Volunteer

Team Incentive Program (TIP)

The Verizon Volunteers Team Incentive Program supports teams of ten or more eligible Verizon employees for collectively raising funds for organized "pledge-a-thon" fundraising events, such as walk-a-thons or bike-a-thons, sponsored by nonprofit organizations. Under the program, the Verizon Foundation will match the total funds collected by each team up to $10,000 per team/$1,000 per employee, per event, to a qualified nonprofit organization.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Verizon Foundation Team Incentive Program:

What qualifies under TIP as an organized pledge-a-thon?
In order for an event to qualify as an organized "pledge-a-thon", the primary purpose for the event must be to raise donations pledged on behalf of event participants for the nonprofit organization prior to the event taking place. The event participants must participate in a coordinated group activity (e.g. walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, read-a-thon, etc.) during the event and the event must be open to the general public; not just the Verizon Team members.
If I'm not certain if an event I'm participating in is eligible under the Team Incentive Program, what should I do?
Please contact the Verizon Matching Gifts Programs Support Center by e-mail at: vznmail@cybergrants.com or by phone at: 1-866-247-2687 from 8:00AM to 8:00PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday. We'll let you know if the event is eligible for matching funds under the Team Incentive Program.
Does a team have to register before a pledge-a-thon event?
Yes, the team of active employees must register at least 2 weeks prior to the event in order to encourage group participation, teamwork and to brand Verizon at the event. Team members will receive a company T-shirt to wear at the event (if registered at least two weeks prior to the event date). A team may be registered up until the day before the event, but will not be eligible to receive T-shirts if registered less than 2 weeks prior to the event date.
If there's a registration fee associated with a Team Incentive Program pledge-a-thon event, is the registration fee eligible for a match from the Verizon Foundation?
No. Only pledges raised by the employee and the team are eligible for the Team Incentive Program match.
If a nonprofit requires a minimum dollar amount in order to participate in a pledge-a-thon, can an employee use the match to reach the minimum dollar amount?
No. An employee must raise the full amount through pledges and cannot use the Foundation's match to reach the required minimum dollar amount requested by the nonprofit.
Can a team of 10 employees or more register a pledge-a-thon event after the event takes place?
No. In order to successfully promote group participation, teams must register events prior to the actual event date.
Can employees participating in a Team Incentive Program pledge-a-thon event register their pledge amount under the Matching Incentive Program?
No. Only individual active Verizon employee contributions - - not pledges -- are eligible for a match through the Foundation's Matching Incentive Program.
Can employees participating in a Team Incentive Program pledge-a-thon event register the hours they spent organizing the event and collecting pledges through the Volunteer Incentive Program?
No. Hours spent organizing a pledge-a-thon event are not eligible to receive a Volunteer Incentive Program grant award.
If I participate at a telethon/radiothon with other Verizon employees (answering phones, taking pledge information, etc.) would this be eligible under the Team Incentive Program?
No. Telethons/radiothons are not eligible for the Team Incentive Program.
Are multiple teams eligible to receive separate matches for the same event (same host organization, city, state, event date)?
No. Multiple teams may not be matched for the exact same event, they would be combined and matched as one team.
How does the company's solicitation and distribution guidelines apply to these charitable activities?
The goal of the Foundation is to help provide support to employees desiring to give their time, talent and resources to charitable activities. The company has to be very selective regarding solicitation activities during working time, and on company premises, to minimize any disruptions to the work environment.

Ready to register or join a team? Click Here.