.
In-Kind Giving Programs: Some companies offer product or service donations in addition to or instead of cash support. These can be incredibly valuable, and may even offer an opportunity for employees to advocate for your cause, but standard employer appends rarely include this type of insight.
In short, many employer appends only scratch the surface. To truly unlock the potential behind donor employment data, nonprofits need more than just company names—they need actionable insights into the giving programs, incentives, and grant opportunities that come with each employer. Without it, you’re only seeing part of the picture.
Why corporate giving matters in employer appends
At first glance, employer appends may seem like just another piece of demographic data—useful for segmentation, but not much more. In reality, when enriched with corporate giving insights, employment information becomes one of the most powerful assets in your fundraising toolkit.
Here’s why corporate giving matters in the context of employer appends:
It Transforms Static Data into Actionable Insights
Knowing a donor works at “ABC Corporation” is useful. Knowing that ABC Corporation offers a 2:1 matching gift program with an annual cap of $10,000—and that your donor is eligible to participate—is a game-changer. When employment data is connected to corporate giving details, it empowers your organization to move from passive information to an active fundraising strategy.
It Reveals Untapped Revenue Opportunities
Billions of dollars in corporate giving go unclaimed each year, largely because donors and nonprofits simply don’t know these programs exist. When employer appends include corporate philanthropy details—like matching gifts, volunteer incentives, or payroll giving options—you gain a direct path to unlocking those funds.
It Enables Personalized, Impactful Donor Outreach
Imagine reaching out to a donor not just with a thank-you, but with tailored next steps: “Thanks for your gift—did you know your employer, XYZ, will double it?” or “As a volunteer and employee at [Company], you may be eligible for a grant to support the time you give.”
Personalized outreach built on meaningful employer data increases engagement, trust, and long-term value. And it’s much more impactful than a generic, catch-all version of the same message! Plus, with a solution like Double the Donation, the touchpoints can be automated with ease, connecting supporters directly to those next steps.
It Strengthens Relationships with Companies, Too
Employer data with corporate giving context can help your organization identify clusters of donors working at the same company, uncover advocates, and open the door to deeper relationships with corporate partners. Whether it’s through matching gifts, employee-nominated grants, or broader sponsorships, these insights help you build partnerships based on real data—not guesswork.
How Double the Donation fills in the gaps
Most employer appends stop at supplying a company name, but Double the Donation goes the extra mile. We help get you donor data in a way that doesn’t just tell you where your donors work; it tells you what that employer can do to support your mission and empowers you to connect supporters to those next steps.
At the heart of this enhanced approach is our industry-leading corporate giving database, which powers the employer data we can supply. When you work with Double the Donation, you gain access to a wealth of insights that most data providers simply don’t include.
Here’s how we fill in the critical gaps:
1. Workplace Giving Eligibility, Right in Your Appends
Unlike traditional appends that stop at a name match, our offering then gives you insight into:
Matching gift program availability and guidelines, including match ratios, minimum/maximum limits, and eligibility rules, along with submission links
Volunteer incentive program details, highlighting programs that reward employee volunteer hours with donations to nonprofits or paid time off work
Payroll giving options, identifying whether a donor’s employer offers direct paycheck contributions to nonprofits, and instructions on how to enroll
This information isn’t general—it’s mapped directly to the employer and backed by real-time updates from our proprietary database. That means when you append donor records with Double the Donation, you get not just where someone works but can then determine whether that employer offers programs that increase giving potential—and how to take action.
2. Visibility Into Open Corporate Giving Opportunities
Our database also includes valuable insights into corporate sponsorships, grants, and in-kind donation programs—especially those with open applications or employee-directed giving components. When you combine our append services with our database insights, you can discover:
Which companies have active grant programs or donation funds
Whether those programs accept nonprofit applications (generally with links!)
How employees can advocate for your organization from within
By layering this intelligence onto employer data, you can identify donors who aren’t just supporters but potential gateways to corporate funding. This opens up new opportunities to pursue business partnerships strategically and based on facts.
3. Actionable, Automated, and Integrated
All this data becomes even more powerful when paired with Double the Donation’s complete workplace giving automation platform. When you use employer data with our automation tools, you can:
Prompt donors with personalized matching gift instructions
Surface relevant payroll giving and volunteer opportunities to encourage deeper involvement
Identify clusters of donors from the same company for targeted outreach
Track corporate giving revenue through a centralized dashboard
It’s a streamlined, end-to-end solution designed to maximize the impact of every employer connection in your database.
In short, Double the Donation transforms employer appends from basic data enhancement into a strategic fundraising advantage. With workplace giving eligibility and corporate sponsorship insights built-in, you’ll not only know who your donors work for—you’ll know how to turn that information into action.
Wrapping up & additional employer appends resources
At first glance, your employer append data might look complete. However, if it doesn’t reveal which donors are eligible for corporate giving programs, you’re only seeing part of the picture.
Without visibility into workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts or payroll giving, you may be missing the very insights that turn one-time gifts into multiplied impact.
The good news? There’s a better way to use employment data—one that not only tells you where your donors work but what giving opportunities come with it. When your data connects directly to corporate philanthropy programs, you unlock smarter fundraising, stronger donor relationships, and more dollars raised. It’s time to expect more from your employer appends and make sure nothing valuable is left out.
Ready to learn more about employer appends and data enhancement practices? Check out these additional recommended resources:
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DTD_What-Your-Employer-Appends-Might-Be-Missing_—-and-Why-it-Matters_Feature.png6001600Adam Weingerhttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngAdam Weinger2025-06-27 18:10:042025-12-03 14:32:34What Your Employer Appends Might Be Missing—and Why it Matters
https://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/DTD_Why-and-How-to-Reach-Out-to-Payroll-Giving-Donors-A-Guide_Feature.png6001600Sydney Fayehttps://doublethedonation.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DTD-horizontal-logo-300x63.pngSydney Faye2025-06-23 21:41:132025-11-26 05:27:27Why and How to Reach Out to Payroll Giving Donors [A Guide]
8 Key Payroll Giving Metrics to Track at Nonprofits
/in Payroll Giving, Learning Center /by Julia BeltranPayroll Giving FAQ | What Fundraisers Want to Know
/in Payroll Giving, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerPayroll giving is a powerful tool that allows employees to contribute to nonprofit causes directly from their paychecks. This method of giving not only simplifies the donation process for employees but also provides organizations with a steady stream of funding. In this comprehensive payroll giving FAQ, we’ll explore the ins and outs of payroll giving, addressing common questions and concerns that nonprofits may have.
These include:
Payroll giving doesn’t have to be complicated. By unveiling the truths behind these common inquiries, we hope to guide your team through the process of growing your revenue with the programs. Keep in mind that with the right tips and tools, there’s a lot of potential there that you don’t want to overlook.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in with the basics.
What Is Payroll Giving?
Payroll giving, also known as automatic payroll deductions, is a type of corporate giving program that enables employees to donate a portion of their salary to charitable organizations. This system allows for seamless contributions, making it easier for employees to support causes they care about without the need for manual transactions.
How Does Payroll Giving Work?
Payroll giving essentially functions through a partnership between employers, employees, nonprofits, and a Payroll Giving system that connects them.
Let’s take a look at a step-by-step breakdown of how the process actually works:
In short, payroll giving is a hassle-free way for donors to support charitable causes with maximum impact and minimum effort—straight from their regular paycheck.
What Are the Benefits of Payroll Giving for Nonprofits?
Payroll giving offers a range of valuable advantages for nonprofits, making it a robust and sustainable fundraising tool.
Here’s how charitable organizations can reap the benefits from this type of giving:
One of the biggest advantages is consistency. Donations through payroll giving are deducted each pay cycle, meaning nonprofits receive a steady flow of funds they can count on month after month. This predictability helps with budgeting, planning, and sustaining long-term projects.
Because donations are processed through payroll giving platforms rather than typical donation pages, charities don’t need to manage individual donor transactions or paperwork. This reduces administrative costs and effort, allowing teams to focus more on their mission.
Unlike traditional donation methods, payroll giving typically incurs no transaction fees, meaning the full amount goes directly to the nonprofit.
Payroll Giving often results in higher-value donations compared to one-off gifts. Since the money is deducted automatically and regularly, donors are more likely to commit to giving more over time without feeling the financial pinch.
Payroll donors tend to be more consistent and long-term supporters. Their commitment often translates into deeper engagement, advocacy, and even involvement in other fundraising activities, too.
Many employers offer matched giving, where they match or boost employees’ donations. This doubles the impact for the nonprofit and can lead to broader philanthropic engagement. Not to mention, having multiple payroll giving donors from the same company can signal to a nonprofit a potential corporate partnership opportunity!
For nonprofits looking to build sustainable revenue streams and deepen relationships with supporters, payroll giving is a smart, efficient, and scalable solution.
How Can Nonprofits Encourage Payroll Giving?
Encouraging Payroll Giving requires a strategic blend of awareness, partnership, and ongoing engagement. While the process is simple for employees, nonprofits need to take active steps to promote the option and make it easy for supporters to get involved. Here’s how:
1. Register as an Eligible Cause
Ensure your nonprofit is listed as an eligible organization within leading payroll giving platforms. This process may involve submitting documentation such as your financial records, proof of 501(c)(3) status, a mission overview, and more.
2. Raise Awareness
Inform your audience about the benefits of payroll giving through newsletters, social media, your website, and beyond. As you begin marketing payroll giving, be sure to highlight how easy it is to participate and the impact their contributions can make.
3. Offer Incentives
Consider providing incentives for employees who participate in payroll giving. This could include recognition in newsletters, exclusive updates on the impact of their donations, or special events for payroll givers.
What Are the Tax Implications of Payroll Giving?
One of the standout features of payroll giving is its tax efficiency, making it beneficial not just for the charity but also for the donor. Here’s how the tax implications work:
Payroll giving donations are taken directly from an employee’s gross salary, before income tax is applied. This means the donor pays less tax overall, and the charity receives more of the intended donation upfront. There’s no need for the charity to reclaim tax, because it’s already accounted for in the process.
Additionally, unlike other tax-deductible donations, payroll giving doesn’t require the donor to complete a self-assessment tax return or any forms. The process is seamless, handled by the employer’s payroll department and the payroll giving platform.
What Are Some Common Challenges with Payroll Giving?
While payroll giving offers clear benefits for both donors and charities, it’s not without its challenges. Understanding these hurdles can help nonprofits and employers address them proactively and improve participation.
Here are some of the most common issues organizations may face:
Limited awareness among employees
Many employees may not be aware of their company’s payroll giving program. Nonprofits should work closely with companies to ensure that employees are informed about the opportunity to give.
Lack of promotion by nonprofits
Many nonprofits fail to actively promote payroll giving, either due to limited resources or a focus on other fundraising streams. As a result, supporters aren’t encouraged or reminded to consider giving through their payroll.
Administrative delays
The process involves multiple parties—employers, agencies, and charities—which can sometimes lead to delays in donations being processed and distributed. This may impact cash flow for nonprofits and cause confusion for donors.
Maintaining long-term engagement
Keeping payroll giving donors engaged over time can be challenging, especially since the giving process is automatic. Without regular updates and recognition, donors may feel disconnected from the impact of their support.
Wrapping Up & Next Steps
Payroll giving is a valuable avenue for nonprofits to secure funding and engage with donors. By understanding the mechanics of payroll giving and implementing effective strategies, nonprofits can enhance their fundraising efforts and build lasting relationships with supporters. For more information on payroll giving and how to implement it effectively, explore the additional resources and guides below:
Maximize Your Payroll Giving Potential with Double the Donation
Ready to transform your nonprofit’s approach to payroll giving? Double the Donation’s Payroll Giving Module is your key to unlocking a world of recurring support and corporate giving opportunities. With our comprehensive tools, you can effortlessly identify eligible donors, integrate a user-friendly plugin on your website, and access a wealth of resources to enhance your fundraising strategies.
Don’t miss out on the chance to drive more support and turn employment data into a goldmine of revenue opportunities. Get a demo now to learn how Double the Donation can complete your workplace giving strategy and help you capitalize on payroll giving.
Is an Employer Append Right for Your Nonprofit? How to Know
/in Employer Appends, Fundraising Strategy, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerIf your donor database is missing key employment information, you might be wondering: Is an employer append right for your nonprofit?
Employer appends, or the process of enhancing donor records by filling in employment data, can unlock new opportunities for improved workplace giving efforts, better segmentation, and deepened corporate partnerships. But like any data investment, it’s important to weigh the benefits against your organization’s readiness and goals.
In this post, we’ll walk through the pros, cons, and key inquiries that can help you decide whether this strategy is a smart next step for your fundraising efforts.
Specifically, we invite you to ask yourself (or your team) the following questions:
If you answered “yes” to most (or all) of the above, an employer append might be a strategic next step. Now, let’s take a deeper dive into each key question.
Do you receive a high volume of individual gifts?
YES: One of the clearest indicators that an employer append might be a wise investment is the volume of individual donations your organization receives. If a significant portion of your fundraising comes from individual donors—especially in the form of small to mid-sized gifts—you likely have untapped potential for employer matching and corporate engagement.
Why does volume matter? Because even if just 20–30% of your individual donors are eligible for matching gifts through their employers, that could represent thousands of dollars in additional revenue you’re currently missing.
NO: By contrast, if your funding is primarily made up of grants, major gifts, or government contracts, an employer append may not deliver the same return. In those cases, employment data may be less relevant to your core fundraising strategy.
So, if you’re regularly processing hundreds or thousands of individual gifts each year, it might be worth it to consider an append. In other words, the higher your individual donor volume, the stronger the case for appending employer data.
Are you missing employment information in your database?
YES: Before you can take advantage of matching gifts or other workplace giving campaigns, you need one essential piece of data: where your supporters work. If your CRM is filled with blank employer fields, that’s a clear sign that an employer append could be beneficial.
Appending employer data helps fill these gaps efficiently, especially for organizations with a large donor base and limited staff capacity. Even if only a portion of your records can be matched, it’s often enough to uncover significant corporate giving potential and segment communications more effectively.
NO: On the other hand, perhaps you collect employer information consistently, whether through your donation forms, volunteer registrations, follow-up emails, or other supporter onboarding efforts—and don’t have many gaps in your donor base. In that case, you may already have a strong foundation in place.
In other words, if the employer field in your database is mostly complete and kept up to date, an employer append may not deliver as much added value. If so, your resources might be better spent on activating the employer data you already have through targeted matching gift outreach or broader workplace giving campaigns.
Does your organization have many volunteers?
YES: Volunteers often give more than just their time—they can also open the door to valuable funding opportunities, especially if you know where they work. If your organization relies heavily on volunteer support but lacks employment information for those individuals, you could be missing out on corporate volunteer grants and Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs.
After all, many companies offer financial donations in recognition of their employees’ volunteer hours. Others provide paid VTO, encouraging employees to give back during work hours at approved nonprofit partners. But you can’t take advantage of these programs if you don’t know where your volunteers are employed.
An employer append can help fill in those missing details. Plus, it allows you to follow up with volunteers about corporate giving opportunities tied to their time. Even if only a portion of volunteers qualify, the combined value of grants and engagement can make a meaningful impact. If volunteers are a core part of your community, enhancing your data with employer information is a strategic next step.
NO: If your organization doesn’t rely heavily on volunteers—or volunteer engagement makes up a very small portion of your operations—then an employer append for volunteer records may not deliver significant value. In this case, your time and resources might be better spent optimizing donor data or focusing on other segments of your supporter base, such as recurring givers or event participants.
However, if volunteer involvement grows, revisiting this opportunity could unlock new sources of funding and corporate engagement in the future.
Is your team ready to prioritize workplace giving?
YES: If your team already sees workplace giving as a strategic priority, an employer append can significantly enhance your efforts. However, adding employment data to your records is only valuable if your team has the resources to act on it. That means following up on workplace giving opportunities, running targeted campaigns, and having someone focused on corporate outreach or stewardship.
When workplace giving is embraced organization-wide, you unlock greater ROI and longer-lasting corporate partnerships. If your team is aligned, resourced, and ready to collaborate around workplace giving, an employer append can serve as the catalyst for smarter outreach and greater impact.
NO: If workplace giving hasn’t yet become a focus—or your team lacks the time, tech, or clarity to act on employer data—it may be worth holding off on an employer append until you’re better prepared. Without a clear plan to integrate employment data into your campaigns, stewardship efforts, or corporate outreach, the data may go unused and offer limited returns on your investment.
Instead, consider starting small. Develop a workplace giving strategy, assign ownership of workplace giving-related tasks, and ensure your team is equipped with program knowledge. Keep in mind that prioritizing workplace giving doesn’t need to be difficult, either, especially when your team is equipped with the right tools, as many teams are already stretched thin. Once you’re aligned on prioritizing workplace giving, you’ll be in a stronger position to turn employer data into meaningful results. At that point, an employer append can be a high-impact next step.
Do you have the right tools in place to support your efforts?
YES: If your organization already has strong tech infrastructure, like a modern CRM, mobile-friendly donation forms, and a workplace giving automation platform, you’re in a great position to act on the insights gained from an employer append. These tools allow you to leverage employer data, uncover employee giving eligibility, and send targeted follow-ups based on employment data.
Beyond basic functionality, think about how your tools help connect supporters to their next steps. Is your matching gift tool connected to your giving forms and CRM to enable targeted outreach? Is your corporate volunteering solution integrated with your VMS to provide seamless information and tailored program instructions?
If your systems support those experiences, you’re well-positioned to maximize the value of appended data and drive meaningful action.
NO: If your organization is still working with outdated systems, manual spreadsheets, or donation forms that don’t support employer-related functionality, an employer append might not yield strong results—at least not yet.
Without the right tools to store, track, and act on employment data, much of that insight may go unused. In this case, focus first on upgrading your tech stack. Prioritize a donor management system that allows for custom fields and segmentation. Plus, explore integrations that support matching gifts and workplace giving platforms.
When your tools are ready to handle and act on employer data, you’ll be able to extract real value from an append, boosting engagement, unlocking corporate funding, and streamlining supporter journeys.
Still wondering if an employer append is right for you? Take the quiz below to find out.
Donor employer information is the single most important piece of data for nonprofits, instantly transforming individual givers into potential corporate partners and enabling hyper-personalized outreach for matching gifts and volunteer grants. By failing to systematically collect, segment, and leverage this data, organizations miss opportunities to drive significant, untapped corporate revenue.
Wrapping up & additional employer append resources
Employer appends are a powerful tool for nonprofits looking to deepen donor insights and tap into underutilized corporate giving opportunities. But they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Evaluate your data quality, fundraising strategy, and capacity to act on new information and make a clear, informed decision about whether it’s the right fit.
If you’ve answered “yes” to many of the readiness questions shared above, your organization may be well-positioned to benefit from this next-level data enhancement.
Interested in learning more about employer appends and how your organization can benefit from them? Check out the additional recommended resources below:
How Employer Appending Completes Your Workplace Giving Donor Profiles
/in Fundraising Strategy, Employer Appends /by Adam WeingerWhen it comes to equipping your team with enhanced workplace giving donor profiles, accurate and complete donor data isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. One of the most overlooked yet powerful pieces of information in your donor database is employer data. After all, knowing where your supporters work can unlock corporate matching gifts, boost campaign targeting, and significantly increase giving potential.
But what happens when this information is missing? That’s where employer appending comes in. This process helps nonprofits fill in the blanks, matching donors with their employers to build more complete, actionable profiles.
In this post, we’ll explore how employer appending works and why it’s a game-changer for enhancing your workplace giving strategy. We’ll cover:
Accurate employer data can be the missing link between a good fundraising program and a great one. In the sections ahead, we’ll show you how employer appending strengthens workplace giving donor profiles and empowers your team to make more informed, strategic outreach decisions.
Why do donor profiles matter for workplace giving?
Workplace giving programs thrive on strong engagement, and comprehensive donor profiles are what make that engagement possible. After all, a well-crafted donor profile is more than just a name and email address. It’s a collection of key data points that help your organization understand who your supporters are, how they prefer to give, and even what engagement opportunities are available to them. This information is especially critical when it comes to unlocking the full potential of workplace giving.
Why? One of the most valuable—but often missing—data points in a donor profile is an individual’s employer. And without it, you may be leaving thousands of dollars in matching gifts or volunteer grants unclaimed. However, simply knowing where a donor works allows you to identify their eligibility for corporate giving programs, tailor outreach messages, and segment communications based on employer partnerships or matching opportunities.
In short, complete and accurate workplace giving donor profiles enable your team to:
The more you know about your donors—including their employing companies—the more strategic and successful your workplace giving campaigns will be. That’s why maintaining complete profiles isn’t just helpful; it’s mission-critical.
How does appending employer data help?
Appending employer data is a strategic way to strengthen your donor database by filling in one of its most valuable gaps: where your supporters work. This process utilizes extensive third-party data sources to match your donors with their likely employers, based on identifying details such as name, email, or postal address.
The result? Richer, more actionable workplace giving donor profiles that drive greater fundraising impact.
Here’s how employer appending specifically helps your nonprofit:
In short, employer appending transforms donor records from passive assets into strategic fundraising tools. By providing you with the employer-focused insights you need, it powers more innovative outreach, better workplace giving outcomes, and stronger donor relationships.
Getting started with employer appends for workplace giving
Employer appending can open new doors for workplace giving. Still, like any data-driven initiative, it works best with thoughtful preparation and execution. The process is relatively straightforward, but taking the proper steps up front will ensure you get the most value out of your appended data.
Below is a step-by-step guide to help your nonprofit get started the right way.
1. Assess the Quality of Your Existing Data
Before you begin the appending process, take time to review and clean your current donor database. After all, the success of an employer append depends heavily on the quality of the data you provide. If your records contain outdated contact information, misspellings, duplicate entries, or inconsistent formats, your match rate will likely suffer.
Key actions to take at this step include:
Well-organized donor information not only improves your append results but also helps downstream fundraising and communications efforts. It’s great to start the process with fresh, clean data in order to drive the best results overall.
2. Choose a Trusted Data Append Provider
As it comes to data appending, selecting the right partner for your efforts is crucial. This enables you to avoid common employer appending mistakes and maximize the accuracy, relevance, and long-term value of your workplace giving donor profiles.
For the best results, a reliable append service should use verified and frequently updated employment databases, offer transparent match methodologies, and ensure overall data accuracy and integrity.
What to look for:
When selecting the right employer appends service, keep in mind that the more actionable the information they provide, the more you’ll be able to do with it for your cause.
3. Define Your Goals and Use Cases
Before diving into the appending process, be sure to clarify why you want to append employer data. The more specific your goals, the easier it will be to measure success and apply the new data effectively.
Common use cases include:
All in all, realizing your goals will also help you prioritize which data fields matter most (company name, job title, industry, location, workplace giving eligibility, etc.), allowing you to adjust your appends process accordingly.
4. Upload and Append Your Donor Records
At this point in the process, it’s time to submit your file to your selected appends provider. Most services accept CSV or Excel files and require only a few basic fields—commonly donor name, email, mailing address, or phone number—for matching purposes.
Here are some tips for a smoother upload:
Once you upload your data file, you’ve done your part! While turnaround times can vary, most providers will return results within a few days to a week.
5. Integrate and Act on the Data
Once your results come back, don’t let the data sit unused. Look for ways to use the appended employer information alongside your workplace giving platform—like Double the Donation—to identify matching gift opportunities, trigger outreach, or prioritize volunteer grant follow-up. The goal is to make the data actionable, fueling segmentation, outreach, and campaigns tied to employer-based giving.
Examples of how to use appended data:
6. Keep It Fresh
Employment data changes frequently—people change jobs, companies merge, and positions shift. To maintain accuracy, plan to run employer appends on a regular basis (every 6 to 12 months is typical).
Check out these tips for ongoing data hygiene:
Keeping your workplace giving donor profiles up to date ensures that your campaigns remain relevant and your workplace giving outreach is as effective as possible.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to building a more powerful, data-enriched fundraising program. With stronger employer insights, your team can unlock new corporate giving opportunities, personalize workplace giving outreach, and ultimately raise more for your mission.
Wrapping up & additional workplace giving appends resources
A strong workplace giving program starts with strong donor data. Luckily, employer appending offers nonprofits a smart, efficient way to enrich donor profiles, uncover new workplace giving opportunities, and create increasingly personalized outreach. By simply identifying where your donors work, you can gain valuable insights that fuel deeper engagement and facilitate fundraising success.
If you’re looking to maximize your workplace giving efforts, employer appending is a strategic step you can’t afford to skip. Now is the time to take a closer look at your donor records—and fill in the missing pieces that could make all the difference.
Interested in learning more about employer appends and their impact on workplace giving? Check out the additional resources below:
5 Steps to Market Workplace Giving on Your Nonprofit Website
/in Fundraising Strategy, Marketing Strategies, Learning Center /by Sydney FayeDebunking Common Myths About DAFs in Challenge Matches
/in Challenge Grants, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerWhat Your Employer Appends Might Be Missing—and Why it Matters
/in About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerWhen it comes to nonprofit fundraising, data is power—especially when that data tells you where your donors work. That’s why many organizations invest in employer appends to fill in the blanks.
But what if the data you’re relying on isn’t telling the whole story? While many employer appends can identify where someone works, they often stop short of revealing the most critical insights, leaving nonprofits with partial information and missed opportunities.
In a fundraising environment where every dollar counts, understanding what’s not included in your employer appends could be just as important as what is. That’s why we’re covering what your employer appends might be missing—and why it matters—in this blog. We’ll explore:
Here’s a hint: When your employer data lacks insight into workplace giving eligibility—like matching gifts or payroll giving programs—you could be overlooking powerful opportunities to boost revenue and deepen donor engagement.
The good news? With the right data strategy, those hidden opportunities don’t have to stay hidden. Let’s take a closer look.
What are employer appends?
Employer appends are the process of enhancing your nonprofit or school’s donor database by adding missing employment information. In other words, identifying the companies where your donors work. This is typically done by matching existing donor records (such as names, emails, mailing addresses, or phone numbers) against external data sources that contain employment details.
The goal of an employer append is to fill in the blanks in your donor data . The process typically involves:
While the output may simply look like a new column in your spreadsheet, that added employer information can become a foundational piece of your donor profile. Keep in mind, though, that the accuracy, freshness, and source of the appended data can vary depending on the provider, which is why understanding the append process is key to making informed decisions about your strategy.
What your employer appends might be missing
While employer appends can tell you where a donor works, they often fall short of revealing what really matters: the invaluable opportunities tied to that employment info. If your current or prospective data append service only provides company names without any insight into workplace giving or corporate philanthropy programs or the ability to connect supporters directly to those programs with minimal operational lift from your team, you may be overlooking powerful ways to deepen engagement and increase revenue.
Let’s break down the key gaps:
Workplace giving eligibility
Most standard employer appends don’t include details about a donor’s eligibility for workplace giving programs. These are critical elements that can transform a single gift into a recurring or matched donation—but they’re often missing entirely from basic data append services.
Here are some common programs that can help boost your fundraising revenue:
Without this added layer of information, you might know where a donor works, but not how they can support your mission through their workplace. And knowledge is the first step to maximizing the programs’ impact! Not to mention, many companies offer multiple types of giving programs, meaning that without insight, you may be missing out on numerous revenue and engagement opportunities.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities
Another major blind spot with employer appends is the lack of visibility into a company’s corporate giving potential. While these appends may tell you where your donors work, they typically don’t reveal whether those employers have existing programs—like matching gifts, sponsorships, or grants—that support nonprofits their employees care about. That’s a missed opportunity, because many companies actively look to fund and partner with organizations their workforce is already supporting. Without this layer of insight, nonprofits risk leaving valuable corporate funding on the table.
Some of the opportunities that basic employer data typically misses include:
In short, many employer appends only scratch the surface. To truly unlock the potential behind donor employment data, nonprofits need more than just company names—they need actionable insights into the giving programs, incentives, and grant opportunities that come with each employer. Without it, you’re only seeing part of the picture.
Why corporate giving matters in employer appends
At first glance, employer appends may seem like just another piece of demographic data—useful for segmentation, but not much more. In reality, when enriched with corporate giving insights, employment information becomes one of the most powerful assets in your fundraising toolkit.
Here’s why corporate giving matters in the context of employer appends:
It Transforms Static Data into Actionable Insights
Knowing a donor works at “ABC Corporation” is useful. Knowing that ABC Corporation offers a 2:1 matching gift program with an annual cap of $10,000—and that your donor is eligible to participate—is a game-changer. When employment data is connected to corporate giving details, it empowers your organization to move from passive information to an active fundraising strategy.
It Reveals Untapped Revenue Opportunities
Billions of dollars in corporate giving go unclaimed each year, largely because donors and nonprofits simply don’t know these programs exist. When employer appends include corporate philanthropy details—like matching gifts, volunteer incentives, or payroll giving options—you gain a direct path to unlocking those funds.
It Enables Personalized, Impactful Donor Outreach
Imagine reaching out to a donor not just with a thank-you, but with tailored next steps: “Thanks for your gift—did you know your employer, XYZ, will double it?” or “As a volunteer and employee at [Company], you may be eligible for a grant to support the time you give.”
Personalized outreach built on meaningful employer data increases engagement, trust, and long-term value. And it’s much more impactful than a generic, catch-all version of the same message! Plus, with a solution like Double the Donation, the touchpoints can be automated with ease, connecting supporters directly to those next steps.
It Strengthens Relationships with Companies, Too
Employer data with corporate giving context can help your organization identify clusters of donors working at the same company, uncover advocates, and open the door to deeper relationships with corporate partners. Whether it’s through matching gifts, employee-nominated grants, or broader sponsorships, these insights help you build partnerships based on real data—not guesswork.
How Double the Donation fills in the gaps
Most employer appends stop at supplying a company name, but Double the Donation goes the extra mile. We help get you donor data in a way that doesn’t just tell you where your donors work; it tells you what that employer can do to support your mission and empowers you to connect supporters to those next steps.
At the heart of this enhanced approach is our industry-leading corporate giving database, which powers the employer data we can supply. When you work with Double the Donation, you gain access to a wealth of insights that most data providers simply don’t include.
Here’s how we fill in the critical gaps:
1. Workplace Giving Eligibility, Right in Your Appends
Unlike traditional appends that stop at a name match, our offering then gives you insight into:
This information isn’t general—it’s mapped directly to the employer and backed by real-time updates from our proprietary database. That means when you append donor records with Double the Donation, you get not just where someone works but can then determine whether that employer offers programs that increase giving potential—and how to take action.
2. Visibility Into Open Corporate Giving Opportunities
Our database also includes valuable insights into corporate sponsorships, grants, and in-kind donation programs—especially those with open applications or employee-directed giving components. When you combine our append services with our database insights, you can discover:
By layering this intelligence onto employer data, you can identify donors who aren’t just supporters but potential gateways to corporate funding. This opens up new opportunities to pursue business partnerships strategically and based on facts.
3. Actionable, Automated, and Integrated
All this data becomes even more powerful when paired with Double the Donation’s complete workplace giving automation platform. When you use employer data with our automation tools, you can:
It’s a streamlined, end-to-end solution designed to maximize the impact of every employer connection in your database.
In short, Double the Donation transforms employer appends from basic data enhancement into a strategic fundraising advantage. With workplace giving eligibility and corporate sponsorship insights built-in, you’ll not only know who your donors work for—you’ll know how to turn that information into action.
Wrapping up & additional employer appends resources
At first glance, your employer append data might look complete. However, if it doesn’t reveal which donors are eligible for corporate giving programs, you’re only seeing part of the picture.
Without visibility into workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts or payroll giving, you may be missing the very insights that turn one-time gifts into multiplied impact.
The good news? There’s a better way to use employment data—one that not only tells you where your donors work but what giving opportunities come with it. When your data connects directly to corporate philanthropy programs, you unlock smarter fundraising, stronger donor relationships, and more dollars raised. It’s time to expect more from your employer appends and make sure nothing valuable is left out.
Ready to learn more about employer appends and data enhancement practices? Check out these additional recommended resources:
Expanding Our Database to Include Payroll Giving Programs
/in Payroll Giving, About Double the Donation /by Adam WeingerWorkplace Giving vs. Payroll Giving: What’s the Difference?
/in Payroll Giving, Learning Center /by Julia BeltranWhy and How to Reach Out to Payroll Giving Donors [A Guide]
/in Learning Center, Payroll Giving, Donor communications /by Sydney Faye