Generus loves generosity, so you’ve probably already guessed that we’re big fans of GivingTuesday. This international movement embraces the holiday spirit by encouraging participants to give back and do good. In celebration, we wanted to spotlight a few nonprofits that you can support today—and every day—through donations and volunteer work. Although we can’t list all our favorite nonprofits, we hope this list provides a starting point for ways to better our world, spread kindness, and get involved. 

Ascentria Care Alliance

Ascentria means “rising together,” and Ascentria Care Alliance is devoted to helping vulnerable communities grow and thrive. One of their current goals is to help resettle hundreds of Afghan refugees in New England. In order to do so, they’ll require donations for housing, legal aid, and other essential resources. If you’d like to help Ascentria in their mission to help others, you can donate or share their social posts. 

Partners in Health

Partners in Health provides healthcare to communities where treatment is inaccessible or unaffordable. They believe that healthcare is a human right, and they treat every patient like a family member. The work they do saves lives, and through your donation, they’ll be able to partner with even more organizations and help even more people. 

Message of Hope

Hospitals can be scary, especially for chronically ill children. But with Message of Hope’s Happy Hope Bags, these children will have brighter and more hopeful experiences. Message of Hope provides fun gifts and activities to make hospital stays less overwhelming. Their bags include only hospital-approved games and toys, such as coloring books and stickers. By donating to Message of Hope, you’ll become a Hope hero and bring joy to a child in need.

Whatever help you can offer this GivingTuesday makes a huge difference to these nonprofits. And of course, help doesn’t stop with monetary donations. Through Generus’s virtual volunteer events, you’ll be able to give back to your community while improving company morale, productivity, and teamwork. If you want to make an even bigger impact, consider signing up for one of our virtual volunteer projects today.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and there’s a lot to be thankful for this year. We’re slowly putting the pandemic behind us, returning to the office, and generally regaining a sense of normal. Your company has been through so much these last two years, and so, too, have your employees. For that reason, it’s important to let them know just how much you appreciate them, and what better way than by volunteering together?

Here are three ways virtual volunteering will show your employees you’re thankful for them.

Acknowledge Employee Talents 

Just like with office work, virtual volunteering requires specific talents. Some employees are better at hands-on tasks while others are more skilled at organization or management. By choosing a project that honors these diverse interests and talents, you’re acknowledging your employees’ work and abilities as individuals. Essentially, you’re showing that each and every one of your employees is important to your business—it wouldn’t be a team without them.

Center Employee Interests

Employees want to work on projects that are important to them, and virtual volunteering gives them access to so many options. By working on a project that an employee is personally invested in, you’re showing that you respect and acknowledge their interests. In turn, your employee will know you see them as an individual, and simultaneously, they’ll feel more connected to your team. In other words, by being part of something that matters to them (their cause), you’re thanking them for being a part of what matters to you (your company).

Deepen Connections

Every employee wants to feel connected to their team, and virtual volunteering allows them to build deeper bonds. These bonds are helpful around the office on collaborative tasks—they’re also useful for networking. Plus, you’ll get to know your employees better and develop an even greater appreciation for their work. Essentially, by volunteering together, you’re helping them with their future careers. They’ll have a better idea of your company, and you’ll have a better idea of how they can grow within it.

Thanksgiving is a time for giving back, but it’s not the only time. If you want to be generous all year long, reach out to Generus and schedule your virtual volunteer project today.

30 early-stage, high-impact startups to access global network of support and resources. Two dates set for the public to connect with the new cohort online.

JUNE 2, 2020 (PROVIDENCE, RI) – MassChallenge, a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, today announced the 30 early-stage startups invited to participate in the 2020 MassChallenge Rhode Island program. Selected by a community of more than 100 expert judges, this year’s cohort is extremely competitive and represents the top 10% of applications from around the world. “Congratulations to the 30 incredible companies accepted into our 2020 cohort,” said Hope Hopkins, Managing Director of MassChallenge Rhode Island. “MassChallenge has a longstanding mandate of empowering entrepreneurs – this year, that mandate is critical: we look forward to working with you closely and ensuring that you are successful agents of progress.” “Hasbro is excited to partner with MassChallenge Rhode Island again this year.  As a homegrown Rhode Island company where innovation is our lifeblood, we understand the needs of startups and how important access to the mentorship, funding opportunities, and curriculum are to help these startups set roots and grow,” Brian Chapman, President and Head of Global Design and Development, Toy/Game/Consumer Products at Hasbro stated. “We are excited to help them connect here in Rhode Island and look forward to working with these startups in developing their businesses.” At the beginning of the year MassChallenge set out to meet top startups around the globeas for this year’s program. Since March, the program’s world-class network of investors, serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, academics, and more have evaluated the Rhode Island applicants based on each startup’s ability to demonstrate high impact and high potential in their fields. The cohort selected for this year’s Rhode Island program represent:

• 3 Countries

• 5 Industries

• 37% High Tech

• 30% Healthcare/Life Sciences

• 13% General, Retail and Consumer Goods

• 10% Energy/Clean Tech

• 10% Social Impact

• 56% of startups have a female founder

A Focus on Blue Tech

To accelerate the tools and technologies that could transform how we understand and leverage the power of the ocean, MassChallenge Rhode Island is taking the lead in launching MassChallenge’s Blue Tech track.  This pilot highlights a new focus area for the program that will help select startups from across our US-based programs explore, develop, and deploy new technologies that will help us harness the power of the ocean. It is MassChallenge’s goal to bring together maritime leaders with startups that have the ideas and tools needed to deepen our use of the ocean including aquaculture, ballast water, defense and security, fishing, logistics and supply chain, marine pharmaceuticals, and more. Participants will have access specific experts in the local Blue Tech space including government organizations, research and development centers, and innovation groups. Addressing COVID-19 To mitigate the public health risks presented by the novel coronavirus, MassChallenge Rhode Island’s 2020 accelerator will begin virtually and plans to transition to a hybrid of digital and in-person programming when the organization can ensure the health and safety of its community. Participating startups will engage in an evidence-based curriculum designed to address key challenges across the early-stage lifecycle and will receive unrivaled access to experienced mentors, a global network of experts, top corporate partners, and more – all at zero cost and for zero equity.   The public will have two opportunities to connect with the cohort the first is during the MassChallenge Virtual Startup Showcase on July 16 and 17 and the latter at the  2020 Awards ceremony to be held in October. . More information and RSVP details will be shared on the MassChallegne website when the accelerator kicks off later this month. 2020 MASSCHALLENGE RHODE ISLAND COHORT High Tech BCube Analytics (Massachusetts, USA): Remotely managing customer documents, audit & compliance. NextPet (Massachusetts, USA): Solving the lack of centralizing and sharing pet data by modernizing pet licensing and building a global pet registry. NextBurb (Massachusetts, USA): Zillow for professionals working from home Bitreel (Massachusetts, USA): Taking your in-store experience online using augmented reality. StoreyLine (New York, USA): Offering turnkey retail solutions for emerging online D2C brands to reach consumers offline without the hassle at a fraction of the cost. Mount (Massachusetts, USA): A scooter management platform run through our software + hardware that helps reduce scooter companies’ operational costs by the millions. Nautilus Defense LLC (Rhode Island, USA): Building advanced textile and composite-integrated systems for monitoring high-value assets and their environments. Hop Financial Solutions (India): HOP is a cross-border neo-banking platform with the ability to ‘Operate’, ‘Send’ and ‘Spend’, conveniently and economically, globally. NAORIS (London, UK): A holistic cybersecurity blockchain-based ecosystem which can detect known and unknown threats – cyberweapons in milliseconds. Mindcoord (Massachusetts, USA): Providing cloud-based interactive animation media services. Providing an ecosystem for animators and studios. Retail MarketPoint (Rhode Island, USA): Retail MarketPoint is a real estate technology company specializing in retail site location analytics. Healthcare / Life Sciences bosWell (Rhode Island, USA) Luminent Health LLC (Massachusetts, USA) Crosscope (California, USA): Building virtual microscope for pathologists and researchers to leverage machine learning and cloud based platform to enhance pathology workflows, accelerate image analysis and support collaboration.

Video Bridges (Massachusetts, USA) : Connecting seniors with their loved ones in a way that is empowering and allows them to perform daily tasks independently. ResusciTech (Rhode Island, USA): ResusciTech aims to give everyone the confidence and capability to perform CPR anywhere and take action during medical emergencies. Simply Speak (New York, USA): Restoring humanity to the practice of medicine by leveraging conversational-AI. VISIT (Rhode Island, USA): VISIT is a social/cognitive subscription activity kit that guides relationship-building between a caregiver and a loved one with dementia.

Flare (Pennsylvania, USA): Flare is a smart wearable device that can predict eczema flare ups. My MOC, Inc. (Rhode Island, USA): Making continuous education simple for healthcare clinicians. Energy / Clean Tech Power2Peer (Massachusetts, USA): Giving access to clean, resilient energy sourced from community micro/nano solar grids.

Geyser Remediation LLC (DBA Aqualumos) (Connecticut, USA): An integrative system for water utilities to destroy per-and polyfluoro alkyl substances (PFASs) in drinking water cost-effectively. GC USA (Rhode Island, USA): Combining graphene and aerogel to make the strongest, lightest, most resilient products ever – enhancing the quality of life. General Resprana (New York, USA): Empowering people around the world to own their air with better products to protect users against pollution and allergen exposure. Artist Republik (Rhode Island, USA): Artist Republik is a centralized network for independent artists to network, manage, market, book, and grow! Traveroo Inc. (Rhode Island, USA): Letting tour-guides create self-guided audio tours which travelers can then buy and experience.

LapSnap (Rhode Island, USA): The LapSnap is the only collapsible shopping basket specifically designed with and for wheelchair users. Social Impact Generus (Massachusetts, USA): Providing Virtual Volunteering programs for companies to keep employees connected and empower good corporate citizenship. Nurture (California, USA): Nurture is co-living for families. We rent houses in areas w/ great schools & short commutes, then sublet bedrooms to 2-3 families we match. Inventing Heron (Rhode Island, USA): A web-based career resource that takes a radically personal and empathetic approach to career discovery.

MassChallenge Rhode Island Partners AMICA, Delta Dental of Rhode Island, FM Global, Hasbro, JP Morgan, MITRE, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation

About MassChallenge MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 2,400 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $6.2B in funding, generated more than $3B in revenue, and created more than 157,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.

So many seniors are isolated and would enjoy hearing and seeing you share something you enjoy. Whether it is a song, some poetry, art you’ve created or maybe you can solve a Rubik’s cube in record-breaking speed. Show us your garden. Or your collection. Make it something you love. And tell us why. Amateur or professional – all are welcome.

Please help us by making a video and/or sharing on social media. Find our Generus Video ‘Visits’ for Seniors YouTube channel HERE. In addition, we will be promoting participating artists (including a Featured Artist program).

For each 3-5-minute video:

• Introduce yourself and share your story

• Share something you enjoy (music, art, poetry, Rubik’s cube, gardening, etc.)

You will retain all your rights to your artistic property.

Interested in participating? Go HERE to learn more and tell us about yourself. At the end of the form, you’ll get a link to upload your video.