Todd Holcomb
More companies are prioritizing Corporate Social Responsibility than ever before. With this focus, employee matching gifts are becoming more common, and are one of the simplest and most efficient ways a donor can increase the impact of their philanthropy.
Each year, $2 – $3 billion are donated through matching gift programs. However, it is estimated that a staggering $4 -7 billion in matching gift funds goes unclaimed per year. This is a direct result of the fact that many donors don’t know their donations are eligible for a match through their employer, and nonprofits don’t have an efficient method of determining their eligibility. United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s development department aims to change this.
An initiative is being launched to help donors of UJFT and Simon Family JCC determine if their employer has a matching gift program or a corporate volunteer grant program where donations are made based on hours of employee volunteer service. Some employers also offer matches to part-time employees, retired employees, or spouses of employees.
To learn if a specific employer offers one of these programs, visit JewishVA.org/GiftMatch and use the built-in search tool provided by Double the Donation. Alternatively, it is possible to search for an employer whenever making an online donation to UJFT or Simon Family JCC.
This program is also aimed at streamlining the process for donors when applying for a matching donation. After successfully searching for an employer, donors are provided with information on how to submit and complete the request to their employer—the majority of applications are fully online.
With matching gift programs through prominent Hampton Roads employers such as Sentara, TowneBank, Dominion Energy, and others, UJFT/Simon Family JCC asks that donors help to significantly increase the community’s philanthropic impact.
To learn more about this matching gift program, visit JewishVA.org/GiftMatch or contact Todd Holcomb, UJFT director of development, at 757-965-6105 or THolcomb @ujft.org.