7 Outstanding Corporate Matching Gift Programs

Each year, companies and businesses support nonprofits by distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in matching gift donations.

For those who may need a refresher, matching gift programs are corporate philanthropy initiatives that reward employees’ charitable donations. After an employee makes a donation to an eligible nonprofit, they fill out a matching gift submission request and submit it to their company’s HR department. 

If the donation and nonprofit meet the company’s guidelines, the company cuts a check to the nonprofit for the same amount as the employee’s donation (and sometimes even two, three, or four times that amount!).

Matching gift programs are a great way for companies to engage employees as well as branch out into philanthropic initiatives.

This article will cover seven awesome corporate matching gift programs that really work!

Specifically, we’ll be looking at:

1. General Electric (GE)
2. Johnson & Johnson
3. Soros Fund Management
4. PepsiCo
5. Apple
6. Hewlett-Packard (HP)
7. ExxonMobil

Whether you’re part of a company that wants to start its own matching gift program, or you work at a nonprofit that’s looking for a few extra matching gift fundraising dollars, these seven companies’ matching gift programs are worth taking a look at!

Let’s dive right in!

1. General Electric (GE)

General Electric created the very first matching gift program in 1954 as a way to encourage their employees to be more philanthropic.

Since then, GE has donated over $1 billion through their matching gift program.

Here are some quick highlights of their program:

Minimum Amount

$25

Maximum Amount

$5,000

Match Ratio

1:1

Employee Eligibility

• Part-time employees
• Full-time employees
• Retirees
• Surviving spouses of retired GE employees

Nonprofit Eligibility

Most US- and UK-based nonprofits are eligible to receive matching gifts from GE.

Deadline for Submission

Matching gifts must be registered by April 15th of the year following the donation date. 

Employees and retirees can submit their match requests online, and GE distributes matching gift funds on a quarterly basis.

Why we love GE’s matching gift program: GE has a fairly long deadline for matching gift requests. This deadline gives employees plenty of time to research whether or not their donation and the nonprofit they gave to are eligible to receive a matching gift.

Click here to learn more about GE’s corporate matching gift program.

2. Johnson & Johnson

As a winner of the “Corporate Leadership Award,” it’s no surprise that Johnson & Johnson has a pretty great corporate matching gift program.

Here’s a quick rundown of Johnson & Johnson’s matching gift program:

Minimum Amount

$25

Maximum Amount

$20,000

Match Ratio

Up to 2:1

Employee Eligibility

• Full-time employees’ donations are matched at a 2:1 ratio.
• Part-time employees’ and retirees’ donations are matched at a 1:1 ratio.

Nonprofit Eligibility

• Higher education institutions
• Healthcare nonprofits
• Cultural organizations
• Environmental charities
• Community-based social services
• K-12 schools are ineligible to receive matching gifts.

Deadline for Submission

Johnson & Johnson employees must submit their matching gift requests within 12 months of making a donation.

Employees and retirees must submit their matching gift requests online via the company’s portal. Additionally, any donations of $2,500 or more require documentation to substantiate the gift. 

Why we love Johnson & Johnson’s matching gift program: With a 2:1 ratio for employees, Johnson & Johnson essentially triples any donations made by their workers. And because so many organizations are eligible to receive these matching donations, Johnson & Johnson can increase the impact of their employees’ contributions on a larger scale.

Check out more details of Johnson & Johnson’s matching gift program.

3. Soros Fund Management

Soros Fund Management has one of the highest matching gift maximums that we’ve ever come across. It’s part of the reason they’re included on this list!

Here’s the scoop on Soros Fund Management’s employee matching gift program:

Minimum Amount

$25

Maximum Amount

$100,000

Match Ratio

Up to 3:1

Employee Eligibility

• Current, full-time employees are eligible to apply for matching donations.
• New employees can have their donations matched at a limit prorated to the quarter in which they were employed.

Nonprofit Eligibility

Most U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charities are eligible to receive matching gifts from Soros Fund Management.

Deadline for Submission

Employees must submit their matching gift requests within a year of making the donation.

Employees can have up to 10 donations matched per year, and matching gift disbursements are made on a quarterly basis. Employees can manage their matching gift requests through the company’s online matching gift portal.

Why we love Soros Fund Management’s matching gift program: Soros Fund Management’s maximum amount is $100,000, and they match at a 3:1 ratio. This means that a single donation of $100,000 can turn into $400,000. This matching gift program is one of the best for nonprofits!

Check out more information about Soros Fund Management’s matching gift program.

4. PepsiCo

PepsiCo has a history of having a very active philanthropic arm. So it’s no surprise that their matching gift program made our list of the seven most outstanding corporate matching gift programs.

Here are the highlights of PepsiCo’s matching gift program:

Minimum Amount

$25

Maximum Amount

$10,000

Match Ratio

Up to 2:1 

Employee Eligibility

• Active full-time employees
• Active part-time employees
• Current and retired PepsiCo board members, spouses, surviving spouses, and domestic partners
• Advisory board members

Nonprofit Eligibility

• Colleges and universities
• Private and public elementary and secondary schools
• Arts organizations
• Health and human services agencies
• Civic groups
• Environmental entities
• Other 501(c)(3) charities

Deadline for Submission

PepsiCo employees, retirees, and board members must submit their matching gift requests within 90 days of making a donation.

Employees and board members can submit their matching gift requests through the company’s online portal or with a paper form.

Why we love PepsiCo’s matching gift program: If a donor volunteers with an eligible organization, their donations may qualify for a double match. To receive the 2:1 match, employees must complete 50 or more hours of service during a calendar year. 

Learn more about PepsiCo’s matching gift program.

5. Apple

Apple is another company that often receives praise for their charitable endeavors. 

In fact, according to this article, 

Three years after Apple began matching employee donations, the program has yielded more than $50 million for charity.

Here are the specifics about Apple’s matching gift program:

Minimum Amount

$1

Maximum Amount

$10,000

Match Ratio

2:1

Employee Eligibility

Current Apple employees are eligible to apply for a matching gift. 

Nonprofit Eligibility

Most U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charities are eligible to receive a matching donation from Apple. Political and religious organizations are ineligible.

Deadline for Submission

Matching gift requests must be made within 12 months of the date of the donation.

Apple employees should submit their matching gift requests through the company’s online portal. Employees can also make their donations to their chosen nonprofit via this portal.

Why we love Apple’s matching gift program: Donations as low as $1 are eligible to be doubled by Apple, which truly makes every dollar count from an Apple employee. No matter how small the donation, Apple employees have the opportunity to double their gift’s impact.

Learn more about Apple’s matching gift program.

6. Hewlett-Packard (HP)

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has a substantial product giving program (read more about that here), and  they also have a great matching gift program that they extend to their employees and retirees. 

Take a look at the details of HP’s employee matching gift program:

Minimum Amount

$25

Maximum Amount

$1,000 in cash donations or $15,000 in HP technology

Match Ratio

Up to 3:1

Employee Eligibility

• Full-time employees
• Part-time employees
• Current workers

Nonprofit Eligibility

HP will match donations to most U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charities. These organizations’ primary missions must be:

• Non-sectarian
• Non-religious
• Non-denominational
• Non-discriminatory
• Non-political

Employees and retirees should use HP’s online giving portal to submit their matching gift requests.

Why we love HP’s matching gift program: HP matches cash donations and technology donations. While not every company can match donations of its products or services, HP’s model works perfectly for nonprofits who need computers, software, and other technology.

Learn more about HP’s employee matching gift program.

7. ExxonMobil

Last year, ExxonMobil’s U.S. employees and retirees donated nearly $21 million to colleges, universities, and charitable organizations. ExxonMobil contributed more than $35.6 million by matching some of those gifts.

Interestingly enough, ExxonMobil has two different matching gift programs that enable employees to maximize the impact of their donations to educational institutions and arts and cultural organizations.

Let’s look at each one separately:

Educational Matching Gift Program Guidelines

Minimum Amount

$20

Maximum Amount

$7,500

Match Ratio

3:1

Employee Eligibility

• Regular employees and retirees of Exxon Mobil Corporation or its affiliates that operate in the U.S.
• Surviving spouses of deceased employees and retirees of Exxon Corporation
• Present and former outside directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation or the Exxon Corporation

Nonprofit Eligibility

• Two- and four-year colleges
• Three consortia of minority colleges and universities
  • The United Negro College Fund (UNCF)
  • The American Indian College Fund (AICF)
  • The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)

Deadline for Submission

Employees have until December 31st of each year to submit their matching gift requests. 

Cultural Matching Gift Guidelines

Minimum Amount

$20

Maximum Amount

$2,000

Match Ratio

1:1

Employee Eligibility

• Regular employees and retirees of Exxon Mobil Corporation or its affiliates
• Surviving spouses of deceased employees or retirees
• Present and former directors of Exxon Mobil Corporation or the Exxon Corporation

Nonprofit Eligibility

• Art, science, and historic centers and museums
• Orchestras
• Choral groups
• Opera, theater and dance companies
• Libraries
• Public television and radio stations
• Zoos
• Aquariums
• Botanical gardens
• Historic preservation organizations

Deadline for Submission

Employees have until December 31st of each year to submit their matching gift requests. 

Both programs require that employees and retirees submit their matching gift requests via ExxonMobil’s online portal. ExxonMobil also has individual and team volunteer grant programs that reward employees who regularly donate their time to nonprofits.

Why we love ExxonMobil’s matching gift program: ExxonMobil has very clearly laid out their guidelines. The specificity of both of their matching gift programs makes it easy for employees, retirees, and board members to tell whether their donations are matching-gift eligible.

Learn more about ExxonMobil’s matching gift programs here.
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These are just seven of the many companies that will match employee donations to various nonprofits. If your organization knows that some of your donors work for these companies (or any of the other numerous businesses that donate to charities), promote matching gifts to those supporters!

The more your donors know about matching gifts, the more likely they are to submit their match requests to their employers.

Check out even more great matching gift companies!