How Volunteer Grants Work with Double the Donation

Volunteer grants are a type of workplace giving program where a company donates to a nonprofit based on the hours an employee volunteers. With Double the Donation’s volunteering integration, nonprofits can surface these opportunities during volunteer signup, guide volunteers to the right next steps, and track registrations for follow-up outreach.

Here’s how it works.

What is a volunteer grant?

A volunteer grant is a corporate giving benefit that rewards employee volunteer time. After an employee volunteers with a nonprofit, their employer may donate a set amount to that organization once the volunteer meets the company’s eligibility requirements, such as a minimum number of hours.

Because each company has its own rules, one of the biggest challenges for nonprofits is helping volunteers identify whether they qualify and what steps they need to take. That’s where the Double the Donation volunteering integration comes in.

How the process works

The volunteer grant workflow happens in three main steps:

1. The volunteer signs up and identifies their employer

During signup in BetterUnite, the volunteer sees a company search field powered by Double the Donation. As they type, the field auto-completes with employer suggestions from Double the Donation’s volunteer grant database.

This makes it easy to capture company information without sending the volunteer away from the signup process. Instead of asking volunteers to research their eligibility later, the form helps identify potential volunteer grant opportunities at the point of registration.

2. The confirmation page shows company-specific next steps

After signup, the volunteer lands on a confirmation or “Thank you for signing up” page. This is where Double the Donation can display program information tied to the volunteer’s employer.

If the company was identified during signup, or recognized through the volunteer’s corporate email domain, the confirmation page can show details about that employer’s volunteer grant or volunteer time off program. This may include whether the company offers a grant, the minimum number of hours required, and how the volunteer can submit their request.

If no company was identified, the tool can prompt the volunteer to search for their employer on the confirmation page instead. That gives nonprofits another opportunity to capture eligibility and connect volunteers with the right instructions.

3. Registration data is sent to Double the Donation for follow-up and tracking

Once the volunteer signs up, the registration should be passed to Double the Donation so the nonprofit can track activity and support follow-up outreach.

Importantly, all registrations should be sent, not just the ones where a company match was identified. That includes registrations from volunteers who skip the company search tool and registrations for multiple shifts by the same person. For example, if one volunteer signs up for 100 shifts, those should be sent as 100 registrations.

Sending all registrations gives nonprofits a more complete picture of volunteer activity and creates more opportunities for post-registration outreach to help volunteers discover and complete eligible volunteer grant requests.

Why this matters for nonprofits

Adding volunteer grant information directly into the signup flow helps nonprofits:

• Raise more revenue from volunteer grant funding
• Increase the return on volunteer programs
• Demonstrate volunteer impact more clearly
• Deepen volunteer engagement through workplace giving opportunities

Instead of relying on volunteers to figure everything out on their own, nonprofits can present relevant information at the right moment and make it easier to take action.

What the integration includes

A typical Double the Donation volunteering setup includes:

• A search field on the volunteer signup form
• A plugin on the confirmation page
• A method for sending all volunteer registrations to Double the Donation

In summary

Double the Donation’s volunteering integration helps nonprofits turn volunteer activity into additional fundraising opportunities. Volunteers enter their employer during signup, receive company-specific next steps on the confirmation page, and have their registrations tracked for follow-up outreach.

By building volunteer grant discovery into the registration experience, nonprofits can make it easier for supporters to participate in workplace giving programs and unlock more value from every volunteer hour.