Blue Signal recently wrapped up our 5th annual philanthropy initiative, Blue Signal Gives Back. Each year Blue Signal strives to give back to meaningful organizations through philanthropic donations. By aligning our shared passion for philanthropy with healthy competition, Blue Signal Gives Back has become a favorite initiative among our employees. In 2018, Blue Signal donated $1,632.50 to the American Parkinson Disease Association. The Smiths-Kingsmore Syndrome Foundation won in 2019, with a $2,052.50 donation, and again in and in 2020 with a $3,986.50 donation. In 2021, we donated $2,105 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This year, we donated $2,280 to the International Justice Mission on behalf of our contest winner, Kevin Smith. To date, we’ve donated over $10,000 to various charitable organizations through the internal program.
Celebrating Giving Back: Blue Signal's Annual Philanthropy Contest
Blue Signal's annual philanthropy initiative involves a metrics-based, company-wide contest that rewards the winner with a donation to a nonprofit charitable organization of their choice. This year's contest ran from November 28th to December 25th, 2022, and included recruiters and non-recruiters alike. Teams consisted of two recruiters or a recruiter paired with a specialist from Operations, People & Culture, Marketing, or Finance. Each team selected a nonprofit charitable organization that was important to them to represent. Organizations represented this year included Veteran One, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Blue Ridge Cancer Care, Wounded Warrior Project, American Human Society, Friends for Life, and BeLoved Atlanta. 
Recruiters could earn money for their chosen organization by hitting assigned metrics, such as candidate send-outs and placements. Specialists could earn money by participating in virtual races; each specialist was assigned a holiday character who would “compete” in the simulated race during the all-company meeting.
Our People and Culture team sent weekly updates on the contest standings. The competition was tight, with ties for first, second, or third place nearly every week. Ultimately, the team with the most points won, and Blue Signal matched the monetary amount to make a philanthropic donation in the winning team’s name. This year, Kevin Smith was our Blue Signal Gives Back winner, earning $2,280 for the International Justice Mission.
2022’s Winning Organization – about the International Justice Mission
Founded in 1997 by Gary Haugen, a human rights lawyer, and a team of professionals committed to fighting against violent forms of injustice around the world, the International Justice Mission (IJM) is dedicated to protecting the poor and vulnerable from violence and providing them with the tools and resources they need to overcome their situations.
Today, IJM is a global organization that operates in nearly 20 countries and has helped to protect over 150 million people from violence, exploitation, and slavery. Through their work, IJM has secured over 400,000 convictions and has rescued more than 60,000 people from various forms of exploitation. In addition to their rescue and advocacy work, IJM provides support and aftercare services to survivors, including legal representation, counseling, and vocational training.
Blue Signal is honored to donate to the International Justice Mission on behalf of Kevin and hopes our donation contributes to their overall mission of protecting the poor and vulnerable from violent forms of injustice and creating a world where justice for the vulnerable is a reality.
Learn more about our philanthropy and giving back initiatives by visiting our webpage.
