Payroll giving is one of the most effective ways companies can cultivate a culture of generosity. For many CSR teams, however, figuring out how to set up workplace giving, payroll deductions, and donation matching systems can feel overwhelming. Between confusing payroll giving forms, clunky legacy platforms, and constant administrative upkeep, it’s no wonder many companies hesitate to use payroll giving or quickly turn it off when it becomes unmanageable.
Payroll giving shouldn’t be a burden—it should be simple, scalable, and impactful. In this guide, we’ll explain what payroll giving is, how it works, and how you can implement a high-impact, admin-free payroll giving program using modern software designed for today’s workforce.
Payroll giving is a form of workplace giving that lets employees donate to charitable causes directly from their paychecks, making it simple to support causes they care about.
This type of employee giving via payroll deduction simplifies corporate philanthropy by integrating charitable giving into the payroll process. These contributions can be enhanced through matched payroll giving, doubling the impact of employee donations.
On a basic level, payroll giving works by allowing employees to designate a portion of their paycheck for donation to a nonprofit or charitable fund. Here’s how it typically plays out:
Charitable giving through payroll contributions can be a straightforward and effective way to engage employees in your philanthropic goals.
For example, payroll giving in action might look like an employee donating $25 per paycheck to an environmental nonprofit, with the company matching their contribution. Over the year, they give a total of $650; $325 of the employee’s money and $325 from the employer.
In the past, setting up employee giving payroll deductions has required clunky software, manual tracking, and endless, complicated forms. Teams have had to manage compliance, process deductions, process matches, reconcile with AP teams, and ensure donations are dispersed accurately.
This results in limited participation, visibility, and impact. It can increase your admin burden and leave your team feeling stretched. Worst of all, these outdated systems can make giving feel like a chore for employees and admin teams, rather than a source of pride or purpose.
Payroll giving sounds great on paper. That is, until you try to implement it without the right support. Most legacy platforms make it so complex and admin-heavy that many companies give up before they even get started.
At Groundswell, we’ve reimagined payroll giving software with the modern workplace in mind. Our platform eliminates the manual workload of legacy platforms with automated, admin-free payroll giving solutions. That means no file uploads, no reconciliation, and no integration headaches. With Groundswell, there’s no need for admin teams to regularly verify eligibility or reconcile payroll giving requests, and employees can edit their payroll giving at any time.
We believe payroll giving software should make it simple for finance teams to manage employee contributions and donation matching. And we didn’t stop at payroll giving. We also introduced ACH giving, a flexible, modern option you won’t find anywhere else. With ACH, employees can:
Whether your team prefers the convenience of employee payroll giving or the flexibility of ACH, Groundswell offers both, with zero admin work for you. It’s corporate giving that finally works for everyone.
Getting started with Groundswell’s employee giving software is refreshingly simple. Here’s how to launch:
Whether your employees prefer the convenience of charitable giving through payroll or the flexibility of ACH, Groundswell empowers their giving without adding more work for you.
The biggest barrier to employee giving isn’t a lack of interest: it’s friction. When platforms are clunky and hard to find, payroll giving is confusing and frustrating, or admin requirements are high, participation falls and impact stalls. Groundswell is designed to remove these barriers, empowering you to make a meaningful difference when and where it matters most.
With a flexible, user-friendly experience, admin-free setup, and automated donation matching, our platform makes it easy for employees to get involved and take action, and even easier for employers to support them. No legacy systems, no outdated workflows, and no payroll headaches.
Book a demo today and see how we make workplace giving simple.
