An employer matching program adds company-funded contributions to eligible employee donations according to a defined policy. Before launch, specify who can participate, which donations qualify, how the match is calculated, and when approved contributions are funded.
This checklist helps a company prepare a program brief and evaluate the workflow needed to run it.
1. Set the boundaries
- ☐ Define eligible employees and any applicable waiting period.
- ☐ Specify eligible recipient organizations and how eligibility is checked.
- ☐ List qualifying donation methods and relevant dates.
- ☐ Establish treatment of refunds, reversed donations, and departures.
- ☐ Name the policy owner and escalation contact.
Employee choice should be described within the actual program rules. Do not promise that every cause or donation qualifies if restrictions apply.
2. Choose the match and budget
- ☐ Set the matching ratio.
- ☐ Set a per-employee cap and the period it covers.
- ☐ Define any overall company funding limit.
- ☐ Explain how funding is allocated if demand exceeds that limit.
- ☐ Confirm when the cap resets and whether unused amounts carry forward.
For an illustrative 1:1 program with a $25 monthly employer cap, an eligible $15 employee donation produces a $15 match. An eligible $40 donation produces a $25 match if no other limit applies. The employee’s donation and employer contribution remain separate amounts.
Actual budgets should reflect the eligible population, likely participation, program rules, and administrative costs. These sample figures are not recommended CauseFi. pricing or defaults.
3. Map the employee experience
Write down how employees discover the benefit, select an eligible cause, authorize their own donation, and learn whether a match was approved and delivered.
Some programs use employee submissions; others may connect matching to donations made through a platform. Confirm exactly which steps your selected setup automates and which still require review.
Test the experience with a small group before promoting it company-wide. Ask whether employees understand the cap and can find the status of their match.
Once the policy and workflow are confirmed, adapt the employee matching gift email templates to explain enrollment, reminders, and status updates using your actual program terms.
4. Assign operational responsibilities
- ☐ Decide who maintains eligibility records.
- ☐ Define how the company provides matching funds.
- ☐ Assign reconciliation and exception handling.
- ☐ Decide what employee and recipient information each team needs.
- ☐ Document how changes to the policy will be communicated.
Keep participation voluntary and handle employee giving information according to the program’s privacy commitments.
5. Measure the pilot
Adapt the monthly giving program scorecard to separate employee donations, approved matches, and delivered funds.
Track participating employees, eligible donations, approved matches, delivered matches, unresolved exceptions, and administrative time. Calculate participation using the eligible employee population, not the entire workforce if some employees cannot participate.
Ask employees whether they understood and could use the benefit. Participation figures alone do not establish an effect on employee retention.
The CauseFi. ecosystem includes employer-funded giving as a potential layer alongside supporter contributions. Bring this completed checklist to a program conversation to confirm eligibility, controls, and the operational workflow available to your company.
Next step: Use the giving revenue worksheet to keep employee donations and employer contributions separate in your model.