Impact stories and news for the everyday hero • Blog • Spiral

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Impact stories and news for the everyday hero

<p dir="ltr">Holidays and awareness days highlight important cultural, health, environmental, human, and animal welfare causes. This is why planning campaigns around nationally promoted holidays and events allows you to leverage a collective wave of awareness, relevant content, and fundraisers to support important causes in your communities through everyday banking. These campaigns foster deep engagement with account holders, building trust, loyalty, and stronger connections, ultimately empowering communities.</p>
<p dir="ltr">When you partner with Spiral, we&rsquo;ll make charity recommendations and connect you with worthy organizations. With a database of over 1.5 million charities and thousands of vetted charity partners, we make it easy to launch powerful giving and fundraising campaigns that will inspire your account holders to come together for good&mdash;all within your online banking environment.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Here&rsquo;s how to build your 2025 impact calendar:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Step 1: Identify Key Causes</strong> - Focus on issues that reflect your institution&rsquo;s mission, account holder values, your community needs, and the missions of your Nonprofit Business customers</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Step 2: Align with Your Marketing Calendar</strong> - Choose events that align with broader marketing objectives, such as strategies to grow deposits, boost retention, or enhance brand reputation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Step 3: Align with Awareness Days</strong> - Match causes to national holidays, community events, and special days that are important for your institution.</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation"><strong>Step 4: Create Campaigns</strong> - Create and promote campaigns and content relevant to the holidays and days. Include fundraisers with donation matching to drive success.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Here&rsquo;s the list of the 2025 holidays and awareness days:</p>
<h3><strong>January</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service &mdash; #MLKDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">28: Data Privacy Day &mdash;&nbsp; #DataPrivacyDay<strong>&nbsp;</strong></li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with January include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Poverty Awareness Month &mdash; #PovertyAwareness</li>
<li dir="ltr">National Staying Healthy Month &mdash; #StayingHealthy</li>
<li dir="ltr">Financial Wellness Month &mdash; #FinancialWellness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>February</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">2: World Wetlands Day &mdash; #WorldWetlandsDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">4: World Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldCancerDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">11: Safer Internet Day &mdash; #SaferInternetDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">13: World Radio Day &mdash; #WorldRadioDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">13: Digital Learning Day &mdash; #DigitalLearningDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">16: World Whale Day &mdash; #WorldWhaleDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">20: World Day of Social Justice &mdash; #SocialJusticeDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">25: World Spay Day &mdash; #WorldSpayDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">27: International Polar Bear Day &mdash; #PolarBearDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">27: World NGO Day &mdash; #WorldNGODay</li>
<li dir="ltr">28: Rare Disease Day &mdash; #RareDiseaseDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with February include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Black History Month &mdash; #BlackHistoryMonth</li>
<li dir="ltr">American Heart Month &mdash; #AmericanHeartMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>March</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">3: World Wildlife Day &mdash; #WorldWildlifeDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">8: International Women&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IWD2025</li>
<li dir="ltr">13: World Kidney Day &mdash; #WorldKidneyDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">18: Global Recycling Day &mdash; #GlobalRecyclingDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: International Day of Forests &mdash; #WorldForestsDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: World Down Syndrome Day &mdash; #WorldDownSyndromeDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: World Poetry Day &mdash; #WorldPoetryDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: World Water Day &mdash; #WorldWaterDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: Earth Hour &mdash; #EarthHour</li>
<li dir="ltr">24: World Tuberculosis Day &mdash; #WorldTBDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with March include:
<ul>
<li>Women&rsquo;s History Month &mdash; #WomensHistoryMonth</li>
<li>National Reading Month &mdash; #ReadingMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>April</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">2: World Autism Awareness Day &mdash; #WorldAustismDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">6: Good Deeds Day &mdash; #GoodDeedsDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">6-12: National Library Week&mdash; #NationalLibraryWeek</li>
<li dir="ltr">7: World Health Day &mdash; #WorldHealthDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: International Day for Street Children &mdash; #StreetChildrenDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">14: World Dolphin Day &mdash; #WorldDolphinDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">15: World Art Day &mdash; #WorldArtDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: Earth Day &mdash; #EarthDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">23: World Book Day &mdash; #WorldBookDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">25: World Malaria Day &mdash; #WorldMalariaDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">25: World Penguin Day &mdash; #WorldPenguinDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">30: International Jazz Day &mdash; #JazzDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with April include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">National Volunteer Month &mdash; #NationalVolunteerMonth</li>
<li dir="ltr">Parkinson's Awareness Month &mdash; #ParkinsonsAwareness</li>
<li dir="ltr">Autism Awareness Month &mdash; #AutismAwareness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>May</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">3: World Press Freedom Day &mdash; #WorldPressFreedomDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Lupus Day &mdash; #WorldLupusDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Fair Trade Day &mdash; #WorldFairTradeDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Migratory Bird Day &mdash; #WorldMigratoryBirdDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: International Nurses Day &mdash; #NursesDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">17: Endangered Species Day &mdash; #EndangeredSpeciesDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia &mdash; #IDAHOTB</li>
<li dir="ltr">18: International Museum Day &mdash; #MuseumDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: International Day for Biological Diversity &mdash; #BiologicalDiversityDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">23: World Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldTurtleDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">28: World Hunger Day &mdash; #WorldHungerDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">31: World No Tobacco Day &mdash; #WorldNoTobaccoDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with May include:
<ul>
<li>Mental Health Month &mdash; #MentalHealthMonth</li>
<li>National Pet Month &mdash; #NationalPetMonth</li>
<li>ALS Awareness Month &mdash; #ALSAwareness &amp; #ALS</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>June</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">5: World Environment Day &mdash; #WorldEnvironmentDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">8: World Ocean Day &mdash; #WorldOceanDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: World Day Against Child Labour &mdash; #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</li>
<li dir="ltr">14: World Blood Donor Day &mdash; #WorldBloodDonorDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">16: World Sea Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldSeaTurtleDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">20: World Refugee Day &mdash; #WorldRefugeeDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: International Day of Yoga &mdash; #YogaDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: World Rainforest Day &mdash; #WorldRainforestDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with June include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Alzheimer's &amp; Brain Awareness Month &mdash; #AlzheimersAwareness &amp; #BrainHealth</li>
<li dir="ltr">LGBTQ+ Pride Month &mdash; #PrideMonth</li>
<li dir="ltr">Men&rsquo;s Health Month &mdash; #MensHealthMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>July</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">1-7: Clean Beaches Week&mdash;#CleanBeaches</li>
<li dir="ltr">11: WorldPopulationDay &mdash; #WorldPopulationDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">18: Nelson Mandela International Day &mdash; #MandelaDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">28: World Hepatitis Day &mdash; #WorldHepatitisDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">29: International Tiger Day &mdash; #InternationalTigerDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">30: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons &mdash; #EndHumanTrafficking</li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with July include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Plastic Free July &mdash; #PlasticFreeJuly</li>
<li dir="ltr">Disability Pride Month &mdash; #DisabilityPride</li>
<li dir="ltr">Minority Mental Health Month &mdash; #MinorityMentalHealth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>August</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">9: Indigenous People&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IndigenousDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Lion Day &mdash; #WorldLionDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: International Youth Day &mdash; #YouthDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: World Elephant Day &mdash; #WorldElephantDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">17: National Nonprofit Day &mdash; #NationalNonprofitDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li dir="ltr">19: World Humanitarian Day &mdash; #WorldHumanitarianDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">26: National Dog Day &mdash; #DogDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li dir="ltr">29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests &mdash; #AgainstNuclearTestsDay</li>
<li><strong>&nbsp;</strong>Awareness months associated with August include:
<ul>
<li>Black Business Month &mdash; #BlackBusiness</li>
<li>Sun Safety Month &mdash; #SunSafety<strong><br></strong></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>September</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">5: International Day of Charity &mdash; #CharityDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">8: International Literacy Day &mdash; #LiteracyDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Suicide Prevention Day &mdash; #WorldSuicidePreventionDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">15: International Day of Democracy &mdash; #DemocracyDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: International Day of Peace &mdash; #PeaceDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: World Alzheimer&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldAlzheimersDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">22: World Rhino Day &mdash; #WorldRhinoDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">27: World Tourism Day &mdash; #WorldTourismDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">28: World Rivers Day &mdash; #WorldRiversDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with September include:
<ul>
<li>Hispanic Heritage Month &mdash; #HispanicHeritageMonth</li>
<li>National Literacy Month &mdash; #LiteracyMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>October</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">4: World Animal Day &mdash; #WorldAnimalDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">4: World Habitat Day &mdash; #WorldHabitatDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">5: World Teachers Day &mdash; #WorldTeachersDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">6: World Cerebral Palsy Day &mdash; #WorldCPDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Homeless Day &mdash; #WorldHomelessDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: World Mental Health Day &mdash; #WorldMentalHealthDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">11: International Day of the Girl Child &mdash; #DayOfTheGirl</li>
<li dir="ltr">11: Coming Out Day&nbsp; &mdash; #ComingOutDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">12: World Arthritis Day &mdash; #WorldArthritisDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">13: World Thrombosis Day &mdash; #WorldThrombosisDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">16: World Food Day &mdash; #WorldFoodDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">16: Global Cat Day &mdash; #GlobalCatDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty &mdash; #EndPoveryDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">19: World Values Day &mdash; #WorldValuesDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">29: National Internet Day &mdash; #WorldInternetDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li dir="ltr">31: World Cities Day &mdash; #WorldCitiesDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with October include:
<ul>
<li>Adopt a Shelter Dog Month &mdash; #AdoptAShelterDog</li>
<li>Breast Cancer Awareness Month &mdash; #BreastCancerAwareness</li>
<li>Emotional Wellness Month &mdash; #EmotionalWellness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>November</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">3: International Day for Biosphere Reserves &mdash; #BiosphereReserves</li>
<li dir="ltr">13: World Kindness Day &mdash; #WorldKindnessDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">14: World Diabetes Day &mdash; #WorldDiabetesDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">16: International Day for Tolerance &mdash; #ToleranceDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">19: World Toilet Day &mdash; #WorldToiletDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">20: World Children&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldChildrensDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">20: World Philosophy Day &mdash; #WorldPhilosophyDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: World Pancreatic Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldPancreaticCancerDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">21: World Television Day &mdash; #WorldTVDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women &mdash;&nbsp;#EndViolenceAgainstWomen</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with November include:
<ul>
<li>Movember &mdash; #Movember</li>
<li>Native American Heritage Month &mdash; #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth</li>
<li>Diabetes Awareness Month &mdash; #DiabetesAwarenessMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>December</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">1: World AIDS Day &mdash; #WorldAIDSDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">2: Giving Tuesday &mdash; #GivingTuesday</li>
<li dir="ltr">3: International Day of People with Disabilities &mdash; #IDPwD25</li>
<li dir="ltr">5: International Volunteer Day &mdash; #VolunteerDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">5: World Soil Day &mdash; #WorldSoilDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">9: International Anti-Corruption Day &mdash; #AntiCorruptionDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">10: International Human Rights Day &mdash; #HumanRightsDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">11: International Mountain Day &mdash; #MountainDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">18: International Migrants Day &mdash; #MigrantsDay</li>
<li dir="ltr">Awareness months associated with December include:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Universal Human Rights Month &mdash; #HumanRights</li>
<li dir="ltr">National Giving Month &mdash; #GivingMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>By combining these cause holidays with banking technology solutions, financial institutions can create giving and fundraising campaigns that not only support meaningful causes but also drive deep engagement and growth. Interested in getting started? <strong><a href="https://www.spiral.us/platform/signup?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=2025givingdays" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connect with us today to learn how.&nbsp;</a></strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

Drive engagement, awareness, and impact with year-round cause-based campaigns that positively impact your communities and nationwide.

2025 Giving and Cause Awareness Day Calendar

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.givingtuesday.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GivingTuesday</a>, a global generosity movement launched in 2012 that takes place annually on the Tuesday following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, has been a powerful catalyst for charitable giving. Taking place on December 3rd this year, GivingTuesday has seen a total of $13 billion donated to nonprofits with a staggering $3.1 billion donated in 2023 alone.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">These results combined with the fact that $374 billion was donated by individuals in 2023 and 3 out of 5 American households currently support charities, presents a unique opportunity for banks and credit unions to tap into a huge market and shine as community leaders. By offering Personalized Impact Experiences, your financial institution can provide a relevant place for people to support a network of 1.5 million nonprofits, deepening relationships with your account holders and attracting nonprofits for business banking and deposits.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">You may wonder how it's possible for your financial institution to get involved with this movement, but it's much easier than you think. Join us as we uncover five ways you can stand out and amplify charitable giving on GivingTuesday.</p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>1. Leverage Spiral&rsquo;s Giving Center for Nonprofit Donations</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">Spiral offers financial institutions a powerful way to empower their account holders to give back. The <strong>Giving Center </strong>seamlessly integrates right within your digital banking environment and allows account holders to donate directly to 1.5 million nonprofits, local or national, from their everyday checking accounts. By promoting this digital experience, financial institutions create a hub for philanthropy, allowing users to browse, learn about, and donate to causes that resonate with them&mdash;all in one place. Encouraging account holders to use the Giving Center could significantly increase the volume of donations made on GivingTuesday (and throughout the year), resulting in increased account usage, deposits, and money movement! Plus, those who give through the Giving Center will have their donation receipts in one place and receive an annual donation report for tax purposes. Some fun facts:&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">In 2024, Spiral helped send over $140,000 to nonprofits 💌&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Over 85% of donors choose to cover the fees</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">80% of donors share their contact information with the nonprofit&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="2">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">20% of donors are recurring givers&nbsp;</p>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<p dir="ltr">The Giving Center allows financial institutions to showcase local or national nonprofits that are either community partners or nonprofit business clients, providing a great way to increase partnerships with these stakeholders and provide visibility for causes that will resonate with your account holders and community at large. Your financial institution becomes the hub for the community, increasing loyalty from your account holders and garnering positive brand visibility.&nbsp;</p>
<div class="blog-figure">
<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1731013400/blog/posts/2-givingcenter-phone.png" alt="" width="300" height="" loading="lazy"></div>
</div>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>2. Empower Saving and Giving with Everyday Impact&trade;&nbsp;</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">Spiral's Everyday Impact&trade; experience empowers account holders to grow their savings and give back every day, including days like GivingTuesday. By using this tool, financial institutions can help their users improve their financial wellness while also displaying the social and environmental impacts of their purchases. For example, showcasing the number of trees planted, nights of safe shelter, or meals for the hungry.</p>
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<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1731013569/blog/posts/Giving-impact-unit-samples.png" alt="" width="900" height="" loading="lazy"></div>
</div>
</div>
<p dir="ltr">Everyday Impact makes charitable donations tangible, sparking an emotional connection from your account holders, increasing donation activity and leading to an overall increase in account activity that is unlike any other donor experience available today.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Promoting this digital experience leading up to GivingTuesday can increase awareness about the ongoing opportunities to make a difference, no matter how small the contribution. Educating your audience about how small, everyday actions lead to healthy financial habits can not only inspire more charitable giving, but keep deposits within your financial institution.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.spiral.us/products" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about Everyday Impact&trade; and the Giving Center</a>.<strong id="docs-internal-guid-36a3a10f-7fff-8f21-9f62-78ec8a5a1ba1"><strong id="docs-internal-guid-02454a87-7fff-5cdc-f8d6-93bcc53a1a45"></strong></strong>&nbsp;</p>
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&nbsp;<br>
<div class="blog-figure-caption" style="text-align: left;">
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>3. Match Donations to Engage Account Holders&nbsp;</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">Matching donations is a proven strategy for driving engagement. Financial institutions can pledge to match donations made to nonprofits through their digital banking channels, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution. Research from Double the Donation shows that "mentioning matching gifts results in a 71% increase in response rate and a 51% increase in average donation amount." By creating a matching campaign, credit unions and banks stand out as leaders of generosity in their communities and demonstrate their commitment to local and global causes.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong><a href="https://www.spiral.us/blog/amboy-bank-surpasses-fundraising-goal-for-world-hunger-day" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn how Amboy Bank exceeded their fundraising goal, raising over 150% in support of World Hunger Day</a>.</strong></p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>4. Run Simple, Effective Campaigns That People Love (and Value)</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">To maximize awareness and drive deposits and donations through GivingTuesday initiatives, financial institutions should launch simple yet powerful marketing campaigns. Social media, emails, and in-branch promotions, paired with in-app messages and notifications, are great ways to raise awareness. Clear, concise messaging that highlights the ease of using the Giving Center and Everyday Impact&trade; through digital banking, as well as the opportunity to make a larger impact through matching donations, can motivate more people to participate.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Partnering with local nonprofits and using testimonials coming directly from your account holders can also enhance the authenticity and reach of your campaign. Plus, financial institutions working with Spiral receive custom marketing content to help promote their fundraising initiatives, making it quick and easy to add these new promotions to their existing content calendars. &nbsp;</p>
<strong id="docs-internal-guid-49a37c1e-7fff-96e7-6ae8-09fc60a0b454"></strong></div>
</div>
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</div>
</div>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>5. Provide Ways for Everyone to Get Involved</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">To reach new community members through social good, you can also leverage Spiral's external donations experience that enables anyone, account holders or not, to donate securely via credit card, PayPal, Venmo, or Apple/Google Pay to local and national causes that matter most to your community. This option is ideal for raising awareness and funds for community events that aim to drive awareness and support for local nonprofits. An added benefit to this strategy is the potential for attracting new nonprofit business; by offering a way to increase awareness and donations through your digital banking, you're providing added value to your existing benefits package geared toward charitable organizations.&nbsp;</p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>Ready to Stand Out This GivingTuesday?&nbsp;</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">Financial institutions have a unique chance to lead in their communities by offering easy, impactful ways for their account holders <strong id="docs-internal-guid-5a7db643-7fff-7be5-8ee9-806023deff1c">to engage and give back&mdash;driving deposits, donations, and support for local nonprofit businesses</strong>. By utilizing digital experiences like Spiral's Giving Center and Everyday Impact&trade;, implementing donation matching, and running targeted marketing campaigns, banks and credit unions can significantly increase their impact within their communities. As the global movement continues to grow, this year's GivingTuesday could be your institution's opportunity to make a lasting impact. 💗</p>
<h3 dir="ltr"><strong>Want to Know More?</strong></h3>
<p dir="ltr">To discover how Spiral's platform can help your institution launch personalized digital experiences and fundraisers, grow deposits, and attract new account holders, <a href="https://www.spiral.us/platform/signup">schedule a demo today</a>.</p>

Join us as we uncover five ways your financial institution can stand out and amplify charitable giving on GivingTuesday.


GivingTuesday 2024: 5 Ways To Drive Deposits, Donations, and Impact In Your Communities

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.amboybank.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amboy Bank</a>, a leading New Jersey bank known for its strong customer focus and commitment to philanthropy, set out to make a significant impact on World Hunger Day by launching a fundraiser in support of <a href="https://elijahspromise.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elijah's Promise</a>, a local nonprofit dedicated to alleviating hunger in Central New Jersey. The goal was to engage customers and employees through online banking, raise awareness, and drive donations to support Elijah's Promise&rsquo;s mission.<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">"Elijah&rsquo;s Promise is a local nonprofit whose goal is to break the cycle of poverty, alleviate hunger, and change lives," said G. Gregory Scharpf, President &amp; CEO at Amboy Bank. "Their mission hits close to home, as they are located right in our market, and we have several clients and employees who live in the area they serve. They have been a client of the bank for over 15 years, and we wholeheartedly believe in the cause."</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Fundraising Through Digital Banking</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">In June 2024, Amboy Bank launched its first fundraising campaign through a Spiral-powered Giving Center featuring Elijah&rsquo;s Promise. To boost this effort, their team performed marketing campaigns linking the fight against local hunger to World Hunger Day.</p>
<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1726244396/blog/posts/Amboy_Bank_Success_Story_-_1.png" alt="Amboy Bank Spiral Fundraiser" width="513" height="1042" loading="lazy">
<div class="blog-figure-caption">Amboy Bank&rsquo;s World Hunger Day Fundraiser via Digital Banking</div>
</div>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Results: Surpassing Fundraising Goals</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">Amboy Bank raised over 150% of its fundraising goal for Eliijah's Promise. The Amboy team attributed this success to several factors that contributed to "the overwhelming success of the fundraising campaign, enabling us to far exceed our original goal." The first factor discussed was matching donations.&nbsp;</p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><strong>The Power of Matching Donations:&nbsp;</strong></h4>
<p dir="ltr">To encourage more donations, Amboy Bank offered to match the donations of its customers. Research from <a href="https://doublethedonation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Double the Donation</a> shows that "mentioning matching gifts results in a 71% increase in response rate and a 51% increase in average donation amount." Leading up to World Hunger Day, Amboy Bank communicated to customers to highlight the importance of World Hunger Day, "We promoted the campaign through email and advertising within Digital Banking to make sure clients were aware of the campaign and reminded them of it when they entered Digital Banking." Through Spiral, they matched all digital banking donations up to $250 per customer, surpassing 150% of their fundraising goal.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Reflecting on the impact of matching donations, the Amboy team shared: "By matching donations, we not only amplified the impact of every donation but also increased the motivation to donate. A sense of urgency is created when there is a definitive start and end date on a matching campaign."</p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><strong>Targeted Marketing:</strong></h4>
<p dir="ltr">To ensure customers were consistently reminded of the fundraiser ahead of time and during the fundraiser, Amboy Bank emphasized, "We promoted the campaign through email and advertising within Digital Banking to make sure clients were aware of the campaign and reminded them of it when they entered Digital Banking."</p>
<h4 dir="ltr"><strong>Real-Time Engagement:&nbsp;</strong></h4>
<p dir="ltr">Customers were able to track the campaign's progress in real-time using Spiral's digital experiences, which helped create a sense of community and urgency. The Amboy team stated, "We believe the widget in Digital Banking also helped to drive momentum and encourage clients to donate because they could see that others were donating and they could track how their donation helped us reach our goal in real-time."</p>
<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1726244869/blog/posts/ElijahsPromise.png" alt="Amboy Bank Fundraiser for Elijah's Promise " width="750" height="" loading="lazy">
<div class="blog-figure-caption">Photo credit to Elijah&rsquo;s Promise&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Fundraiser Takeaways</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">Amboy Bank's campaign with Elijah&rsquo;s Promise showcased how deeply a locally-focused cause can resonate with a community, enhancing the relevance and impact of their efforts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"We learned that promoting a cause that resonates with people, such as hunger and poverty affecting their local community, makes it even more compelling to donate," noted the Amboy team. "We also believe tying the matching campaign for Elijah's Promise to World Hunger Day helped create urgency and encourage more donations within a short period. The matching campaign also significantly boosted contributions and increased excitement among our clients."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Matching donations played a key role in amplifying the campaign's impact, effectively doubling each contribution and fostering a sense of community involvement.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"Clients and employees alike have expressed that they felt their contributions made a tangible difference," the team continued. "The matching donation component was also particularly appreciated, as it allowed donors the opportunity to double their impact. Our clients and employees were invested in the outcome of the campaign and were just as excited as we were to see we had exceeded our fundraising goal."</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Looking Ahead</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">By promoting local nonprofit partnerships, Amboy Bank differentiates itself from larger, less community-focused institutions, benefiting both the local community and the bank&rsquo;s business objectives through goodwill and positive brand perception.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The success of their recent fundraising campaign demonstrates the power of aligning banking with community engagement, demonstrating that financial institutions can drive positive change while enhancing customer relationships.</p>
<p dir="ltr">"As a local bank, we are committed to improving the communities we serve. Highlighting local nonprofits helps drive donations and volunteer efforts to our community and connects residents with causes that may directly affect their lives. We are also happy to amplify the message and increase the visibility of local nonprofits who may not have the same resources as larger organizations."</p>
<p dir="ltr">Looking ahead, Amboy Bank plans to continue building on these efforts by launching new fundraisers and digital experiences that positively impact the lives of its customers and the communities they serve.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><strong>Want to Know More?</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">To discover how Spiral's platform can help your institution launch digital fundraisers, grow deposits, and attract new account holders, <a href="https://www.spiral.us/platform/signup">schedule a demo today</a>.</p>

Amboy Bank launches World Hunger Day fundraiser with Spiral to empower customers to support a local nonprofit through everyday banking.


Amboy Bank Surpasses Fundraising Goal, Raising Over 150% for World Hunger Day

<p>Holidays and awareness days highlight important cultural, health, environmental, human, and animal welfare causes. This is why planning campaigns around nationally promoted holidays and events allows you to leverage a collective wave of awareness, relevant content, and fundraisers to support important causes in your communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>How to build your Impact Calendar?</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Step 1:</strong> Identify the community issues that matter most to your financial institution</li>
<li><strong>Step 2:</strong> Find the national holidays or days of recognition that spotlight and align with your impact</li>
<li><strong>Step 3:</strong> Create and promote campaigns and content relevant to the holidays and days</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>January</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service &mdash; #MLKDay</li>
<li>28: Data Privacy Day &mdash; &nbsp;#DataPrivacyDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with January include:
<ul>
<li>National Staying Healthy Month &mdash; #StayingHealthy</li>
<li>Financial Wellness Month &mdash; #FinancialWellness</li>
<li>Poverty Awareness Month &mdash; #PovertyAwareness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>February</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>2: World Wetlands Day &mdash; #WorldWetlandsDay</li>
<li>4: World Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldCancerDay</li>
<li>6: Safer Internet Day &mdash; #SaferInternetDay</li>
<li>13: World Radio Day &mdash; #WorldRadioDay</li>
<li>15: Digital Learning Day &mdash; #DigitalLearningDay</li>
<li>18: World Whale Day &mdash; #WorldWhaleDay</li>
<li>20: World Day of Social Justice &mdash; #SocialJusticeDay</li>
<li>27: International Polar Bear Day &mdash; #PolarBearDay</li>
<li>27: World NGO Day &mdash; #WorldNGODay</li>
<li>27: World Spay Day &mdash; #WorldSpayDay</li>
<li>29: Rare Disease Day &mdash; #RareDiseaseDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with February include:
<ul>
<li>Black History Month &mdash; #BlackHistoryMonth</li>
<li>American Heart Month &mdash; #AmericanHeartMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>March</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: World Wildlife Day &mdash; #WorldWildlifeDay</li>
<li>8: International Women&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IWD2024</li>
<li>9: World Kidney Day &mdash; #WorldKidneyDay</li>
<li>18: Global Recycling Day &mdash; #GlobalRecyclingDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Forests &mdash; #WorldForestsDay</li>
<li>21: World Down Syndrome Day &mdash; #WorldDownSyndromeDay</li>
<li>21: World Poetry Day &mdash; #WorldPoetryDay</li>
<li>22: World Water Day &mdash; #WorldWaterDay</li>
<li>23: Earth Hour &mdash; #EarthHour</li>
<li>24: World Tuberculosis Day &mdash; #WorldTBDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with March include:
<ul>
<li>Women&rsquo;s History Month &mdash; #WomensHistoryMonth</li>
<li>National Reading Month &mdash; #ReadingMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>April</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>2: World Autism Awareness Day &mdash; #WorldAustismDay</li>
<li>7: World Health Day &mdash; #WorldHealthDay</li>
<li>7-13: National Library Week &mdash; #NationalLibraryWeek</li>
<li>12: International Day for Street Children &mdash; #StreetChildrenDay</li>
<li>14: Good Deeds Day &mdash; #GoodDeedsDay</li>
<li>14: World Dolphin Day &mdash; #WorldDolphinDay</li>
<li>15: World Art Day &mdash; #WorldArtDay</li>
<li>22: Earth Day &mdash; #EarthDay</li>
<li>23: World Book Day &mdash; #WorldBookDay</li>
<li>25: World Malaria Day &mdash; #WorldMalariaDay</li>
<li>25: World Penguin Day &mdash; #WorldPenguinDay</li>
<li>30: International Jazz Day &mdash; #JazzDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with April include:
<ul>
<li>National Volunteer Month &mdash; #NationalVolunteerMonth</li>
<li>Parkinson's Awareness Month &mdash; #ParkinsonsAwareness</li>
<li>Autism Awareness Month &mdash; #AutismAwareness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>May</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: World Press Freedom Day &mdash; #WorldPressFreedomDay</li>
<li>10: World Lupus Day &mdash; #WorldLupusDay</li>
<li>11: World Fair Trade Day &mdash; #WorldFairTradeDay</li>
<li>11: World Migratory Bird Day &mdash; #WorldMigratoryBirdDay</li>
<li>12: International Nurses Day &mdash; #NursesDay</li>
<li>17: Endangered Species Day &mdash; #EndangeredSpeciesDay</li>
<li>17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia &mdash; #IDAHOTB</li>
<li>18: International Museum Day &mdash; #MuseumDay</li>
<li>22: International Day for Biological Diversity &mdash; #BiologicalDiversityDay</li>
<li>23: World Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldTurtleDay</li>
<li>28: World Hunger Day &mdash; #WorldHungerDay</li>
<li>31: World No Tobacco Day &mdash; #WorldNoTobaccoDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with May include:
<ul>
<li>Mental Health Month &mdash; #MentalHealthMonth</li>
<li>National Pet Month &mdash; #NationalPetMonth</li>
<li>ALS Awareness Month &mdash; #ALSAwareness &amp; #ALS</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>June</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>5: World Environment Day &mdash; #WorldEnvironmentDay</li>
<li>8: World Ocean Day &mdash; #WorldOceanDay</li>
<li>12: World Day Against Child Labour &mdash; #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</li>
<li>14: World Blood Donor Day &mdash; #WorldBloodDonorDay</li>
<li>16: World Sea Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldSeaTurtleDay</li>
<li>20: World Refugee Day &mdash; #WorldRefugeeDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Yoga &mdash; #YogaDay</li>
<li>22: World Rainforest Day &mdash; #WorldRainforestDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with June include:
<ul>
<li>Alzheimer's &amp; Brain Awareness Month &mdash; #AlzheimersAwareness &amp; #BrainHealth</li>
<li>LGBTQ+ Pride Month &mdash; #PrideMonth</li>
<li>Men&rsquo;s Health Month &mdash; #MensHealthMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>July</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>1-7: Clean Beaches Week &mdash; #CleanBeaches</li>
<li>11: WorldPopulationDay &mdash; #WorldPopulationDay</li>
<li>18: Nelson Mandela International Day &mdash; #MandelaDay</li>
<li>28: World Hepatitis Day &mdash; #WorldHepatitisDay</li>
<li>29: International Tiger Day &mdash; #InternationalTigerDay</li>
<li>30: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons &mdash; #EndHumanTrafficking</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with July include:
<ul>
<li>Plastic Free July &mdash; #PlasticFreeJuly</li>
<li>Disability Pride Month &mdash; #DisabilityPride</li>
<li>Minority Mental Health Month &mdash; #MinorityMentalHealth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>August</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>9: Indigenous People&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IndigenousDay</li>
<li>10: World Lion Day &mdash; #WorldLionDay</li>
<li>12: International Youth Day &mdash; #YouthDay</li>
<li>12: World Elephant Day &mdash; #WorldElephantDay</li>
<li>17: National Nonprofit Day &mdash; #NationalNonprofitDay</li>
<li>19: World Humanitarian Day &mdash; #WorldHumanitarianDay</li>
<li>26: National Dog Day &mdash; #DogDay</li>
<li>29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests &mdash; #AgainstNuclearTestsDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with August include:
<ul>
<li>Black Business Month &mdash; #BlackBusiness</li>
<li>Sun Safety Month &mdash; #SunSafety</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>September</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>5: International Day of Charity &mdash; #CharityDay</li>
<li>8: International Literacy Day &mdash; #LiteracyDay</li>
<li>10: World Suicide Prevention Day &mdash; #WorldSuicidePreventionDay</li>
<li>15: International Day of Democracy &mdash; #DemocracyDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Peace &mdash; #PeaceDay</li>
<li>21: World Alzheimer&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldAlzheimersDay</li>
<li>22: World Rhino Day &mdash; #WorldRhinoDay</li>
<li>27: World Tourism Day &mdash; #WorldTourismDay</li>
<li>29: World Rivers Day &mdash; #WorldRiversDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with September include:
<ul>
<li>Hispanic Heritage Month &mdash; #HispanicHeritageMonth</li>
<li>National Literacy Month &mdash; #LiteracyMonth&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>October</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>4: World Animal Day &mdash; #WorldAnimalDay</li>
<li>4: World Habitat Day &mdash; #WorldHabitatDay</li>
<li>5: World Teachers Day &mdash; #WorldTeachersDay</li>
<li>6: World Cerebral Palsy Day &mdash; #WorldCPDay</li>
<li>10: World Homeless Day &mdash; #WorldHomelessDay</li>
<li>10: World Mental Health Day &mdash; #WorldMentalHealthDay</li>
<li>11: International Day of the Girl Child &mdash; #DayOfTheGirl</li>
<li>11: Coming Out Day &nbsp;&mdash; #ComingOutDay</li>
<li>12: World Arthritis Day &mdash; #WorldArthritisDay</li>
<li>13: World Thrombosis Day &mdash; #WorldThrombosisDay</li>
<li>16: World Food Day &mdash; #WorldFoodDay</li>
<li>16: Global Cat Day &mdash; #GlobalCatDay</li>
<li>17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty &mdash; #EndPoveryDay</li>
<li>19: World Values Day &mdash; #WorldValuesDay</li>
<li>29: National Internet Day &mdash; #WorldInternetDay</li>
<li>31: World Cities Day &mdash; #WorldCitiesDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with October include:
<ul>
<li>Adopt a Shelter Dog Month &mdash; #AdoptAShelterDog</li>
<li>Breast Cancer Awareness Month &mdash; #BreastCancerAwareness</li>
<li>Emotional Wellness Month &mdash; #EmotionalWellness</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>November</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: International Day for Biosphere Reserves &mdash; #BiosphereReserves</li>
<li>13: World Kindness Day &mdash; #WorldKindnessDay</li>
<li>14: World Diabetes Day &mdash; #WorldDiabetesDay</li>
<li>16: International Day for Tolerance &mdash; #ToleranceDay</li>
<li>19: World Toilet Day &mdash; #WorldToiletDay</li>
<li>20: World Children&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldChildrensDay</li>
<li>21: World Pancreatic Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldPancreaticCancerDay</li>
<li>21: World Philosophy Day &mdash; #WorldPhilosophyDay</li>
<li>21: World Television Day &mdash; #WorldTVDay</li>
<li>25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women &mdash; #EndViolenceAgainstWomen</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with November include:
<ul>
<li>Movember &mdash; #Movember</li>
<li>Native American Heritage Month &mdash; #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth</li>
<li>Diabetes Awareness Month &mdash; #DiabetesAwarenessMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>December</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>1: World AIDS Day &mdash; #WorldAIDSDay</li>
<li>3: Giving Tuesday &mdash; #GivingTuesday</li>
<li>3: International Day of People with Disabilities &mdash; #IDPwD24</li>
<li>5: International Volunteer Day &mdash; #VolunteerDay</li>
<li>5: World Soil Day &mdash; #WorldSoilDay</li>
<li>9: International Anti-Corruption Day &mdash; #AntiCorruptionDay</li>
<li>10: International Human Rights Day &mdash; #HumanRightsDay</li>
<li>11: International Mountain Day &mdash; #MountainDay</li>
<li>18: International Migrants Day &mdash; #MigrantsDay</li>
<li>Awareness months associated with December include:
<ul>
<li>Universal Human Rights Month &mdash; #HumanRights</li>
<li>National Giving Month &mdash; #GivingMonth</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p>By incorporating key giving and awareness events into your marketing strategy, you are aligning the values of your financial institution with the communities you serve, thereby deepening engagement and attracting new socially conscious account holders. You can choose as few or as many awareness events as you'd like &mdash; as long as you stay committed to driving awareness through your outreach and social media efforts. <strong>Interested in boosting engagement and increasing your bottom line through community impact? <a href="https://www.spiral.us/platform/signup?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=2024givingdays">Connect with us today to learn how</a>.&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

2024 Giving and Cause Awareness Day Calendar

<p>The banking industry in the United States is facing increasing pressure to consider its environmental and social impact. As concerns about climate change and social inequality continue to grow, consumers and regulators demand that financial institutions take a more active role in addressing these issues.</p>
<p>One of the major ways that environmental and social issues impact banks is through the increasing scrutiny of their lending and investment practices. For example, banks are being urged to increase lending to low-income communities, which the financial sector has traditionally underserved. Many banks are also being pressured into divesting from fossil fuel companies and investing in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In response to these pressures, a growing number of banks in the United States are beginning to implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into their lending and investment decisions. This means that they are considering factors such as a company's carbon footprint and labor practices before providing funding. Think of it as the banking industry's version of "consumer reports" but for the planet and society.</p>
<p>One notable example of a bank incorporating ESG criteria is JPMorgan Chase, which announced in 2019 plans to provide $200 billion in loans and investments for clean energy and sustainable infrastructure by 2025. In addition, the bank aims to provide $75 billion in lending, investing, and financing for women and minority-owned businesses by 2025.</p>
<p>Another example is Wells Fargo, which has committed to providing $185 billion in lending, investing, and services for low-income and minority communities by 2027. The bank has also pledged to increase its investments in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.</p>
<p>In addition to large banks, smaller financial institutions like community banks and credit unions are also beginning to take steps to embed sustainability and ESG into their business models. According to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), community banks and credit unions have been particularly active in serving low-income communities, which have often been neglected by larger banks. This makes them well-positioned to lead the charge in incorporating ESG into their lending and investment practices.</p>
<p>While these initiatives are certainly a step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done. Banks are still facing criticism for failing to do enough to address environmental and social issues, and there is still a substantial&nbsp;gap between the commitments that banks have made and the actions that they are taking. But let's remember progress is progress, and every little bit counts.</p>
<p>One of the biggest challenges facing banks as they try to incorporate ESG criteria into their lending and investment decisions is the need for consistent and reliable data on environmental and social impact. Unfortunately, many companies do not disclose this information, and there is no widely accepted method of measuring and reporting on sustainability and social impact performance. But it's a work in progress, and we'll get there eventually.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1678892537/blog/posts/brighter_future_banks_sustainability_social_impact_1.jpg" alt="Spiral ESG Banking" width="750" height="" loading="lazy">
<div class="blog-figure-caption" style="text-align: center;">banks that prioritize sustainability and ESG are better positioned to generate higher profits.</div>
</div>
<h2><strong>Win-win situation</strong></h2>
<p>According to the 2021 "The State of Sustainable Finance Report" by the Global Sustainable Finance Initiative, the integration of ESG into banking practices is beneficial not only for the environment and society but also for the bottom line. Banks prioritizing ESG integration tend to outperform their peers regarding financial performance, with higher profitability and lower risk.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In fact, banks that scored high on ESG performance had a return on equity that was higher on average. The study also showed that banks prioritizing sustainability and ESG integration are better positioned to manage risks, generate higher profits, and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient global economy.</p>
<p>These findings provide compelling evidence that embedding sustainability and social impact into banking practices is not only an ethical choice but also a great business decision. This is a win-win situation where everyone benefits, and the banking industry can lead the way in forming a more sustainable and equitable future for all.</p>
<h2><strong>The potential is huge</strong></h2>
<p>Here are some interesting facts:</p>
<ul>
<li>The sustainable finance market is projected to reach $30 trillion by 2030</li>
<li>60% of financial institutions have increased their engagement with clients on ESG issues</li>
<li>92% of asset owners believe that ESG is a mainstream investment theme</li>
<li>50% of financial institutions are actively investing in sustainable infrastructure</li>
<li>63% of financial institutions have set specific ESG-related targets</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>What's next?</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">In order to truly make a difference in sustainability and social impact, banks must go beyond just lip service. One way to achieve this is through green bonds. Green bonds are debt securities that are used to finance environmentally friendly projects, such as renewable energy or sustainable infrastructure. According to a recent report, the green bond market has grown rapidly in recent years, reaching a size of $250 billion in 2019. By investing in green bonds, banks can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability and social impact while also supporting the development of more environmentally friendly projects.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Another way to increase sustainability and social impact is through community development financial institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs are specialized financial institutions that provide loans and other financial services to underserved communities. By working with CDFIs, banks can provide financing for important community projects and initiatives that might not otherwise receive funding. For example, in 2019, Bank of America pledged $1 billion in financing for CDFIs, which will be used to support affordable housing and small businesses in underserved communities.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In addition, banks can also partner with fintech companies to help drive sustainability and social impact. Fintech companies can provide innovative solutions for measuring and reporting on sustainability and social impact performance, which can be used to help banks make better lending and investment decisions.&nbsp;<span data-preserver-spaces="true">For instance,&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.spiral.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Spiral</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> is a fintech company that helps banks and credit unions easily embed sustainability and social impact into their products to support their served communities while increasing engagement and revenue. Banks can tap into cutting-edge technology and expertise by partnering with companies like <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.spiral.us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spiral</a> to help them grow their business, increase engagement, and improve their sustainability and social impact performance.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr">Banks must also consider the social and environmental impact of their own operations and supply chains. This includes reducing their own carbon footprint, improving their waste management practices, and ensuring that their suppliers are also taking steps to be more sustainable and socially responsible. For instance, Citi announced in 2020 its new five-year 2025 Sustainable Progress Strategy to help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy. This new strategy includes a $250 Billion Environmental Finance Goal to finance and facilitate climate solutions globally. This builds on Citi's previous $100 billion goal announced in 2015. Their&nbsp;goal is to become carbon neutral and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030.&nbsp;The bank has also committed to using 100% renewable energy and purchasing green power through a renewable energy certificate program.</p>
<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>
<div class="blog-figure"><img class="blog-figure-image" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/image/upload/v1678892541/blog/posts/brighter_future_banks_sustainability_social_impact_2.jpg" alt="Spiral ESG banking and sustainability" width="750" height="" loading="lazy"></div>
<h2><strong>A brighter future ahead</strong></h2>
<p dir="ltr">The banking industry in the United States is facing increasing pressure to consider the environmental and social impact of their operations and investments, and many banks are beginning to take steps to address these issues. However, there is still much more that needs to be done, including the need for more consistent and reliable data on environmental and social impact and a closer examination of the gap between banks' commitments and their actions. Therefore, the banking industry must strive to be more responsible and sustainable to ensure a better future for all.</p>

The banking industry is feeling the heat amidst rising climate and social concerns from consumers and regulators.

Profit With Purpose: How Banks Are Advancing Sustainability and Equality in 2023

<p>Helping others might just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier, but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and more meaningful.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are many ways that you can make a small impact on the world every single day. Volunteering for a cause you care about, recycling, and helping elderly or disabled people with everyday tasks are some great examples.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s scientifically proven that making an impact makes us feel happy and results in a phenomenon known as the &ldquo;helper&rsquo;s high&rdquo;. This is the warm feeling of contentedness that follows an opportunity to lend a hand, donate money, or volunteer in a meaningful way. So, what if it was possible to achieve that sense of well-being on a daily basis? What if it was as simple as swiping your debit card or credit card to buy groceries, put gas in your car, or grab coffee with a friend?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here at Spiral, we wanted to help people like you make an impact more frequently and in an easier way. That&rsquo;s what led us to develop Everyday Impact&trade;, a feature that allows you to easily achieve a positive impact when you shop. All <strong>you </strong>have to do is<strong> </strong>swipe your debit card or credit card at any restaurant, coffee shop, gas station, hotel, and more, and round up your transaction to<strong>&nbsp;</strong>make a donation to plant a tree, provide clean water, feed a child in need, or provide safe shelter to people in poverty. It&rsquo;s as easy as that.<br><br></p>
<p><strong>BECOME AN EVERYDAY HERO</strong></p>
<p>We empower people to become everyday heroes by making an impact on communities around the world every time they make a purchase with their debit card. There&rsquo;s a whole suite of new services designed to help people make a social impact every day.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It&rsquo;s crazy to think that every single purchase you make can fight climate change, provide clean water, feed a hungry child, and provide safe shelter to people in need. But now it&rsquo;s possible&hellip;with Spiral.</p>
<p><strong>HOW DOES EVERYDAY IMPACT&trade; WORK?</strong></p>
<p>Here&rsquo;s how to make an impact with your purchases:</p>
<ul>
<li>Just swipe your debit card or credit card at any restaurant, coffee shop, gas station, hotel, and more, round up automatically to the nearest dollar and use that money to support causes you care about</li>
<li>With every purchase, you can plant a tree, provide clean water, feed a child in need, and provide safe shelter for people in poverty</li>
<li>Track the social impact of your purchases at any given time</li>
<li>You can also get a weekly report of your social impact from your financial institute</li>
</ul>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img class="wp-post-1952 wp-image-1957" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/w_750,h_600/v1656440898/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4/Blog-Image-4.png?_i=AA" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440898/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4/Blog-Image-4.png?_i=AA 1108w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440898/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4/Blog-Image-4.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440898/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4/Blog-Image-4.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440898/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4/Blog-Image-4.png?_i=AA 768w" alt="" width="750" height="600" loading="lazy" data-public-id="wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-4.png" data-attachment-id="1957" data-permalink="https://blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/2022/07/13/become-an-everyday-hero/blog-image-4/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-4.png?fit=1108%2C886&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1108,886" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Blog-Image-4" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-4.png?fit=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-4.png?fit=750%2C600&amp;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" data-format="png" data-transformations="" data-version="1656440898"></figure>
<p><strong>YOU SWIPE, AND WE HELP YOU TO DONATE&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p><strong>Category 1.</strong> When you use your debit card or credit card to pay your electric or gas bill, buy gas from the gas station, or spend on mass transit, we donate to Eden Reforestation Projects to plant trees. Planting trees helps to offset the carbon footprint of your purchase and also helps to fight climate change.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Category 2. </strong>When you use your debit card or credit card to buy coffee, tea, or juice, we donate to Evidence Action to provide a week of clean water for a person in need. This is life-changing for those who don&rsquo;t have immediate access to safe, clean drinking water.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Category 3. </strong>When you use your debit card or credit card to buy groceries or eat at a restaurant, we donate to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide meals for children at school who are facing hunger. This incredible organization believes that in a world of plenty, hunger should be a thing of the past.&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Category 4. </strong>When you use your debit card or credit card to pay for a hotel stay, we donate to GiveDirectly to send funds to people living in poverty. By simply traveling and paying for lodging, you can provide safe shelter to those in need.&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you&rsquo;d like further information about how we calculated the donation amounts for each category, <a href="https://www.spiral.us/disclosures/social-impact-rewards" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">click here.</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>GIVING MADE SIMPLE WITH SPIRAL GIVING&trade;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>If you&rsquo;d like to take your impact even further and support causes and communities you care about, you can easily do so by using our round-up feature.</p>
<p>With every swipe of your card, you can round up automatically to the nearest dollar and use that money to support causes and local communities you care about. Every cent rounded up makes a difference every single day.</p>
<p><strong>HOW DOES THE ROUND-UP FEATURE WORK?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Easily search and discover over 1 million charities across the U.S.</li>
<li>Activate round-up under &ldquo;Giving&rdquo; in the app&nbsp;</li>
<li>Choose to give monthly or as a one-time gift &ndash; you can switch anytime</li>
<li>Always be in control &ndash; pause, stop, or change your donation</li>
<li>Receive an end-of-year report of all your giving to help you with your tax return</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img class="wp-post-1952 wp-image-1959" src="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/w_750,h_600/v1656440951/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5/Blog-Image-5.png?_i=AA" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" srcset="https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440951/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5/Blog-Image-5.png?_i=AA 1108w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440951/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5/Blog-Image-5.png?_i=AA 300w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440951/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5/Blog-Image-5.png?_i=AA 1024w, https://res.cloudinary.com/spiral/images/v1656440951/wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5/Blog-Image-5.png?_i=AA 768w" alt="" width="750" height="600" loading="lazy" data-public-id="wordpress-uploads/Blog-Image-5.png" data-attachment-id="1959" data-permalink="https://blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/2022/07/13/become-an-everyday-hero/blog-image-5/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-5.png?fit=1108%2C886&amp;ssl=1" data-orig-size="1108,886" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}" data-image-title="Blog-Image-5" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-5.png?fit=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/blogspiralus.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Blog-Image-5.png?fit=750%2C600&amp;ssl=1" data-recalc-dims="1" data-format="png" data-transformations="" data-version="1656440951"></figure>
<p><strong>TWO EASY WAYS TO MAKE AN IMPACT&nbsp;EVERY DAY</strong></p>
<p>With Spiral, it&rsquo;s easier than ever to make an impact on both your community and the world. With the Everyday Impact&trade; feature, your purchases have the ability to change someone&rsquo;s life. If you want to take your impact even further, and support charities and causes you care about, you can opt to use our round-up feature and donate directly from your giving account. Whether you choose one or both options, you&rsquo;re well on your way to helping others and creating a life that&rsquo;s more meaningful. And that&rsquo;s what being an everyday hero is all about.</p>

<p>Helping others might just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier, but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and more meaningful. Here at Spiral, we wanted to help people like you make an impact more frequently and in an easier way. That’s what led us to develop Instant Impact, a feature that allows you to easily make a difference and instantly view the impact you made after every purchase.</p>


How Can You Become an Everyday Hero?

<p>Holidays and awareness days highlight important cultural, health, environmental, human, and animal welfare causes. This is why planning campaigns around nationally promoted holidays and events allows you to leverage a collective wave of awareness, relevant content, and fundraisers to support important causes in your communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>How to build your Impact Calendar?</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Step 1:</strong> Identify the community issues that matter most to your financial institution</li>
<li><strong>Step 2:</strong> Find the national holidays or days of recognition that spotlight and align with your impact</li>
<li><strong>Step 3:</strong> Create and promote campaigns and content relevant to the holidays and days</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>January</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service &mdash; #MLKDay</li>
<li>28: Data Privacy Day &mdash; &nbsp;#DataPrivacyDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>February</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>2: World Wetlands Day &mdash; #WorldWetlandsDay</li>
<li>4: World Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldCancerDay</li>
<li>6: Reclaim Social &mdash; #ReclaimSocial</li>
<li>7: Safer Internet Day &mdash; #SaferInternetDay</li>
<li>13: World Radio Day &mdash; #WorldRadioDay</li>
<li>19: World Whale Day &mdash; #WorldWhaleDay</li>
<li>20: World Day of Social Justice &mdash; #SocialJusticeDay</li>
<li>23: Digital Learning Day &mdash; #DigitalLearningDay</li>
<li>27: International Polar Bear Day &mdash; #PolarBearDay</li>
<li>27: World NGO Day &mdash; #WorldNGODay</li>
<li>28: Rare Disease Day &mdash; #RareDiseaseDay</li>
<li>28: World Spay Day &mdash; #WorldSpayDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>March</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: World Wildlife Day &mdash; #WorldWildlifeDay</li>
<li>8: International Women&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IWD2023</li>
<li>9: World Kidney Day &mdash; #WorldKidneyDay</li>
<li>18: Global Recycling Day &mdash; #GlobalRecyclingDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Forests &mdash; #WorldForestsDay</li>
<li>21: World Down Syndrome Day &mdash; #WorldDownSyndromeDay</li>
<li>21: World Poetry Day &mdash; #WorldPoetryDay</li>
<li>22: World Water Day &mdash; #WorldWaterDay</li>
<li>24: World Tuberculosis Day &mdash; #WorldTBDay</li>
<li>25: Earth Hour &mdash; #EarthHour</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>April</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>2: World Autism Awareness Day &mdash; #WorldAustismDay</li>
<li>7: World Health Day &mdash; #WorldHealthDay</li>
<li>12: International Day for Street Children &mdash; #StreetChildrenDay</li>
<li>14: World Dolphin Day &mdash; #WorldDolphinDay</li>
<li>15: World Art Day &mdash; #WorldArtDay</li>
<li>16: Good Deeds Day &mdash; #GoodDeedsDay</li>
<li>22: Earth Day &mdash; #EarthDay</li>
<li>23: World Book Day &mdash; #WorldBookDay</li>
<li>25: World Malaria Day &mdash; #WorldMalariaDay</li>
<li>25: World Penguin Day &mdash; #WorldPenguinDay</li>
<li>30: International Jazz Day &mdash; #JazzDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>May</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: World Press Freedom Day &mdash; #WorldPressFreedomDay</li>
<li>8: World Ovarian Cancer Day &mdash; #WOCD23</li>
<li>10: World Lupus Day &mdash; #WorldLupusDay</li>
<li>12: International Nurses Day &mdash; #NursesDay</li>
<li>13: World Fair Trade Day &mdash; #WorldFairTradeDay</li>
<li>13: World Migratory Bird Day &mdash; #WorldMigratoryBirdDay</li>
<li>17: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia &mdash; #IDAHOTB</li>
<li>18: International Museum Day &mdash; #MuseumDay</li>
<li>20: Endangered Species Day &mdash; #EndangeredSpeciesDay</li>
<li>22: International Day for Biological Diversity &mdash; #BiologicalDiversityDay</li>
<li>23: World Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldTurtleDay</li>
<li>31: World No Tobacco Day &mdash; #WorldNoTobaccoDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>June</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>1: LGBTQIA+Q Pride Day &mdash; #Pride23</li>
<li>5: World Environment Day &mdash; #WorldEnvironmentDay</li>
<li>8: World Ocean Day &mdash; #WorldOceanDay</li>
<li>12: World Day Against Child Labour &mdash; #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour</li>
<li>14: World Blood Donor Day &mdash; #WorldBloodDonorDay</li>
<li>16: World Sea Turtle Day &mdash; #WorldSeaTurtleDay</li>
<li>20: World Refugee Day &mdash; #WorldRefugeeDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Yoga &mdash; #YogaDay</li>
<li>22: World Rainforest Day &mdash; #WorldRainforestDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>July</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>11: WorldPopulationDay &mdash; #WorldPopulationDay</li>
<li>18: Nelson Mandela International Day &mdash; #MandelaDay</li>
<li>28: World Hepatitis Day &mdash; #WorldHepatitisDay</li>
<li>29: International Tiger Day &mdash; #InternationalTigerDay</li>
<li>30: World Day Against Trafficking in Persons &mdash; #EndHumanTrafficking</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>August</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>9: Indigenous People&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #IndigenousDay</li>
<li>10: World Lion Day &mdash; #WorldLionDay</li>
<li>12: International Youth Day &mdash; #YouthDay</li>
<li>12: World Elephant Day &mdash; #WorldElephantDay</li>
<li>17: National Nonprofit Day &mdash; #NationalNonprofitDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li>19: World Humanitarian Day &mdash; #WorldHumanitarianDay</li>
<li>26: National Dog Day &mdash; #DogDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li>29: International Day Against Nuclear Tests &mdash; #AgainstNuclearTestsDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>September</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>5: International Day of Charity &mdash; #CharityDay</li>
<li>8: International Literacy Day &mdash; #LiteracyDay</li>
<li>10: World Suicide Prevention Day &mdash; #WorldSuicidePreventionDay</li>
<li>15: International Day of Democracy &mdash; #DemocracyDay</li>
<li>21: International Day of Peace &mdash; #PeaceDay</li>
<li>21: World Alzheimer&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldAlzheimersDay</li>
<li>22: World Rhino Day &mdash; #WorldRhinoDay</li>
<li>24: World Rivers Day &mdash; #WorldRiversDay</li>
<li>27: World Tourism Day &mdash; #WorldTourismDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>October</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>4: World Animal Day &mdash; #WorldAnimalDay</li>
<li>4: World Habitat Day &mdash; #WorldHabitatDay</li>
<li>5: World Teachers Day &mdash; #WorldTeachersDay</li>
<li>6: World Cerebral Palsy Day &mdash; #WorldCPDay</li>
<li>10: World Homeless Day &mdash; #WorldHomelessDay</li>
<li>10: World Mental Health Day &mdash; #WorldMentalHealthDay</li>
<li>11: International Day of the Girl Child &mdash; #DayOfTheGirl</li>
<li>11: Coming Out Day &nbsp;&mdash; #ComingOutDay</li>
<li>12: World Arthritis Day &mdash; #WorldArthritisDay</li>
<li>13: World Thrombosis Day &mdash; #WorldThrombosisDay</li>
<li>16: World Food Day &mdash; #WorldFoodDay</li>
<li>16: Global Cat Day &mdash; #GlobalCatDay</li>
<li>17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty &mdash; #EndPoveryDay</li>
<li>19: World Values Day &mdash; #WorldValuesDay</li>
<li>29: National Internet Day &mdash; #WorldInternetDay (Internationally recognized)</li>
<li>31: World Cities Day &mdash; #WorldCitiesDay</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>November</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>3: International Day for Biosphere Reserves &mdash; #BiosphereReserves</li>
<li>13: World Kindness Day &mdash; #WorldKindnessDay</li>
<li>14: World Diabetes Day &mdash; #WorldDiabetesDay</li>
<li>16: International Day for Tolerance &mdash; #ToleranceDay</li>
<li>16: World Pancreatic Cancer Day &mdash; #WorldPancreaticCancerDay</li>
<li>16: World Philosophy Day &mdash; #WorldPhilosophyDay</li>
<li>19: World Toilet Day &mdash; #WorldToiletDay</li>
<li>20: World Children&rsquo;s Day &mdash; #WorldChildrensDay</li>
<li>21: World Television Day &mdash; #WorldTVDay</li>
<li>25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women &mdash; #EndViolenceAgainstWomen</li>
<li>28: Giving Tuesday &mdash; #GivingTuesday</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>December</strong></h2>
<ul>
<li>1: World AIDS Day &mdash; #WorldAIDSDay</li>
<li>3: International Day of People with Disabilities &mdash; #IDPwD23</li>
<li>5: International Volunteer Day &mdash; #VolunteerDay</li>
<li>5: World Soil Day &mdash; #WorldSoilDay</li>
<li>9: International Anti-Corruption Day &mdash; #AntiCorruptionDay</li>
<li>10: International Human Rights Day &mdash; #HumanRightsDay</li>
<li>11: International Mountain Day &mdash; #MountainDay</li>
<li>18: International Migrants Day &mdash; #MigrantsDay</li>
</ul>

2023 Giving and Cause Awareness Day Calendar

Nonprofits across the world are mobilizing and taking action to support the people of Ukraine. If you&#8217;re looking for immediate ways to help, here are eight Spiral nonprofit partners who are responding to the crisis unfolding in Ukraine and providing critical relief.

8 Nonprofits Providing Immediate Humanitarian Relief to Ukraine

<p><em>We&rsquo;re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit partner, Population Services International (PSI)! Approximately 218 million women in low- and middle-income countries want to prevent a pregnancy but don&rsquo;t have access to modern and safe contraceptive methods. Because of COVID-19, an estimated additional 47 million women risk losing access due to social and economic impacts from the pandemic. resulting in an additional 7 million unintended pregnancies worldwide. That&rsquo;s why PSI addresses barriers such as access, stigma, and financial burdens that hinder women and girls&rsquo; right to reproductive choice. In more than 40 countries worldwide, PSI works alongside women in need to put her choice first and build solutions and stronger health systems that support her to make, and own, her health and life choices. On this World Contraception Day, discover how you can double your impact by supporting this incredible nonprofit&rsquo;s work.</em></p>
<h2 id="h.9u96meft5eyc">Committing to Choice Catalyzes Impact for Women and Girls. Here&rsquo;s Why.</h2>
<p>No matter where they live, women have the right to plan the family they want and to build the future they deserve.</p>
<p>For those who fight for a women&rsquo;s right to sexual and reproductive health,&nbsp;September 26 is an important day. Once a year we mark &mdash;World Contraception Day, a day to raise awareness about the importance of contraception for people all over the world and to highlight where we have more work to do to guarantee sexual and reproductive rights.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For Population Services International (PSI), one of Spiral&rsquo;s founding nonprofit partners, access to contraception has been at the foundation of more than 50 years of work expanding access to health services for those who need help most.</p>
<p>PSI&rsquo;s commitment began in 1970 when its founders, Phil Harvey and Tim Black, decided to dedicate their lives to reproductive rights after meeting numerous women who wanted to have fewer children but lacked access to modern contraceptive methods. They started a small mail-order condom business that funded the creation of PSI and its initial programs to reach women and families. Along the way, they even fought a successful Supreme Court case that set a precedent for the marketing of and distribution of contraceptives in the U.S. Today, PSI has expanded to serve women in countries all over the world.</p>
<p>Since its founding, PSI and its global team have focused on choice: ensuring women everywhere can choose if and when they want to have children. That commitment hasn&rsquo;t wavered &ndash; and in recent years, the fight for women&rsquo;s choice has grown all the more important.</p>
<p>Approximately <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.guttmacher.org/report/adding-it-up-investing-in-sexual-reproductive-health-2019%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;source%3Deditors%26amp;ust%3D1632758766400000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw1vre7eDpI8tRYFADIemApi&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1632758766422000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0FYu9UzFcQT4saFJ-Jq-jb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">218 million women </a>in low- and middle-income countries want to prevent a pregnancy but don&rsquo;t have access to modern and safe contraceptive methods. Because of COVID-19, an estimated additional <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.google.com/url?q%3Dhttps://www.unfpa.org/news/three-things-you-need-know-about-contraceptives-and-covid-19%26amp;sa%3DD%26amp;source%3Deditors%26amp;ust%3D1632758766400000%26amp;usg%3DAOvVaw3CIxnSEJKLzhvRrqvweSXO&amp;sa=D&amp;source=editors&amp;ust=1632758766422000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2XRpl4J8zZd3AOpTFX5hPK" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">47 million women</a> risk losing access to contraception, which will. result in an additional 7 million unintended pregnancies worldwide.</p>
<p>That&rsquo;s why PSI addresses barriers to contraception such as access, stigma, and financial burdens that hinder women and girls&rsquo; right to reproductive choice. In more than 40 countries worldwide, PSI works alongside women in need to put her choice first, by building health systems that support her to make her own health and life choices.</p>
<p>Learn more about how PSI is acting on its commitment to contraception worldwide &ndash; and how you can help. This World Contraception Day, PSI is matching all donations up to $10,000. Double your impact by making a charitable donation to PSI.</p>

We’re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit partner, Population Services International (PSI)! PSI addresses barriers such as access, stigma, and financial burdens that hinder women and girls’ right to reproductive choice. On this World Contraception Day, discover how you can double your impact by supporting this incredible nonprofit’s work.


Feature Impact Story: PSI

<p><em>We&rsquo;re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit partner, International Medical Corps! International Medical Corps provides health services and training to the most vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world. Their rapid response to COVID has been nothing short of remarkable, including distributing more than 28 million infection prevention and control items and pieces of personal protective equipment. Discover more about their mission, stories of impact, and total impact to date in this piece.</em></p>
<h2 id="h.hfnz7lnkooo8">Spiral: What need are you addressing, and how are you doing it?</h2>
<p>International Medical Corps: &nbsp;We provide health services and training to the most vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world, including disaster-affected communities; refugees,&nbsp;internally displaced persons&nbsp;and the local&nbsp;communities&nbsp;in which they reside; individuals in remote and often inaccessible areas; those often overlooked when providing healthcare, including women, children, people living with disabilities and elder persons; those affected by conflict; and survivors of gender-based violence.&nbsp;</p>
<p>To support these communities, International Medical Corps provides the key services that a healthy community requires, including primary health, mental health and psychosocial support, reproductive health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene services. In the aftermath of sudden-onset disasters, we respond within hours&mdash;because speed saves lives&mdash;and go anywhere, no matter the conditions.</p>
<p>Beyond the immediate response, International Medical Corps also helps communities move from relief to self-reliance by passing essential skills into local hands and thereby preparing those in disaster-prone areas to better withstand adversity. Embedding these skills into the community lies at the heart of what we do. It gives people struck by tragedy a sense of ownership over their recovery and the ability to shape their future as they rebuild.</p>
<h2 id="h.5ihmwml5ri7o">Spiral: What&rsquo;s a story of a life you&rsquo;ve transformed through your work?</h2>
<p>International Medical Corps: In mountainous Yemen, about 80 miles north of Aden, one of our mobile teams learned of a family tragedy. A local farmer&mdash;the family&rsquo;s lone breadwinner&mdash;had suffered a stroke a few months earlier, leaving his wife and their 17-month-old son, Essa, destitute. The boy was brought to the clinic, where our team found he was severely malnourished. His worried mother recounted the boy&rsquo;s weight loss and illness since her husband fell ill. She had been unable to pay for the medications her child needed to stem his decline.</p>
<p>Our team provided the mother with the needed medications, along with enough therapeutic nutrients to feed and strengthen her child. They also gave the mother a kit filled with crucial hygiene products, so she can prevent further infections. Our team followed up frequently to manage Essa&rsquo;s health and nutrition, and his condition improved&nbsp;markedly. His immune system was again able to fight off illness, and he resumed life as a normal kid. His mother told us: &ldquo;I finally can see my child smile again.&rdquo;</p>
<h2 id="h.tibmac1ny574">Spiral:&nbsp;What&rsquo;s the total impact your nonprofit made last year in numbers?</h2>
<p>International Medical Corps: In 2020, we launched the largest emergency response in our history, working to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19 in each of the nearly 30 countries and territories where we currently conduct our lifesaving programming, including the United States. Before the year was over, we had supported more than 1,300 health facilities, including hospitals, clinics and nursing homes, where local resources had been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cases. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Our COVID-19 response included distributing more than 28 million infection prevention and control items and pieces of personal protective equipment, including masks, gloves and gowns. We screened 6,758,778 patients for COVID-19 and identified 138,517 patients as suspected COVID-positive. We trained 28,249 frontline healthcare professionals on COVID-19 prevention and control measures, and, critically, we reached more than 8.2 million people with information and education on COVID-19 prevention, good hygiene and community wellness.</p>
<p>Alongside our COVID-19 response, we continue to respond to disasters. Overall, in 2020 International Medical Corps responded directly to the needs of more than 18.5 million people on five continents. This worked spanned the broad range of services that healthy communities require to thrive, including: 5 million medical consultations; 47,389 births aided by the presence of a trained birth attendant; 120,492 children treated for malnutrition; 2.5 million people provided with water, sanitation and hygiene services; 735,000 people provided with mental health and psychosocial support services; and protection and support to 993,067 people living with the threat&mdash;or the reality&mdash;of gender-based violence.</p>
<p>Importantly, as training underpins all that we do at International Medical Corps, we trained 117,452 people on a variety of health-related topics, including 13,290 people on communicable disease management, which is critical to fight the spread of COVID-19, and 1,576 community health volunteers on the basics of psychological first aid, which is critical to spotting the signs of distress caused by COVID-19 or other devastating humanitarian crises and helping people get the support they need.</p>
<h2 id="h.nhpitq3q5esa">Spiral:&nbsp;What&rsquo;s an innovation in the way you serve that has enabled you to increase your impact?&nbsp;</h2>
<p>International Medical Corps:&nbsp;A critical component of our work involves procuring and delivering medicines to people, often in difficult and ever-changing conditions. Effective pharmaceutical supply-chain management is essential to 1) ensuring efficiency in the supply chain, which, given the costs of medicines, produces sizeable savings that accrue directly to beneficiaries; 2) reducing stock-outs through a more effective warehouse management process; 3) reducing paperwork so pharmacists can spend more time with patients; and 4) collecting data that can be used to improve health outcomes.</p>
<p>To achieve this, International Medical Corps developed a pharmaceutical information management system (PIMS) that is designed to be used in different humanitarian settings. PIMS software consists of modules that address different processes within the supply chain, from planning and procurement to distribution to beneficiaries.</p>
<p>Importantly, PIMS helps to solve one of the most complex challenges in delivering humanitarian assistance: monitoring pharmaceutical use and effectiveness at the &ldquo;last mile&rdquo; of the supply chain, where varying conditions and limited connectivity present difficult challenges. It provides:</p>
<ul>
<li>complete visibility of the movement of pharmaceuticals from the central warehouse to all points of dispensing;</li>
<li>readily available reports and statistical analysis for both internal decision making and external communications;</li>
<li>standardization in the flow of commodities and information, while minimizing the number of steps in the supply chain process, enabling efficiency and reducing errors;</li>
<li>an improved patient and healthcare worker experience; and</li>
<li>software that is customizable, versatile and adaptable to diverse settings via mobile handheld devices.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="h.zae1dfolaxm2">Spiral: &ldquo;If a donor were to support you today, what could you do with that gift?&rdquo;</h2>
<p>International Medical Corps: With your donation, we can boost vaccination rates.</p>
<p>Getting a person vaccinated for COVID-19 anywhere helps people everywhere. With COVID-19 cases continuing to spread across the globe, and dangerous new variants continuing to evolve, distributing billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines as quickly and as safely as possible is critical. Because many communities around the world have health infrastructures that don&rsquo;t have enough resources, it is critical to provide support for their vaccination efforts.</p>
<p>Our experience operating immunization programs for measles, polio, Ebola and other infectious diseases in regions underserved by medical providers and in communities with endemic poverty bolsters our ability to contribute to one of the largest vaccination missions the world has seen.&nbsp;</p>
<p>International Medical Corps also is well positioned to contribute to this effort, as we have strong relationships with ministries of health in the countries where we operate and are working with them on strategies around cold-chain management, ways to overcome &ldquo;last mile&rdquo; challenges in low-resource environments and how to conduct COVID-19 vaccine information campaigns that are accurate and effective.</p>
<p>We also work to bring vaccinations to underserved communities in the US. Having developed a national network of partners in the country through the course of our COVID-19 response, we have been able to identify and rapidly respond to domestic COVID-19 vaccination needs as well.</p>

We’re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit partner, International Medical Corps! International Medical Corps provides health services and training to the most vulnerable communities in the United States and around the world. Their rapid response to COVID has been nothing short of remarkable, including distributing more than 28 million infection prevention and control items and pieces of personal protective equipment. Discover more about their mission, stories of impact, and total impact to date in this piece.


Feature Impact Story: International Medical Corps

<ul class="is-style-none">
<li><a href="#spiral what need are you addressing and how are you doing it">Spiral: What need are you addressing, and how are you doing it?</a></li>
<li><span style="color: var(--wp--preset--color--foreground); font-family: var(--font-base,;"><a href="#spiral whats the total impact your nonprofit made last year in numbers">Spiral: What&rsquo;s the total impact your nonprofit made last year in numbers?</a></span></li>
<li><a href="#spiral whats an innovation in the way you serve that has enabled you to increase your impact">Spiral: What&rsquo;s an innovation in the way you serve that has enabled you to increase your impact? </a></li>
<li><a href="#spiral if a donor were to support you today what could you do with that gift">Spiral: If a donor were to support you today, what could you do with that gift?</a></li>
</ul>
<p><em>We&rsquo;re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit partner, Grassroot Soccer! Grassroot Soccer is an adolescent health organization that leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth in developing countries to overcome their greatest health challenges. They&rsquo;ve reached more than 13 million youth since 2002. Discover more about their mission, stories of impact, and total impact to date in this piece.</em></p>
<h2>Spiral: What need are you addressing, and how are you doing it?</h2>
<p>Grassroot Soccer: The last decade has seen profound gains in global public health. But while mortality for children and adults has declined, adolescents ages 10-19 continue to be left behind. Young people face the most acute combination of preventable diseases and disorders of any age group, which is during a critical developmental transition to adulthood.</p>
<p>In Africa, even before the onset of COVID-19, adolescents were already facing the highest burden of health challenges. Africa is the only place globally where adolescent mortality has increased over the past three decades. HIV/AIDS continues to be a leading cause of death among adolescents in the region and is a particularly acute challenge for girls &mdash; despite accounting for just 10% of the population, girls make up <a href="https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/key-affected-populations/women" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">80% of all new HIV infections</a>. On top of this, over 30% of girls have experienced sexual and gender-based violence (actual numbers are likely much higher due to lack of reporting), and almost half of adolescent girls in Africa have been <a href="https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2019_women-and-hiv_en.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pregnant before their 18th birthday</a>.</p>
<p>This is where <a href="https://grassrootsoccer.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grassroot Soccer</a> comes in. Grassroot Soccer programs leverage the universal appeal of soccer to reach adolescents and engage them around the most important, difficult, and often taboo health topics during a critical time in their lives. Using soccer as the hook, we engage youth to overcome their greatest health challenges through our &ldquo;Three C&rsquo;s&rdquo; model: an activity-based Curriculum, SKILLZ, that provides accurate, actionable, and life-saving health information; Coaches who care about and connect with adolescents to inspire them to take action; and a fun, safe, and positive Culture creating an optimal environment for learning.</p>
<h2>Spiral: What&rsquo;s a story of a life you&rsquo;ve transformed through your work?</h2>
<p>Grassroot Soccer: Mapalo is a 19-year-old living with HIV in Zambia who lost his parents at an early age and has been living with his aunt ever since. Mapalo was taking regular medication, called antiretroviral therapy or ART, to manage his HIV. However, like many youth living with HIV, Mapalo knew little about what his HIV status meant and why he was taking medication. For many youth, this lack of understanding can lead them to not adhere to their recommended treatment r. This lowered adherence in turn can increase the risk of HIV-related health issues, as well as the risk of HIV transmission.</p>
<p>One critical challenge is misconceptions about &ldquo;mental health&rdquo;: what it is, and why it&rsquo;s important for people living with HIV.</p>
<p>&ldquo;At first I thought mental health was about going crazy and for people who are not normal,&rdquo; Mapalo said. But &ldquo;mental health issues affect a lot of people like me because we are constantly fighting with the thought of [HIV] disclosure &mdash; when is the right time? How best to do it? And how will the other person react?&rdquo;</p>
<p>This all changed for Mapalo when he enrolled in a Grassroot Soccer SKILLZ Plus program &mdash; our sport-based intervention for youth living with HIV &mdash; at a local health facility. With the support of a Grassroot Soccer SKILLZ Plus Coach (who is a near-peer mentor openly living with HIV themselves) and a group of peer participants also living with HIV, the program equipped Mapalo with crucial life skills and healthy behaviors that promoted his mental-well being and sustained his high level of adherence to his treatment. Now, with a feeling of acceptance and belonging as part of a community, Mapalo feels confident he can continue his treatment journey.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I have made friends and a Coach who are just like me and have shown me that I can live with the virus,&rdquo; Mapalo said of his experience in the program. &ldquo;With the help of my group, I came up with solutions to better cope with my condition.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Spiral: What&rsquo;s the total impact your nonprofit made last year in numbers?</h2>
<p>Grassroot Soccer: Since 2002, Grassroot Soccer has reached more than 13 million youth ages 9-24 globally with its sport-based SKILLZ programs. In the past year, in response tof program disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we innovated and adapted. By doing so, we improved the lives of millions through life-saving health information, services, and support, all in the face of lockdowns and school closures.</p>
<p>In 2020, our flagship SKILLZ programs, which engage youth in evidence- and sport-based sexual and reproductive health and rights programs and activities, reached nearly 150,000 youth across sub-Saharan Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We worked to get SKILLZ information to adolescents who need it in a number of ways. In Zimbabwe and Nigeria, for example, we distributed more than 24,000 SKILLZ Magazines &mdash; fun, interactive, and remote resources that use soccer metaphors to communicate comprehensive information on topics like sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and testing, and mental health &mdash; to more than 120,600 adolescents, families, and caregivers. We also delivered SKILLZ messaging through radio and TV, which reached an estimated 23 million people in Nigeria and Mozambique.</p>
<p>Our work improves health outcomes for adolescents. We achieve this through our &ldquo;Three A&rsquo;s&rdquo; impact model: building assets (health knowledge and the confidence to use it), improving access to high-quality health services, and increasing adherence to crucial treatments and healthy behaviors.</p>
<p>Here are a few examples of our tangible impact on young people&rsquo;s assets, access, and adherence in the past year. In 2020, in Zambia, one Grassroot Soccer program improved boys&rsquo; knowledge of positive gender norms by 43%. In Zimbabwe, our SKILLZ Magazines increased adolescents&rsquo; knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender norms, and life skills by 21%.&nbsp;</p>
<p>These changes in attitudes lead to important changes in behavior. For example, girls in our Zimbabwe program increased their contraceptive use by 250% in 2020, and an estimated 72% of participants in our SKILLZ Plus programming in 2020 showed good ART adherence.</p>
<h2>Spiral: What&rsquo;s an innovation in the way you serve that has enabled you to increase your impact?</h2>
<p>Grassroot Soccer: For young people in the communities where Grassroot Soccer works, the pandemic has exacerbated existing health challenges &mdash; reducing access to critical services, interrupting HIV testing and treatment, and generating an increase in gender-based violence and mental health struggles.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of the pandemic, Grassroot Soccer has been innovating to provide essential COVID-19 information and sustained support for young people. One way we are doing this is by using technology to engage young people while in-person programs are disrupted during lockdowns and school closures.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In Zambia, we launched a cell phone-based version of our SKILLZ curricula. We&rsquo;ve also gamified key components of our curriculum into a fun and interactive virtual format; a cell phone-based game we developed, which is available for free (or a low cost) across Mozambique and Nigeria, allows young people to engage with critical information on topics such as relationships and changing bodies.</p>
<p>These digital innovations represent exciting new territory for us, and this work will continue beyond the pandemic; they provide the opportunity to reach tens of millions of adolescents &mdash; and to stay connected to them for years to come.</p>
<h2>Spiral: If a donor were to support you today, what could you do with that gift?</h2>
<p>Grassroot Soccer:&nbsp;</p>
<p>Here are some examples of the ways in which your support of Grassroot Soccer will have an impact on young people in the communities we serve across sub-Saharan Africa:</p>
<ul>
<li>$250 can support the training and certification of a Grassroot Soccer Coach as a Youth Reproductive Health Assistant who delivers services directly to youth, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and counseling on contraceptive options.</li>
<li>$100 can supply a classroom of Grassroot Soccer participants with engaging and educational soccer-themed SKILLZ Magazines.</li>
<li>$50 can supply a Grassroot Soccer Coach with personal protective equipment so they can deliver crucial medications and services directly to adolescents while access to clinics remains disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</li>
<li>$25 can support a team of five adolescents in Zambia to participate in the virtual SKILLZ program and gain critical health knowledge while remaining connected to peers in a time of social isolation.</li>
</ul>
<p>Overall, a gift to Grassroot Soccer enables us to build partnerships, train Coaches, and execute our uniquely fun and evidence-based programs that equip young people with the life-saving information, services, and mentorship they need to live healthier lives. Donations also support our ability to continually innovate &mdash; like we have done in response to COVID-19 and in integrating mental health into our programs &mdash; ensuring we are adapting to a changing world and having the greatest impact possible.</p>

We’re excited to feature the incredibly impactful work of our nonprofit parter, Grassroot Soccer! 


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