There’s a tradition in Georgia that’s gaining traction and providing companies with a timely vehicle for connecting with employees and the causes they care about.

GAgives on Giving Tuesday (November 30) immediately follows Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday each year. The event offers companies and individuals the opportunity to extend the spirit of the Thanksgiving season with gifts to the state’s nonprofit community.

As Georgia’s biggest giving movement, GAgives provides a great hook for companies to reiterate their value of community care, and to encourage employees to take advantage of a company matching gift program.

How can your company leverage this proven opportunity for employee engagement?

In 2020, the Coca-Cola Foundation, Aprio, Arby’s Foundation, Brooks, McGinnis & Company, Gas South, and Marshall Jones communicated their community values and helped Georgians enjoy the benefits of giving by providing matching funds and incentive prizes. This year Duluth-based financial services leader Primerica, and Atlanta-based global paper & packaging company WestRock, are planning campaigns, too.

Not only will WestRock support the campaign with donor prizes and incentives, but they will also use it as part of their own employee engagement strategy here in their headquarters state. According to WestRock’s Mandy Burnette, they will invite employees to join in recognizing the invaluable role of nonprofits in their community, by encouraging their team members to participate in GAgives and leverage the WestRock Foundation’s Matching Gifts program to enhance their personal giving.

Through the WestRock Foundation’s employee engagement programs, the company’s teammates, and their spouse or domestic partner, are eligible to earn valuable funding for nonprofits they support by volunteering and/or making financial contributions to the organizations.

Partnering with a program like GAgives is a great way to promote a company’s programs to employees while also making a positive impact in the community.

Georgians are motivated to give, even in tough times.

According to Georgia Center for Nonprofits, last year’s giving surpassed 2019’s record-breaking dollar total by 84% and topped 2019’s record number of individual donations by over 94%. This trend validates that Georgians are motivated to help others, especially when times are tough.

As companies look to round out their employee engagement programs for the year, GAgives provides an opportunity to highlight a shared value of community generosity.

Led by Georgia Center for Nonprofits, GAgives serves as a catalyst for giving by raising awareness and providing much needed contributions. For the past nine years in a row, GAgives has galvanized $70 million in donations through the GAgives.org website.