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Matching Contributions

June 13th, 2020 at 02:20 am

About a month and a half ago the company announced a contribution matching initiative for donations to Covid-19 support organizations. The employee contribution can be to any qualifying organization that is helping prevent the spread of Covid-19 or addressing other damage caused by it. The match from the company though will go to one of about half a dozen organizations that the company has chosen. The employee can select which one. And it’s clear from the wording of the memo that the company thinks that those organizations would be ideal for the employee’s contribution too.

So here’s the rub for me: First, we just all took 10% mandatory pay cuts. But more importantly, while the organizations chosen by the company are reputable, they don’t reflect my personal values around the pandemic. In my opinion, all the guidance provided by the government and health organizations has been a defensive strategy – avoiding the virus. That’s fine. But what seems to be missing is a complementary offensive strategy – planning for the encounter that is likely to happen and making all of us healthier so we aren’t taken down by the thing. I wish we’d spend some of the money being thrown around to provide Vitamin D (& C and zinc) for free to anyone who wants it. This is my view – I know everyone doesn’t think like I do.

I opted not to contribute and instead our family found ways to support our local community. Now I wonder though: will it hurt me at the company? Do they keep a record of who participated in the initiative they promoted?

Have you ever skipped a work fundraiser and worried that it could negatively impact you at work?

Posted in Personal Finance | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Matching Contributions”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    June 13th, 2020 at 02:36 pm 1592058992
    1592058992

    I agree with you on this. I guess if we both like smoothies, and Chris Wark, we probably have some health ideas in common! You are assuming that the company will assume you didn't contribute because you didn't agree with the organizations. Maybe you didn't contribute because you had a paycut, your spouse had a paycut, your own pandemic repercussions in other areas of life, or had to help a family member? I'm sure we could come up with a multitude of reasons someone could legitimately not contribute. I think it would be unfair/illegal for any employer to require contributions to charity under ANY circumstances. The company gets a tax break for their contributions, the employee often does as well, so they are pointing out a benefit, also promoting their own ideas or at least virtue signalling that they care at this time, because it's basically unforgivable not to take a stance and follow the group think. I hope you can let the worry go and just do what is right for you. If you can prove that future decisions on your employment were based on not contributing I think you would have grounds to sue. The military does have a system for collecting donations to charities, we have never contributed through an employer however.

  2. Wink Says:
    June 13th, 2020 at 07:45 pm 1592077509
    1592077509

    I understand those "unspoken expectations" from employers around donating and attending fundraisers and functions. We had a lot of them at the college. As an employee I often wondered if they kept tabs on who contributed and who didn't. I know it was "noticed" if certain upper level staff didn't attend functions. Since I contributed to organizations and their missions outside the college that were important to me and aligned with my beliefs, I declined to contribute at work. Nothing ever happened as a result that I could tell. I think you just have to follow your own compass on these things. I think if I did encounter any kind of a negative consequence at work because of it, I would be looking for other employment.

  3. rob62521 Says:
    June 14th, 2020 at 05:50 pm 1592157001
    1592157001

    I can see where you would query about this. But, I also understand you have your own charities. I rather doubt if they will hold it against you for not contributing. I ran into his when I worked, sort of. Each month we would write a check to the local food pantry because they could buy more with the cash than if we donated nonperishables. Well, at one of our meetings, one of the people came over and asked me to give money for the food pantry and I said not at this time. She belittled me for being so stingy and all that. I asked if we could talk privately and she said she said she had to say. I didn't want to tell her publicly that we gave each month and although it was nice she decided one time a year to collect money, that belittling me in front of our peers was not the way to go. I finally asked her, since she was so adamant about my giving, how much she personally gave. She hemmed and hawed. I pulled out my checkbook and showed her in the check register how much we gave each month and suggested instead of her being so self righteous, perhaps she should mind her own business. I hated being that way and I don't normally do things like that, but I didn't want to be called out.

  4. Smallsteps Says:
    June 15th, 2020 at 12:23 am 1592180609
    1592180609

    I also dislike this from an employer. We seem to have a new place to donate every month at the place I am at.
    They actually set up an application to donate through our work computer.

    I think it is too high pressure there is many who wonder if they are keeping track of who gave what.
    Personally I am fine with people/ companies talking about different causes perhaps it highlights something a person is not aware of...... but when they INSIST you donate through their application or send copy of receipt to HR so they can Virtue signal by a statement like

    " ABC inc. plus their associates gave X amount to this cause"
    I am not interested in adding to that.

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