The Ins and Outs of Emergency Financial Assistance Grant Distribution
September 23, 2014
Does Your Organization Match Team Member Contributions to the Relief Fund?
October 7, 2014September 30, 2014
Setting up a Disaster and Hardship Relief Fund is the first step in providing aid to your team members in times of need, and encouraging team members to contribute regularly is key to ensuring the long-term success of the fund. Many organizations have a regular contribution sign-up option, where contributions are taken directly from an team member’s paycheck every contribution period.
While regular contributions are vital, never underestimate the value in one-time or irregular donations made by team members who do not participate in the regular contribution program. Setting up a method for team members to contribute online, independent of the enrollment option, can bring in extra dollars to the fund. Some team members may not be able to afford to contribute on a regular basis, but might be encouraged to contribute when they have some extra money. Others may choose to make an extra contribution around the holidays, when they would otherwise contribute to a different charity. An online donation option makes the process easy for team members who wish to donate this way.
The online donation option is particularly useful when team members become aware of a natural disaster (or even of a team members hardship) which impacts their co-workers. One-time contributions can also help boost the resources of a fund in the wake of a natural disaster, or can help team members in a particular location contribute to help a colleague in need. In the wake of any type of disaster or hardship, even team members who were not previously invested in the fund may be inclined to donate to the fund to support colleagues who have been affected. Making the online donation process simple and free from as much red-tape as possible can help maximize contributions and support more team members. Remember that the donation process should always be simplified so as to encourage contributions.
