Blackbaud Gives Back Through Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

Rhea-AI Summary

Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) announced several corporate social responsibility initiatives aimed at enhancing community support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key efforts include:

• Virtual Volunteering: Employees participated in various activities, including assembling 1,800 care packages.
• Blackbaud After School Program: Provided 380 hours of virtual learning for employees' children.
• Laptop Donations: Donated 300 laptops to bridge the digital divide.
• Annual Donation to One80 Place: Contributed nearly $420,000 to support homeless prevention.

Positive

• Executed virtual volunteering initiatives, engaging employees and benefiting communities.
• Launched innovative Blackbaud After School Program, providing 380 hours of educational support for children.
• Donated 300 laptops to assist those in need, further bridging the digital divide.
• Consistent annual donations of nearly $420,000 to One80 Place, aiding homelessness prevention efforts.

Negative

• None.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, today shared several corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives the company has recently sponsored to support virtual volunteering and community relief in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"One of Blackbaud's core values is 'we give back,' and the importance of engaging employees and supporting communities has never been more important," said Rachel Hutchisson, vice president, corporate citizenship and philanthropy, Blackbaud. "Our employees care deeply about getting involved, and we wanted to provide new ways for them to make a difference virtually during the pandemic."

To embody the "we give back" value, the company introduced the following initiatives in the second half of 2020:

• Virtual Volunteering: This year, the Blackbaud CSR team has focused on identifying virtual volunteerism opportunities to provide employees with ways to get involved safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams around the world participated in virtual volunteering weeks, assembling 1,800 care packages for seniors, children and the homeless; providing comfort toys for animals in shelters; writing letters of gratitude to healthcare workers; hosting a virtual camp to educate students about careers in STEM fields; and more.
• Blackbaud After School Program: With all global employees working remotely due to COVID-19, Blackbaud saw the need to support working caregivers with children at home during the pandemic. Teams across the company partnered to launch the Blackbaud After School Program, an innovative solution that enabled employee volunteers to give their time and expertise to entertain the children of their coworkers. By hosting live, virtual learning sessions, employees were able to provide entertainment for Blackbaud families, allowing working caregivers time to step away and focus on other tasks. Blackbaud volunteers and participants logged 380 hours of time together in 115 live sessions from mid-September through the end of November.
• Laptop Donations: Blackbaud recently donated 300 laptops to two programs that refurbish technology to get it into the hands of those in need, bridging the digital divide and diverting e-waste from landfills. The company partnered with two Microsoft-registered nonprofit refurbishers—InterConnection, located in Seattle, WA, and the Kramden Institute, based in Durham, NC. Blackbaud's IT and CSR teams worked together to identify devices that were available, select recipient organizations and securely wipe the machines to prepare them for donation.
• Annual Donation to One80 Place: For more than 20 years, Blackbaud has made an annual donation to One80 Place, an organization in Charleston, SC, whose mission is to end and prevent homelessness. In total, Blackbaud has donated nearly $420,000. This year, funds are being used to help even more individuals get back into housing during a critical time when COVID-19 has forced One80 Place's shelter to reduce its capacity. Despite this reduction, the number of individuals One80 Place supports has increased 23% this year, and the organization anticipates increased homelessness in the next 12-18 months due to higher unemployment and higher eviction rates. One80 Place's goal is to house 900 individuals and achieve 85% housing retention for individuals who have successfully exited the program.
• Blackbaud Global Toy Drive: For the 21^st year, Blackbaud has supported a global toy drive for the holiday season, benefitting 10 organizations around the world, including Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House and Boys and Girls Club, among others. This year, the toy drive went virtual with teams going online to participate in fundraisers and shop for toys. Blackbaud employees donated 6,152 toys this year, bringing total toy donations to more than 112,500 over the program's 21-year history.
• Annual Donation to the Charleston Post and Courier Good Cheer Fund: On Christmas Eve, Blackbaud will make its annual donation to the Charleston Post and Courier Good Cheer Fund, a community outreach program that helps people in need during the holiday season. Sponsored by individuals and businesses in the local Charleston, SC, community, the Good Cheer Fund benefits seven agencies: Association for the Blind, Carolina Youth Development Center, Catholic Charities, the Lowcountry Food Bank, Salvation Army, Star Gospel Mission and the Charleston Leadership Foundation.

While much has changed this year, Blackbaud's commitment to generosity remains. To learn more about ways that Blackbaud gives back, visit https://www.blackbaud.com/company/corporate-social-responsibility.

About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the world's leading cloud software company powering social good. Serving the entire social good community—nonprofits, higher education institutions, K–12 schools, healthcare organizations, faith communities, arts and cultural organizations, foundations, companies and individual change agents—Blackbaud connects and empowers organizations to increase their impact through cloud software, services, expertise and data intelligence. The Blackbaud portfolio is tailored to the unique needs of vertical markets, with solutions for fundraising and CRM, marketing, advocacy, peer-to-peer fundraising, corporate social responsibility, school management, ticketing, grantmaking, financial management, payment processing and analytics. Serving the industry for more than three decades, Blackbaud is headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, and has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit  www.blackbaud.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media Inquiries
media@blackbaud.com

Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of products and product features. Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors that could cause results to differ materially include the following: general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with successful implementation of multiple integrated software products; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles, particularly in larger organization; technological changes that make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud's investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blackbaud-gives-back-through-corporate-social-responsibility-initiatives-301195328.html

SOURCE Blackbaud, Inc.

FAQ

What initiatives has Blackbaud (BLKB) undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Blackbaud has launched several CSR initiatives including virtual volunteering, the Blackbaud After School Program, laptop donations, and annual contributions to support homelessness prevention.

How many laptops did Blackbaud donate to help bridge the digital divide?

Blackbaud donated 300 laptops to nonprofit organizations focused on refurbishing technology for those in need.

How much has Blackbaud donated to One80 Place over the years?

Blackbaud has made nearly $420,000 in donations to One80 Place over more than 20 years.

What was the purpose of the Blackbaud After School Program?

The Blackbaud After School Program aimed to provide virtual learning sessions for employees' children, allowing caregivers time to manage their work responsibilities.