“Corporate giving” is a commonly used term to explain the ways a company gives back to their community, essentially the same as “donating to charity” at a personal level. At the corporate level, it’s a means of expressing the company’s values and the culture expected of the people who work there. It’s not just good business sense, but it also shows their clients they are a responsible company in how they earn and spend money. No matter how well the company is doing, there are always going to be people in need in the community at both local levels and across the country.
Gift Matching and Company Culture
Often overlooked in companies no matter the size, is incorporating gift matching. This is the easiest way a company can double the amount of money their employees donate to a non-profit organization of their choice.
Similar to matching 401K investments, gift matching simply means that when an employee donates to a charity, the company offers to add to the donation, making it far more substantial. Whether the donation is added directly to what the employee gives or is conducted as a separate transaction in the company’s name. It doesn’t have to always be a direct 1 to 1 ratio, as long as the company recognizes employee contributions and adds to them, the goal is to inspire more donations than any single individual would be able to make.
You can check out our blog about many Fortune 500 companies that have some of the top corporate gift matching programs in the world to learn how and why they give.
Choosing a Charity or Recipient
Although the type of charity a company supports can be based on owner and manager preferences and the causes they believe in, there are likely to be charities related to the actual services the business works in, which make for sensible donations.
An excellent example would be a restaurant which donates food to a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Likewise, a furniture company might find an organization such as Sleep in Heavenly Peace, a nonprofit appropriately related to their business. Sleep in Heavenly Peace, or SHP, provides beds and bedding for children in need who might otherwise be sleeping on the floor.
That’s not to say that only a furniture company would benefit when they donate to a non-profit like Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Any individual, group, or company would find helping SHP’s cause as an excellent way to show support for the children and families in their community.
Start Giving Today
There are many compelling reasons why so many large corporations, national companies, and small businesses give to charity: it’s great for company culture, it’s a perfect way to give back to the community, and it can help shape a company’s ethics, among many other things. If your organization isn’t yet consistently donating time or money to a nonprofit, it’s worthwhile to start offering some ideas to help get it started.
If gift matching sounds like a an interesting and worthwhile cause for your company, contact your local chapter and we’ll be happy to discuss our current needs and what you can do to help.
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