The Hidden Burden of Manual Matching in Workplace Giving
Managing a corporate giving program should be simple: employees give, the company matches, and together, they make a greater impact. But for many organizations, matching donations is anything but simple.
Instead, HR and CSR leaders find themselves stuck in an administrative nightmare—sorting through spreadsheets, verifying non-profit vetting, tracking receipts, and responding to frustrated employees asking:
- “When will my donation be matched?”
- “Why is this taking so long?”
- “Was my match even processed?”
Meanwhile, finance teams scramble to track funds, ensure compliance, and reconcile records. By the time a gift matching request is finally processed, the employee who donated has long since forgotten about it, and the enthusiasm for workplace giving has faded.
This inefficiency isn’t just frustrating—it actively harms employee giving programs, wastes valuable company resources, and limits your organization’s social impact.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The True Costs of a Manual Matching Donations Program
Administrative Overload in Employee Giving Programs
A well-intentioned workplace philanthropy program can quickly become a full-time job. Managing donation receipts, verifying nonprofit eligibility, approving matches, and reconciling payments takes hours of manual work.
For companies with a growing workforce or a strong culture of corporate philanthropy, this administrative burden only increases. What should be a simple process becomes an ongoing challenge, consuming time that could be spent on higher-value initiatives.
How a Poor Matching Process Reduces Employee Participation
When a company’s corporate giving program is difficult to navigate, employees are less likely to participate. Delayed matches, unclear processes, and poor communication create frustration and disengagement.
Employees want to support causes they care about, but if they don’t trust the system—or if they’re required to jump through multiple hoops to complete a simple donation match—they’ll opt out.
The result? A workplace giving program that underperforms, leaving both employees and company leaders disappointed.
Compliance Risks in Corporate Philanthropy Programs
Corporate philanthropy programs must ensure that donations go to legitimate, tax-exempt organizations and that funds are distributed appropriately. Managing this process manually is inefficient and error-prone, increasing the risk of noncompliance.
Without proper nonprofit vetting, companies may unknowingly approve donations to organizations that do not meet regulatory standards, creating legal and financial exposure.
Why Real-Time Data Matters in Workplace Giving Programs
Without real-time tracking and reporting, businesses have no clear understanding of their gift matching program’s impact.
- How much has been donated this quarter?
- Which causes are employees most passionate about?
- How does participation compare year over year?
Without data-driven insights, companies cannot optimize their fundraising campaigns or measure their effectiveness.
The Solution: Automating Your Corporate Giving Program
Now, imagine a system where employees donate, receive an instant confirmation, and see their match processed automatically. Where finance teams no longer have to track and verify donations manually. Where HR and CSR leaders can easily measure impact, increase participation, and report on results—all from a single platform.
This is what automation makes possible. It unlocks all the many benefits of a donation matching program.
Frictionless Matching Donations: A Seamless Giving Experience
Automation eliminates the administrative bottlenecks of manual processing. Employees donate through a streamlined platform, and matching funds are distributed seamlessly. No delays, no unnecessary approvals, no lost paperwork—just a simple, effective process.
Real-Time Tracking & Reporting: Modern Corporate Giving
With an automated system, HR and CSR teams have access to a dashboard that provides real-time insights into employee participation, total donations, and top causes supported. This data allows companies to refine their workplace giving strategy and demonstrate tangible impact to leadership and stakeholders.
Expanding Charitable Giving Options for Your Employees
Many manual employee giving programs limit employees to a pre-selected list of nonprofits, restricting their ability to support causes they truly care about. A modern platform gives employees access to millions of vetted charities worldwide, making it easier for them to give in meaningful ways.
How Automation Ensures Compliance & Security in Giving
An automated corporate giving platform ensures that all nonprofits are properly vetted and verified, protecting the company from compliance risks. Donation receipts are automatically generated for tax purposes, and financial records remain accurate and audit-ready.
Dedicated Support: Corporate Giving Experts at Your Side
Unlike traditional corporate philanthropy platforms that simply provide software, Percent Pledge offers hands-on support from dedicated social impact experts. These specialists help companies maximize participation, optimize matching policies, and drive long-term engagement.
Real Companies, Real Results: Workplace Giving Made Easy
Client Story: How DRW Transformed Its Matching Gifts
Before switching to Percent Pledge, DRW—a financial trading firm—was managing its workplace giving program manually. The process was slow, cumbersome, and frustrating for both employees and administrators.
After implementing an automated system, DRW saw:
- A 240% increase in total dollars donated year over year
- Over 200 additional employees participating in the program
- A 3,000% fundraising goal exceeded
With automation, DRW didn’t just simplify its matching program—it unlocked its full potential. Read their full success story.
Client Story: Matching Made Easy - Just 5 Minutes a Week
DRW is not alone. Many more clients have gone from manual and painful to automated and easy:
"I really want to emphasize how easy it is to run our charitable matching program through Percent Pledge. I can’t imagine managing it in-house. It would require an FTE and coordination across various teams. But with Percent Pledge, I literally take 5-10 minutes per week to check in to the dashboard, and that’s it. Saves us so much time!"
Read their full success story.
The Future of Workplace Giving and Donation Matching
If your corporate matching program still relies on spreadsheets, email chains, and slow approval processes, it’s time for a change.
Modern businesses need modern solutions. By automating your matching donations with Percent Pledge, you can:
- Increase employee engagement and participation
- Eliminate administrative burdens
- Ensure full compliance and security
- Access real-time reporting and analytics
- Create a seamless, impactful workplace philanthropy experience
Automate Your Matching Gift Program with Percent Pledge
A corporate giving program should inspire employees and create real change—not create headaches for HR and finance teams. Percent Pledge makes it easy to automate, optimize, and scale your workplace philanthropy.
Schedule a demo today and see how automation can transform your company’s matching gift program.
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