How Colorado Tech Companies Are Supporting Their Communities

In a world where lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders restrict physical movement, digital technology is filling the void to keep households connected, supplied, entertained and informed. 

But amid the increased demand for digital products and services — and the logistical challenges associated with a massive work-from-home transition — many Colorado tech companies have not forgotten those who are struggling. We asked local tech leaders to describe how they’re giving back to their communities during this uncertain season, and the responses offer a fine example of this region’s wealth of ingenuity.

Know of a team or company that’s going above and beyond right now? Share the love using #UnitedWeTech. 

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now? 

As a member of the healthcare community, the team at Alto is leveraging our courier delivery fleet model to bring much-needed supplies to our colleagues working on the frontlines. We launched a personal protective equipment (PPE) donation program in the San Francisco Bay Area last week and hope to expand it to other communities in the coming weeks.

In just over one week of coordinating PPE donations to hospitals, we’ve run more than 60 individual donation pick-ups, accounting for more than 1,700 masks, 11,000 gloves and various other supplies. If you’re in the Bay Area and have PPE supplies to donate, check out our blog. Our couriers will safely pick up your donation, no contact needed.

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

Alto is most successful when our communities are healthy, safe and thriving. We see this moment as a chance to connect our resources and operations infrastructure with problems worth solving — for example, connecting private supplies of PPE with healthcare organizations. We’ll continue to look and listen for other ways that we can help our colleagues in healthcare and the communities that we serve.

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now, and why?

In response to COVID-19, we are actively engaging our service, employees and corporate giving resources to support local communities. This includes contributing in-kind donations, launching employee giving campaigns and developing remote volunteer opportunities, such as virtual mock interviews for local job seekers. 

Globally, we have also distributed pro bono advertising credits to help our partners launch meaningful campaigns around COVID-19 and pledged $1 million to the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Women’s Media Foundation. We are committed to serving our communities year-round. Right now, we are working closely with our partners to understand and respond to their acute, ever-changing needs.

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now?

At Boom Supersonic, limited employees are leveraging 3D printers in the manufacturing facility to print headband pieces for face shields. Our partner, Stratasys, donated printing materials to help Boom make the face shields.

In addition to these companies coming together, Boom’s extended network has also started to print face shields on their 3D printers at home and sew face masks for the cause. Last week, Make4Covid was introduced to help further coordinate the design, manufacture and testing of the protective equipment made by the Boom community, while working with medical professionals and experts to arrange the safe drop-off of these supplies to healthcare professionals and hospitals who need them most. 

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now?

We are seeing two different challenges right now: business impact and community impact. We’re offering a Freshchat/Freshcaller bundle free of charge for six months for small businesses of 50 employees or less, across all industries — an efficient solution for remote collaboration to help ensure business continuity.  

We’re also offering a free COVID-19 Freshchat solution for all hospitals, clinics, and more in the United States, regardless of company size, for at least the next three months, which includes an automated chatbot, with FAQs and a first-response flow. 

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

We are donating $20 to the American Red Cross for their efforts around COVID-19 for every Freshworks customer who completes a short customer survey around their 2020 business plans. We are also sending up to $50 in UberEats vouchers to hundreds of Freshworks contacts this week, which will help feed their families while they are staying put at home, and will also help support local restaurants and eateries in their respective communities.

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now?

With so much of the workforce being suddenly pushed to work remote, Sumo Logic is offering a free work-from-home solution of our platform and partner ecosystem. We’ve also offered these solutions to schools and higher education institutions globally to provide children with crucial learning to maintain a positive outlook, keep them safe during the coronavirus pandemic and allow teachers to keep doing what they love — teaching.

We’ve also joined forces with other tech companies and have sponsored “All the Talks” 24-hour virtual fundraising event to help raise money and awareness for those in need during this critical time. 

We are donating to Denver Delivered to bring meals to low-income homes and the elderly, the Denver Small Business Fund to help local businesses get back on their feet, and are giving money to local healthcare organizations to provide resources and supplies. We’ve also been sending hand-written cards to healthcare workers to express gratitude. 

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

In light of local businesses in Denver shutting down, families losing their income and potentially the ability to provide, and healthcare workers putting themselves at risk, we have expanded our charitable approach from being more education and youth related to also including those who have been directly impacted by these more recent economic and health changes. 

  

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now? 

Over these last few weeks, the team came together to raise donations to aid our local community and pay it forward. We’ve made financial donations to the Denver Rescue Mission and the Food Bank of the Rockies, as well as local restaurants and businesses. In addition to financial donations, our employees have been proactive patrons at our local clients’ businesses in an effort to support them through these unprecedented times. 

We look forward to the reopening of our local restaurants and businesses and will be offering a 60-day trial of our recruitment marketing and applicant tracking modules to help affected organizations across the country either meet their current hiring needs or ramp up after the crisis is over, enabling them to re-hire quickly.

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

We are fully focused on helping our local community through this crisis. Our hearts go out to our clients — many of whom are in the service and restaurant industries — and local businesses in need. In response, we’ve greatly expanded our charitable giving initiatives to help businesses in our community that have been impacted by the crisis. 

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now? 

We are currently running a fundraiser that started last Thursday and will run until April 10. At this point, we have raised $3,000, which will be allocated across the following organizations: Food Bank of the Rockies, Sacred Heart House, Food for Thought and No Kid Hungry.

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

Pax8’s community involvement strategy for 2020 has been to offer volunteer opportunities for our employees each month so they could take time from work to give back to others alongside their co-workers from across the company. We had our employees vote to select the three organizations that we would partner with for the year, participating in an event with each of them on a quarterly basis. 

With social distancing as the current norm, we have moved to fundraising efforts for a handful of nonprofits focused on providing meals for individuals and families that are struggling financially.

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now?  

While exercising proper social distancing, the Xactly Denver team was able to support our friend Jesus and Milagro burritos by purchasing over 670 burritos.

 

How have you adapted, expanded or changed your charitable giving initiatives in light of recent events?

XactlyOne and our philanthropic organization is a huge part of our culture here at Xactly. Working remotely doesn't change that. Our employees have the opportunity, quarterly, to fill out a survey to suggest areas in the community to support. The survey is reviewed by senior staff, and the XactlyOne board works with Xactlian, who referred the organization. All employees also have the option to auto-deduct donations from their paycheck to support our global Xactly community. One of the most impactful ways we are helping during this time is by volunteering, virtually, with the elderly through Love for the Elderly and those in isolation through Mon Ami Volunteer Phone Bank. 

 

In what ways is your team giving back to the local community right now?

PAIRIN had previously ordered 150 branded hand sanitizers to use as promotional items at conferences and events this spring. After the COVID-19 crisis hit, most of our conferences were canceled and a national-wide shortage of hand sanitizer surfaced, making the decision to donate them instead a very easy one. We were able to donate them to the first responders at the North Metro Fire Department.