Reflecting on Good Fortune (Even in 2020) and Giving Back
In a year like 2020, it’s easy to dwell on all of the negatives. I mean, let’s be honest, there were a lot. Do I need to remind anyone about the murder hornets? I think we can all do enough of that on our own though.
One of the most wonderful things about the holiday season is that no matter how we’ve felt throughout the rest of the year, the holidays somehow have a way of bringing about good cheer and a period of reflection on our good fortunes. No time has that been more important than now.
Here at Fusion, we feel extremely fortunate to be in an industry such as risk management software that has the ability to help so many companies and their employees in the most needed times of crisis. We’re proud of the software we develop and enable to help our clients keep their employees safe. It’s not lost on any Fusionites the utmost importance that holds, but there’s another point of pride that Fusion holds dear about our company that you can see resonating throughout the entire year.
From the top levels of management to our newest interns to our clients and partners, Fusion fosters a culture of collaboration, selflessness, and empathy year-round. For many years now, Fusionites have donated time, effort, and funds to help our communities. In 2018 we launched a corporate volunteer program called Fusion Cares to formally coordinate and promote a culture of giving, especially focused on the causes that our employees care the most about. Fusion Cares aims to formally organize at least one in-person, company volunteer event per quarter, but when a global pandemic forces you into quarantine, well, challenges arise.
How We Kept Giving During a Global Pandemic
In past years, you could see Fusionites sorting toys and clothes for the less fortunate, packing meals for those in need, and gathering together to test our artistic capabilities by painting wall tiles and stuffing bears to spread cheer. The challenges this year were aplenty, but we were determined to continue our giving back. We just had to get a little creative.
Virtual Giving
- In 2020, we all felt very fortunate to come to work every day with a company so integral to the response to the pandemic. To carry that feeling further, we partnered with all of our clients who presented during one of our virtual Engage Client Showcases this year and donated to a charity of their choice.
- While we were unable to hold Solutions, our annual Customer Success Summit, in person this year, we did organize it virtually. To cap off the virtual event, we held a concert for our clients and our employees where t-shirts featuring our Fusion employee band – The Quarantainers – were given to anyone who donated to their favorite local charity that week.
Outdoor Park Clean-Up
- Getting a bit of fresh air was a popular (and pretty much only) way to pass the time this year. Fusion Cares worked with the Forest Preserves of Cook County to organize a socially distanced clean-up of Sundown Meadow in the Aerie Crown Forest. The Forest Preserve volunteers are out year-round restoring the Forest Preserves for you and me, and we highly recommend getting involved. Read about our experience here.
Fusion High School Mentorship Program
- Fusion Cares has spent over half the year developing an initiative aimed at mentoring and advising local high school students in our community on the wonders of career planning. Our aim is to help students expand how they view their future career opportunities by allowing them to explore a variety of possible careers in a company in their own city of Chicago. Students will be engaged in conversations about their careers, the skills and experience they will need, and what they can be working on in their lives today to achieve those career goals in the future. We’ve started planning for virtual events in early 2021 but hope to switch to in-person as soon as possible.
Personal Employee Initiatives
- Many Fusionites fulfill the itch to volunteer all throughout the year by joining Advisory or Young Professional Boards for organizations with causes that they’re really passionate about and raise funds throughout the year. They promoted many virtual galas, trivia contests, and drives to fundraise for their causes, and their peers stepped up to the plate to support them.
- Call banks and letter writing was also a simple but very popular initiative that many donated their time and effort to this year. They partnered with local organizations to write letters and call to talk with elderly neighbors and residents in retirement communities to make them feel less alone during quarantine.
- Fusion also launched the creation of three new Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in 2020. Each ERG then chose a charity to partner with in which they’d be giving support to throughout the year. This year Fusion employees could opt to donate their holiday gift to one of these wonderful charities.
Reflect on the Good This Holiday Season
In a year like 2020, it’s more important than ever to reflect on the good. The holiday season is a great catalyst to remind you to count your blessings and be thankful for your good fortunes. The holidays are also a great reminder of the importance of giving back in ways both big and small all throughout the year, no matter what challenges may arise.
We at Fusion Risk Management wish you all a very safe and happy holiday season!
