Partner with ALIVE for an event

A great way to promote charity and giving throughout your organization is hosting charitable events. Events can take many shapes and forms, but the premise behind them is the same. An event may be an on-site or off-site; some ideas include:

• Hosting a nonprofit at the office to talk about what the organization does and the impact it has on the community

In-kind donations

In-kind donations are when corporations or companies provide non-profits with a donation of goods and services. We are always looking for animal care products (check out our wish list here). Additionally, we would welcome in-kind donations from the list below: > Technology: Computer, tablets, software, services > Construction materials: See details The Big Barn here > Vehicles: When The Big Barn opens, we will need large vans/trucks for transportation > Photography and videography: We are always in need of good photos and videos! > Accounting services > Law services If you have questions about potential in-kind donations, email Kristen Gerali here.

Engage and encourage employees to donate

Corporations often promote a specific day of the year as a “day of giving.” If not a company-selected date, another such date is “Giving Tuesday.” Companies can simply send an intra-office email discussing Giving Tuesday and its impact on society. In this email, a company can list some local, national or employee-supported nonprofit organizations that employees may consider donating to. Such an email is often accompanied by flyers or posters displayed in an area that employees will see, like the front desk or the kitchen, that highlights some of the key elements outlined in the email. This type of acknowledgement reinforces the company’s commitment and belief in charity, proving that social impact is not simply a message worthy of only a once-a-year email.

Donation matching program

According to Double the Donation, 65% of Fortune 500 companies offer matching gift programs and an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion is donated through matching gift programs annually. Data from The Big-Give Research Initiative showed that 84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered. This is often because individuals feel that their impact is more significant when it is increased by an employer matching program and they’re not willing to leave that impact on the table. Matching programs are generally when a company offers to match a specific percentage of an employee’s charitable contribution, up to a certain amount. An example would be matching 100% of employee donations, up to $5,000 per employee.

Time off for volunteering

According to the Corporation for National Community Service, via the 2018 Volunteering in America report, one in three adults (30.3%) volunteer through an organization. The report continued, “Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours, worth an estimated $167 billion in economic value, based on the Independent Sector’s estimate of the average value of a volunteer hour for 2017. Millions more are supporting friends and family (43.1%) and doing favors for their neighbors (51.4%), suggesting that many are engaged in acts of “informal volunteering.” Corporations throughout the country offer paid time off for their employees. This is a way to promote volunteering among employees while contributing to the greater good.

Employee morale

Many Americans spend more time at work than anywhere else, and the more pleasant and fulfilling that work environment is, the happier people are. While charitable giving is the not the epitome of happiness in the workplace, studies have shown that charitable giving results in significantly improved employee engagement and morale. An article on Entrepreneur.com stated, “In organizing and offering charitable opportunities for employees, companies can create strong traditions, which promote a sense of pride and ownership among employees.” The article cited a study done by O.C. Tanner in which over 1,000 employees at companies across the U.S. were surveyed to understand how they perceive corporate charitable giving. The author highlights key results from the survey: “When asked if their organization has a clear purpose, respondents who answered ‘yes’ jumped from 62% for companies that don’t organize holiday charitable events, to 84% for companies that offer multiple holiday charity events -- a leap of 22% for a program generally unrelated to corporate vision or mission statements.” Among a group of respondents asked specifically about charitable events, 37% felt more connected to their company culture when they had opportunity to participate in charitable events. Moreover, 57% of respondents believed that charitable events made for happier teams.

Consumer perception, marketing and profitability

Consumers see a company’s values as equally important as its responsible business practices. While a majority of charitable giving comes from individuals (70%), individuals expect corporations to commit to bettering the world, and they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is. According to the 2017 Cone Communication Study, 87% of individuals will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about and 76% will refuse to purchase a company’s products or services upon learning it supported an issue contrary to their beliefs. The same report states that in the past 12 months, 50% of consumers indicated they have boycotted a company’s products/services upon learning it behaved irresponsibly. It’s clear that contributing to charitable organizations improves consumers’ perceptions of your products and/or services. Aside from consumer perceptions, contributing to charity can function as a form of marketing, as the nonprofit organizations often publicly thank their corporate sponsors. These public displays of gratitude often include things like social media mentions, content on the nonprofit’s website, event-specific merchandise and more. All of these benefits of course lead to the bottom line – corporate profitability. A company’s goal is to make money. As the statistics above clearly show, individuals are more likely to purchase goods and services from companies they perceive as a positive impact on the world. Sales growth provides more opportunities for companies to convert those dollars into profits.

Community welfare

Companies shouldn’t donate to charity simply because of the tax deductibility, they should donate because of the impact it has in the community and world. The desire to help the less fortunate or admirable, impactful causes in an innate desire within many of us. Corporations have the ability to make a significant impact on the world.

Tax deductibility

Contributions to nonprofit organizations are tax deductible. Corporations may not deduct more than 10% of their pretax income in a given year but, like individuals, may carry forward excess donations for five years. Donations can be monetary or in-kind, and the tax deductibility can differ between the two groups (both negatively and favorably). Be sure to check with a tax professional to confirm any questions and/or concerns.