CORPORATE CHARITY PARTNERSHIPS

It is becoming more and more prevalent to see corporate charity partnerships in this day and age. Nearly all leading brands donate to charity and business partnerships have been built in order to develop a consistent contribution of funding to nonprofit organisations.

 

10 Leading Corporate & Business Partnerships – Companies that Donate to Nonprofits & Charities

1. Bank of America

Every Bank of America employee is eligible to request up to $5,000 per year in matching gift funds to nearly any organization.

Bank of America’s matching gift program will match donations made to nonprofit organizations up until March 15th of the following year. That means that your organization has plenty of time to make a last-minute end-of-year appeal or start-of-year appeal to remind your donor base to submit match requests.

Bank of America Charitable Foundation offers several funding opportunities to nonprofit organizations.

They direct their funding to meet the needs of low-income communities, with a particular focus on revitalizing neighbourhoods, educating the workforce, and addressing basic needs like hunger and homelessness.

Bank of America employees also help their communities through volunteerism and connect nonprofits and communities to much-needed resources.

2. General Electric

Since 1954, GE has been known as one of the top companies that donate to nonprofits.

While GE initially only matched employee donations to colleges and universities, the company has expanded its match program to include nearly all nonprofits.

Employees can have donations ranging from $25 to $5,000 matched at a 1:1 ratio as long as they submit the request by April 15th of the year following the donation date.

The GE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of General Electric and focuses its efforts on global health, education, skills-based economic growth, and entrepreneurship.

The GE Foundation does not encourage unsolicited grant proposals.

However, organizations whose mission aligns with the goals of the GE Foundation may be selected by the Foundation to receive a grant.

3. Google

Google matches between $50 to $12,000 in donations per employee each year.

One of the highlights of Google’s match program is that the company not only matches personal donations to nonprofit organizations but also matches money employees personally raise for charitable events that they actively participate in.

Google Dot Org is one of the ways that Google gives back to local, national, and global communities.

Each year, Google Dot Org donates $100,000,000 in grants, 80,000 volunteer hours, and $1 billion in products.

They provide seed funding for global entrepreneurs in developing countries, community grants, disaster relief, and much more.

Additionally, Google provides grants to help boost traffic to nonprofits’ websites through a program called Google Ad Grants.

4.BP 

By revenue, BP, a London-based oil and gas company, is the fifth-largest company in the world, and they share their wealth accordingly. BP will match donations raised through fundraising up to $5,000 per employee per year.

Their matching gift program and volunteer grant maximums are also $5,000.

The BP Foundation is a charitable organization that helps communities around the world by supporting STEM education, economic development, practical approaches to environmental issues, and humanitarian relief.

The foundation also provides financial assistance when natural disasters occur.

5. Disney

Disney VoluntEARS encourages employees to volunteer in their communities and rewards these efforts with grants to the eligible nonprofit of their choice. The grant amount varies according to the total time volunteered:

10-24 hours = $100

25-49 hours = $250

50-74 hours = $500

75+ hours = $1,000

Disney also offers $2,500 grants through their “VoluntEARS of the Year” awards, which recognize exceptional individual volunteers.

Disney is committed to strengthening communities by providing hope, happiness, and comfort to kids and families who need it most.

Through their corporate giving programs, Disney brings positive, lasting change to communities around the world.

Just last year, Disney gave over $315 million to nonprofits that help children and families.

They also donate books to children across the globe, and gave over 23 million books in the past.

6. Starbucks

Through Starbucks’ Partner Match Program, Starbucks provides grants to nonprofits where U.S. and Canadian employees and retirees volunteer.

Starbucks employees are eligible after volunteering for at least 25 hours with an organization.

Through their corporate philanthropy program, Starbucks offers opportunities for young people, veterans, college students, farming communities, and more.

Additionally, the Starbucks Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) organization grants money to nonprofits devoted to young people and leadership. Starbucks also, and not surprisingly, supports the coffee, tea, and cocoa communities around the world.

7. Microsoft

Microsoft facilitates year-round employee philanthropy, but they make an annual push in the month of October.

Microsoft’s campus plays host to more than 200 activities during October, including a 5K run, an online auction, and other special events. Last year alone, Microsoft employees raised a record-breaking $125 million for nearly 20,000 global nonprofits and schools.

Microsoft offers nonprofits world-class productivity, platform, and cloud technology to help them do even more good in their communities.

They are also committed to supporting humanitarian relief and disaster management as well as working toward technologies and policies that are accessible to everyone.

8. InterContinental

InterContinental Hotels Group, which is composed of InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites, Even Hotels, and others, works with charitable organizations whose focus is on environmental sustainability, local economic opportunities, or disaster relief.

InterContinental Hotels Group also helps individuals build their own careers through the IHG Academy, giving local people skills training and education. They provide disaster relief through their IHG Shelter in a Storm program.

InterContinental supports charities that operate in one of their areas of focus:

  • Environmental sustainability
  • Economic opportunity
  • Disaster relief

InterContinental works to ensure that the grants they issue have the biggest possible impact, using criteria which helps them target their donations effectively.

9. Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is at the top of the list of Australian corporate donors. It focuses on charity & business partnerships that can deliver shared value for communities, employees and shareholders. “Our partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia is a good example,” Rio CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques says.

Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques says the company focuses on partnerships that can deliver shared value for communities, employees and shareholders.

Other examples include a long-term partnership with Clontarf Academy, which helps in the education and employment of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, and a focus on the future of work.

“We have partnered with the South Metropolitan TAFE and the WA state government since 2017 to develop Australia’s first nationally recognised qualifications in automation,” Jacques says.

10. Coles

One of the big movers in recent years has been Coles supermarkets, which contributed more than $100 million in its first year after demerging from Wesfarmers. Coles says a further $14 million was contributed by customers, team members and suppliers, representing a 50 per cent increase from the previous year.

“Our strategic purpose is to sustainably feed all Australians to help them lead healthier, happier lives,” Coles CEO Steve Cain says.

Coles supports many community and charity partners across Australia through financial contributions, fundraising, food donations and disaster relief. Together with customer donations, Coles contributed more than $143M to communities and charity partners in the 2021 financial year.

Ways to form effective Charity and Business Partnerships 

1. How can my company practice Cause-Related Marketing? 

Differentiate yourself from your competitors and build positive brand awareness as a socially responsible organisation, enhance your connection with the local community and appeal to a bigger market by aligning your marketing campaign with a charity such as KidsWest. Electing to donate a percentage of sales for specific products, overall sales or sales over a defined period is an easy and effective way to support KidsWest’s children in need and build positive brand awareness at the same time.

2. What is a Payroll Giving champion?

Payroll giving is a convenient and easy way for your employees to make regular charitable donations from their pre-tax salary to support KidsWest children and their families. It removes the need to collect receipts, file them safely and wait until tax time for a refund and the donation amounts are totally flexible.

Staff are 2x more likely to give when organisations match donations. We make it easy to set up donation matching and double your impact. Studies have shown that corporate charity partnerships, and companies that offer incentives to give, attract 117% more participants.

3. Can I host a charity fundraising event at work?

Fundraising at work is fun, simple and sociable. Regular morning tea events, International Luncheons, Trivia nights or Melbourne Cup and Oscar fancy dress parties: encouraging your team to raise funds for KidsWest will develop personal and professional skills amongst your staff and help build more supportive relationships within your team. To make your fundraising efforts even more impactful some companies offer to match the contributions of their employees.

4. Can my company donate skills or goods, in lieu of money?

Pro-bono and in-kind support are equally important to a charity as money is. Your company can help KidsWest by helping us facilitate a fundraising event, or helping our logistics as we deliver new equipment and other goods to those in need. Your company’s help essentially saves us on expenditure that Kidswest would otherwise need to buy on commercial terms.

Corporate Charity Partnerships - Kids West

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