'It's the Money, Honey': Current Workplace Giving Programs Are Too Costly (And What To Do About It)

We are hearing that current workplace giving programs and technology solutions are too expensive, whether it’s a home-grown solution or third party provider. Custom built solutions designed are cost-prohibitive for all but the largest organizations (and even then, they struggle to stay current – where are the mobile interfaces?!). All required functionality is built into the front end, and most back-end processing is still largely manual – whether outsourced or done in-house. This makes it difficult for companies in the mid-market to afford to implement a solution, and difficult to achieve the efficiencies on volume that should drive costs down. And efficiencies and cost aside, engagement through workplace giving should be available to all employees, not only to individuals working for large companies.

A related challenge that many companies have told us about is that current workplace giving programs and the associated technology is too complex and cumbersome, both for employees as end users and for managers who administer them. We like to use the analogy between a jet and a car. Both will get you where you need to go but although most people can drive a car, not very many can operate a jet. So sometimes you don’t need a jet, you need a cool car!

And here’s the thing: cars are wayyy more affordable than jets. Technology can be your friend when it comes to automating manual processes and reducing costs. Web-based approaches like Software as a Service mean that you don’t need to pay a fortune for workplace giving software. Whether you’re a large company, mid-cap or growing, spend the money instead on programs, matching, behavioral incentives, promotion, etc. They will ultimately impact the metrics that matter to help you realize better social and business impacts from workplace giving. Better returns and more good in the world – you’ll be a hero!

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