If you’ve ever asked yourself “How do I donate through my workplace?” or “Which giving options does my company offer?” — you’re not alone. Understanding workplace giving can be tricky, so we’ve put together this beginner-friendly guide to help you maximize your donation’s impact. This guide breaks down how to give through your workplace, the benefits of workplace giving, and how to decide where to donate. Whether you’re new to giving or want to maximize your impact, this guide will help you give smarter to the causes you care about.  

Why should you give through your workplace?
Workplace giving empowers employees to donate with confidence and convenience. Programs operate through secure platforms, ensuring your donations go to legitimate nonprofits making real community impact. Options like payroll deduction or one-time gifts allow you to give to multiple charities at once. Plus, your contributions are tax deductible just like any other charitable gift.  

When you participate in workplace giving, you join a community of coworkers who care about making a difference. Sharing the causes that matter to you can inspire others and help build stronger connections. By taking part, you become part of the $5 billion donated through workplace giving each year.   

Charities love workplace giving funds because they are often unrestricted and dispersed throughout the year. This allows charities to decide how to use the money in the most efficient way possible to provide support for those in need around the world.  

Overall, giving through your workplace offers a straightforward and powerful way to support causes you care about while maximizing the impact of your donation. 

What’s the difference between workplace giving and other types of donations?
Donating through your workplace offers many advantages over other types of giving. These gifts are easy to implement, and you can often boost your impact without any extra effort on your part. 

In your campaign, you can make a one-time gift or set up recurring donations, often through payroll deductions. Recurring donations are a great option to spread your giving evenly throughout the year. A small amount deducted from each paycheck can add up to a significant contribution without impacting your budget all at once. For example, a recurring donation of $20 over 26 pay periods totals over $500 donated! 

In addition, many employers offer matching gift programs that multiply your donation, sometimes doubling or tripling your impact without an extra cost to you. The specifics of these matches vary by company, including minimum and maximum amounts and eligibility rules, so it’s worth checking the details with your employer or on your workplace giving portal. 

Many employers also offer volunteer programs like paid time off to volunteer (VTO), empowering you to use your time to support charities. They may also offer volunteer grants or “Dollars for Doers” programs; when you volunteer your time to charities, your employer may match those hours with monetary donations to the organization you supported. 

To encourage participation in the campaign, many employers offer other workplace-specific incentives to get involved and drive a collective impact. These efforts bring peers together to generate enthusiasm and increase generosity when giving. A workplace giving campaign may involve fun engagement activities like a kickoff event, team volunteer days, charity speakers, and more. Some campaigns offer extra time off, prizes, or other perks if goals for participation and funds raised are reached. These are all ways to make employees feel engaged while meeting company social impact goals. 

Why do employers run workplace giving campaigns?
Workplace giving campaigns are a powerful way to engage employees while strengthening company culture. They also demonstrate a company’s commitment to social responsibility, and employees often feel a strong sense of pride working for an organization that is dedicated to making a positive difference in the world. In fact, 86% of workers say it’s important to work for an employer with values that align with their own. Additionally, employee turnover is reduced by an average of 57% amongst employees who engage in workplace giving and volunteering, according to a study by Benevity. Through workplace giving, companies fulfill their employees’ desire to make their work meaningful.  

How do I make a workplace donation?
Workplace giving programs vary by employer, but most offer easy-to-use online platforms where you can explore participating charities, choose causes, and manage your donations. Some companies hold annual campaigns in the fall, while many others provide year-round giving opportunities so you can donate whenever it’s convenient for you. Additionally, if you work in the private sector, you can make one-time gifts whenever you feel inspired to do so, like during an emergency or disaster. 

When you decide to give, you select the charities you want to support and choose how much to donate. Once you submit your pledge, your donations are typically deducted automatically from your paycheck or payment method you select, then distributed to your chosen charities. Each year, you have the option to renew your pledges, adjust your gift amounts, or support new causes. 

By combining the flexibility of one-time or recurring donations with the power of payroll deductions and matching gifts, workplace giving lets you tailor your support to fit your goals and financial situation, while maximizing the impact of every dollar you give.  

To find out the details of your workplace giving campaign, visit our Give at Work page or contact your employer. 

How to decide where to give 
Choosing where to direct your donation can feel overwhelming, but here are some ideas to help you decide. 

Donate to international charities 
When you give internationally, your dollar often stretches further than it would domestically. In lower-income countries, a small donation of a few dollars can support a larger number of people for an extended span of time. And with global economies increasingly connected, a donation to global causes reverberates in communities across the world. To learn more, read our blog on the power of giving global or visit our Charity Alliance page. 

Consider current needs 
In the past several months, federal funding priorities have drastically shifted away from international charitable causes. Charities have had to cut important services like health care for mothers and newborns, support for refugees, and disaster response, impacting millions of people in need across the globe. If you are worried about the effects of the funding cuts and are looking to support international charities and those they help, read our blog on what you can do to support these important causes. 

Get creative! 
You can make giving meaningful by getting creative with how you choose where to donate. For example, try teaming up with friends or coworkers to take turns nominating causes to support each month, let your kids pick a charity that matters to them, or tie your giving to milestones — like donating on your birthday or supporting an environmental nonprofit after an outdoor adventure. When you make giving personal you spread the mission to those around you! 

Other ways to get involved for social good at your workplace 
If you’re looking for a way to deepen your impact and connect with others outside of workplace giving, many companies offer additional ways to get involved. These options provide opportunities to collaborate on supporting your community and amplifying your philanthropic efforts.  

Employee resource groups (ERGs) 
ERGs often focus on supporting specific communities within your workplace, such as women, LGBTQ+ employees, or racial and ethnic groups. Many ERGs organize philanthropic initiatives aligned with their mission, offering a meaningful way to give back and build community at work.  

Employee assistance funds (EAFs) 
Companies run EAFs to provide emergency financial support to employees facing unexpected hardships, like natural disasters, home fires, and more. Many EAFs accept employee donations, empowering you to give back to coworkers in need. Donations to these funds offer flexible assistance where it’s most needed and complement your broader charitable giving. Some companies may even include their EAFs as an option to give to during your workplace giving program. 

Giving circles 
Giving circles are groups of employees that come together to pool donations and decide collectively which causes to support. Oftentimes, they are local community organizations. These groups foster community, shared learning, and greater impact through collaboration. 

See what your workplace has to offer to get involved for social good. 

Finding the right way to give for you 
Workplace giving offers a range of flexible options designed to fit your unique goals, schedule, and budget. Whether you choose to make a one-time gift, set up payroll deductions, take advantage of matching gifts, or engage through giving circles, ERGs, or employee assistance funds, the most important thing is that you give in a way that feels meaningful and manageable for you. 

Ask yourself: 

  • Which causes inspire me? 
  • Do I prefer to spread my giving over the year or with occasional, larger gifts? 
  • What level of giving fits my current financial situation? 

Workplace giving empowers you to make a difference for hardworking charities and the communities they serve thoughtfully and confidently, knowing your donation will be leveraged for maximum impact.  

Start today by exploring options for giving at your company. Each dollar given helps build a better world, one step at a time.

Learn more about how to give at work and the causes you can support at https://charity.org/give-at-work/.