Carrot In The Community: Giving To Causes That Amplify The World Through Our Core Values

From the desk of Trevor Mauch: November 1st, 2018
CEO of Carrot

I’m guilty of something…

… that I’m almost embarrassed to admit.

I have a feeling many of you may have fallen into the same “trap”

In 2010 I wrote my first “Life List”.

And on that Life List were two big items that I’m crazy passionate about 100% about impacting others in a huge way with my time and money.

1. “Raise $1,000,000 for an amazing charity”
2. Donate at least $2M over my lifetime

When I wrote those down, in my core I knew that small businesses can make a huge impact… but I had no clue how I’d earn enough money to be able to make a financial impact THAT big.

But funny things happen…

A few years after writing that list, we started Carrot.

None of us knew what Carrot would turn into. And honestly, I personally had no intentions to grow Carrot into the company it is today. Carrot at the start was just a personal challenge to see if we could become the best in the world at something… and in the process create a company that was truly a joy to work at… and a joy to work with as a customer.

In many respects, we’ve fulfilled on those dreams.

But all along the way, while the company was growing…

… our charitable giving never really started.

Not because the cash flow wasn’t there.

Not because we didn’t have the time.

Not because we didn’t know how.

Looking back, we weren’t giving because…

… we were trying to think up the “perfect” cause to put our weight behind.

Like Toms Shoes… with their “One for One” program.

Or many other companies who have tied their business or business model to causes that matter… many call them “Socially Responsible” companies.

But, just like in many things in life…

… when we wait for perfection before we start something… we soon realize that “progress” is better than “perfection”.

Action creates action.

Which leads to momentum.

What we’ve re-learned in 2018 is that the most important part of giving… is to just start.

The “Carrot In The Community” Giving Program

---

While we were planning out our 2018, we’d all come to the conclusion that giving would become a part of our core. One of our important metrics.

And an amazing way to amplify and celebrate the Core Values that mean so much to the Carrot team.

So we decided to stop looking for THE “perfect cause”… and decided that our cause would be to use Carrot to amplify the Core Values into the world to make this world a better place.

A more positive world.

A world where more people genuinely care about others.

A world that celebrates creativity and being open minded

A world grateful for what we’ve been blessed with (even if you’re in hard times)

A world that sets high standards for ourselves and thirsty for self-improvement

A world where money empowers and uplifts… it doesn’t separate

A world where transparency is rewarded and honesty is the norm

A world where companies place customer happiness over profits (and funny thing… you become more profitable because of it 🙂

And…

… and world that’s more fun and doesn’t take itself so seriously.

So we created the Carrot Cares program… where a minimum of 1% of our gross revenue each quarter goes directly to causes that amplify those Core Values.

Why 1% You Ask?

Well, honestly… it’s a good place to start.

We’ve given to great causes over the years well before 2018… but it always felt random, disconnected, and not a core part of our mission.

But by picking a specific % to be accountable to, it encourages us to always be looking for amazing opportunities to amplify with our time and money.

By committing to a certain % it makes us build part of our revenue model and the way we run our company with giving in mind from the start.

So for us, we’re on a mission to not only use our small business to amplify the world more than we ever have with our time and money…

… but…

We Want To Challenge You…

If you already have a giving program, you rock.

The impact we can all make together will reach millions of people over the coming years. Millions.

Maybe for you this is a challenge to if there are ways to make a greater impact or find ways to bake your giving into the culture of your company more.

If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect” cause OR for that day when you’ll finally have “enough to give”…

… the perfect day will never come.

And if we don’t give our time and money to amazing causes when we don’t have it… we likely won’t do it when we do.

So my challenge for you is to start.

Just start.

Start with something.

It could be donating to any of the above projects that we’re supporting.

Or, start your own giving program.

Just start. I can guarantee you it’ll enrich your life, your business, and your community in so many ways that you can’t predict right now.

We’d love to see this mini-movement amplify our communities and inject $1M into causes that matter over the next 5 years.

My Ask…

First, share this page and see if we can overwhelm these projects with support.

Second, if you haven’t yet, commit to giving a certain % of your gross income as a small business to causes that amplify your community and core values.

Third, pledge to start or increase your giving today. Post your committment on our Facebook page and inspire others to commit too!

I’m pumped to help add humanity to business through Carrot and impact our communities in massive ways as we grow this company. But it’ll be a heck of a lot more fun and impactful if you join too 🙂

– Trevor

PS – If you were like me… and are waiting until you’re more financially successful OR until you fiind the “perfect” cause… this challenge is especially for you. I’ve realized that true giving isn’t about how much you have financially… it’s about how much of you have in your heart to impact those around you today.

---

Join Us, And Give Today

(A donation of $50, $100, or even $1k can make a HUGE difference to the impact these organizations are making.)