Volunteering & Community

Whirlpool Corporation volunteers pitched in to help complete construction of a Habitat for Humanity home for a woman and her daughter, who is handicapped, in Ottawa.

Driven by both necessity and opportunity right now, Taproot Foundation partners across the nonprofit, for-profit, and philanthropic sector all seem to be asking themselves one thing: “How can we be better?”

When disasters strike, Major League baseball players strike back. That's why Major Leaguers from across the United States and Latin America traveled to Texas recently to trade in their bats and gloves for hammers and hard hats. The Players Trust relief efforts in Dallas this week were a reminder from Major League Baseball players that they haven’t forgotten victims of the natural disasters that befell southern Texas, Florida, Northern California, Mexico and Puerto Rico earlier this year.

As a member of the evaluation community, and in my work as an advisor to foundation clients including Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit, the Kresge Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation, I think about trends shaping the field, and how they are showing up in practice.

With funding and supplies through a Keep America Beautiful/Lowe’s Community Partners Grant, Keep Dallas Beautiful (KDB), through its "Adopt A Station" program, created outdoor living spaces at 23 fire stations in underserved Dallas neighborhoods in the fall of 2017.

Working in communities across the country, the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund is implementing programs and training leaders to help expand access to financial services and education for unbanked and underbanked individuals.

Today, Whole Kids Foundation announced the 2017 Growing Healthy Kids Campaign raised $3,542,448, with 15 supplier partners investing more than $950,000 to support children’s nutrition and health.

Republic Services of Richmond and Pacheco, California were recognized at the 7th Annual East Bay Philanthropy Awards. Presented by the Sanford Institute for Philanthropy and Wells Fargo honoring the people, businesses, and service organizations that give back to the East Bay community. It is the most inspiring day for the East Bay Leadership Council, where they are thrilled to help recognize such an exceptional class of honorees. Republic Services was honored with the Outstanding Corporate Philanthropist award.

What if I told you that I know the reason a full 33% of your employees don’t participate in your giving and volunteering program? You’d act quickly to remedy that barrier right? Well, thanks to America’s Charities Snapshot 2017 Report, we do know the reason. And it’s not that hard to remedy.