You've been asked to start an employee giving program from scratch. No platform, no history, a blank page.
That's a better position than it sounds. You get to build it right the first time, without undoing anyone else's mistakes.
Here's a 90-day playbook to go from nothing to a program employees actually use. Three months, one clear job each.
Month 1: Set the Foundation
Month one is decisions, not activity. Get these right and the rest is easier.
Choose the platform. This is the decision everything else rests on. Pick one built for employees to use easily, not for administrators to configure. Our evaluation checklist covers what to ask. The single most important question: is program support included, or is running it your job?
Set your matching policy. Matching drives giving. Keep it simple. A policy an employee can explain in one sentence beats a complex one nobody reads. Decide the match rate and the annual cap, and write it plainly.
Decide on causes. You don't need to hand-pick 40 charities. Give employees broad choice. Curate lightly if you want a few featured causes, but don't build the whole program around a fixed list.
By the end of month one, you have a platform, a matching policy, and a giving structure. Nothing is live yet. That's fine.
Month 2: Launch
Month two is where a program lives or dies. A quiet launch produces a quiet program.
Run a real launch campaign. Not a single email. A sequence across email, your messenger (Slack or Teams), and your intranet. Different people live in different tools, and repetition matters.
Turn on matching from day one. Employees should see the match working the moment they give. Visible matching is one of the strongest drivers of participation.
Hold your first event. Give people something to show up to, not just a link to click alone. A first volunteer event creates shared momentum in a way a donation form never will.
Get managers involved. When a manager participates, their team's turnout climbs. Ask a few visible leaders to go first.
This is a lot of coordinated work in one month. It's also exactly the work a Social Impact Manager handles for you, so a small HR team isn't doing it alone.
Month 3: Measure and Set the Rhythm
Month three turns a launch into a program.
Measure participation. Get your real number. That's your baseline for everything going forward. Aim to benchmark against 50%, not the 15% legacy average.
See what worked. Which channel drove signups? Which cause got traction? Which event filled up? Do more of what worked.
Set the annual calendar. A program that runs monthly builds a habit. A program that runs once a year does not. Lock in a recurring event and a campaign rhythm now, while the momentum is fresh.
By day 90, you don't have a launch. You have a running program with a baseline, a calendar, and a plan.
The One Thing First-Time Builders Get Wrong
They treat the platform as the finish line. Buy the software, send the announcement, done.
The platform is the starting line. Participation comes from the launch, the events, and someone owning the program week to week. Software alone produces the 15% you're trying to beat.
So build the plan, not just the purchase. Decide who runs this before you pick what runs on.
Want to see one in action before you build yours? Join a free community event and watch what a high-participation program feels like. Or book a demo and we'll map your first 90 days for you.
