Sarah Ford, Author at America's Charities Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:12:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.charities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-ac-favicon-32x32.png Sarah Ford, Author at America's Charities 32 32 The Future of Corporate Giving: How Nonprofits Can Prepare https://www.charities.org/news/future-corporate-giving/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 20:12:42 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26591 Corporate giving is a valuable part of the nonprofit funding ecosystem. Companies large and small have incorporated philanthropic efforts into their overall business plans, from matching gifts to sponsorships to corporate volunteer programs. But how can your nonprofit more effectively secure these sources of support for your own mission? This article will address four current…

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Corporate giving is a valuable part of the nonprofit funding ecosystem. Companies large and small have incorporated philanthropic efforts into their overall business plans, from matching gifts to sponsorships to corporate volunteer programs. But how can your nonprofit more effectively secure these sources of support for your own mission?

This article will address four current corporate giving trends and how your nonprofit can adapt to take advantage of these opportunities. That way, you can maximize support for your cause and build lasting partnerships with charitable businesses.

The Growth of Corporate Volunteering

The Corporate Trend

Offering volunteer time off (VTO) and organizing team-wide volunteer days are some of the most popular ways for companies to support their corporate social responsibility efforts and build morale, and volunteerism is only getting more popular. More and more companies are offering VTO, in addition to sick time and paid time off, as part of their benefits packages.

Volunteerism has a lot of benefits for companies, even beyond the impact that they have for nonprofits in their communities:

Because employees increasingly want to work for companies that align with their values, volunteerism is going to continue to grow in popularity.

Your Nonprofit’s Response

Strengthen and expand your volunteer program to make it easier for companies to build relationships with your organization and for their employees to have fulfilling experiences.

Consider reaching out proactively to companies in your region with missions aligned with yours to see if you can build long-term relationships. You can also work with them to create volunteer opportunities that work for their schedules, such as one-day projects or weekend options.

Kindful’s volunteer management guide suggests gathering and implementing feedback from volunteers to strengthen your relationships with them. Consider automating regular surveys to collect suggestions from companies or their staff and improve their experiences over time.

Additionally, since companies are interested in volunteerism that strengthens their employees’ skill sets, match volunteers to projects that allow them to use or develop the skills most valuable to them. Leverage your volunteer management system to organize people by skills or interests and allow them to select their own activities.

Building Long-Term Partnerships

The Corporate Trend

Companies in 2025 aren’t looking for one-off donation recipients. Corporations are thinking about the long-term sustainability of their employee workplace giving efforts and are using their corporate purpose to guide their philanthropic efforts.

Employees are also getting more involved with their employers’ actions—they want to know how their donations and volunteering efforts are impacting their communities or the causes they care about. To meet this need and understand their own impact, companies are looking for nonprofits that they can support over a longer period of time.

Your Nonprofit’s Response

Your nonprofit can respond to this desire by being proactive in pursuing these relationships. First, think about the status of your sponsorship program. Do you have a clear understanding of the value that your organization can provide to a corporation? Then, once you have a firm grasp on the benefits your nonprofit can offer, reach out directly to those aligned with your mission, values, or goals. For example, an environmental conservation nonprofit might partner with a gardening supply or landscaping company.

Additionally, consider ongoing opportunities for companies to lend their support long-term. For instance, let’s say you host a fundraising 5K each year. After a company successfully sponsors your event for the first time, you may develop a sponsorship contract in which they support that specific event for years to come.

Increasing Matching Gifts

The Corporate Trend

Matching gifts are one of the most underutilized but potentially powerful donation mechanisms for corporations. In response to an increased desire from their employees for transparency, flexibility, and accountability, corporations are expanding their matching gifts programs.

More Russell 1000 companies offer matching gifts programs—an increase of 12% over the last three years. Other companies are lowering minimum donation and increasing maximum donation amounts, which makes it easier for employees to donate at the size that’s right for them.

Additionally, the One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025, includes a provision, effective after 2025, allowing non-itemizers to take a charitable deduction of $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for taxpayers who are married and filing jointly. This new law adds some motivation for donors to participate in their company’s workplace giving and matching gift programs, whether they itemize or not.

Your Nonprofit’s Response

In response to this trend, your nonprofit should make it as easy as possible for any individual donor to see if they’re eligible for matching gifts and complete the process. For instance, you may add a matching gift tool directly to your donation page so donors can check their eligibility and send the appropriate forms directly after contributing.

You can also promote matching gifts in your donor stewardship and cultivation efforts. People who have donated to your nonprofit before will appreciate the opportunity to increase their impact on your organization without reaching back into their wallets. However, donors frequently only have until the end of the calendar year to submit their match requests, so make sure you reach out in advance.

Responding to Disaster and Crisis

The Corporate Trend

Many companies are prioritizing disaster relief efforts in response to unpredictable and catastrophic events such as hurricanes or wildfires. This type of philanthropy allows companies to give money to causes that are directly related to the audiences they serve or the regions in which they work. It also supports the mitigation and recovery efforts after these events, which is helpful for both the communities they serve and the company’s public image.

Employees appreciate this type of philanthropy because it allows them to see the values of the company they work for in action and gives them a way to help others in the face of adversity.

Your Nonprofit’s Response

If your nonprofit is involved in disaster response or recovery efforts, proactively include companies in your fundraising or volunteer efforts when disaster strikes. Strategies like creating supporter segments based on how they prefer to participate (financial support, manpower, in-kind donations of food, shelter, or other necessities) and regions of interest can help you leap into action when the time arises.

You can also plan how to best reach out to supporters when time is of the essence. William Paton, the author of Philanthropic Grantmaking for Disasters, stated that, “Over a third of private giving is done in less than the first four weeks of a sudden disaster… and two-thirds within two months.” To take advantage of this narrow window of immediate support, preparation and immediate action are critical.

Consider investing in text-to-give software that allows you to reach donors or volunteers quickly so you’re prepared to facilitate these donations when the worst occurs, or co-creating your disaster response plan with your corporate partners. 


Though philanthropy is changing, your nonprofit can prepare for a bright future by anticipating corporate trends and proactively responding to them. Building new partnerships and meeting companies where they are can help you to co-create a healthy ecosystem of organizations all working towards your shared goals.

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Make the Holidays More Meaningful: Engage Your Team with Employee Giving Technology https://www.charities.org/news/make-the-holidays-more-meaningful-engage-your-team-with-employee-giving-technology/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 22:15:15 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26570 The holiday season is a time for connection, gratitude, and giving back. For employers, it’s also an ideal moment to strengthen workplace culture, deepen employee engagement, and showcase your company’s values. One of the most effective ways to do this is by providing employees with an easy, inspiring way to give back—through workplace giving. Why…

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The holiday season is a time for connection, gratitude, and giving back. For employers, it’s also an ideal moment to strengthen workplace culture, deepen employee engagement, and showcase your company’s values. One of the most effective ways to do this is by providing employees with an easy, inspiring way to give back—through workplace giving.

Why Employee Giving Matters During the Holidays

The holidays are one of the busiest charitable giving periods of the year. Employees are already looking for ways to support causes close to their hearts. By offering a centralized, user-friendly donation platform, you empower your workforce to:

  • Give with ease –ACH and credit card options make donating simple.
  • Double their impact – Matching gift features help employees’ contributions go further.
  • Support what matters to them – A wide selection of vetted charities ensures employees can contribute to causes they’re passionate about.

When you make giving seamless, you’re not just facilitating generosity—you’re fostering a culture of purpose and connection within your organization.

The Business Benefits of Holiday Giving Programs

Employee giving isn’t just good for the community; it’s good for business. Companies that integrate donation technology into their holiday initiatives see:

  • Higher employee engagement and retention – Employees want to work where their values align.
  • Stronger employer brand – Socially responsible companies attract top talent and strengthen customer loyalty.
  • A more connected workforce – Giving together creates a sense of unity and shared accomplishment.

The Technology That Makes It Simple

Modern donation platforms take the heavy lifting out of workplace giving programs. With customizable holiday-themed sites, real-time reporting, and built-in matching gift capabilities, employers can launch a program in weeks—not months.

This means you can meet your employees where they are this season: ready to give, eager to make an impact, and looking to connect their work with a greater purpose.

Make This Holiday Season Count

Don’t miss the opportunity to turn holiday generosity into lasting engagement. By investing in donation technology now, you can create an experience that not only makes giving simple for your employees, but also strengthens your company culture well into the new year.

Ready to spark generosity this holiday season? Contact us today to launch your employee donation site in time for the holidays: https://impact.charities.org/holidaygiving

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Launch a Turnkey Holiday Giving Campaign https://www.charities.org/news/launch-a-turnkey-holiday-giving-campaign/ Fri, 12 Sep 2025 22:08:05 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26567 Sign up by October 3, 2025 to launch your employee donation site in time for the holidays! Give employees a simple, meaningful way to make an impact this holiday season with an America’s Charities Engage donation site — ready to go with everything you need: Contact us to get started at https://impact.charities.org/holidaygiving

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Sign up by October 3, 2025 to launch your employee donation site in time for the holidays!

Give employees a simple, meaningful way to make an impact this holiday season with an America’s Charities Engage donation site — ready to go with everything you need:

  • Convenient and Secure – Employees can log in via SSO or with username and password to donate by ACH or credit card
  • Vetted Charities and Funds Distribution – Have peace of mind that each donation reaches its destination with our thoroughly vetted list and charity funds distribution service
  • Amplify Impact – Offer matching gifts to boost generosity
  • Branded, Holiday-Themed Design – We’ll handle navigation, setup, and design; just provide your logo and brand colors
  • Donor Dashboard & Tax Receipts – Each donor can track their giving history, including date, amount, charity supported, and payment method, and has access to download a receipt for tax purposes
  • Admin Reporting – Access reports to view donor participation and top-supported charities

Contact us to get started at https://impact.charities.org/holidaygiving

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Nurturing Payroll Giving Donors: 5 Tips to Deepen Engagement https://www.charities.org/news/nurturing-payroll-giving-donors-5-tips-to-deepen-engagement/ Mon, 04 Aug 2025 19:45:12 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26521 Payroll giving donors are some of the most consistent and committed supporters nonprofits have, but they’re often overlooked in day-to-day fundraising strategies. These donors contribute through employer-sponsored workplace giving programs, with regular donations automatically deducted from their paychecks. While the individual donations may be modest, the long-term impact of this steady support is significant. Recent…

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Payroll giving donors are some of the most consistent and committed supporters nonprofits have, but they’re often overlooked in day-to-day fundraising strategies. These donors contribute through employer-sponsored workplace giving programs, with regular donations automatically deducted from their paychecks. While the individual donations may be modest, the long-term impact of this steady support is significant.

Recent tax changes also provide a potential boost, allowing non-itemizers to deduct up to $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for married couples. This could incentivize smaller-dollar donors to engage more actively in payroll giving, increasing participation and the overall impact of these programs.

That’s why it’s more important than ever to have a plan for nurturing payroll giving donors. Thanks to workplace giving partners like America’s Charities, many nonprofits now receive detailed reports that include donor information—giving you the opportunity to identify, thank, and build relationships with these supporters. However, engaging payroll giving donors requires a thoughtful approach tailored to how and why they give.

In this post, we’ll share five practical tips to help nonprofits nurture payroll giving donors, deepen their connection to your cause, and raise more through the programs. Whether you’re just starting to track this audience or looking to improve retention and lifetime value, the following best practices will help you turn payroll donors into lasting champions for your mission:

  1. Send prompt, personalized thank-you messages.
  2. Keep donors up-to-date with regular impact reports.
  3. Create an exclusive payroll giving donor community.
  4. Celebrate milestones.
  5. Invite further involvement.

These small but intentional actions can go a long way in making payroll donors feel seen, appreciated, and connected to your mission. By recognizing their ongoing commitment and tailoring your stewardship efforts, you’ll not only boost retention, but foster a sense of belonging that turns workplace givers into long-term advocates for your cause.

Let’s dive into five key strategies to get started.

1. Send prompt, personalized thank-you messages.

One of the most important ways to nurture payroll giving donors is to acknowledge their support promptly and personally. Because payroll gifts are automatically deducted from paychecks, these donors may not receive the same level of recognition as those making one-time or online gifts, making it all the more important to go the extra mile.

As soon as you receive donor information from a disbursement partner (such as America’s Charities), take the opportunity to send a warm thank-you message. For the best results, you’ll want to include:

  • Their name
  • The impact of their recurring gift
  • A brief note that acknowledges their choice to give through their employer

Even a simple message like “Thank you, Alex, for setting up a payroll donation through your workplace giving program—you’re helping us make a difference every month” can build goodwill and reinforce their connection to your cause.

All in all, a prompt, thoughtful thank-you lays the foundation for stronger engagement and sets the tone for future communication. It shows donors that you’re paying attention and that their recurring generosity doesn’t go unnoticed.

2. Keep donors up-to-date with regular impact reports.

Payroll giving donors often give quietly and consistently in the background which means they may not always see the tangible results of their generosity. To keep them engaged and inspired, it’s essential to regularly share the value of their ongoing support.

In other words, because payroll donors typically don’t interact with your organization each time they give, corporate impact reports serve as a vital touchpoint. These reports don’t have to be long or formal. Brief monthly or quarterly updates that show where their donations are going can be incredibly effective. Highlight the real-world outcomes of their contributions, such as how many meals were provided, how many students were reached, or how their steady giving helped sustain a specific program.

Whenever possible, personalize these updates by referencing their donor segment: “As a payroll donor, your ongoing support plays a key role in helping us plan ahead and respond consistently to community needs.” You can even include cumulative milestones like “Your monthly donations this year have added up to $240 in support!”

While many employers have year-round opportunities for employees to give and it’s important to keep in touch with those donors throughout the year, the opportunity to enroll in payroll deduction giving most often occurs in the third and fourth quarters of the year. That makes timing especially important when thanking current payroll donors and encouraging them to continue supporting your nonprofit’s mission.

By keeping payroll donors informed, you help them see themselves as a crucial part of your mission’s success. This ongoing connection builds trust, strengthens loyalty, and reminds donors that their automatic gift is actively making a difference—even when it may feel out of sight.

3. Create an exclusive payroll giving donor community.

Payroll donors may not always feel the same connection to your organization as one-time or major donors, especially since their giving happens automatically in the background. One powerful way to change that is by creating an exclusive community just for payroll giving supporters.

This doesn’t need to be a formal membership program. Even something as simple as a branded name like “The Monthly Impact Circle” or “Workplace Giving Champions” can give donors a sense of belonging and shared purpose. You can invite payroll donors to subscribe to a dedicated email list, join a private Facebook group, or attend exclusive events like behind-the-scenes tours, impact webinars, or virtual meet-and-greets with your team.

By offering recognition and engagement tailored specifically to payroll donors, you’re reinforcing that they’re not just anonymous contributors; they’re part of a committed, values-driven community. This type of identity-building increases donor satisfaction and retention while also encouraging supporters to spread the word about your mission within their workplace.

When donors feel like they’re part of something meaningful (and exclusive), they’re more likely to stay involved and deepen their connection to your cause over time.

4. Celebrate milestones.

Payroll giving donors may not always realize how much of an impact they’ve made over time, especially when their donations are small but consistent. That’s why celebrating key milestones is an important way to recognize their long-term commitment and deepen their connection to your mission.

These milestones could include:

  • Anniversaries (e.g., 6 months or 1 year of giving)
  • Total contribution thresholds (such as $250 or $500 cumulatively)
  • Broader goals reached with the help of payroll gifts (like funding a program for an entire month)

Upon reaching such milestones, personalized emails, handwritten notes, or digital badges can go a long way in making these donors feel valued. A simple message like “Thanks to your steady support over the past year, you’ve helped us deliver 100 meals to families in need!” is both impactful and deeply appreciated.

You can also highlight payroll donors in newsletters, larger impact reports, or social media shoutouts (with permission) to show public appreciation and inspire others to give in the same way. Recognizing these milestones not only reinforces the importance of recurring giving but also reminds donors that every paycheck contribution is building toward something bigger.

Celebrating milestones makes donors feel seen and appreciated which are two essential elements in keeping payroll givers engaged for the long haul.

5. Invite further involvement.

Payroll giving donors have already taken a meaningful step by committing to support your organization through regular contributions. But that doesn’t have to be the end of their involvement. In fact, it’s just the beginning.

One of the best ways to deepen engagement with these supporters is to invite them to connect more fully with your mission through additional opportunities.

For example, start by promoting employer matching gifts. Many payroll donors give through their workplace, which means their employers may also offer corporate matching gift programs. Remind donors to check with their HR department or use your matching gift search tool to see if their contributions can be doubled. This not only increases impact but also further involves donors in the fundraising process.

Next, consider inviting payroll donors to participate in volunteer opportunities, both in-person and virtually. Payroll givers may be interested in taking a more active role, whether that’s helping at events, serving on committees, or lending their skills in areas like marketing or finance. For the best results, highlight roles that fit flexible schedules and offer meaningful experiences, and don’t forget to remind them about potential employer-sponsored volunteer programs like volunteer grants and VTO, too!

You can even invite payroll donors to attend impact events, join peer-to-peer fundraisers, or participate in advocacy campaigns. These thoughtful invitations show that your organization values them not just as recurring donors, but as mission-driven individuals with much more to contribute.

By offering ways to deepen their involvement—on their own terms—you help payroll donors feel even more connected, appreciated, and empowered. This strengthens their loyalty and turns consistent givers into passionate, long-term advocates.


All in all, payroll giving donors represent a unique and valuable segment of your supporter base, offering reliable, recurring gifts that can add up to a significant long-term impact. With donor details often included in disbursements from CSR partners, your organization has the opportunity to move beyond passive receipt toward intentional relationship-building.

By implementing these thoughtful stewardship strategies, you can transform payroll donors into loyal advocates for your mission. After all, these individuals have already taken a meaningful step by giving through their workplace. Now, it’s your turn to show them that their support matters, and to invite them into a stronger, more connected relationship with your cause.

Interested in learning more about nurturing payroll giving donors?

Check out the webinar, Navigating Workplace Giving Disbursements and Trends, to continue growing your knowledge.

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How to Align Your Company’s Values with Your Hiring Process https://www.charities.org/news/how-to-align-your-companys-values-with-your-hiring-process/ Fri, 01 Aug 2025 14:26:37 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26516 Hiring is about more than filling roles—it’s about shaping the future of your company. Every new team member contributes to the culture you’re building, and aligning your hiring process with your organization’s values is more important than ever. Candidates understand the importance of company culture, too; research shows that 77% of job seekers consider company…

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Hiring is about more than filling roles—it’s about shaping the future of your company. Every new team member contributes to the culture you’re building, and aligning your hiring process with your organization’s values is more important than ever. Candidates understand the importance of company culture, too; research shows that 77% of job seekers consider company culture an important factor when applying for a job, and 47% of employees are open to leaving their employers for one whose values align more closely with their own. 

When values and hiring are out of sync, it can quietly undermine team morale, increase turnover, and blur your company’s identity. However, you can prevent this issue from snowballing out of control by building company values into your talent acquisition strategies. Let’s explore practical tips for infusing your culture throughout the hiring process and building a committed, purpose-driven workforce.

1. Clearly Define and Communicate Values

Before you can incorporate your values into your hiring process, you need to define those principles clearly. Your company values should be specific, measurable, and consistently represented in all communication—internally and externally. If your values are vague or inconsistent, reflecting them in your hiring process will be challenging.

Follow these tips to establish a shared, consistent understanding of your values:

  • Develop a “Values Playbook.” This resource should be the source of truth for your employees, leadership, and recruitment team. In this resource, include information like a word cloud of value descriptors, real-world applications of your values, and messaging tips for speaking about your values. For recruiting teams, ensure they have their own modified version of the Values Playbook that guides their hiring strategies and conversations.
  • Host value-driven discussions. You might offer Lunch and Learn opportunities where employees can educate their colleagues on certain topics. Start a new discussion series where employees can speak about your values and company culture. Allow them to provide constructive feedback or discuss how they incorporate your values into their everyday roles.
  • Incorporate values into feedback delivery. Many companies have structured feedback delivery cadences through one-on-one meetings or performance management. Make sure to tie company values to employee feedback delivery and performance criteria. For instance, when a manager gives feedback, you might ask them to highlight which value is most relevant to the conversation.

Ensure that all of your values-centric resources are easily accessible via your HR materials, employee handbook, or resources portal.

2. Meet with Leadership Regularly About Values

All employees must agree on and embody your values, especially leadership. Regular check-ins to ensure your administration is leading by example will help you understand gaps and areas for improvement. Employee feedback can also reveal gaps between stated values and lived experiences.

Follow these tips to productively connect with leadership:

  • Hold quarterly or bi-annual meetings with leadership to review employee feedback related to value adherence.
  • Conduct employee surveys to measure how well company values are being implemented and followed.
  • Discuss any discrepancies and make adjustments to the recruitment strategy or company practices accordingly.

If you come away with any big value changes, let your recruitment team know. A concerted effort to improve your value alignment, especially from the highest level, can enhance your reputation and employer brand. 

3. Use Data to Identify Value-Aligned Traits in Hires

Your recruitment team likely already tracks robust hiring data, which can be helpful for aligning your hiring process with your company’s values. By leveraging data, you can identify the traits that best align with your values and ensure you hire individuals who will succeed in your organizational culture. 

To get started, keep these data-driven best practices in mind:

  • Use predictive analysis to identify the traits of successful employees who embody your company’s values. For instance, you might look at their one-on-one feedback write-ups and track any common principles mentioned. These insights can inform hiring criteria and help you focus on candidates who are more likely to thrive within your organization.
  • Implement value assessments to evaluate how well candidates align with your culture. Incorporate tools such as situational judgment tests, personality assessments, or structured interview questions designed around your core values. These assessments can reveal how candidates think and act, giving you a clearer picture of whether they align with your organizational ethos.
  • Track cultural fit throughout the hiring funnel to ensure consistency in value alignment. Monitor candidate fit at each stage of the hiring process by collecting feedback from interviewers and using scoring systems tied to your core principles. This allows you to identify patterns, address inconsistencies, and keep cultural alignment a priority from the first screen to the final offer.

Don’t measure all of this information without additional context. JazzHR’s guide to recruitment tools suggests using applicant tracking systems (ATS) and AI-powered solutions that are built for making this process clearer and more efficient.

4. Align Employer Branding with Values

Your employer brand is the public-facing representation of your company culture. Your recruitment team must ensure that your company’s values are reflected in how you present your company to the outside world.

Let’s say one of your values is fostering employee enrichment and fulfillment. Here’s how you might represent those priorities in your employer branding:

  • Highlight your corporate social responsibility (CSR) offerings. According to Double the Donation, CSR can provide immense fulfillment to altruistic employees. Emphasize how you participate in CSR by explaining your matching gift program, volunteer grants, employee volunteer offerings, and more. 
  • Explain how your company prioritizes employee well-being. Ensuring employees have a chance to recharge outside of work shows you care about their health and want them to come to work with a purpose every day. Describe how your company supports work-life balance, offers professional growth opportunities, and delivers other key benefits.  
  • Showcase opportunities for meaningful internal impact. Employees often feel most fulfilled when they know their voices matter and they can actively shape the organization. Highlight how your company encourages employee-led initiatives, innovation programs, or cross-functional projects. Ultimately, you’ll demonstrate that personal growth and purpose are embedded in your culture.

By offering this content, you provide candidates with a clearer picture of the kind of company they would be joining, ensuring they feel aligned and excited about your values before applying. Be sure to share employer branding across your hiring and marketing channels, like job boards, career fairs, and social media. 

Wrapping Up

Embedding your company’s values into your hiring process is a strategic move that strengthens your organization from the inside out. To get started, audit your current hiring process to identify gaps where your company’s ethos could be more visible or better integrated. Then, work with leadership and your recruitment team to get all of your employees on the same page. Above all, remember that aligning values with hiring requires ongoing effort to maintain, but it pays dividends in culture, performance, and long-term success.

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How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Impact Individual Giving and Employer-Sponsored Workplace Giving Programs https://www.charities.org/news/how-the-big-beautiful-bill-will-impact-individual-giving-and-employer-sponsored-workplace-giving-programs/ Mon, 14 Jul 2025 20:25:55 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26501 The One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025, introducing a range of provisions that will affect how individuals, companies, and workplaces support the causes they care about. While much remains uncertain about how this legislation will influence individual and corporate giving, we anticipate that its provisions will introduce additional layers…

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The One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, 2025, introducing a range of provisions that will affect how individuals, companies, and workplaces support the causes they care about.

While much remains uncertain about how this legislation will influence individual and corporate giving, we anticipate that its provisions will introduce additional layers of complexity and, overall, negatively impact the charitable giving sector—furthering the decline that began with the implementation of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s (TCJA) implementation.

However, there are some glimmers of hope for workplace giving campaign participation and nonprofits who benefit from those donors.

Workplace giving programs—those that allow employees to donate to causes directly from their paychecks—have long been a cornerstone of charitable engagement. Yet in recent years, participation has plateaued.

The Big Beautiful Bill could remove barriers for both employees and employers, making workplace giving more accessible, rewarding, and impactful.

  1. For Donors:
    1. When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act nearly doubled the standard deduction, the number of itemizers fell sharply, leading to an estimated $20 billion drop in giving per year. This new bill could reverse that trend by making it easier for everyday donors to experience a direct financial benefit for their generosity.
    1. The new law includes a provision, effective after 2025, allowing non-itemizers to take a charitable deduction of $1,000 for single filers and $2,000 for taxpayers who are married and filing jointly.
    1. This adds some motivation for donors to participate in their company’s workplace giving program whether they itemize or not.
  • For Nonprofits:
    • The passage of the Big Beautiful Bill could increase participation in charitable giving, particularly among younger and middle-income donors who may feel that their smaller contributions don’t make a difference. With the new tax incentive not requiring donors to itemize taxes, this widens the pool of potential donors, particularly among donors who take advantage of recurring payroll deduction to make larger size donations.
    • This is important for nonprofits to consider as they look to fill the gaps from major gifts. Big donors who itemize now have limits – the first 0.5% of AGI is not deductible and for high earners, the tax benefit is capped at 35% of donations.  This will have a much more significant impact on nonprofits who rely heavily on major gifts, so looking at workplace giving as a way to diversify fundraising is more important than ever. 
  • For Employers:
    • While this bill has introduced some complexity and new requirements for companies to qualify for charitable deductions, one thing hasn’t changed: employers can still leverage employee matching gift programs as a way to support nonprofits and engage employees.
    • Matching gift programs, especially those facilitated with partners like America’s Charities, remain a very cost-efficient and effective way for companies to support charities. A partner like America’s Charities can provide all-in-one support, including providing an online solution to facilitate giving and automate matching gifts and distributing donations and matching funds to vetted charities.

Many factors motivate charitable giving, and philanthropy is an important priority for many families and employers whether they have a tax incentive or not. Nonprofits need us more than ever. Regardless of your take on this new bill and how it will impact the philanthropic sector, one thing this bill does get right is removing barriers for both employees and employers, making workplace giving more accessible, rewarding, and impactful.

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Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives https://www.charities.org/news/productive-partnerships-supporting-nonprofits-through-csr-initiatives/ Mon, 21 Oct 2024 16:07:28 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26300 Join America’s Charities President and CEO, Jim Starr, along with other panelists on October 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET for NXUnite’s panel on Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives.  During this panel session, hosted by Nexus Marketing, you will hear about: Register here!

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Join America’s Charities President and CEO, Jim Starr, along with other panelists on October 30, 2024 at 3:00 PM ET for NXUnite’s panel on Productive Partnerships: Supporting Nonprofits Through CSR Initiatives. 

During this panel session, hosted by Nexus Marketing, you will hear about:

  • Finding corporate partners that resonate with your mission
  • Designing collaborative programs that benefit both parties
  • Effective strategies for nonprofits to engage corporate partners
  • Utilizing corporate resources to strengthen nonprofit capacity-building efforts
  • Overcoming challenges in partnership development and management
  • Exploring innovative funding models in corporate-nonprofit collaborations

Register here!

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America’s Charities Named ‘Best Nonprofit To Work For’ For Fourth Consecutive Year https://www.charities.org/news/americas-charities-named-best-nonprofit-to-work-for-for-fourth-consecutive-year/ Mon, 01 Apr 2024 21:08:30 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26113 Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2024 – America’s Charities, the nonprofit that mobilizes the power of giving as a leading provider of volunteering, workplace giving, employee assistance funds, matching gift, scholarships and other social impact solutions, today announced it was selected as a 2024 Best Nonprofit To Work For by the impartial research organization Best…

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Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2024 – America’s Charities, the nonprofit that mobilizes the power of giving as a leading provider of volunteering, workplace giving, employee assistance funds, matching gift, scholarships and other social impact solutions, today announced it was selected as a 2024 Best Nonprofit To Work For by the impartial research organization Best Companies Group (BCG). This is the fourth consecutive year that BCG has recognized America’s Charities as one of the 50 best employers in the industry, ranking in the top three for best small nonprofit employer.

“We work with organizational leaders every day, helping them create corporate social responsibility strategies and programs to engage their employees and improve the world,” said Jim Starr, president and CEO of America’s Charities. “Employee engagement starts with how your people feel about where and with whom they work. It’s also about empowering them to shape their communities, providing incentives for meaningful participation, building-in opportunities to listen and learn from each other, and creating a purposeful culture where a workforce cares for one another and their organization’s mission. We employ these same best practices within our own organization, so being named a Best Nonprofit To Work For again this year, truly reflects who America’s Charities is and what we do to ‘help you help others.’ I am immensely proud to work with such incredibly talented, passionate people.”

To be considered for participation, organizations had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

  • Must be in business a minimum of 1 year;
  • Must be a nonprofit organization with 501 (c)(3) status;
  • Have a facility in the United States;
  • Have a minimum of 15 employees in the United States; and,
  • An organization may enter as a group of nonprofits or as an individual organization as long as each participating organization is a separate legal entity (separate subsidiary).  Branch offices may not enter separately from their parent nonprofit unless they are separate legal entities.

Nonprofits from across the United States entered the two-part survey process to determine Best Nonprofits to Work For. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated organization’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation.

The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top nonprofits and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process, analyzed the data and determined the ranking.

For more information on The Nonprofit Times’ Best Nonprofits to Work For program, visit www.BestNonprofitstoWorkFor.com.

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Funds Management Associate https://www.charities.org/news/funds-management-associate/ Sun, 25 Feb 2024 01:47:45 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=26065 Department:  Charitable Funds Management Solutions We are a non-profit charitable organization looking for skilled individuals who can coordinate multiple client requirements related to fund processing and reporting.  The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, able to handle multiple urgent tasks and manage time wisely.  Candidate should be able to help solve problems on their own and as…

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Department:  Charitable Funds Management Solutions

We are a non-profit charitable organization looking for skilled individuals who can coordinate multiple client requirements related to fund processing and reporting.  The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, able to handle multiple urgent tasks and manage time wisely.  Candidate should be able to help solve problems on their own and as part of a team.

Specific Responsibilities: 

  • Research charity information
  • Support account teams and charity/campaign clients with reports and mailing
  • Ensure timely and accurate processing of pledge/donor data
  • Coordinate with the account team on all aspects of deposit/donation reporting and invoicing.

Education and Experience Requirements

  • Demonstrable working knowledge of MS Excel
  • Excellent oral and written communications skills
  • Strong computer skills and the ability to learn new programs and processes. 
  • Experience in cash handling (ex. Cashier or Bank Teller) is a plus

Candidate must pass a Skills Test (MS Excel functions and writing skills)**

Salary $18-22/hr

Job Type: Full Time

Full Time  9AM – 5PM EST – hybrid position  (3 days in Chantilly HQ)

Applicants please email your resume to: administration@charities.org 

No phone calls or recruiter inquiries. America’s Charities is an equal opportunity employer. 

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How to Administer an Employee Assistance Fund (EAF) https://www.charities.org/news/how-to-administer-an-employee-assistance-fund-eaf/ Thu, 04 Jan 2024 01:28:00 +0000 https://www.charities.org/?p=25965 64% of employees cite money issues as a significant source of stress, according to the American Psychological Association. Often times that stress can be a result of unexpected hardships like medical emergencies, disasters such as house fires or flooding, or accidents. Employers who want to demonstrate commitment to their employees’ well-being and help employees recover more…

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64% of employees cite money issues as a significant source of stress, according to the American Psychological Association. Often times that stress can be a result of unexpected hardships like medical emergencies, disasters such as house fires or flooding, or accidents.

Employers who want to demonstrate commitment to their employees’ well-being and help employees recover more quickly from financial hardships should consider establishing an employee assistance fund (EAF), also known as an Employee Relief or Crisis Fund.

How exactly do you establish an EAF, and should you manage it in-house or outsource the program to a nonprofit partner?

Whether you outsource your company’s EAF or facilitate it in-house will depend on several factors, including the size of your company, how much budget you have available to fund the EAF, and the complexity of your EAF program. Outsourcing your company’s EAF to a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit like America’s Charities offers special legal and tax advantages, as well as reducing your administrative burden, mitigating risk, maintaining data privacy, and more.

Best of all, working with a partner like America’s Charities makes integrating an EAF into your CSR or employee giving, engagement, or wellness program a cinch – or it can form the basis of a new program.

Three Ways to Establish an EAF:

1. Public Charity

  • Provides companies with the most flexibility and tax advantages
  • Grants and donations are tax-free for all instances
  • Has authority over grant decisions and disbursements to recipients, reducing your liability and risk
  • An established charity with proven funds management experience expertise—like America’s Charities—does not have the same qualifying limits as private foundations do, as outlined in the first example. More information can be found in IRS Publication 3833

2. Private Foundation

  • Requires ongoing administration, investment, and in-house knowledge of applicable laws and regulations
  • More program restrictions than a public charity faces
  • Many disasters and emergency hardship situations are not qualified as disasters
  • Grants treated as taxable income except for qualified disasters
  • Limitations to the tax deductibility of donations
  • Grant decisions cannot be made by individuals in senior management

3. Company Administers In-house

  • Requires ongoing administration, investment, and in-house knowledge of applicable laws and regulations
  • More program restrictions than a public charity or private foundation faces
  • Many disasters and emergency hardship situations are not qualified as disasters
  • Grants treated as taxable income except for qualified disasters
  • Donations are not tax deductible
  • Grant decisions cannot be made by individuals in senior management
  • Company may need to undergo discrimination testing and complete IRS Publication 5500
  • Legally and financially complex; additional requirements may necessitate outside legal, accounting, and tax counsel

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The Business Case for Employee Volunteer & Skills Giving Programs https://www.charities.org/news/business-case-employee-volunteer-skills-giving-programs/ Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:00:00 +0000 http://charities.local/business-case-employee-volunteer-skills-giving-programs/ What if I told you that having an employee volunteer program could potentially save you money – say $1,000 to $6,000 per employee. Would you start one?  Or if you have one, would you take it more seriously? The average employee turnover rate of all U.S. industries is 22%.  In some cases, this turnover is healthy…

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What if I told you that having an employee volunteer program could potentially save you money – say $1,000 to $6,000 per employee. Would you start one?  Or if you have one, would you take it more seriously?

The average employee turnover rate of all U.S. industries is 22%.  In some cases, this turnover is healthy for your organization because you’re losing low performers (i.e. problem staff or those not willing to improve) and this can positively impact everything from employee engagement to productivity and profits. But what if the employees leaving your organization are top performers?

Replacing top performers can cause service disruptions for your customers and requires a substantial amount of financing, extensive training, employee workload balancing, and handling cultural shifts. None of that sounds good, but how exactly does it impact your company’s bottom line?  Employee Benefit News (EBN) reports that it costs employers 33% of a worker’s annual salary to hire a replacement if that worker leaves. In dollar figures, the replacement cost is $15,000 per person for an employee earning a median salary of $45,000 a year, according to the Work Institute’s Retention Report. So for purposes of this article, let’s focus on employees that make $45,000. For each of those employees leaving your organization, it’s costing you about $15,000.

Increased Employee Engagement Helps Employers Reduce Turnover and Achieve Higher Profitability

PwC study revealed, “Employees most committed to their organizations put in 57 percent more effort on the job—and are 87 percent less likely to resign—than employees who consider themselves disengaged.”  According to Gallup, “organizations that are the best in engaging their employees achieve earnings-per-share growth that is more than four times that of their competitors. Compared with business units in the bottom quartile, those in the top quartile of engagement realize substantially better customer engagement, higher productivity, better retention, fewer accidents, and 21% higher profitability. Engaged workers also report better health outcomes.”

So where do employee volunteer and skills giving programs factor in? It’s an excellent, relatively low-cost way to engage and retain employees.

Keep Employees By Engaging Them Through Volunteerism

Employees quit their jobs for many reasons (salary and benefits topping the list), but the majority of reasons are actually something employers can control.  HumanResources.about.com sites the following as 10 critical reasons why employees quit their job (in no special order):

  1. Bad or nonexistent relationship with boss
  2. Bored and unchallenged by the work itself
  3. Lack of relationships/friendship with co-workers
  4. Opportunities to use skills and abilities
  5. Contribution of work to the organization’s business goals
  6. Autonomy and independence
  7. Meaningfulness of work
  8. Organization’s financial stability
  9. Overall corporate culture
  10. Management’s recognition of employee job performance

Instituting an employee volunteer and skills giving program can help your organization address all ten of these.

Camaraderie

(addressing #1 and 3 from list above)

Organizing group days of service provide co-workers (and their bosses) an opportunity to work together and get to know each other outside the walls of the workplace. There is no corporate hierarchy when it comes to hands-on in-person or virtual/remote volunteer activities like filling afterschool snack bags for low-income children, cleaning up trash at the local park, or contributing specialized skills like web design or accounting for a local nonprofit.  Such activities permit employees from different departments and different levels of seniority the chance to share experiences together and interact on a deeper level, resulting in stronger relationships when they return to the office. In UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch’s study, Doing Good is Good for You, “85% of volunteers note developing friendships through their volunteer activities.”

Corporate Culture & Meaningful Work

(addressing #2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 from list above)

It’s well known that employees want to work for companies that care. In fact, America’s Charities Snapshot Employee Research found that 71% of employees surveyed say it’s imperative or very important to work where culture is supportive of giving and volunteering.  When strategically integrated with your company’s business goals and values, involving employees in a mix of volunteer work, skills giving, workplace giving programs, and matching gift opportunities gives employees a sense of purpose, and makes them feel more connected to the community and your company-wide social responsibility efforts. In fact, matching gifts is one of the top five motivations for workplace donors when it comes to employee engagement programs. Not familiar with matching gifts? Learn how matching gift programs work here.

Additionally, volunteer programsparticularly those with pro bono and skills giving opportunities – provide a meaningful way for employees to put their abilities to use, and give them a chance to grow and develop professional skills. Integrated online giving and volunteer management tools like America’s Charities’ Engage CSR solution make it easy for companies and their employees to connect their skills with nonprofit needs and volunteer opportunities. According to a Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, “92% of surveyed corporate human resources executives agree that contributing business skills and expertise to a nonprofit can be an effective way to improve employees’ leadership and broader professional skill sets.”

All of this effectively reinforces beliefs and behaviors most valued by your company, empowers employees to grow and do things for which they are most passionate, infuses pride and loyalty in employees, and contributes to a stronger, more skilled workforce.

Employee Recognition & Financial Stability

(addressing #8 and 10 from list above)

Based on results from the State of the American Workplace report, Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. between $483 billion to $605 billion each year in lost productivity. They are more likely to steal from their companies, negatively influence their coworkers, miss workdays, and drive customers away.

Engaged employees are happier, healthier, and perform at a higher level. UnitedHealthcare and VolunteerMatch’s study reaffirms that “volunteering has a proven positive effect on physical and mental health” and research from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business shows that employee volunteering is linked to greater workplace productivity and satisfaction. Jessica Rodell, author of the research, says, “Overwhelmingly employees who volunteered gave more time and effort to their jobs, were more willing to help out their colleagues, talked more positively about their companies and were less likely to do detrimental things like cyberloaf or waste time on the job.”

When employees perform well and contribute to business goals, this gives management more reason to recognize those employees’ efforts. In the Millennial Impact Report, “More than half (53%) of respondents said having their passions and talents recognized and addressed is their top reason for remaining at their current company.” When companies recognize employees for good work, it reinforces that behavior and sets the foundation for a pattern of positive performance in the future. A case study of an employee recognition program established by The Walt Disney World Resort showed “a 15% increase in staff satisfaction with their day-to-day recognition by their immediate supervisors. These results correlated highly with high guest-satisfaction scores, which showed a strong intent to return, and therefore directly flowed to increased profitability.”

Monetizing Volunteerism

There are a variety of ways to structure an employee volunteer program and a wide range of volunteer activities to offer, including day of service events, ongoing volunteer opportunities throughout the year, skills giving and pro bono services. Choosing the right mix ultimately depends on what your employee interests and company goals are, as well as what type of support nonprofits need.

When it comes to measuring employee volunteer and skills giving programs, companies typically track things like the number of hours volunteered, employee participation rates, types of services delivered and to whom, and employee values such as satisfaction and skill development. But did you know volunteer time can be monetized?

Volunteerism is a difficult concept to monetize because the myriad ways volunteers contribute are not always measurable. But in looking at what is quantifiable, Independent Sector estimates the national value of each volunteer hour is worth $27.20 per hour. Derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ database of job functions and mean wages, this calculation is a way to assign a monetary value to the time your employees donate. So if 50 of your employees each volunteer 8 hours to a nonprofit throughout the course of a year, instead of reporting that your company volunteered 400 hours, you can share that your company’s volunteerism provided approximately $10,880 worth of volunteer time to that nonprofit. That’s a significant business contribution to the community, and a value your board and other important stakeholders are more likely to comprehend and appreciate.

Investing in Employee Volunteer & Skills Giving Programs is Good Business Sense

How much a company invests in its employee volunteer program will depend on a variety of criteria. Typical company investments can easily range anywhere between $18 to $800 per employee per year. If we go back to our example of the company with 50 employees and an average of 5 employees leaving each year (a 10% turnover rate) – let’s assume the company in our example invests $179 per employee each year in employee engagement. This means, it would cost this company a total of $900 to $8,950 a year to implement an employee volunteer program for all employees combined.  That’s a pretty low cost to absorb when you consider that it would cost the company roughly $15,000 to replace just one of those employees ($75,000 to replace five).

Employee volunteer and skills giving programs have steadily been moving towards the center of many corporations’ social responsibility initiatives over the last decade. This surge in interest in volunteerism coincides with the dire need many nonprofits have for support. More than ever, charities are better positioned and interested in partnering with companies and engaging with corporate employees. However, as a survey respondent stated in America’s Charities Snapshot Nonprofit Research: Rising Tide of Expectations, “Companies shouldn’t look at their work with nonprofits as transactional events but rather as building a relationship with a trusted ‘go to’ partner that is working to achieve mutual goals.”  Through employee volunteer and skills giving programs, companies have the opportunity to help build nonprofit capacity and empower employees to give their time and talent. And all of this is good for the company’s employee retention and bottom line.


Get Started Now! What can we help you with?

Learn more about how a well-designed corporate philanthropy program can meet your needs. Click here for more information about our employer solutions and to request a call with our team.

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