3 Strategies to Amplify Year-End Giving with Workplace Giving
October 15, 2025 | 9 min read
Key Takeaways:
- The holiday season naturally encourages charitable giving, making it a crucial period for fundraisers to maximize contributions.
- Leveraging employer-sponsored initiatives like matching gifts, corporate volunteer programs, and payroll giving can significantly increase donations and engagement.
- Payroll deduction options create a convenient and reliable way for employees to make recurring donations, fostering long-term support.
- Fundraisers should actively promote workplace giving opportunities and create a sense of urgency around year-end deadlines to encourage participation.
- Sending personalized reminders and thank-you notes to donors and their employers can strengthen relationships and drive continued engagement.
As the year-end fundraising sprint begins, are you maximizing every donation opportunity? During the last few months of the year, fundraisers often find themselves focusing on their most important campaigns. Since the holiday season sparks charitable giving, many donors are looking to maximize their year-end contributions. It’s important that fundraisers can cut through the noise.
One of the most effective ways fundraisers can increase donations and boost engagement is by leveraging workplace giving programs. In collaboration with Double the Donation, we delve into three key workplace giving strategies that can boost your year-end fundraising strategies, including:
- Leveraging matching gifts to boost donations
- Tapping into corporate volunteer programs
- Promote payroll giving options
Employer-sponsored initiatives can help nonprofits raise funds, engage supporters, and build long-term relationships with companies. Let’s explore each of these strategies and how they can help drive more support during giving season.
1. Leverage Matching Gifts to Boost Donations.
A matching gift is a program in which an employer matches an employee’s donation, typically on a dollar-for-dollar basis, but some instances can triple the original donation amount. The end of the year is the perfect time to promote this type of program!
Many organizations see higher volumes of giving during this season, and matching allows donors to make a greater impact with their contributions. Not to mention, many companies’ submission deadlines fall in line with the end of the calendar year, so it’s important to send timely reminders.
Ready to incorporate matching gifts into your year-end corporate giving approach? Try these expert-proven best practices:
- Increase Awareness of Matching Gifts: Many employees are unaware that their employers offer matching gifts. Promote this opportunity through a mix of channels, including social media and newsletters, and encourage supporters to see if their employer provides matching donations.
- Use a Matching Gift Search Tool: Dedicated platforms, such as Double the Donation, help donors see if their employer matches charitable gifts and if they offer matching gifts. Promote these tools on your website and in donor communications to ensure they’re easily accessible for interested donors.
- Create a Sense of Urgency: With the year-end fast approaching, encourage donors to make their gifts as soon as possible to meet any matching deadlines. You can even establish a sense of urgency with a dedicated countdown and specific call-to-action reminders.
- Implement Personalized Reminders: Send personalized emails, texts, or letters to your donors (including those who gave earlier in the year!), thanking them for their involvement and reminding them about the benefits of matching gifts.
By leveraging matching effectively, fundraisers can multiply the donations they receive from donors with access to workplace giving programs, making it an invaluable tool for year-end fundraising.
2. Build Corporate Partnerships Through Volunteer Programs
More and more, companies are offering employees opportunities to engage in volunteer work. Tapping into opportunities like volunteer grants (corporate donations tied to volunteer hours) or volunteer time off (paid leave for volunteering) not only brings added support but also builds lasting relationships with the corporate community.
Creating corporate volunteer events provide incredible opportunities to showcase the importance of your mission and build relationships with individuals. These individuals can then become champions for your nonprofit in the workplace which can encourage more engagements, donations, and sponsorship opportunities that you may not have been aware of otherwise. Investing in volunteer events can lead to huge fundraising wins.
During the end of the year, when people are looking for ways to give back, tapping into corporate volunteer programs can help increase your nonprofit’s visibility, driving more engagement to support your cause.
Looking to make the most of corporate volunteerism as year-end fundraising ramps up? Here are a few leading strategies:
- Research Employer Volunteer Programs: Start by researching which companies in your area or within your donor base offer volunteer grants or provide volunteer time off. Knowing which employers have existing programs can help you quickly identify eligible supporters and target appropriate outreach.
- Promote Volunteer Grants: Feature corporate volunteer opportunities on your website (including within volunteer registrations), in email newsletters, and on social media, explaining how employees can take advantage of these initiatives.
- Express Gratitude to Volunteers and Their Employers: After volunteers participate, send personalized thank-you notes to both the employees and their employers. Acknowledge the impact of their contributions and the importance of their support to your organization’s mission.
By engaging corporate volunteer programs, you create opportunities for both financial contributions and hands-on support that can significantly enhance your year-end fundraising efforts.
3. Secure Sustainable Funding through Payroll Giving Promotion
Payroll giving is a unique type of workplace giving program that allows employees to donate to nonprofits directly from their paychecks, usually on a recurring basis. It’s a convenient and reliable way to generate long-term, sustainable support for your nonprofit, especially during the year-end fundraising push. This source of predictable revenue can help support long-term financial stability to ensure your organization can forecast more accurately and continue to deliver on its mission.
Check out these tips for organizations looking to make the most of payroll deduction programs:
- Simplify the Process: Make payroll giving as simple as possible for employees by signing up for platforms, like Blackbaud Verified Network, that support payroll donations.
- Highlight the Benefits: Educate employees on the benefits of payroll giving, both for their finances (tax deductions) and for your nonprofit.
- Promote Payroll Giving During Year-End Campaigns: Incorporate payroll giving into your year-end fundraising. Let employees know that setting up payroll donations before the end of the year will help you meet your fundraising goals and provide an easy way to give consistently in the coming year.
- Spotlight Matching Payroll Gifts: Reminding donors that payroll giving programs often have the added benefit of matching gifts can help encourage employees to enroll and further amplify the impact of their donations. This combination of easy access and matching programs makes payroll giving an excellent option for year-end campaigns.
By implementing these practices, fundraisers can maximize the impact of payroll giving, ensuring that it’s simple, effective, and beneficial for both your organization and the employees who contribute. With clear communication, strategic promotion, and proper recognition, payroll giving can become a sustainable source of support that extends well beyond the year-end season, fostering long-term relationships with donors.
Ultimately, a strategic workplace giving program transforms transactional, seasonal donors into a dedicated community of year-round supporters and corporate partners. It is an investment in the long-term resilience and impact of your organization, ensuring your mission can thrive during giving season, and for years to come. Workplace giving strategies offer fundraisers incredible opportunities to raise funds and engage with employees in meaningful ways. By leveraging matching gifts, tapping into corporate volunteer programs, and promoting payroll giving, fundraisers can create a robust and sustainable year-end fundraising strategy that resonates with donors and helps meet campaign goals. With the right approach, workplace giving programs can become a cornerstone of your nonprofit’s fundraising, not just during the year-end season, but throughout the entire year.
Ready to promote your nonprofit to over 8 million potential donors with access to a workplace giving program? Get started with Blackbaud Verified Network and join thousands of nonprofits growing their impact through employee and employer giving.
Read tips on optimizing your free profile, how to attract corporate partners, ensure your nonprofit’s eligibility for gift matching, leveraging volunteer events for increased donations, and other free resources on our blog.
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