I have always believed we have a responsibility to support the communities where we live and work. Over time, I have become more intentional about what that support looks like and where it can make the biggest difference. The question isn’t whether to give. It is how to give in a focused way that leads to real, measurable impact.
Giving Became a Responsibility
That shift didn’t happen all at once. For a long time, giving was something I did consistently, both personally and through the company. It was tied to causes I cared about, but it wasn’t as focused or aligned to clear outcomes as it could have been.
That’s changed. As the company has grown, I’ve thought about what it means to lead with intention, not just in how we run the business, but in how we support the communities around us. If giving is going to reflect our values, it has to be disciplined, focused, and lead to outcomes we can stand behind.
Where Personal Values Scale
The causes that matter most are often close to home, whether that’s tied to family experiences or the places that shaped who I am. These personal connections keep me engaged and grounded.
That’s where the business comes in. Leading a business changes the scale of what’s possible. What starts as a personal commitment can grow, whether that’s through direct contributions, partnerships, or simply creating more visibility.
That focus shows up in a few different forms. Some are personal, like supporting organizations focused on Alzheimer’s disease, because it has directly affected my family. Others are tied to long-term solutions, including education and workforce development programs that help people build careers in technology. And some address immediate community needs like food insecurity and homelessness, where the need is clear and the impact is easy to understand.
The business allows me to expand that focus by creating more ways to support these efforts and involve others. It also helps ensure that giving isn’t isolated to one person’s priorities. It becomes part of how the company operates, shaped by shared values, focus, and follow through.
Focus Drives Impact
One thing is clear: giving works best if it’s focused. Without that, it’s easy to spread contributions across a wide range of organizations without clearly understanding the impact.
I now spend more time evaluating where the money goes and how it’s used. Not all charitable organizations operate with the same level of clarity or discipline. What is the organization trying to accomplish? Is there a clear plan? How are they measuring progress? And how much of the contribution actually reaches the people or causes it’s intended to support? Answers to those questions shape where I choose to focus and how I stay involved over time.
The organizations that stand out make those answers clear. For example, when an organization is willing to put a stake in the ground around something as complex as reducing food insecurity, and back that up with a plan, it creates a different level of confidence. It becomes easier to see how my support fits into a broader effort.
That clarity changes the nature of giving. It moves it from a series of individual decisions to something more intentional and holistic. Instead of reacting to requests, the focus shifts to supporting efforts where the need is well understood and the path forward is defined. It creates a stronger connection between the contribution and the outcome.
How Giving Shapes the Company
We support a range of organizations directly, and we’ve made a point of aligning those efforts with areas where the need is clear and where we can stay involved over time. We also encourage participation across the company, whether that’s through matching contributions or encouraging participation in causes our team is already supporting.
It gives them a way to contribute while still aligning with the company’s direction. In many cases, they bring forward new ideas or causes that matter in their own communities.
It also resonates outside the company. Clients and partners notice when giving is consistent and tied to something real. It strengthens trust, not because we talk about it, but because it reflects how we operate.
It requires some structure and follow-through to keep it consistent and aligned. When it’s done well, it reinforces the same principles that guide the business more broadly, and it becomes part of the culture, not an add-on.
It’s Not Always Straightforward
It isn’t always clean in practice. There are trade-offs in how giving is structured, especially when it spans both personal and company decisions.
In some cases, the lines blur. Sometimes the company supports an initiative, and I’ll step in personally to extend that support. Questions also come up around consistency. Why one organization and not another? How do you decide where to draw the line? The answers aren’t always simple.
There’s a financial side to this. Giving at a meaningful level takes planning, whether that’s through the business or personally. You have to be deliberate about how you do it and where it makes the most sense. It deserves the same level of thought as any other major decision.
There’s also a practical side. How giving is structured affects planning decisions and tax outcomes. At that point, it becomes a question of where those dollars go and what they support.
It reinforces the need to be consistent and deliberate. When the approach is clear and the intent is understood, those trade-offs become easier to manage, and the decisions hold up over time.
Where to Start
For leaders who want to do more, the starting point is simple. Focus on something that’s personally meaningful. That could be tied to your own experiences, your family, or your community.
From there, the key is to be intentional. Take the time to understand the organizations you’re supporting. Get guidance early as contributions grow, especially around how giving is structured and how it connects to both personal and business decisions.
Giving back doesn’t require a perfect plan. But it does require the same level of attention and discipline as any other meaningful commitment.
