The Ultimate Corporate Matching Gift Software Buyer's Guide

One of the simplest and most accessible CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs available to companies of all sizes is a matching gift program. Along with corporate volunteering, it can help form the foundation of your employer’s CSR strategy.

Although the concept of a corporate matching gift program is simple, the backend administrative work can bog down your HR staff with cumbersome tasks. Multiple questions start to surface, as well. 

How much money can your employer dedicate to the program? Who vets the nonprofits receiving the funds? And how can employees be persuaded to give if participation rates are low?

The right corporate matching gift software can help answer these questions. We know you have more than a few options for vendors, so we’ll compare some of these platforms below to help you make a decision.

Table of Contents:

• What Is Corporate Matching Gift Software? What Does it Do?
• 5 Core Pieces of an Effective Gift Matching Platform
• 4 Best Corporate Matching Gift Software Solutions Compared
  
  • 1. Double the Donation
  • 2. Groundswell
  • 3. YourCause
  • 4. Millie
• Groundswell Is Your All-In-One Corporate Social Responsibility Platform

What Is Corporate Matching Gift Software? What Does it Do?

Corporate/employee matching gift software is a digital platform that manages a company’s donation matching program. Modern platforms can automate many of the rote tasks your employer might currently oversee with spreadsheets and other manual processes.

How does employee gift matching work?

The concept behind employee gift matching is relatively straightforward: employers offer to match donations made by employees to approved charities. It’s a fairly accessible way for businesses to get in on the CSR ground floor and improve their goodwill among the public.

If a corporate gift matching program sounds too expensive for your company at the moment, consider adding some limits to make things more manageable. Here are some examples:

• Employers typically match employee donations at a 1:1 ratio.
• Greater matching amounts, such as 2:1 or even 3:1, occur only during limited periods.
• Employees must be full- or part-time (no contractors) and work for the company at least six months to be eligible for donation matching.
• Businesses cap annual matching amounts, either as an overall total or on a per-employee basis.
• Employers will only match donations from vetted, 501(c)(3) organizations (no political or religious nonprofits, for instance).

What’s in it for employers? Besides improving their brand and getting some good press (two legitimate pursuits), employees may be more likely to stick around. Some sources indicate that companies can improve their employee retention rate by up to 40 percent when workers feel supported in their CSR pursuits. 

5 Core Pieces of an Effective Gift Matching Platform

So, as you look at corporate gift matching software providers, which features should you have your eye on? 

Your company’s CSR administrative budget, as well as its broader CSR goals and mission, might limit your options. It’s a good sign when a platform offers the following capabilities to make your life easier.

1. Automated gift matching. Wouldn’t it be much easier to have your software receive gift-matching requests, vet the nonprofit, and match the donation without your direct involvement?
2. Quick fund disbursement. Too many legacy CSR software vendors wait 30 days or longer to actually send matched gifts to recipients. Nonprofits need funds sooner rather than later.
3. Easy onboarding/shallow learning curve. You and your coworkers might already be stretched too thin with your daily tasks. Your software shouldn’t create more headaches.
4. Customization opportunities. It shouldn’t be difficult to place sensible limits on your corporate gift matching program. The software should make things work for you.
5. Integration capabilities. Another way the platform should save your staff time and resources is by integrating with HRIS systems and other existing datasets.

4 Best Corporate Matching Gift Software Solutions Compared

You’ll likely come across the following software providers during your search for a matching gift platform. Here’s how they compare against one another.

Now, let’s zoom in on each platform individually to explore what makes them unique.

1. Double the Donation

• What It Is: CSR software for nonprofits looking to find gift-matching opportunities for donors
• Pros: Integrates with giving platforms; intuitive UI/UX
• Cons: Doesn’t offer other CSR capabilities

Double the Donation is a widely used digital platform for corporate gift matching. Instead of relying solely on its standalone platform, it’s designed to also fill in the gaps when employees give on other platforms. Double the Donation will then help donors find out if their employer offers gift matching.

Some nonprofits report solid ROI from Double the Donation, but the success depends on the makeup of each organization’s donor base. If the base isn’t varied or large enough, nonprofits can have a hard time justifying the costs.

Additionally—and more importantly—Double the Donation is geared toward nonprofits, not necessarily companies looking to manage their own CSR programs.

2. Groundswell

• What It Is: All-in-one corporate gift matching software; offers volunteering, grants, employee assistance funds, and other programs.
• Pros: Unified login for all CSR programs; 5-star-rated mobile app
• Cons: None that we know of

Groundswell combines the intuitive, mobile-forward ethos of purpose-driven companies with the comprehensive functionalities of legacy software providers. 

Unlike many legacy providers, Groundswell instantly matches employee contributions individually – that means no minimum batch requirements and faster fund disbursement. Employee and matching gifts can both reach their intended recipient in as few as 24 hours. 

Designed to be the all-in-one solution for CSR teams, Groundswell offers more than just seamless corporate gift matching. You can also leverage unique ways to give, like employee donor-advised funds (DAFs) and grantmaking. 

With Groundswell, you can access all of the capabilities you need to build a giving program that makes sense for your organization.

3. YourCause

• What It Is: Comprehensive CSR platform that offers gift matching, employee volunteering, and more
• Pros: Offers numerous functionalities; can support global enterprises
• Cons: May be expensive for smaller businesses; implementation can be confusing; monthly invoices and long donation delays

YourCause has been around for a while and is now part of the Blackbaud family of brands. It’s a well-known legacy platform that offers products for giving, volunteering, and other CSR programs.

However, for the most part, only organizations with plenty of resources can justify the vendor’s high price tag. This is especially true considering the software’s complexity, which can make implementation a potentially costly challenge, even for enterprises.

4. Millie

• What It Is: Comprehensive CSR platform that provides functionalities for multiple CSR programs.
• Pros: Intuitive user experience; modern feel
• Cons: No Android app; monthly invoices; monthly batched donations

Millie is a relatively new player in the CSR software world. Its platform is one of the more accessible ones out there, but users sometimes feel the software’s reporting capabilities are lacking and do not scale well with growing businesses.

Groundswell Is Your All-In-One Corporate Social Responsibility Platform

Employee gift matching can be just one of many feathers in your employer’s CSR cap. It can even work directly in conjunction with other programs, such as employee volunteering (Dollars for Doers) and donor-advised funds (DAFs).

To connect your CSR programs and create synergy, it helps to have an all-in-one CSR platform like Groundswell’s. Groundswell combines the best of all worlds (comprehensive functionalities, intuitive UI/UX, affordability, and scalability)—it’s the only CSR software your employer will ever need. 

Groundswell will also save your administrative team valuable time and resources. Instead of having to mess with monthly reconciliations and other tedious paperwork, our platform automatically matches donations so you don’t have to deal with things later.

Effective corporate matching gift software is the tool you’ve been looking for to keep employees happy and fulfilled. Reach out to our team sometime soon to schedule a personalized demo.

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