The holiday giving season is upon us. Luckily, it’s not too late to get started with matching gifts and year-end fundraising strategies before the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on New Year’s Day.
As you likely know, the end-of-year fundraising season is a critical time for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes. What better way to maximize such an impactful opportunity than with matching gifts?
To recap, matching gifts are a form of corporate giving where companies agree to match their employees’ charitable donations. For nonprofits, these types of initiatives produce additional fundraising revenue, increased individual and corporate engagement, and more.
However, recent studies show that an estimated $4 to $7 billion in available matching gift funding goes unclaimed each year, essentially leaving tons of corporate donations on the table. And the #1 reason for this significant gap is a lack of knowledge concerning such programs!
This holiday fundraising season, set your organization up to make the most of matching gifts by increasing donor awareness. And Double the Donation is here to help! In this guide, we’ll cover the following key points:
Ready to dive deeper into fundraising research and learn more about strategic donor appeals, retroactive outreach, automated email streams, and the software that can power it all? Let’s get started!
The Correlation Between Matching Gifts and Year-End Giving Success
End-of-year fundraising and matching gifts are each vital components of a successful nonprofit funding strategy. And the two complement each other to produce a seamless and impactful engagement plan.
After all, more donations flowing during the holiday season means more potential for matching gifts. Meanwhile, promoting matching gift opportunities leads to more (and larger) donations in the first place!
Not to mention, donation-matching opportunities also provide a great way to differentiate your appeals and retain your organization at the forefront of donors’ minds.
Let’s take a closer look at some statistics that illustrate the power of year-end fundraising and matching gifts.
- 31% of total giving takes place in December.
- 12% of annual donations are made in the last three days of the year.
- 50% of nonprofits are majority-funded through year-end giving.
- $48 billion is donated to nonprofits in the holiday giving season each year.
- ⅓ of nonprofits incorporate two or more “touches” in their end-of-year appeals.
- 52% larger first-time gifts are made during the end-of-year season.
- 56% of donors are motivated by year-end tax deadlines.
- 70% of year-end donors give through multiple channels.
Sources: Double the Donation and Nonprofit Hub
- 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
- 3-5x more funds are raised by campaigns that incorporate donation-matching.
- 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gifts.
- 84% of donors are more likely to donate if a match is offered.
- 1 in 3 donors would give more if matching is applied.
- 51% increase in average gift size when matching gifts are mentioned in fundraising appeals.
- 71% increase in average response rate when matching gifts are mentioned in fundraising appeals.
- 75% donor engagement rate produced by a well-executed matching gift strategy.
- $2.86 billion is donated by corporations through employee matching gift programs each year.
- 61% increase in matching gift funds by organizations that use an automation tool.
Sources: Double the Donation
Since we know a significant amount of charitable giving takes place at the end of the year, your team has a significant opportunity to drive more matching gifts when you integrate the two ideas. Talk about a win-win!
Check out our other leading workplace giving strategies for end-of-year fundraising! Access the free, downloadable guide: What to Know About Workplace Giving & the Year-End Fundraising Season.
Top Strategies to Implement for Impactful EOY Gift-Matching
Now that you understand the importance of matching gifts and their relevance during the holiday fundraising season, you might wonder what actionable next steps you can take to get started. Luckily, these expert tips should help!
1. Set up matching gift software ASAP.
You might worry that it’s too late to get started with any new software this year, but that’s simply not true. In fact, the end of the year is typically the time you rely on fundraising software the most. You already have a lot on your to-do list, and equipping your fundraising team with the best tools can provide the biggest impact with the least effort.
Matching gift software, for example, can significantly enhance matching gift results with minimal operational effort, allowing your team to raise more while retaining time and resources for other critical year-end efforts. Specifically, this type of solution empowers organizations by automating the processes involved with identifying match-eligible donors, triggering tailored matching gift follow-up messaging, and tracking matches to completion.
Luckily, implementing matching gift software can be quick, easy, and massively effective, making it essential as the end-of-year season approaches.
Check out this case study from a nonprofit that onboarded its matching gift software in mere hours:
The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges was able to be fully onboarded with Double the Donation’s tools within 12 hours of buying, all in time for an evening fundraising event on the same day! During this period, Metro YMCA of the Oranges integrated our matching gift tool with their online donation forms, configured automated matching gift follow-ups, and embedded the company search database in their website.
In the following ten months, they identified more than $32,000 in match-eligible donations and maintained a 61% matching gift email open rate and a 9% click-through rate (each more than 3x higher than the average nonprofit).
The moral of the story? Tight turnaround times for software implementation are entirely possible when you need to get up and running quickly, like when the end of the year is quickly approaching. However, it is a priority to dive into matching gifts as soon as possible to make the most of your tools as year-end giving ramps up.
Keep in mind that you also want to make the right decision when purchasing matching gift software for your team. We recommend prioritizing easy setup (including ready-built integrations with your existing solutions), a positive user experience, and innovative functionality (like matching gift auto-submission).
Our top tip: Schedule a demo with the leading matching gift software provider to get started. Double the Donation is consistently rated as #1 in the industry; see for yourself with the 2-minute overview below!
2. Train your internal fundraising team on the matching gift opportunity.
We mentioned a lack of donor awareness regarding matching gifts as a leading reason for the underutilization of the programs. But often, the knowledge gap extends to an organization’s internal fundraising team, too. And unfortunately, this can lead to matching gift opportunities slipping through the cracks, and available corporate funds ultimately going unclaimed. Thus, getting your staff on board with matching gifts leading up to the year-end fundraising season can go a long way.
The better equipped your team members are to share information about matching gifts, the more effective they’ll be in advocating for and inspiring program participation.
For this reason, Double the Donation provides a ton of educational resources designed to assist organizations in internal matching gift training, including blog posts, webinars, downloadable resources, and more. But our top recommendation is our online Matching Gift Academy (which is even free for current clients).
And now is the perfect time to get your team started as holiday giving draws near!
3. Highlight the potential for matching gifts in end-of-year appeals.
You might have already drafted your year-end fundraising appeals, or you might be working on them right about now. Either way, consider incorporating a blurb about matching gifts!
As the statistics above illustrate, donors are more likely to give (and to give in larger amounts) when they know there’s a match available. Thus, matching gifts can be exactly what you need to coax on-the-fence supporters into becoming end-of-year donors for your cause. And it often starts directly within the donation request itself!
Picture this:
Jeff is an avid supporter of your organization, but it’s the end of the year, and he’s tight on funds. He considered skipping his year-end donation this year (thinking, “What good could my $50 really do, anyway?”). Then he was informed that his employer would match his gift at a 2:1 rate.
At this, he realized his initial gift could be worth over three times the value of his own contribution (which seems a lot more significant to Jeff), and he made his donation. That’s $150 you wouldn’t have collected if not for matching gifts, and there are a lot of “Jeff’s” in the world, too!
Meanwhile, imagine another donor planned to contribute a certain amount; again, let’s say $50. When the donor learns about matching gifts, they’re inspired to increase their own donation amount (perhaps to $100). This, in turn, drives up the match value as well, producing even more revenue for your cause.
The best part? The way you market matching gift opportunities to supporters can be simple. Incorporate a reminder about matching gifts in your social media, email, text, and other appeals across your nonprofit website and more. Consider something like this: “Make your year-end donation go further this year with company gift-matching. See if you’re eligible here.”
Fun fact: Double the Donation offers pre-made and customizable social media graphics and messaging templates, allowing our clients to get a head start on effective promotions!
4. Reach out to match-eligible donors retroactively.
When you incorporate matching gift outreach into your end-of-year strategy, it doesn’t have to be solely focused on new donations, either. In fact, many gifts made throughout the year can still qualify for a match!
Each business that matches gifts establishes its own criteria and submission guidelines. While it varies from company to company, many employers (such as Freeport-McMoRan, William Blair & Company, Victory Capital, and more) grant employee matches through the end of the calendar year. So, for many of your match-eligible donors, their request window will be closing quickly.
That makes the end of the year a perfect opportunity to reach back out to these individuals, remind them about matching gifts, and encourage them to complete the request process with their employer. It’s a fantastic way to boost year-end revenue from existing donors without requiring them to reach back into their own wallets.
5. Familiarize your team with year-end-specific workplace giving programs.
Most businesses with matching gift programs agree to double the donations their employees make year-round. But sometimes, a company establishes a limited-time initiative that is live only at certain times of the year. And the most common timeframe includes year-end-specific matching gift (or other workplace giving) programs.
For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offers a unique giving season match available to its thousands of employees worldwide. Running from mid-October through December each year, the company’s Annual Giving Campaign provides an excellent incentive for year-end charitable giving.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros offers its employees a generous donation stipend to contribute to their favorite nonprofits on Giving Tuesday, kicking off the holiday season. That’s in addition to the $1,000 year-long match and end-of-year giving programs!
If you identify donors in your orbit who work for companies with these types of short-term philanthropy efforts, be sure to address available opportunities with targeted, personalized communications this giving season.
6. Consider custom matching gift partnerships.
Unfortunately, some companies have yet to establish matching gift programs for their employees. But they might be willing to when presented with the opportunity. In that case, we recommend reaching out to employers to propose custom (or “one-off”) matching gift initiatives.
Why? Custom matches provide an easy way for businesses unfamiliar with matching gifts to get acquainted with the effort in a limited capacity.
If a company agrees to offer such a program, it’ll essentially encourage philanthropy by matching employee gifts made exclusively to your organization. And as custom matches typically occur in a defined time frame (e.g., a month), the giving season is a popular time for one to be organized.
Fun fact: Double the Donation now offers innovative functionality for nonprofits looking to facilitate these programs in their company database tool!
*As a note: This feature is designed specifically for fundraisers to manage matching gifts. If you’re a corporation that’s interested in creating a matching gift program, let us know, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.
7. Leverage automated end-of-year email streams.
Another significant roadblock in matching gifts is that nonprofit fundraising staff simply lack the time to manage and promote these efforts. In fact, Nonprofits Source reports that 80% of nonprofits struggle to establish workplace giving strategies with limited staff and resources.
Luckily, that’s where matching gift automation comes in!
Automated email streams enable nonprofits to configure and trigger customizable messages when an individual gives to your organization. This might include one dedicated to match-eligible donors, one for likely ineligible donors, and one for donors with unknown eligibility.
Doing so ensures that every donor receives matching gift outreach in a timely manner. And that no donation falls through the cracks, even when your team is juggling 100 different end-of-year tasks. Meanwhile, the time you would have spent issuing matching gift reminders can be reallocated to other fundraising and mission-related tasks.
Here’s an example of an email you might send:
Year-end email streams can either take place directly following a giving season donation (typically within 24 hours of the initial gift) or retroactively, as detailed above. Both are excellent ways to encourage matching gift participation among donors and drive additional revenue for your cause.
Regardless, you’ll want to provide the donor with as much employer-specific information as is available. This should include donation minimums and maximums, match ratios, submission deadlines, and direct links to their company’s online request forms. And your automation system can gather all of that data so that you don’t have to!
How Automation Frees Up Fundraising Time in December
We know that the end of the year is a crucial time for nonprofit fundraisers, and matching gifts can seem like just another thing on your already full plate. But they don’t have to be! By automating the matching gift process from start to finish, your team can raise more without lifting a finger, allowing you to free up invaluable fundraising time within the giving season.
Interested in learning how you can do so? Check out this free, on-demand webinar replay to see how Double the Donation’s automation platform can help you…
- Eliminate manual employment data research.
- Simplify the employment data collection process.
- Cut time spent researching matching gift companies.
- Reduce manual outreach efforts.
- Track metrics in an easy-to-understand way.
- Integrate into your existing fundraising tools.
With automation in place, you can spend less time managing the logistics of matching gifts and more time focusing on what truly matters: engaging with donors and maximizing your year-end fundraising efforts. By streamlining the process, you’ll not only save precious hours but also increase your chances of securing more matches, ultimately boosting your fundraising total. Plus, automated systems ensure that no match goes unnoticed, allowing your team to work smarter, not harder, this holiday season.
Next Steps for Smart Year-End Fundraising and Matching Gifts
It’s not too late to launch effective matching gift strategies this year-end fundraising season. But it is time to get started now. After all, the longer you wait, the more potential matches you’re missing out on.
Prepare your team by incorporating these practices and investing in powerful and innovative matching gift tools. This allows you to maximize corporate donation-matching in the remainder of the year and into the new year, too.
Good luck, and happy holidays!
Are you looking for additional resources to continue growing your knowledge of all things matching gifts this year-end fundraising season? Check out these free guides to learn more:
Companies in Houston that Offer Powerful Volunteer Initiatives
/in Learning Center, Company Spotlights, Volunteer Grant Companies /by Adam WeingerHouston stands as a vibrant metropolis known not only for its sprawling urban landscape but also for its dynamic business environment and philanthropic spirit. The city’s robust economy and diverse industries have cultivated a fertile ground for corporate social responsibility, particularly in the realm of volunteerism. Many companies headquartered or operating in Houston have embraced volunteer initiatives as a core component of their corporate culture, recognizing the mutual benefits these programs bring to both employees and the community.
Nonprofits in Houston thrive in part due to this strong corporate presence, which fuels a culture of giving back through structured volunteer programs. These initiatives range from volunteer grant programs that financially reward employees’ volunteer hours to Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policies that provide paid time for employees to engage in community service. Understanding the landscape of these corporate volunteer programs is essential for nonprofits seeking to maximize their impact and forge meaningful partnerships with Houston’s leading companies.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
As we examine the Houston corporate volunteer landscape, it’s clear that the city offers a wealth of opportunities for nonprofits to work closely with local businesses and their employees. Fortunately, this guide will help you navigate the corporate sector, uncover key volunteer initiatives you can target, and showcase how to leverage corporate philanthropy to elevate your organization’s efforts.
Now, let’s dive into the leading companies in Houston’s corporate volunteer space.
What to Know About Major Houston Companies in the Corporate Volunteer Space
Houston is a major hub for business and nonprofits alike, making it a unique city where corporate influence and community needs intersect. As the fourth largest city in the United States by population, Houston boasts a thriving economy that supports a wide array of industries, including energy, healthcare, technology, and finance. This economic diversity has attracted a significant number of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, many of which have established their headquarters or major operations in the city.
Specifically, Houston is home to over 20 Fortune 500 companies, a testament to its importance on both the national and global business stage. These companies not only drive economic growth but also play a pivotal role in supporting local nonprofits through various corporate giving and volunteer programs. The city’s energy sector, led by giants in oil and gas, is complemented by a growing technology and healthcare presence, creating a multifaceted corporate ecosystem.
Corporate philanthropy in Houston is deeply intertwined with these industries. Many companies have developed comprehensive volunteer programs that encourage employees to contribute their time and skills to community causes. These programs often include volunteer grants, where companies provide financial donations to nonprofits based on employees’ volunteer hours, and Volunteer Time Off policies that allow employees to take paid leave to volunteer. This culture of corporate volunteerism not only benefits nonprofits but also enhances employee engagement and satisfaction, fostering a cycle of positive impact throughout the city.
Top Companies in Houston That Offer Volunteer Grant Programs
Volunteer grant programs are a powerful way for companies to extend their philanthropic reach by financially supporting nonprofits where their employees volunteer. In Houston, several leading companies have established such programs, enabling nonprofits to benefit directly from employee volunteerism. These programs typically require employees to log a minimum number of volunteer hours before a grant is awarded, with varying maximum grant amounts and submission frequencies.
Understanding the specifics of each company’s volunteer grant program can help nonprofits strategically engage with corporate partners and maximize the financial support they receive. Below, we explore some of the top Houston-based companies offering these valuable programs.
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company’s volunteer grant program is designed to reward employees who dedicate their time to nonprofit causes. Employees must typically volunteer a minimum of 10 hours to qualify for a grant, with the company offering grants up to $500 per employee per year. Grants can be submitted multiple times annually, allowing nonprofits to receive ongoing support. The program covers a wide range of volunteer activities, though certain restrictions apply to ensure alignment with the company’s philanthropic goals.
Learn more about the program here!
Chevron
Chevron’s volunteer grant program is notable for its inclusivity and generosity. Eligible employees can earn grants by volunteering a minimum of 20 hours annually, with grants reaching up to $1,000 per employee. The program supports a broad spectrum of volunteer activities, including environmental, educational, and community development projects. Chevron encourages frequent submissions, enabling nonprofits to benefit from sustained employee engagement.
Learn more about the program here!
Microsoft
Microsoft’s volunteer grant program requires employees to volunteer at least 15 hours to qualify for a grant. The company offers grants up to $500 per employee per year, with the possibility of multiple submissions. Microsoft emphasizes volunteer activities that promote education, technology access, and community development. The program’s streamlined submission process makes it easy for nonprofits to receive funding tied to employee volunteerism.
Learn more about the program here!
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric’s program offers grants to employees who volunteer a minimum of 10 hours annually. Grants can reach up to $500 per employee, with submissions accepted twice a year. The program supports a variety of volunteer activities, particularly those related to sustainability and energy access, reflecting the company’s core business values. Nonprofits aligned with these themes may find enhanced opportunities for support.
Learn more about the program here!
S&P Global
S&P Global requires employees to volunteer at least 10 hours to be eligible for a grant, with maximum grant amounts typically set at $500 per employee annually. The program encourages volunteerism in areas such as financial literacy, education, and community development. Nonprofits can benefit from multiple grant submissions throughout the year, fostering ongoing partnerships with S&P Global employees.
Learn more about the program here!
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Texas Instruments Incorporated offers a volunteer grant program that rewards employees who volunteer a minimum of 10 hours annually. Grants can be as high as $500 per employee, with submissions accepted twice yearly. The program focuses on volunteer activities that support STEM education and community development, aligning with the company’s mission to foster innovation and learning.
Learn more about the program here!
Leading Houston Companies That Provide Volunteer Time Off
Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs are another impactful way companies in Houston support employee volunteerism. These programs provide paid time off specifically for volunteering, allowing employees to contribute to causes they care about without sacrificing their income. VTO policies vary by company in terms of the amount of time offered, eligibility criteria, and the types of volunteer activities that qualify.
For nonprofits, understanding which companies offer VTO and the details of these programs can open doors to deeper engagement with corporate partners. Employees with VTO are often more motivated to volunteer, increasing the potential for meaningful community impact. Below, we highlight some of Houston’s leading companies with notable VTO programs.
Sysco Corporation
Sysco Corporation, a global leader in foodservice distribution headquartered in Houston, offers a generous VTO program. Employees are typically eligible for up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually. The program encourages volunteering in areas related to hunger relief, community development, and education. Eligibility generally requires a minimum tenure, and the company provides resources to help employees identify qualifying volunteer opportunities.
Learn more about the program here!
Chevron
Chevron’s VTO program complements its volunteer grant offerings by providing employees with up to 40 hours of paid time off annually to volunteer. This substantial allotment reflects Chevron’s commitment to community engagement. The program supports a wide range of volunteer activities, including environmental conservation, education, and health initiatives. Employees must coordinate with their managers to schedule VTO, ensuring business continuity while supporting community service.
Learn more about the program here!
Halliburton
Halliburton, a major oilfield services company based in Houston, offers a VTO program granting employees up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year. The program focuses on community service projects that align with Halliburton’s values, such as education, disaster relief, and environmental stewardship. Eligibility typically requires employees to be in good standing and to obtain prior approval for VTO usage.
Learn more about the program here!
EOG Resources
EOG Resources, an independent crude oil and natural gas company headquartered in Houston, provides employees with up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually. The program encourages volunteering in areas that support community well-being and environmental sustainability. Employees must submit requests in advance and document their volunteer activities to qualify for VTO benefits.
Learn more about the program here!
Explore More Houston Volunteer Programs with a Workplace Philanthropy Database
While the companies highlighted above represent some of the most prominent volunteer grant and VTO programs in Houston, many more businesses in the city and beyond offer similar opportunities. For this reason, nonprofits looking to expand their corporate partnerships and tap into additional sources of volunteer support can benefit greatly from using a workplace philanthropy database like Double the Donation.
Such databases provide comprehensive listings of companies offering various volunteer programs, including volunteer grants, VTO, matching gifts, and payroll giving. Moreover, these databases can be integrated directly into nonprofit workflows, such as registration forms, volunteer follow-ups, and dedicated volunteer web pages. This integration ensures that every volunteer has the opportunity to determine their eligibility for corporate volunteer incentives, maximizing the potential for additional funding and engagement. By leveraging a workplace philanthropy database, nonprofits in Houston can uncover a wealth of corporate volunteer programs beyond the most well-known companies, enhancing their capacity to serve the community.
Wrapping Up & Final Thoughts
Houston’s corporate landscape is rich with companies that offer powerful volunteer initiatives, including volunteer grant programs and Volunteer Time Off policies. These programs not only encourage employees to engage in meaningful community service but also provide nonprofits with valuable financial support tied directly to volunteerism. By understanding the specific offerings of major Houston companies such as Eli Lilly and Company, Chevron, Microsoft, and others, nonprofits can strategically cultivate partnerships that enhance their mission impact.
Volunteer grants and VTO programs represent significant opportunities for nonprofits to deepen supporter engagement and increase funding without additional fundraising asks. Moreover, leveraging workplace philanthropy databases can help nonprofits discover even more corporate volunteer programs in Houston, broadening their network of potential partners. Taking advantage of these initiatives allows nonprofits to build sustainable relationships with businesses committed to social responsibility, ultimately benefiting the entire Houston community.
Maximize Corporate Volunteering with Double the Donation
Ready to unlock the full potential of corporate volunteer programs? With Double the Donation’s tools, you can effortlessly capture volunteer grants and employer-sponsored time off, helping you maximize the value of every hour your supporters give.
Don’t miss out on additional funding opportunities that could significantly boost your nonprofit’s revenue. Get started today, and see how easy it is to integrate volunteer incentives into your fundraising strategy. Let Double the Donation help you turn volunteer hours into lasting impact. Request a personalized demo today!
Companies in Chicago that Offer Powerful Volunteer Initiatives
/in Learning Center, Company Spotlights, Volunteer Grant Companies /by Adam WeingerChicago stands as a vibrant metropolis known not only for its iconic skyline and rich cultural heritage but also for its dynamic business environment. As one of the largest cities in the United States, Chicago is home to a diverse array of industries ranging from finance and technology to healthcare and manufacturing. This economic diversity has fostered a strong culture of corporate social responsibility, with many companies actively engaging in volunteer initiatives that benefit the community and local nonprofits.
In this article, we will explore the landscape of corporate volunteer programs in Chicago, highlighting key companies that offer volunteer grant programs and volunteer time off (VTO). These initiatives empower employees to give back to their communities while providing nonprofits with valuable resources and support. Understanding these programs can help nonprofits maximize their partnerships with Chicago-based corporations and enhance their impact in the city.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
As we explore the Chicago corporate volunteer landscape, it’s clear that the city offers a wealth of opportunities for nonprofits to collaborate with local businesses. Luckily, this guide will help you navigate the corporate sector in Chicago, uncover key volunteer initiatives, and demonstrate how to leverage corporate philanthropy to elevate your nonprofit’s efforts.
Let’s dive into the leading companies in Chicago’s corporate volunteer space and the programs they offer to help you maximize community support and drive your mission forward.
What to Know About Major Chicago Companies in the Corporate Volunteer Space
Chicago is a major hub for business and nonprofit activity, making it a fertile ground for corporate volunteerism. The city boasts a robust economy supported by a wide range of industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy. This economic strength attracts numerous Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, many of which have established headquarters or significant operations in the city.
Specifically, Chicago is home to over 30 Fortune 500 companies, ranking it among the top cities in the nation for corporate headquarters. This concentration of large corporations creates a unique environment where corporate philanthropy and volunteerism thrive. Many of these companies have developed structured volunteer programs that encourage employees to contribute their time and skills to local nonprofits, schools, and community organizations.
The city’s population, which ranks third in the United States, further amplifies its importance as a center for business and social impact. Chicago’s corporate sector is deeply intertwined with the nonprofit community, creating opportunities for collaboration that benefit both employees and the organizations they support. Key industries such as technology and healthcare not only drive economic growth but also lead the way in innovative volunteer initiatives, including volunteer grant programs and volunteer time off policies.
These corporate volunteer programs are designed to foster employee engagement, promote social responsibility, and provide nonprofits with additional funding and manpower. For nonprofits operating in Chicago, understanding the landscape of corporate volunteerism is essential to tapping into these valuable resources and building lasting partnerships with local businesses.
Top Companies in Chicago That Offer Volunteer Grant Programs
Volunteer grant programs are a powerful way for companies to support nonprofits beyond direct donations. These programs provide financial grants to nonprofits based on the volunteer hours logged by employees. In Chicago, several major companies have established volunteer grant programs that benefit a wide range of causes and organizations.
Below, we explore some of the leading Chicago-based companies offering volunteer grant programs, detailing their eligibility criteria, grant amounts, and unique features.
RSM US LLP
RSM US LLP is a leading provider of audit, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. With a strong presence in Chicago, RSM encourages its employees to engage in community service through its volunteer grant program. Employees who volunteer a minimum number of hours can submit grant requests on behalf of the nonprofits they support. The program typically requires a minimum of 10 volunteer hours to qualify for a grant, with maximum grant amounts varying based on employee level and tenure. Grants can be submitted multiple times per year, allowing nonprofits to benefit from ongoing employee engagement.
Learn more about the program here!
BDO USA
BDO USA is a global accounting and advisory firm with significant operations in Chicago. The company’s volunteer grant program rewards employees who dedicate their time to nonprofit organizations. Eligible employees can request grants after completing a set number of volunteer hours, usually starting at 10 hours. The program supports a wide range of volunteer activities, including education, health, and community development. BDO USA’s grants are designed to encourage sustained volunteerism and often include provisions for multiple submissions annually.
Learn more about the program here!
Apple
Apple, a global technology leader with offices in Chicago, offers a volunteer grant program that aligns with its commitment to social responsibility. Employees who volunteer at least 10 hours can apply for grants that support the nonprofits they serve. Apple’s program is notable for its inclusivity, covering a broad spectrum of volunteer activities and nonprofit types. The company encourages employees to engage regularly, with grant submissions accepted throughout the year. This approach helps nonprofits receive consistent support tied to employee volunteerism.
Learn more about the program here!
Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions, a major player in communications technology headquartered in Chicago, has a well-established volunteer grant program. Employees who volunteer a minimum of 10 hours are eligible to request grants for their chosen nonprofits. The program emphasizes community safety, education, and technology access, reflecting the company’s core values. Motorola Solutions allows multiple grant submissions annually and provides clear guidelines on qualifying volunteer activities, ensuring nonprofits can maximize their funding opportunities.
Learn more about the program here!
Cisco
Cisco, a global leader in networking technology with a significant Chicago presence, offers a volunteer grant program that supports employee engagement in community service. Employees who volunteer at least 10 hours can submit grant requests, with the program covering a wide range of nonprofit sectors. Cisco’s program is designed to be flexible, allowing employees to participate in various volunteer activities and submit multiple grants per year. This flexibility benefits nonprofits by providing ongoing financial support linked to employee volunteerism.
Learn more about the program here!
SAP
SAP, a multinational software corporation with offices in Chicago, encourages its employees to give back through a volunteer grant program. Employees who complete a minimum of 10 volunteer hours can apply for grants that support their nonprofit partners. SAP’s program is notable for its integration with employee volunteerism initiatives, promoting sustained engagement and multiple grant submissions annually. The company supports diverse volunteer activities, helping nonprofits across different sectors benefit from corporate philanthropy.
Learn more about the program here!
Siemens AG
Siemens AG, a global industrial manufacturing company with a strong Chicago footprint, offers a volunteer grant program that rewards employee volunteerism. Employees who volunteer at least 10 hours are eligible to request grants for the nonprofits they serve. Siemens emphasizes STEM education, community development, and environmental sustainability in its volunteer programs. The company allows multiple grant submissions per year and provides clear guidelines to ensure volunteer activities align with program criteria.
Learn more about the program here!
Exelon Corporation
Exelon Corporation, a leading energy provider headquartered in Chicago, has a comprehensive volunteer grant program. Employees who volunteer a minimum of 10 hours can submit grant requests to support their nonprofit partners. Exelon’s program focuses on community resilience, education, and environmental initiatives. The company encourages ongoing employee participation by allowing multiple grant submissions annually and supporting a wide range of volunteer activities.
Learn more about the program here!
Leading Chicago Companies That Provide Volunteer Time Off
Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs are another impactful way companies support employee volunteerism. These programs provide paid time off for employees to volunteer during work hours, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to causes they care about without sacrificing income. In Chicago, several leading companies have embraced VTO as part of their corporate social responsibility strategies.
Below, we highlight some of the top Chicago-based companies offering VTO programs, outlining the specifics of their offerings and eligibility requirements.
Kraft Heinz
Kraft Heinz, a major player in the food and beverage industry headquartered in Chicago, offers a Volunteer Time Off program that allows employees to take paid time off to volunteer. Employees are typically eligible for up to 16 hours of VTO annually, which they can use for a variety of volunteer activities. The program encourages participation in community service projects aligned with the company’s focus areas such as hunger relief and nutrition education. Kraft Heinz’s VTO program is open to all full-time employees, fostering a culture of giving back.
Learn more about the program here!
McDonald’s
McDonald’s, with its corporate offices in Chicago, provides a Volunteer Time Off program designed to support employee engagement in community service. Eligible employees can take paid time off to volunteer, with the amount of VTO varying by role and tenure. The program supports a wide range of volunteer activities, including youth programs, education, and community development. McDonald’s emphasizes flexibility in its VTO policy, allowing employees to choose causes that resonate personally.
Learn more about the program here!
Abbott
Abbott, a global healthcare company headquartered in Chicago, offers a robust Volunteer Time Off program. Employees can access paid time off specifically designated for volunteering, typically up to 16 hours per year. Abbott’s program encourages employees to engage in health-related and community service activities, reflecting the company’s mission to improve lives. The program is available to full-time employees and includes guidelines to ensure volunteer activities align with corporate values.
Learn more about the program here!
JLL
JLL, a leading real estate services firm based in Chicago, supports employee volunteerism through its Volunteer Time Off program. Employees are granted paid time off to participate in volunteer activities, with typical allowances of up to 16 hours annually. JLL’s program promotes involvement in community development, education, and environmental sustainability projects. The company encourages employees to volunteer during work hours, reinforcing its commitment to social responsibility.
Learn more about the program here!
Morningstar
Morningstar, a financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, offers a Volunteer Time Off program that enables employees to take paid time off for volunteering. Employees can typically access up to 16 hours of VTO per year, which they can use for a variety of nonprofit activities. Morningstar’s program supports causes related to education, financial literacy, and community welfare. The program is designed to be inclusive, allowing employees across all levels to participate.
Learn more about the program here!
Allstate Insurance
Allstate Insurance, with a significant presence in Chicago, provides a Volunteer Time Off program that encourages employees to engage in community service. Eligible employees can take paid time off, usually up to 16 hours annually, to volunteer for causes they are passionate about. Allstate’s program supports a broad range of volunteer activities, including disaster relief, education, and community development. The company promotes a culture of giving back by integrating VTO into its broader corporate social responsibility efforts.
Learn more about the program here!
Explore More Chicago Volunteer Programs with a Workplace Philanthropy Database
While the companies highlighted above represent some of the most prominent volunteer grant and VTO programs in Chicago, many more businesses in the city and further beyond offer similar initiatives. Nonprofits looking to expand their partnerships and funding opportunities can benefit greatly from using a workplace philanthropy database like Double the Donation.
Such databases provide comprehensive listings of corporate volunteer programs, including volunteer grants, matching gift programs, payroll giving, and volunteer time off policies. By leveraging these tools, nonprofits and their supporters can easily search for participating companies, helping them identify potential corporate partners that align with their missions and goals.
Workplace philanthropy databases also offer integration capabilities, allowing nonprofits to embed corporate volunteer program information directly into their registration forms, volunteer management systems, and follow-up communications. This seamless integration ensures that volunteers are informed about their eligibility for corporate volunteer grants and VTO programs, maximizing the potential for additional funding and engagement.
Wrapping Up & Final Thoughts
Chicago’s vibrant corporate sector offers a wealth of opportunities for nonprofits to engage with companies through powerful volunteer initiatives. From volunteer grant programs offered by industry leaders like RSM US LLP, Apple, and Exelon Corporation to Volunteer Time Off policies at firms such as Kraft Heinz and Allstate Insurance, the city’s businesses are deeply invested in supporting community service.
Nonprofits can leverage these programs not only to secure additional funding but also to build lasting relationships with corporate partners and their employees. By understanding the specifics of each company’s volunteer initiatives and utilizing tools like workplace philanthropy databases, nonprofits in Chicago can maximize their impact and foster a culture of giving that benefits the entire community.
Taking proactive steps to connect with these corporate programs will enable nonprofits to tap into valuable resources, increase volunteer engagement, and ultimately enhance their ability to serve those in need across the city. Good luck!
How Double the Donation Can Help Your Nonprofit Grow Corporate Volunteerism
Ready to unlock the full potential of corporate volunteer programs? With Double the Donation’s tools, you can effortlessly capture volunteer grants and employer-sponsored time off, helping you maximize the value of every hour your supporters give.
Don’t miss out on additional funding opportunities that could significantly boost your nonprofit’s revenue. Get started today, and see how easy it is to integrate volunteer incentives into your fundraising strategy. Let Double the Donation help you turn volunteer hours into lasting impact. Request a personalized demo today!
Companies in LA that Offer Powerful Volunteer Initiatives
/in Learning Center, Company Spotlights, Volunteer Grant Companies /by Adam WeingerLos Angeles, a sprawling metropolis known for its vibrant culture and economic dynamism, is also a significant hub for corporate philanthropy and volunteerism. The city’s diverse business landscape, ranging from entertainment giants to tech innovators, creates a fertile environment for impactful volunteer initiatives. As a result, many companies headquartered or operating in LA have embraced corporate social responsibility by implementing robust volunteer programs that benefit both their employees and the community.
These volunteer initiatives not only foster employee engagement but also provide nonprofits with valuable resources through volunteer grants and paid volunteer time off. As a result, nonprofits in LA can leverage these programs to amplify their missions and deepen community impact. Understanding which companies offer these opportunities and how their programs work is essential for organizations seeking to maximize support from the local corporate sector.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through:
As we dive deeper into the corporate volunteer landscape in Los Angeles, it’s important to recognize the tremendous opportunities that exist for nonprofits. With many companies offering robust volunteer programs, the potential for nonprofits to partner with businesses in LA has never been greater. Lucky for you, this guide will help you navigate the local corporate landscape, uncover valuable opportunities for collaboration, and show you how to tap into the power of corporate philanthropy to enhance your nonprofit’s impact.
Let’s explore the key players in LA’s corporate volunteer space and the programs they offer to help you make the most of these valuable resources.
What to Know About Major LA Companies in the Corporate Volunteer Space
Los Angeles stands as the second-largest city in the United States by population and ranks among the top metropolitan economies globally. Its significance as a business and nonprofit hub cannot be overstated. The city is home to thousands of companies, including a substantial number of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 firms. This concentration of corporate power fuels a thriving economy that spans entertainment, technology, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors.
LA’s diverse industries contribute to a rich culture of corporate philanthropy. Many companies headquartered here recognize the importance of giving back to the community and have developed comprehensive corporate volunteer programs. These initiatives often include volunteer grant programs, where companies provide financial donations to nonprofits based on employees’ volunteer hours, and Volunteer Time Off (VTO) policies, which allow employees to take paid time off to volunteer.
The presence of such programs reflects the city’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement. Nonprofits in LA benefit greatly from this ecosystem, as corporate volunteer programs provide both financial support and increased volunteer capacity. Understanding the landscape of corporate volunteerism in LA is crucial for nonprofits aiming to build partnerships and secure funding through these initiatives.
Top Companies in LA That Offer Volunteer Grant Programs
Volunteer grant programs are a powerful way for companies to support nonprofits by providing financial donations based on employees’ volunteer hours. In Los Angeles, several leading companies have established such programs, enabling nonprofits to receive additional funding while encouraging employee volunteerism. Below is an overview of some of the top companies in LA with volunteer grant programs and how their initiatives work.
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, a global leader in entertainment headquartered in Burbank, CA, offers a comprehensive volunteer grant program. Disney employees who volunteer a minimum number of hours, typically around 10 hours per calendar year, can request a grant to be awarded to the nonprofit they serve. The program is open to full-time and part-time employees, with grant amounts often ranging up to $500 per employee annually.
Disney’s volunteer grant program encourages a wide variety of volunteer activities, including community service, education, and environmental projects. Grants can usually be submitted multiple times per year, allowing employees to support several organizations. This program not only incentivizes volunteerism but also helps nonprofits secure additional funding tied directly to employee engagement.
Learn more about the program here!
Microsoft
Microsoft, a technology giant with a significant presence in the LA area, offers a robust volunteer grant program known as the Employee Giving Program. Eligible employees who volunteer at least 15 hours per year can request grants for their nonprofit organizations. The grants typically range from $500 to $1,000, depending on the employee’s role and tenure.
Microsoft’s program supports a broad spectrum of volunteer activities, including STEM education, community development, and environmental sustainability. Employees can submit grant requests quarterly, and the company often matches volunteer hours with financial contributions, amplifying the impact of employee efforts. This program is designed to foster a culture of giving and community involvement among Microsoft’s workforce.
Learn more about the program here!
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, headquartered in the LA area, offers a volunteer grant program that rewards employees for their community service. Employees who volunteer a minimum of 10 hours annually are eligible to apply for grants, which can be up to $500 per employee per year.
The program encourages volunteering in areas related to sustainability, education, and community development. Schneider Electric allows employees to submit grant requests twice a year, providing flexibility and multiple opportunities to support nonprofits. This initiative aligns with the company’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, making it a valuable resource for nonprofits in LA.
Learn more about the program here!
Adobe
Adobe, a leader in digital media and marketing solutions based in San Jose but with a strong LA presence, offers a volunteer grant program that incentivizes employee volunteerism. Employees who volunteer at least 10 hours annually can request grants of up to $500 for the nonprofits they support.
Adobe’s program includes various volunteer activities, such as arts education, technology access, and community services. Grant submissions are accepted multiple times per year, and the company emphasizes volunteerism as a key component of its corporate culture. Nonprofits partnering with Adobe employees can benefit from these grants to enhance their programs and services.
Learn more about the program here!
Merck & Co
Merck & Co., a global healthcare company with operations in the LA region, offers a volunteer grant program that rewards employees for their time spent volunteering. Employees who complete a minimum of 10 volunteer hours annually are eligible to request grants, typically up to $500 per year.
The program supports a wide range of volunteer activities, particularly those related to health, education, and community welfare. Merck encourages employees to submit grant requests quarterly, providing nonprofits with a steady stream of potential funding. This program reflects Merck’s commitment to improving community health and well-being through corporate philanthropy.
Learn more about the program here!
Google
Google, a major technology company with offices in the LA area, offers an extensive volunteer grant program as part of its broader corporate social responsibility efforts. Employees who volunteer at least 20 hours per year can request grants, which can be as high as $1,000 annually.
Google’s program supports a diverse array of volunteer activities, including education, technology access, and environmental causes. The company allows multiple grant submissions per year and provides additional support through matching gift programs. This comprehensive approach helps nonprofits maximize funding opportunities linked to employee volunteerism.
Learn more about the program here!
Leading LA Companies That Provide Volunteer Time Off
Volunteer Time Off (VTO) programs are another impactful way companies in Los Angeles support community engagement. These programs allow employees to take paid time off specifically to volunteer for causes they care about. Many leading LA companies have embraced VTO policies, recognizing the value of enabling employees to contribute their time without sacrificing income. Below is an overview of some of the top companies in LA offering VTO programs.
Farmers Insurance Group
Farmers Insurance Group, headquartered in Los Angeles, offers a Volunteer Time Off program that provides employees with up to 16 hours of paid time annually to volunteer. The program supports a broad range of volunteer activities, including disaster relief, education, and community services.
Eligibility for the VTO program typically requires employees to be in good standing and have completed a minimum tenure with the company. Farmers Insurance encourages employees to use their VTO to support causes that resonate personally, fostering a culture of giving back. The program also includes opportunities for team volunteering and company-sponsored community events.
Learn more about the program here!
Intuit
Intuit, a financial software company with offices in the LA area, offers a Volunteer Time Off program that grants employees up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year. The program is designed to empower employees to engage with nonprofits and community projects that align with their passions.
Intuit’s VTO program includes flexible scheduling options and encourages employees to volunteer in areas such as financial literacy, education, and environmental sustainability. The company also supports employee-led volunteer initiatives and provides resources to help employees find suitable volunteer opportunities. This approach enhances both community impact and employee satisfaction.
Learn more about the program here!
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, with a significant operational presence in Los Angeles, offers a Volunteer Time Off program that allows employees to take paid time off to volunteer. Employees typically receive up to 16 hours of VTO annually, which they can use to support a variety of nonprofit causes.
The program emphasizes volunteer activities related to community development, disaster relief, and education. Delta encourages employees to coordinate with their managers to schedule VTO and often partners with nonprofits to organize volunteer events. This program reflects Delta’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement.
Learn more about the program here!
Siemens AG
Siemens AG, a global technology and engineering company with offices in LA, provides a Volunteer Time Off program that grants employees paid time to volunteer. Employees are generally eligible for up to 16 hours of VTO per year, which they can use to support causes aligned with Siemens’ corporate values.
The program supports volunteer activities in areas such as STEM education, environmental sustainability, and community development. Siemens encourages employees to participate in both individual and group volunteer efforts and provides resources to facilitate volunteer engagement. This program enhances Siemens’ reputation as a socially responsible employer and community partner.
Learn more about the program here!
Explore More LA Volunteer Programs with a Workplace Philanthropy Database
While the companies highlighted above represent some of the most prominent volunteer grant and VTO programs in Los Angeles, many more businesses in the city and beyond offer similar initiatives. Nonprofits seeking to maximize their engagement with corporate volunteer programs can benefit greatly from using a workplace philanthropy database like Double the Donation.
Such databases provide comprehensive listings of companies offering volunteer grants, matching gifts, payroll giving, and Volunteer Time Off programs. By leveraging these tools, nonprofits can easily identify additional corporate partners in LA and elsewhere that align with their mission and volunteer needs. This targeted approach helps organizations connect with businesses that are actively investing in community impact through employee volunteerism.
Additionally, many databases offer integration options that embed corporate volunteer program information directly into nonprofit workflows, such as registration forms, volunteer follow-ups, and dedicated volunteer web pages. This seamless integration ensures that volunteers are informed about their eligibility for corporate volunteer grants and can take full advantage of these opportunities.
Wrapping Up & Final Thoughts
Los Angeles is a vibrant city where corporate volunteer initiatives play a crucial role in supporting nonprofits and strengthening communities. The presence of major companies offering volunteer grant programs and Volunteer Time Off policies creates valuable opportunities for nonprofits to secure additional funding and increase volunteer engagement. From entertainment giants like Disney to tech leaders such as Microsoft and Google, these companies demonstrate a strong commitment to social responsibility through their volunteer programs.
Nonprofits in and around LA can leverage these powerful initiatives by understanding the specific requirements and benefits of each company’s program. Exploring workplace philanthropy databases can further expand nonprofits’ access to corporate volunteer programs, helping them identify new partners and streamline volunteer engagement. By actively pursuing these opportunities, nonprofits can boost their impact, deepen supporter relationships, and secure sustainable funding to advance their missions in Los Angeles and beyond.
How Double the Donation Can Elevate Your Corporate Volunteer Strategy
Ready to unlock the full potential of corporate volunteer programs? With Double the Donation’s tools, you can effortlessly capture volunteer grants and employer-sponsored time off, helping you maximize the value of every hour your supporters give.
Don’t miss out on additional funding opportunities that could significantly boost your nonprofit’s revenue. Get started today, and see how easy it is to integrate volunteer incentives into your fundraising strategy. Let Double the Donation help you turn volunteer hours into lasting impact. Request a personalized demo today!
Leaving Money Behind? 5 Signs You’re Missing Matching Gifts
/in Marketing Strategies, Fundraising Strategy, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerIf you’re a nonprofit, you’re likely aware of how critical fundraising is to sustaining and growing your mission. While individual donations are essential, corporate matching gifts can dramatically increase the total amount you raise with minimal additional effort. However, many nonprofits unknowingly leave money behind by failing to fully leverage these matching gift opportunities.
In fact, research shows that up to 90% of eligible matching gifts go unclaimed, representing a significant amount of potential funding that could boost your nonprofit’s revenue. The result? More than $4 to $7 billion in matching gifts are being left on the table each year.
So, how can you ensure that you’re not missing matching gifts? In this post, we’ll explore the five key signs that you’re leaving gifts unmatched, why that matters, and how to fix the problem. This includes:
All in all, matching gifts are one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost nonprofit donations. However, many organizations continuously fail to make the most of this opportunity.
Whether it’s a lack of promotion, insufficient follow-up, or not having the right tools in place, you might be leaving money on the table if you’re not capturing matching gifts effectively. But this guide will help you capture every possible donation to increase your nonprofit’s success! Let’s begin with the first sign your organization is missing the mark on matching gifts.
Sign #1: You’re not actively promoting matching gifts.
One of the first and most obvious signs you’re missing matching gifts is a lack of promotion. If you’re not regularly promoting matching gift opportunities, many of your donors may not even be aware that they can double (or triple) their contributions through their employer’s matching gift programs.
Why This Matters:
Active promotion is key to ensuring your donors are aware of matching gift opportunities and understand how simple it is for them to take advantage of them. Without making matching gifts a key part of your messaging, donors may overlook the opportunity, and the funds will go unclaimed.
Many donors simply don’t think about matching gifts unless they’re actively reminded.
How to Fix It:
Sign #2: You haven’t integrated matching gifts into your donation flow.
Even if you’re promoting matching gifts in emails and social media, you might be missing out if matching gifts aren’t integrated into the donation process itself. If matching gift options aren’t featured at the point of donation, you could be losing opportunities right from the start.
Why This Matters:
Integrating matching gifts into your donation flow ensures that donors can take advantage of them seamlessly while making their donation. If matching gifts are an afterthought or are not included at the point of donation, many donors may forget to claim their match or may be unsure about how to do so.
How to Fix It:
Most often, donors are at the height of their engagement with your cause while actively donating to the organization. That makes it the perfect time to incorporate matching gift opportunities seamlessly into the giving process. By presenting matching gifts as an extension of the donation experience itself, you not only simplify the donor experience but also increase conversion rates.
Instead of treating matching gifts as an afterthought or a separate step, make it a natural part of the donation flow. This minimizes friction and maximizes the chance that donors will follow through with their employer’s matching gift request, resulting in more funds for your cause with little additional effort.
Sign #3: You lack donor employment information.
If you don’t collect donor employment information, you may miss the opportunity to match their gift with their employer’s contribution. Many matching gift programs require nonprofits to identify which employees are eligible for matching gifts. Without this information, it becomes impossible to track or claim matching funds.
Why This Matters:
Without knowing where your donors work, you won’t be able to claim matching funds from their employer. Collecting this information is crucial because it allows you to identify potential matching opportunities and follow up with donors or employers directly.
How to Fix It:
Sign #4: You’re not following up with recurring or payroll givers.
While it’s easy to forget about matching gifts once a donor has set up a recurring donation or payroll gift, these ongoing donors can be prime candidates for donation-matching opportunities. However, if you don’t follow up with them, they may never apply for the match.
Why This Matters:
Recurring givers and payroll donors are often forgotten when it comes to matching gifts, yet they’re some of the most loyal supporters you have. These donors may assume that their gift can’t be matched or may forget to apply for matching funds after they’ve donated.
How to Fix It:
Following up with recurring or payroll givers is crucial. After all, it ensures that matching gift opportunities don’t go unnoticed. Since these donors are already invested in your cause, they are more likely to take advantage of matching gifts if they are reminded regularly.
Sign #5: You don’t track matching gifts as they are submitted.
One of the most significant issues nonprofits face with matching gifts is the lack of tracking throughout the process. If you’re not tracking matching gifts from the moment the opportunity is identified through the time the donor ultimately submits the request, you risk missing matching funds or failing to follow up in a timely manner.
Why This Matters:
Tracking matching gifts allows you to follow up with donors and their employers, ensuring that matches are completed successfully. Without proper tracking, there’s no way to ensure that your nonprofit receives the full amount of donations you’re eligible for.
How to Fix It:
Proper tracking of matching gifts is essential for ensuring your nonprofit receives each and every dollar it’s entitled to. Moreover, setting up automated tracking not only ensures no matching gift goes unclaimed but also strengthens your relationship with donors by showing them that you care about maximizing the impact of their contributions. Talk about a win-win!
Wrapping Up & Additional Resources
Matching gifts offer nonprofits a huge opportunity to increase their revenue without much additional effort. However, many organizations are missing out on these funds because they aren’t promoting, tracking, or following up on matching gift opportunities effectively. By addressing these five signs you’re missing matching gifts, you can significantly increase your fundraising potential and maximize the impact of each donation.
Start by reviewing your current processes and implementing the strategies outlined in this post. From actively promoting matching gifts to integrating them into your donation flow, these steps will help ensure that you capture every dollar of potential matching funds. The more you optimize your process, the more successful your matching gift program will be.
Interested in learning more about incorporating strategic matching gift efforts into your overall fundraising strategy? Check out these recommended guides:
How to Steward Workplace Giving Donors Effectively
/in Fundraising Strategy, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerWorkplace giving donors are some of the most valuable supporters an organization can have, but are also some of the trickiest to steward. Also known as employee giving or workplace philanthropy, workplace giving is the practice of making a charitable donation through a program sponsored by an employer, often through a payroll deduction.
It’s no surprise that these programs are growing in popularity. Employees feel a connection to causes they care about. They appreciate programs that make it easier to support social good organizations, especially when there is an employer match to amplify their impact.
When properly stewarded, workplace giving donors can be ideal prospects for cultivating over time. In this article, we’ll cover the essentials of stewarding workplace donors and the data you need to make it happen:
But first, let’s take a look at why these donors are so important.
The Value of Workplace Giving Donors
Several factors make workplace giving donors worth your organization’s attention.
1. Workplace donors are loyal.
Workplace philanthropy platforms and workplace-sponsored programs are designed to encourage donations, especially recurring gifts. They make giving easier by providing a path to give with reminders and incentives. Plus, these programs create a culture of philanthropy where giving is the norm rather than the exception.
Because of corporate programs like payroll deduction, matched donations, or monthly philanthropic stipends, workplace donors are far more likely to donate frequently.
2. Workplace donors are reliable.
Donors who give through workplace programs often represent some of the most consistent supporters a nonprofit can have. Their steady income, along with the convenience of payroll deduction or workplace stipends, makes it easy to sustain recurring gifts, creating a dependable foundation of support year after year.
3. Workplace donors are excellent candidates for larger gifts.
Frequency of giving and wealth capacity are the best indicators of major giving eligibility. It makes sense: if a donor has been making a bi-monthly contribution through their paychecks for years, it is likely they have a strong affinity for your organization and clearly have the capacity to budget for charitable giving. For these reasons, corporate donors can be excellent prospects for major or even principal gifts as they advance in their careers.
4. Workplace giving programs often include a corporate match.
Another important reason to pay attention to workplace giving donors is that their contributions often count for more than (even double!) the listed amount. To incentivize philanthropy, workplace giving programs frequently allow for some amount of an employee’s contribution to be matched by the employer.
If you’re not proactively seeking matched donations, your organization is leaving money on the table. Check out Double the Donation’s technology options to identify and facilitate matched gifts!
The Challenges of Workplace Philanthropy Data
For all their advantages, workplace giving donors pose several core challenges for nonprofit fundraisers. Many organizations struggle to gather the data they need to acknowledge and steward workplace giving donors for long-term support. Here’s why:
Workplace giving data comes at varying times.
Depending on the employer sponsoring the corporate giving program, your organization may receive disbursement files with information about corporate gifts weekly, monthly, quarterly, or at a different interval altogether. Even once you have this gift data, it’s not always clear when it will make its way into your CRM and become available for development and stewardship officers to use.
Workplace giving data arrives in different formats.
Different organizations use different systems for workplace giving programs, including Benevity, YourCause, and Cybergrants, to facilitate gift transactions. Each of these systems formats the information slightly differently, from field names to how it displays street addresses. This causes challenges for moving data into your CRM or general ledger. Not to mention, duplicate records are common. Your organization may have two records for the same donor, one for corporate giving and another for the donor’s personal philanthropy. Without complete corporate philanthropy data, it is difficult to know that both records relate to the same person.
Bad data leads to poor workplace giving stewardship.
Effective donor stewardship hinges on accurate data. Without timely, reliable information on your donors’ giving history, addresses, and communication preferences, it’s hard to thank, update, and develop relationships with donors that foster long-term support.
Moreover, insufficient data holds stewardship back by limiting opportunities for personalization. For example, many organizations find value in thanking first-time donors differently from repeat donors. Sharing a bit about the organization’s mission and current initiatives can make it easier to secure a second gift from a new donor. As a result, flagging new donors depends on having sufficient data on your current donors to ensure they aren’t duplicate records, a struggle for many organizations.
How to Steward Corporate Philanthropy Donors
Now that you understand its importance, as well as potential challenges you may face, let’s dive into a few key strategies nonprofits like yours can implement to effectively steward workplace giving donors.
1. Develop a process for gathering corporate philanthropy donor data.
Investing time in creating a workflow for gathering, transforming, and storing workplace giving donor data will pay off in the future. If your organization relies on manual spreadsheet edits before time-consuming uploads into your CRM, chances are your corporate giving data is plagued with errors, including duplicate records. Luckily, there are solutions for automating workplace giving data imports, so you can spend less time wrangling spreadsheets and more time on the meaningful outreach that will keep your donors engaged.
2. Thank donors promptly.
Once you have a workflow that automates, or at the very least, streamlines moving donor data into your development CRM, create a report that notifies your team about a gift from a corporate donor. Run that report once a week, or have it automatically sent to your inbox.
From there, build a process to thank these donors quickly. Take advantage of email marketing templates and tokens to personalize these notes at scale. A common goal is to let no more than 5 business days pass between receiving a gift and sending an acknowledgement.
Remember to keep automated acknowledgements fresh. Corporate donors are often frequent donors. Sending the same thank-you note to a donor on multiple occasions comes off as insincere, even if well-intentioned. Switch up the images, introductions, subject lines (if applicable), and acknowledgement text at least once a quarter to maintain variety in your content.
3. Personalize your outreach.
Make your acknowledgements meaningful: personalize wherever you can. Using a donor’s preferred name is an obvious starting point. However, we encourage you to get creative and use the data you have at your fingertips. Conduct donor surveys to understand how your donors like to be thanked. Is a phone call, voice mail, email, or text preferred? Think about the areas of interest for your donors. Are there particular initiatives you can provide updates on? Who at your organization is the best person to conduct the outreach? Perhaps a grant recipient, student scholar, researcher, or board member would be best suited for this role. The more you can match your donors’ preferences, the better the effect.
4. Show impact.
It’s crucial to nail acknowledgments; no donor should go without a proper thank you. Once acknowledgements are in order at your organization, you can move on to another essential aspect of stewardship: impact reporting.
Impact reporting can keep even the most seasoned stewardship officers up at night! Often, the development offices charged with fundraising don’t have much control over how (or when) the organization spends that funding. Reporting on the real-world effects of philanthropy requires tracking gifts and figuring out not only what the gift purchased, but why that matters for your mission. When donors know their funding makes a difference, they’re far more likely to give again.
5. Don’t forget about the “workplace” in workplace giving.
Finally, think about one of the aspects that makes a corporate giving donor unique: the fact that they give through an employer-sponsored program. This is an opportunity to cultivate a relationship with an institution that can make a significant impact on your organization. Find out who organizes this workplace philanthropy program. Learn who the C-suite champions of the programs are. From there, show gratitude and explore options for collaboration.
It’s worth taking the time to discover which programs help with employee retention and how your organization can get involved, as this could lead to a long-term, fruitful partnership.
Wrapping Up: Data Matters
Effective donor stewardship requires accurate data; you can’t properly thank donors if you don’t know who they are or how they want to be acknowledged. Don’t let the challenges of gathering corporate philanthropy data prevent it from happening; losing a workplace giving donor is losing a shot at long-term, sustained support.
Luckily, there are tools at your disposal to streamline workplace giving data and simplify stewardship. Ready to learn more about stewarding workplace giving donors? Join Omatic Software and Double the Donation for a live webinar on the dos and don’ts of workplace philanthropy. Get your questions answered by experts during the Q&A. Save your seat today!
How to Get Corporate Volunteers and Source Lasting Partners
/in Learning Center /by Adam WeingerCorporate volunteers are an incredible resource for nonprofits, offering both manpower and expertise to help advance your mission. However, attracting and retaining these individuals and groups requires strategic planning and clear communication about the benefits to both the organization and the volunteers themselves.
If you’re wondering how to get more corporate volunteers for your cause, this guide will provide you with actionable insights on sourcing and engaging them effectively, as well as tips on building lasting partnerships. Specifically, we’ll cover:
Ready to walk through the key steps and strategies that can help you tap into the full potential of corporate volunteers, from identifying potential partners to keeping them engaged in your mission long-term? Let’s begin!
Why do corporate volunteers matter for nonprofits?
Corporate volunteers are an invaluable resource for nonprofits, providing more than just extra hands on the ground. Beyond their time and labor, corporate volunteers bring expertise, networks, and energy that can help your organization expand its impact and reach. Engaging corporate volunteers effectively can strengthen your programs, enhance your nonprofit’s visibility, and foster lasting partnerships that benefit both your mission and the companies involved.
Here are the main reasons why corporate volunteers matter for nonprofits like yours:
By understanding the value that corporate volunteers bring, nonprofits can design programs that maximize both impact and engagement. When leveraged strategically, corporate volunteer programs not only extend your organization’s capacity but also cultivate meaningful, long-term partnerships that benefit your nonprofit, your volunteers, and the communities you serve.
8 Effective ways to source corporate volunteers
Now that we’ve established why corporate volunteers are essential, let’s dive into how you can attract and source them for your nonprofit’s initiatives. Implementing a comprehensive strategy will increase your chances of creating strong, lasting partnerships with corporate volunteers. Here’s what we recommend.
1) Create a Compelling Volunteer Program
To attract corporate volunteers, you need to first make the volunteer program appealing. Develop structured, engaging volunteer opportunities that not only provide value to your nonprofit but also benefit employees. Some companies may prefer group volunteer events where team members can work together, while others may be interested in skill-based volunteer opportunities.
For the best results, provide clear expectations, timelines, and outcomes for each project. The easier it is for companies and volunteers to understand the impact they will have and the logistics involved, the more likely they are to participate.
2) Research Companies with Established Volunteer Programs
The first step in sourcing corporate volunteers is to identify companies with established volunteer programs. Many businesses offer employees paid time off to volunteer, or they may have set days for volunteering as part of their company culture.
Start by researching businesses in your local area, industry sectors relevant to your mission, or those known for their philanthropy. A simple online search (i.e., “companies with volunteer programs near me”) can provide valuable insights into which companies are engaged in CSR and actively seek partnerships with nonprofits.
Looking for some examples? Companies with volunteer grant programs include Walmart, Coinstar, ConocoPhillips, Apple, and Sam’s Club.
Meanwhile, employers with volunteer time off policies include Lowe’s, Deloitte, FirstBank, Getty Images, and Patagonia.
And businesses with both types of volunteer programs include Verizon, Allstate, Microsoft, Hasbro, Disney, CVS Health, Bank of America, and Cisco Systems.
3) Leverage Industry Networks
Networking is an essential tool when it comes to sourcing corporate volunteers. Leverage your professional networks, chambers of commerce, or even platforms like LinkedIn to reach out to business leaders and community-oriented companies. By attending industry events, trade shows, or community gatherings, you can directly network with professionals who may want to give back in a meaningful way through corporate volunteering.
4) Use Your Current Donor and Volunteer Base
Your existing network of donors, volunteers, and board members can be a powerful resource when sourcing corporate volunteers. After all, many of your current supporters may work for companies that offer volunteer grants or volunteer time off programs. You can encourage them to leverage their workplace volunteering benefits by explaining how they could get involved.
Consider sending an email like this:
For the best results, try creating outreach campaigns or personalized appeals that highlight the impact of corporate volunteerism, both for the nonprofit and for the companies involved. This can help you tap into an existing pool of potential volunteers with the added advantage of personal connections. Make sure the content is as tailored as possible, providing precise information about an individual’s corporate program opportunities and direct links to get involved.
5) Reach Out Directly to Corporations
Sometimes, the most effective way to get corporate volunteers is to approach companies directly. Don’t be afraid to cold email or call HR departments, employee engagement teams, or CSR managers. But also check whether you already have a connection! Your existing donors and volunteers may be willing to provide a warm introduction to their employer, helping you get your foot in the door with ease. Be clear about your mission, the kind of volunteer support you need, and how the partnership can benefit the company.
When reaching out to corporations, make sure your communication is tailored to the specific company you’re targeting. Highlight why their employees would be a great fit for your nonprofit and how their participation aligns with the company’s values.
Businesses are more likely to engage in corporate volunteerism if they can see the tangible benefits for their employees and company culture. When reaching out, highlight the value of corporate volunteering for the company: the positive impact on employee engagement, team-building, skill development, and enhanced brand reputation. This mutual benefit will make it easier to gain corporate support.
6) Approach Local Businesses and Startups
While large corporations may seem like the obvious target for corporate volunteering, local businesses and startups can also be great partners. These businesses may be looking for ways to make a social impact and engage employees in meaningful work right in your community.
Many small businesses and startups are interested in community involvement, but don’t have the same large-scale programs as larger corporations. Offering a volunteer program can help them establish a strong reputation in the community. Therefore, try pitching volunteer opportunities as a team-building experience. Local businesses often seek ways to boost employee morale and collaboration. By positioning your volunteer opportunities as team-building exercises, you can attract small and mid-sized companies looking for meaningful ways to engage their employees.
7) Tap into Employee Resource Groups
Employee Resource Groups (or ERGs) are internal networks within companies that support underrepresented groups, such as women, veterans, or people of color. ERGs are often looking for ways to engage in community outreach and corporate volunteerism. Therefore, reach out to the ERGs within companies to offer volunteer opportunities aligned with their group’s mission. For example, if you are an LGBT-focused nonprofit, a company’s ERG for queer and allied employees might be interested in volunteering.
8) Use Job Boards and Volunteer Platforms
There are a variety of online platforms that connect corporations with nonprofit organizations. Many job boards and volunteer platforms feature corporate volunteer programs, where companies and their employees can sign up to help local charities.
For example, dedicated platforms allow nonprofits to post specific volunteer opportunities that companies can access. By using these platforms, you can attract corporate teams who are looking for group volunteering activities.
Engaging and retaining corporate volunteers in your nonprofit’s program
Attracting corporate volunteers is only the first step. Retaining them and building long-term partnerships is where the real value lies.
To ensure the ongoing success of your corporate volunteer program, focus on creating a meaningful and rewarding experience for corporate volunteers.
1) Provide Recognition and Feedback
Acknowledging and appreciating corporate volunteers is essential for retaining them. Regular recognition and gratitude help volunteers feel valued and encourage them to return for future opportunities.
For the best results, provide feedback on their efforts so that they can continue to improve over time.
2) Offer Long-Term Engagement Opportunities
Rather than focusing on one-time volunteer events, provide opportunities for ongoing engagement. For example, invite corporate volunteers to participate in long-term projects, mentor employees or community members, or even take on leadership roles in certain initiatives.
3) Foster a Sense of Community
Corporate volunteers will stay engaged longer if they feel like part of a community. Build a strong culture of volunteerism by facilitating networking, creating social events, and keeping volunteers informed about the impact of their work. This sense of community will make them feel more connected to your nonprofit and more motivated to stay involved.
4) Explore Ongoing Corporate Volunteer Partnerships
One of the most powerful ways to engage and retain corporate volunteers is by developing strong partnerships with their employers. When volunteers feel supported by their companies, they are more likely to stay engaged and continue participating in your nonprofit’s initiatives. This creates a win-win situation where both your organization and the corporation benefit from the collaboration. Additionally, volunteers can play a key role in advocating for corporate volunteerism within their workplace, helping to secure long-term support and increase participation across their company.
5) Focus on Tangible Volunteer Impact
Corporate volunteers are most engaged when they can see the real difference their time and skills make. Highlighting tangible outcomes not only motivates volunteers to continue participating but also strengthens your nonprofit’s credibility with corporate partners. Demonstrating measurable impact is key to building long-term relationships and reinforcing the value of corporate volunteer programs.
6) Explore Other Workplace Giving Opportunities
Oftentimes, corporate volunteering is just one of many ways employees can support your nonprofit. Encouraging volunteers to explore additional workplace giving programs can deepen their engagement while maximizing your organization’s impact. After all, many companies offer multiple avenues for employees to give back, in addition to volunteer programs, such as payroll giving, matching gifts, and more. By educating volunteers about these opportunities, you help them make a bigger difference, foster long-term support, and turn volunteers into donors for your mission.
Sourcing corporate volunteers: FAQs
Looking to learn more about how you can get corporate volunteers for your organization’s next event? Browse the following frequently asked questions by nonprofits like yours:
How do I find companies in my area that offer corporate volunteer programs?
You can start by conducting an online search for “corporate volunteer programs near me” or by looking for local chambers of commerce and business directories. Additionally, explore websites of large corporations, as many list their corporate social responsibility initiatives, including volunteer opportunities. Alternatively, consider investing in a volunteer program database like Double the Donation, which compiles information on thousands of companies’ philanthropy initiatives, including volunteer grants and VTO, making it readily available via a quick search in the plugin tool.
What’s the difference between volunteer grants and volunteer time off (VTO)?
Volunteer grants are financial contributions made by companies to nonprofits in exchange for employee volunteer hours, while VTO is paid time off that companies provide to employees for volunteer activities. Both are valuable benefits, but they serve different purposes: volunteer grants provide funding to nonprofits, and VTO offers employees time away from work to volunteer.
How can I create a volunteer program that appeals to corporate volunteers?
To attract corporate volunteers, focus on creating structured, skill-based opportunities that align with both your nonprofit’s needs and the interests of the company’s employees. Offering flexible volunteer opportunities, including virtual or group projects, can also be key to attracting diverse volunteers.
What are some examples of companies that have strong corporate volunteer programs?
Companies like Microsoft, CVS Health, Bank of America, and Patagonia are well-known for their robust corporate volunteer programs. These companies often provide paid volunteer time, individual and team volunteer grants, and other ways for their employees to contribute to community causes.
How can I retain corporate volunteers over the long term?
To retain corporate volunteers, focus on providing meaningful, ongoing engagement opportunities. Recognizing their contributions, offering long-term projects, and fostering a sense of community can all help keep volunteers connected to your nonprofit and motivated to return.
How do I measure the impact of corporate volunteerism for my nonprofit?
It’s essential to track the outcomes of your volunteer programs to show the tangible impact on your mission. This can include corporate volunteer metrics like the number of volunteer hours contributed, the specific projects completed, or improvements in organizational capacity. From there, sharing these results with corporate partners can help strengthen the partnership.
Wrapping Up & Next Steps
Attracting and retaining corporate volunteers is an essential strategy for any nonprofit looking to expand its reach and impact. By targeting the right companies, offering meaningful volunteer opportunities, and maintaining strong relationships with corporate partners, you can create a sustainable volunteer program that benefits both your nonprofit and the corporations involved.
Start by researching potential corporate partners, crafting compelling outreach messages, and fostering long-term engagement. Remember: the key to success lies in creating a program that is mutually beneficial for your nonprofit, its corporate partners, and the individuals who ultimately volunteer.
10 Trends in Corporate Philanthropy for 2025: How to Tap In
/in Learning Center, News, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerBuilding a Matching Gift Strategy: A Nonprofit’s Guide
/in Fundraising Strategy, Learning Center /by Adam WeingerCreating a strong matching gift strategy can be a game-changer for your nonprofit’s fundraising success. After all, matching gifts offer a simple, high-ROI way to increase revenue without asking donors to give more out of pocket. Yet many organizations leave this opportunity untapped due to a lack of awareness, process, or technology.
Don’t let that be you! Take the time to build a plan that works for your team. This guide breaks down the exact steps you need to take:
Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining your existing efforts, you’ll learn how to turn matching gifts into a sustainable and scalable revenue stream for your mission. Let’s begin!
Step #1: Build your knowledge of matching gifts.
Building a robust knowledge of matching gifts is the first step toward implementing an effective strategy. Why? Tons of companies participate in matching gifts, and the processes, eligibility criteria, and matching ratios can vary significantly. To build participation in the programs, it’s essential for your nonprofit to have a solid understanding of how they work.
Therefore, kick off your matching gift strategy by familiarizing your team with the general experience. This should include…
This foundational knowledge is essential for crafting a strategy that includes educating your team, donors, and board members about matching gift opportunities. The more informed your organization is, the more likely you are to identify and leverage every possible matching gift opportunity.
Step #2: Audit your current state + set goals for improvement.
Before you begin building or refining your matching gift strategy, it’s crucial to audit the current state of your efforts. This will enable you to measure existing wins (if any) and identify gaps, areas for improvement, and opportunities for growth.
As you begin, we recommend asking yourself (or your team) the following questions:
Take a look at Save the Children’s analysis of their previous and current state matching gift pages:
After identifying current strategy gaps, it’s time to implement specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals for improvement (also known as SMART goals).
For example, you might want to:
By setting clear, actionable goals, you can track progress, measure success, and make any necessary adjustments to your strategy.
Step #3: Secure buy-in for matching gifts.
Securing buy-in for your matching gift strategy is a critical step in ensuring its success and long-term sustainability. Without support from both leadership and other team members, it becomes difficult to implement the necessary tools, dedicate resources, or build an organization-wide culture that promotes matching gifts.
Securing Leadership Buy-In
Firstly, leadership support is crucial to securing the resources and organizational commitment necessary to make your matching gift strategy effective. Here’s how you can ensure your executive team is fully invested in the process:
Once you’ve made your case, it’s crucial to communicate how leadership can help. Clearly articulate what you need to make your matching gift strategy successful, whether it’s funding for software, cross-departmental collaboration, or dedicated time in strategic planning sessions. The more specific your request, the easier it is for leadership to endorse and champion the initiative.
Securing Team Member Buy-In
While leadership buy-in is crucial, your matching gift strategy truly comes to life when team members are actively engaged and committed. Here’s how to get your whole team on board and ensure they actively support the matching gift process.
When everyone, from leadership to key volunteers, is aligned and actively engaged, your matching gift strategy will become a powerful engine for increased revenue and deeper relationships.
Step #4: Invest in the right matching gift solution.
By adding a matching gift solution to your nonprofit tech stack, you can tap into additional revenue streams with ease, engage donors more effectively, and ultimately expand your fundraising efforts with little to no added effort required. And the good news is that once you have leadership on board, you’ll likely have clearance for a matching gift technology budget. With that, however, comes selecting the right solution to track, manage, and automate your matching gifts.
As you initiate your search, look for a matching gift software solution that offers the following features:
All in all, an efficient matching gift solution reduces manual effort and increases the likelihood of securing matched donations, allowing you to scale your program effectively.
As you search, don’t forget to read reviews from other organizations that have experience with the tools! re: Charity, for example, offers a detailed comparison of top matching gift software providers, making it easy to take your pick. (Hint: Double the Donation is trusted by 6,000+ nonprofits and schools, with a Google rating of 4.9!)
Step #5: Integrate matching gifts with your fundraising tools.
Integration is key to ensuring a seamless and efficient matching gift process. When you integrate your matching gift platform with your donation forms, CRM, and other fundraising tools, you make it easier for both donors and staff to engage with the program.
Here’s how to integrate matching gifts into your existing fundraising process:
Here’s an example of a matching gift-enabled donation page from La Salle University!
By integrating these tools, you’ll create a seamless matching gift experience for both your donors and your team, driving higher engagement and improving your ability to track and process matches.
Step #6: Prioritize follow-up donor outreach.
When it comes to maximizing participation in matching gifts, regular, relevant outreach is a must. Therefore, it’s important to include matching gifts in your email cadences. Such messages can include instructions for submitting a match, links to their employer’s request portal, and reminders about the impact of their donation being multiplied. These kinds of emails help you keep your organization and its fundraising needs top of mind for donors, enhance the overall supporter experience, and provide targeted information to drive additional match submissions.
Here’s how you can make the most of your donor outreach:
Managing effective donor outreach on your own can seem overwhelming. Luckily, once donor information starts flowing in through your integrated fundraising systems, configuring automated emails within your matching gift platform ensures that no opportunity is missed. With a few simple steps, you can send high-impact emails to your donors at the right time, without any added manual effort.
By automating donor outreach through your matching gift platform, you streamline the process and ensure that your donors receive timely, compelling, and personalized messages that drive action, all while saving your team valuable time and resources.
Step #7: Implement a matching gift tracking system.
A successful matching gift strategy relies heavily on an effective tracking system, ensuring that all match-eligible donations are followed up on, processed, and successfully submitted by donors to their employers.
With proper tracking in place, you can easily monitor each match’s progress, helping optimize your efforts and maximize revenue. Here’s how to create an efficient matching gift tracking system:
By implementing a matching gift tracking system with real-time monitoring, automated reminders, and in-depth reporting, you can streamline the matching gift process, ensure no opportunities are missed, and easily track your program’s progress. This also allows you to address any issues quickly, helping you “unstick” any matches that may be delayed.
Step #8: Develop a comprehensive communications plan.
A well-rounded communications plan is crucial for driving awareness of your matching gift program. Beyond donation forms and follow-up emails, it’s essential to integrate matching gift messaging across as many touchpoints as possible.
The more you make matching gifts visible, the more likely donors are to take advantage of the opportunity.
Here’s how to incorporate matching gift messaging into your communication channels:
By ensuring that your matching gift information is prominently featured across key channels, you can keep matching gifts top-of-mind for donors and significantly increase the likelihood of participation.
Step #9: Acknowledge and steward matching gift donors.
A key aspect of maintaining long-term donor relationships is showing gratitude for their contributions, especially when they’ve gone the extra mile to submit a matching gift. Proper recognition of matching gift donors can encourage continued support and increase participation in future campaigns.
By focusing on relationship-building and personalized recognition, your nonprofit can increase donor loyalty, foster long-term giving, and create more opportunities for matching gifts.
Step #10: Analyze performance and optimize your strategy.
After putting all the pieces of your matching gift strategy in place, it’s essential to continuously assess its effectiveness. Analyzing performance and optimizing your strategy allows you to identify what’s working and what areas need improvement.
For example, if you notice low participation rates among a specific donor segment, consider adjusting your messaging or offering additional guidance to encourage them to get involved. Meanwhile, if you notice that donors who give through specific channels (e.g., peer-to-peer fundraising or event-based donations) have lower matching gift participation compared to those who donate via direct online forms, this could signal that matching gift opportunities aren’t being highlighted effectively within those channels.
All in all, regular evaluation and continuous improvement will ensure that your matching gift strategy evolves with the needs of your donors and the capabilities of your nonprofit.
Wrapping Up & Additional Resources
Building a comprehensive matching gift strategy is a smart, high-impact way to boost your nonprofit’s revenue and deepen donor relationships. From educating your team and stakeholders to automating processes and communicating effectively with donors, every step contributes to an overall strategy that maximizes the potential of corporate matching gifts.
By following the steps outlined above, your nonprofit can establish a sustainable revenue stream that complements your regular fundraising efforts. As you continually optimize and refine your strategy based on data and feedback, you’ll increase the success of your matching gift efforts year after year.
Ready to learn more about corporate matching gifts and how they can fit into your overarching fundraising strategy? Check out these additional resources:
Simplifying Search for Corporate Funding: MyEvent Launches Double the Donation’s Sponsorship Directory
/in Press Releases, Company Updates /by Adam WeingerDouble the Donation and MyEvent are excited to announce their partnership that brings Double the Donation’s Sponsorship Directory to MyEvent users. This integration allows fundraisers to access corporate grants and in-kind donation opportunities seamlessly within their event management platform. Now, all the essential information is available right where events are planned—no more juggling tabs or scouring the web for the latest updates!
Searching for ways to elevate events with corporate grants and in-kind donations is now made easy through the MyEvents and Double the Donation’s partnership. To learn more about the integration, refer to our integration guide.
With this integration, fundraisers can effortlessly explore Double the Donation’s industry-leading database, accessing a comprehensive list of in-kind donations and grant opportunities. Users can quickly view program details and take the next steps to secure support. By leveraging Double the Donation’s directory, MyEvent users can stay up to date on the latest corporate funding sources and program updates, ensuring they’re fully prepared for their next fundraising event.
“Corporate sponsorships are on the rise, and we’re excited to help MyEvent clients unlock this potential,” says Adam Weinger, President of Double the Donation. “By connecting users directly to workplace giving opportunities within their fundraising platform, this integration makes it easier than ever for schools to access corporate grants and in-kind donations—often underutilized resources that can significantly boost fundraising success.”
Ready to raise more from corporate giving? Visit Double the Donation today and explore other workplace giving opportunities!
About MyEvent: MyEvent has been a trusted partner for event organizers, helping them successfully host and manage events while raising millions of dollars. They enable the creation of mobile-responsive, customizable websites for any event, including reunions, fundraisers, walkathons, galas and more. With features like unlimited ticket sales, secure payments, and customizable designs, MyEvent is able to streamline the event planning process from start to finish.
About Double the Donation: Increase your event fundraising with Double the Donation’s industry-leading solution. The platform equips nonprofits and educational institutions with valuable tools to uncover workplace giving opportunities. Double the Donation’s Sponsorship Directory seamlessly integrates with event and auction platforms, simplifying the search for in-kind donations and corporate grant programs. With Double the Donation, finding these resources has never been easier.
Year-End Fundraising and Matching Gifts: It’s Not Too Late!
/in Learning Center /by Adam WeingerThe holiday giving season is upon us. Luckily, it’s not too late to get started with matching gifts and year-end fundraising strategies before the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on New Year’s Day.
As you likely know, the end-of-year fundraising season is a critical time for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes. What better way to maximize such an impactful opportunity than with matching gifts?
To recap, matching gifts are a form of corporate giving where companies agree to match their employees’ charitable donations. For nonprofits, these types of initiatives produce additional fundraising revenue, increased individual and corporate engagement, and more.
However, recent studies show that an estimated $4 to $7 billion in available matching gift funding goes unclaimed each year, essentially leaving tons of corporate donations on the table. And the #1 reason for this significant gap is a lack of knowledge concerning such programs!
This holiday fundraising season, set your organization up to make the most of matching gifts by increasing donor awareness. And Double the Donation is here to help! In this guide, we’ll cover the following key points:
Ready to dive deeper into fundraising research and learn more about strategic donor appeals, retroactive outreach, automated email streams, and the software that can power it all? Let’s get started!
The Correlation Between Matching Gifts and Year-End Giving Success
End-of-year fundraising and matching gifts are each vital components of a successful nonprofit funding strategy. And the two complement each other to produce a seamless and impactful engagement plan.
After all, more donations flowing during the holiday season means more potential for matching gifts. Meanwhile, promoting matching gift opportunities leads to more (and larger) donations in the first place!
Not to mention, donation-matching opportunities also provide a great way to differentiate your appeals and retain your organization at the forefront of donors’ minds.
Let’s take a closer look at some statistics that illustrate the power of year-end fundraising and matching gifts.
Sources: Double the Donation and Nonprofit Hub
Sources: Double the Donation
Since we know a significant amount of charitable giving takes place at the end of the year, your team has a significant opportunity to drive more matching gifts when you integrate the two ideas. Talk about a win-win!
Top Strategies to Implement for Impactful EOY Gift-Matching
Now that you understand the importance of matching gifts and their relevance during the holiday fundraising season, you might wonder what actionable next steps you can take to get started. Luckily, these expert tips should help!
1. Set up matching gift software ASAP.
You might worry that it’s too late to get started with any new software this year, but that’s simply not true. In fact, the end of the year is typically the time you rely on fundraising software the most. You already have a lot on your to-do list, and equipping your fundraising team with the best tools can provide the biggest impact with the least effort.
Matching gift software, for example, can significantly enhance matching gift results with minimal operational effort, allowing your team to raise more while retaining time and resources for other critical year-end efforts. Specifically, this type of solution empowers organizations by automating the processes involved with identifying match-eligible donors, triggering tailored matching gift follow-up messaging, and tracking matches to completion.
Luckily, implementing matching gift software can be quick, easy, and massively effective, making it essential as the end-of-year season approaches.
Check out this case study from a nonprofit that onboarded its matching gift software in mere hours:
The moral of the story? Tight turnaround times for software implementation are entirely possible when you need to get up and running quickly, like when the end of the year is quickly approaching. However, it is a priority to dive into matching gifts as soon as possible to make the most of your tools as year-end giving ramps up.
Keep in mind that you also want to make the right decision when purchasing matching gift software for your team. We recommend prioritizing easy setup (including ready-built integrations with your existing solutions), a positive user experience, and innovative functionality (like matching gift auto-submission).
2. Train your internal fundraising team on the matching gift opportunity.
We mentioned a lack of donor awareness regarding matching gifts as a leading reason for the underutilization of the programs. But often, the knowledge gap extends to an organization’s internal fundraising team, too. And unfortunately, this can lead to matching gift opportunities slipping through the cracks, and available corporate funds ultimately going unclaimed. Thus, getting your staff on board with matching gifts leading up to the year-end fundraising season can go a long way.
The better equipped your team members are to share information about matching gifts, the more effective they’ll be in advocating for and inspiring program participation.
For this reason, Double the Donation provides a ton of educational resources designed to assist organizations in internal matching gift training, including blog posts, webinars, downloadable resources, and more. But our top recommendation is our online Matching Gift Academy (which is even free for current clients).
And now is the perfect time to get your team started as holiday giving draws near!
3. Highlight the potential for matching gifts in end-of-year appeals.
You might have already drafted your year-end fundraising appeals, or you might be working on them right about now. Either way, consider incorporating a blurb about matching gifts!
As the statistics above illustrate, donors are more likely to give (and to give in larger amounts) when they know there’s a match available. Thus, matching gifts can be exactly what you need to coax on-the-fence supporters into becoming end-of-year donors for your cause. And it often starts directly within the donation request itself!
Picture this:
The best part? The way you market matching gift opportunities to supporters can be simple. Incorporate a reminder about matching gifts in your social media, email, text, and other appeals across your nonprofit website and more. Consider something like this: “Make your year-end donation go further this year with company gift-matching. See if you’re eligible here.”
Fun fact: Double the Donation offers pre-made and customizable social media graphics and messaging templates, allowing our clients to get a head start on effective promotions!
4. Reach out to match-eligible donors retroactively.
When you incorporate matching gift outreach into your end-of-year strategy, it doesn’t have to be solely focused on new donations, either. In fact, many gifts made throughout the year can still qualify for a match!
Each business that matches gifts establishes its own criteria and submission guidelines. While it varies from company to company, many employers (such as Freeport-McMoRan, William Blair & Company, Victory Capital, and more) grant employee matches through the end of the calendar year. So, for many of your match-eligible donors, their request window will be closing quickly.
That makes the end of the year a perfect opportunity to reach back out to these individuals, remind them about matching gifts, and encourage them to complete the request process with their employer. It’s a fantastic way to boost year-end revenue from existing donors without requiring them to reach back into their own wallets.
5. Familiarize your team with year-end-specific workplace giving programs.
Most businesses with matching gift programs agree to double the donations their employees make year-round. But sometimes, a company establishes a limited-time initiative that is live only at certain times of the year. And the most common timeframe includes year-end-specific matching gift (or other workplace giving) programs.
For example, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) offers a unique giving season match available to its thousands of employees worldwide. Running from mid-October through December each year, the company’s Annual Giving Campaign provides an excellent incentive for year-end charitable giving.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros offers its employees a generous donation stipend to contribute to their favorite nonprofits on Giving Tuesday, kicking off the holiday season. That’s in addition to the $1,000 year-long match and end-of-year giving programs!
6. Consider custom matching gift partnerships.
Unfortunately, some companies have yet to establish matching gift programs for their employees. But they might be willing to when presented with the opportunity. In that case, we recommend reaching out to employers to propose custom (or “one-off”) matching gift initiatives.
Why? Custom matches provide an easy way for businesses unfamiliar with matching gifts to get acquainted with the effort in a limited capacity.
If a company agrees to offer such a program, it’ll essentially encourage philanthropy by matching employee gifts made exclusively to your organization. And as custom matches typically occur in a defined time frame (e.g., a month), the giving season is a popular time for one to be organized.
Fun fact: Double the Donation now offers innovative functionality for nonprofits looking to facilitate these programs in their company database tool!
*As a note: This feature is designed specifically for fundraisers to manage matching gifts. If you’re a corporation that’s interested in creating a matching gift program, let us know, and we’ll share information about our corporate vendor partners.
7. Leverage automated end-of-year email streams.
Another significant roadblock in matching gifts is that nonprofit fundraising staff simply lack the time to manage and promote these efforts. In fact, Nonprofits Source reports that 80% of nonprofits struggle to establish workplace giving strategies with limited staff and resources.
Luckily, that’s where matching gift automation comes in!
Automated email streams enable nonprofits to configure and trigger customizable messages when an individual gives to your organization. This might include one dedicated to match-eligible donors, one for likely ineligible donors, and one for donors with unknown eligibility.
Doing so ensures that every donor receives matching gift outreach in a timely manner. And that no donation falls through the cracks, even when your team is juggling 100 different end-of-year tasks. Meanwhile, the time you would have spent issuing matching gift reminders can be reallocated to other fundraising and mission-related tasks.
Here’s an example of an email you might send:
Year-end email streams can either take place directly following a giving season donation (typically within 24 hours of the initial gift) or retroactively, as detailed above. Both are excellent ways to encourage matching gift participation among donors and drive additional revenue for your cause.
Regardless, you’ll want to provide the donor with as much employer-specific information as is available. This should include donation minimums and maximums, match ratios, submission deadlines, and direct links to their company’s online request forms. And your automation system can gather all of that data so that you don’t have to!
How Automation Frees Up Fundraising Time in December
We know that the end of the year is a crucial time for nonprofit fundraisers, and matching gifts can seem like just another thing on your already full plate. But they don’t have to be! By automating the matching gift process from start to finish, your team can raise more without lifting a finger, allowing you to free up invaluable fundraising time within the giving season.
Interested in learning how you can do so? Check out this free, on-demand webinar replay to see how Double the Donation’s automation platform can help you…
With automation in place, you can spend less time managing the logistics of matching gifts and more time focusing on what truly matters: engaging with donors and maximizing your year-end fundraising efforts. By streamlining the process, you’ll not only save precious hours but also increase your chances of securing more matches, ultimately boosting your fundraising total. Plus, automated systems ensure that no match goes unnoticed, allowing your team to work smarter, not harder, this holiday season.
Next Steps for Smart Year-End Fundraising and Matching Gifts
It’s not too late to launch effective matching gift strategies this year-end fundraising season. But it is time to get started now. After all, the longer you wait, the more potential matches you’re missing out on.
Prepare your team by incorporating these practices and investing in powerful and innovative matching gift tools. This allows you to maximize corporate donation-matching in the remainder of the year and into the new year, too.
Good luck, and happy holidays!
Are you looking for additional resources to continue growing your knowledge of all things matching gifts this year-end fundraising season? Check out these free guides to learn more: