Revel Gives Back with New Philanthropic Initiative

In the latest installment of a guest blog series, Revel’s Chief Strategy Officer Chris Lybeer shares more about Revel’s new philanthropic initiative, and how Revel and its employees strive to make a difference in the communities they serve. 

Revel Kickstarts a New Philanthropic Initiative 

In August of 2020, our team at Revel announced a new company-wide philanthropic initiative. Through the initiative, we will allocate a portion of our annual revenues to support nonprofit organizations based in cities where we have major offices, including Atlanta, GA, San Francisco, CA, and Vilnius, Lithuania. We’ve also launched a new program internally for employees to take a paid day for volunteer work to donate some of their time and their professional expertise to local nonprofits. I’m thrilled that every employee will be given the option to take a paid day of service annually to align their talents with causes that are meaningful to them. 

This recent announcement underscores Revel’s commitment to giving back, whether it be to the communities we have offices in, or the industries that rely on our platform to conduct business. If the pandemic has taught us anything, I think it’s that we all should try our best to lend a helping hand to those in need when we can. While financial donations are one way to do this, sometimes giving our time to causes we’re passionate about and building direct, personal connections can play just as important a role in making a meaningful impact. 

Just as importantly, if we want to foster a great culture of caring, team-oriented people at Revel, there is no better way to reinforce that than to live it both inside and outside of our walls. Every business has to take the responsibility they have to their communities seriously, and I know we do at Revel.  

More About the Local Organizations We’re Supporting

For the organizations receiving financial support from Revel, they each provide different services and assistance, but a common thread between them all is that they are based in cities in which Revel has major offices. For our team, it was important to have a giving presence in the very communities where our colleagues live and work.

To give you some insight into these great organizations, I’ve shared a brief description of each one below. Even if you’re not based in one of these cities, some have a national reach and I encourage you to check out ways you can get involved. 

• City of Refuge (Headquarters in Atlanta, GA, national charity): City of Refuge helps individuals and families transition out of crisis into productive lives. For more than 20 years, this organization has worked to restore communities and bring lasting hope to their residents through local campuses with on-site programs alleviating food, shelter, and healthcare needs. Additionally, long-term services are available through education, job training and financial literacy programs. 
• Giving Kitchen (Headquarters in Atlanta, GA, national charity) : Giving Kitchen provides emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis through financial support and a network of community resources. With community resources available nationwide through GK’s stability network and direct financial assistance available to Georgia and Tennessee residents, GK has served more than 8,000 food service workers since its inception in 2013.
• Lietaus Vaikai (Vilnius, Lithuania): Lietaus Vaikai’s mission is to unify autistic people, families raising autistic children and professionals working with kids who have autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Since March 2013, the organization has provided family support groups, social integration assistance, information on effective educational and health therapies, and public education, among other services, to help those impacted by ASD. 
• Family Giving Tree (San Francisco, CA): Through personal connections, generous giving, and life-long volunteering, Family Giving Tree delivers backpacks filled with school supplies and wished-for holiday gifts. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves to live with dignity and feel like they matter, Family Giving Tree has been serving children in the Bay Area for 30 years. 

Giving back isn’t new for Revel, though this year it has become a more focused and organized effort. In years past our team has participated in a variety of philanthropic activities—including in-office toy drives around the holidays for children, participation in Red Nose Day and breast cancer awareness, and many other employee-led fundraisers for various initiatives. Formalizing this initiative is certainly a testament to Revel’s core values, underscoring that giving back has always been part of our DNA. 

How We Think About Serving Clients and Their Communities 

At Revel, we often refer to ourselves as the “People POS,” meaning we recognize the important role our employees play in ensuring client success. We want to be known as the company whose products and people function at the heart of our clients’ businesses, helping to drive value and success in their operations while also making their long-term goals a reality. 

Our tagline, Heart of Your Business, is a direct reflection of this mission. We’ve long shared how Revel’s solution is the heartbeat of our clients’ businesses, acting as a central connector (a platform!) for business-critical operations and management tools. The tagline also speaks to our commitment to being a people-first company that leads with compassion. 

I’m so proud of the efforts we’re taking as an organization to further our commitment to being the “People POS,” and to serving our clients and local communities in the most impactful way we can.  

A Little Compassion Goes a Long Way

Throughout my life I’ve found myself on the giving and receiving end of compassion and support from a strong network. As Revel’s CSO, strategy is at the core of what I do, but even as I work through spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations I never forget that, at the end of the day, our company is in the business of serving people. Our platform operates quietly in the background for tens of thousands of restaurants and retailers, and is fueling and supporting the jobs of nearly one million people. That means hospitality and customer service underlie every transaction we help process. 

Especially in light of the COVID-19 closures and lockdowns, I will never forget the value of the human connection. Whether through great service to our clients or passionate service to our communities, my Revel colleagues and I look forward to doing the work that fuels the “People POS.”