Many
companies offer a Matching Gifts Program for their
employees, board members, retirees and sometimes even
spouses as a way to encourage their personnel to make
charitable contributions that support local communities.
These
programs often match tax-deductible donations at 50
cents on the dollar, dollar-for-dollar, or sometimes
at even a 2:1 ratio. Some companies have restrictions
on the types of nonprofits that qualify for these
matching funds (i.e., they may only fund schools),
but others simply specify that the recipient organization
be a 501c3 nonprofit organization, which the Animal
Defense League of Arizona is. Sometimes there also
are minimum and maximum annual gift amounts. Please
ask your employer for the specific details and deadlines
of its particular program.
The
process for getting matching funds is usually very
easy. In most cases, you simply pick up a form from
your human resources office, fill out the donor section
and give the form to the nonprofit of your choice
with your donation. The nonprofit fills out the recipient
section and submits the form to the company. The company
then distributes the matching funds to the nonprofit
organization.
For
very little effort on your part, the impact of your
gift for Arizona's animals may be doubled or possibly
tripled!
A
good matching gift program can enhance the overall
community involvement goals of the company. If your
employer doesn't match gifts, you may want to approach
the human resources department and suggest it look
into the advantages to becoming such a company.
