Corporate matching gifts for Ukraine: how to double your donation

Your employer may be able to double your donation. Learn how corporate matching gifts work and how to request a match for your support of Children of Heroes.

October 14, 2026

12 min

TL;DR

A corporate matching gift is money your employer adds to your donation, usually doubling it
65% of Fortune 500 companies run a matching gift program
78% of people who give don’t know whether their employer offers a match
A Ukrainian charity qualifies for most US programs only through a US 501(c)(3) entity
Children of Heroes is a US 501(c)(3), EIN 88-2709953, so your gift to it can be matched

When you give to a charity, your employer may add its own gift on top. Many companies run corporate matching gift programs that double what an employee gives, and some match two to one. A gift to a Ukrainian cause can qualify too, as long as the charity behind it has a legal entity your company’s program accepts.

What are corporate matching gifts?

A corporate matching gift is money a company adds to a donation its employee has already made to a charity. The employee gives first and then asks the employer to match. At the most common ratio, 1:1, an employee’s $50 becomes $100 for the charity. At 2:1, the same $50 becomes $150.

What are corporate matching gift programs?

A corporate matching gift program is a voluntary employee benefit, much like a tuition or wellness allowance. It is the set of rules a company follows when it matches its employees’ gifts. The rules set out:

which charities qualify
how much the company adds for each dollar an employee gives
the most it will match per employee each year
how and by when employees request the match

The money for matching gift programs comes from the company’s giving budget, and sometimes a corporate foundation pays it. The company sets no money aside for each employee. It pays a match only when an employee files a request, so a gift nobody reports is never matched.

Does every company run a corporate matching gift program?

No. Among the largest US companies, 65% of the Fortune 500 run one, which leaves about a third without a program.

A company that does run one pays the requests that meet its published rules: an eligible charity, a gift within the limits and a request filed before the deadline. Requests outside those rules, such as a gift to a charity the program can’t verify, are the ones that get turned down.

If you’re not sure whether your company matches donations, check the giving or benefits section of your HR portal, or ask HR directly.

Four types of corporate matching gifts

Companies that offer corporate matching gift programs can match employee gifts in four common ways:

a 1:1 match
a 2:1 match
payroll giving with a match
a match drive

Each one multiplies your gift differently, and the table below shows how.

Format	How it works	What it means for your gift
1:1 matching gift	Your employer matches each eligible dollar you give	Your $50 becomes $100, up to a yearly cap of $3,728 on average
2:1 matching gift	Your employer gives $2 for every $1 you give	Your $50 becomes $150, usually with a lower cap
Payroll giving with a match	You give from each paycheck, and your employer adds a match	In the UK, your gift also leaves your pay before income tax
Match drive	A time-limited match tied to one event or appeal	Your gift is matched only before the drive’s end date

The UK option runs through Payroll Giving, a government scheme that employers set up through a Payroll Giving agency. If your employer offers it, you choose the charity, and the agency passes your donations on.

Why does matching gift money often go unclaimed?

Matching gift money often goes unclaimed because many employees don’t know their company has a program. These programs usually sit in a benefits handbook or on the company intranet, next to insurance and pension details, and few people look there when they decide to give. As a result, 78% of people who give don’t know whether their employer offers a match.

As of September 2026, unclaimed matching money is estimated at $4–7 billion a year. Over 26 million people work for companies that offer a matching gift program, and many of them could request a match the next time they give.

Corporate matching gifts in numbers, as of September 2026

What is measured	Figure
Money given through matching gift programs each year	≈ $2.86B
Matching gift funds left unclaimed each year	$4–7B
People who work for companies with a program	26M+
Companies that match at 1:1	91%
Average yearly maximum match per employee	$3,728

How to request a matching gift from your employer

If you plan to donate and would like your employer to multiply your gift, here’s what to do:

Give to the charity. Make a one-time or monthly gift directly to the organization.
Request the match. Submit the request through your company’s HR portal or a giving platform such as Benevity or YourCause, usually with your donation receipt attached.
Wait for the eligibility check. Your employer confirms that the charity qualifies under the program’s rules and that your gift fits the limits.
Your company sends the match. Your employer pays its contribution to the same charity.

Many companies run their matching program through a platform such as Benevity or YourCause. The platform keeps the list of charities you can request a match for, and a charity appears there only after it registers and passes the platform’s checks. Before you give, search for the charity in your company’s giving portal.

If it isn’t there, you can usually nominate it, and the platform will invite the charity to register. Check that the charity is trustworthy too, using this guide to choosing a legitimate Ukraine children’s charity.

Can my company match my donation to a Ukrainian cause?

Yes, if the charity has a legal entity registered in a country your company’s program covers. US companies check every charity against US records before they pay a match. For a US program, a Ukrainian charity qualifies when it meets three criteria:

It has a US-registered entity. A charity registered only in Ukraine doesn’t appear in US records, so many Ukrainian charities set up a separate nonprofit in the United States.
That entity holds 501(c)(3) status. This is the tax category the IRS, the US tax agency, gives to charities, and most US programs match gifts only to 501(c)(3) organizations.
Its status is current. Programs check the charity against the IRS list of tax-exempt organizations, so an entity that has lost its status won’t qualify.

Outside the US, the logic is the same, but the proof depends on the country. Benevity, one of the largest giving platforms, accepts a charity in Europe when it meets the following key criteria:

It holds charitable status in its country. Each country has its own proof: in the Netherlands, ANBI status or CBF Recognition, in Germany, a tax-exemption notice from the tax office.
It isn’t on any watchlist or sanctions list. The platform screens every charity before listing it.
It passes the platform’s checks. Benevity verifies the charity’s documents when it registers and keeps monitoring it afterwards.

Your company can add its own rules on top, so ask HR which charities your program accepts.

Support Children of Heroes from the US or EU

Children of Heroes is registered in the US and the Netherlands, so you can ask your employer to match your gift

What a matched gift to Children of Heroes funds

A matched gift to Children of Heroes funds long-term support: the Fund stays with each child who lost one or both parents to the war in Ukraine until age 19. Each family works with a case manager and a family support specialist, who coordinate psychological stabilization, education, medical care and humanitarian aid as the child grows. As of September 1, 2026, 17,247 children were under the Fund’s care.

Because support runs for years, regular gifts matter most. Most matching programs match monthly gifts too, either automatically when you give through payroll or your company’s portal, or when you submit your receipts, often once at the end of the year. For example, with a 1:1 match, your $50 monthly gift becomes $1,200 a year for children who lost parents to the war. The Fund directs this money to each family’s actual needs, so it can respond quickly when a family’s situation changes and support children through different stages of their lives.

You can see where the money goes before you give. The Fund publishes monthly and annual reports that show how donations are spent and how many children receive support.

Independent organizations have reviewed its work as well. Candid, the largest US database of nonprofits, gave the Fund its Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest of its four levels. GlobalGiving lists it as an Effective Organization, and in the Netherlands the Fund holds CBF Recognition, the Dutch quality mark for charities.

How to get your gift to Children of Heroes matched

If your company has a giving portal, such as Benevity or YourCause, give through it. Otherwise, donate to Ukraine children through the Fund’s donation page and attach your receipt to the matching gift request. Gifts in US dollars go to the Fund’s US entity, and the receipt shows its name and EIN.

Your program will look for the Children of Heroes entity registered in its country. Search your giving portal by legal name or registration number:

	United States	Netherlands
Legal name	Children of Heroes of Ukraine Foundation	Stichting Children of Heroes of Ukraine
Registration number	EIN 88-2709953	RSIN 865197519
Status	501(c)(3) public charity	ANBI status, CBF Recognition
Address	514 N Washington St., Denver, CO 80203, USA	Sonmansstraat 68 A1, 3039 DM Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Who can use it	Employees of US companies	Employees of companies in the Netherlands and other European countries, if the program accepts Dutch charities

If your program asks the Fund to confirm your gift or to send documents, the team handles it. Write to the Children of Heroes Foundation through its contact page with your company’s name and giving platform.

To double your support for children who lost parents to the war, give to Children of Heroes and ask your employer to match it.

FAQ

Can I request a match for a gift I’ve already made?

Usually, yes. Most programs accept requests for earlier gifts up to a deadline, often the end of the year or early the next, so check your program’s cutoff date.

Can my family members’ gifts be matched too?

Some programs also match gifts from spouses and retired employees. Your program’s rules say who qualifies.

Does my employer’s match increase my tax deduction?

No. The match is your company’s gift, so only your own donation counts toward your deduction.

Is my donation to Children of Heroes tax-deductible?

It depends on your country and the entity that receives your gift. Gifts to the US 501(c)(3) entity and to the Dutch ANBI entity can qualify for tax benefits under each country’s rules. The Fund’s tax-deductible donations page explains the options by country. Confirm your own treatment with a tax advisor.

This article is general information and is no substitute for tax advice. Consult a tax professional about your situation.