Chirp’s Director of Operations and Charitable Giving reflects on Chirp For A Cause and announces the recipient of this fall’s donation: Refuge for Women
I’ve always had a passion for giving back. My passion for working with charitable organizations started in high school while working to complete volunteer hours for various clubs and honors programs. I loved being a part of something that was greater than myself and doing something good for others, especially those who could really use a helping hand. In my 20s, I received Dell’s Volunteer of Distinction Award for Big Brothers and Sisters of Austin. So when we started Chirp and I was asked to take on the Charitable Giving role, I was excited to see where we could take this.
“Chirp was built on the foundational belief that a company should be more than just about making a profit. ”
Paige Squeri, Director of charitable giving
Chirp was built on the foundational belief that a company should be more than just about making a profit. Companies should use their success and influence to make an impact in our communities and find a way to be of service to those in need. In this role, I have met some of the most amazing individuals – those who are working to make a change and those whose lives have been changed! There is something moving and almost contagious about being around people who are excited about helping others and who want to make a change. The most difficult part of this role is not being able to do all that we would like to do to help every one of these amazing organizations.
We put a lot of thought into how to structure our Chirp For A Cause program. How do you make it personal? How do you get others involved? And how do you keep it from being a simple “press release” about charitable giving? We decided the best way to do this is to involve our clients. After all, the reason we have the opportunity to give back is because of the outstanding partnerships we have with our clients.
Throughout the year, I spend my time selecting our charitable organizations. I look carefully at their ratings, the percentage of their contributions that actually go back into the program, and a number of other criteria. I interview each of the organizations personally and run them through a lengthy questionnaire. We want to ensure that we can stand behind the organizations we are sharing with our clients.
Several times throughout the year, we select three non-profits and share information about these groups with our clients. We then ask our clients to vote for the one they would like Chirp to contribute to for that voting period. Although we only have one winner, we get to spread the word about the great work being done by many organizations.
We’ve seen some amazing ripple effects with this process. Through the exposure provided by Chirp For A Cause, one of our clients who was looking to partner with a charity found out about a non-profit, Friendship Trays, they had never heard of before. Although Friendship Trays didn’t win our overall vote, our clients started partnering with them to do work that went well beyond what Chirp’s one-time donation could have provided. I love stories like that. I consider myself incredibly blessed to work for a company that allows me to help others and continue the work I’ve always been passionate about.
We recently completed the current voting process and Refuge for Women is our fall winner! Chirp will be donating to the Refuge for Women North Texas on behalf of our wonderful clients.
Paige Squeri
Director of Charitable Giving
Refuge for Women is a non-profit, faith-based organization that provides a place of escape for sexually exploited women by providing specialized long-term care to help these women reclaim their identities and reach their goals to overcome addictions, heal from trauma, and develop life skills leading to healthy, balanced living and financial independence.