12/21/2017

ConnectWise Philanthropic Activities Focus on Local Communities, Hurricane Relief

TAMPA, Fla., December 21, 2017 –– 2017 was a record year of giving from the more than 850 ConnectWiseemployees working in Tampa, Fla.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Seattle, Wash. Together, they logged more than 600 volunteer hours and gave tens of thousands of dollars in donations and goods to their local communities and to partners whose businesses and employees were hard hit by Hurricane Harvey.

“One of our guiding principles at ConnectWise is that we have a responsibility to give back to the communities in which we live and work,” said Arnie Bellini, CEO, ConnectWise. “I’m incredibly proud and overwhelmed by how generous my colleagues at ConnectWise have been this last year with both their time and their wallets.”

Many of the company’s philanthropic initiatives are handled by the private ConnectWise Foundation and focus on four primary areas: technology, education, youth and STEM mentoring.

ConnectWise’s Heather Ptak, who manages the ConnectWise philanthropic efforts, said that in 2017 alone, ConnectWise donated 20 iPads, 100 laptops and 15 desktop computers to various youth organizations. The company also is a sponsor of the Teen Business Challenge, an annual competition organized by Computer Mentors. Computer Mentors is a Tampa organization that works to bridge the technology divide for economically disadvantaged populations, and sets up children and youth for educational and employment success.

In addition to the efforts above, ConnectWise employees across the United States:

  • Donated more than 6,000 school supply items
  • Sponsored 130 children during the holiday season
  • Donated boxes of toys to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation
  • Contributed funds that would feed 52 families

“The level of individual giving here at ConnectWise is heartwarming,” said Ptak. “I’ve never worked with a team who is so eager to give of their time and so quick share their financial resources with those in need.”

Another 2017 ConnectWise initiative – the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund – was launched in response to the devastation experienced by many ConnectWise partners and their families who live and work in Houston and surrounding areas. In total, $61,562 was donated to the fund, with more than 60 percent coming from individual ConnectWise employees. ConnectWise matched all donations, and almost $185,000 was distributed to help more than a dozen businesses rebuild after the storm and to assist their employees who had experienced catastrophic personal losses.

CEO Arnie Bellini said that the decision to launch a hurricane relief fund was a “no brainer” because ConnectWise has always considered its partners as much more than simply customers. “Most of the technology service providers with whom we work are small-to-medium businesses, and a disaster such as Hurricane Harvey has the potential to destroy their businesses and put the livelihood of their employees at risk. When we found that some of our partners’ offices, their homes and their employees’ homes were under water, we didn’t think twice about what had to be done. In times of crisis, family helps family.”