Corporate philanthropy is a powerful business practice that ultimately benefits nonprofits in significantly positive ways. Yet many organizations fail to realize the potential of these fundraising practices or even the extent to which they are available. That’s why we’ve put together this list of top corporate philanthropy statistics that will “wow” any fundraiser looking to dive deeper into the topic.
To curate this guide, we pulled research from top sources such as Double the Donation, re: Charity, and Crowd101 to share the most compelling corporate philanthropy statistics with nonprofits like yours.
Are you ready to jump in—and maybe even get your mind blown a time or two—with these astonishing fundraising facts? Let’s begin with an overview of the monetary impact of corporate philanthropy on nonprofits.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #1:
Corporations give an average of $21 billion to nonprofits each year.
Between the tens of thousands of companies that participate in corporate philanthropy, businesses donate an average of $21 billion to nonprofit causes. And taking a look at just the top ten most charitable corporations, their donation revenue alone surpasses $2 billion.
These dollars are also spread across multiple thousands of charitable organizations as corporate philanthropy recipients. Organizations typically aim to secure this funding through a range of corporate giving programs such as employee giving, corporate sponsorships, community grants, and more.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #2:
39% of companies plan to expand workplace giving in the next two years.
As of 2021, approximately $5 billion is raised through workplace giving programs each year—coming to nearly 24% of total corporate philanthropy revenue. And this number is only expected to grow!
39% of companies reported increasing their workplace giving programs in the next two years as they develop new programs and elevate existing efforts. This means that an even larger percentage of corporate giving dollars will be allocated through workplace giving (such as matching gifts, volunteer grants, payroll deductions, and employee donation stipends) in the near future.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #3:
65% of Fortune 500 companies match gifts and 40% offer volunteer grants.
Two of the most common forms of workplace giving programs—among companies, employees, and nonprofits alike—are matching gifts and volunteer grants. Thousands of companies offer these types of initiatives, with many Fortune 500 companies leading the way.
65% of Fortune 500 companies will match their employees’ monetary donations, while 40% will also contribute in response to volunteer hours spent with an organization. And the two kinds of programs often go hand in hand. In fact, research shows that approximately 85% of the top matching gift companies also offer volunteer grant programs!
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #4:
84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
The vast majority of nonprofit supporters surveyed report being inspired by matching gift availability to the extent that they’d be more likely to give in the first place. And this idea is corroborated by the fact that simply mentioning matching gift opportunities within an organization’s fundraising appeals results in more than a 71% increase in donation response rate!
As a nonprofit fundraiser, that’s why marketing matching gifts effectively is so important. This is true not only for informing and reminding donors about matching gifts and securing additional corporate revenue, but it’s also a fantastic way to motivate on-the-fence donors to take the leap and support your campaign.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #5:
1 in 3 donors would make a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.
On average, one-third (or approximately 33%) of participating donors indicated that they’d even be willing to make a larger donation if they knew their employer would be matching their contribution. As a result, matching gift fundraising appeals see a 51% increase in the average donation amount as compared to fundraising appeals that do not mention matching gift opportunities.
These increased donation sizes are often due to additional inspiration and a drive to create more mission value, as well as a willingness to up one’s donation size in order to meet their employer’s minimum threshold.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #6:
Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
Because so many companies (including enterprise-level businesses) match employee gifts, a significant chunk of the U.S. workforce (and even on a global scale) is eligible to have their nonprofit donations matched.
However, these opportunities often slip through the cracks due to a lack of awareness. An astounding 78% of match-eligible donors don’t even know that their company offers a matching gift program—which comes out to around 20.3 million uninformed yet match-eligible individuals.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #7:
Without automation, 78% of donors have no idea if their employer offers a matching program.
Millions of individuals qualify for corporate matching, but the vast majority of this group has never been made aware of the opportunity. In fact, only 19% of companies include more than one paragraph on matching gift programs in their easily accessible employee handbooks, training materials, or website. This knowledge gap can play a significant role in match funding going unclaimed.
And even among those who do know their employer matches gifts, many lack awareness surrounding the process involved in getting their gifts matched. Our research indicates that 16% of donors know their company has a matching gift program, but are unsure about eligibility criteria or how to submit a matching gift request.
Currently, only 8% of donors aware aware that their company matches donations, know they’re eligible for the program, and understand the process for submitting a matching gift request.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #8:
An estimated $4 – $7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed per year.
Largely due to the previously mentioned lack of donor awareness when it comes to matching gifts, billions of dollars in available match funding goes unclaimed each year. In fact, that’s more than twice the estimated $2 – $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually.
This is a significant missed opportunity for nonprofits looking to maximize their corporate philanthropy fundraising initiatives. In order to help bridge the gap for your organization, be sure to highlight corporate philanthropy in your fundraising and donor outreach efforts to inform your supporters about the availability of these programs!
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #9:
Nearly 60% of companies offer paid time off so their employees can volunteer.
Do you have a group of dedicated volunteers who help drive your mission forward on a regular basis? Be sure to encourage them to look into their employers’ workplace giving programs. Not only may they be eligible to secure a volunteer grant on your behalf, but they might be able to use additional paid time off from their employer to do so!
The majority of companies offer some form of paid time off, above and beyond an employee’s typically provided hours, in order to volunteer with various nonprofit causes. It’s a great program to consider because your volunteers are literally being paid to help out, so they’ll be extra happy to be there.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #10:
26 million+ individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
And that’s just in the United States! That’s an incredible number of people who can multiply their impact through corporate matching programs. However, on average, only 1.31% of individual contributions are matched, according to 360MatchPro’s corporate philanthropy guide.
It’s up to nonprofits and companies to work together to inform these donors about their match eligibility. One of the easiest ways to do that is by using a matching gift database. Companies can work with a provider to get their program’s guidelines added to a maching gift provider’s database. Then, nonprofits embed the database’s search tool into their donation form. Donors can research their employers’ programs during the donation process and determine their eligibility.
We recommend using Double the Donation. As the industry’s leading matching gift database, this platform provides an estimated coverage of 99.68% of all match-eligible donors. We’d say that’s pretty accurate!
In the meantime, study up on matching gifts and let donors know exactly how the process works.
Corporate Philanthropy Statistic #11:
76% of U.S. employees want to work for companies that positively impact the world.
Paul Polman’s Employee Barometer survey shows that today’s employees are drawn to companies that recognize their social responsibility. What’s more, Porter Novelli’s study on the role purpose plays in contributing to a company’s overall reputation had some important findings, too. It found that 73% of American consumers believe companies must demonstrate they’re positively impacting communities and the environment.
The easiest way for companies to meet employee and consumer expectations is through corporate philanthropy initiatives. This can be done through event sponsorships, long-term partnerships, in-kind donations, and more. They can launch employee giving initiatives like matching gifts, donations via payroll deductions, and volunteer grants to get workers in on the action, too.
Next Steps
Did you learn something new about the various ways nonprofits and businesses work together to drive forward corporate philanthropy? We certainly hope so!
Now, begin leveraging corporate giving revenue for your own organization by exploring workplace giving opportunities like matching gifts, volunteer grants, corporate volunteerism, and more. Make sure your online fundraising tools are equipped to drive corporate philanthropy as well!
Plus, don’t forget to share these fun facts with your colleagues, volunteers, and other team members so they can also get on board with the inspiration. Best of luck!
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