Why I’m Thankful for Itential’s Giving Culture

I’ve always been passionate about non-profits. In fact, before I joined Itential as a Program Manager, I spent 20 years working in the non-profit space. But I was ready for change — something different to help get me out of my comfort zone and try something new. The timing was perfect, as I knew a now-fellow Itentialite who recommended I checked out Itential.

Making the leap into technology felt a bit scary at first. I was good at my old job, comfortable even. However, after interviewing with Itential, I knew this would be the right place to take that leap. During my interview and my onboarding process, the leaders at Itential saw my potential and let me know that, though it may be different, my experience was sought after and valued.

Little did I know, my non-profit experience would come in handy.

The Story Behind ItentialGives

The more I got embedded in my new role, the more I realized how truly unique and special our culture was. I wanted to contribute to our ItentiaLife program and help run programs and initiatives that supported our values like generosity, community, and passion.

That’s when it came to me. We needed a volunteer program dedicated to offering opportunities for our Itentialites to give back to the causes that they were passionate about. This was a gap I knew I could help fill.

I developed a proposal outlining the program, now known as ItentialGives, and nervously sent it to my supervisor, figuring the worst that could happen was being told no. And, at first, that is what I got. Don’t get me wrong, the ‘no’ came with a lot of encouragement and appreciation for the work but I was told that Itential wasn’t at a place quite yet to grow a program like this. It was ok, I would wait.

Then, just a month later, our CEO presented the list of OKRs for the company and one of them was focused on the culture of the organization and growing our ItentiaLife philosophies. And with that, I was given the greenlight to launch the ItentialGives volunteer program! ItentialGives is comprised of:

• Providing opportunities throughout the year for employees to give back to their communities, wherever they are.
• The opportunity for Itentialites to help choose the charities that are important to them.
• Multiple ways to get involved such as hands-on volunteering, monetary donations, and participation in organized activities — something for everyone!
• Executive leadership support to provide the time and in some cases monetary donations to help us reach our volunteer goals.
• 2 days of additional PTO that can be used to volunteer on your own time or with another group of Itentialites.

What We’ve Accomplished in Our First Year

With the full support of our leadership team and Itentialites, I’m so proud of what ItentialGives has been able to accomplish in just our first year. Since launching ItentialGives, our organization has supported eleven different non-profit organizations:

• Special Olympics: Our very first endeavor was supporting Special Olympics, which was held in Denver. A group of our Colorado-based Itentialites volunteered for the Young Athletes Camp, running their T-Ball station. And during our Committee Week, Special Olympics was highlighted as the charity of choice, resulting in donations being given to Special Olympics chapters all across the country.
• Ronald McDonald House Atlanta: We provided over 15 themed baskets (including Spa, Marvel, Arts and Crafts, etc.) for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Everything included was donated by our Itentialites!
• Trees Atlanta: Twice, our Atlanta-based Itentialites got to get their hands dirty (literally) at the hands-on volunteer activity with Trees Atlanta, mulching and cleaning up open space along the beltline.
• Kate’s Club: During the holidays last year, we volunteered with Kate’s Club, a local Atlanta organization that provides support for children and teens facing life after the death of a parent or sibling for their Holiday HUG event. Our Itentialites donated both their money and their time to run a refreshment stand for the families that came in during this special event.
• Frontline Response: Our team collected and donated over 100 winter clothing items to Frontline Response during the holidays last year. Our leadership team also stepped up and made a sizable donation based on how much we collected.
• Refugee Coffee: During two different Committee Weeks, our ItentiaLadies group sponsored a popular coffee cart to provide coffee and tea in our office. The donation from the group went to help their cause of providing job training and personal development of resettled refugees.
• Soccer in the Streets: A lot of our Itentialites are passionate about soccer, so we created a team to participate in Soccer in the Streets yearly Corporate Cup to raise money for their charity. We may not have won the tournament, but we scored big for the organization. Check out this blog to hear how it went >
• Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer: Our ItentiaLadies hosted a group to participate in the annual Susan G. Komen walk. Everyone was encouraged to walk, whether alone at home, or with another group, to help raise awareness during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• Community Trash Clean-up: During our most recent Committee Week, Itentialites were encouraged to get outside and spend time cleaning up their communities.
• National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI): Our New York-based Itentialites came together to raise money for NAMI and participate in a ride at their local Cyclebar to help raise awareness for mental health issues.
• Atlanta Children’s Shelter: This holiday season, our Itentialites are hosting a Toy Drive to help donate toys to families in need at a local children’s shelter.

I have been humbled by the way that this company has embraced our new volunteering program and I’m honored to play a role in its success. Over the course of our first year, we’ve raised over $10,000 in donations across various charities and have had over 90% of our Itentialites participate in the program. I can’t wait to see what ItentialGives can accomplish next year and in the years to come.

I can only hope that as new people come into the company, no matter their experiences and background, that they will also feel empowered to think creatively, feel encouraged to initiate change, and feel inspired to make a difference.