Matching Gifts
Matching gifts occur when a company matches the charitable contribution of an employee to their alma mater. If you (or your spouse) works for a matching gift company, your gift may be doubled, or even tripled.
The history of matching gifts goes back to 1954, when Philip Reed, Chair of the General Electric Board Of Directors, wanted to encourage GE employees to contribute to their alma maters. Mr. Reed believed that the incentive to give was better if the company matched the employee's gift. Hence, the GE Matching Gifts program was established. Soon after, programs were established at other companies.
The matching gift procedure is very simple. The employee gets a matching gift form from their human resources department. After completing the form, the employee sends it along with their gift to Missouri S&T or to the Miner Alumni Association. (You may also send in the form after you have made the gift.) Some companies have an electronic "matching gift request system", rather than a paper form, which generates a form sent to the campus or the association.
Missouri S&T/the Miner Alumni Association certifies on the form that it has received the gift and meets the company's guidelines for receiving a matching gift, and then returns the form to the company. The company verifies eligibility of the employee and sends a check to the receiving entity, either the Missouri University of Science and Technology or the Miner Alumni Association.
Find out if your employer has a matching gift program at give.mst.edu.
