It’s our favorite time of the year!
At Outmark®, we delight in making a difference in people’s lives. It’s fun to be good®– is our tagline, after all. We encourage our employees to spread cheer by supporting their favorite charities. From volunteering at food banks to hosting donation drives, the spirit of giving is alive and well, far beyond the holiday season.
Join us in this heartwarming holiday adventure because giving back is the true spirit of the season.
Gift it up. Give it out. Grow it charitably.
Ho, Ho, Ho! ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and what better way to spread joy than by giving back to our communities? This year, we’ve wrapped our mission with a festive theme: The gift of giving back, where the holiday spirit shines brighter than Rudolph’s nose on a snowy night. So, before we go over our options for giving this season, we invite you to cozy up with a mug of steaming cocoa, don your festive holiday attire, and embark on a whimsical journey through the world of corporate giving and charity.
There’s a difference in how we give
Did you know there’s a difference between ‘gifting,’ ‘giving,’ and ‘charity’? It’s true. These three distinctive acts of goodness are like a box of See’s Candies. Each has its own flavor and brings a unique sweetness to the holiday season.
Gifting: The twinkling, jingling, glittering stuff
Like the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree, gifting is all about making someone smile with a thoughtful token of affection. Unlike charity, gifting is a warm and personal way to show fondness on holidays, baptisms, and birthdays.
Gifting, as a verb, dates back to the 1500s and meant giving something you already own. Family jewels were gifted to the next generation. Kings gifted land to their noblemen. According to Stephen Carter, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, “There’s a world of difference between gifting a thing you already own and going out to buy a thing you don’t.”
At Outmark, for example, we gift swag to our clients. We love celebrating our client’s wins and successes with unique gifts throughout the year. We love our clients and find joy in gifting them with our goodies. We also give, and it’s different from the gifting that we do. Let’s check out Santa’s list of giving.
Giving: So merry and bright
Think of giving as the twinkling lights on your tree — the lights come in various sizes — and always add that extra sparkle. Giving is personal and doesn’t require an organization’s involvement. It’s buying coffee for the person behind you in line or helping your neighbor shovel snow from their driveway.
So, giving is similar to gifting, but rather than gifting something you already have, giving is presenting something new to someone. So now the question begs, what is charity?
Charity: Spread joy for a cause
Charity is the centerpiece of holiday giving. It involves providing money, goods, or precious time to those in need, often through organizations or institutions. It’s handing out plates of warm meals at a community shelter or donating toys to kids who might not get a visit from Santa this year.
Outmark focuses on charity because it’s a powerful way to light up the holiday season for those in need. If you haven’t found a charity to give to this year, check out the ones our employees selected:
Red Door Animal Shelter
Red Door Animal Shelter is a no-kill, multi-species shelter promoting animal respect through education, rescue, and adoption. Their shelter provides a cageless, homelike environment and prioritizes adoption while offering permanent residence for some animals.
Old Dog Haven
Old Dog Haven provides loving homes for unadoptable senior dogs abandoned or at risk in shelters. They focus on dogs aged eight and older, primarily in Western Washington. They aim to offer these seniors a quality final chapter, months or days, in loving permanent homes.
Backpack Brigade
Backpack Brigade is a nonprofit organization in King County, WA, that supplies weekend meals to an increasing number of hungry and displaced students. Supported by donors, sponsors, and volunteers, the organization delivers over 800,000 nutritious meals annually to children in 84 elementary and K-12 schools.
Friends of Youth
Friends of Youth envisions a world where every young person has the chance to succeed. They partner with youth and families, providing them with the resources, skills, and relationships needed for personal growth and success. They uphold accountability and collaboration values, prioritizing youth in all decisions.
Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project is an American charity and veterans service organization that operates as a non-profit 501(C)(3). WWP offers a variety of programs, services, and events for wounded veterans who incurred a physical or mental injury, illnesses, or co-incident to their military service on or after September 11, 2001.
Malala Fund
Malala Fund is an international, non-profit organization that advocates for girls’ education. It was co-founded by Malala Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin. Malala is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
Michael J. Fox Foundation
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and developing improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.
Endometriosis Foundation of America
The Endometriosis Association is a self-help organization of women and families, doctors, scientists, and others interested in providing education, support, and research to those affected by the disease.
Global Fund for Women
Global Fund for Women funds bold and expansive gender justice initiatives for lasting change. Founded in 1987, Global Fund for Women emerged from the belief that women’s human rights are vital for global social, economic, and political progress.
NAMI Washington
NAMI Washington is the state office of the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of millions affected by mental health conditions. They work tirelessly to raise awareness, provide support, and offer education to communities throughout the state, profoundly impacting mental health advocacy.
MS Impossible
Mission I’mpossible connects young adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) nationwide, offering monthly meetings led by founder Claudia Longo. They provide financial assistance for essential therapeutic services, including physical therapy, dietary counseling, fitness coaching, resiliency coaching, massage therapy, and holistic wellness coaching.
Step by Step
Step by Step empowers pregnant women, mothers, and families to become catalysts for generational positivity. Their vision is for every woman to view her pregnancy as a transformative opportunity. Using her strengths, she will embrace health, envision a hopeful future, and inspire positive change within her family and community.
Join us in spreading holiday magic
We’re overjoyed to launch our 12 Days of Giving campaign and invite you to participate in this magical journey.
Does your company have a favorite charity you support every year? If so, share it on Instagram this month and tag @outsourcemarketing. Let’s spread the word and make a positive impact together.
If you’re looking for organizations to donate to, check out our blog to learn about the charities we’re supporting this year. It includes a brief overview and links so you can spread the cheer even further.
