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          9:45am - 11:00am

          Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

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How Companies Can Celebrate the Season with Purpose-Driven Giving

November 21, 2025 Luisa Muñoz– She/Ella/Hers, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

Families are feeling the squeeze as costs of housing, groceries, utilities, and childcare continue to climb, while harder-to-access benefits mean that even steady work no longer guarantees stability, resulting in too many neighbors struggling to make ends meet.  

At the same time, businesses across our region are reimagining giving—moving beyond seasonal donations to engaging employees, supporting local businesses, and partnering with nonprofits in ways that create meaningful, measurable impact. At United Way, we see firsthand how purpose-driven philanthropy strengthens the fabric of our neighborhoods, and corporate giving isn’t just good for business, it’s vital to Boston’s future.

And the trend isn’t just local. Corporate giving hit a record $44.4 billion last year, while total U.S. charitable giving reached $592.5 billion in 2024, according to the Giving USA report—reflecting a growing commitment to community impact.

Moving Beyond Traditional Giving

This season, Greater Boston families need more than holiday cheer—they need businesses to show up for neighbors struggling to cover rent, put food on the table, and keep their children cared for. So, What’s Your Move: give with intention, celebrate with purpose, and make gratitude part of your company’s strategy as well as your community’s story.

Across industries, companies of all sizes are recognizing that corporate generosity is no longer just a seasonal gesture—it’s a strategy for meeting urgent community needs while strengthening corporate culture and connection among teams. Today, purpose-driven giving reaches far beyond the office walls. We’re seeing more companies expand employee engagement through workplace giving programs, corporate matches, and hands-on experiences that deepen commitment.

As the year winds down, the spirit of giving is everywhere but in Greater Boston, it carries a deeper meaning this season.

3 Ways to Give with Purpose

1. Sponsor with tangible impact

Assembling hygiene kits, winter essentials, or meal packs for families experiencing challenges with accessing basic needs—when done in partnership with nonprofits that understand community needs—becomes more than charity; it becomes a bridge of empathy.

At United Way, The Thanksgiving Project and The Day of Gratitude aren’t just donation drives—they’re partnership models that bring companies, community leaders, and neighbors together to listen, show up, and work side by side. It’s shared purpose, not one-way giving. In a time when people crave connection, gratitude has become the new growth strategy.

The result? Corporate teams see the direct impact of their work, and community partners gain resources and visibility to keep serving families, creating opportunities, and building pathways to stability.

2. Support Local Social Enterprises

Purposeful giving can also mean shifting company spending to support local businesses that do good. Purchasing gifts, catering, or event supplies from local social enterprises—businesses that reinvest profits into community impact—helps sustain jobs, build economic opportunity, and strengthen the local economy.

Companies can choose gifts from local social enterprises instead of big-box catalogs. For example, United Way partners with: More Than Words, an online and retail bookstore that empowers youth; Madd Love Market, offering apparel and handcrafted wooden products; or Land of a Thousand Hills, part of The Haven Project, where every cup supports housing and job readiness for local youth.

Businesses can also hire creative services from mission-driven media and arts organizations like Elevated Thought or The Loop Lab, or order holiday catering from Root Northshore, supporting its Culinary Training Program, which combines hands-on food service experience with workforce readiness skills.

Every purchase from these social enterprises creates meaningful pathways to college and careers for youth and young adults, while turning each purchase into an act of advocacy—amplifying equity and sustainability right here at home.

The best corporate gifts are the ones that keep giving to both the community and to your company culture.

3. Projects That Keep Giving

Instead of one-time donations, focus on initiatives that create a ripple effect across the community:

  • Funding youth mentorship programs
  • Supporting food access for families
  • Investing in childcare for working parents
  • Providing professional development for educators
  • Backing initiatives that build pathways to economic mobility
  • Hands-on projects in community schools, like beautifying outdoor spaces, equipping playgrounds, or creating safe areas for students to play and learn.
How Companies Can Celebrate the Season with Purpose-Driven Giving

From Giving to Belonging

The holidays remind us that generosity has the power to bring people together. When giving is intentional—focused on equity, inclusion, and sustainability—businesses can turn corporate generosity into a sustained force for good that lasts well beyond the holidays.

Purpose-driven companies don’t just celebrate the season; they help shape a community where everyone has the chance to thrive—because they see community not as a recipient, but as a partner.

So this season, don’t just give. Belong.

Contact [email protected] to explore how your company can engage now and throughout the year.

Meet the Author

Luisa Munoz is the Content Marketing Director at United Way of Massachusetts Bay, where she has spent the past two years sharing the stories and impact of the organization.

With 16 years of experience in marketing across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Luisa is passionate about storytelling that highlights connection and real change, with a keen eye for engaging audiences in meaningful work.

Connect with Luisa

Luisa Muñoz– She/Ella/Hers Headshot
Luisa Munoz She/Ella/Hers

Content Marketing Director,

United Way of Massachusetts Bay

Email Luisa LinkedIn

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