Corporate Giving and Matching Gift Statistics [Updated 2026]

Understand the employer match opportunity | Explore corporate giving trends | Pursue workplace giving effectively

What to Know About Corporate Matching Gifts

Employee matching gifts can make a huge difference in generating fundraising success for organizations of all shapes and sizes. However, few nonprofits and schools truly understand how to leverage corporate philanthropy effectively, with many underestimating the potential of these powerful programs.

Explore the key corporate giving and matching gift statistics below to learn about the impact of this crucially underutilized revenue source.

Plus, check out even more data in our Workplace Giving Research Hub!

About the Corporate Matching Gift Landscape

Corporate giving and matching gift statistics represented in an infographic

65% of offer matching gift programs.
Over 26 million individuals work for companies with matching gift programs.
11% of total corporate cash contributions to nonprofits are made through matching gift programs, for an estimated average of $2.86 billion donated each year.
An additional $4 to $7 billion in matching gift funds is estimated to go unclaimed per year.
Over the last three years, the percentage of publicly disclosing that they offer employee matching gifts grew by 11.8%.
A Forbes survey of 250 multi-billion-dollar businesses indicated that over 92% of surveyed companies offer at least one kind of gift-matching program to their employees.
31.7% of nonprofits believe their organization isn’t reaching its full workplace giving revenue potential because they don’t have the right tools or systems in place.
Our corporate giving database covers more than 99% of companies with matching gift programs (along with other forms of workplace and corporate giving, too!).
The primary driver of matching gift growth, according to �ԹϺ��’s 2026 survey of 5,000+ nonprofit professionals, is…
- Stronger corporate partnerships (27%)
- Improved donor data and tracking (25%)
- Increased marketing frequency (25%)
- (23%)

The Future of Corporate Gift-Matching

NEW [2026 Survey Insights]

49% of nonprofits identified workplace giving as a growth strategy for their organization, with 93% believing they can grow the funds raised through corporate giving programs.
55.6% of organizations reported that they currently lack a formal matching gift program, though 50% of surveyed groups indicated that their goal is to start one this year.
55.6% of organizations plan to prioritize matching gifts over the next 12 months.
47.4% of nonprofit professionals plan to start asking supporters to check for matching gift eligibility (including volunteer grants!) this year.
40% of fundraising professionals say the biggest revenue opportunity they see is converting their one-time donors to matching gift participants.
94% of major U.S. companies plan to heighten or maintain their levels of philanthropic giving.
39% of companies plan to expand their workplace giving programs in the next two years, while 37% plan to keep their workplace giving programs the same.
The addition of matching gift auto-submission functionality is projected to yield an additional 80-200% increase in corporate giving revenue.
As Artificial Intelligence tools become increasingly commonplace, 64.5% of nonprofits indicate that they’re most excited by the elimination of manual tasks and busy work.
- 19.4% are most excited by providing personalization at scale using AI tools.
- 16.1% are most excited by AI’s ability to supply fresh perspectives on fundraising strategy.

Donor Psychology & Fundraising Impact Statistics

84% of survey participants say they’re more likely to donate if a match is offered.
1 in 3 donors indicate they’d give a larger gift if matching is applied to their donation.
Mentioning matching gifts in fundraising appeals increases the response rate by 71% and the average donation amount by 51% due to .
One study reported that the average matched gift was between 1.5 and 2X the size of the average unmatched gift.
Matching gift availability is rated the leading factor likely to encourage donors to give more, ranking it above emergency appeals and holiday and religious events.
A well-executed matching gift strategy can have more than 75% engagement (more than 5x the average nonprofit’s engagement rate), which includes…
- Interacting with your search tool
- Accessing matching gift forms or guidelines
- Opening multiple emails
More than 50% of nonprofits view revenue generated as the key metric for assessing the effectiveness of matching gift programs.
29.6% of surveyed nonprofits promote matching gifts during their organization-specific giving days, often considering matching to be the the “hero” of their campaigns.
37.9% of nonprofit professionals say they run specific marketing initiatives for matching gifts at year end every year (including 30.2% on Giving Tuesday!).
48.5% of nonprofit professionals mention matching gifts as a “bonus” in their donation appeals, with 18.2% using matching to establish urgency or reach a specific goal.

Matching Gift Marketing & Communication Statistics

Despite an estimated 10% of individual contributions being eligible for corporate matches, only 1.31% of donations are matched at the average nonprofit.
Without , there is a significant knowledge gap surrounding available matching gift programs and the donors who qualify for them:
- 78% of donors are unaware if their company offers a matching gift program and the program specifics.
- 14% of donors know their company has a program, but are unsure if they’re eligible or don’t know how to submit their matching gift request.
- 8% of donors know their company has a program, know they’re eligible, and understand how to submit their matching gift request.
73% of donors will use a matching gift search field on a donation form when presented with the opportunity.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 66.7% of nonprofits say donors are most engaged with workplace giving outreach when it includes impact stories.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 55.6% of nonprofits say high-impact storytelling in P2P event emails drives the highest matching gift conversion, while 22.2% say post-donation “easy match” instructions are the most impactful strategy for their organization.
100% of the Peer-to-Peer Top 30 incorporate matching gifts in their overall fundraising strategies to some extent.
- 93% of leading peer-to-peer nonprofits host a dedicated matching gift page on their websites and/or event pages.
- 86% of the P2P Top 30 follow up with donors about matching gifts on their gift confirmation screens, post-donation email outreach, and more.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: Nearly 42% of nonprofits cited that online campaigns generate the highest matching gift conversions.
30% of fundraising groups say they’ve implemented post-event thank-you emails that remind attendees about matching programs.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 34% of nonprofits indicate that marketing matching gift opportunities to existing supporters is their primary focus during the first year of tracking.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: Wayne State University reported a 54% open rate on their end-of-year matching gift email stream.
40% of nonprofits said automated email reminders with direct company links and impact updates help drive matches to fulfillment, and��39% of nonprofits noticed that post-donation confirmation emails made the biggest difference in helping donors discover their eligibility.
Unfortunately, over 65% of nonprofits lack dedicated staff for matching gift marketing, and 33% say they don’t have any outward-facing communication on workplace giving at all.

Matching Gift Marketing and Automation Part 1

Matching Gift Marketing and Automation Statistics

45.5% of nonprofits indicate that they do not currently use post-gift communications for matching, while 44% rarely or never follow up with donors about their matching gift status at all.
66.7% of surveyed nonprofits state that email is their primary channel for promoting matching gifts during peak giving seasons, with 22.2% leveraging pre-scheduled campaigns.
66.2% of nonprofits indicate that they rarely or never use to promote matching gifts.
Sending targeted matching gift reminder emails within 24 hours of a donation results in a 53% open rate, which is 2.6 times higher than the average nonprofit email open rate.
According to �ԹϺ��’s 2026 survey, 26.7% of nonprofits say including a direct link to a matching search tool in their outreach is an effective way to educate fundraisers.
The average matching gift email has a 7% click-through rate, which is 2.4x the average nonprofit email click-through rate.
Implementing additional matching gift follow-ups can go a long way in increasing program participation:
- Organizations that send a single matching gift email see an estimated 31% of eligible donations submitted for matching.
- Sending a second reminder email increases the number of matches submitted by eligible donors by an additional 45%.
- A third matching gift reminder email increases the number of matching gifts by an additional 9%, bringing the total percentage of eligible gifts submitted to 54%.
Employing multiple approaches to identifying match-eligible donors results in 77% more identified match-eligible donations.
Email domain screening for match-eligible donations can result in a 1% increase in total revenue for nonprofits.
Leveraging a matching gift automation tool (like �ԹϺ�� Matching) increases matching gift revenue for nonprofits and schools by 20% to 50% annually.
78% of the nation’s largest nonprofits and educational institutions use �ԹϺ��’s workplace giving tools to promote matching gifts.

Common Matching Gift Program Guidelines

Matching gift participation rates vary widely by company, as involvement largely depends on…
- How easy it is for employees to complete their requests
- How compelling the program criteria are to employees
Higher matching gift caps typically yield higher levels of employee engagement. For example:
- Caps that are set at $1,000 see a 12% employee engagement rate.
- Caps that are from $1,001 to $10,000 see an 18% engagement rate.
- A matching gift cap beyond $10,000 sees a spike in employee engagement up to 40%.
The top 10 matching gift companies match on average up to $47,500 per employee per year.
Only 19% of companies include more than one paragraph regarding matching gift programs in their easily accessible employee handbook materials or websites.
34% of employees wish their companies would provide additional information about their programs and how team members can get involved.
97% of donors want flexibility in where and how they give to causes they care about.
- 86% of donors want to be able to make their gift directly through a nonprofit’s website.
- Only 6% of donors want to contribute via a workplace giving platform and then have that gift passed along to the nonprofit.

Leading Matching Gift Programs to Note

With a 70% employee participation rate, American Express offers one of the most-used matching gift programs across all sectors.
65% of Microsoft employees request match funds for their personal donations, making it a standout leader among the technology sector and the largest contributor of matching gift and volunteer grant funds overall.
- Microsoft matched $53.2 million in employee donations to nearly 19,000 nonprofits in a single year (an 11% increase over the previous period).
- Inclusive of the corporate match, Microsoft employees have donated more than $1 billion to nonprofits since the program’s inception.
- The company also donated $7.7 million as a result of 456,000 volunteer hours logged through the company’s employee volunteer program in a single year.
- U.S.-based Microsoft employees volunteered more than 2 million hours since 2005.
30% of Pfizer employees participate in matching gifts, making it a top matching gift supplier in the pharmaceutical industry.
Conversely, fewer than 15% of employees request donation matches compared to similar programs at Xerox, Dell, and Verizon.
General Electric established the world’s first known corporate matching gift program in 1954, and has contributed more than $1.1 billion through employee matches since.

Common Minimums, Maximums, and Ratios

96% of companies have a minimum match requirement of less than or equal to $50.
The average minimum match amount is $34.
80% of companies’ matching gift maximums fall between $500 and $10,000 annually per employee.
The average maximum match amount is $3,728.
91% of companies match donations at a standard 1:1 ratio.
- Meanwhile, 4% match at a lower rate, such as .5:1, and
- 5% match at a higher rate, such as 2:1, 3:1, or even 4:1.

, while dollar-for-dollar remains the most common matching gift ratio by far, enhanced match rates are being implemented more and more to support targeted priorities or time-sensitive campaigns (such as disaster relief efforts).

Points of Light Matching Statistics Infographic

Source: https://www.pointsoflight.org/the-civic-50-awards/

Findings From the Civic 50 (Points of Light)

The Civic 50 primarily comprise the following industries: financial (42%), healthcare (16%), consumer discretionary (12%), industrials (10%), consumer staples (4%), other (16%).
These high-impact companies primarily supported the following causes: food and nutrition (50%), job training and workforce development (42%), health (40%), environmental (36%), disaster response (30%), K-12 (24%), community revitalization (24%), employee-driven issues (24%), poverty and homelessness (20%), STEM (18%).
Corporate volunteer participation among the Civic 50 companies reaches 45% of employees, which is well above the 25% overall U.S. average.
86% of companies have gift-matching policies, and, on average, 21% of their employees requested at least one matching gift within the year.
These highly philanthropic companies provided an average of $2,355,434 in matching gifts in a single year. Meanwhile, they contributed $20.5M across all philanthropic efforts annually, with total financial giving across the top 50 companies amounting to over $1B.

Volunteer Matching & VTO Statistics

Volunteerism and volunteer grants statistics

40% of Fortune 500 companies offer volunteer grant programs.
80% of companies with volunteer grant programs provide between $8-$15 per hour volunteered.
66% of companies surveyed provide paid-release time volunteer programs.
The average corporate volunteer rate participation rate is 33%, while top-quartile corporate volunteer programs see an estimated 66% team involvement.
About 63 million Americans volunteer for a total of 7.7 billion hours each year, which is valued at ~$175 billion.
Over 74% of nonprofits believe that workplace volunteering is important for their overall fundraising strategy.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: Building corporate relationships is the top goal of nonprofits in building workplace volunteering programs.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 70% of nonprofits rarely or never educate supporters about volunteer grant eligibility, while 90% lack a formal process to track or follow up on unclaimed volunteer grant hours.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 41% of nonprofits use volunteer data in sponsorship proposals only sometimes, while 42% indicate that they’ve had volunteers serve as internal advocates for formalizing corporate partnerships.
62% of nonprofits use digital software such as a VMS to log volunteer hours.

Broader Corporate Giving Statistics

Corporations donated more than $44 billion to nonprofits in 2025, with the total continuing to increase each year.
Donations through corporate grants and workplace giving programs on the Benevity platform reached $3.74 billion in 2025, representing a 9.2% increase over the previous year.
The top 10 corporations alone donate over $2 billion annually in cash to nonprofits, much of it through employee matching gift programs.
The most commonly cited reasons for increases in companies’ philanthropic budgets were increased focus on strategic initiatives or programs; international giving expansion; changes in the business; and changes in employee-directed giving.
Health, Social Services, and Education continue to be the top program areas to which companies allocate their resources, and Disaster Relief saw the largest giving increases.
Workplace donations to emergency food nonprofits grew by 35% in an effort to bridge the gap left by inflation and changes in government funding. Meanwhile, giving to Civil Rights causes rose 15% (double the overall growth rate) while law and legal services saw a 21% increase.
In 2025, 550+ companies used corporate donor-advised funds (or DAFs) to recommend grants worth nearly $540 million to nonprofit causes.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 31.2% of nonprofits indicate that they review companies’ internal CSR goals to identify other ways supporters can contribute to their mission.

The percentage of offering “Unrestricted Matching Gift Programs” (i.e., will match to any nonprofit) grew 48% over the last three years, whereas those offering “restricted” programs (e.g., only matching donations to a particular mission or sector) decreased by 33% to only 13.6%.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: 81.8% of nonprofits believe that cross-departmental collaboration is critical or important to workplace giving success.
NEW [2026 Survey Insight]: Close to 70% of nonprofits believe that limited operational bandwidth and low donor awareness are the most prominent barriers to encouraging corporate giving.

Wrapping Up & Additional Resources

The corporate giving landscape continues to evolve, offering significant opportunities for nonprofits and schools to maximize their engagement. The latest matching gift statistics demonstrate the substantial impact of employee gift-matching on revenue generation for strategic fundraising groups.

As we navigate the ever-changing world of institutional philanthropy, it’s clear that leveraging matching gifts can be a game-changer for nonprofits like yours. By staying informed about these trends and insights, your team can position itself for success, making the most of this invaluable funding stream.

Interested in learning more? Check out these recommended resources to continue growing your knowledge of all things corporate giving and matching gifts:

�ԹϺ��’s Workplace Giving Research Hub. Access even more statistics within our dedicated research hub! Download the latest reports and examine additional statistical directories.
Top 20+ Matching Gift Companies: Leaders in Corporate Giving. Many companies offer matching gift programs, but some truly outshine the rest. We’ve compiled a list of standout matching gift programs here.
Your donors are unlikely to know about matching gifts unless actively market them. See how you can promote matching gifts in this free eBook.

Sources

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[3] Conference Board ESG Center’s��Donor Behavior Survey

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��5��ԹϺ��’s��Database of Matching Gift and Volunteer Grant Companies

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[7] GE Foundation’s��Paving the Way For Matching Gifts

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[11] Tech Soup’s��Which Fundraising Strategies Work?

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