Four Top Corporate Giving Programs

This is an extra installment in a series on building better employee volunteer programs, presented by MicroEdge, the leading provider of software and services to the giving community worldwide. Follow the rest of the series here.

By Adam Weinger

Did you know that thousands of companies offer corporate employee giving programs? These charitable programs are setup by corporations as a way to give back to local organizations where employees are donating either their time or money.  In 2010, U.S. corporations gave $15 billion to charities with about 20-25% of that coming from employee giving programs.

What types of employee giving programs do corporations offer?

There is no general standard for employee giving programs but companies typically offer at least one of the following:

• Matching gifts – Grants in which companies match donations made by employees


• Volunteer grants – Grants which companies provide to nonprofits as a way to recognize employees who volunteer with those organizations


• No strings attached annual grant stipends – A set dollar amount which every employee is able to allocate to a nonprofit of their choosing


• Matches for fundraising walks, runs, etc. – Similar to matching gifts but allow employees to raise money from friends and family which is then matched by their employer

A study of employee giving programs shows that 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs and 40% offer volunteer grant programs.

Top Programs

If you work for a corporation looking to expand its corporate philanthropy or are involved in nonprofit fundraising, you should take a look at some of the best-in-class employee giving programs. The following companies offer diverse giving programs, generous limits, online submission portals, and allow nearly all 501(c)3 organizations and educational institutions to participate:

Boeing offers one of the most comprehensive offerings of employee giving programs. Highlights include:

• $250 grants for every 25 hours volunteered


• $100 grants per fundraising walk, run, etc.


• Up to 6K in matching funds annually

Soros Fund Management created one of the most generous employee giving programs. Although the company employs only 300 individuals, the company deserves recognition for their matching gift and volunteer grant programs. The company offers:

• Volunteer grants of up to $4,000 ($50 per hour)


• $3:$1 matching gift ratio for employees


• $2:$1 matching gift ratio for partners


• Up to 300K in matching funds annually

BP also has practically every type of employee giving program. Additionally, the company offers the highest level of transparency by allowing the general public to track which organizations are receiving donations in real time. Other highlights include:

• $300 unconditional grant for every employee to allocate as part of their Fabric of America program


• 100% match for all money raised for walks, runs, etc.


• Up to 5K in matching funds annually

Microsoft is one of the largest players in the employee giving space and in 2011, the company donated nearly $49 million in matching gift and volunteer grant funds. Highlights include:

• Volunteer grants of $17 per hour through the Volunteer Time Matching program.


• $1:$1 match to any nonprofit or school


• 63% of employees made donations to eligible nonprofits and requested matching gift funds 

Want to learn more?

If you’re a business interested in expanding your corporate giving programs, check out the business case to be made for corporate giving. If you want to further pursue starting up a new employee giving program, check out the employer resources which Double The Donation has created to get you started.

If you’re a nonprofit, learn more about some of the largest employers who offer matching gift and volunteer grant programs.

Do you work for a company with a great employee giving program or have you heard of any innovative corporate giving programs? If so, tell us about them!

Adam Weinger is the founder of Double The Donation, a company focused on helping nonprofits increase the amount of money they raise from corporate employee matching gift and volunteer grant programs.