Charity Match Archives

So, You’re Thinking About a Charity Match Program…Need a few tips to get started?

passpacs on January 28, 2026

For the past 10 years I’ve been working on the PASS charity match team, and our team works with over 50 organizations managing their charity match programs. I’ve personally partnered with more than half of our clients to help them launch their charity match programs. I find that most organizations begin with a clear vision of why they want a charity match program, but they often lack the information and expertise to define program parameters that will set their program up for long-term success.

While every organization’s goals and budgets are unique, successful charity match programs consistently share a few foundational best practices. I put together my top five considerations when designing a new charity match program.

Matching Amount: A dollar-for-dollar match is the best place to start.

When launching a new program, simplicity is key. A straightforward dollar-for-dollar match is easy to communicate and easy for PAC members to understand. A tiered or variable match structure can be effective for a mature program, but this approach adds unnecessary complexity during the early stages of a program. Starting simple allows organizations to build awareness and participation before experimenting with other approaches.

Minimum Contribution: A minimum contribution requirement reinforces the value of the match.

Setting a minimum donation amount reinforces that PAC match is a valuable member benefit. A reasonable minimum ensures that resources are focused on the most engaged members while keeping the program accessible to all members.

Capped Matching: Start with a capped match to ensure sustainable growth.

Establishing an annual match cap – either per employee or program-wide – allows organizations to manage budgets responsibly while encouraging broad participation. Rather than allocating a large portion of funds to a small number of high-dollar donations, a cap can help spread incentives across more PAC members.

Number of Charities: Allow participants to select one charity.

Allowing employees to select a single charity helps maintain program clarity. When employees clearly understand how the program works, they are more likely to participate. As the program matures, organizations can expand on the number of charity options as incentives for higher contribution levels or special campaigns.

Payout Schedule: Send out PAC Match checks to charities on an annual basis.

An annual payout schedule provides structure, predictability, and clarity for participants. An annual match is easier to explain, easier to track, and ensures employees know exactly when and how their match will be processed. As programs evolve, some organizations may explore more frequent payouts, but annual matching is the most effective starting point.

By focusing on clear parameters, simple rules, and scalable structures, your organization can create a PAC match program that is easy to manage, easy to explain, and recognized as a valuable PAC member benefit.

PASS offers full-service PAC match program administration for new and existing PAC match programs. Our Charity Match Team will provide valuable guidance from program inception through maturity.

Interested in learning more about how PASS can help you create a PAC match program to enhance your PAC member benefits and fundraising? Contact Megan Allen at (703) 476-3070 or visit our website: https://passpacs.com/.

My Company is Offering Charity Match! How Do I Choose a Charity?

passpacs on December 19, 2024

Do you love animals, would you like to support organizations that help children, are you a veteran or a family member of a veteran, or do you want to help a local charity?

With the Charity Match program, you can give to 501c3 organizations that are meaningful to you.

There are a lot of popular national charities such as St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, American National Red Cross, and American Cancer Society. Looking to donate locally? If you have a favorite charity and it passes your company’s vetting process, then you can support them through your company’s matching gift and/or PAC Match programs.

The PASS Charity Match Team ensures that all organizations selected as part of a matching gift or PAC match program are 501c3 charitable organizations and do not appear on the US Department of Treasury OFAC sanctions list.

The team will vet for additional charitable giving requirements your organization may have.

If you need help choosing a charity, the Charity Navigator website– where you can look up charities by their name or by their cause – can be helpful. The charity you choose is up to you! The PASS Charity Match team is here to facilitate the contribution and make sure it reaches the charity, and the charity knows you chose them.

What is Charity Match and Why Does Your Company Need It?

passpacs on August 26, 2024

A charity match is a donation made from Treasury or Foundation dollars to match time or money donated by an employee. There are many variations of these programs, and they are not only an employee incentive, but they can help advance your company’s ESG efforts.

The most common program types include:

Gift Match

A Gift Matching program is the most popular match program.

Matching an employee’s gift is a popular employee benefit that has been proven to attract applicants as well as reduce employee turnover.

With over a million 501(c)(3) organizations, you can structure your program to allow employees to select any charitable organization or just a few.

University Match

University Matching encompasses 2–4-year institutions of higher education. Many employees gravitate to this program as their alma mater is near and dear to them. You can even add in Trade or Technical Schools to help broaden the appeal of the program.

VTO

VTO, known as Volunteered Time Off, is a fun way for your employees to give a physical helping hand in their communities. Rather than a monetary match to the charity, employee PTO is granted in exchange. Combine team-building and charitable giving to promote a positive, philanthropic culture.

PAC Match

PAC Match is proven to incentivize your employees to give or increase their giving to the organization’s PAC, Political Action Committee, and much like Gift Match, matches can go to any 501(c)(3) charity, and you can structure your program to your organization’s goals.

Do any of these programs spark your interest? PASS administers match programs of all types and sizes, and we take the administrative burden off your shoulders. Reach out to charity specialists at PASS for help in building and maintaining a successful program.

Your Company Approved Your Idea For A PAC Match Program! Now What?

passpacs on January 2, 2024

Getting approval to start a PAC Match program is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. You reached out to your PAC peers and consulted with your in-house team to figure out the best practices for structuring your program, and find you still need that one resource to provide the big picture, expertise, and industry best practices. The Charity Match team at PASS has a broad scale knowledge of industry best practices built on our 15+ years of providing PAC match services. The Team created a PAC match starter kit to assist PAC managers with starting new programs.

The PAC match starter kit contains everything you need to get your program off the ground including a team of Charity Match professionals with a dedicated Charity Match Manager, a Project Manager, and a team of dedicated IT professionals. PASS’ Charity Match Starter Kit is an invaluable tool containing a wide range of useful information including:

Websites: Access a variety of website templates that you can mix and match to meet your needs, such as Frequently Asked Questions, Top Charities, Program Qualifications, and more.
Communications: Clear and effective communication with donors is key, and our starter kit has templates for emails to donors, cover letters to charities, and how to easily introduce new program rollouts.
Program Parameters: PASS knows which program parameters stand the test of time, backed by years of proven success and employee satisfaction. This is arguably the most customizable aspect of any Charity Match Program, and with this key piece of our starter kit, you’ll be able to browse our most commonly used program features. Topics range from payout frequencies and best invoicing practices, employee participation qualifications, to charity selection limitations and more.

PASS’ Charity Match Starter Kit is an invaluable tool containing a wide range of useful information.

At PASS, we take pride in affording clients full flexibility across the board by providing educational and best practices resources from the start. Our Charity Match team works with you to meet your company’s needs, no matter how unique, throughout your tenure as a client.

Launching a PAC Match Program? Here are 3 Tips to Make Sure Your Program Runs Smoothly.

passpacs on April 10, 2023

You’ve decided to take your PAC to the next level and start a PAC Match Program. PAC Match is a great tool to increase PAC participation and contribution amounts. When you offer a charitable match to your PAC Members’ favorite charities, members are more loyal, contribute more, and spread the word! With this increase in participation comes an increase in administrative time. Wise PAC Mangers take advantage of an outside vendor to handle Charity Match administration because tracking charity selections and writing hundreds, or thousands, of checks is tedious and time-consuming.

As a Senior Charity Match Manager, one of my responsibilities is to on-board new PAC Match Programs. Based on my 10+-years of experience, here are a few tips for a smooth start to your Charity Match program:

Program Parameters: Set your program parameters – number of charity choices, required giving minimum, types of charities, match levels, etc – with your team. Be as open as possible and allow members to select any 501c3 organization, and keep in mind that budgets can be met by adjusting the match levels. Your vendor is a valuable resource for advice to get started and program best practices.

Communication with Members: When you announce this exciting new member benefit, be sure to have a communications plan and timeline in place. Share that information with everyone involved so timelines can be met. Once the program is launched, set a schedule for annual reminders to give members a chance to choose or change their charity selections. Make sure communications are approved and email IP addresses are whitelisted well in advance of the first communication date.

When you offer a match to your PAC Members’ favorite charities, members are more loyal, contribute more, and spread the word!

Funding: Your funding is approved, but where is it coming from and how will it get to the charity match bank account? Set-up an in-house meeting with your accounts payable department to confirm the process for requesting funding and the turn-around time you can expect for receiving the funds. You will need the funding in-hand before check processing begins. Communicate payment dates to your members with the funding schedule in mind.

Be prepared for the exciting PAC growth that comes with the launch of your charity match program! Contact PASS to partner with you on this new adventure. We will help ensure that your charity match program is a success. Schedule a demo to see our Charity Match software and hear about our services.