On Tuesday, November 30th, Axios co-founder Mike Allen and Axios Today host Niala Boodhoo highlighted innovations in philanthropy and charitable giving, featuring GivingTuesday CEO Asha Curran and Cava co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman.
Asha Curran illustrated the origins of Giving Tuesday, how the movement’s impact and values have expanded across the globe, and how societal divisiveness calls attention to the need for generosity.
- On the power of positivity in an era of divisive discourse: “Now we’re talking about a time where social media is mainly used to sow division and othering, and to convince us each how right we are about the things that we already believe...my hope for Giving Tuesday is that it simply disrupts that, even if it’s just for one day, to show that positivity can also go viral.”
- On leadership as a core value of the movement: “There are children who are leading their piece of the Giving Tuesday movement. There are leaders of entire countries, there are leaders of tiny towns...and through their involvement in the movement, their leadership skills, their capacity to make an impact and to collaborate with others and to manage a growing community and growing networks just increases so exponentially…”
Brett Schulman emphasized the importance of food donations despite difficult economic circumstances in the restaurant industry, the value of philanthropic partnerships between restaurants and local communities, and how supporting his employees’ mental wellbeing is crucial.
- On looking at giving as an investment in relationships: “I don’t think giving should be looked at as an expense or a tax deduction, right? It’s an investment in our team, in our guests, in positive emotions, in gratitude, and in building relationships and strengthening those relationships because what you give gives back to you, and then some.”
- On fostering empathy in the restaurant industry during stressful times: “There’s tremendous stresses from the pandemic that we’re all living through, let alone coming into the holiday season when mental stress is heightened, and thinking about how do we support our team members and also how do we equip them and empower them to take care of our guests, many who are walking into our restaurants with a lot of stress and a lot of challenges in their own personal lives.”
Thank you Bank of America for sponsoring this event.