Pinterest
Giving 101: How to double your donation for free
07.11.2012 Tweet
How would you like to double, or ever triple your gift to a nonprofit? It's easier to do than you might think, and doesn't involve you spending a dime over your intended donation. The secret? Your company's matching gift program.
Corporate matching gift programs are an easy way to maximize any gift you plan to give to a nonprofit this year. It doesn't just benefit the nonprofits that receive a check, but goes a long way to boost office moral. When a company offers matching contributions, it sends a message to employees along the lines of "I care about what you care about."
This generosity goes a long way to help employees feel valued, engaged, and aids in staff retention over the long-term. For non-profits, studies have shown that matching gifts can be strong incentives for fundraising appeals that ultimately lead to increased donations.
Take Action
Find out if your company offers a matching gift program. If it does, review the policy, give some thought to which organizations you'd like to give to this year, and make a plan for your donation. If your company does not offer a matching gift program, consider speaking with the human resources manager to see about starting one.
Reader Comments (2)
Great post on matching gift programs. Unfortunately most employees aren't aware of the corporate giving programs that are available to them and as a result matching gifts are definitely an underutilized source of fundraising for many organizations.
Check out some of the largest companies that offer matching gift programs.
Nonprofit organizations can also help their donors by making it as easy as possible for them to request matching gift funds from their employers by providing them with program guidelines and forms. Organizations can setup a custom matching gift and volunteer grant website to help promote and make it easy for donors.
@Adam: Thanks for your comment! I agree that many employees don't always take advantage of this great benefit. I'll take a look at the link you sent, thanks for sharing them.