Lyft Scales Round Up & Donate Program with Change

A leading rideshare company helping passengers support nonprofits by rounding up their fares to the nearest dollar.

Industry:

Website:

lyft.com

Use Case:

Round-ups at Checkout

Challenge

Lyft’s internal team managed Round Up & Donate manually, which became increasingly complex under emerging state regulations. With new requirements for payment timelines, written nonprofit consent, and annual reporting, Lyft needed a trusted partner to keep its high-visibility giving program compliant while maintaining donor trust.

Results

By partnering with Change, Lyft can now manage compliance and nonprofit payouts automatically, meeting all state requirements while sending funds to nonprofits faster and more reliably. This has allowed Lyft to expand the Round Up & Donate program responsibly, adding five new nonprofit partners in 2025 and ensuring participating charities receive predictable, timely donations

"We are proud of the progress of our Round Up & Donate program. Working with Change allows us to confidently expand Round Up & Donate and deliver even greater impact.”

Celia Moreno

Sr. Social Impact Manager

About Lyft

Lyft is one of the largest rideshare platforms in North America, connecting millions of riders and drivers every day. In addition to making transportation more accessible, Lyft also empowers its community to give back through its Round Up & Donate program. Since launching in 2017, riders have contributed more than $42 million to nonprofits across the United States and Canada by rounding up their fares to the nearest dollar.

Goal

Streamline compliance and strengthen nonprofit partnerships

Lyft’s social impact team wanted to continue growing Round Up & Donate while ensuring the program remained fully compliant with evolving state laws. When a new California law introduced new rules for charitable fundraising platforms – including stricter payment timelines, nonprofit verification, and annual reporting – the manual systems that previously powered the program became burdensome to manage.

With only one person managing the initiative, Lyft needed a reliable partner that could automate compliance, simplify donation payouts, and maintain transparency with the charities they support. The goal was to make it easier to send funds accurately, on time, and in compliance with every regulation.

Solution & Results

Faster, compliant donation payouts with Change

Lyft partnered with Change to bring automation, accuracy, and compliance into the Round Up & Donate program. Using Change’s infrastructure, Lyft can now handle state requirements without adding engineering resources or operational overhead. Change’s platform manages payout timelines, collects written nonprofit consents, and ensures that all reporting obligations are met, giving Lyft peace of mind that its program is both compliant and scalable.

This partnership also benefits Lyft’s nonprofit partners. Through Change, donations are distributed quickly and on a consistent schedule, helping charities plan their budgets with greater confidence and rely on a steady flow of support from riders.

Change’s turnkey compliance and payout technology allows Lyft’s social impact team to focus on what matters most – growing generosity at scale and helping nonprofits receive the funding they need to continue their work.