Corporate matching gift programs occupy a somewhat ambivalent space in the fundraising world: many donors and nonprofits swear by them to maximize their donations, while others are completely unaware of their existence.
Maybe you’ve never heard of them, either! If you haven’t, here’s a breakdown: many companies offer to match charitable donations of certain sizes made by their employees through matching gift programs. While most programs match gifts at a ratio of 1:1 or 100%, some go as high as 2:1 or even 3:1. As you can tell, that represents a lot of extra funding for charitable causes!
For a much more detailed breakdown of matching gift programs and how they can benefit your organization, see Re:Charity’s Q&A Guide to Matching Gifts.
Matching gifts allow you to tap into the too often underutilized arena of corporate philanthropy. Corporations are eager to promote their matching gift programs because they can benefit from engaging in corporate social responsibility. Every year, billions of dollars in matching gift funds go unclaimed, while only a small fraction actually make it to nonprofit organizations.
Potential donors are much more willing to close the deal and make generous gifts if they know their employer will donate as well, effectively doubling the impact of their gift.
It is important to know which major companies have matching gift programs so you can specifically appeal to their employees for donations. In this post, we’ve identified 10 top companies that stand out the generosity and accessibility of their matching gift programs:
- BP
- Merck
- Disney
- Soros Fund Management
- State Farm
- Grainger
- MBIA
- Noble Energy
- Starbucks
- The Home Depot
These ten companies are the best of the best matching gift companies, and they deserve to be praised—both to encourage the use of their programs by employees and nonprofits, and to encourage other companies to step up their matching gift game:
As a next step, you can look into a matching gift program database, whether you are a nonprofit or a donor looking to start taking better advantage of matching gifts. But for now, let’s dive in:
1. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — BP
BP, or British Petroleum, is a British oil and gas giant with headquarters in London and facilities around the world. It provides petroleum and natural gas to millions of people worldwide in addition to having several renewable energy initiatives. With almost 75,000 employees, BP is one of the world’s largest energy corporations.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
BP funds the BP Foundation, which has dedicated almost $150 million to charitable causes across the United States. The BP Foundation prioritizes causes surrounding education, economic development, and environmental issues.
BP and the BP Foundation donated nearly $1.6 million and 200,000 gallons of fuel to the people of Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and continues to support victims of natural disasters each year.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $5,000/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
The BP Foundation matched over $5 million in employee donations in 2017. It also matched gifts of time and effort, contributing almost 50,000 volunteer hours to charitable causes. BP matches gifts to organizations dedicated to STEM education, economic development, and environmental protection.
Are you an employee of BP and interested in making a matched gift? Click here.
2. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — MERCK
Merck is a global healthcare company based in New Jersey with operations all over the world. Merck’s primary focus is on pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and animal health, with over $40 billion in revenue last year. Its core products revolve around diabetes, cancer, vaccines, and hospital acute care and they dedicate billions in research to illnesses such as HIV and Alzheimer’s.
Merck employs approximately 69,000 people across the world.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Because Merck does work in the healthcare space, a large portion of their total giving comes from product donations—amounting to about $2.6 billion in 2017. It also provided skills-based volunteering, amounting to about $3.2 million in employee time, as well as cash donations in the realm of $94 million.
Merck focuses on serving underserved populations by improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare. It also supported humanitarian efforts in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean after a series of natural disasters.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $24
- Maximum donation: $30,000/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
Merck’s matching gift program supports health and human services agencies, educational institutions, and arts and culture organizations. Merck also provides up to 40 hours of paid time off for volunteer activities for their employees.
See more information about Merck’s employee giving here, or submit a matching gift application here.
3. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — DISNEY
Founded in 1923 and having nearly $100 billion in total assets, Disney is one of the world’s largest media and entertainment corporations. Headquartered in California, Disney’s operations have spread all over the world—and its products are even more ubiquitous. Disney employs almost 200,000 people worldwide.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Although many of its charitable initiatives revolve around serving children, Disney’s philanthropic interests are as diverse as its products. Through cash donations, in-kind giving, and public service announcements, Disney gave almost $350 million in 2017. It has also donated over 60 million books to schools and children.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $15,000/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
Disney matches gifts to many types of organization, including educational, arts, and environmental services. It also allows employees to give to multiple organizations as long as the total does not exceed the maximum of $15,000.
See Disney’s employee gift match FAQ here, and its application portal here.
4. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — SOROS FUND MANAGEMENT
Soros Fund Management, LLC is an investment management firm headquarted in New York City. Founded in 1969 by its chairman George Soros and controlling over $25 billion in assets, it is one of the world’s most profitable investment firms.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
In 2017, George Soros transferred about $18 billion to his Open Society Foundations, making it the second largest philanthropic group in the United States. The Open Society Foundations supports a variety of causes, many of them focusing on improving lives in areas with authoritarian governments.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $100,000/year
- Match ratio: up to 3:1
Soros matches gifts to any charitable organization designated a public charity in the United States, for all active, full-time employees. Their match ratio is one of the best, and their maximum donation size of $100,000 qualify as a major gift for nearly any organization!
Find out more about Soros’ gift matching program here, and apply to make a donation here.
5. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — STATE FARM INSURANCE
State Farm is a large insurance provider based in Bloomington, Illinois. With approximately 18,000 agents and over $80 billion in 2017 revenue, State Farm is the 33rd largest company by revenue in the United States. Specializing in auto, disaster, and life insurance, State Farm insures people in every US state.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Many of State Farm’s philanthropic efforts revolve around auto and home safety and disaster preparedness, while others support education, economic empowerment, and community development.
Through programs such as the Community Reinvestment Act, they assist nonprofits that work toward affordable housing, community revitalization, and economic development.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $3,000/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
State Farm matches employee donations to schools and universities in the US and Canada. Gift matching is available to all full-time, part-time, and retired employees of the company. State Farm also offers a volunteer matching gift program, with a minimum requirement of 40 hours.
Find out more about State Farm’s matching gift program or apply for a donation here.
6. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — GRAINGER
W.W. Grainger, Inc. is an industrial supply headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois with 435 locations spread across the US and Canada. Grainger supplies both large and small businesses with a wide variety of materials, tools, and supplies.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Through the Grainger Foundation, Grainger supports social welfare establishments such as food banks as well as organizations involved with arts and culture, education, disaster relief, health and human services, and civic affairs.
Through the Grainger Community Grant Program, Grainger allows employees to recommend charitable donations of between $2,500 and $10,000 to local community serving organizations.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $2,500/year
- Match ratio: 3:1
Grainger has contributed over $2 million through their matching gift program, for which most US-based charitable organizations are eligible.
Find out more details here or register your gift here.
7. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — MBIA
MBIA, Inc. is a financial services and holding company with headquarters in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1973, the company employs about 180 people and posts yearly revenue of over $1 billion.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
The MBIA Foundation sponsors projects designed to improve the local communities of MBIA and its employees, and gave over $500,000 in grants and sponsorships in 2017.
GIFT MATCHING DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $50
- Maximum donation: $40,000/year
- Match ratio: up to 2:1
MBIA matched nearly $1 million in donations in 2017, and provides and 2:1 ratio on all donations of $20,000 or less.
Find out more here or register your gift here.
8. TOP MATCHING GIFT PROGRAMS — NOBLE ENERGY
Noble Energy, Inc. is a petroleum and natural gas company with headquarters in Houston, Texas, with operations both in the United States and abroad. Noble Energy employs over 2,000 people.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Most Noble Energy’s philanthropic endeavors come through the Noble Research Institute, which focuses on agricultural research meant to improve the sustainability of our relationship with the land through the development of new technologies and the education of farmers and other land stewards.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $2,500/year
- Match ratio: 2:1
Noble Energy matches donations to most registered charitable organizations in the US. They also offer gift matching to full-time, part-time, and retired employees at a 2:1 ratio.
For more information and to register your gift, visit their matching gift page.
9. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — STARBUCKS
Starbucks Corporation is one of the world’s largest food service providers, with over 25,000 stores in 76 countries. Starbucks matches donations made by over 200,000 full-time, part-time, and retired employees.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
Starbucks strives to have a positive impact on the many communities that host its stores and the world at large through ethical and sustainable sourcing, minimal environmental footprint, civic engagement, volunteer work, and charitable giving. Pus, the Starbucks Foundation regularly makes more substantial nonprofit grants and forms partnerships with organizations such as (RED).
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $20
- Maximum donation: $1,500/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
Starbucks matches gifts to nearly all nonprofit organizations. Through its Partner Match Program, it also provides grants to the organizations at which its employees volunteer.
See more details and information about Starbuck’s matching gifts program here, or register your donation here.
10. TOP MATCHING GIFT COMPANY — THE HOME DEPOT
The Home Depot is a large chain of hardware and home improvement stores across all 50 states as well as Canada, Mexico, and several US territories, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
It employs approximately 400,000 people across over 2,000 locations, making it the largest home improvement chain in the United States.
PHILANTHROPIC INITIATIVES
The Home Depot makes charitable gifts through the Home Depot Foundation, which comprises the Community Impact Grants Program and the Veteran Housing Grants Program. Community Impact Grants award up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations that complete community improvement projects.
Veteran Housing Grants award amounts between $100,000 and $500,000 to fund the construction and repair of veteran housing facilities.
MATCHING GIFT DETAILS
- Minimum donation: $25
- Maximum donation: $3,000/year
- Match ratio: 1:1
The Home Depot matches donations from both full-time and part-time employees to most designated charities in the US and Canada — up to $1,000 per year per charity, with a maximum of $3,000 total.
Go here for more information about The Home Depot’s matching gift program, or here to register your gift.
Matching gift programs represent an underutilized resource in the nonprofit world. Though most large companies have matching gift programs, the real issue is one of promotion—many employees are not aware of their company’s program, and many nonprofits are not aware of them or not equipped to effectively communicate to their donors about them.
A great way to ensure you maximize the benefits of matching gifts is to appeal directly to the employees of the major matching gift companies. You can segment your fundraising appeal so that you are sure to inform the eligible donors of their company’s matching gift policy.
We found that these ten companies represent the best of the best in gift matching when it comes to amount, ratio, and ease of use. We hope that this list will be useful for both employees hoping to increase their giving and nonprofits hoping to increase their fundraising.
We also hope that these leading companies will serve as examples to encourage greater corporate giving and general corporate citizenship for the future.
To continue your research and find out more about matching gifts and their promise for your organization, see these additional resources:
- Want to utilize a matching gift database to ease the process of securing matched gifts but don’t know where to start? See Fundly’s Guide to Matching Gift Databases.
- Do you operate a nonprofit and want to find out more about the benefits, logistics, and details of matching gifts? Check out The Definitive Guide to Matching Gifts for Nonprofits from DonorSeach.
- Having trouble picking a matching gift database to start boosting your fundraising revenue? For a shopping guide and recommendations, here’s Snowball’s Matching Gift Databases: What to Look For page