Chime It Forward™: How Chimers are giving back this holiday season

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

While the holidays are often a time marked by glitter, tinsel, sparkling lights, and memories of toys and gifts, they can also be tough — especially from a financial standpoint. “The holidays can be hard,” explains Kira Traore, Chime’s Senior Social Impact Manager. “When we were deciding on the theme and events for our holiday celebrations this year, we wanted to focus on a giving component and celebrate what we can do to make an impact at a time that isn’t always sparkly for everyone.”

Kira knew of several Chimers who regularly give back to their communities, both formally and informally, so she and her cross-functional partners decided to celebrate and acknowledge just that: Chimers and their contributions to their communities. “As we move towards building financial peace of mind together, we hope to highlight what Chimers are doing day-to-day and encourage even more Chimers to give back to their communities” she added.

Chime It Forward

The result of Kira’s cross-functional brainstorm was the aptly named Chime It Forward, which encouraged Chimers to share the ways they’re giving back this holiday season; celebrating Chimers and their personal impact in their communities.

As part of the initiative, Chimers posted pictures and shared stories with another of how they were giving back to their communities on an internal Slack channel.

“Our hope is that Chimers feel pride in themselves and in Chime as a company as we recognize and celebrate that so many of us are doing these amazing things,” says Kira. “In our line of mission-driven work, things can feel overwhelming sometimes because there are simply lots of things we can’t fix. But when we stop to think about the things we can do, celebrate those efforts, and build pride, it makes it easier to focus on the difference we’re making, both big and small.”

“Small things can have big outcomes; it’s how you make people feel that will really stick,” she adds.

And that’s what’s really at the core of what we do at Chime: we aim to provide services to our members, yes, but delivering financial peace of mind comes down to building trust, acting as a partner, advocating for our members, and recognizing that we’re a part of their lives. “We hope that Chime It Forward reminds Chimers of the importance of how we make others feel, both in our work and in our lives outside of work,” Kira says. “We hope Chimers feel encouraged to make a difference in any way they can.”

Unanticipated inspiration and engagement

With the Slack channel launched, Kira thought she’d have to remind Chimers to share — instead, there has been an overwhelming level of interest; Chimers are sharing every day! “Activities range from Chimers volunteering at their kids’ schools to giving time at a food pantry or supporting a Ukrainian family through the process of immigrating to the U.S.,” says Kira. Chimers aren’t only sharing, they’re also encouraging and applauding their coworkers. “It’s been so inspiring to see the level of pure celebration in the channel,” says Kira.

The Chimer stories have made Kira feel proud that Chimers feel comfortable sharing what can sometimes be a vulnerable thing.

Another positive side effect of the group has been granting visibility to organizations Chimers already support — like Trans Santa, microlending organization, Kiva, and several local food banks.

Get out there and Chime It Forward!

For those thinking of giving back to their own communities, Kira has this offer of advice: “Don’t get in your own head or feel embarrassed to just do something. Whatever you’re going to do will bring a smile to someone’s face, so push yourself to just do it. And when it comes to more formal volunteering, while it can feel like a big unknown, it’s a great way to try things out — if you like it, go again, and if not, find another organization to work with. Either way, the result is positive: you gave back.”

If you’re looking for a way to Chime It Forward in your own community, check out VolunteerMatch to find organized volunteering opportunities near you.