Why giving back is good for everyone:
How charity strategies galvanize workplace culture
Our charity strategy is an important part of our culture, building partnerships and supporting organizations. We take a proactive approach to social responsibility. Our charity partner for 2023 was Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which is dedicated to changing the lives of children with cancer by funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.
Founded in 2005, it is dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research and family support programs.
Previously, we partnered with Children in Conflict, an amazing charity that provides emergency response services to children affected by conflict, raising over $8,000. This year’s fundraising activities include marathons, bike rides, our trivia night, and payroll giving.
Giving back and supporting fantastic organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Children in Conflict is a vital part of who we are as a business. For us, this is just the beginning, and we are committed to reaching our goals to ensure our business does good for our people, our communities and our planet.
We have a collaborative approach to charity and as we look towards our next charity partnership in 2024, we’re asking our people to bring their fundraising ideas to the table.
Collaborating on charity projects allows people from different departments to come together and work towards a common goal. Whether it's organizing fundraising events, volunteering for the day, or running awareness campaigns – the shared experience of giving back cultivates a positive team spirit within an organization.
Our people have the opportunity to get involved in volunteering initiatives, for which they can use their dedicated volunteering day. This could involve hosting a “lemonade happy hour”, organizing sports days, or even taking part in sponsored beard shaves.
It is not just about raising money for much-needed causes, but critically engaging to enact change, educate and raise awareness. For us, charity is not a means to an end but an important part of everyday behavior and values reflected in our day-to-day business ethos.
Getting out of the office and volunteering for the day can greatly boost mental health and wellbeing. It’s been called the ‘helpers high’, and research has shown that giving up your time to help others reduces stress and makes people feel healthier. A recent survey from Project Helping revealed that 94% of volunteers felt it improved their mood.
Bringing that positivity back into the workplace helps to create a happier environment for everyone. Employees enjoy being at work and take pride in being part of the organization, which ultimately leads to increased productivity and improved staff retention.
Delivering real change begins with us as individuals; even the smallest things can make a big difference. Having a workplace charity strategy brings huge benefits not just to the employee, but the employer and the community too.
Working alongside our partners, we are focused on actively doing good through our four committees, which focus on DEI, Environment, Wellbeing and Engagement, and our Charity partnerships.
You can find out more about our charity work here. If you’d like to speak to us about our relationship with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation or would like to know more about how you can help, please get in touch with us.
One look at Investigo’s charity page makes it clear why Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) was an easy choice for a charitable partner. Both entities have a desire to make an impact on peoples’ lives and to do so by thinking both in and outside of the box.
Established in 2005 to continue the mission of Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004), ALSF is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research and family support programs. While fighting her own battle with neuroblastoma, Alex set up a lemonade stand in her front yard to raise money for her doctors to allow them to “help other kids like they helped her”.
Since her first stand, the Foundation has grown into one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the country, raising more than $250 million and funding over 1,000 research projects.
In their 2023 fundraiser, Investigo’s offices opted to focus on employee engagement to achieve their fundraising goal for ALSF. Each office kicked off the year by hosting a “lemonade happy hour”. They continued their efforts by hosting weekly happy hours for those who could participate and ultimately raised $1,300 for the cause!
Funds raised by businesses like Investigo are allocated to a variety of initiatives including lifesaving research and family programs. The ALSF Travel For Care program helps to offset travel expenses for families who must travel to receive potentially lifesaving treatment for a child. In addition to this, brothers and sisters of children diagnosed with cancer often face complex emotions as their family is thrown into the turmoil of managing a child’s treatment. ALSF’s one-of-a-kind SuperSibs program is dedicated to comforting, encouraging, and empowering siblings as their brother or sister fights cancer.
The ALSF Grant Program funds research every step of the way — from early-stage innovative research all the way through to lifesaving clinical trials for kids with cancer.
ALSF’s new initiatives are having an impact on research worldwide — the ALSF Childhood Cancer Data Lab and the Crazy 8 Initiative are bringing together the brightest minds from around the globe to fight childhood cancer. ALSF is also the only childhood cancer research organization that has been given the National Cancer Institute (NCI) peer-reviewed funder designation for rigorous selection of research grants.
As a 2-year-old, Everly has the most vibrant and kind personality her mom has ever known. She loves classic cars, motorcycles, dinosaurs, unicorns and pizza!
Everly was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma two days before Christmas 2022. Her only symptom ended up being a main symptom of her cancer: random bruising on both her eye lids. She went through eight rounds of intermediate chemotherapy treatment but then had tumor growth at the end of it. It wasn’t until later her doctors found out Everly was supposed to be in the high-risk category the entire time. She is now at a new hospital on a high-risk protocol.
Her mother, Kayla, just hopes to see Everly be happy and have a simple life. Everly is her hero for many reasons, but most of all because she has seen her little body go through things that would absolutely traumatize an adult. She is always astounded that at the end of the day she is still so loving.
To Kayla, foundations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation are some of the greatest advocates for families. “I hope this organization gets the word out of childhood cancer and gets more funding for research,” she said. “The children deserve treatment targeted for them and not for adult cancer.”
Lemonade stands were just the beginning for ALSF. Fundraising efforts now include athletic events, employee engagement events such as office Olympics and happy hours, a yellow-tie ball and culinary events across the country. Their mantra of “Curing Childhood Cancer, One Cup at a Time” is in direct line with their belief that no donation is too small, and fundraising is not one-size-fits-all. The Foundation is there to provide materials, support and guidance throughout the planning process. In addition, you can make your fundraiser anything you want — if a lemonade stand isn’t the right fit, you can create the same impact for your company and for children with cancer by hosting a fundraiser that better aligns with your company culture.
