Corporate giving programs are a powerful resource in which businesses contribute to the charitable organizations their employees support, either through donations or volunteer hours.

Any nonprofit can benefit from corporate giving. However, many either underestimate these programs or simply don’t know they exist. But through corporate giving, supporters can make the most of their contributions, corporations get a positive public image, and organizations receive the funds to pursue their missions!

Corporate giving programs can take the form of matching gifts, volunteer grants, and others, but here are a few consistent best practices you can use to maximize their impact for your nonprofit.

  1. Educate your support system. The biggest reason nonprofits and donors fail to tap into corporate philanthropy is their lack of knowledge about programs like corporate matching gifts. They’re not aware a gap exists, so they don’t know to fill it.
  2. Incorporate a donor-friendly search tool. One of the easiest ways to identify opportunities like matching gifts is through matching gift software. It can be difficult for nonprofits to collect corporate giving and donor employment data on their own, so consider investing in a dedicated tool like Double the Donation’s matching gift database.
  3. Explore non-monetary options. Nonprofits tend to focus their efforts on seeking grants and donations while overlooking other types of contributions. Many businesses offer in-kind support, such as:
    1. Donated goods that help you pursue your mission or host events.
    2. Free services or expertise to help you tackle areas you have no experience in, such as tax advice, marketing, or web design.
    3. Volunteers to help free up your team’s time and raise more through individual and team volunteer grants.
  4. Build giving campaigns for local businesses.  If local businesses aren’t already implementing giving campaigns on their own, make it easier for them to run a partner campaign by creating the necessary assets for them.

Read the full article about employee giving by Adam Weinger at Charity Navigator.