Are donation credits and donation matches the same?

Credits and donation matches both come from your employer, but they work differently.

Matches

If your employer offers a matching program, eligible donations through Groundswell or logged volunteer hours tracked on Groundswell will be matched by your employer with a donation to that same charity. For example, if you donate $10 to the Red Cross, your employer matches it with another $10 — so the Red Cross receives $20 total. With Groundswell, that match appears immediately*.

Keep in mind that every program has a match limit, and often an expiration date tied to either the calendar year or your company's fiscal year. Once you hit your limit, additional donations won't be matched. Your program administrator can tell you what your specific limit is.

Credits

Credits are like a gift from your employer: funds in your Groundswell account for you to donate. You can distribute them to any eligible charity on the platform — no need to add your own funds. For example, if your employer gives you a $50 credit, you could donate $25 to the Red Cross and $25 to Team Rubicon.

You might receive credits a couple of ways: your company matching volunteer hours with credits, or your company using credits as an engagement tool (new hire gifts, work anniversaries, etc.).

Note: credits can't be withdrawn from your Groundswell account — they can only be distributed to a charity.