Jud Bergman, our late Chairman and CEO, championed the importance of philanthropy and believed that Envestnet has a responsibility to invest in the communities in which we do business and to support our employees in their own efforts to give back. Over the years, Envestnet’s Charitable Giving Program has grown beyond local charities to become an international effort focused on supporting families and children. The vast majority of Envestnet’s charitable giving can be organized within one of four categories:
- Signature Impact: These initiatives aim to foster long-term partnerships in the places where we do business, with the goal of creating a more meaningful and lasting impact with our community partners.
- Annual Corporate Giving: These engagements are more flexible and opportunistic in responding to more immediate needs within our communities.
- Volunteering: We support our employees in engaging with organizations they’re passionate about by providing paid time off and funding for employee volunteer events, whether independent or organized within an Envestnet office. To date, Envestnet employees have devoted over 6,000 hours to volunteering efforts across the United States.
- Employee Charitable Matching: We match employees’ charitable donations of up to $2,500 per employee to 501(c)(3) charities.
Through these varied initiatives, we seek to make a positive impact across communities, touching on a range of issues and supporting a spectrum of populations. Our education-related initiatives focus on helping people achieve financial wellness, particularly those who may not be in a direct position to benefit from our services or those who are typically underserved by the financial services industry. For example, we actively work in elementary and high schools to deliver a curriculum to help young people develop financial skills and acumen early on in their lives; we provide pro bono financial planning for those in need; and we seek opportunities to promote diversity among the financial planning industry as a way to engage a more diverse population.
Our work with families and children in need encompasses a wide scope of activities, largely based on region. For example, in India, we are primarily doing work related to improving water and sanitation systems, which are vital to their progress. We also support female entrepreneurs through micro-financing, in an effort to empower women to support their families and promote social mobility. We also engage with organizations such as Onam at Care Home, The Giri Child Sponsorship, Jubilee Hospital, and Rotary Institute for Children.
In the U.S., our efforts range from disaster response; to funding disease-related research; to providing food, shelter, and clothing to families in need. Our employees have volunteered with local and national organizations, including American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity (Chicago; Wake County, North Carolina; and Seattle), Greater Chicago Food Depository, Cradles to Crayons, Northwest Harvest, and many others.
Envestnet also honors the great work that advisors and their firms are doing through our support and leadership involvement with Invest in Others, which highlights the charitable work of financial advisors, employees, and their firms. Invest in Others is a catalyst to channel philanthropy, donations, and volunteerism to where it is needed most, and we’re excited to see others in the industry do their part to give back. We are truly fortunate to serve financial advisors and support their transformative work in helping to deliver financial wellness and improved outcomes for millions of investors. As we continue to fulfill Jud’s vision for Envestnet, we remain committed to investing some of the fruits of our shared success to assist those in need. We will continue to seek out opportunities to serve, to engage, and to make a positive difference in the lives of those in our communities and beyond.
The information, analysis and opinions expressed herein are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views of Envestnet. These views reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of writing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing contained in this piece is intended to constitute legal, tax, accounting, securities, or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment, nor a solicitation of any type.