Eligible employees who hold regular appointments of 50% or greater can donate their accrued vacation hours to another eligible employee seeking donations. Sick time cannot be donated in place of vacation.

When submitting your donation form, you must include a recipient's name or use the anonymous donation form if you prefer that your donated time be put into a general pool of donated time.

How much time can be donated?

• Donations are unlimited for an employee's catastrophic illness or injury for themselves or a family member.
• There is a minimum of at least 1 hour to be donated. 
• Donations are on a 1:1 ratio. 
• Donated hours are irrevocably pledged.

How to donate

Donate to a specific employee:

If you would like to donate your time to a specific employee needing time, please visit the link below to complete your time donation. 

Catastrophic Leave Donation Form 

Donate your time anonymously:

If you would prefer to donate your time to a general pool for anyone needing time, please fill out the form below. 

• A minimum donation of 8 hours is preferred.
• The total donation is unlimited; we prefer a total donation in 8-hour increments.

Anonymously Donate Your Time

After submitting your donation form

The donated leave is not taken from your vacation bank until the recipient needs it.

• You will receive an email notification from Workflow when the donation is used.
• It could be several months or up to a full year from when you pledge until the donated leave is used.
• You may be notified that part of your leave donation has been used. The remaining hours will continue as pledged for future use.
• If the recipient leaves the Catastrophic Leave Program, you will receive an email from University Benefits notifying you that your hours are no longer considered pledged. 

The names of our employees who have donated leave to recipients in need are kept confidential. 

Donations not used

If your hours are no longer needed, you will receive an email from University Benefits, which will notify you that your hours are no longer considered pledged. Once hours are pledged, they cannot be returned before the recipient leaves the Catastrophic Leave Program unless the donor terminates employment.

If you have donated hours and are retiring or terminating your position, please notify us at benefits@uiowa.edu so we can void any unused hours you pledged for donation.