If your company wants to give back to its community, offering a workplace giving program—through which you give gifts of time and donations to nonprofit organizations—is the best place to start. These programs are a win-win-win, because they benefit your company, the nonprofits you give to, and the employees who participate.
But for each of these parties to get the most out of your company’s program, it has to be well-managed. That’s where workplace giving software comes into play. A software tool with the right features can help you manage your program efficiently, boost employee participation in the program, and ultimately drive a larger impact for the organizations you give to.
In this guide, we’ll take a deep dive into workplace giving software, covering everything you need to know to make a wise investment for your own program.
Here’s what we’ll explore:
- Workplace Giving Software: A Quick Overview
- What to Look for in Workplace Giving Software
- 5 Benefits of Powering a Workplace Giving Program With the Right Tools
Whether you’re launching your first workplace giving program or seeking to improve an existing program, investing in the right software and leveraging the right features can make all the difference in your program’s success and your company’s reputation as a changemaker in your community.
Workplace Giving Software: Overview
Before you can start shopping for the right workplace giving software tool, your company needs a solid understanding of the purpose of these tools and how they can help you with your company’s workplace giving program. Let’s go over the basics.
What Workplace Giving Is
Let’s start from the beginning. Workplace giving, also known as corporate giving, refers to a charitable giving program offered by an employer to their employees. Through these programs, employees are able to contribute gifts of time and money to charitable organizations and causes.
Companies typically offer workplace giving as part of their efforts to embrace corporate social responsibility (CSR), engage their employees, and strengthen their brand image.
If you’re new to the idea of workplace giving and want to start your own program, setting up a matching gift program is the easiest way to start! Through these programs, your company will financially match the donations your employees give to nonprofit organizations.
What Workplace Giving Software Is
Also known as employee giving software or corporate giving software, workplace giving software solutions are tools designed to help streamline giving.
However, there are differences between the specific types of tools and what they’re used for depending on whether your organization is a company or a nonprofit.
Companies use workplace giving software to streamline their workplace giving programs. Through these platforms, companies can manage their volunteer initiatives, keep an eye on employee charitable giving and gift matching, create reports to better understand the impact their programs are having on their communities, and more.
Nonprofits, on the other hand, use different tools than companies do to accomplish things like securing donation matches or volunteer grant revenue. Most commonly, nonprofits will use a matching gift tool on their donation pages to empower donors to look up their matching gift eligibility and kickstart the gift-matching process.
Why Your Company Needs Workplace Giving Software
While it is possible to run a workplace giving program without dedicated software, your company would soon start to face roadblocks to maximizing your program’s impact. There are a few specific reasons why using workplace giving software is a good idea. Namely, with the right tools, you can:
- Centralize the program’s administration. There are many moving parts of a workplace giving program, from hosting your own volunteer events and fundraising campaigns on behalf of nonprofit partners to managing individuals’ matching gift requests, volunteer grant applications, and more, These can quickly become a lot to manage without the help of a platform built for the job. Using workplace giving software, you can easily keep everything in one place, reduce paperwork, and delegate program tasks to multiple team members. In turn, you’ll boost your program’s overall efficiency and effectiveness.
- Increase participation in your program. When your company has a centralized, easy-to-use resource employees can leverage to get involved in charitable giving, it will be much easier to get your employees to participate in your program. For example, some workplace giving platforms offer a matching gift auto-submission feature, which means that employees can bypass a complex match request submission system and simply provide their corporate email address to get the ball rolling for their donation match. When the process is simplified, it makes it much more appealing to your employees, and you’ll have more success engaging them in your charitable initiatives. Learn more by watching this video:
- Easily comply with tax regulations. Generating tax receipts is an important part of running a workplace giving program for both your organization and its employees. Workplace giving software can help you quickly generate these receipts so that you and your employees can comply with the necessary tax regulations.
- Scale your program as your company grows. As your company scales up and more employees participate in your workplace giving program, it will become nearly impossible to manage the program via email and printed forms. By tapping into the right tools now, you can prepare yourself for a sustainable future for your company’s program.
Workplace giving software is a wise investment for any company seeking to make its workplace giving program easier to run, easier to participate in, and easier to see an impact from. Like any investment, though, it will be important to handle the shopping process with care so that you get the tool that offers features that suit your company’s specific needs.
What to Look for in Workplace Giving Software
There are many providers to consider when choosing your workplace giving platform. Here are some features to add to your shopping list to help you compare providers:
- Donation management features. First and foremost, your platform should help you facilitate employee donations. Some tools may even allow employees to donate to nonprofits of their choice from their paycheck or right on their platform. If you’re considering a tool with this option, ensure that it also offers secure payment processing and tax receipt generation. You may also want to look for a platform that allows you to manage grantmaking, in-kind donations, and special funds management.
- Matching gift features. If you’re launching your first-ever workplace giving program, chances are you’re starting with matching gifts. These programs are extremely popular. In fact, research shows that over 26 million individuals work for companies with these programs! So, be sure the workplace giving software you’re considering includes matching gift features. Specifically, look for a tool that offers matching gift auto-submission. This will help ensure that your employees have an easier time taking advantage of your company’s matching gift program!
- Volunteer management features. Your chosen tool should allow you to create your own volunteer events and offer employees the option to sign up for these events as well as opportunities with local nonprofits. You’ll also want to make sure employees can easily apply for volunteer grants through the platform and manage their volunteer time off (VTO) if you offer it.
- Campaign management features. Your company may, from time to time, host fundraisers on behalf of one of its charitable partners, like a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or an in-kind donation drive. Make sure your workplace giving software is well-equipped to help you set up, promote, and manage your campaigns.
- Seamless integrations. Look for a software tool that easily integrates with your organization’s existing tools, such as your payroll system, HR software, or customer relationship management (CRM) system. When information can flow freely between multiple platforms, you’ll be able to manage your entire workplace giving program from your workplace giving platform. If an integration between the platform and one of your current tools doesn’t exist, speak to the provider. They may be able to build a custom integration for you!
- Customization options. One of the biggest benefits of having a robust workplace giving program is building your brand as an employer (more on this below). Ensure that your chosen tool can reflect your corporate identity by allowing you to customize the platform with your branding, values, and specific giving strategies.
- Communication tools. The best software won’t just help you facilitate your workplace giving program; it will also help you promote your program to your employees! Choose a platform that offers communication features like announcement tools, email templates, and social sharing capabilities so that you can get the word out to your team.
- Reporting capabilities. You’ll need your software tool to have reporting capabilities so you can measure your workplace giving program’s success and communicate results to stakeholders and partners. Make sure your chosen tool offers access to real-time metrics and generates easy-to-understand reports.
Of course, another crucial consideration is providers’ pricing models. Pay attention to the model each provider offers, whether that includes subscription fees, transaction fees, or setup costs. It’s critical that you consider your budget and the size of your company’s giving program before spending the money to get set up with a workplace giving platform.
3 Tips for Nailing The Software Shopping Experience
Avoid settling for a platform that doesn’t truly suit your company’s needs. You can accomplish this by following these three tips for nailing the shopping experience:
- Read reviews. Check out reviews of your top platform choices on sites like Capterra, G2, and Software Advice. Note the pros and cons that reviewers share for each platform, and take them into consideration as you whittle down your top contenders list. You may also want to ask colleagues whom you know have a workplace giving program for recommendations and reviews.
- Ask for demos. Ensure you see the potential platform in action before partnering with a provider. This gives you a chance to experience the software’s features firsthand and assess how well they will meet your giving program’s needs.
- Pay attention to the level of support and training provided. Not all software providers will provide the same level of support after you purchase their product. Some may help you get set up and provide initial training and then leave you to it. Others may provide ongoing support, and some may only provide ongoing support depending on how much you’re paying them. Be sure to ask clear questions about the level of support you can expect from the providers you’re considering.
The workplace giving software shopping process can take a while. But making an informed decision about which platform to use will be key in ensuring you see a high return on your investment in the form of employee participation and other benefits, so trust the process and take your time!
5 Benefits of Powering a Workplace Giving Program With the Right Tools
When you run your workplace giving program using the right platform, you, your employees, and the nonprofits you give to can experience the following benefits:
- Streamlined program management. Depending on your employees’ preferences and your company’s philanthropic priorities, your workplace giving program can involve a number of corporate giving strategies, like matching gifts, volunteer grants, charitable giving stipends, and more. With the right workplace giving software, you can more efficiently and effectively manage your programs. That way, you can spend less time and resources on administrative tasks and more on engaging employees and making a difference to charitable causes your team cares about.
- Increased employee engagement. The success of your workplace giving program will largely depend on how well your company is able to engage its employees in the program and everything it has to offer. Workplace giving software can help you set up and manage an organized program that is fun and easy to get involved in. It can even help you communicate with your employees to promote your program and encourage involvement.
- Boosted community impact. When the administration of your workplace giving program is optimized thanks to the right software tools, you can worry less about logistics and drive more of an impact for the charitable causes you want to give back to. And as you’re able to donate more time and funds to nonprofits in your community, you’ll see positive changes take place—not just for the people who benefit from your nonprofit partners’ services, but also for your employees as they find more personal fulfillment in the many opportunities you offer to give to important causes.
- Enhanced brand image. It’s no secret that companies that give back to their communities experience an enhanced brand image. And your image isn’t just important for seeing your business grow and succeed. It’s also important for your company as an employer. More and more employees want to work for organizations that prioritize philanthropy and leaving a positive mark on the world. This means your workplace giving program can help you recruit and retain employees who are talented and philanthropically-minded!
- Easier tracking and reporting. Transparency is essential when it comes to carrying out philanthropic initiatives, and a huge part of being transparent with your stakeholders and your community is being able to report on your workplace giving program. The right software platform will allow you to easily track the impact of your philanthropic efforts, stay in compliance with tax regulations, and showcase your commitment to making a difference.
If you want to run a workplace giving program that truly is a win-win-win for your company, your employees, and the nonprofits you care about, investing in a workplace giving program is an excellent step toward optimizing the program and ensuring that each party gets the most out of your charitable work.
Additional Resources
Workplace giving software can help your company takes its workplace giving program to new heights. But, as you consider your many options, make sure to handle the shopping process with care so that you can invest in a platform that will take the heavy lifting off of your plate and empower you to do more for the communities you and your employees care about.
Want to learn more about workplace giving? Check out these recommended resources:
- Announcing New Matching Gift Auto-Submission Functionality. Learn more about the benefits of matching gift auto-submission from Double the Donation, a software company that partners with many top workplace giving software providers!
- Top Matching Gift Companies. Want to model your matching gift program after an effective example? Get inspired by some of the best matching gift programs out there.
- Corporate Volunteer Grant Programs: Learn the Basics. In this quick guide, you’ll learn how to effectively administer a volunteer grant program.
