Contributed by Pamela Harbarth
The company I work for offers an individual gift matching program, and I was able to get donations set up to go to . The way the program works can vary from organization to organization, but it can be summarized as follows.
- The individual selects a charitable organization to donate to.
- The following information is usually sent to a committee that oversees the contributions:
- Copy of the charity’s 501(c)(3) certificate
- Signed, completed, and dated W-9 tax form showing the name of the charity, who the check should be made out to, and address where it should be mailed
- Completed individual gift matching application (varies per company)
Each company usually has a minimum donation requirement the employee must contribute and has a maximum the company will match. For example, the employee must donate at least $50 or greater, and the company will match up to a specific dollar amount. The amount the company matches may be up to a certain dollar amount as well. The company I work for has a $50 minimum and will match up to $300 per employee per calendar year with an aggregate expense maximum of $45,000.
Not all companies do this, but more and more companies are doing it to fulfill corporate social responsibility policies they may have in place. The eligible organizations usually fall into one of the following categories:
- Hunger
- Poverty and disaster relief
- Natural resource preservation
- Agricultural development
- Medical research and disease prevention
Some companies also have group gift matching policies that can be done in a group setting, allowing specific offices or departments to contribute to a selected applicable charity. Examples of group matching include jeans week, cooking contests, and so on. The maximum amount a group brings in holding these events is matched by the company per event with an annual aggregate expense.
There could be restrictions and ineligible organizations that protect your organization. A few examples of these are:
- Political organizations
- Organizations that are religious in nature
- Raffle or gambling tickets
- Fraternal or social organizations
- Controversial organizations that would not align with your company’s core values
Check out whether your company offers this great program! Chances are you are donating to this organization on a regular basis. Why not increase your donation with nothing more out of your pocket yet benefiting a cause you are passionate about?