Corporate Matching Gift Programs: Finding and Accessing Employer Match Programs

When you donate to a nonprofit, you want it to do all the good that it can do, and corporate gift matching is a great way to maximize your impact! These programs can double, or even triple or quadruple, your donation to your favorite nonprofits and charities, like The Lift Garage!

At The Lift Garage, we’ve partnered with Double the Donation to make corporate gift matching quick and easy! We appreciate all our supporters, and we’re honored when donors go the extra mile to support us with a corporate matching gift. 

Donations to The Lift Garage have a profound impact on the lives of our customers and help keep all of us safer on the roads. We offer low-cost car repair to our customers, along with several other wrap-around programs including pre-purchase inspections, express services, and mobile van inspections. Donations from individual donors are the largest source of revenue at The Lift Garage, making it possible for us to cover costs and help keep roads safer in Minnesota. Now, imagine doubling that amount!

Corporate gift matching occurs when a corporation matches an employee’s donation to a charity or nonprofit, making their gift and impact go twice as far. Companies set up these programs to encourage their employees to be active, engaged, and charitable members of their communities. By matching employee donations, they hope that you will be more inclined to give back and have a positive impact on the world. About 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs, and more than 26 million people work for a company that offers corporate gift matching! 

There are many companies that have matching gift programs, yet many employees do not take full advantage of these matches. Our partner, Double the Donation, estimates that $4-7 billion in corporate matching gifts go unclaimed each year. At The Lift Garage, every dollar counts towards our vision of Safe Cars, Secure Lives. During fiscal year 2024, donors saved The Lift Garage customers nearly $700,000 in car repair costs. We encourage our donors to find out if their employers will double their donations to help further the support and safety of Minnesotan drivers on our roads. 

Every corporation can set their own parameters for their gift matching program, so there’s no universal guidelines for what gifts will be matched. To discover the specifics of your company’s matching gift programs, we encourage you to search them on Double the Donation to learn more and begin the process of securing your matching gift!

Though each corporate matching gift program is different, they all have the same elements to their framework, including:

Corporate matching gift programs will have a maximum and minimum donation amount that can be matched. Some will match as little as $1, while others may set a higher amount at which they will begin matching. 

Corporate matches will also max out at a certain amount, usually calculated on an annual basis.

The match ratio indicates how much a corporation will give following an employee’s initial gift. If the ratio is 1:1, the company will donate the same amount as the employee. Some companies, however, will match gifts at a 2:1 ratio, or even 3:1. The higher the ratio, the bigger the impact on the nonprofit or charity! 

Employers can also set a percentage of the gift that they will match up to a certain amount. 

Companies require that the employee request their corporate match within a certain time frame of making a gift—they’re not open indefinitely! Sometimes there’s a certain number of days following the gift date, and sometimes there’s a specific date chosen. 

It’s very common for matching gifts deadlines to be at the end of the year, so that can be a great time to check and see if your gift is eligible for matching!

Employers almost always match gifts for full-time employees, and some also match gifts for part-time employees. Retired? Each company’s program is unique, with retired employees often included in gift matching program expansions! They may have different maximum match amounts, based on the employee’s employment type. 

Companies can decide which types of nonprofits for which they will match gifts. Some may also give different amounts, based on the type of nonprofit. For example, some may match gifts at a higher ratio for educational organizations than other types. 

Nonprofits must also be registered 501(c)(3) organizations, and in good standing with the IRS.

Many corporations have charitable giving goals that guide their corporate matching gift programs, but ultimately companies can choose their own parameters. Corporate matching gifts comprise about 11% of total corporate cash contributions to nonprofits. Every year, about $2.86 billion dollars are given through corporate matching programs. You can be part of that incredible impact by requesting your own matching gift! 

Corporate matching multiplies the impact of one gift with the power of corporate dollars! The impact of requesting a corporate gift match makes your gift go further and can have a substantial impact on nonprofits and charities. In 2024, The Lift Garage had 1707 appointments and 862 inspections – through corporate matching, we could help more Minnesotans receive the services they need for more reliable and safe transportation.

Minnesota is one of the most charitable states in the nation, and home to many Fortune 500 companies. Many of these corporations will match your donation to The Lift Garage and other charities and nonprofits! Some of the large companies based in Minnesota that match your donation include:

Best Buy will match employee donations starting at $10 and maxing out at $3,000. They match 40% of the employee donation, or a 0.4:1 match ratio. Best Buy matches gifts for both full-time and part-time employees.

3M matches donations made by employees beginning at $1 and maxing out at $1,000. They match gifts at a 1:1 ratio for both full-time and part-time employees.

General Mills begins their matching gifts at $25 and ends at $1,000. They prioritize donations in support of food security and sustainability, which they match at a 2:1 ratio;  they also match donations to other types of organizations at a 1:1 ratio! 

U.S. Bancorp matches gifts ranging from $50 to $1,000 at a 1:1 ratio for full-time and part-time employees. However, if their employees serve on a board of directors, the matching gift limit increases to $3,000! 

Graco matches employee donations up to a company-wide maximum of $200,000! They match the gifts of full and part-time employees at a 1:1 ratio. 

UnitedHealth Group matches up to $15,000 of donations for their full and part-time employees. They match at a 1:1 ratio.

Cargill matches 50% of employee donations up to $1,000! They match gifts for full-time employees and part-time employees. They match gifts for most nonprofits and charities but exclude educational institutions. 

Medtronic matches gifts from $10 to $5,000 at a 1:1 ratio. They match gifts for full-time, part-time, and retired employees. This is not a complete list of companies in Minnesota that make matching donations for their employees, so be sure to check Double the Donation for your company to see if your donation is eligible for matching. 

When you make a gift to The Lift Garage, you help fulfill our mission of providing low-cost car repair and our vision of Safe Cars, Secure Lives. Take Helen, a customer of the Lift Garage and direct service worker, who needs her car in order to make home visits. Supporting families in need is Helen’s “heart work” but car repairs were adding up. “It’s the domino effect. If you miss work, then you’re going to turn around and there’s your rent. And then that domino effect of all the other bills and things started to collect. I’ve been blessed not to have to deal with that. So for me, The Lift is invaluable.” When you request a corporate matching gift, your impact goes even further for customers like Helen. 

Matching gifts help The Lift Garage increase our revenue, so we can continue to help more than 1,000 Minnesotans every year receive low-cost car repairs. We’ve partnered with Double the Donation to make requesting corporate matching gifts easier. 

When you search your company in Double the Donation, you can find:

• Up-to-date information about your company’s matching gift program
• Links to request your matching gift 
• Information about The Lift Garage that you may need to make your request, including our tax-ID and address

We’ve made it as easy as possible, but you’ll need to fill out the matching forms and submit them yourself. The process should only take a few minutes, and your gift will have an even greater impact on our work!

Matching gift programs are just one way that employers can encourage charitable giving amongst their employees! Many companies also offer additional ways for employees to give back. These include:

Corporate sponsored volunteering is a way for companies to encourage their employees to volunteer within their communities! This can also be called volunteer grants, volunteer matches, time match programs, or dollars for doers. 

Usually, a company will offer a donation of a certain dollar amount when an employee volunteers a qualifying number of hours with a nonprofit or charity. The specific criteria varies from company to company, but this is an amazing way to have an impact on the causes you support—both with your time and a donation from your company! 

You can see if your company offers corporate sponsored volunteer opportunities through the Double the Donation software and learn more about The Lift Garage’s volunteer opportunities. 

Payroll giving allows employees to make donations directly from their paychecks! If your company offers payroll giving, this can be an easy way to make a sustaining donation to a cause you care about! Some companies have you specify a percentage of your paycheck to donate, while others may allow you to set a specific dollar amount. These contributions are also usually taken from your paycheck after tax, which means that you can deduct these donations from your taxes as well.

Many companies will sponsor charities and nonprofits through sponsorships of events, programs, or projects. These sponsorships can be financial but can also take the form of in-kind donations of goods or services, or even media sponsorships. 

Corporate sponsorships are often incredibly beneficial to nonprofits and companies alike! Nonprofits often gain valuable exposure to new supporters through these sponsorships. On the other hand, companies receive positive brand recognition and exposure to new customers. 

At The Lift Garage, we are so grateful to our supporters and deeply appreciate those who go the extra mile by requesting a matching gift! Your donations have a huge impact on customers like Helen. Your gift helps them to feel confident and well-informed when they visit The Lift, so they can make the best decisions for their situation using their limited resources, allowing them the autonomy and self-determination we all deserve!