Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that encourages people to do good on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the United States. Many nonprofits, companies, and individuals participate by donating money, volunteering their time, spreading the word about causes they care about, and more. Some companies offer to match gifts made by their employees or customers as an incentive. So does Facebook match gifts on Giving Tuesday?
Facebook’s Matching Gift Program
Facebook does have a matching gift program where they will match donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations. However, their program does not specifically offer boosted matching for Giving Tuesday. Their standard policy is:
- Facebook will match donations up to $10,000 per employee per calendar year.
- The minimum gift matched is $25.
- The nonprofit must be located in the United States.
- The nonprofit must be tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code.
- The employee must initiate the match request process.
So Facebook employees who donate to eligible nonprofits on Giving Tuesday can have those donations matched by Facebook, up to $10,000 total for the year. But Facebook does not increase the match amount or promote this specifically around Giving Tuesday.
Do Other Tech Companies Offer Giving Tuesday Matching?
While Facebook does not offer special Giving Tuesday match promotions, some other tech companies do:
Google offers to match employee donations 2:1 on Giving Tuesday, up to $6,000 per employee per year. So an employee donating $100 to charity on Giving Tuesday would trigger $200 in matching funds from Google.
Microsoft
Microsoft offers to match employee donations on Giving Tuesday at a 5:1 rate, quadrupling their normal 1:1 match. So a $100 employee donation could generate $500 in match funding on Giving Tuesday specifically.
Apple
Apple matches employee donations 2:1 on Giving Tuesday. Their standard match rate is 1:1 up to $10,000 per employee annually.
Dell
Dell offers a 2:1 match for all employee charitable donations made between Giving Tuesday and January 31, with higher maximum limits. Normal matches are 1:1 up to $10,000 annually.
How Do Facebook’s Giving Programs Compare?
While Facebook does not offer boosted Giving Tuesday matches, their overall charitable programs still compare favorably to peers:
| Company | Normal Match | Giving Tuesday Match |
|---|---|---|
| 1:1 up to $10,000 | No boost | |
| 1:1 up to $12,000 | 2:1 up to $6,000 | |
| Microsoft | 1:1 up to $15,000 | 5:1 (quadruple) |
| Apple | 1:1 up to $10,000 | 2:1 |
| Dell | 1:1 up to $10,000 | 2:1 through Jan 31 |
Looking at the normal annual match limits, Facebook ties Apple for second place at $10,000, behind Microsoft’s $15,000 annual max. And Facebook has no limit on how much an employee can donate before hitting the match cap, unlike Google’s $12,000 limit.
For Giving Tuesday specifically, Facebook is the only one of these tech giants to not boost their match. But their standard 1:1 match up to $10,000 annually still applies to Giving Tuesday donations.
How Employees Can Have Their Gifts Matched
While Facebook does not promote a special Giving Tuesday match offer, employees who want to maximize their donation impact on Giving Tuesday can still take advantage of the standard matching gift program.
To have a donation matched by Facebook, employees should:
- Make a personal donation to an eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
- Save documentation of the donation and organization’s tax status.
- Initiate a match request through Facebook’s matching portal within 6 months.
- The nonprofit will need to verify receipt of the donation.
- Facebook will review the application and match the gift if approved.
- The matched funds will be sent directly to the nonprofit.
Employees can initiate match requests through Facebook’s internal Donate and Volunteer portal. Teams at every Facebook office help administer the matching gifts program locally.
Does Facebook Promote Any Giving Tuesday Activities?
While Facebook does not offer any special financial incentives specifically around Giving Tuesday, the company does promote the global day of giving in a few ways:
- Encouraging employees to post about causes they care about and nonprofits they support on Facebook and Instagram using branded hashtags like #GivingTuesday.
- Featuring stories of Facebook employees volunteering or giving back on the company intranet and blog.
- Providing a toolkit of ideas and resources for employees to get involved in Giving Tuesday.
- Granting employees who volunteer on Giving Tuesday an additional day off to volunteer.
So Facebook does help raise awareness of Giving Tuesday among its employees worldwide. And participation in the standard matching gift program helps increase the impact of employee donations made on Giving Tuesday each year.
How Employees Can Participate in Giving Tuesday
Some ways Facebook employees can consider participating in Giving Tuesday include:
- Making a personal donation to a nonprofit they support and submitting a match request to double the impact.
- Volunteering with a local nonprofit organization and using their additional day off granted by Facebook.
- Using Facebook and Instagram to encourage friends and followers to get involved.
- Spreading the word about Giving Tuesday and causes they care about on other social channels.
- Supporting nonprofit fundraisers hosted on Facebook on #GivingTuesday.
- Organizing a virtual fundraiser through Facebook for an organization.
Employees are encouraged to share stories of how they are getting involved by emailing [email protected].
Conclusion
In summary, while Facebook does not offer special matching incentives specifically for Giving Tuesday, employees can still double their donation impact through Facebook’s standard annual match program. Facebook provides other resources to help employees get involved with Giving Tuesday. By making personal donations, volunteering their time, and leveraging Facebook’s platforms, employees can significantly increase support to great causes as part of the global Giving Tuesday movement each year.