A payment from a payroll giving agency and a list of initials
Every month, a payment arrives from a payroll giving agency. It covers dozens of employees at various companies giving through their salary. Some donors chose to share their details, some did not. The report that explains the payment is a separate download, in the agency's format, and lists donors with their employer and amount.
Separately, a supporter ran a half marathon for you and her employer promised to match what she raised. She filled in the employer's match form, you confirmed the donation, and nobody noticed that the match never arrived. A different company's staff chose you as their charity of the year and asked for an update on what their money did. Nobody could produce a total.
Why workplace giving gets lost
Workplace giving flows through intermediaries, each with its own reporting, and the donor's relationship with the charity is indirect.
- Payroll giving agency payments combine many donors and employers.
- Donor details depend on each donor's choice to share them.
- Employer match requests are made by the supporter, and the charity is not told when they are pending.
- Charity of the year partnerships raise money through many routes: events, collections, payroll and matches.
- Company records and individual donor records sit in different places.
The link that is missing is between the employer, the employee, and the money, across every route it takes.
What the missing links cost
Payroll givers are often long-term, loyal supporters, but if you do not know who they are, you cannot thank them. Match funding that is promised and never claimed or chased is money that should have arrived.
Corporate partners want to know what their staff achieved, and a vague answer weakens the case for renewing the partnership. Staff spend time piecing together totals when a company asks.
How we build workplace giving records
- Payroll giving agency reports are imported, in each agency's format, and reconciled to the payment on the bank statement.
- Donors who shared their details are matched to your supporter records, and employers are recorded as organisations linked to them.
- Donors who did not share details are counted by employer, so totals are complete without creating empty records.
- Employer match requests are recorded when a supporter tells you about one, or when an employer's portal notifies you, with the expected amount and date.
- Outstanding match funding is listed with a reminder to confirm or chase, and matched when the payment arrives.
- Corporate partners have a record showing all money from their staff, across payroll, events, collections and matches.
- A report per employer can be produced for partnership reviews, showing totals and what they funded.
| Source | What is imported | Linked to |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll giving agency | Donor, employer, amount, period | Supporter and employer |
| Employer match request | Supporter, amount, expected date | Supporter and employer, pending |
| Charity of the year event | Income from the event | Employer partnership |
| Anonymous payroll gift | Amount and employer | Employer total only |
Reports to employers only show what donors have agreed can be shared. Individual gifts stay private where the donor chose that.
After it is running
When the agency payment lands, it is reconciled and donors are linked the same week. Payroll givers who shared their details receive a proper thank-you. Pending match funding is visible, and when a company has not paid within the expected time, the team is reminded to follow up.
When a charity of the year partner asks what their staff raised, the answer is a report from one record rather than a week of searching.
Recognise this with workplace giving?
- Payroll giving payments are banked but donors are not identified.
- Match funding promises are not tracked.
- Corporate partners ask for totals you cannot easily produce.
- Payroll givers never receive a thank-you.
- Employer and individual records are not linked.