Fingerpaint Launches Company-Wide Effort to Help Foster Kids
SARATOGA SPRINGS – For most full-service marketing agencies, a robust roster of creative client work would be enough to keep the staff busy and engaged. But at Fingerpaint, the staff is equally as passionate about giving back to their community. With headquarters based in Saratoga Springs, and offices in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Columbus, Ohio, the company is making a difference in the lives of foster kids across the country.
On Friday, June 30, Fingerpaint’s offices closed for business and celebrated its first company-wide philanthropy day. Through a partnership with Together We Rise, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America, Fingerpaint launched a fundraising and awareness campaign on April 3. In just 45 days, they raised nearly $10,000 to purchase “Sweet Cases” (duffel bags) and bikes for foster kids who need them. Fingerpaint employees will simultaneously gather at each office on June 30 to build the bikes, decorate the suitcases, and distribute them to local foster agencies near each of their offices.
“When we learned from Together We Rise that nearly 1,200 kids enter the American foster care system every day, and most travel with nothing but a trash bag to carry their belongings, we were shocked,” said Bo Goliber, who oversees philanthropy for Fingerpaint. “We knew we wanted to do a philanthropy day, and this cause really resonated with our staff.”
Fingerpaint is no stranger to philanthropy. Since its inception, the company has dedicated time, talent, and financial resources to build sustainable partnerships by delving into the interests of its staff and clients. Instead of just taking on one-off projects or choosing the most obvious causes, Fingerpaint has Goliber, a full-time philanthropy liaison, who keeps employees engaged and connected to their surrounding communities. Philanthropy is an integral part of the company culture and a huge draw for eager and passionate new hires.
Fingerpaint Founder Ed Mitzen believes this philanthropic spirit is what sets the company apart and helps keep its staff grounded in an otherwise tumultuous industry.
“Giving our employees the opportunity to engage with each other through these kinds of activities strengthens our relationships and our success as a company,” said Mitzen. “We’re here to benefit clients and their customers, of course, but we also know we’re a force for good in the world.”
Representatives from each of the recipient foster care organizations spoke to the staff and shared their stories about navigating through the sometimes complicated foster care system.
Here in the Capital Region, the “Sweet Cases” and bikes will benefit foster children served through Northern Rivers Family of Services in Albany.
Kimberley Belleville, Community Engagement Coordinator at Northern Rivers, said, “We are honored that Fingerpaint chose our foster children to receive this incredible donation. So many foster children enter the system with only the clothes on their backs. When our kids open the Sweet Cases and ride the bikes made just for them, they’ll feel the love and support of the whole community.”
Fingerpaint employees were responsible for promoting the campaign through social media and various fundraising efforts, including a flea market, where they made homemade goods and sold them internally. When their goal of $6,000 was surpassed, they kept going, and a company match of $3,000 drove the number even higher.
“It’s been an amazing team effort,” said Mitzen. “We’re hoping it makes an impact in these kids’ lives and within the organizations that work to help them. We’ve been so fortunate as a company—it’s rewarding to see how passionate the staff is about sharing that with others.”
For more information, visit www.togetherwerise.org/fundraise/fingerpaint.
