The beginning of the year is an exciting time at TrendyMinds. Our pro-bono program is kicking off (for the third consecutive year), and we’re beginning to get to know a new “class” of worthy organizations. This year our program is giving $50,000 worth of in-kind creative, strategic and interactive services to non-profits here in Indiana and around the country. In the past three years, we’ve contributed more than a quarter of a million dollars to nonprofits. That’s a pretty amazing program to be  a part of, if you ask me.

Half of the fun of our pro-bono program is the voting process -- it's a democratic one.  We each read through the dozens of applications we’ve received, learning more about the organization and their goals. Every member of our team then rates each applicant based on worthiness of the cause, personal interest and the amount of impact we believe we can make in their organization. Once those tallies are in and the top-ranking organizations have been identified, it’s time for the fun part – letting the winners know the good news and getting down to work!

The choices we have to make during the process are tough (it’s never easy to tell an organization they weren’t selected), but the overall process is surprisingly encouraging. Reading through the applications is a great reminder of the amazing work that so many organizations are doing to improve lives throughout Indiana and the country. This has been a hard couple of years for many of these awesome orgs as they’ve seen their budgets slashed while the demand for their services increases. Starting the year with a commitment to give back provides all of us at TrendyMinds with a good perspective of what’s important, and it feels great to know we’ve made an impact. It's a little bit like being a fairy godmother, but minus all the silly dust and the Disney theme music.

It can be easy to get distracted by resolutions to lose weight or read more or spend less money. While those are all worthy goals, it’s perhaps more important to improve the community in some way, and take a personal stake in making the world a better place. We’re honored that we’re in a position to help others. Won’t you join us?