How we give back: Customer.io's 2025 year-end impact 

Every December, our team asks a simple question: what do you care about?

Not in the abstract, values-on-a-wall kind of way. Literally: what cause would you give money to if we handed you the funds to do it? For the past six years, Customer.io has run an end-of-year giving campaign built around exactly that premise. This past December, we're proud to share what our team made happen together.

Starting on Giving Tuesday, December 2nd, every full-time Customer.io employee received $250 in cause credits to donate to any organization they care about, through our giving platform, Percent Pledge. Employees could also choose to add personal funds on top of those credits, which Customer.io then matched up to an additional $250.

We chose Percent Pledge because it makes giving personal and frictionless. The platform lets people find and support causes they already care about, without being nudged toward a company-approved list. As Haley Berger, who led the campaign on our People team, put it:

We aimed to raise $81,000 this campaign and ended up raising $92,376, landing at 114% of our goal. The difference came from employees who chose to contribute their own money on top of their cause credits, which also triggered the company match. Participation was never mandatory, and personal contributions certainly weren't either, so the fact that people went above and beyond says something about how much this campaign actually meant to them.

"The goal was to make giving feel personal, not performative. By providing cause credits, we removed the financial barrier entirely, so anyone could participate in a way that actually meant something to them," said Haley.

If you want to know what a company's people actually care about, look at where they give. This year, our team supported 379 unique organizations across dozens of countries and cause areas.

Health and medical causes made up the largest share of support, followed closely by poverty alleviation and human services. Together those two categories accounted for about 70% of clearly categorized giving.

The rest ranged widely, from animal welfare and environmental conservation to arts and culture, immigration rights, veterans' services, and education access. Some donations went to globally recognized organizations. Others went to small, local nonprofits that you'd only know about if you lived in that community or volunteered there yourself.

Anna split her credits between two organizations: Whole Way House supports vulnerable seniors, veterans, and residents in supportive housing through community programs focused on connection and stability. World Housing's Women + Families Centre helps women and children experiencing domestic abuse and housing insecurity rebuild their lives.

Claire donated to the Huntington's Disease Association, a UK charity that funds research, supports patients and families, and trains medical professionals to better understand and care for those living with the disease.

Kelsi Rohrmann donated to Pepper's Senior Dog Sanctuary in Colorado, a nonprofit that gives senior dogs a safe home and compassionate end-of-life care rather than euthanasia in overcrowded shelters.

"I'm so grateful to our company for making this possible so I can continue supporting the work they're doing for these seniors who still have so much love to give," Kelsi shared.

Brigitte split her donation between two arts organizations she loves: the Neo-Futurists in Chicago, an ensemble that performs 30 original plays in 60 minutes, and Celebration Barn in Maine, which offers workshops and camps in clowning, mime, and performance. "These groups hold a mirror to the world but keep you laughing in times of incredible turmoil.”

Molly donated to Bear Den Sanctuary, an organization that provides permanent refuge for cats rescued from kill lists and the streets. Her donation went toward vaccinations, medical care, and food for the resident cats. "These cats now have a safe place to live thanks to donations and volunteers."

Each year, our end-of-year giving campaign reflects one of our core values: empathy. It’s an opportunity for our team members to give back to the causes that matter most to them and support the communities where they live and work. By creating space for individual passions and collective impact, we turn empathy into action in a meaningful, tangible way.

We've run a version of this campaign for six years, and the structure has always been intentional. The cause credit model ensures participation is available to everyone on our team, regardless of their financial situation. Employees choose where their credits go, and we don't put guardrails on that decision.

What we get back is an honest picture of who our team is. This year that meant a senior dog sanctuary in Colorado, a theater ensemble in Chicago, a Huntington's disease charity in the UK, food banks, cancer research organizations, immigration advocacy groups, and 370-some other places our people decided mattered. We think that breadth is worth celebrating, and we plan to keep building on it.

If you're interested in joining a team that puts this kind of care into how it operates, check out our open roles and apply today!