Doublethedonation.com



Sample Newsletter or Blog ArticlesPurpose:Newsletter and blog articles are effective advertising mediums to promote matching gifts and volunteer grants to your donors and volunteers. They provide a platform for more in depth appeals which show your organization is focused on maximizing fundraising from every source. Your organization's articles should:Provide an overview of employee matching gift and volunteer grant programs Share an example or two of companies that offer employee giving programsExplain the positive impact these additional funds will have on your organization's work Request that donors and volunteers search your website to find information on their employerWe anticipate that your organization will want to modify these posts to meet the standard structure of your articles and blog posts. Your organization is free to leverage and modify the content. Sample Articles:Explaining and promoting volunteer grantsExplaining and promoting matching giftsCombined volunteer grant and matching gift post with the history of corporate giving programsSample Article Explaining and Promoting Volunteer GrantsTitle: Corporate employee volunteer grant programs: What are they and how do they benefit <your organization’s name>?What do Verizon, CarMax, and State Farm all have in common? They all offer volunteer grant programs. Volunteer grant programs, also known as “Dollars for Doers” programs, are charitable giving programs set up by corporations. Companies provide monetary donations to eligible nonprofits such as <your organization’s name> as a way to recognize employees who volunteer. These grants enable corporations to give back to their communities and support organizations that employees are already passionate about.Although volunteer grants are a relatively new form of corporate giving, they’re widely offered among Fortune 500 companies and are catching on at smaller firms. For instance:Verizon’s Volunteer Program provides $750 grants for 50 volunteer hours. State Farm’s Good Neighbor Grant Program recognizes employees with a $500 grant for 40 volunteer hours.CarMax’s Matching Hours Program awards $10 for every hour volunteered.In fact, hundreds of companies offer volunteer grant programs with donations generally ranging from $10-$15 per hour volunteered. How Do Volunteer Grant Programs Work?Volunteer grant programs are an easy way for volunteers to provide an additional monetary contribution without having to take out their checkbooks. If you’re already volunteering with <your organization’s name>, please take a few minutes to check if your employer <link to your Double the Donation URL> or your spouse’s employer offers grants for volunteering – grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for us. Volunteer grant programs consist of five steps: Individual volunteers.Volunteer determines if their company offers volunteer grants – You can search our database located at <Link to your Double the Donation URL> to find specific company program details, requirements, and forms. Volunteer submits the grant request – Either electronically or using a paper form.We validate the grant request – We verify with the individual’s employer that the individual is in fact a volunteer with our organization.Corporation cuts a check.Want to help?Last year, we received <insert number> volunteer grants which helped us raise <insert dollar amount>. We know many of our volunteers work for companies with volunteer grant programs and we’ve set a goal of raising <insert dollar amount> from these programs. If we meet our goal, we’ll be able to better <insert organization’s mission and how the organization would use the additional funding>.You can immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed corporate giving information about your employer by searching our database of companies with volunteer grant programs <link to your Double the Donation URL>We provide you with as much of the following as possible:Up-to-date company policiesMinimum volunteer hours requiredPrinted forms or links to the online submission processOur nonprofit’s contact information (Tax ID, address, fundraising contact)If your company isn’t listed, make sure to check with HR as there are many additional companies out there who offer volunteer grant programs. Sample Article Explaining and Promoting Matching GiftsTitle: Corporate employee matching gift programs: What are they and how do they benefit <your organization’s name>?What are corporate matching gift programs?Corporate matching gift programs are charitable giving programs setup by corporations in which the company matches donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations. For example, if a donor works for Bank of America and donates $100 to <your organization’s name>, Bank of America will double the donation by also writing a check for $100. Thousands of companies offer matching gift programs. A few examples include:Johnson & Johnson – Triples donations with $2:$1 matches for current employees while also doubling donations for retirees. Bank of America – Matches donations $1:$1 up to $5,000 annually per employee.Home Depot – Matches donations $1:$1 up to $3,000 annually per employee.The impact of these programs can be substantial! In 2011, Microsoft matched $48.9 million worth of employee donations to schools and 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Did you know that more than 15 million employees work for companies with matching gift programs?Want to help <your organization’s name>?Increasing fundraising from matching gifts isn’t rocket science. Last year we received <insert number> matching gifts which helped us raise <insert dollar amount>. We know many of our donors work for companies with matching gift programs and we’ve set a goal of raising <insert dollar amount> from these programs. If we meet our goal, we’ll be able to better <insert organization’s mission and how the organization would use the additional funding>.You can immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed corporate giving information about your employer by searching our database of companies with matching gift programs <link to your Double the Donation URL>.We provide you with as much of the following as possible:Up-to-date company policiesMinimum volunteer hours requiredPrinted forms or links to the online submission processOur nonprofit’s contact information (Tax ID, address, fundraising contact)If your company isn’t listed, make sure to check with HR as there are many additional companies out there who offer volunteer grant programs. We wish we could submit the required form for you, but unfortunately the employee must submit it. We appreciate you taking five minutes to double your donation.Sample Combined Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant ArticleTitle: Employee giving programs: What are they and how do they benefit <your organization’s name>?What are corporate matching gift and employee volunteer grant programs?Corporate matching gift programs are charitable giving programs created by corporations in which the company matches donations made by employees. You can double the impact of your donation 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 $2,000-10,000 per employee each year. 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 nonprofits as a way to recognize employees who volunteer. If you volunteer with <your organization’s name> and work for a company with a volunteer grant program, you can request a grant for us which normally valued at $10-$15 per hour volunteered. Last year we received <insert number> matching gifts and volunteer grants which helped us raise <insert dollar amount>. This year we set a goal of raising <insert dollar amount> from these programs. If we meet our goal, we’ll be able to better <insert organization’s mission and how the organization would use the additional funding>.You can immediately assess your eligibility and gain access to detailed corporate giving information about your employer by searching our database of companies with matching gift programs <link to your Double the Donation URL>.We provide you with as much of the following as possible:Up-to-date company policiesMinimum volunteer hours requiredPrinted forms or links to the online submission processOur nonprofit’s contact information (Tax ID, address, fundraising contact)What is the 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 nonprofit 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 nonprofits. <Only display figures on your organization>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 nonprofit 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 <link to your Double the Donation URL> offers employee giving grants – grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for us. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download