CORPORATE MATCHING

Corporate Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant

Corporate matching gift programs are charitable giving programs created by corporations in which the company matches donations made by employees. The impact of donation can be doubled by utilizing the matching gift programs that are in place at thousands of employers. The standard match is dollar for dollar up to a set limit that normally ranges between $1,000- $50,000 per employee each year based on the company you work for.

Volunteer grant programs, also known as "Dollars for Doers" programs, are charitable giving programs setup by corporations in which the company provides a monetary donation to eligible non-profits as a way to recognize employees who volunteer. If you volunteer with AL-BARR FOUNDATION and work for a company with a volunteer grant program, you can request a grant for us which normally valued from $10-$20 per hour volunteered.

Many of our donors and potential work for companies with matching gift programs and we take this opportunity to appeal all our donors to take few minutes to apply for matching grants. With the help of matching grants, we will be able to serve the needy better in the areas of education, healthcare and basic living.

We will provide you with as much information as possible like up-to-date company policies, Minimum volunteer hours required and printed forms or links to the online submission process. Please contact Al-Barr Foundation for further details on gift matching program.

History of Employee Giving Programs

Employee giving programs have been around since 1954, when the GE Foundation created the Corporate Alumni Program, the first employer gift-matching program. Today, the GE Foundation matches over $35 million annually to all 501(c) (3) organizations and accredited educational institutions (including K-12). Since then, thousands of companies have created similar employee giving programs.

How prevalent are corporate giving programs?

More than 65% of Fortune 500 companies and countless smaller employers offer matching gift or volunteer grant programs. Some even match funds raised for fundraising walks and go as far as providing each employee with a yearly unrestricted grant to allocate to a non-profit of their choice. For instance

Verizon provides $750 grants for 50 volunteer hours and matches up to $5,000 annually IBM provides $1,000 grants for 40 volunteer hours and matches up to $5,000 annually from current employees or retirees to schools and up to $1,000 annually to all other non-profits. BP, in addition to similarly generous matching gift and volunteer grant programs, allows every employee to allocate a $300 grant annually to any organization as well as matches funds raised for non-profit walks, runs, etc.

Thousands of companies, representing more than 15 million people, offer matching gift or volunteer grant programs. We hope you'll take a few extra minutes to see if your company offers employee giving grants - grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for us.