Matching gift programs are a fundamental source of support. Today, approximately 500 companies, subsidiaries, and other organizations match employee gifts to the University of Michigan. As a benefit to your employees, your organization can increase the impact of employees' gifts to the College of Engineering by matching employees' contributions. Most organizations choose to provide a 1:1 match; while some elect to provide a greater matching amount to further encourage and leverage their employees' philanthropy.

The Benefits to Your Organization

• A Virtuous Cycle
  By giving to the institutions that educate your employees, you "give where you get". Matching gifts are a way for your organization to show its appreciation to the University and to ensure that a supply of educated graduates will continue to be available to you. Through a matching gift program, you are able to advertise your corporate image at a low cost and complement other support programs without conflict.
  
• Corporate Citizenship
  Companies often want to support educational institutions and nonprofit organizations where their offices and plants are located. Your organization may enjoy the University's contributions to the economic or cultural well-being of the community, or the education of family members of your employees.
  
• Employee Relations
  A matching gift program can be an employee benefit as well as a gesture of appreciation by directors. By respecting and reinforcing the preferences of those who work for you, your organization can promote and improve relations among management, employees, and directors. Matching gifts are more effective than regular grants in promoting society's support of education. They encourage your employees to give, thus expanding the base of contributions to institutions.
  
• Creating a Challenge
  Many corporations like the "challenge" aspect of matching gifts. There is little doubt that matching gift programs have been a factor in stimulating educational institutions to make overall improvements in their alumni fund programs. The total benefit to the institutions, then, may be much greater that the number of dollars received in matching gifts.
  
• Flexible Giving
  Matching gift programs are flexible. You can design your program to meet a variety of objectives - to encourage first gifts, larger gifts, continued gifts and so forth - and to fit within almost any budget

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For more information contact:
University of Michigan College of Engineering
Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center
1221 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2102
(734) 647-7041 phone
(734) 647-7045 fax