Give Give Give!

Giving is such a wonderful topic! I wish news channels dedicated more time to sharing stories of people giving and changing lives. Whenever my feeds are filled with non-profit work my friends are devoting time to or I receive messages asking for donations to fund causes they are passionate about, I am filled with joy! My first exposure to corporate giving was during my internship program at VMware - we did so many service projects! The office held a backpack drive where we collected school supplies for children in need, we worked at animal rescue shelters and the company encouraged every team to dedicate a few days each year volunteering in the community together. A 2013 UnitedHealth Group study found that employee volunteer programs increased engagement and productivity. The study found 75% of employees who volunteered felt healthier and reported experiencing less stress. More than 90% said volunteering had put them in a better mood.

Over the past 18 months, giving has made a digital shift as well. There have been a number of causes that took over social media, prompting users to give their digital currencies - time, eyeballs, grid space and money. I was joyfully overwhelmed by how many grassroots fundraising campaigns raised significant amounts of money in short time periods, just from individual social networks. Between technologies like Venmo, GoFundMe and Donate buttons on Instagram, giving can become impulsive and automatic - which is positive! A Harvard Business School study showed that "donating to charity has a similar relationship to subjective well-being as doubling of household income." There's the big conversation in the technology space about social media companies' business models being largely driven by advertising revenue. I'd welcome the day when content that was served to me was over 50% non-profit marketing and less 'cute, affordable athleisure sets'. There is so much data we scatter around and a number of companies can piece these cookie crumbs together to get a blurry-  or sometimes very clear - digital image of our persona. But most of these companies are looking at that persona through the lens of 'Who is this consumer? What does this customer want to spend their dollars on?' Well, this millennial wants to spend more dollars giving and less dollars on crappy clothes that fall out of fashion or apart at the seams.

Opportunity to Give!

I am a founding member of the Period.org chapter in Encinitas, CA. We are partnering with two local Community Resource Centers and two Asylum hotels providing housing to refugees at the Tijuana border.  The combined menstrual product demand for these communities is ~4,000 pads and over 2,000 tampons per month. We have an Amazon wish list, GoFundMe page and we accept Venmo donations @period-encinitas!

xoxo maddymo