Aha! commits $237,000 to charitable giving in 2024

We have written before that at Aha! we see value differently. Businesses can go further than providing a lovable experience for customers. In fact, you can widen your impact by extending support to the communities you live and work in. This is why we emphasize our ability to uplift customers, colleagues, and communities when assessing the value we create.

Nonprofits fund people's basic needs and make up a community's safety net. We feel a moral responsibility to assist them.

Since we launched the Aha! Cares program in 2019, we have supported more than 80 organizations and donated nearly $1M to people in need. We allocate a portion of our profits to the program every year. And instead of a lump sum-style donation, we ask the team to nominate charitable organizations in the communities in which they reside. We center these donations around four pillars: food, safety, shelter, and opportunity.

This puts the Aha! team in a position to drive substantial impact globally given that our team spans nine countries, more than 30 U.S. states, and over 100 cities worldwide.

Our commitment also extends to the locations where we host our company "onsites" twice a year — with our most recent location being the Big Island of Hawai'i. Together in December, we volunteered at several local nonprofits. Some team members cleared a patch of land for a terrace at Kahua Pa’a Mua. Another group joined Habitat for Humanity to construct a home for a family of five. Other teammates partnered with Waimea Trails and Greenways to clear logs and brush and help with trail maintenance. And these are just a few examples.

In 2024, we will dedicate $237,000 to charitable organizations and causes the Aha! team nominated. This cohort includes 31 nonprofits from the United States, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Below, learn more about the critical work the nominees do:

Food

• Feeding GA families | Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Food, access to critical resources, and well-being services

• Bountiful Harvest | Brighton, Michigan, USA: Groceries, meals, clothes, and access to employment agencies

• Long Beach Community Table | Long Beach, California, USA: Food, hygiene products, clothes, education, and more

• FamilyWorks | Seattle, Washington, USA: Food, resources, and community support

• Helena Food Share | Helena, Montana, USA: Food pantry

• Princess Alice Adoption Home | Johannesburg, South Africa: 24-hour residential care for babies and toddlers

• Gravenhurst Against Poverty | Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada: Food, wellness, and transportation services

• The Janet S. Munt Family Room | Burlington, Vermont, USA: Parent-child center with accessible programming

• Guilderland Food Pantry | Guilderland, New York, USA: Food pantry

• Bluffs Food Bank | Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Food pantry

• Amor Healing Kitchen | Charleston, South Carolina, USA: Plant-based meals for individuals with critical health challenges

Safety

• Ralston House | Arvada, Colorado, USA: Child abuse prevention and victim services

• Crisis House | Santee, California, USA: Domestic violence, child abuse, and houselessness prevention and services

• Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre | Cobourg, Ontario, Canada: Gender-based violence prevention and services

• Violence Prevention Center | Grand Marais, Minnesota, USA: Advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and more

• Rahab's Sisters | Portland, Oregon, USA: Services for women and gender-diverse individuals facing poverty, houselessness, sex work, violence, and substance abuse

• The Dracaena Centre | Falmouth, United Kingdom: Community center offering a wide variety of services, including youth and family support

Shelter

• Compass Center | Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA: Crisis services for domestic violence, career and financial coaching, and community education programs

• Lindsey House | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA: Safe, stable housing for families facing difficult situations

• Project Hawai’i | Keaau, Hawaiʻi, USA: Services for unhoused children

• HouseN2Home | Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA: Furnishings for unhoused individuals moving from shelters into rental properties

• Dublin Simon Community | Dublin, Ireland: Services and support for unhoused individuals and people facing housing crises

Opportunity

• Vita Nova | West Palm Beach, Florida, USA: Housing, education, employment, and life skills training for unhoused youth

• Home Horizon | Collingwood, Ontario, Canada: Counseling and programs for youth experiencing potential housing crises

• ICAN | Chandler, Arizona, USA: Programming for youth that addresses opportunity gaps

• Giving Closet Project | Jacksonville, Florida, USA: Essentials for economically disadvantaged and unhoused youth

• Feast World Kitchen | Spokane, Washington, USA: Empowerment for immigrants and former refugees through global cuisine

• Fostering Family Hope | Madison, Connecticut, USA: Basic essentials and support for foster children and families

• East York Learning Experience | East York, Ontario, Canada: Literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy programs for adults

• The Boundless School | Palmer Rapids, Ontario, Canada: Immersive wilderness-based education benefiting disadvantaged youth

• Variety, the Children’s Charity of Manitoba | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: Equipment, supplies, and services for children in Manitoba who have special needs and experience economic disadvantages

Want to make a real impact? Start by being a positive force in your own community.

If you are interested in launching a charitable giving program at your company, share these templates. They offer pointers on communicating with nonprofits you are interested in, applying for funding, and getting information for impact reports. Our team is also happy to offer tips and field your questions about Aha! Cares. Just drop us a note on LinkedIn.

Nothing compares to knowing you are doing what you can to make your community stronger, safer, and more vibrant. Here's to the communities we will help celebrate and lift up in 2024 and beyond!

Learn more about Aha! Cares' commitment to global causes.