The year of Resilience
A Letter from our CEO
At the start of 2020, CauseLabs was having our strongest year. We invested in growth and were starting to invest in a new initiative. We hired three new team members and were looking for a fourth to join our team. We expanded our office footprint to host more local events and strategy workshops.
On March 1st, as I was about to board my flight to Bangladesh to accept the Global Social Impact Business Award, I had to ask, “what if I’m not able to get back into the country in two weeks.” The state of the world was changing by the hour and I had to consider not only my own health and safety, but that of my family and my team.
Instead of boarding the plane, we went into lockdown, closed our office, and have been working remotely ever since. As the year has progressed, the best words to describe how I am feeling is emotional fatigue.
Yet, as I reflect on the past 12 months and project into the future, I feel fortunate and I have so much hope. It is not a question of if we will survive this crisis, but how we show up, and what we’ll look like on the other side of it. We are resilient.
I have no doubt that we’ll continue on, precisely because we believe we are doing work that matters and we’re doing it with courageous partners who continue making a positive difference in spite of chaos, despite any fear. They are resilient.
I see opportunities to embrace possibility. We are growing, in our mindset, in our knowledge, in our empathy, and in our lived and shared experiences. Resilience requires struggle, but can result in something more substantial, with deep roots to withstand future upheaval. If 2020 is the year of resilience, I see a chance for 2021 to be a year of possibilities.
Sheryle Gillihan
Global Sustainable Developement Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the world’s shared plan to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet by the year 2030.
Adopted by 193 countries in 2015, the SDGs emerged from the most inclusive and comprehensive negotiations in UN history and have inspired people from across sectors, geographies, and cultures.
CauseLabs joined the UN Global Compact in 2019 when we found that we were perfectly aligned with the global goals. For over 10 years the majority of our projects have met at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Our 2020 Projects
No Poverty: 6 Projects
Health & Well-Being: 8 Projects
Quality Education: 9 Projects
Gender Equality: 1 Project
Decent Work: 5 Projects
Industry, Innovation: 3 Projects
Reduce Inequality: 19 Projects
Sustainable Cities: 5 Projects
Responsible Consumption: 1 Project
Climate Action: 1 Project
Peace & Justice: 1 Project
Partners for the Goals: 3 Projects
Action Manager Scorecard
The SDG Action Manager Scorecard is an impact management solution developed by B Lab and the United Nations Global Compact. It enables businesses of all sizes to set goals, track progress, and stay motivated on their actions toward the SDGs. CauseLabs measures our impact against all 17 SDGs. We are scored out of 100 based on various targets defined by B Lab and the UNGC for corporations.
Declaration of Radical Interdependance
We envision a global economy that uses technology as a force for good.
We must be the change we seek in the world.
All business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.
Through products, practices, and profits, we should all aspire to do no harm and benefit all. To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.
Project Breakdown
We created strategies & solutions to improve outcomes in health, family development, education, access, workforce development, financial capability, government transparency, and building communities of practice.
Education Tech
This year we equipped our partners in the EdTech sector with custom LMSs that supported virtual learning, allowing our partners to continue to grow a positive impact in the world.
Financial Tech
FinTech for both children and adults is proven to have profound impact on altering behaviors and improving socio-economic outcomes. This includes financial literacy and capability. This year shows the value of having skills and confidence in managing and understanding your personal finances.
Social Impact
In 2020 we saw both the resilience of and the need for more social impact initiatives as our more marginalized community members struggled most with the impacts of the pandemic.
“We partner with CauseLabs because you guys truly know what a partnership means. It’s not just a company that you enter into a contract with. In times like these, we work together. Julie and I appreciate you and your staff.”
Sue Heilmayer
Academic Director – University of Cincinnati Economics Center
Our Commitment to the planet.
This year more than ever it seems that we are all beginning to understand that we are in this together. We share the same air. We depend on the same food sources. We are all connected in ways we are only beginning to understand.
One of our core values is radical respect. At CauseLabs we believe now more than ever in being responsible citizens of the planet. The act of caring for our environment is a huge part of radically respecting all beings. Taking care of the planet is taking care of ourselves.
The main way that we act as responsible stewards of the environment right now is by tracking any carbon that we contribute to the atmosphere and purchase carbon offsets for it. Our projects are hosted on green servers and we partner with vendors who have a similar value of sustainability whenever possible.
In 2020 we reduced our carbon footprint by 193.7 metric tons by working remotely and by 16.9 metric tons by using solar and wind power.
We are actively seeking even more ways to hold ourselves more responsible for making the change that we want to see in the environment, both as individuals and as a company.
In 2020 we were 100% Carbon Neutral.
In 2021 we are on track to be Carbon Negative.
Make your next web project carbon neutral.
The Web Neutral Project has calculated that powering the average website produces 4,500 pounds of COs a year, equivalent to driving the average new car for more than 10,000 miles.
Web hosting has a significant impact on the environment, but your website doesn't have to. CauseLabs is committed to taking action against climate change.
We’d love to work with you on your next web project.
Our Values In Action
Do Work That Matters
We empower the underserved and those that serve the greater good.
United Nations Global Compact
We joined the UN Global Compact in 2019 because we are committed to aligning our company and culture with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact to help transform the world through business. We want to inspire others to join us as we Make Global Goals Local Business to create the world we want.
EO Engage Global Social Impact Award 2020
This award recognizes the EO community’s efforts in making a difference beyond their businesses. Winners are determined based on their impact, sustainability, and scalability, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. See the official announcement here.
Commit to Excellence
We infuse quality and meaning into every task, every day.
Best Custom Software Development
Digital.com named CauseLabs one of the Top 9 Custom Software Development companies in Fort Worth, TX. See the announcement here.
Certified B Corporation
We have been a Certified B Corporation since 2014. We love being a part of this growing movement to use business as a force for good. The impact assessment and SDG Action Manager allow us to measure our impact against the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
We won Best for the World: Workers in 2018 and 2019 and the Inclusive Economy Changemaker in 2019.
Radically Respect
We strive to create a culture of balance in all aspects of our lives.
Adoption-Friendly Workplace
It's an honor to be designated as an Adoption Advocate by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA). CauseLabs is also #4 for Small Businesses that offer the best Adoption and Foster Benefits.
But even more exciting is that this is the first year since 2014 that we have not been in the top 100 for all businesses.
Why is that exciting? Because this means that over the past 6 years DTFA has grown their impact, increased awareness, support, and at least 50 other companies have added amazing adoption friendly benefits.
See the full list here.
2020 Best Place for Working Parents
Small Business designation from Best Places 4 Kids and the City of Fort Worth. This is in recognition for our commitment to supporting working parents through our family-friendly policies and practices.
Embrace Possibility
We are the spark that enables progress.
Veteran Owned Small Business
Co-owners Sheryle and Michael Gillihan are both Veterans of the U.S. Army. Through this experience they grew in their leadership and teamwork skills, and it fostered in them the values that now uphold as a company. It is an honor to represent veteran owned small businesses showing our ability to continue serving our community and our country.
Historically Underutilized Business
Minority and Woman Owned Businesses are presented with different challenges associated with centuries old societal biases. We appreciate the efforts of the State of Texas to recognize and open opportunities for women and minority owned businesses to excel. We strive to embrace these possibilities to use technology as a force for good within our state in ways that make a tangible difference for our community members.
Aspire to Inspire
We foster leadership through outreach and education.
Make Time to Vote
We’re one of more than 700 businesses contributing to the culture shift needed to increase voter participation in the U.S. elections by giving our employees Time to Vote. Learn more about the movement here.
Net Zero 2030
CauseLabs joins over 500 B Corps that are publicly committed to a net zero future by ensuring we will have Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030. See the full list of B Corps here.
Climate Neutral Certified
In 2019, we achieved carbon neutrality by offsetting and reducing all of our carbon emissions. Learn more about the certification here.
2020 Finances
We believe that our employees are the most valuable aspect of our company, and we follow that belief with action. Our value of radical respect is demonstrated in how we pay all of our employees an average or above average wage for their role in our sector, market, and regions.
Radical respect at CauseLabs means respecting the entirety of a person. That includes their health & well-being especially in the midst of a pandemic. This year, we expanded our benefits to cover 100% of healthcare premiums for an employee’s entire family.
83% of our revenue went directly to employee compensation, benefits & contractor wages. 10% went to operational expenses. 7% went towards taxes.
