As more late-stage millennials and Gen Z’ers enter the workforce, there has been a steady trend across industries to focus more on philanthropy and social consciousness. In fact, 75% of millennials say they are more likely to want to work for a company that actively gives back to the community.
The current generation’s “do-good” attitude has created a movement that has resonated all the way up to big companies, urging them to make a change not just because it looks good, but because it’s the right thing to do. Some studies even say it bolsters productivity and teamwork by enabling employees to build on critical skills while participating in something they care about. Talk about a win-win.
Many companies have taken this to heart and are looking at how they can best make a difference. Stella Artois’ partnership with Water.org was unveiled in an ad during this year’s Super Bowl, pledging that every purchase of a Stella Artois beer chalice will provide as much as five years of clean drinking water for a person in a developing country. Warby Parker has been donating one pair of glasses to a person in need for every pair sold for almost ten years, much like Toms has done with shoes. Microsoft started the YouthSpark program to empower young people by providing training in STEM areas and computer literacy.
And, though Hatch may be a smaller marketing agency (or “boutique” as some shops like to spin it), we always knew we wanted to give back in our own way.
When we first settled in Bridgeport three years ago, we could see how much potential the city had and knew right away that we wanted to do whatever we could to help it prosper. We vowed to one day establish a program to support the Bridgeport business community—one that would allow us to team with our neighbors to do some good.
We took the time to carefully look at our strengths and the needs of the community—and where those two might intersect.
It’s clear that it has become more important than ever for a business to have a solid brand identity and compelling digital marketing assets to be competitive in their given field. Unfortunately, many small and non-profit organizations lack the resources necessary to create and maintain a marketable brand, so they often fall behind. There are hundreds of small businesses in Bridgeport that aren’t getting the exposure they both need and deserve, and we’re out to change that in any way we can. At Hatch, we strongly believe that when one of us succeeds, we all benefit.
Which is why we hatched the Hatch Initiative four months ago.
Under the Initiative, small businesses in the Bridgeport area can apply by telling us their personal story. Once selected, Hatch donates up to $10,000 in billable time to provide branding, web design, content creation, or marketing assets—whatever is needed. In turn, we require a minimum fee, 100% of which is then donated to a charity of the business’s choice from our list of causes.
By helping to create a strong local business community, Hatch is hoping to write itself into a new history for Bridgeport—one that resurrects the hustle and bustle of the state’s largest city.
Three awesome companies are already working with us under the Hatch Initiative (meaning three charities are benefiting as well!)—take a peek at what we’ve done so far.
Curious to learn more? Go to the Hatch Initiative page to apply.
