Every charitable organization requires funding and donations in order to operate and do the important work they do. Often times these organizations are run by leaders from the community. Contributing to causes and organizations within your community is a great way to establish connections and foster relationships with influential people. These connections provide a great access point to get more involved with the organizations. This can help a great deal in exposing your business to new potential customers and associating your business with worthy causes and reputable organizations.

Through their “Round Up & Donate” program they’ve raised over $8 Million.

Announced on May 1, 2017 Lyft announced its “Round Up & Donate” program allows riders to “opt-in” to have their fare rounded up to the nearest dollar, then donating the difference to a charitable cause. Individually the donations wouldn’t have much of an impact, but taken in aggregate their millions of riders’ collective impact is significant. This program contributes to a number of causes; from supporting veterans to fighting homelessness. Since implementing this program Lyft passengers have raised over $8 million for causes across the country.

Through their “Buy A Pair, Give A Pair” program, they’ve distributed over 4 Million Pairs of Glasses.

2.5 billion people around the world need glasses but don’t have access to them; of these, 624 million cannot effectively learn or work due to the severity of their visual impairment. To address this problem, they work with a handful of partners worldwide to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need.

To accomplish this, they employ two models:

1) Empowering adult men and women with training opportunities to administer basic eye exams and sell glasses for ultra-affordable prices.

2) Directly giving vision care and glasses to school-age children in their classrooms, where teachers are often the first to spot issues.

Alleviating the problem of impaired vision is at the heart of what they do, and their impact continues to expand. From Mexico to Zimbabwe, Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, their impact has reached over 50 countries across the globe.

Through their “100% for the Planet” & “1% for the Planet” programs they’ve donated over $74 Million.

As a producer of outdoor gear, it makes sense that Patagonia would be interested in preserving the environment. Far more than just an interest, Patagonia makes defending the world’s climate, air, water and soil a core operating principle. Since 1985, they’ve pledged 1% of their sales to non-profit environmental groups as a member of 1% for the planet. That’s added up to $74 million in cash donations given directly to thousands of organizations working in local communities around the world.

They took it to another level on Black Friday in 2016, when they donated 100% of sales to grassroots organizations working to create positive change for the planet in their own backyards. “We’re determined to use every means at our disposal to defend our world’s climate, air, water and soil. In these divisive times, protecting what we all hold in common is more important than ever before.”

This popular fundraising strategy has raised over $300 Million.

Now entering its seventh year, #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Since its inception in 2012, #GivingTuesday has become a movement that celebrates and supports giving and philanthropy with events throughout the year along with a growing catalog of resources.