Southwest, Adobe, Kronos participate in Giving Tuesday

How employers are encouraging workers to dig deeper on Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday has gone corporate.

The event that was introduced in 2012 by New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation encourages consumers to donate to fundraisers and charities the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Now companies are getting on board, using the day to encourage employees to donate money and time, and to call attention to broader corporate giving programs.

Participating in Giving Tuesday — as well as other charitable activities — is a simple way to net big benefits for employers, says Brett Good, senior district president at human resource consulting firm Robert Half.

“Companies that want to succeed, and attract and retain top talent, need to put an emphasis on philanthropic giving and volunteer efforts and make that a part of their corporate culture,” he says. “It can increase employee loyalty and productivity because workers will feel proud about working for a company that cares about the community and shares their same principles.”

In fact, research from Robert Half finds that 67% of employees say a company’s participation in charitable activities has an influence on their decision to work there. It’s even more the case with millennials: 81% of workers ages 18-34 say that an organization’s philanthropic efforts are a factor in their decision to be employed there.

Though some employers focus on volunteer and charitable activities throughout the year, a handful of companies ramp up efforts on Giving Tuesday. Here’s a look at what some employers are doing, and how they’ve involving their employees, for the annual event.

Adobe

Adobe on Tuesday is launching a global fundraiser in partnership with Save the Children, an organization that aims to create brighter futures for the world’s most vulnerable children. Adobe’s goal is to raise $100,000 in order to give 10,000 children a year of education supplies. Adobe says it will match employee donations and will donate $1,000 to Save the Children for every 25 employees who give during the campaign.

AIG

Insurance company AIG says employees in its New York office will spend time on Tuesday tutoring students in the Bronx and packing meals for hunger relief organization Rise Against Hunger. Some of those employees already virtually teach first graders to read for 30 minutes each week through TutorMate, but on Tuesday they will meet the students in person at their school.

The company says it also will encourage workers to utilize its volunteer time off and matching grants programs on Giving Tuesday. AIG employees can take up to 16 hours a year to volunteer with charities or schools. The company also will double any charitable donation up to $10,000 per year.

Benefitfocus

The benefits management platform and services provider is reminding employees of the company’s charitable giving match program — in which all associates are eligible to receive an annual $200 monetary match to a 501c3 organization of their choice.

So far in 2018, the company has supported organizations including the Red Cross, Charleston Animal Society, Trident United Way, Hearts Hands and Hope for Haiti, Homes of Hope, Carroll Center for the Blind and more through associate matching, says Misty Guinn, director of benefits and wellness at Benefitfocus.

“We embrace all the different ways an associate may choose to give back to their community – so whether you donate some of your money, your time, or buy gifts, Benefitfocus will match your contribution and double the impact,” she says.

Benefitfocus also just launched a “Get Involved” campaign through its social media outlets and employee newsletter to “help us maximize this matching benefit and make a big difference this holiday season,” Guinn says.

Bridgepoint Education

Bridgepoint Education, a San Diego-based education services company with about 5,600 employees, is matching employee donations up to $5,000 to any 501C3 nonprofit organization on Giving Tuesday.

That is part of the company’s bigger giving initiative, dubbed the 12 Days of Giving, which also includes volunteer events with organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs around Bridgepoint locations in San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, and Clinton, Iowa.

Kronos

Software company Kronos offers a charitable matching gift program and is using Giving Tuesday as a way to remind workers of its benefit. The company will match individual employee gifts up to $100 per employee, per year, for full- and part-time employees. The company also is running an internal social media campaign demonstrating employee volunteer efforts.

"Spending time, money and effort to actively take employees away from their jobs for an hour or a day ultimately makes us a better company," says Dave Almeda, chief people officer at Kronos. "These volunteer experiences bring employees together, strengthen relationships, increase engagement and build tighter bonds with our customers."

Molina Healthcare

Molina Healthcare, a Long Beach, California-based managed care company with roughly 11,000 employees, is committing to $90,000 in donations to several nonprofits that serve the same populations as the company. Molina’s employees can donate to three partner charities, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Feeding America and the National Council on Aging. Molina will donate $30,000 to each charity through its national and local chapters, and will match employee donations up to $10,000 in additional funds to each charity’s national chapter.

“We know that many of our employees would participate in Giving Tuesday on their own, and we wanted to provide an opportunity to make their donations go a little further,” says Laura Murray, director of communications and community affairs for Molina Healthcare.

JPMorgan Chase

JPMorgan Chase says they encourage employees to make a charitable donation on Giving Tuesday. For every dollar donated, up to $1,000, employees receive a $2 credit in their charitable spending account, which can be used to donate to any nonprofit organization approved by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

The company is also holding a fundraising competition between different states, broken up into three divisions based on employee population. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation will give those who raise the most money in each division $15,000 to donate to a nonprofit of their choice. Last year, employees raised $1.7 million in 24 hours.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines says this week it is reminding employees to log their volunteer hours as part of the carrier’s Tickets for Time program. For every 40 volunteer hours employees of the airline giant spend volunteering for a nonprofit organization, that organization becomes eligible to receive one domestic round trip flight for fundraising or transportation needs. Nonprofits are eligible for up to six tickets per year, Southwest says.