FirstBank Employee Giving Program FAQs

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What is the FirstBank Employee Giving Program? 

The FirstBank Employee Giving Program supports Colorado employees who want to donate a portion of their paycheck to charity. The program is managed through the Colorado Gives Foundation's online giving platform, ColoradoGives.org, in support of Colorado Gives Day. Every Employee Giving Program payroll deduction goes to a nonprofit doing work in Colorado. 

  

How do I participate in the program? 

All Colorado-based FirstBank employees can enroll in the Employee Giving Program during the designated enrollment period. Payroll deductions begin with the first paycheck in January and continue through the last paycheck in November.

New employees hired after the annual enrollment period have 30 days from their hire date to enroll in the program. Payroll deductions for these individuals begin after enrollment and continue through the last paycheck in November.


How does the Colorado Employee Giving Program work? 

Prior to the enrollment period, all Colorado-based employees receive an email to their work address, and each Market/Department is assigned an Employee Giving Program Champion to encourage enrollment. Interested employees can enroll for payroll deductions through the FirstBank benefits designation portal. FirstBank’s Human Resources department will transfer the payroll deductions to Colorado Gives Foundation to place in the employee’s ColoradoGives.org account. Deductions accumulate until the last paycheck in November; after that, employees will be notified when their funds are available to donate.

  

Why do the payroll deductions only go through the last pay period in November? 

The November cutoff gives Human Resources time to transfer the final payroll deductions to the Colorado Gives Foundation and for the Foundation to deposit your funds into your account prior to Colorado Gives Day.


Is participation required for all Colorado-based FirstBank employees? 

Participation is voluntary, but highly encouraged. Philanthropy and giving back to our communities is a cornerstone at FirstBank and we hope every employee participates.

  

How does the Colorado Employee Giving Program support Colorado Gives Day? 

The payroll deduction program makes it easy for Colorado-based FirstBank employees to save and donate to their favorite nonprofit organization on Colorado Gives Day.

  

Will I have to enroll each year? 

Yes. Enrollment is required each year to continue your Employee Giving Program deductions. Employees who sign up during the open enrollment in November 2023 can use their funds towards Gives Day 2024.  For employees enrolling in November 2024, funds will accumulate throughout 2024 and will be ready to donate on Colorado Gives Day 2025.


Is there a minimum amount I have to select for payroll deductions? 

Yes. If you choose to participate, you must donate at least one dollar ($1.00) per pay period and $10 annually. 

  

If I accidentally select an incorrect deduction amount during the Employee Giving Program enrollment period, how can I change it? 

You can email the FirstBank Payroll mailbox to change the amount of your per-pay period deduction. Payroll must be notified the Friday before payday to correct it by that pay period. 

  

If I did not enroll during the enrollment period, can I still participate? 

Yes! On Colorado Gives Day, you can donate directly to your favorite nonprofits at ColoradoGives.org using your credit card or personal savings/checking account. Direct donations do not impact payroll. 

  

What is the link to enroll in the FirstBank Employee Giving Program? 

Employees can enroll on the FirstBank internal benefits page or during the open enrollment period. The FirstBank Employee Giving enrollment site is not accessible from the Colorado Gives Foundation’s main website or from the ColoradoGives.org website. 

  

I forgot my password for my account. What do I do? 

To reset your password, click “Forgot Password.”  If you continue to experience issues, please contact support@coloradogives.org.  

If you are no longer an employee at FirstBank and cannot access the “Forgot Password” email, please contact support@coloradogives.org and provide your FirstBank email address and personal email address. We can then help you access your Giving Funds.


How do I associate my FirstBank Employee Giving funds to a non-FirstBank email?

FirstBank will contact everyone participating in the Employee Giving Program in October to confirm the email address associated with their donor account on ColoradoGives.org. This communication will include a link to a form where you can update your desired email address, if you want your funds loaded onto a donor account associated with a different email address . The deadline to submit a different desired email address is November 1.


If you have missed the November 1 deadline, you will need to wait until funds have been loaded to the donor account associated with the previous email. Once you receive an email stating your funds have been loaded to your donor account, you can contact support@coloradogives.org to have your funds moved to a different email address.


When will I select the organizations I wish to allocate my giving to?  

All donations made between November 1 and Colorado Gives Day count toward the Giving Day. Employee Giving Program deductions accumulate until the last paycheck in November; employees can then direct their funds to their favorite nonprofits in early December. 

  

Which organizations can receive a donation? 

You can search and donate to over 3,800  participating organizations on ColoradoGives.org. Each nonprofit on the website is headquartered in Colorado or provides services in Colorado.

  

What if I want to give to a nonprofit that is not on ColoradoGives.org? 

You can only donate your Employee Giving Program funds to a nonprofit registered on ColoradoGives.org. To be on ColoradoGives.org, nonprofit organizations must satisfy certain requirements and sign up. Here is a link to a web page that describes how the process works. We encourage you to share this information with nonprofit organizations you think could benefit from participating. 

  

If I participate in the Employee Giving Program can I make an additional donation using a credit card or bank account on Colorado Gives Day? 

Yes, but only one payment type can be used per transaction. It is not possible to use your employee giving account to cover part of the donation amount and another payment method to cover the remainder in a single transaction. Only one payment method can be used at a time. 

For example, if you want to donate $500.00 but you only have $400.00 in your employee giving account, it will take two transactions to make it happen. You would first make one transaction for $400.00 using your employee giving account. Then, after successfully checking out, you would need to add the remaining $100.00 to your cart and then checkout again using either your own credit card or personal checking/savings account. 

  

What happens if I don’t use all of my funds on or before Colorado Gives Day? 

Any unused dollars from FirstBank Employee Giving accounts are transferred to an unrestricted fund at Colorado Gives Foundation.

  

Do the nonprofits I choose receive all of the funds that are allocated? 

Colorado Gives Foundation applies a 2.05% processing fee to donations made with your Employee Giving account. The amount donated, less the 2.05% fee, goes to the nonprofits.

   

Are my donations eligible for additional Colorado State tax credits?

When a donation is made to a nonprofit that offers additional Colorado State tax credits, your donation may qualify for a Colorado State tax credit. Each organization will determine the extent to which your donation is eligible and is responsible for issuing the appropriate state tax documents. Please contact each organization directly with any questions about your Colorado tax credit.


How do I use my FirstBank Employee Giving Account to donate? 

It's easy. The general process is to review your balance (so you know how much you have available to donate), add donations to nonprofits to your cart on ColoradoGives.org, and finish checking out using your FirstBank Employee Giving Account as your payment method. Details are provided below. 

Need a little more detail? 

1. Review your balance: 

  • Login to your donor account. 
  • Once logged in, click on your profile in the upper right-hand corner of the website and choose “Account Settings.”
  • Under “Stored Payment Methods ,” you will see your FirstBank Employee Giving Account and balance. 

2. Add donations to your cart:

  • Search for a nonprofit or fundraising page on ColoradoGives.org using the search icon. 
  • When you select the "Donate" button you will be brought to the donation page. 
  • Here, you can indicate how much you want to give.
  • You can either finish checking out or you can click “Add to cart and checkout later” to add another nonprofit to your cart.

3. Checkout using your FirstBank Employee Giving Account:

  • You will need to be logged in to use your FirstBank Employee Giving account. 
  • During the checkout flow the payment method 'drop down' will display your FirstBank Employee Giving account.  Select that option and proceed through checkout; it’s that simple.


How do I receive a record of my giving? 

When you donate on Colorado Gives Day using your FirstBank Employee Giving Account on ColoradoGives.org and the transaction processes successfully, a copy of your receipt is sent to the email entered at checkout, and a copy is saved on your donor account (accessible at any time).

  

What happens if I terminate my employment with FirstBank during the Employee Giving Program? 

Your current ColoradoGives.org donor account remains active, with all payroll deductions taken before separation. If your donor account is associated with a FirstBank email address, you will need to update your donor account with a non-FirstBank email to use your funds. Please contact our customer service team by emailing support@coloradogives.org for assistance.

  

What is the contact information for ColoradoGives.org? 

Phone: (202) 900-2902 
E-mail:support@coloradogives.org

 

How can we help?