Impactfully No. 44: Creative crowdfunding
This week, Kickstarter helps creatives find fans and funding, Allagash Brewing Company raises a glass to social impact, and Lemonade transforms insurance premiums into charitable donations.
Have you ever helped a crowdfunding campaign get over the finish line? It's one of the more unique ways to support a small business owner: putting your faith in an idea before it ever hits the market. I've supported a few over the years, and I particularly love updates from the owners as they go from idea to product – it's like getting a behind-the-scenes look at the winding road of entrepreneurship.
You're probably familiar with a number of crowdfunding platforms, but did you know that Kickstarter, our featured employer this week, is also a public benefit corporation? Every year, they donate 5% of after-tax profits to organizations nominated by their employees. The economic impact provided by the platform itself is impressive as well: over 300,000 part- or full-time jobs in creative industries to date.
Maybe your next social impact job is a crowdfunding campaign in the making? If not, there are lots of other ways to make a difference this week:
Kickstarter is on a mission to help bring creative projects to life, from music and films to books and food. All of their roles are fully remote, so you're free to support creatives from wherever it suits you. They are also one of the few companies we know of that has employee resource groups to help everyone connect on the issues that matter to them.
- Program Manager (Security & Systems) – Remote
- Director, Creator Growth & Engagement – Remote
- iOS Engineer – Remote
- Senior iOS Engineer – Remote
- Senior Software Engineer – Remote
- Software Engineer – Remote
- Trust & Safety Analyst, Moderation – Remote
- Senior Product Manager, Mobile Apps – Remote
Allagash Brewing Company is a Certified B Corp and popular purveyor of beer along the east coast. They have some really unique benefits, like brewing pilot beers based on employee suggestions and paying for volunteer time. Their impact report is very impressive, but if one thing stands out the most to me, it's that they managed to divert 99.8% of brewery waste from landfills. I'll drink to that!
- Illinois and Wisconsin Field Sales Representative – Chicago, IL
- Southern California Field Sales Representative – Los Angeles, CA
- California Area Sales Manager
- Tasting Room Associate – Portland, ME
- Warehouse Operations Associate – Portland, ME
Burnham is an insurance broker that helps companies build benefits packages to support their employees. They've been named one of the best places to work in the Los Angeles area for years, and they regularly donate time and money to the communities they serve. Some of the charities they support include United Way, Dogs for the Deaf, Women's Philanthropy, and CASA.
- Client Executive, Commercial Risk – Tustin, CA
- Senior Client Manager, Employee Benefits – Irvine, CA
- Client Manager, Commercial Risk – Tustin, CA
- Client Manager, Employee Benefits – Irvine, CA
- Client Service Analyst, Employee Benefits – Irvine, CA
- Sr Client Service Specialist, Wealth – Irvine, CA
- Advisor, Employee Benefits – Fresno, CA
- Client Executive, Employee Benefits – Lawndale, CA
Wordbank specializes in multilingual and multicultural marketing so businesses can communicate effectively with global audiences. They work in a number of impact areas, and one of my favorites is how they get their employees engaged in the community. They had 100% participation in local primary elections in support of a movement called Time to Vote, and they are working towards 70% participation in volunteer time off.
- Creative Development Specialist – Denver, CO
- Sales Executive – Denver, CO
Alliant International University is the first standalone university to become a Certified B Corp, helping lead the way for higher education with impact. I love how they reduced their campus spaces to reflect the migration to online learning, lowering their environmental footprint in the process.
- Director of Partnership Development – Phoenix, AZ
- Academic Program Coordinator – Sacramento, CA
- Online Admissions Manager – San Diego, CA
- Credential Analyst – Remote
- Admissions Counselor – San Diego, CA
Quality Bicycle Products is a leading distributor in the cycling industry with a commitment to supporting local bike communities and promoting sustainable transportation. As you can imagine, they offer a number of bike-related perks, like an onsite repair shop and financial incentives for ditching the car on the way to work.
- Front End Web Developer – Remote
- Senior SAP FICO Analyst – Bloomington, MN
- Senior SAP SD or MM Analyst – Bloomington, MN
- Instructor – Broomfield, CO
Invesco is a large investment firm with a unique focus on ESG investing, given its size. ESG, for those who don't know, stands for "Environmental, Social, and Governance." ESG proponents would say that by focusing on the triple bottom line, they're not giving up profits – they believe that ESG companies have better return on investment and lower risk compared to their competitors. We don't feature many large companies in the newsletter, so if you're looking for more stability and opportunity for advancement, check out their roles online – this is just a sample.
- Strategy Development Manager – Houston, TX, Boston, MA or Atlanta, GA
- Sr UX UI Interaction Designer – Atlanta, GA or New York, NY
- Compensation Manager – Atlanta, GA or New York, NY
- Product Manager – Houston, TX, Boston, MA or Atlanta, GA
- Global Head, People Insights – Atlanta, GA or New York, NY
- Agile Coach – Houston, TX or Atlanta, GA
- Analyst – Finance GBS – Atlanta, GA
Kalsec is a global leader in the production of natural ingredients and flavorings for the food and beverage industry, and a recently certified B Corp to boot. They are hiring a Director of Corporate Responsibility who will be the point person for their corporate social responsibility and B Corp efforts going forward – if you're looking to lead the way on social impact at a large company, this is the job for you.
- Director of Corporate Responsibility – Kalamazoo, MI
Lemonade is an insurance company that donates unused insurance premiums to charities after paying their operating costs. When someone signs up, they select a cause they care about, and at the end of the year, Lemonade figures out what was left over after paying out claims and donates a significant portion of it to charity. To date, they've donated over six million dollars.
- Senior Systems Admin – Remote
- Senior Actuarial Analyst – Remote
- Actuarial Analyst, Pet – Remote
- Insurance Product Manager – Remote
- Head of Insurance Product – Remote
- Copywriter – New York, NY
- Claims Experience Advocate, Total Loss – Remote
- Auto Claims Experience Advocate, File Owner – Remote
I always learn a lot when researching for the newsletter each week, and I was struck this time by the variety of ways each of these companies drives social impact. Some companies cast a wider net in their giving, supporting multiple charities or working across multiple impact areas. Others choose to focus their impact in ways that align closely to their products or services.
The latter are particularly inspiring, because you can feel their dedication to the mission in everything they do. Maybe that can be your mission, too?