How workplace giving deepens donor connections and raises more

This blog was written in collaboration with the team at Double the Donation, an online donation matching tool built to amplify nonprofit fundraising.

Workplace philanthropy recently reached a major historic milestone. According to the latest Giving USA report, corporate support reached its highest level on record at $44.4 billion in a year. For nonprofits, this is a massive signal that the bridge between personal generosity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is stronger than ever.

The following insights derive from conversations held at Collaborative 2026. During the nonprofit conference, it became clear that the most successful organizations aren’t just asking for donations. They’re integrating themselves into the professional lives of their supporters via workplace giving. In this guide, we’ll show you how your team can do the same.

What is workplace giving? Understanding the basics

At its core, workplace giving refers to employee-led corporate philanthropy initiatives. These programs empower a company’s staff to support the causes they care about with the backing of their employer’s resources.

The three primary pillars include:

• Matching gifts: Companies match their employees’ financial donations to eligible nonprofits, often at a 1:1 or even 2:1 ratio.
• Corporate volunteering: Through volunteer grants and volunteer time off, companies provide support to nonprofits where their employees volunteer.
• Payroll giving: Donations get deducted directly from an employee’s paycheck regularly.

While these programs form the foundation of workplace giving, their core value lies in democratizing philanthropy within the office. These initiatives shift the power of CSR from a top-down decision to a grassroots, employee-driven movement.

How does workplace giving benefit nonprofit causes?

Workplace giving is often viewed through a purely transactional lens. It’s a way to top off a campaign total and access corporate funds. However, data reveals that corporate giving programs act as a powerful catalyst for donor behavior and long-term retention. When an individual supporter knows their impact will be doubled, their entire psychological approach to giving shifts.

Boosting conversions and gift sizes

The presence of a workplace giving program doesn’t just increase the amount the nonprofit receives. It fundamentally transforms the donor’s decision-making process.

According to industry research from Double the Donation, organizations tend to see:

• Increased donation response rates: Simply mentioning matching gift opportunities in appeals results in a 71% increase in response rates, with 84% of surveyed donors saying they’re more likely to give if a match is offered.
• Larger gift amounts: Beyond the match itself, the average donation size increases by 51% when donors know their gift is being matched. In fact, 1 in 3 donors indicate they would give a larger gift if they knew a match was applied.

Workplace giving essentially lowers the cost of impact for the supporter. It enables a donor with a $50 budget to feel the personal satisfaction of a $100 outcome, making them more likely to convert from a casual observer to an active contributor.

Engaging the younger generations

For younger generations (like Gen Z and Millennials), workplace giving programs are becoming a primary vehicle for growing impact. A recent GoFundMe Pro report on Gen Z engagement, published in partnership with GivingTuesday, found that 35.2% of adults aged 18-29 report having volunteered in the past 7 days. Nonprofits can maximize this surge in boots-on-the-ground support by actively promoting volunteer grants that empower passionate young professionals to monetize their time with corporate dollars.

While this segment may currently face limited financial capacity primarily due to life stage, its “generosity of spirit” is unmatched. They find other ways to show up, and workplace giving is a natural fit for a demographic that wants to make a difference during the years when their disposable income might be tight.

By leaning into workplace fundraising, nonprofits can get in the door with Gen Z now. Then, as their financial capacity grows, these individuals will already have a deep-seated trust in your cause, leading to lifelong donor loyalty.

Leveraging corporate support as a stewardship engine

Beyond the immediate boost in revenue, workplace philanthropy also serves as an elite stewardship tool. These programs provide a natural reason to stay in touch with your supporters, moving the relationship from transactional to transformational.

Here’s why it works:

• Workplace giving validates the donor’s professional identity: When a nonprofit acknowledges a donor or volunteer’s employer, it signals that the organization cares about them as an individual, not just their wallet. It acknowledges their professional success and endorses their company’s values.
• Workplace giving enables gamified engagement: Tracking a matching gift or volunteer grant throughout its lifecycle provides multiple positive touchpoints. For example, a message that says, “Great news! Google just approved your match request,” provides a secondary giving high weeks after the initial donation, keeping your cause top of mind.
• Workplace giving uncovers high-capacity advocates: Supporters who take the extra step to submit a workplace giving request demonstrate a higher level of investment than the average donor. These individuals can be some of your best candidates for giving circles, community fundraising, leadership positions, or corporate champions, as they’ve already proven their willingness to back your mission.

By integrating workplace giving into your stewardship strategy, you aren’t just raising more money today. You’re identifying and nurturing the most committed supporters in your network.

5 top tips for growing workplace giving supporter relationships

Cultivating workplace philanthropy is about shifting your organization’s internal culture to view each donor’s professional affiliation as a unique window for engagement. Here are five tried-and-true best practices for growing workplace giving and deepening your relationships.

1. Incorporate workplace giving mentions throughout appeals

The initial goal here is simple: Normalize the conversation. Workplace giving shouldn’t be an afterthought confined to a hidden menu or relegated to a footer. It should be a standard part of your fundraising vocabulary that all your supporters know.

To successfully make this transition, we recommend:

• Adding “P.S.” or “Did you know?” callouts: Include a small sidebar or bolded sentence that highlights the workplace giving opportunity in your next donation appeal or volunteer request. For example, “Did you know your employer might double this gift? Check your eligibility here!”
• Using strategic storytelling strategies: Center your narrative on specific outcomes made possible by a matched gift or a volunteer grant. Instead of stating that a company has a workplace giving program, share how a single donation, once matched, can provide a full month of after-school tutoring for a student rather than just two weeks.
• Leveraging multichannel touchpoints: Feature a “Workplace Giving Wednesday” on your social media stories, include a matching gift insert in your year-end direct mail, and use seasonal newsletter headers that remind supporters to submit prior to year-end deadlines.

The key to success is consistency. Aim to make workplace giving a “background hum” across all your communications. When donors and volunteers continuously encounter these opportunities throughout your communication strategy, it shifts from a special request to a standard part of the giving experience.

2. Provide avenues to check eligibility and access next steps

The biggest barrier to workplace giving isn’t a lack of will. It’s an awareness gap. Many supporters would want to participate in these programs, but simply don’t know what their company offers or how they can get involved.

Here are a few steps you can take today to remove this friction:

• Integrate matching into the donation flow: Don’t wait until the follow-up. Empower donors to search for their companies while on the giving page (and volunteers on the registration form), and provide actionable next steps and request links right from the confirmation screen.
• Develop high-converting landing pages: Create dedicated landing pages for each workplace giving pillar: matching gifts, payroll giving, and volunteering (or supplying corporate volunteer information directly within your main volunteers page). These segmented resources improve SEO by targeting specific keywords and ensure supporters can easily locate the information they need.
• Enable timely follow-ups: Don’t let the conversation end once a donation is processed or a volunteer shift concludes. Instead, enable automated outreach to inform or remind supporters about their workplace giving opportunities while engagement is still fresh. Then, link back to the appropriate landing page (ideally with an embedded company search tool) for easy next steps.

When you do the heavy lifting for your supporters, it creates a frictionless experience that respects each individual’s time and ensures that their intent to help results in a completed transaction.

3. Highlight success stories to increase social proof

Numbers are impressive, but stories are what typically inspire action. Therefore, use social proof to show donors exactly how workplace giving works. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• The impact spotlight: Show rather than tell. Instead of just saying “we raised more,” show it. For example, “Thanks to Home Depot’s match, Sarah’s $100 gift became $200, allowing us to feed twice as many families. Kids like John and Jane thank you, Sarah!”
• Humanized partnerships: Post photos of corporate volunteer groups supporting your cause while sporting branded T-shirts. It shows other employees that your nonprofit is a vetted choice for local businesses.
• Supporter testimonials: Share a quote from a donor or volunteer who felt empowered by their company’s support: “I couldn’t afford to give more, but knowing my company doubled my impact made me feel like a major donor.”

These strategies are particularly effective because they educate and inspire your broader audience through the actions of their peers. When a donor sees a fellow supporter doubling their impact, it triggers a sense of competitive altruism and FOMO or fear of missing out. They begin to wonder, “Is my company doing that, too?”

By spotlighting tangible wins, you shift the narrative from asking for money to offering a philanthropy life hack, making the act of workplace giving feel like a shared victory for the community.

4. Review your existing supporter base for growth opportunities

Your CRM is a gold mine of untapped workplace giving potential. By analyzing your current supporter data, you can identify where the low-hanging fruit lies.

Check out these strategies for doing so:

• Use email domain screening: Run a report to find donors with corporate email addresses (e.g., @google.com, @starbucks.com, or @disney.com). These are direct leads for matching gifts and other workplace philanthropy programs.
• Segment your list: Send a targeted email to employees of a specific local corporation: “We noticed several of your colleagues at [Company] got their donations matched. Have you checked your eligibility lately?”
• Identify corporate clusters: Look for opportunities for corporate sponsorship. If you notice 20 donors or volunteers all working for the same firm, you’ve located a prime candidate for corporate sponsorship or a dedicated day of service. You can even see if these supporters would be willing to advocate to their employer on your behalf.
• Expand on existing sponsorships: Examine the corporations that have already provided grants or donations to your cause. Then, see if they have active matching gift programs for employees. Leveraging these initiatives allows you to double-dip: securing the institutional gift while mobilizing their staff to give as well.

Data-driven segmentation allows you to work smarter, not harder. By sending a tailored note to the 150 people you know work at a company with a particularly generous match program, you can significantly increase conversions because the call to action is directly relevant to the recipient’s daily life.

5. Leverage automation to guide donors through the process

Scaling workplace giving shouldn’t mean doubling your administrative load. The most efficient way to capture these funds is through automation.

By employing software like Double the Donation (which integrates with GoFundMe Pro), you can:

• Capture invaluable data instantly: The system identifies match-eligible donors in real time during the donation process.
• Track engagement through the lifecycle: Automation ensures no revenue falls through the cracks by tracking the status of a match from the initial “identified” stage to “payout.”
• Ensure no workplace giving opportunities slip through the cracks: By automating identification and follow-up, you can keep the momentum going without requiring a single manual email from your staff. This eliminates the risk of human error or forgetfulness—whether that’s a donor who closed their browser too early, a volunteer who forgot to log their hours, or a nonprofit marketer who fell behind on their ad hoc outreach.

For many nonprofits, the leaky bucket in their fundraising is the gap between a donor intending to submit a match and doing so. Luckily, automated tools allow your team to focus on high-level stewardship while the software captures every available dollar in the background.

Wrapping up

Workplace giving is the ultimate win-win-win. The supporter feels their impact has been magnified, the corporation fulfills its philanthropy goals and boosts employee engagement, and your nonprofit secures vital resources needed to advance your mission.

When you make it easy for donors and volunteers to leverage these programs, you provide them with a better way to give. By increasing awareness and reducing friction, you can build deeper relationships that stand the test of time.

Ready to start doubling your impact? Explore GoFundMe Pro’s Double the Donation integration to start capturing these “hidden” funds with ease.

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien