Postlight’s Picks for Giving Tuesday 2021

Postlight’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide our team members with safe spaces to share common experiences and come together as allies. These groups are tasked with three key responsibilities: Make impactful monetary donations to charities that align with the ERG’s mission, volunteer time and resources to these causes, and create opportunities for employee education. 

This year, we’re excited to participate in our first ever Giving Tuesday, and our ERGs came together to help Postlight contribute $80,000 across 12 charities. Each group selected an organization that works to drive change aligned with the mission of the ERG. Learn about the orgs they chose below, and get a little information about each group’s mission and goals, and what drove their decision to create their group at Postlight.

Immigrants at Postlight

In the Immigrants at Postlight ERG, our goal is to be a space to support one another through whatever immigration experience we or our loved ones are going through, discuss ways we can contribute to making immigrating to the US a more viable option, and help immigrants better acclimate. We chose to donate to organizations that work to improve immigration policies in the US or that help people safely relocate here.

Upwardly Global: “Upwardly Global’s mission is to eliminate employment barriers for immigrant and refugee professionals, and advance the inclusion of their skills into the U.S. economy. We envision an equitable, welcoming country where everyone — including immigrants, refugees, and asylees — can fully contribute and thrive.”

BLK @Postlight

BLK @Postlight is a dedicated space to continue Postlight’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitments. Our group hosts conversations on the intersection of race and technology, provides a forum for support for one another, and offers a constructive space to discuss current events and promote a better understanding of the Black experience. There’s space for culture, too — we lift moods with good black joy playlists and much much more to come. We chose to donate to an organization that helps young black women and women of color break into tech.

Black Girls CODE: “We build pathways for young women of color to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators by introducing them to skills in computer programming and technology. We lead a global movement to establish equal representation in the tech sector. Black Girls CODE is devoted to showing the world that Black girls can code and do so much more.”

Environment at Postlight

Environmentalism spans quite a large range — climate change, pollution, species conservation, carbon footprints, and food sustainability — just to name a few. The preservation of our planet and its resources is crucial to our survival, and as a socially and environmentally conscious group of Postlight employees, this is top of mind for us. We are a community-driven group of people building out a dedicated space to share resources, ideas, and practices — not only to educate each other on important topics and issues, but also to work toward positive change for the planet.

Extinction Rebellion: “Extinction Rebellion is a decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Our demands: Tell the truth, act now, and go beyond politics.”

Jewish at Postlight

Judaism is an interesting label in that it can mean something different to each practicing and non-practicing person. Jewish at Postlight was created as a way to connect over our Jewish experiences. These experiences come in different shapes and forms, from straightforward to complex to evolving still. This is a space for those who are culturally Jewish, religiously Jewish, or curious about Judaism in any capacity to discuss and organize around their shared experience.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: “A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.”

Anera: “Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon, and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate emergency relief and for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development.”

LGBTQIA+ at Postlight

The goal of the LGBTQIA+ ERG is to provide support, awareness, and acknowledgement of those around us, those seeking support, and those needing ways to support a friend or family member. A critical view we took when forming the group was that while a cornerstone of our group is support for those who are “out,” so is creating a space and environment where it’s OK to be “in.” Everyone is on their own journey, and that path takes many different turns for each person. 

The Trevor Project: “The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. We believe LGBTQ young people deserve a welcoming, loving world. And we wake up every day dedicated to making that a reality.” 

Ali Forney Center: “The Ali Forney Center was founded in 2002 in memory of Ali Forney, a homeless gender-nonconforming youth who was forced to live on the streets, where they were tragically murdered. Committed to saving the lives of LGBTQ+ young people, our mission is to protect them from the harms of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.”

MIND at Postlight

MIND (Mental Inclusivity + Neurodiversity) is focused on supporting mental health and celebrating neurodiversity at Postlight. In the context of our workplace, mental inclusivity initiatives aim to increase awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness, foster a healthy work environment, and support the mental health of Postlight employees. Our mission is to create a supportive environment that serves folks who care about these experiences, whether that’s personally, through a family member or friend, or as an ally. 

The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund: “Black women and girls deserve access to healing, and that healing will impact generations. Through our partnerships, Loveland Therapy Fund recipients will have access to comprehensive lists of mental health professionals across the country providing high-quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls.”

Caregivers at Postlight

We all care for someone. The Caregivers ERG is a place for parents, children, and all caregivers to share knowledge, pictures, and joy. As a longstanding Slack channel turned ERG, its mission is largely cultural: How do we safely care for others and support one another doing so?

We care about issues that allow caregivers to do the largely hidden work of caregiving: Paid family leave, safe access to shelter, clothing, food, and children’s health, and reliable and safe childcare — it’s a big world.

Paid Leave for All: “Paid Leave for All provides the strategy and coordinated effort to turn this urgent need into political reality. This campaign leverages our groups’ policy expertise and research, partnerships and grassroots memberships in the field, and our storytellers and communications tools to drive a win and enact a comprehensive and inclusive federal paid family and medical leave program by 2023.”

Women+ at Postlight

Women+ aims to promote diversity in leadership, talent, skills, and ideas by providing a forum for those with common interests, concerns, and goals to nurture a culture of openness, support, and understanding at Postlight. We have been learning how to shape the spaces we have created, especially intersectional ones, to best support the people of Postlight as the company continues to scale and the culture continues to adapt. We chose to fund organizations focused on reproductive rights and mentorship programs for girls.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas: “Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas creates healthier communities by providing comprehensive reproductive and related healthcare services, delivering science-based education programs, and serving as a strong advocate for reproductive justice in Texas.”

Girls Who Code: “In 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women. Today, it’s only 24%. We know that the biggest drop off of girls in computer science is between the ages of 13 and 17. We’re reaching girls around the world and are on track to close the gender gap in new entry-level tech jobs by 2030.”

Center for Reproductive Rights: “The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person.”

Looking forward

The Giving Tuesday nomination process brought Postlight employees together with a common goal to create change and make meaningful impact to the causes we hold close to our hearts. We’re committed to furthering the work of our Employee Resource Groups, and we look forward to seeing their continued impact in the community, as well as in our organization, in the months to come.

Megan Rasquin (she/her) is a People Operations Associate at Postlight. Say hello at hello@postlight.com.

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