By Dennis Powell, e-Management
e-Management's staff and friends are committed to A Wider Circle's "Race to End Poverty." In 2013, the group was the top fundraiser for the second year in a row.
Is giving better than receiving? Well in America, it certainly seems that way. According to a Giving USA 2013 report released during summer, people in the U.S.A. gave $316 billion to charitable causes last year, which is up 3.5% from 2011. That’s a pretty significant rise if you factor in all of the uncertainty around U.S. and global economies.
Many of us have our favorite causes. At e-Management, every employee who volunteers their time to community or charitable organizations gets an extra “admin” day—essentially, a day off that doesn’t reduce their vacation hours. The company has a charitable commitment to organizations focused on energy, education, and the elimination of poverty. e-Management even donates up to 10% of its profits to charitable organizations. Clearly, e-Management and its staff love to give back to local and even international communities. So, we decided to blog about charity and causes in hopes that readers will add their favorite causes and spotlight the good deeds of those organizations.
To get the conversation going, here are our favorite causes.
- Helping to eliminate poverty. One of our favorite charities is A Wider Circle, formed in 2001. The nonprofit has a mission to lift adults and children out of poverty. A Wider Circle has several programs to help those who are dealing with the realities of poverty, including furniture and home goods redistribution to more than 17,800 families, which represents 65,000+ individuals. The Catalogue for Philanthropy has named A Wider Circle, “one of the best” charities.
- Helping to improve education. e-Management demonstrated its commitment to lifelong learning by offering a 4-year scholarship to business students at the University of Maryland. Students have the opportunity to gain relevant work experience through paid-summer internships with the company.
- Helping conservation efforts. e-Management’s staff and friends collectively support energy and conservation through ENERGY STAR, a federal government program developed to help “businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.” The company’s Energy Star campaigns have exceeded corporate goals by more than 50 percent. Over the past four years, e-Management pledges have resulted in cumulative savings of 860,193 lbs. of greenhouse gases.
Time to add your favorite charities and causes…
According to the Forbes Top 100 Largest Charities list, the United Way is America’s No.1 charity followed by the Salvation Army, Catholics Charities USA, Feeding America, and the American National Red Cross. Do any of those charities make it on your list of favorite charities? If not, what organizations do you give to or volunteer your time to the most? Why do those charities have a special place in your heart?
Note: e-Management is not endorsing any charity. Instead, we are shining the spotlight on nonprofits and charities to assist you in your search for organizations that may support your charitable giving goals and priorities.