OBgood Happy Holidays, From Outbrain

At Outbrain, giving back to our communities is part of who we are as a company. So this season, our offices around the world have organized events to help people who need it. We’re so proud of everyone who volunteered their time to make the year a little brighter for someone. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

OBGood New York & Chicago

Our New York and Chicago offices each had casual get-togethers to create uplifting cards for kids with chronic illnesses in hospitals around the country, in partnership with non-profit Cardz for Kidz. Because we have Outbrainers who speak lots of different languages, we got creative and made cards for children with all different backgrounds. It was a great way to spread some holiday cheer, and have fun bonding as a team.

St. Nicholas’s Day Gifts in Germany

Our German office celebrated St. Nicholas’s Day (December 6th) by dressing up as Santa and his helpers and giving out presents to kids in a daycare center run by the Kinderschutzbund (child protection association).

This was their second year giving gifts to the kids in this center—in fact, last year, they spent most of their holiday party funds on gifts. What’s a few beers and holiday cookies when you can put smiles on the faces of kids in need?

Discovering Partnerships Through Food: Singapore and Sydney

In a twist on the classic holiday party, the Singapore and Sydney offices collected food to help other people have a holiday feast. Outbrainers asked agencies they worked with this year to contribute to a food drive for a local pantry, then went around collecting the donations and distributing thank you gifts. It was a great way to give back, and to raise awareness about the issue of food waste. The Singapore office collected over 500 kilos of food, then spent the next day volunteering with the food bank to pack the food for delivery to families in need. The event closed with festive drinks on a rooftop bar.

Giving Back in London

The last year has flown by in the Outbrain London office, and one of the highlights this year has been without doubt all funds we have raised for charity. Giving back is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a business, and you’re guaranteed lots of fun along the way!

Our chosen charity for 2017 was Doctors without Borders who do amazing work all over the world – we couldn’t be prouder of all the money we have raised as a team for their fantastic cause: a staggering £5,012.73!

The whole London office got involved and there were fundraising events to please everyone: anything from Valentine and Easter themed bake sales for the foodies, to a 10k race for the athletes (who ate all the cupcakes!).

Our Juniper June event was an office favorite: a gin tasting evening with a tropical theme. Pineapples and G&Ts everywhere! Some people did pull off the Hawaiian look much better than others…

As we all know too well, December is an extremely busy month for all of us, however, at Outbrain we still managed to squeeze in a few fundraising events in the spirit of Christmas – any excuse to wear red Santa hats and our festive jumpers!

A group of us took part in the Santa Dash 5k, in support of the charity Brainwave, and raised over £300. Running around London in a Santa suit wasn’t the best gear to run in, but so much fun and we all crossed the finish line. It goes without saying we headed straight to the nearest pub!

We also had an amazing team who went out and volunteered for the Food Chain, setting up base in local supermarkets encouraging customers to donate some of their shopping to help support people living with HIV in London. The Food Chain is a great cause and the Outbrain team did a fantastic job! Good practice for our Sales Team negotiation skills too!

The Holiday Spirit in Southern Europe

As for our SE team (France, Spain and Italy), they all came together and invaded the streets and supermarkets of Paris. They had one mission: to collect as many donations for children as possible for the charity Bénévoles at Home – and I’m pleased to say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Nappies, milk and toys galore, as well as cash donations over €1000!

We look forward to seeing the other things, big and small, our offices do this year to engage and improve our local communities. At Outbrain, there’s always time to do a project that helps people in need.

It means so much to us to be able to give back in whatever ways we can.