December 1 is Giving Tuesday, a day dedicated to generosity and the global impact giving can have on our communities. It was first started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and United Nations Foundation as a response to the commercialization and consumerism of the holiday season. In 2019, the estimated total for online and offline donations was almost $2 billion. The projected donations for 2020 were set even higher. Then, well, 2020 happened.
Though some Giving Tuesday traditions may not be an option this year, that hasn't stopped these local tech companies from participating in the unofficial holiday. Instead of getting together to volunteer in person like they normally do, 3PL Central, a third-party logistics platform, and fintech company Verifi are finding new ways to make a positive impact through food donations, handwritten letters and even knitting.
And who said giving back should just be one day? Below, employees from 3PL Central and Verifi tell Built In LA how they’re giving back this holiday season — and year-round.
Instead of 3PL Central’s annual Give Freely event where employees take the day to volunteer at local food banks, Maddy Snyder, a content developer and director of communication for AFS, said they dedicated the month of October to a variety of volunteer opportunities such as nature cleanups and poll working. To make an impact year-round, employees are encouraged to collect donations for charities that matter most to them.
What is your company doing this year to make an impact on Giving Tuesday?
In lieu of Giving Tuesday, 3PL Central opted to pursue our annual Give Freely event a little differently this year. For our usual Give Freely tradition, we shut our doors for an entire day while the company volunteers at local food banks to help tackle food insecurity in our communities. We also gather food donations for about a month leading up to the annual event.
Because of COVID-19, we decided to take the whole month of October to dedicate our hours to a variety of volunteering efforts including food banks, nature cleanups, poll working, COVID-19-related efforts and more. We gave employees the choice of which organization to support.
Why did you decide to give to this particular cause or organization?
For the last two years, we have dedicated our time and energy giving back to local food banks to help address the overwhelming number of Americans who struggle with food insecurity every day. With so many people losing their jobs due to the pandemic, food banks have become critical food sources that people rely on more now than ever. While all 3PL Central employees had free reign to decide on their specific volunteering efforts, we made sure each team incorporated at least one element of food insecurity, whether that included collecting or donating food, volunteering at a local food bank or grocery shopping for at-risk individuals.
We decided to take the whole month of October to dedicate our hours to a variety of volunteering efforts.”
How else does your company give back to the local community throughout the year?
Outside of Give Freely, 3PL Central often encourages employees to take advantage of our open vacation policy and put time and effort into causes that matter most to each individual. We also have a very open company culture where employees feel comfortable bringing attention to certain causes or organizations they are passionate about and asking for collective contributions. A few organizations that we recently supported include the American Red Cross, a number of groups that reinforce the Black Lives Matter movement, Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Each year, the team at Verifi spend Giving Tuesday packing care packages for first responders, deployed military and emergency medical personnel. This year, Senior Administrative Assistant Jennifer Montgomery said the company will participate in #VirtualVolunteerism by writing letters, knitting items and collecting hard-to-gather items for those working on the front lines.
What is your company doing this year to make an impact on Giving Tuesday?
Due to COVID-19, our company is working from home. So this year we’ll be taking part in #VirtualVolunteerism through Operation Gratitude, an organization that pulls the community together to create care packages for our first responders, deployed military and emergency medical personnel.
Why did you decide to give to this particular cause or organization?
We’ve been volunteering with Operation Gratitude for several years and have always been touched by the impact it has in tying us together with those who put their lives on the line to protect us every day. In the past, we’ve gone on-site to help assemble the care packages with snacks, hygiene products, entertainment, handmade items such as homemade knitted scarves, and personal letters of gratitude.
This year is special because instead of simply assembling the boxes, we’re taking the time to actually write the personalized letters and knit the handmade items that go into the boxes. These are the items that are hardest to gather but most precious to those on the front lines who are missing home and need a reminder of how they are valued by all of us.
Volunteering is built into the ethos of Verifi.”
How else does your company give back to the local community throughout the year?
Volunteering is built into the ethos of Verifi, and it’s something we do every quarter. Every volunteer event we do — whether it is for Habitat for Humanity, the Los Angeles Downtown Women’s Center or cleaning up the LA River — has a unique impact on our employees. Volunteering helps us to learn more about the individual experiences and strengths of each of our team members. From our very early days as a company, we’ve held a strong commitment to give back to the community through volunteering and fundraising, and it’s something we intend to do for all our years to come.
