Do you make charitable contributions each year? In addition to our church tithes, my husband and I like to make small contributions to our alumni universities and a few other small charities. Although, we are unable to give too much money, we can double our contribution just by doing a little bit of legwork.
How is that possible? Well, my husband's company matches our contributions dollar for dollar (up to $5,000 per year). So, when I made my contribution to my school, I made sure that the donor was both my husband and I, so we could submit a match request to his company. Now, our small contribution is still small...but it's not as tiny as before.
How do you know if your company matches contributions? Contact your HR person in your company to see if there's a program available and what the restrictions are. Or, you can look up your employer in this matching gifts database.
Do they accept all charitable organizations or just universities? What's the minimum amount necessary to contribute before it's matched? How do I submit my match? If you need to fill out a paper form, it's probably best to have a few of the forms handy so it's easy to fill out and to remind you of the match.
How do you increase your charitable giving? If you're not giving cash, your drugstore deals are a great way to give goods.
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