Supertramp, anyone?
As 2020 finally, mercifully nears its end, we resisted writing about the kerfuffle that’s surrounded it. Many of us have spent the year discussing the pandemic, social movements and our government, and there are still endless conversations to be had; however, we chose to make our November (yes, we know it’s December already) newsletter about encouraging the good. Where would we be without the people, places and things that inspire and galvanize us?
NEWS TO USE
– The countries where democracy is most fragile are test subjects for platforms’ content moderation policies: As social media platforms first test content moderation systems on the Global South, results can be much worse than anything America is likely to experience. The lines between permitted and prohibited content are blurred, and stronger enforcement of what a moderation system deems “harmful” content could also mean that legitimate voices, like activists or journalists exposing corruption, will be blocked.
– How to ‘give smart’ this Giving Tuesday: To best make an impact this Giving Tuesday, pick your passion, check nonprofit tax statuses, read up on charities, click on websites, and look out for red flags that don’t match your values.
– Biden names all-female communications team: Politics aside, President-Elect Joe Biden has said several times he wants his administration to be more representative of the American public. He followed through over Thanksgiving weekend by naming an all-female communications team led by Jen Psaki, a top member of his transition team who will serve as White House press secretary.
INSIGHTS
Despite the commercialization of the holiday season—which seems to get more intense every year—there’s undoubtedly value in observing a day of thanks. Throughout the month, we celebrated the writers, companies and thought leaders our staff felt were making an impact. The real trick, though, is to approach every day, every interaction with a similar mentality as the one we have around this time of year. Now, here, we’d like to consider the nonprofits that are making the “good” happen and our collective role in it all: the role that businesses of any size and the people in them can and should be playing in improving their communities and making people’s day-to-day lives a little easier, a little happier and filled with just a little more joy.
CSR and corporate philanthropy are buzzwords—albeit well deserved at this point—but ‘giving back’ is “good for the soul and the bottom line.” On the revenue and profitability fronts, it all ties back to authenticity (there’s that word again): 75% of consumers “are likely to start shopping at a company that supports an issue they agree with.” Internally, Inc says, it’s about corporate donations boosting employee morale, increasing marketing, providing tax deductions and being just plain good for the community.
Many businesses are able to make monetary donations, but volunteering time and services counts, too. If you’re a professional services company like us, your donations can include your time and brain power; in the right context, donating services can be as valuable as a financial contribution. Many brands, like Subaru of America, are elevating their corporate philanthropy even further to assess its ongoing impact, empowering their employees to volunteer, track metrics, then leveraging that impact in marketing and recruitment.
Corporate charity and volunteering are so huge that there’s a growth of startups focusing on streamlining the “give back process.” Subaru uses Blackbaud, “a cloud software company that measures the effect of philanthropic efforts.” Serial entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto created GiveWith, which makes monetary donations a part of everyday transactions. Omaze, an online sweepstakes that raises money for charity, made the Fast Company “Most Innovative Companies” list.
However, “more than a third of the organizations that play a vital role in our society filling the underfunded gaps left by industry and government are potentially on their way to extinction,” says this CNBC op-ed. The nonprofit sector is in turmoil due to the pandemic and rising unemployment, and many unemployed workers are even starting their own activist groups and nonprofits. Mutual-aid networks have grown, grant-making procedures are being revisited, the awareness of racial bias in philanthropy has risen. Ultimately, The Wall Street Journal reports that the pandemic has changed the face of philanthropy.
It’s Giving Tuesday and we know your inbox must be bursting, so we’re glad to see you’ve made it this far. If you have the means to do so, and you’d like to go beyond CSR, we’d like to encourage you to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity. Donations hold even more weight when there’s a scarcity in funds, as there is now. We hope you’ll consider our client, the Mike & Sherry Project, a more-than-worthy candidate. It’s a nonprofit that provides accessible, affordable mental health care to Austin’s service industry. Restaurant and bar workers don’t have it easy even in the best of times, y’all.
WHAT WE’RE UP TO:
This November, Red Fan:
– Released our 2021 workshop service for high-growth companies under pressure.
– Began our partnership with Now Insurance, which provides commercial insurance to small businesses, health care workers and other professional classes.
– Welcomed Carla Click as our marketing and operations manager and brought on Iris Bilich as a full-time content marketing coordinator.
Sponsored Moss Pieratt Foundation’s drive-in movie night, happening Saturday, Dec. 5.
Planned to have our holiday lights up Friday, Dec. 4. Stop by the historic Helms House while visiting Hyde Park’s famous holiday lights to see our first ever display!
