Pledge Now


This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

We believe that the Subscription Economy has the power to benefit everyone. It can democratize access to industries like transportation and housing that, for many, have had high barriers to entry. It can create sustainable communities by more efficiently using resources and commodities. And, it puts people and relationships at the center of every interaction which is essential to creating understanding and collaboration.

 The Subscription Economy–and the move from ownership to usership–is a once-in-a-century shift that is having a major impact on consumers and businesses alike. We believe it will unlock growth, drive new levels of efficiency, and create value.

 But we’ve seen the social benefits of technology fall short, and far too often the promises of strengthened communities turn out to be empty.

 So how do we ensure the gains that we unlock are shared by a broader base of people? Or put another way, we know the Subscription Economy has the power to benefit the world, but how do we ensure those benefits are widely distributed?

 In 2017 Zuora took the 1% Pledge, and committed to using our equity, time, and product for the greater good. And even before this, impassioned employees around the world took the initiative to start volunteering and fundraising efforts to benefit their communities.

Now, it’s time for us to take the next step. “We’re very excited to launch Zuora.org; it’s important for us to be thoughtful about facilitating unique experiences for our employees, experiences that enable them to bring their whole selves to work. This launch will further augment grassroots efforts where ZEO’s–our employees–are able to chart their own path while supporting causes that matter to them and making a difference in the world.” stated Karen Gaydon, SVP ZEO Success.

 Zuora.org comprises three initiatives: the Zuora Impact Fund which invests in mission-aligned non-profits and social enterprises; employee-driven volunteer and fundraising activation; and use of Zuora products and services in the non-profit sector.

The Zuora Impact Fund

iAt our IPO Zuora set aside 1% of equity to be used to support philanthropic endeavours. And earlier this year, in partnership with the Tides Foundation, we launched the Zuora Impact Fund.

This fund is our opportunity to accelerate the positive impact we make in our communities, and will fund strategic grants to missioned aligned non-profits and social enterprises.

This year Zuora committed $1,000,000 and plans on contributing annually to this fund.  

Z-Philanthropy

yAt the core of Zuora’s culture, and the heart of Zuora.org, is all of the work that ZEOs, or our global employee base, do in their communities. As ZEOs we know that if we show initiative and put in the work, we’re able to create new opportunities and reach new levels of success. We want to help members of our community do the same, and as such Zuora supports the passions and efforts of all employees.

Non-Profit Enablement

uWe know that the Subscription Economy will have tremendous benefit to businesses. We want to make sure that the non-profit sector is able to unlock this new opportunity as well.

We’re committed to working with non-profits to help them take advantage of the Subscription Economy to transform the way that they engage with their donors and amplify the good they’re doing for our communities. Later next year, we’ll roll out programs that leverage our product and employee skills to help support non-profits around the world.

While we’re extremely excited with the formation of Zuora.org, we know this is just the start. We look forward to partnering with our employees, our customers and our communities to make sure the Subscription Economy benefits us all.

For more information visit www.zuora.org or reach out to zuora4good@zuora.com.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

As the annual celebration of Giving Tuesday drew near this year – and with Zylo’s commitment to Pledge 1% – Zylo recently took the opportunity to donate time and effort to support local organizations and have plans through the month of December.

On a Thursday afternoon before Thanksgiving, more than seventy Zylo employees fanned out across Indianapolis to spend an afternoon volunteering.

This service program, called Zylo on the Streets, supports four types of worthy causes aligned to our employees’ passions and interests:

Through our partnership with the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) and individual outreach, our volunteers helped four local organizations focused on two of the core causes mentioned above.


Here are a few of the organizations we were fortunate to be able to support during our afternoon of service:

Helping Veterans and Families of Indiana (HVAF)

HVAF of Indiana is dedicated to empowering Hoosier veterans and their families to end homelessness and return to self-sufficiency. When we visited, HVAF was assisting more than fifty resident veterans by providing housing and other resources.

During our afternoon of service, Zylo volunteers helped spruce up the facility, assisted in set-up work, and helped prepare an annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner for residents and their families.

Second Helpings

Seconds Helpings is a hunger relief agency that focuses on transforming lives through the power of food. Every day, Second Helpings prepares and delivers more than 4,500 meals to a variety of organizations around Central Indiana.

Zylo volunteers helped prepare rescued food ingredients in Second Helping’s Hunger Relief Kitchen. With knives in hand (and beard nets for hirsute team members), the team chopped their way through hundreds of pounds of tomatoes and green beans destined to help fulfill meal prep needs.

Wheeler Mission

For more than 125 years, Wheeler Mission has provided critically needed shelter and services for homeless men, women, and children in Central Indiana.

Through generous donations, Wheeler Mission provides shelter residents with new and gently used clothing. Wheeler also operates a thrift store with proceeds funding life-changing programs such as homelessness prevention, addiction recovery, and employment assistance.

During their afternoon of service, a large team of Zylo volunteers assisted Wheeler by sorting and organizing bulk donations. All told, volunteers processed as many items as Wheeler’s full-time staff accomplish over two working days.


 


Village of Merici

Village of Merici is a non-profit living community for adults with disabilities. Currently housing more than twenty adults and one of the first living communities of its kind in Central Indiana, the Village aims to create a positive community and provide coaching services to these adults, many of whom have never lived alone before. The Village of Merici also serves non-resident adults with disabilities with coaching services and community events.

Zylo volunteers decked the Merici Halls with holiday decorations and spent some quality time visiting with residents.

This December 3, 2019, on Giving Tuesday, Zylo will host a Lunch and Learn session featuring three local non-profits which will present information on how Zylo employees can get involved by volunteering or making financial contributions.

We are also excited to announce a new Zylo tradition to impact the Indianapolis community during the holidays: the first annual Indy Tech Circle of Caring to benefit Wheeler Mission. On December 17, we’ll be set up on Monument Circle for a celebration of generosity in the spirit of the season and partnering up with Sigstr and KSM Consulting.  Learn more at wheelermission.org/circleofcaring/


One way Zylo empowers its employees to offer financial support to organizations like these is through our referral bonus donation program. We offer team members a new-hire referral bonus of a $250 donation to a non-profit of their choice from a list of 15 organizations – and this referral bonus is also available external referral. We believe this is an excellent way to tie our programs to our Pledge 1% commitment and help support worthy local causes.

If you’re considering helping in your community by making a financial contribution or volunteering, please know that you and your team can make an impact – no matter how large or small your organization.

Organizations like the United Way or individual causes can often help support or coordinate efforts of all sizes and means. We highly recommend finding team members within your organization who are passionate about particular causes and then helping facilitate that energy and motivation throughout the wider group.

If you want to learn how to get started making an impact in your community or joining the Pledge 1% movement, please contact Julie Barker (julie@zylo.com) for more information.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

By Bastian Lehmann, Co-founder & CEO of Postmates

Homelessness in San Francisco is an all-hands-on-deck crisis. That’s why a strong majority of voters approved Prop C last November, doubling funding for crucial homeless services with a small tax increase on the city’s largest companies. The tech community was split in the run-up to the vote, but now that the people have spoken, it’s time for us to come together and help make the implementation of Prop C as efficient and effective as possible. As an immigrant who found a welcoming home in San Francisco and started my business here, I feel a special responsibility to this community. I am proud to stand with Mayor London Breed and empower her to put Postmates’ tax dollars to work right away helping our homeless neighbors. I encourage my fellow tech executives to do the same.


 


Although a San Francisco Superior Court judge has upheld Prop C, which was approved by 60 percent of voters, appeals are likely to keep the measure tied up in court for a long time to come. Until all legal challenges are resolved, the city can collect but not spend the new revenue. But the homelessness crisis can’t wait — not when nearly 10,000 people go to sleep each night in San Francisco without a roof over their heads, unsure of where they’ll find their next meal, hot shower, or medical care. That’s a 30 percent increase since 2017. The situation on our streets is unsafe, unjust, and unsustainable. We all have to step up with a sense of solidarity and urgency, starting with companies like Postmates that have benefited from all this city has to offer.


 


Our tech community is known around the world for putting innovation to work in solving seemingly impossible problems. That’s what’s needed right now to tackle the homelessness crisis in own backyard. Tech companies may not be able to solve this problem alone, but we can bring significant energy, resources, and creativity to the fight.


 


Waiving restrictions on our Prop C taxes is an important step. Tech companies and the broader business community should also work with city leaders, service providers, and advocates for the homeless to strengthen the safety net, expand access to mental health care and transitional housing, streamline bureaucratic systems, and support the construction of more affordable housing so fewer people lose their homes to begin with. Postmates is new to this fight, but we are eagerly working with organizations like the TechEquity Collaborative and encouraging other companies, big and small, to come along on this journey with us.


 


Next year, San Francisco companies will face another test of our commitment to being good citizens when a measure to normalize commercial property taxes across California goes on the ballot. The so-called “split roll” reform would preserve protections for homeowners and farmers in place since Proposition 13 passed in 1978, add new benefits for small businesses and start-ups, and provide an estimated $11.4 billion in new revenue to support schools, homeless services, affordable housing, and other vital local programs. Almost 80 percent of the new revenue would come from just 8 percent of commercial properties across the state, all of them worth more than $3 million each and taxed at below-market-rate taxes for years or even decades.


 


While no business likes to pay higher taxes, this is a common-sense reform whose time has come. Postmates is proud to stand with Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the California Teachers Association, and the California Federation of Teachers in supporting split roll — and I encourage the broader tech community to join us as well.


 


Our city faces real challenges, and to solve them the public and private sectors have to be partners, not adversaries. We should continue to support youth empowerment programs like Opportunities for All. We should stand up for the housing bond. Together we should support Mayor Breed’s call for comprehensive tax reform to make the city’s code fairer and simpler. Companies should stop grumbling about paying their fair share and city leaders should follow a comprehensive approach rather than trying to score political points with one-off tax measures targeting specific industries.


 


San Francisco is my home. It’s the city where I built my business and am raising my family. For me and for Postmates, waiving the restrictions on Prop C taxes and supporting split roll are signals of our commitment to being part of the effort to reduce homelessness and improve the quality of life for all our neighbors. I hope my fellow tech leaders will see it the same way.


 


Bastian Lehmann is the Co-Founder & CEO of Postmates. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2011.


Link to original article.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.



Silverline’s internal initiative, Silverline Cares, supports the Pledge 1% Movement. One of their chief philanthropic efforts includes giving back to Project Sunshine, a nonprofit that supports pediatric patients and their families in NYC and beyond. Silverline’s work includes assembling interactive kits for children during team building activities at their in-person orientation and regional company events.

By Silverline CRM.

When a young family member or friend is undergoing medical treatment, there is uncertainty, fear, and a great deal of the unknown. Although true relief doesn’t come until young patients are home with a clean bill of health, small doses of comfort can sometimes be found along the way.

Enter Project Sunshine: supporting children facing medical challenges

Project Sunshine is a nonprofit organization that works with an international network of hospitals and volunteers. Their goal? To help bring pediatric patients and their families a sense of joy and normalcy during hospital stays or extended waits. Project Sunshine delivers packages of happiness — in the form of craft projects, journals, coloring materials, and other hands-on experiences — to the youngest of patients.


Silverline has worked with Project Sunshine for the last year on giving back to pediatric patients across the country. We’ve conducted team building initiatives at our different locations — including our NYC headquarters, Atlanta, Omaha, and beyond — that directly support Project Sunshine’s mission. We even incorporated a Project Sunshine activity into our most recent new hire orientation by assembling and packaging a craft project for kids awaiting medical care.


Managing multiple needs with Salesforce

Recently, we helped Project Sunshine make their internal dreams a reality. Before Silverline, Project Sunshine was using an NPSP Enterprise edition of Salesforce Sales and Service Clouds to track volunteer information and program activities. They were also interested in using Salesforce to manage donations, donor information, and grants.

To address all of Project Sunshine’s needs, Silverline created a Donation Management Application on Lightning, installed Classy for online donation tracking, and developed assets to help NPSP users easily discover trends, whitespace, and deep fundraising event analytics. In addition, Silverline personalized pages for donors and volunteers, which featured key insights into their relationships as well as recorded historical activities. Finally, Silverline imported historical donor data — spanning a 5-year period — from existing spreadsheets, which enabled Project Sunshine to run real-time analytics on donor data, households, and corporate donations programs/matching.

One database to streamline all donor activity

Once Salesforce became the database of record for all donor, volunteer, event, and in-kind inventory tracking, the Project Sunshine marketing team used marketing automation to create targeted and personalized donor campaigns based on giving levels and prior donation history.

“Working with Silverline has been a dream from start to finish,” says Katy Kienitz, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Project Sunshine. “Not only did they help us customize Salesforce to match our fundraising and communications needs, but the staff has been such a pleasure to work with. It is clear Silverline takes great care in hiring the most knowledgeable and professional team who also care about doing good in the world. After our pro-bono work with their teams, we have been excited to engage Silverline employees in an ongoing volunteer program where individual team members can give back to the patients and families we serve at Project Sunshine.”

No matter where you are in your Salesforce journey, Silverline can help you get started on the path to a better digital experience.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019



This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

GivingTuesday has evolved into a cultural phenomenon centered around people doing good. Whether it is something granular like making a perfect stranger smile or a life-changing act of kindness like providing clean water to Flint residents, the essence of the holiday is simple: let’s all make a difference. At MTX we strive to impact change on this special day and every other day. 

Philanthropy is part of our cultural DNA and we are honored to set an example in the CSR sector by partnering with Pledge 1%. This year we leveraged an innovative technology solution to help improve the lives of mothers in India.

Hayden Hall’s Impact & Legacy

Founded in 1969 by the Canadian Jesuit missionary, Father Edgar Burns, Hayden Hall has served poor people in Darjeeling, India for over 4 decades. Hayden Hall’s mission is to help women help themselves by providing health, education, and economic resources. 

The foundation of Hayden Hall’s assistance is centered around its health initiatives. The Mother and Child Health Program which was constructed by the United Nations trains Community Development Workers (CDWs) to visit households, weigh the children, and assess any other health issues within each family. 

The Technology Problem

For years, the CDWs recorded all the health details in notepads. Every month, Hayden Hall would have a 2-day meeting where the CDWs manually reviewed all handwritten health data and statistics. Because manually analyzing data is far less efficient and also increases the likelihood of errors, the leaders of Hayden Hall saw the benefits of implementing a mobile app. But as we all know, charities are often working with a limited budget. Thus, the leaders of Hayden Hall hit a roadblock after realizing that their organization could not afford a Salesforce application that they desperately needed. That’s when MTX  stepped in to help. 

MTX’s Innovative Solution

MTX Group was delighted to offer pro-bono services to an organization impacting change for so many families in India. Our team built an easy to use application for Hayden Hall. Now the organization is able to input data in one location and the application also makes analyzing critical health statistics easier than ever. 

MTX’s Commitment to Philanthropy

At MTX, we are committed to pledging 1% of our revenue to charities around the world. The Pledge 1% philosophy is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to advancing philanthropy worldwide. This year we are initiating a fundraising campaign for The Avery Foundation in honor of Giving Tuesday.


We also are privileged to donate our time throughout the year! Our Albany office volunteered at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and our Frisco office volunteered at the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last but not least, our offices in India volunteered at Desire Society and also participated in The Run for a Girl Child marathon. 

Would you like to learn more about MTX’s charity initiatives? Please email us today!



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019



This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

Appfire has been part of the Pledge 1% movement from its first year, and we’re always asking how we can do more to integrate giving into our DNA as a company.

Earlier this year, we created a Slack channel dedicated to #LivingThePledge where we share updates about volunteering year-round. And this November was our first-ever “Be Human” month where we encouraged the entire Appfire family to get out there and volunteer with organizations that matter to them.

With employees spread across the globe, it has been incredible to see how our team chose to give 1%.

One of our teammates in Hyderabad, India spearheaded a food drive at the office for the “Fill the Fridge” program run by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Another team member in Denver, CO helped serve breakfast at a local children’s home for kids who have survived trauma and abuse. Another colleague in Boston volunteered with a meal program for the homeless population. We have another teammate who has been coordinating a whole team to volunteer with a tech training program for people living in rural Kentucky.

Rallying our peers to join the movement

As part of the Pledge 1% Builder Program, we’re committed to giving extra resources and encouraging others to take the Pledge. We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can maximize our impact — how we can do more. The answer? Rally our community. For us, that’s the Atlassian ecosystem.

That’s why we’ve made a special donation of $50,000 to Pledge 1%, and we’re inviting other Atlassian vendors and partners to donate as well. After sharing this vision with Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar, he pledged to match any donations from other ecosystem partners up to $1 million.

We are truly lucky to partner with Atlassian to give back in this way and others. This past April, our team volunteered with the Atlassian Foundation during the company’s Summit conference working on a project to support aspiring female coders. We loved that work so much that we’ve signed on to be the official Atlassian Foundation sponsor for the 2020 Summit event.

There are always more ways to live the Pledge

Last year, we announced the launch of our socially-conscious app brand, Feed Three, the first of its kind on the Atlassian Marketplace. Since then, our first Feed Three product has grown and gained momentum, and we’re working to see even more progress in 2020.

Earlier this year, Appfire was invited to attend MIT’s Solve event. I attended on behalf of the Atlassian Foundation, and I wound up as an advisor to several projects with the potential to have a global impact by addressing some of society’s most challenging issues.

More recently, we just closed on the sale of one of our apps to another vendor, and to our delight, they suggested donating the proceeds of the sale to charity. We jumped at the opportunity to turn “business as usual” into making an impact. Now, those funds have been given to the Appfire Foundation to be distributed among various nonprofit charities.

You never know how you can integrate the pledge into your life, once you’re open to it. So this Giving Tuesday, remember that you can start anywhere — you too can take the Pledge.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

Procore is a leading provider of construction management software. We launched Procore.org in 2017 with the mission to empower the construction industry and the communities it serves. 

Procore.org witnessed some of the most instances of resilience and service in 2019 than ever before in its three-year history. The past year also saw a growing number of efforts aimed at promoting inclusion and diversity as key drivers of culture, innovation, and success.

The examples of Procore.org’s work in 2019 represent not only our commitment to advancing the construction industry, but also our network’s dedication to supporting the people and communities served by the industry. 

Formalizing Procore’s dedication to social impact 

Procore’s vision is to improve the lives of everyone in construction. In April, Procore joined the Pledge 1% Movement, formalizing Procore’s dedication to social impact through our product and our employees’ time. 

“Community engagement is a critical component of delivering the necessary building blocks for construction to reinvent itself in the digital age. It’s an honor to be able to drive impact through workforce development and industry advancement, while upskilling the digital literacy of craftspeople in the trades with the work we do through Procore.org,” said Sasha Reed, Director of Industry Advancement of Procore.org.

Additionally, this year Procore won the prestigious Forbes Cloud 100 Pledge 1% Impact Award. The award recognizes one company from the Cloud 100 list that goes above and beyond to have a positive impact on their communities.

Helping rebuild communities impacted by disaster

With access to Procore and our training services, more than 240 nonprofit partners of Procore.org were equipped to invest more time in their mission and humanitarian efforts. 

Through our program, we were able to support Team Rubicon’s long-term recovery efforts in the aftermath of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Nearly 100 families* now have a place to call home thanks to the nonprofit organization, which serves communities by leveraging the skills of military veterans to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. 

Building on the impact of Team Rubicon’s lifesaving efforts, Jake Wood, the organization’s co-founder, kicked off day two of Groundbreak in Phoenix, AZ to discuss the importance of building resilient teams.

Team Rubicon’s presence at Groundbreak came just weeks before Procore included the organization’s logo on the Procore 95 car as it battled for the win during a Nascar competition in Texas.

Building an inclusive culture that drives business

Our inclusion and diversity initiatives are diversifying the workforce, growing the labor pool, and challenging bias by empowering individuals to take action — regardless of career level or function.  

Procore’s’ newest continuing education program, Building Inclusion, was launched as a three-part course series that gives companies and individuals the tools to start building more inclusive, productive, and profitable workplaces within the construction industry.

Educating future generations of construction professionals

Our partnerships with more than 245 schools and 58 K-12 programs are navigating the operational and generational shift in the construction industry, reinforcing the ongoing digital evolution and preparing students for the modern jobsite. 

Mobilizing high-school students as volunteer builders and college students as project managers, Boise State University is building a community center in a neighborhood situated on the outskirts of town. The effort, which is managed in the University’s donated Procore account, is slated for completion in the coming months.

To further Procore.org’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of the construction workforce, we announced our partnership with Build California in October 2019 to create a steady pipeline of motivated and skilled workforce for California’s construction industry. 

Modernizing the jobsite and increasing digital literacy

Procore offers training to equip the industry’s workforce for the jobsites of tomorrow. The in-person trainings and on-demand continuing education courses we offer to more than 80 training centers ensure today’s workforce is prepared to operate on a modern jobsite.

According to Anthony Fasano, Southern Region Training Coordinator at the Carpenters Training Institute (CTI), as the construction industry has evolved, his more recent apprentices have tended to eat, live and breathe technology. In his opinion, this new technological know-how enhances the quality of training and increases engagement, which in turn produces a new generation of construction workers that are better equipped for the modern job site. 

“Procore literally revolutionized our training.” 

Procore.org owes the deepest of thanks to the hundreds of donated accounts that make our commitment to industry advancement possible. It is an honor to give back to the industry that has been instrumental in shaping our success, and we look forward to what’s to come.  



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


‘Tis the season of thanks and giving, and on #GivingTuesday 2019, Established wants to give a shout out to the 1400 founders and executives that have committed to our partner Pledge 1% via our year-round Startup of the Year program and events.

The Established team searches across all avenues and around the world for diverse, rising startups that are the best of the best to apply to be part of our Startup of the Year community and programs. As a part of our application process, young companies are invited to “Take the Pledge” and learn more about how to incorporate giving back from our long time partner Pledge 1%.” We find extreme value in keeping philanthropy at the forefront of our global startup community’s mind.” – Jen Consalvo, Co-CEO, Established.


For our friends that don’t know, Pledge 1% is a national nonprofit that inspires early-stage corporate philanthropy. We incorporate a set of introductory questions in our startup award application and event registration, encouraging all to make the choice and/or learn more on how to further their impact. Companies are able to choose a way to give back that is relative for the company’s set of values and mission, which is great as they continue to evolve and grow. 

Established is grateful to be a Pledge 1% Builder member, and we will always encourage our startup community to embrace a vibrant crossroads of early-stage giving and continued innovation. 

Visit startupofyear.com to listen to our Podcast, sign up for the Daily Dealflow newsletter, and stay in the loop for 2020 Startup of the Year application news.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019


Giving thanks to individuals and organizations who make their communities better and brighter 

Giving back and supporting the communities we serve is integral to TaskRabbit’s mission. This holiday season, we’re thanking individuals and organizations who make a positive impact on their local communities through our ‘Task the Season initiative. We scoured the US and UK for unsung local heroes and surprised them with Taskers to help make their holiday wishes come true. Meet our honorees and see how they’ve made the people and places around them better and brighter.


 


The Local Heroes

Our first honoree is Kay Champagne, a Grant Writer who has been with the Texas Ramp Project for 12 years. Kay’s work securing grants has helped the organization expand into 36 regions across Texas, ensuring  that no Texas resident lacks mobility and safe access at home. To celebrate her hard work and dedication, Taskers will help construct ramps for Austin-based residents in need this month.

Anita Buckel of Furnishing Dignity is our second ‘Task The Season honoree. Anita co-founded the organization in 2014 because she saw that many people transitioning out of homelessless or foster care lacked living essentials for their new homes. Taskers will be helping Anita and her team set up furniture in the homes of several individuals and families who are transitioning out of homelessless or foster care in the Phoenix, Arizona area, ensuring that their houses feels like a home this holiday season.

We’ve also partnered with journalist and cancer survivor Amanda Salas to honor someone she considers a hero: Vanessa Henriques. Amanda and Vanessa bonded over a shared struggle — Vanessa’s son was battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the same cancer Amanda herself has been dealing with. Vanessa is often stretched thin, as she is managing her son’s care and raising her children as a single mom. We will be providing Vanessa with Tasker support so that she can focus on what matters most: her family.

Additionally, we’ve partnered with Sergei Urban, founder of The Dad Lab and  stay-at-home father of two boys, to recognize the life-changing work Child.org is doing in the UK. With programs such as comprehensive education, support groups for pregnant moms in Kenya, and women’s groups focusing on life skills, Child.org helps lift families out of poverty in order to achieve their full potential – a mission that Sergei whole-heartedly stands behind. TaskRabbit will be providing Child.org with Tasker support to renovate its newly opened co-working space, Cahoots, which provides flexible, affordable, central London workspace and a friendly community for small charities and social enterprises.

TaskRabbit for Good Grant Winners

In addition to our ‘Task The Season recipients, we’re awarding three $10,000 grants to local nonprofits through our inaugural TaskRabbit for Good (TR4G) community grant program. This year’s recipients are all closely aligned with TR4G’s mission of helping neighbors in need find work and a place to call home, and we’re excited to help them continue their great work. 

Grateful Gatherings furnishes the homes of families transitioning from homelessness or crisis as they move into a new place. They provide new beds, furniture, kitchen items, linens, curtains, carpets, and other household essentials – all within a single day – to create a safe, comfortable home for those who need it most. 

Run by formerly incarcerated individuals, The First 72+ aims to end the cycle of incarceration by fostering independence and self-sustainability through education, stable and secure housing, employment, health care, and community engagement. The organization will leverage the TaskRabbit grant to expand the support they offer and help more people get back on their feet. 

Based in the UK, The Beam Foundation aims to promote the education of people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, and people with a criminal record by providing assistance in the form of crowdfunded vocational training to help their community members into stable, skilled work. It will leverage the TR4G grant to support six individuals experiencing homelessness with job training so they can seek and obtain skilled work. 

We’re proud and thrilled to honor these individuals and local organizations, and hope that it helps make their holidays merry and bright, while also inspiring others to give back and spread good cheer.  


For more information about ‘Task the Season and these heroes and organizations, please visit http://tasktheseason.taskrabbit.com/

Ready to tackle that to-do list — and maybe do some good in the process by scheduling a donation pickup or drop-off? Book a Tasker today. Interested in becoming a Tasker? Sign up here.



Originally posted: December 3rd, 2019