Why help others? Santa Rosa staffing firm Nelson says, ‘beCAUSE’

August 30, 2020

Nelson, an employment services group of companies, supports a wide variety of local nonprofits, educational programs and community support organizations. In 2018 and under the leadership of CEO Joe Madigan, Nelson formalized “beCAUSE,” an internal philanthropy program grounded in the philosophy of “because we care.”

What three events or activities would you like to highlight as examples of ways your company or you have helped or continue to help make things better in the North Bay?

Nelson sponsored the 2019-2020 GLOW Program put on by the Junior League of Napa-Sonoma at Roseland University Prep in Santa Rosa. This is a monthly club for girls (grades 9-12). Each month, a healthy snack is provided along with a speaker on various relevant topics (self-defense, body image, budgeting and financial planning, etc.). Each student receives a GLOW/Nelson water bottle, T-shirt, and journal for our guided meditation and reflections.

This year we donated to the Petaluma Municipal airport, an airport that records about 60,000 take-offs and landings each year. The airport manager reached out to the Petaluma Health Care district, with a request for a dual-language AED.

Kelley Hartman sits on the board of the Elsie Allen Foundation.

Each year, generous community support provides over 40 scholarships to help turn the dream of college into reality for students that could not otherwise afford to go. These scholarships enable students to attend the Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma State University as well as other colleges, universities and various career technical programs.

They also work with Elsie Allen students to provide them with internship opportunities with local companies

What ways does your organization help support the idea of helping others, i.e. days for volunteering, ways to contribute money to causes?

Nelson beCAUSE includes three philanthropic programs, and one internal employee recognition program:

1. Nelson beCAUSE grants

2. Employee gift matching

3. Employee volunteer program

4. Memorial program for employees’ immediate family members

How is the idea of helping others or working to solve community issues incorporated your personal life or in the company’s culture?

Nelson beCAUSE is dedicated to strengthening the communities in which we live, work and play, through volunteerism, investment, and inspiring others to share our passion for giving back beCAUSE we care.

What inspires you or your employees or both about the North Bay as it relates to the spirit of helping others?

One of the traits that makes Nelson unique is our focus on and history of generosity. Starting with our founder, Gary D. Nelson, nearly five decades ago, the organization has led by example with our support of organizations, causes, and people in need.

Nelson family members and employees have contributed not only financial support but also thousands of hours of volunteer time to important causes. Our shared philosophy of giving has resulted in significant recognition for our company's incredible level of generosity, frequently alongside companies that are much larger and have significantly more resources (such as when we were recently ranked 18 out of the top 100 corporate philanthropists in the Bay Area).

To ensure we maximize the impact of our charitable efforts going forward, we have formed the Nelson beCAUSE corporate philanthropy program to evaluate and select company-wide donations and sponsorships.

How does your company's philanthropy work spill over into your personal life?

One of the traits that makes Nelson unique is our focus on and history of generosity. Starting with Gary nearly five decades ago, the organization has led by example with our support of organizations, causes, and people in need.

Describe why you do what you do in the community in six words.

Giving back beCAUSE we care.

Why I am inspired by helping others:

Myrna Rivera, Nelson: “I volunteer to stay in touch with the reality around me. It can be easy to get caught up in this lucky, employed life and forget that others may not have the same opportunities or money available to them. For me, it’s important to be informed about the community that goes on around me — and the homeless people of this organization are the ones keeping the cities clean! — and, in California, that community is diverse. I love to see how I can help them in return. Additionally, we tend to have stereotypes regarding the homeless and it’s easier to solve this problem by interacting directly with the homeless rather than keeping them away."