Annual Non-Profit Roundup for 2025

At Online Optimism, Supporting our Communities goes far beyond words on a page. It shapes our daily actions and defines who we are as a company. From G.I.V.E. hours that offer our team paid time to volunteer, to social media campaigns that boost local non-profits’ reach, to our Donate + Elevate matching program, every initiative reflects our genuine commitment to positive community impact. As we reflect on 2025, we’re excited to share the many ways Optimists have channeled their energy and resources toward meaningful change.

Donate + Elevate

Through Donate + Elevate, we amplify every contribution made by an Optimist. Here’s how it works: when an employee donates to a non-profit of their choice, we provide a dollar-for-dollar match to that organization. Then, we send an equal match to a non-profit that aligns with our team’s chosen annual cause. This triple-impact approach turns individual giving into collective force for good.

Throughout 2025, our focus was centered on Climate and Land Justice, addressing the urgent need for both environmental protection and equitable treatment of communities on the frontlines of climate change. We partnered with the Climate Justice Alliance, whose national network unites frontline communities to build regenerative, equitable economies that replace extractive systems. Locally, we supported Land Trust for Louisiana, an organization that has safeguarded nearly 15,000 acres of our state’s precious lands and waterways since 2005 through strategic conservation efforts. Together, these partnerships reflect our understanding that climate action and social justice cannot be separated.

Looking to 2026, we’re shifting our focus to Immigration Justice by supporting United We Dream, the nation’s largest immigrant youth-led advocacy network, alongside the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants (LORI), which provides crucial support services to refugees and immigrants building new lives in our state.

Appreciations

One of my absolute favorite parts of our company culture lives in our Slack #appreciation channel, where team members recognize each other’s contributions and celebrate wins throughout the day. But these digital kudos also fuel real-world impact! Three times annually, we count every appreciation message sent and received, converting these expressions of gratitude into donations for non-profits selected by our team. It’s a beautiful cycle: workplace positivity becomes community support. Here are the organizations that benefited from this appreciation-powered giving in 2025:

• ACLU of GA
• A Voice for All Paws
• Beat the Streets
• Be Loud!
• Choral Society of Pensacola
• Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo
• Dallas Cat Lady
• Frontline Legal Services
• Healthy Gulf
• Herb it Forward Foundation
• Immigration Services & Legal Advocacy
• Innocence Project LA
• Louisiana SPCA
• Minhaj Welfare Foundation
• Operation Paws for Homes
• Palestine Children Relief Fund
• People’s Housing Plus
• PFLAG NOLA
• Rainforest Alliance
• SisterLove
• Street Dog Coalition
• The First 72+
• Tight Five Productions
• Trans Income Project
• Trystereo

G.I.V.E. Hours

Our G.I.V.E. Hours program gives every team member paid time to volunteer for causes they care about. Throughout 2025, Optimists used these hours to work alongside the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, joining efforts to protect and rebuild our state’s vulnerable coastal landscapes, and with Herb it Forward Foundation, contributing to their community-focused mission.

Non-Profit Spotlights

We also dedicate space to highlighting exceptional non-profits driving real transformation in the places we live and work. The organizations we spotlight are groups we’ve volunteered with, donated to, collaborated with on projects, or witnessed making waves in New Orleans, New York City, and beyond. These features allow us to dive deeper into their missions and share their stories with our wider community. In 2025, we were privileged to spotlight:

• Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge
• United Way Southeast Louisiana

Volunteering

Once again, our New Orleans team joined the Young Leadership Council for Wednesday at the Square, the city’s iconic free concert series that brings the community together every spring. Staffing the beverage stations might seem simple, but every pour contributes to YLC’s broader work developing leaders and funding community projects that make New Orleans stronger—exactly the kind of grassroots impact we love to support.

This year’s company retreat included a particularly meaningful volunteer experience with Trystereo, where we assembled harm reduction kits for people navigating substance use challenges. Beyond the assembly work, Trystereo’s team provided education on drug use laws, explained why harm reduction saves lives, and demonstrated how each kit component serves a specific purpose. They equipped us with knowledge and compassion so we can better support anyone in our circles facing addiction—turning volunteers into informed advocates.