Interactive Foundation

Your Age as a Guide for Giving

Denise Meyer — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 20:48:14 +0000

I was catching up on my reading the other day and I came upon an interesting article about a busy career-minded woman who wanted to find a unique way to give back to her community. She really wanted to make her mark, and tie something into the fact that she was turning 40. How could she make a difference in her 40th year?

The answer wasn’t just one way. It was in 40 different ways! She gave back in ways that ranged from thanking a soldier for their service, to paying for groceries for the person in line with food stamps, to hailing a cab and paying the fare while on a trip in NYC. Not only did she achieve her goal, but she enjoyed giving so much, that she decided that from now on she would carry on the tradition as she aged. What a great way to give back!

This got me thinking about a few things that make it challenging to give back. Finding the right opportunity to give back as a whole family, how to get engaged based on your age, and how to find something to do for busy professionals. There are three great resources out there to help.

1. How does a whole family get involved with volunteering? Even with young kids? TheVolunteerFamily.org can help find organizations across the US that are willing to embrace a family unit for a volunteer opportunity.

2. What do the teenage-early 20 somethings do about finding ways to give back? Turn to technology for a match. vinspired a web site (and Android app!) that allows the age 14-20 something set to pair themselves with volunteer opportunities.

3. For those who are super-busy balancing work and home life (like myself!) there is Sparked.com a great site where you share details about yourself and are paired with volunteer opportunities to match.

What are some of the creative ways that you’ve found to give back?

Denise

3 Ways to be More Charitable in 2012

Jessica Wozny — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:18:05 +0000

Happy 2012 – a little late, but it never hurts to start the year off with a bang. Did you make a New Year’s Resolution? If you are one of the millions of people who set out January 1 ready to lose weight, be more responsible financially, or spend more time with your kids, you’re not alone. So many of us have New Year’s Resolutions to do something better for ourselves. Why haven’t we taken the time to think about doing something for someone else? How many times do you hear someone say, “I’d like to be more charitable this year.” or “I’m going to make a conscious effort to spend more time helping others.” I would say it doesn’t happen very often. So, here’s to you, find that organization that pulls those heart strings. Help someone who is in greater need than you. Volunteer to read at a children’s home. Spend Thanksgiving helping at a Soup Kitchen. Instead of donating $1 per paycheck, make it $2. I promise it will add up.

Some of the best ways to find Charitable organizations near you:

Google – it’s your search engine for everything else, why not start here?
Community Foundations/United Ways etc. – These types of organizations have solid volunteer and donation plans in place.
Friends and Family Members or Colleagues – Find out what organizations they donate to or volunteer for. Ask if you can join them. Perhaps ask your boss to do a “team building” activity that benefits a local charitable cause.

As for me, I of course want to lose weight. But, I also resolved to be more charitable. In addition to being active with the Interactive Intelligence Foundation I have found a few organizations that I believe are worthy of my time and money.

As for you, find something that makes you smile and warms your heart. Chances are it will make others smile and warm their heart too.

Here’s to a Fulfilling 2012!

Jessie

Finding Your Place in the World of Philanthropy

Sarah Morley — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:50:04 +0000

Every Christmas, I volunteer to wrap all of my team’s Christmas presents as a gift to them. Clearly, this doesn’t count as philanthropy or volunteer work for the greater good. But, I have a passion for sparkly paper, ribbon and bows. One of my fondest memories growing up was learning how to wrap presents with my grandmother. She taught me how to make those perfect folds so the paper lies flat, and how to hide my uneven cuts. When I wrap presents I think of her, and it is always one of my favorite parts of the holidays. However, the holidays aren’t always a happy time for everyone.

The families at The Julian Center are survivors of domestic violence and other crises, and are rebuilding their lives with the help of the Center’s many programs. Holiday gifts aren’t a given for them as they are to so many of us. Each year Interactive Intelligence adopts families during the holiday season and fulfills their holiday wish lists. Families are assigned to different departments, and the departments compete to fulfill the wish lists as thoroughly and quickly as possible. Although I always participate by purchasing gifts for a child, I find wrapping and labeling all of the presents in beautiful paper to be the most rewarding. Being able to give a bit of joy in the form of a beautifully wrapped present, to a family who has endured such hardships certainly counts as philanthropy.

Wrapping presents doesn’t take millions of dollars or hundreds of hours, but it will put a smile on someone’s face. Philanthropy doesn’t have constraints – find something that you are good at and use it to help someone else. You don’t have to learn something new to do something good; just do what you do best for someone else.

Do you have a hidden talent that you could use to give back to the community?

Sarah

Creating Inspiration through Renovation

Lauren Nikides — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:51:03 +0000

I have been working at Interactive Intelligence for a little over a year now and watching how much the company has grown in one short year has been truly amazing. So, when the company decided to start the Interactive Intelligence Foundation to benefit at-risk youth, I was immediately intrigued and knew I wanted to be a part of it in some way.

After many years of volunteering and working for Wishard Health Services as well as being a camp counselor for kids, I knew that it would be the right fit for me and through volunteering with the Foundation, I have been able to feel the joy of giving back again. Interactive chose three different organizations to work with and The Julian Center was one of them. One of the major projects we decided to undertake was building a tech center so that the women can have a well-equipped place to go to search for jobs, to work on their resumes and receive career assistance–essentially helping them get back on their feet.

The Julian Center had a room already designated for this, but it only had a few older computers and was in need of some major updating, so that’s where we came in. The renovation included purchasing brand new Dell XPS 8300 Desktop systems, complete with Microsoft Office (great for homework or resumes!), installing a built-in sound system with speakers from Klipsch, and some digital projectors to round out the space. I was also lucky enough to be a part of the design team, which turned into much more than just making the room look aesthetically pleasing.

A couple of weeks ago we put the finishing touches on the room, which included two wall decals consisting of inspirational quotes: “Live, every moment, Laugh, every day, Love, beyond words” and “Live the life you’ve imagined.” Taking the time to put those on the wall (and believe me it is more difficult than it looks), felt like we were doing something to help these women. Hopefully, in the end the room is full of inspiration and will fulfill its purpose; helping someone get a much deserved fresh start.

Make sure to check out the before and after pictures of the tech center!

Lauren Nikides

A Foundation for Positive Change

Denise Meyer — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:14:04 +0000

There is something magical that happens when a woman becomes a mother. She blossoms and becomes nurturing, selfless and fiercely protective; all in the name of raising her child. I know because I recently became a mother about five months ago.

My journey has just begun, and I know that raising a child is a big challenge. It’s even more difficult when women have to face it alone with inadequate means and while coping with domestic violence. Children need a solid foundation on which to build their knowledge, self-worth and health. Typically, parents provide the building blocks for that foundation. Those without one are “at-risk.”

Exactly what factors put a child at-risk? Examples include exposure to substance abuse and other factors like poverty or domestic violence. All of these things weigh heavily on a developing child. This was underscored at our 1st Annual Foundation Auction Gala held on September 24th, with a presentation delivered by the new Executive Director, Melissa Pershing, who represented The Julian Center, one of the charities the Foundation currently supports.

She spoke of the women who leave their abusers in the middle of the night, fleeing with their pajama-clad children and just a few dollars in their pocket. They arrive broken at the shelter. The shelter helps them heal with all of their wonderful resources—a place to live, a stocked pantry, clean clothing, counseling, career guidance, and more. All of these things are critical to a mother raising a child.

That’s why participating in the Auction Gala held more meaning to me than just bidding big, winning a prize and making a donation to support a worthy cause. It meant being able to help build a strong foundation for children who desperately need and deserve something positive in their lives.

As co-chair of the auction, I’m pleased to report that we raised $45,000 that evening thanks to the generous contributions of our sponsors, donors and attendees. The proceeds will benefit our charities: Indiana FIRST, Save the Children and The Julian Center.

Support doesn’t always need to come in the form of a monetary donation. What are some of the creative ways that you’ve helped an at-risk child?

Denise M. Meyer

FIRST A Compelling Reason to Volunteer

Courtney Hunold — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:11:09 +0000

Who remembers being a kid? Okay. Now, who can say they are doing exactly what they wanted to do when they “grew up?” I remember the days growing up, not knowing where I really fit in, if what I wanted to do was possible or if what I wanted to do would be supported. As kids, I think many of us go through this.Fortunately, more programs are out there supporting kids in what they really want to do.

When I first heard that the Interactive Intelligence Foundation was supporting Indiana FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), I was intrigued to learn more about the organization. I decided to attend the robotics competition we held at our corporate headquarters to discover what this group was about. The organization was founded in 1989, and strives to make the world of technology as cool as the world of athletics. After learning that the program inspires kids to be driven by science, technology, and engineering I thought to myself, “what a cool idea, I wish I had a group like that to join growing up.” Then after watching in amazement the talent these kids had building and maneuvering their robots, I remembered what it was like to create and dream big.

Seeing the passion that the kids had for what they did, made me step back and think about the important role we have as mentors to this younger generation. As adults in the real world we tend to lose sight of the passion we once had for our interests. With the drone of the work week and responsibilities at home, we often forget to keep learning and pushing our experiential boundaries.

I’m a true believer that we can always be learning, especially from those younger than ourselves. That day watching those kids, I learned that even as our responsibilities weigh heavily on our everyday lives, that we are somewhat obliged to harness the passion we once had for our interests, to share our experiences, and to impart our knowledge by volunteering so that these kids can achieve their dreams.

Today’s world is driven by technology. Odds are that these kids will go on to college and gain the skills they need to be successful. However, I think most of us can agree that success is not just about what you do, it’s about how passionate you are about what you do.

It has been about 5 years since I last volunteered for a program. Thinking back, volunteering was a tremendous passion of mine. I volunteered all through high school, some in college, and slowly but surely life happened and I stopped giving my time. I forgot how good it felt to give. I think it’s fair to ask ourselves, does our passion co-exist with our success? Or are they merely entities that after time we have learned to separate? Why not at least give of our time and share our passion with children so we can help them to be successful?

P.S. If you would like to learn more about how to volunteer, please visit the Interactive Intelligence Foundation web site.

A kid at heart

Courtney Hunold