All financial gifts to the Council are used to support our mission to promote the dignity and empowerment of the people in Wisconsin who are blind and visually impaired. We do this by providing services, advocating public policy and educating the public.
Those financial gifts come to us in a variety of forms. One of them is known as matching gifts. The most common kind of matching gift is when an employer matches donations made by employees with corresponding donations of their own. Many Wisconsin employers will match gifts equally; some will double or even triple the match.
Douglas Thorp has been a donor to the Council since 2007. The Janesville resident’s gifts to the Council have been matched by Alliant Energy since 2009. Douglas, whose mother-in-law is blind, says the matching gifts arrangement he has with Alliant motivates him by stretching his dollars. “My annual budget takes advantage of Alliant’s matches,” he says.
Julie Bauer, Executive Director of the Alliant Energy Foundation, is an enthusiastic supporter of their matching gift program. “Alliant Energy empowers our employees and retirees to donate to organizations making a difference in the communities we serve,” Julie says. “We are proud of the opportunity to match those gifts, through the Alliant Energy Foundation, and help strengthen their support.”
Another matching gifts donor is Michael Sterr of Brookfield. His gifts to the Council have been matched by FM Global Foundation since 2015. Michael feels good about how his and FM Global’s dollars are spent. “The Council is very prompt in responding to the needs of people, very open about how they distribute the contributions and always very courteous,” he says.
Most employers with matching gift programs will match donations from both current and former employees. Ask your employer if they offer matching gifts. If they do, your donation will go even farther in supporting the Council’s work.
For more information on how matching gifts work at the Council, contact Fund Development Director Lori Werbeckes at 608-237-8114 or LWerbeckes@wcblind.org.
