Volunteer Grant: turning employee hours into a company donation

What is a volunteer grant?

A volunteer grant, widely known as Dollars for Doers, is a donation a company makes to a nonprofit based on the hours an employee volunteers there. It typically takes the form of a set amount per hour, or a lump sum once the employee passes a threshold of hours.

Its purpose is to reward and amplify employee volunteering. By attaching a company donation to an employee's time, a volunteer grant turns hours contributed into additional funding for the cause, recognising the volunteer's effort with money on top of their time.

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How is it different from a matching gift?

The two are close cousins and often confused, but the trigger differs. A matching gift matches an employee's monetary donation with company money. A volunteer grant converts an employee's volunteer hours into a company donation.

In short, one is triggered by giving money and the other by giving time. Both amplify employee generosity with company funds, and many companies offer both, but keeping the distinction clear matters because they draw on different employee actions and are tracked differently.

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How is it different from volunteer time off?

This is the distinction most worth drawing carefully. A volunteer grant is a company donation to the nonprofit, triggered by hours volunteered. Volunteer time off is paid leave the company gives the employee so they can volunteer.

The difference is who receives what. A volunteer grant gives money to the cause; volunteer time off gives time to the employee. They are complementary, an employee might use paid time off to volunteer and thereby trigger a grant to the nonprofit, but they are two separate benefits with two different recipients.

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Managing volunteer grants in a platform

Because a grant depends on hours volunteered, and because many eligible grants go unclaimed through lack of awareness, accurate tracking and easy claiming are essential. A corporate volunteering platform links verified volunteer hours directly to grant eligibility, so employees can claim easily and fewer grants are left unclaimed.