What are corporate matching gift and employee volunteer grant programs?

Corporate matching gift programs are charitable giving programs created by corporations in which the company matches donations made by employees. You can double the impact of your donation by utilizing the matching gift programs that are in place at thousands of employers. The standard match is dollar for dollar up to a set limit that normally ranges between $2,000- 10,000 per employee each year.

Volunteer grant programs, also known as “Dollars for Doers” programs, are charitable giving programs setup by corporations in which the company provides a monetary donation to eligible nonprofits as a way to recognize employees who volunteer. If you volunteer with and work for a company with a volunteer grant program, you can request a grant for us which normally valued at $10-$15 per hour volunteered.

You can immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed corporate giving information about your employer by searching our database of companies with matching gift programs.

See if your employer will match your donation by clicking on this button:

We provide you with as much of the following as possible:

• Up-to-date company policies
• Minimum volunteer hours required
• Printed forms or links to the online submission process
• Our nonprofit’s contact information (Tax ID, address, fundraising contact)

What is the history of employee giving programs?

Employee giving programs have been around since 1954, when the GE Foundation created the Corporate Alumni Program, the first employer gift-matching program. Today, the GE Foundation matches over $35 million annually to all 501(c)(3) organizations and accredited educational institutions (including K-12). Since then, thousands of companies have created similar employee giving programs.

How prevalent are corporate giving programs?

More than 65% of Fortune 500 companies and countless smaller employers offer matching gift or volunteer grant programs. Some even match funds raised for fundraising walks and go as far as providing each employee with a yearly unrestricted grant to allocate to a nonprofit of their choice.

For instance:

• Verizon provides $750 grants for 50 volunteer hours and matches up to $5,000 annually
• IBM provides $1,000 grants for 40 volunteer hours and matches up to $5,000 annually from current employees or retirees to schools and up to $1,000 annually to all other nonprofits.
• BP, in addition to similarly generous matching gift and volunteer grant programs, allows every employee to allocate a $300 grant annually to any organization as well as matches funds raised for nonprofit walks, runs, etc.

Thousands of companies, representing more than 15 million people, offer matching gift or volunteer grant programs. We hope you’ll take a few extra minutes to see if your company offers employee giving grants – grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for us.