With all the hype, sometimes startup culture gets a bad rap for too closely resembling a college fraternity — working hard and playing hard, then playing hard some more. But these five Austin startups are making time for another kind of team building altogether, and working in some play along the way.
[ibimage==37221==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]Signpost angels at a fundraiser in Brentwood Park benefitting underprivileged student athletes.
Signpost
More than 10 employees have adopted dogs at this CRM software maker, and they’re welcome to bring them to work. So when they decided to raise money for a local charity, Austin Pets Alive was an obvious choice. It was also a no-brainer that the uber-competitive sales team from a company whose unofficial slogan is “Signpost wins” would love a beer pong tournament.
“Those guys are known for killing it at beer pong,” said Kristi Morris, a recruiter at Signpost. “There was a lot of shit talking at the event."
Employees each paid $25 to participate in the tournament at Old School Bar and Grill, whose management donated the venue so 100 percent of the proceeds would go to charity.
Signpost also held a middle-school-style field day at Brentwood Park for its employees to raise money for Good Sports, which donates sporting equipment to underfunded athletic programs at Austin schools.
“It’s important when people move here for the opportunity at Signpost that they also get to know people in Austin,” Morris said. “60 percent of our hires come from referrals, but some of the reps don’t know anyone. So this way, they’re out shaking hands in the community, and ultimately it helps me."
[ibimage==37220==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]The Q-mmunity Crew "Packs the Pack" for underprivileged students.
Q1Media
Not to be out-punned, Q1Media assembled a team of volunteers called the Q-mmunity Crew to complete projects for a different charity every month.
“We want to be able to touch different parts of our community in Austin overall,” said Lindsay Glancz, an HR specialist at the firm. “Everyone likes it. It’s really rewarding."
For the first project, the Q-mmunity Crew wanted to help families who struggle to equip their kids to go back to school this time of year. They launched a project called “Pack the Pack," filling 72 backpacks with notebooks, pens, erasers and other supplies and donated them to SafePlace, which supports families recovering from domestic violence, 39 percent of whose residents are children.
The Q-mmunity Crew is planning its next project to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank this fall.
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Civitas Learning
SchooLinks isn’t the only EdTech company using philanthropy to further their mission. From sponsorships to school supply drives, fundraising parties and learning events for non-profits, Civitas Learning stays active with Austin non-profits.
Employee Experience Specialist Emily Washburn said it’s all part of their mission to “help a million more students learn well and finish strong … through relationships we have with our partners – and the relationships we help them to have with their students.”
“We have a great desire to further our commitments to our community in this next school year,” she said. “We have been raising money for the Center for Child Protection for the past few years with burger/taco cook-off competitions and bowling tournaments, and we’ve been hosting seven classes for Big Brothers Big Sisters at our new office space about what we do at Civitas.”
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Findhelp
As you might expect, the company behind this public benefits search engine is all about helping people in need (motto: Reach More. Serve Better.). Findhelp plans all-staff service days a few times a year and volunteer with a local nonprofit in the community, most recently serving more than 300 lunches at Caritas of Austin.
Sales VP Chris Dunkin said it’s always a great experience, and this was no exception.
“It was impactful to all of us to be able to help people in need in such an hands-on way,” he said. “The staff at Caritas are doing exceptional work and were very grateful for our help.”
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