Giving Tuesday started in 2011 and is characterized as a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. This year it lands on December 1, and Red Argyle is doing its part to contribute and transform our communities.
Two years later, in 2013 Red Argyle took Salesforce’s 1% pledge to donate 1% of our earnings annually. This pledge is based on a foundational value: honoring humanity. Or, said another way: people first. Historically, we have split that donation between FoodLink in Rochester, NY and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.
This year, our eighth year devoted to this Model, was unique in many ways. The pandemic had a devastating effect on business, and Red Argyle was not immune to those effects. But, we swarmed together, held each other up, and survived. With an eye on people first, our partners, Tom Patros and Garry Polmateer, inspired Argylers to lead with love, not hate through this difficult year. Argylers felt moved to support other causes in addition to FoodLink and Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. In response, Red Argyle offered to match employee donations to 501(c)3 charities for equality-based causes and those that help disadvantaged people. Red Argyle matched employee donations 2 to 1, up to $250 in matches annually per Argyler. Our generous employees gave to a variety of organizations including:
- Measures for Justice
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Movement for Black Lives
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Campus One80
- ACLU Foundation
- Art for Action
Our 1% Pledge is one piece of the Salesforce 1-1-1 Philanthropy Model that we support. The Model dedicates 1% of our net income, 1% of our products, and 1% of our time to our communities and the nonprofit sector. A future blog will reveal the ways Red Argyle has supported our community with our products and our time. On Giving Tuesday, our focus is on dollars, and how we use them to support what is valuable to us in our communities.
