Article: Understanding Volunteer Grants

Understanding Volunteer Grants

You may see a Volunteer Grant Progress Banner on your volunteer event. This means your company has committed to making a donation to the nonprofit based on your team’s participation in the event.

The more your team participates, the larger the grant that can be sent to the charity.

What the Volunteer Grant Progress Banner Means

Volunteer Grants are structured in tiers that unlock based on:

• The number of participants, and/or
• The total volunteer hours logged

As your team volunteers, you’ll see progress toward each tier directly on the event page.

Example Volunteer Grant Tiers

• $250 grant when the event reaches 6+ participants and/or 18+ volunteer hours
• $400 grant when the event reaches 15+ participants and/or 30+ volunteer hours
• $800 grant when the event reaches 30+ participants and/or 50+ volunteer hours

If your event qualifies for multiple tiers, the highest eligible tier at the point of the event being closed will be awarded.

For example:

• 17 participants and 34 hours logged → $400 grant
• 17 participants and 51 hours logged → $800 grant

In short: more participation = a larger impact for the nonprofit.

Tracking Progress During the Event

You can track progress toward each grant tier on the event page:

• Tiers unlock automatically as participation or hours increase
• Progress updates in real time as attendees and hours are logged

If you’re close to the next tier, inviting additional participants or logging remaining hours can help unlock a larger grant.

What Happens After the Event

After the event ends, the event owner has 7 days to finalize the event and submit the Volunteer Grant for approval. This includes:

• Uploading hours
• Adding any walk-up attendees
• Removing any no-shows
• Confirming that all volunteer hours are logged correctly
• Verifying event details

Once the event grant is submitted for approval, participants and hours can still be logged but they will not be eligible for any further granting for the event. If the event is not finalized within 7 days, the grant will automatically be sent based on the highest tier the event qualified for at that time.

When the Grant Is Sent

1. The submitted grant is reviewed for approval by your company admin.
2. Once approved, the grant is sent directly to the nonprofit the event was associated with.
3. The charity receives the donation on behalf of your team’s volunteer efforts.
4. For questions regarding grant receipt, reach out to support@groundswell.io.