If your employer has a matching gift program, every donation you make could be worth twice as much to the charity, and it costs you only a few minutes of paperwork. Here's how matching gifts and volunteer grants work, what the typical rules look like, and how to make sure you actually claim them.
About these numbers: Most matching-gift statistics come from Double the Donation, a company that sells matching-gift software to nonprofits. Its figures are the most widely cited, but they are industry estimates, not government data. Read them as a sense of scale.
How a matching gift works
A matching gift is a corporate donation made because an employee donated first. You give $100 to an eligible nonprofit, submit a short request through your employer, and the company sends its own gift, often another $100, to that same nonprofit. The charity gets $200. You paid $100.
- You donate to an eligible organization, in the usual way.
- You request the match through your company's giving portal or HR, usually with the donation date, amount and receipt.
- The nonprofit verifies that your gift arrived. Many charities handle this through the same portal.
- The company pays the match to the charity, often in a batch weeks or months later.
Typical match ratios, minimums and caps
Every program is different, so your company's policy is what counts. Double the Donation's matching gift statistics give a sense of what's common:
| Program feature | What's typical |
|---|---|
| Match ratio | 91% of companies match 1:1. About 4% match at a lower rate (such as 0.5:1) and 5% at a higher one (2:1, 3:1 or 4:1). |
| Minimum gift to qualify | 96% of companies set a minimum of $50 or less. The average minimum is $34. |
| Annual cap per employee | 80% of companies cap matches between $500 and $10,000 a year. The average cap is $3,728. |
| Which charities | Programs that match any eligible nonprofit, rather than only schools or certain causes, have grown. |
Rules also vary on who qualifies. Some programs cover part-time staff, retirees or spouses, and some don't. Deadlines vary too. Some require you to submit within the same calendar year, others allow until early the next year. Check your own program before you assume.
Volunteer grants: "dollars for doers"
Some companies will also give money to a nonprofit where you volunteer. These are called volunteer grants, or "dollars for doers." According to Double the Donation's research:
- About 40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.
- Among companies with volunteer grants, 80% pay between $8 and $15 per hour volunteered.
- Some programs pay a flat grant once you reach a set number of hours instead of paying per hour.
- 70% of nonprofits rarely or never tell supporters about volunteer grants, so you may have to bring it up yourself.
Logging your hours as you go makes volunteer grant requests much easier. A simple tracker like Servicehours, a free volunteer-hours log, keeps dates, hours and the organization in one place. For more on finding a good role, see our volunteering guide.
How to find out if your employer matches
Since most donors don't know whether their employer has a program, the first step is just to ask. Places to look:
- Your company's benefits site or intranet. Search for "matching gifts," "giving," "community" or "volunteer."
- Your workplace giving portal, if you have one. Many large companies run giving, matching and volunteering through a single platform.
- HR or the benefits team.
- The charity's donation page. Many nonprofits embed a matching-gift search box where you type your employer's name.
- Coworkers who already give. They'll know where the form is.
A matching-gift checklist
- Confirm the charity is eligible under your company's rules. Programs set their own lists of eligible and excluded organization types.
- Save the receipt or acknowledgment letter for every gift.
- Submit the request soon after giving. Don't wait for the year-end deadline crush.
- Note your annual cap and which gifts you've already submitted.
- Tell the charity you've requested a match. It helps them verify and follow up.
- Check back if the match hasn't shown up after a few months.
- If your company offers volunteer grants, log hours as you go and submit when you hit the threshold.
- Around GivingTuesday and year-end, many companies promote special double matches. Watch for them.
A note on taxes
This is general information, not tax advice. Generally you can deduct only what you personally gave if you itemize, under the rules in IRS Publication 526. The employer's match is the company's own contribution, not yours. See our charitable tax deduction basics and talk to a tax professional about your situation.
Why it's worth the five minutes
Matching gifts are one of the few places in giving where a little admin effort reliably adds money. Double the Donation's research finds that about 10% of individual contributions are eligible for a match, yet only 1.31% get matched at the average nonprofit. Most of that gap is people who simply never submitted the form. If your company is generous enough to offer a match, claiming it is a small gesture of generosity in its own right. It's also part of a larger culture of generosity at work.
Frequently asked questions
What is a corporate matching gift?
It's a donation your employer makes to a nonprofit because you donated to it first. Many programs match 1:1, so a $50 gift becomes $100 for the charity.
How do I know if my company matches donations?
Check your benefits site or giving portal, ask HR, or type your employer's name into the matching-gift search box many nonprofits put on their donation pages.
Is there a deadline to request a match?
Usually, yes, but it varies by company. Some want requests within the calendar year of the gift, and others allow until early the following year. Submit soon after you give to be safe.
What is a volunteer grant?
Some employers donate to a nonprofit based on the hours you volunteer there, either per hour or as a flat amount once you reach a threshold. They're sometimes called "dollars for doers."
Can I deduct my employer's match on my taxes?
Generally no. You deduct only the gift you made yourself, and only if you itemize. This is not tax advice. Check IRS Publication 526 or a tax professional.