Take advantage! Employee Match Programs.

05 Oct Take advantage! Employee Match Programs.

It’s that time of the year that donors will start to think about their end of year charitable gifting. Just like your family, companies think the same way. While most companies do give out donations to organizations they support some, like CHS and Edward Jones, allow for their employees to dictate where some of the funding goes.

It’s almost a standard practice for larger companies to offer an employee match amount during different periods of the year and, if you are not a regular reader of updates from you HR department, these opportunities are often underutilized. Take CHS for example. The refinery does offer an employee donation match, however, it is only during this time of the year and requires filling out an agreement form before the due date (For those wondering that date is tomorrow Oct. 6th).

For those wanting to take advantage of what their employers offer here is a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Make sure you understand all the rules around the match. Most employers put a limit on how much they are willing to contribute, knowing this limit will allow you to maximize the match.
2. Find out if their are any restrictions to what organizations will be considered for the match. Some companies may have a selection process.
3. Get all the information and forms that would be necessary before making your donations. See if there is any information that the organization needs to provide to prevent any confusion for you and your employer.

The Foundation would be happy to help, and we recommend contributions to our Community ‘Dream’ Fund.

We also encourage those who are business leaders in their communities to think about providing these matching opportunities. Most people have at least one organization that support and these give them and your company another chance to make an impact.