Well, sort of. Did you know that you can help support Liberty Rugby Club through an Employer Volunteer Grant Program? For every hour of time you volunteer to the club, i.e. helping serve the post game feeds, committee planning, field setup and takedown, etc., your employer may match your service with an hourly wage amount to be donated to the club.
What Are Volunteer Grants?
Volunteer grant programs, also known as “Dollars for Doers” programs, are corporate giving programs created to encourage volunteerism in communities where employees live and work. Through these programs, companies provide monetary grants to organizations where employees volunteer regularly.
Why are Volunteer Grants Important?
Every dollar counts and volunteer grants are free money that nonprofits tend to overlook. If your organization already has a dedicated group of volunteers, it’s likely that there are volunteer grant opportunities going to waste. Don’t miss out on easy, additional funding.
Volunteer Grant Structure and Amounts
Volunteer grants come in two forms:
- A set monetary donation for every hour an employee volunteers
- A set grant amount once employees reach certain thresholds
For example:
- CarMax provides a $10 grant for every hour an employee volunteers up to $10,000 annually
- 3M offers $250 grants for nonprofits once an employee volunteers for at least 20 hours in a year
Unfortunately, not every company offers a program as generous as others. So, if you volunteer your time to Liberty Rugby Club, but your employer doesn’t offer a volunteer grant program, what should you do?
Here are a few options you have to make the most out of your service to Liberty Rugby Club!
Check Your Spouse’s Employer
Many companies offer volunteer grant programs that extend eligibility beyond just their current employees – some programs will accept requests from part-time employees, board members, retirees, and even spouses. Check with your partner’s employer to see if it offers such a program – you might be surprised!
Ask Your Employer to Start a Volunteer Grant Program
Companies that don’t offer volunteer grants may not do so out of a sheer lack of knowledge. Talk to your employer and see if there has ever been anything comparable to this kind of program in the past, and if so, why it didn’t work. If there hasn’t actually been anything like a volunteer grant program, ask for one! Worst-case scenario is you get a “no,” but simply by asking, you could be the catalyst for a new corporate giving program in your company!
Take Advantage of a Matching Gift Program Instead
Thousands of companies across the country offer volunteer grant programs, but (maybe not surprisingly) even more corporations offer matching gift programs. While these companies won’t honor the volunteer hours put in at eligible nonprofits via grants, matching gifts can still make a substantial impact on organizations everywhere. Many companies match donations as low as $25, and it only goes up from there!