Corporate Giving Programs [The Ultimate Fundraising Guide]
Corporate Giving Programs [The Ultimate Fundraising Guide]
Corporate Giving Definition
Corporate giving programs are a form of corporate philanthropy that facilitates charitable giving to nonprofit causes. These programs allow companies of all sizes to invest in social good and are often driven by employee giving. In other words, the more employees contribute to nonprofit organizations, the more their company will donate.
Top Types of Corporate Giving Programs
Our Top Corporate Giving Program for Donors: Matching Gifts
Matching gifts are a type of corporate philanthropy where companies match donations their employees make to nonprofits. These extra gifts help nonprofits maximize their donation revenue and donors maximize their impact.
How do matching gifts work?
The matching gift process generally follows these steps:
- A donor donates to a nonprofit.
- The donor determines if their gift is eligible for a company match using a matching gift database.
- If their employer will match their donation, the matching gift database will provide a link to their employer’s online matching gift request form, which the employee can then fill out and submit.
- The donor’s employer reviews the forms and follows up with the nonprofit to confirm the donation.
- The employer makes a matching donation.
Nonprofits can receive twice as many donations as they normally would due to matching gift programs. Employee donors just need to complete a simple request form and companies can contribute to the causes their employees care about.
However, the biggest obstacle to acquiring matching gift funds is a lack of awareness. To earn more corporate matching gift donations, actively promote matching gifts to donors who work at businesses with such programs.
Our Top Corporate Giving Program for Volunteers: Volunteer Grants
Also called, Dollars for Doers, volunteer grants are corporate giving programs through which companies provide monetary grants to nonprofits where their employees regularly volunteer. Since about 30% of employees volunteer, this is a valuable program for nonprofits to promote to their volunteers.
How do volunteer grants work?
The volunteer grant process generally follows these steps:
- The volunteer gives their time to a nonprofit.
- The volunteer determines if their time spent is eligible for a volunteer grant using a volunteer grant database.
- If their employer does offer volunteer grants, the volunteer can use the database to find and submit their company’s volunteer grant request form.
- The volunteer’s employer will review the forms and verify with the nonprofit that the employee volunteered. Companies typically provide grants to one nonprofit per employee per year.
- The employer sends the nonprofit a monetary grant.
Volunteer grants let current volunteers provide extra support to nonprofits and encourage non-volunteers to get involved with local causes. If your organization has a regular cohort of volunteers, it’s worthwhile to have them check if their companies offer volunteer grant programs.
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Other Leading Corporate Giving Programs
In addition to matching gifts and volunteer grants, there are many other types of corporate giving programs that can also benefit nonprofits. Check out the list below:
Fundraising Matches
Fundraising matches are similar to matching gifts, only through this program, companies match the funding employees raise on behalf of a nonprofit. Usually, fundraising matches occur during fundraising events, such as walk-a-thons, fun runs, and bicycle events, where participants receive donation pledges based on certain performance metrics like duration or distance traveled. The participants’ employers match the money employees raise through these pledges.
Community Grants
Nonprofits can request grants from companies to improve their local community. This corporate giving program differs from others in that the nonprofit must instigate the giving process by reaching out to prospective companies. Community grants can provide vital funding but also often require extensive paperwork. Some grants, such as disaster relief funds, often receive expedited review whereas others may require substantial review before approval.
Team Volunteer Grants
Team volunteer grants are a type of corporate philanthropy program where companies reward groups of employees who volunteer at a nonprofit together. Like with individual volunteer grants, employees must fill out a volunteer grant request form to have the funds donated to the organization at which they volunteer.
Team volunteer grants turn volunteer grants into a team-building activity that benefits all parties involved. Nonprofits receive both the time volunteered and a monetary gift, employees feel fulfilled by volunteering for a great cause, and companies improve their reputations by demonstrating their philanthropy and interest in bettering the community.
In-Kind Donation Programs
In-kind donations are a type of corporate giving where companies offer their products and services to nonprofits rather than monetary donations. For instance, companies may donate computers, consulting services, food, or marketing strategies.
This corporate philanthropy program allows nonprofits to benefit from free products and services directly. Additionally, some fundraising events, like auctions, benefit more from in-kind donations than monetary gifts.
Annual Giving
As part of this corporate giving program, companies encourage their employees to donate at a certain time of the year. While every company has its own annual giving calendar, the most common time for companies to promote annual giving is at the end of the year.
Automatic Payroll Deductions
Automatic payroll deductions are one of the easiest corporate giving programs for employees to take part in. As the phrase implies, employees can arrange to have a portion of their paycheck automatically contributed to a nonprofit on a regular basis.
Companies typically limit which nonprofits their employees can contribute to. For example, a company that has an interest in the environment might restrict donations only to nonprofits whose missions focus on protecting the environment or may even have a list of specific nonprofits employees can give to. However, once a nonprofit is on the company’s list of approved organizations, automatic payroll deductions are an excellent way for the charitable organization to receive funds.
Annual Grant Stipends
Annual grant stipends are a corporate giving program where an allocated amount of money is given to employees each year for them to donate to the nonprofit of their choice. Employees do not need to volunteer or make a donation themselves to participate in annual grant stipends. Instead, the company makes the donation for its employees.
Usually, the stipends are modest in size, but nonprofits can still benefit from these extra funds.
Employee Product Donation Programs (EPDP)
Many companies allow employees to buy their products at a discount for the purpose of donating them to nonprofits. EPDP is popular with technology companies, but these programs also exist in a variety of other industries. Companies may have restrictions on what types of nonprofits can receive these products, so be sure to check specific business’s requirements before promoting their EPDP initiatives.
Scholarships
Scholarships are a type of corporate giving program that is best suited for nonprofits that work with students. Essentially, a business will decide to help students by providing funding for tuition, books, living expenses, food, and other education-related costs. Some of these programs require individual students to apply directly for the scholarship.
If businesses require students to apply for their scholarship programs, your nonprofit can create a list of organizations that offer scholarships so students know where and how to apply for aid.
Sponsorships
When a business decides to sponsor a nonprofit, they’re usually supporting a specific event, activity, or project rather than donating unrestricted funds that nonprofits can allocate however they choose. This corporate giving program is most useful when an organization needs a specific amount of funds to ensure a project succeeds.
For example, if a nonprofit needs $10,000 to host a fundraising event, it can negotiate sponsorships with businesses. In return for the funds, the sponsor may be featured in promotional materials and thanked in an end-of-event speech.
Benefits of Corporate Giving Programs
Corporate giving programs can be extremely impactful for nonprofits, providing them with additional sources of free revenue. In fact, the top ten corporations donate over $2 billion annually in cash to nonprofits.
Benefits for Nonprofits
- Diversified funding sources. Corporate giving programs provide an additional fundraising source, helping nonprofits improve their financial stability. These programs allow nonprofits to rely less on donations, which reduces uncertainty and helps them secure their future.
- Increased volunteer recruitment. Some corporate giving programs, particularly volunteer grants, incentivize employees to give back to their local community by volunteering with nonprofits. This gives nonprofits access to a larger pool of highly skilled volunteers.
- Enhanced outreach and visibility. Corporations usually choose specific nonprofits to partner with for giving programs like annual giving and payroll deductions. Through a successful partnership, the employees will learn more about the nonprofits their companies support, resulting in increased visibility for these organizations’ missions.
- Networking and connections. Much like any other type of sponsorship, a corporate giving program allows nonprofits to network with companies that focus on social good. This creates a network of like-minded organizations that nonprofits can continue to partner with in the future.
Corporate giving programs aren’t just advantageous for the nonprofits involved; they also help the companies that create them.
Benefits for Companies
- Tax benefits. Companies can receive tax benefits on funds they donate to nonprofit organizations. This creates a financial incentive to create corporate giving programs as the tax deductions help businesses reduce costs and nonprofits raise funds.
- Improved reputation. When corporations demonstrate their commitment to social good and corporate citizenship, potential employees and customers will see them in a more positive light. This improves their reputation and differentiates them from competitors, helping attract more customers and skilled job candidates.
- Increased employee engagement. Introducing corporate giving programs keeps employees engaged and committed to their company. Plus, it’s a way for companies to relate to their employees. After all, 44% of Millennial and Gen Z employees say that they have resigned from a job because a company’s values did not align with their own, making it more important than ever for companies to have corporate giving programs.
Both businesses and nonprofits stand to gain through corporate giving programs. These partnerships foster a shared commitment to social good, allowing both organizations to work together to pursue meaningful change.
How Can a Company Start a Corporate Giving Program?
The most powerful corporate giving programs can also be complex. But businesses can get started by following these fundamental steps for starting a corporate giving program:
- Decide which programs you want to pursue.
- Set a minimum and maximum per employee for employee giving-related programs.
- Decide which employees and types of nonprofits are eligible.
- Establish your submission process and invest in the needed technology for managing the program.
- Promote your programs to your employees.
- Add your program to the Double the Donation database, which increases its visibility to nonprofits and employee donors.
After creating your business’s charitable giving policy, it might take time for your corporate giving program to take shape. Consider consulting a corporate giving expert or using a corporate giving management software solution to keep your program organized, so you can make a meaningful impact on your community.
Top Companies for Corporate Giving Programs
Corporate social responsibility is on the rise and many companies now offer corporate giving programs. For real-life examples of corporate giving, check out these top 10 companies’ matching gift programs:
| COMPANY | MAXIMUM MATCH AMOUNT | LEARN MORE |
| Disney | $25,000 | Disney’s corporate giving program |
| Apple | $10,000 | Apple’s corporate giving program |
| The Home Depot | $3,000 | The Home Depot’s corporate giving program |
| IBM | $10,000 | IBM’s corporate giving program |
| $10,000 | Google’s corporate giving program | |
| General Electric | $5,000 | General Electric’s corporate giving program |
| Bank of America | $5,000 | Bank of America’s corporate giving program |
| BP | $5,000 | BP’s corporate giving program |
| Microsoft | $15,000 | Microsoft’s corporate giving program |
| Intuit | $5,000 | Intuit’s corporate giving program |
Corporate Giving Software for Nonprofits
Too many charitable donations go unmatched each year. In fact, an estimated $4-$7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed annually. So how can your nonprofit change this?
Nonprofits can grow their funding by promoting matching gifts and volunteer grant programs to supporters. Double the Donation provides several ways for organizations to feature matching gifts and volunteer grants in their fundraising strategies.
Double the Donation offers the #1 matching gifts database, which covers an estimated 99.68% of match-eligible donors. As the most comprehensive and up-to-date database, you can gain access to thousands of company profiles that help you connect with corporations offering matching gift and volunteer grant programs.
For organizations bringing in $10,000+ in matching gift revenue annually, or for any size organization whose donation software integrates with Double the Donation is an ideal option. Plus smaller organizations can also take advantage of Double the Donation with our flexible pricing.
How It Works
With Double the Donation, the information donors provide through your nonprofit’s donation form is automatically scanned to determine their matching gift eligibility.
Here’s the basic process:
- Once a donor submits a donation to your nonprofit, Double the Donation will automatically scan their information to determine whether they’re eligible for a match, typically through the donor’s email domain or employer details.
- Depending on their eligibility, the platform will trigger emails to donors advising them to take the next steps to submit a match request.
- The platform will then track the matching gift submission process through to completion, offering your team insights and metrics you can leverage to drive more matching gifts.
Because Double the Donation simplifies the process for you, your team can rest assured matching gifts are being earned and allocate your time to fulfilling your mission.
Benefits
Double the Donation comes with many benefits, including:
- More matching gift opportunities. Identify more match-eligible donors by automating your outreach efforts and boosting matching gift revenue.
- More completed matching gift submissions. Provide the right information to the right donors at the right time to simplify the match request process and drive more matches to completion.
- More time to focus on top opportunities. Because Double the Donation automates your matching gift outreach, your team can focus on following up with your highest-value donors, rather than focusing on every small dollar-value match.
Using a platform like Double the Donation takes the stress out of pursuing matching gifts and allows your team to diversify your nonprofit’s revenue with ease, improving your financial stability.
Corporate Giving Software for Companies
Nonprofits aren’t alone when it comes to benefiting from corporate giving software. Because workplace giving takes so many forms, companies also have a lot to keep track of. When companies have structured corporate giving programs, nonprofits reap the benefits via funding, volunteer hours, and more.
Simply put, a company’s corporate giving strategy has a direct impact on the nonprofits they’re meant to benefit. The easier it is for employees to participate, the more nonprofits will thrive.
That’s where corporate giving software for companies becomes important.
How It Works
For each of the corporate giving programs we’ve discussed, there are likely several components businesses will need to track. These include:
- Employee donations/automatic payroll deductions
- Matching gift requests
- Volunteer hour logs
- Volunteer grant requests
- Volunteer opportunities
- Overall company goals and progress
When companies use software that allows them to manage donations, approve matches and grant requests, and track the overall impact of their corporate giving strategies, they will get the most out of the programs they’ve invested in. By streamlining all components of their corporate giving programs into one system, corporations can make it easier for employees to take part.
Companies should look for the right corporate giving software that meets their needs, makes it easy for employees to participate, and helps keep each part of their workplace giving program running smoothly.
Additional Corporate Giving Resources
Corporate giving programs can go a long way in driving fundraising results for organizations like yours. All it takes is a thorough approach (and the right tools!) to identify and pursue the best opportunities for your cause.
Good luck!
Interested in learning more about corporate giving programs and beyond? Check out these additional resources to continue growing your knowledge:
Guide to Corporate Matching Gifts
Matching gifts are one of the most popular forms of corporate giving. Learn how your team can make the most of these programs with our complete downloadable guide!
Types of Corporate Philanthropy
There are many types of corporate philanthropy, and understanding the opportunities available to you can go a long way. Uncover more about innovative corporate giving programs in this guide.
Corporate Volunteer Strategies
Get more registrants to your volunteer events by making the most of corporate volunteer programs. Learn more about leveraging these powerful incentives with our free downloadable guide!
