On September 19, GoDaddy launched the Tomorrow Fund worldwide for all its employees. It’s designed to help employees recover from unanticipated events or natural disasters, something many are facing now across the country and globe.
I’ve been at GoDaddy a really (really) long time. Granted, it’s not like the old days when someone would do more than 30 years at a motor company—days when someone would start at a company single and retire with grandkids and a timeshare in Montana. We measure longevity in the tech world a little like we measure dog years. One year in at one company in tech? That’s at least three years.
Now that I’ve spent more than 15 years at GoDaddy, I feel like I’ve got some explaining to do.
GoDaddy’s Tomorrow Fund is a perfect way to explain why I’m still at GoDaddy and why I still do what I do. It’s a little cliche to say it feels like a family here, but I’ll say it anyway:
We join forces to feed each other and our friends and families. We help each other start side-hustles and businesses. When someone is sick, we check on them. When someone wins, we cheer. When someone loses, we stand by to help. I’ve seen small armies of people find homes for dogs, build skateboards for kids, and raise money for artists.
After all this time, it still feels like I’m part of a garage band. Each member is a big deal. We can’t play our best without someone fancy on keys. We can’t jam if we’re missing percussions. We can’t groove if we forgot our bass player in an underground pub Prague. We need each other to make this work.
I’ve been no other place where almost all the people I work with believe that they succeed when others succeed. This is why I’ve worked at GoDaddy for 45 tech-years.
This is the spirit behind the Tomorrow Fund.
GoDaddy started the fund with a $100,000 contribution. Employees and non-employees alike can donate any amount to add to that. For employees who need help, the fund will give grants between $250 and $1,000 (or local currency equivalent) to help offset costs associated with necessities such as food, clothing and transitional housing.
How does GoDaddy decide who gets help? They don’t. They leave decisions up to the experts who know how to do this sort of thing. The Tomorrow Fund is managed by an outside vendor, Emergency Assistance Foundation. It’s a well-known employee assistance fund manager. All donations to the Tomorrow Fund are tax-deductible in the U.S.
Wildfires in California have turned the sky in San Francisco a post-apocalyptic orange. We’re in the middle of an unpredictable global pandemic. We’re wandering the streets wearing face masks. A massive windstorm shaped like a scythe ripped through middle America. It took down farm buildings and homes and trees older than anyone any of us know.
Many people feel like once they get back on their feet they get knocked back down again and again and again. I believe humans are resilient. People are resilient. Families are resilient. We find a way. But it’s fair to say we find a way a little faster when we team up. It’s easier to find a way with a little help from our friends.
Photo: Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash
The post GoDaddy launches the Tomorrow Fund to support employees in need appeared first on GoDaddy Blog.