Win-win-win workplace giving programs: How to tap in

Corporate philanthropy furthers social good in more ways than one, especially when employees get to take the lead. Employee-led workplace giving programs don’t just benefit nonprofit organizations — they deliver meaningful support to communities in need, empower employees to make a difference, and bring countless benefits to your company. Workplace giving truly benefits everyone involved, so if your company hasn’t tapped in yet, it’s time to get started.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the basics of workplace giving programs, how to start one for your company, and what you should look for in workplace giving platforms to scale your efforts. Let’s hit the ground running with the essentials.

What is workplace giving?

Workplace giving is a type of corporate philanthropy initiative in which individual employees, using corporate resources, take the driver’s seat when it comes to charitable giving (as opposed to the corporations themselves). 

Also known as employee giving, this empowering corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy is highly flexible and encompasses a wide range of philanthropic programs. From matching gifts to volunteerism and beyond, workplace giving encourages employees to support the causes that matter most to them and increase their impact with corporate support.

Common types of workplace giving

Any company-sponsored program that gives employees choice when it comes to corporate philanthropy can be considered workplace giving. However, the most common workplace giving examples include:

• Matching gifts: Also known as corporate donation matching, matching gift programs help employees multiply the size of their gifts to the nonprofits of their choice. Your company sets guidelines like a match ratio (typically 1:1) and maximum donation size. Then, employees can request a corporate match for each eligible donation they make. An employee’s $50 gift turns into a $100 donation, doubling the original gift’s impact.
• Dollars for Doers: In this workplace giving opportunity, companies increase the value of their employees' volunteer time by providing an additional donation to the nonprofit they support. Dollars for Doers programs (also called volunteer grants) provide monetary grants directly to organizations their employees volunteer for regularly.
• Payroll deductions: Employees can donate a predetermined dollar amount from each paycheck they receive with payroll giving. The amount they choose gets routed to a nonprofit that the employee selects from a list of company-approved organizations automatically (on a one-time or recurring basis), making giving as simple and tax-effective as possible for employees.
• Charitable spending accounts (CSAs): This is a unique form of workplace giving in which the employer gives eligible employees a particular dollar amount they can grant to a nonprofit of their choice. Your company selects the budget ($25, $50, $100, etc.), time frame (per month or year), and eligibility requirements (every new hire or only those who receive CSAs as a reward, for instance). Then, the rest is up to your employees. 
• Giving campaigns: Host an annual donation drive during giving season and align workplace giving programs with well-known days like GivingTuesday, or start a disaster relief campaign to collect urgently needed funding from employees.

Your company might choose one initiative to focus on or incorporate all of the above workplace giving programs into your strategy. Different initiatives may align with different employees’ preferences, so consider how your employees want to give when choosing your programs.

What are workplace giving platforms?

Workplace giving platforms are software solutions that help companies manage their philanthropy programs. These systems streamline the approval process, automate workflows, and generally make it easier for your company to support social good organizations. The right workplace giving platforms will also come with perks for employees, like personalized dashboards and giving reminders, to encourage them to participate in your programs fully.

Not sure what to look for in a workplace giving platform? Download our free buyer’s guide to learn how to choose the best CSR software for your needs.

Workplace giving benefits: Why it’s a win-win-win

Starting a workplace giving program at your business benefits everyone involved. Let’s dive deeper into the incentives for companies, nonprofits, and employees.

For companies

Beyond supporting causes in your community, workplace giving programs are proven to have multiple business benefits. From boosting your reputation to increasing employee retention, there’s no shortage of reasons why you should tap in. 

Specifically, the data shows that workplace giving programs benefit businesses in a few core ways:

• Boost employee engagement and productivity. A Forbes study found that 96% of employees view empathy as an important factor in their engagement and retention at work. With workplace giving programs, you’ll put empathy front and center by empowering employee generosity and showing that you care about the same causes they’re passionate about.
• Appeal to the emerging workforce. Since 90% of Gen Z employees think companies must act on social issues and 71% of workers want their employers to support giving and volunteering, your workplace giving programs will stand out among job searchers and help you recruit future corporate leaders.
• Decrease employee turnover. Workplace giving helps you recruit, engage, and retain your best employees. Team members who actively participate in workplace giving are 57% less likely to leave their jobs on average.

Best of all, you can combine these internal workplace giving benefits with a boost to your company’s reputation and sales. Since 77% of American consumers say they want to buy from socially-conscious companies, publicizing your philanthropic endeavors can help you draw in new customers and increase overall brand loyalty.

Zero in on each of these benefits and how to access them in our free downloadable guide to expanded workplace giving benefits.

For nonprofits

Corporate philanthropy programs of all types provide valuable funding and support for nonprofit organizations, but what makes workplace giving especially beneficial? When you let employees lead the way, workplace giving programs help nonprofits:

• Acquire new, passionate donors. By using workplace giving platforms with nonprofit directories, your company will introduce nonprofits to your entire team, paving the way for them to acquire plenty of new donors.
• Build a recurring donor base more easily. The efficiency and simplicity of programs like payroll giving help nonprofits build a confident recurring donor base. This also supports nonprofits’ financial planning efforts, since they have repeat donations they can count on.
• Earn more donations from existing supporters. Current donors who work for companies with workplace giving programs are suddenly able to double their gift sizes, have incentives to volunteer more, and are frequently reminded to give.

Plus, encouraging employees to introduce your company to various nonprofits opens the door for potential lasting partnerships. If a nonprofit discovers that your company aligns with their values, they might offer to work with you more extensively for mutually beneficial opportunities.

For employees

Don’t forget that employees like workplace giving programs, too. This is because employees who participate in workplace giving can see benefits like:

• Improved morale and a healthier workplace. Employee volunteering opportunities alone can greatly improve employees’ work experience — 70% of corporate volunteers say that volunteering boosts morale, and 79% report feeling better and experiencing a healthier workplace after volunteering.
• Ability to give more to their favorite causes. Employees want to support the causes that resonate with them, and workplace giving programs help them multiply that support easily and often.
• Easy ways to discover new organizations to support. Your workplace giving platforms and initiatives are bound to introduce employees to nonprofits they’ve never heard of before that align perfectly with their values.

Employee-driven philanthropy programs are uniquely equipped to provide these benefits since they give employees so much more agency than traditional CSR opportunities. Instead of watching their employer make all the decisions, employees get to decide how and to whom they give.

How to start and manage workplace giving programs at your company

Excited to tap into all the benefits of workplace giving? Connect with the other leaders at your company and discuss the potential of starting one or more programs. When you’re ready to move forward, follow these steps:

1. Reflect on your company values and employees’ interests. To ensure that the workplace giving programs you choose are value-aligned, take time to discuss these core values and how you might incorporate them with your team. If one of your values is diversity, for instance, consider a seasonal giving campaign during Black History Month.
2. Choose workplace giving programs to implement. Determine which programs will resonate most with employees and set clear eligibility guidelines. For instance, if a large group of employees has asked for more volunteering opportunities, you might start with a Dollars for Doers program and make it available to all full-time employees.
3. Invest in a workplace giving platform and set up your programs. Partner with a CSR software provider to alleviate administrative burdens and streamline processes as you manage your programs. Set up each workplace giving program within the software and input eligibility guidelines so it can automate approvals.
4. Announce and promote your initiatives to employees. Finally, let employees know about your new programs and how they can participate. You might hold a company-wide meeting to announce them or invite employees to a Q&A session with leadership.

As you start implementing your chosen programs, listen to your workforce and figure out where they’re allocating their time and energy. Do they align themselves with certain causes or current events? Respond to disasters or crises? Contribute to one organization more than others? These insights will help you fine-tune your programs and maximize employee engagement.

To boost workplace giving participation further, use these engagement strategies:

• Ask for employee input directly by sending out surveys periodically and analyzing feedback.
• Involve leadership in workplace giving and show employees that everyone at the company is excited about it.
• Remind employees of giving and volunteering opportunities often via email, team-wide announcements, and other messages.

The success you see with your workplace giving programs will depend largely on employee participation, so make sure to value all of their opinions and act on the feedback you receive. 

Features to look for in workplace giving platforms

Using the right workplace giving platform is a crucial part of successfully managing your new programs. Implementing workplace giving software can reduce your administrative burden by automating matching gift approvals and routing payments while simplifying participation for employees. 

To find a solution that meets your company’s needs, look out for the following features:
 

Matching gift management

Your workplace giving platform should be able to securely and accurately process matching gift requests, approve the requests that are eligible, and distribute approved donations to the appropriate nonprofits. More than that, it should enable you to:

• Track all matching gift requests and approvals.
• Monitor and report on the total matching gift funds donated.
• Alert employees when their gifts are eligible for a match.
• Automatically match eligible gifts made through the platform.

Volunteer management

If you implement any volunteering programs, such as Dollars for Doers, your software should help you manage and report on these programs’ impact. Look for workplace giving platforms that include automatic volunteer grant approval and disbursement, volunteer hours tracking, and comprehensive reporting dashboards like the one below.
 

Ideally, your platform should also allow employees to create, find, and sign up for volunteer opportunities within the platform. This way, they’ll be much more likely to participate and invite their coworkers to join.

Payroll giving

Verify that the workplace giving platforms you consider include both payroll deductions and international credit card giving. Employees should be able to easily set up and manage charitable deductions from their paychecks at any time. 

Grants management

While not traditionally considered a part of employee giving, corporate grantmaking can be an employee-driven workplace giving program — and it’s one of the latest trends in corporate philanthropy. These programs enable employees to suggest or even vote on the nonprofits your company should award more substantial grants to.

If you include grantmaking in your CSR strategy, make sure your workplace giving software comes with features like budget management, application screening tools, disbursements, and detailed impact reports.

Employee engagement tools

Choose CSR software that encourages employees to easily participate in workplace giving by searching for eligible nonprofits, requesting matching gifts, signing up for volunteer events, and tracking their impact through personalized dashboards.

With built-in employee engagement tools, you can highlight featured programs on employee dashboards to spread awareness and ensure information is easily accessible to participants. Your employees can also share photos from their volunteer events to inspire others to get involved. Some platforms even come with automated volunteer goal tracking and leaderboards for added gamification.
 

Reporting

Impact reporting features are critical for not only understanding the impact of your workplace giving programs, but also communicating that impact to employees, nonprofits, and stakeholders. Look for a platform that offers 360-degree insights into your programs, measuring employee participation rates, funds donated, hours volunteered, cause distribution, and more. 

Scale your workplace giving programs with Bonterra

Bonterra Strategic Philanthropy, built on CyberGrants, has all of the above features and more, making it the perfect tool for managing and maintaining your workplace giving programs. Start tapping into all the benefits of workplace giving today by scheduling a demo to see what Strategic Philanthropy can do for you.