When Being Selfless Pays Off

Selfless.ly started 2020 with announcing a couple significant partnerships, one with Serve Indiana and the other with the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). The Selfless.ly app connects companies of any size with corporate social responsibility opportunities via volunteering, monetary donations, and in-kind contributions. Their virtual platform utilizes data to change or improve corporate culture, attract new talent, and gain new customers.

“The partnerships [with Serve Indiana and CICF] are a natural fit for us,” states Josh Driver, co-founder of Selfless.ly  and one of Indianapolis’ fiercest advocates for corporate social responsibility. “We are all on the same team, so working together for the greater good is natural.”

When the pandemic hit, Selfless.ly leapt into action, removing barriers for nonprofits to engage on their platform. With major fundraising events being canceled or postponed, Selfless.ly has helped to fill the funding gap through innovation. While this year has been challenging for many verticals, Selfless.ly continues its trend of being do-gooders by helping those in need.

Selfless.ly and its platform partner, Inspiring Service (https://www.inspiringservice.org) are providing ongoing technical support and unique features to drive greater integration with nonprofits and purpose-driven volunteers to support The Rotary Club of Indianapolis’ Indy Do Day efforts online. While Indy Do Day will continue to focus on one weekend per year for large-scale events, it added a partnership with Selfless.ly to create year-round philanthropic efforts throughout the year.

“They could call it Indy Do Year, but it doesn’t have a strong ring to it,” smirks Driver, for the record, the branding is not changing. “It quickly became evident that those who are served by area nonprofits were likely going to be part of the collateral damage from COVID-19. When we are hit with adversity, innovation plays a key role in recovery.”

It was recently announced that Jay Love, founder of Bloomerang, and Vicki Bohlsen, CEO of The Bohlsen Group, were added Directors to the Selfless.ly Board. Each are passionate about corporate social responsibility.

“I believe that Selfless.ly is a tool that companies can easily and inexpensively integrate into their CSR programs to effectively communicate to stakeholders that they care about more than just making a profit,” says Bohlsen, who hosts the Taking Caring In Business podcast.

“Blending philanthropy with technology is a win-win scenario for companies and nonprofits,” adds Jay Love, a longtime champion for the charity sector. “The pandemic has accelerated the need for creative opportunities for corporate giving and Selfless.ly is uniquely positioned to capture the philanthropic cultural data of companies and displays its impact.”

In other significant news, Selfless.ly became a member of NEXT Studios’ portfolio of companies, the latest venture founded by John McDonald, Tom Kilcoyne, Shelley Klingerman, and Joe Cudby.

“In a world filled with new choices for philanthropy, it is smart business for a company to show its heart,” says NEXT Studios Managing Entrepreneur McDonald. “Selfless.ly is what the world needs: companies showing their impact on their community and beyond, and nonprofits identifying their specific needs. Giving without data doesn’t move the needle of change. Selfless.ly changes that. We are delighted to have Selfless.ly in our portfolio.”

Selfless.ly is literally showing its heart in a brand refresh. Their logo is now a hollow heart draped in a ribbon. Studies show that employees prefer to work for companies that demonstrate responsibility and “give back” to their community and world, and increasingly customers seek out those same traits, too, when they make buying decisions.

“Gone are the days where people would be encouraged to check off a small percentage of their income to be managed by large conglomerate charities,” observes McDonald. “Now people want to know how they are moving the needle with their contribution, and they also want to donate their time and their talent, not just their treasure. This means that they are often giving much more than we can see as employers, and so we can’t share how our employees are giving if we don’t know what it is.”

“The brilliance of Selfless.ly is that by giving employees a platform where they can see so many more ways to give of themselves than they may be aware of, as employees we get to see what they are doing. We can then use this data to encourage new employees to apply, or new customers to give us a try, by showing them our heart,” states McDonald.

Selfless.ly is focused on purpose-driven benefits for companies and employees. And according to a recent Fast Company article, “Suddenly, having a purpose is a superpower.” Standing for something is important for businesses to thrive, and the perception is if you don’t express what you stand for, you stand for nothing.

Driver and his team lead from the heart and they walk their talk. Selfless.ly is a certified LGBT Business Enterprise and Indiana’s first dual-certified domestic benefit corporation and B Corp. Their mission is to reshape corporate culture through technology that helps companies contribute to making their communities a better place. They have found their swagger in 2020.

“Maybe 2020 has been our coming out party?” jokes Driver. “I just like that you called me fierce!”

Think Selfless.ly, act purposely. Learn more at https://www.selfless.ly.