Blog
Stories from the our team, partners, and community
A love letter to Daymaker from our co-founder and departing CEO
January 22, 2021
My Dear Daymaker, I think we both knew this day would come, and now it is finally right in front of us. For seven years, you have been my most constant companion. At my side every step of the way as I moved from adolescence into adulthood. You’ve been my ally, my mirror, and my teacher. You’ve brea...
Our Partners' Paths Volume 1: A tribute to those giving this season
December 9, 2020
Pure Goodness--from our partners' hearts, to ours, to yours. For all of us walking this earth. A Note on Making This Video We did not have plans for any videos this holiday season–primarily because we were stretched capacity-wise. And then, in mid November, we brought the Executive Di...
Farm to Home Explorer Kits for Daymaker Kids
December 1, 2020
“Food education should be a cornerstone of every child’s education." - Erin Croom, founder of Small Bites Adventure Club in Atlanta, Georgia We believe that everyone should have access to healthy, wholesome meals, and that humans are happier when they have a connection to their food and its...
What's New in the Daymaker Stew
November 12, 2020
In a time of big shifts and uncertainty, we've been listening for the next steps on our Daymaker journey. Starting with our pop-up spring campaign in March to send grocery store gift cards to the kids on our platform, we've been trying to meet the calling of the times while the floor feels like it'...
Daymaker Receiver's Journey
July 29, 2020
The Daymaker Model: Beautiful Seeds, With Potential for Deeper Roots For six years now, we have been facilitating resource transfers through our lens of connective, personal, and dignified giving. What made Daymaker unique was that, in addition to the good being done with every gift sent to our pa...
Seeds of Hope: Sadie Short
June 18, 2020
Chickens, Birthdays, Neighbors and Happiness. Daymaker began working with InVision, a company that is 100% fully distributed and the largest remote workforce in the nation, in 2018 during our Back to School campaign. Right away, we knew that the campaign lead, Sadie Short, was a special individual...
Seeds of Hope: Daymaker
May 14, 2020
Living Fully in Today. Running a business inherently means looking towards the future as the place of promise. Or at least, that’s how I have always seen it. And then, COVID-19 arrived, and in an odd way, I felt it brought some space for new stories to begin to emerge. Suddenly, we had an opportun...
Seeds of Hope: Boys and Girls Club Paterson & Passaic
May 7, 2020
Spirit of Service. Before COVID19, the Boys and Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic (BGCPP) helped take care of over 1,100 kids every single day. Across 10 different sites in the cities of Paterson and Passaic and a summer camp, BGCPP is more than an afterschool program or childcare facility: they...
Seeds of Hope: Movement Mortgage
April 28, 2020
More Than Mortgages. Movement isn’t your typical mortgage company, something you begin to understand as you read its mission statement: We exist to love and value people by leading a movement of change in our industry, in corporate cultures and in communities. More than 4,000 employees are not j...
Seeds of Hope:
April 14, 2020
The Overview. Like many of the companies we work with, we had grand plans for the spring that did not consider nationwide pandemics and national health emergencies. Eventually, we’ll show you all the beautiful things we dreamt up. For now, we’re focused on what we do best: using our platform to br...
Apart, but Together: Our response campaign to the present times.
March 19, 2020
We get to choose what all of this will mean. Like for so many of you, 10 days ago, business was normal. Daymaker was gearing up for our spring campaign focused on getting kids in low-income communities out into nature to help them find a place where they could always feel they belonged. We were la...
Be About Love: A Revival Story
November 8, 2019
Be About Love Those were the words that came from a dear friend this spring. “If love is your purpose, then be about it always,” he insisted as we sat outside a Noe Valley coffee shop. That was in the midst of what I would now call a revival of sorts for Daymaker. We had discovered a new essence...
Why We Give
December 21, 2018
We Give to Remember Our Togetherness The holidays have arrived, and that inevitably means even the most last-minute of us has spent some time thinking about how we will give this season. For many—and all of those receiving this who have used Daymaker—that reflection will include considering those...
Enabling others to live their gifts
December 6, 2018
We’re all a moment away from shining; we simply need an invitation At Daymaker, we ask ourselves often: what makes for a meaningful gift? Whether we’re giving to our own children, our college best friend, or to a family in need, there is a common thread alive in all of these forms of generosit...
Holiday Giving will look a bit different this year
November 20, 2018
A note from our CEO Hi Friend, I hope this note finds you well and settling into the chaos and joy the holiday season inevitably brings. This year, holiday giving will look different from years past on Daymaker. We are excited to introduce Yearmaker. Yearmaker enables you to make a real difference i...
The Stories That Shaped Us
June 11, 2018
We're very excited to share our new Daymaker series, “The Stories That Shaped Us.” Each week during the Summer Swing Campaign, we’ll share a unique story about how reading shapes and inspires every child, featuring perspectives from our team as well as some of your favorite authors. Volume 3: Alice...
The 2017 Holiday Platform
December 21, 2017
As we sit back and watch thousands of packages arrive on the doorsteps of our nonprofit partners, we’re reflecting on a year that surpassed our highest expectations. This was all made possible by you and the community of kind, generous, and loving individuals of all ages across the country (and worl...
The Little Voices: How to talk to the kid-driven conscience
December 12, 2017
The problem at hand: We want the kids to know the importance of giving back, but it’s not always clear how to go about it. Where does the conversation about giving back start? When in doubt—or in a parenting pinch—the Golden Rule has long since been the go-to philanthropic nudge we give our kids....
Responsive Hope
June 8, 2017
Zelda recounted early days, before there was trust. “He told her for two years his name was TJ when it was really Clarence. He didn’t give his real name because he thought she might be a cop.” Zelda Mayer | Director of Development at I Grow Chicago Clarence quickly learned “her” name was Robbin C...
The Launch of Give Now
May 16, 2017
Today we launch Give Now. Here’s why: In Feb of 2016 (back during our LA pilot), parents began coming to the platform hoping to start a conversation about giving back with their kids in a way that was personal and relatable. The problem was, at that time, only party hosts and guests could actually u...
Introducing: Daymaker
March 28, 2017
Washington, D.C. — As of March 28, 2017, CommuniGift becomes Daymaker. After years of gifting, celebrating and learning, we reveal a name and brand that measures up to the magic moments we’ve been creating together all along. Our goal since inception: to make giving simple and meaningful. We’ve spen...
The Unforgettable Moments
March 27, 2017
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. Tomorrow we're announcing some pretty big news. It's going to be big and fun and exciting, and we cannot wait to watch it unfold....
The 2016 Holiday Platform
January 6, 2017
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. As we look back on the 2016 Holiday Platform (November 15-December 25), we are blown away by how much good was accomplished. We w...
Announcing: Atlanta!
November 18, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. Before we launched in Los Angeles, and before Charlotte welcomed us into the fold, we were students at Chapel Hill with a desire...
The First CommuniGift Ambassadors!
June 15, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. The Jones girls are adding a whole new role to their repertoire: CommuniGift Ambassadors Maggie Elizabeth Jones, the star at Th...
Welcome to the QC
May 26, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. Our Charlotte Story A few months back, CommuniGift piloted a platform that enabled birthday hosts to invite their party guests to...
Howdy, Partner!
May 20, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. We're pleased to welcome Sports Connection to the CommuniGift family! As Charlotte's go-to party spot, Sports Connection is the p...
Ripple effect
May 11, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. It all started with Millie. A few weeks before her party, friends received their invitation: “Celebrate and Give Back for Millie'...
Advocate, family member, friend.
May 10, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. It’s hard to walk away from a conversation with Rosa without feeling lighter. Like life is more managable. Happier. That’s who sh...
Giving Back & Having Fun
April 27, 2016
"I think there are two things I want to instill in my children. The first one is that I want them to have fun—to enjoy life and to do things that make them happy, to be brave and to try new things. The second is to be a good citizen within your community—to learn how to serve and to give back t...
The CommuniGift 5
March 1, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. Week after week, more and more gifts are being sent to children who would otherwise go without on their birthday. The gifts, sent...
Kid Blog: Millie's Party Debrief
February 22, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. After her CommuniGift Birthday party, 8-year-old Millie shared a few thoughts. Here's what she had to say: "I think that a...
Magic at Mar Vista Gardens
February 2, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. For J Gonzales, it's more than a job. As the director of the Boys & Girls Clubs, Mar Vista Gardens Branch, J makes it his mis...
Guest Blog: The Day my 3-year-old Learned Multiplication
January 25, 2016
On March 28, 2017, CommuniGift became Daymaker. This post was published prior to that launch but is certainly a part of the wonderful journey that got us to where we are. Although that may sound impressive, it’s not exactly what you would think. This year, for her 3rd birthday, she found out what mu...