Generosity was an important part of my upbringing; we lived in a tight-knit community where neighbors gave to each other in every way. When we got out of school, adults watched whichever kids wandered into their houses. If they were going to get groceries, they’d call a neighbor and ask, “Can I pick you up some bread or milk?” Sometimes they just bought extra because they knew somebody was going to need it.
When my husband and I started planning our family, I knew we’d teach our children about the importance of being generous, and when we decided to start Kindred Bravely, I knew that generosity would be part of our company’s DNA.
As Kindred Bravely grows, we keep our company values front and center – and generosity is a huge part of that. From supporting non-profit organizations to helping people in our local communities, we’re always looking for ways to give back or pay it forward.
The current health care crisis has brought with it so many areas of urgent need. Frontline health care workers are giving so much, and we wanted to support them. We started by donating a large supply of masks to assisted living facilities and hospitals, including Prestige Assisted Living, UC San Diego Medical Center, and UCLA Medical Center, where we also sent pumping bras for the staff.
Since pumping at work as a health care worker can be challenging even without a pandemic, we decided to expand our pumping bra donation. On our social media platforms, we asked people to nominate health care workers for free pumping bras so we could make it easier for moms to do their heroic work of providing care to their patients and nourishment to their children. The response was incredible, and we’re so proud to have helped so many frontline workers!
When tragedies like this strike, we do our best to respond in a meaningful way. Over the years, we’ve also made donations to families and babies affected by wildfires, hurricanes, and accidents.
One week at a team meeting, I mentioned that my friends and I had raised $400 for a mom whose husband suffered a TBI after a hit-and-run biking accident. She had five kids at home, including a newborn, and was now facing unprecedented challenges. After I shared this story, Kindred Bravely matched our donation. I never expected such generosity, but it really solidified for me how all of us moms are in this together!
-Erin, Director of Organizational Effectiveness
Nearly everyone at Kindred Bravely is a work-from-home mom, and as moms, we know it takes a village, so we’re especially passionate about giving to organizations that support women and their health.
Over the years, we’ve also made substantial donations to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), The Superhero Project, Human Milk Banking Association of North America, March of Dimes, Project Sunshine, Breastfeeding World, Helping Mamas, Mother's Milk Bank at the Rocky Mountain Children's Hospital, and Nurture Project International, which provides support to refugee mothers in Europe and the Middle East.
We’re also dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs, and we're so proud of our partnership with Free the Girls, a non-profit organization that helps survivors of human trafficking in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mozambique start their own businesses selling bras in their local communities.
A little closer to home, we also give in our communities in Southern California. All of the returns that don’t go back into inventory find a home with someone who needs them. We’ve donated to many women’s shelters and treatment programs – we gave so much to the Family Recovery Center in Oceanside they had to stop taking our donations! We’ve donated to Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, and Disabled American Veterans Charity (DAV). Whenever a hospital, WIC clinic, or breastfeeding support group asks for a donation, we always give whatever we can.
Since generosity is a core value of our company, another way we love giving back is through our monthly “Random Acts of Generosity.” We allocate a budget ($50 per employee, roughly $2,400 each month) for these Random Acts of Generosity and empower our employees to give to those in need.
My first Random Act of Generosity was to the incredible nurse who helped me through my second delivery. It would be impossible to repay her for the kindness and encouragement she gave me as I labored, but it felt wonderful to send her a nursing bra when she had her second baby.
-Maggie, Email Content Manager
This challenging period has presented extraordinary opportunities for Random Acts of Generosity, with employees saving up funds or pooling funds with other employees to make an even greater impact. Earlier this year, one employee donated roughly $450 to Nourish North County Food Pantry at North Terrace Elementary School in Oceanside, CA, where Kindred Bravely is based; this pantry was open on Fridays so kids in food-insecure homes could have food over the weekend.
In March, an employee distributed food to her neighbors and meals to health care workers at Rizal Medical Center in the Philippines. In April, another employee provided food for about 30 families in her neighborhood. An Oceanside employee went above and beyond her Random Act of Generosity and contributed personally to the Covid-19 relief fund in India to support factory workers who are temporarily out of work because of the lockdown.
We also actively strive to infuse generosity into our day-to-day business functioning. One of the most important areas we focus our generosity on is customer care. We have a 90-day return window, triple that of most online retailers, because we know all about that #momlife and how tricky it can be to get to the post office when you're stuck in bed under a cluster-feeding newborn or a million weeks pregnant and too tired to think. Whether they’re sending a surprise care package to a mom in need or going the extra mile to get a gift to the spouse of a deployed serviceperson, our Customer Care team works to make moms’ days.
A mom reached out to ask when we’d be restocking a specific pair of Brave Socks – she’d been struggling, and the phrase “Baby, You’re Worth It” meant a lot to her. Since we wouldn’t have any arriving on time, we looked everywhere possible in our warehouse and found a pair to send her. It was a small act of kindness, but it meant the world to her (and me!) that we were able to give her what she needed.
-Denise, Customer Experience Lead
Additionally, we’ve built an incredibly rich community to support BraveMoms on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, including our Facebook group, KindredMamas; and we are privileged to see moms who bravely make themselves vulnerable be met with the generous advice and encouragement we would hope for every mom.
I know we can’t support every cause, but I believe helping when we can makes a difference. I don’t need Kindred Bravely to be known as the most profitable company in the world, but I’d like us to be known as a generous company because the world needs more generosity – never more so than now.
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