Connecting Community Giving to Corporate Culture
Jun 05, 2023
Pictured above: Sarah (left) and Alexandra Hall, co-founders of the branding company Harley & Co., have built on a family tradition of community-focused philanthropy by establishing a fund at FCCF and engaging staff in a corporate culture of giving.
Sarah and Alexandra Hall — the cofounders of the bustling New York City branding company Harley & Co. — learned the value of community-focused giving during dinner table conversations with their father, Christopher Hall.
As Vice President of Grantmaking at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, Christopher made a point of emphasizing the importance of local giving to his young daughters.
As adults, Sarah and Alexandra are now carrying forward those values at Harley & Co. by embedding giving into their corporate culture through a Corporate Advised Fund at Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
The sisters have used the fund to support causes they are passionate about where they have established connections. For instance, because they had previously done some work in Jackson, Miss., they have made donations from the fund to support Jackson nonprofits helping residents navigate a water crisis.
As mothers raising young children in Fairfield County, the Halls focus on supporting local efforts to create more equitable schools.
The fund has also helped foster engagement with their Harley & Co. staff.
“It’s been a great tool to engage with our employees because there’s so much that’s happening in the world right now, and it’s a lot for folks to process. I think when you can put action to that processing through giving, it helps people feel like they can be a part of something.”
Sarah Hall
Co-founder Harley & co.
And they are also helping spread the word about the value of community foundations to other businesses that want to make an impact.
“We emphasize the tremendous impact you can have by locally distributing resources back into the communities where you live. It’s about urging people with power, privilege, and influence to think about how, with relatively little effort, they can have such a tremendous impact on their local community.”
Alexandra Hall
Co-founder Harley & co.
Become a Corporate Partner
To learn how Fairfield County’s Community Foundation can help your business increase your impact in the community through a Corporate Advised Fund, contact Rebecca Mandell, Donor Engagement Officer, Partnerships and Learning, at RMandell@FCCFoundation.org.
