Have You Met Your Match?

Volunteer-grant programs, also known as "dollars for doers" programs, are charitable-giving programs set up by corporations in which the company provides a monetary donation to eligible nonprofits as a way to recognize employees who volunteer. Grants normally are valued at $10-$15 per hour volunteered with a minimum volunteer requirement of about 20 hours per calendar year for each employee. Volunteer-grant programs provide an easy way to raise money from volunteers without asking them to take out their checkbooks. Since they're already actively giving their time to nonprofits, it is reasonable to expect that they'll take a few extra minutes to request grants from their employers — grants that could equal hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars for a nonprofit.