October 26, 2006 | Read Time: 4 minutes
Q. I’d like to align my charity with some employee-giving programs at corporations. Can you point me to some advice on such programs, and how best to approach corporations?
A. Many corporations run campaigns that allow workers to support charities, often through payroll deductions. In some cases, the company partially or fully matches an employee’s financial contributions; also, some companies give employees paid time off to volunteer.
To become a beneficiary, check which companies might be interested in your cause, or begin to build a relationship through personal connections, says Erika Oliver, a fund-raising consultant in Portage, Mich.
Start by learning more about the companies that run charity campaigns by reading news articles and consulting their Web sites, to determine if there is a “fit” between your charity’s mission and a company’s philanthropic philosophy, says Ms. Oliver. If your organization isn’t well known, start a public-relations campaign.
“People tend to want to invest in organizations that have a strong reputation,” she says.
Once you’re ready to approach corporations, ask current and past board members, volunteers, clients, and other supporters if their employer has an employee-giving program and then, if possible, ask for a personal introduction, says Ms. Oliver.
The Burbank Chorale, a nonprofit community chorus in Burbank, Calif., just started putting this approach to work.
Last fall, the charity launched a “Where Do You Work?” program, asking each of its 55 new and returning chorus members to fill out a form with information about their place of employment, and then designated a trustee to investigate each company’s giving policies.
“We are also pursuing grants from foundations, but the application and approval process can sometimes take as long as a year, and finding the right match can be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” says Kyrian Corona, development director at the organization. “The employee matching-gift programs result in a faster return.”
So far the program has enlisted the support of just one corporation, yielding $1,500 from its workers, with another $1,500 expected this fall. But the charity is optimistic about finding more corporate donors in the coming year.
Michelle Miller, executive director of Parent to Parent of Southwest Michigan, a charity in Kalamazoo that assists families that have children with disabilities, recommends focusing on local companies so that both the management and employees can grow familiar with your organization. “You can really create a lasting connection and nurture the relationship over time when they are local people,” she says, noting that her charity currently has partnerships with three nearby companies.
To solidify connections, invite corporate executives to volunteer, adds Ms. Miller. For example, she asked one corporate liaison with whom her organization deals to become a trustee, and now not only does her charity receive steady support from the company and its employees, but the individual also has become its board president.
Your local United Way, which has a long history of being the beneficiary of employee-giving programs, may be another source to help connect with companies.
You can apply to get on the United Way’s list of “designated agencies” that corporate employees use to determine the charities they would like to support.
The list’s inclusiveness will vary from region to region, says James van der Klok, vice president of investor relations at United Way of America, in Alexandria, Va., especially as more and more United Ways are focusing on solving specific problems and making grants to groups that work on those causes.
While getting on United Way’s list can be helpful, there are also drawbacks to becoming a designated agency, says Ms. Miller, whose organization withdrew its affiliation last year.
“The rules may differ at other United Ways, but for us there was a blackout period during which designated agencies couldn’t do any fund raising with any of the corporations they do campaigns with,” she says. “It turned out that our big fund raiser was during their blackout period, and two of the corporations that regularly give us money were on the list. So while we were very proud of our designation with the United Way, taking ourselves off was the right thing for us.”
But, as Ms. Miller subsequently learned, charities can often still benefit from the visibility of a United Way campaign without being on the designated list.
Corporations each set their own rules for employee-giving campaigns, and many have a “write-in option” that allows workers to give to any tax-exempt charity. So ask your donors — on your Web site or in printed materials — to ask their employers who participate in United Way campaigns about whether this option is available to them.
Also consider joining one of several membership organizations that set up giving campaigns at corporations across the country, such as America’s Charities. Others include Earth Share, which benefits environmental and conservation charities; Community Shares USA, composed of service, social-justice, and women’s organizations; and Community Health Charities, which raises money for health charities. And don’t forget the Combined Federal Campaign, which solicits federal workers, including military personnel.
