Arity Charity: “Poorly Drawn Pets”

Team Arity kicked off 2024 with a creative company-wide fundraiser, “Poorly Drawn Pets,” to support Goods for Good and its mission to strengthen the community through collective acts of kindness. This Q1 fundraiser was the first to launch under our new Arity Charity approach, where we empower our very own team members to support organizations they care about most.  

Read on to learn more about our “Poorly Drawn Pets” fundraiser and overall Arity Charity program.  

“Poorly Drawn Pets” for Goods for Good 

Patti Rodgers from our Analytics Team is a long-time volunteer of Goods for Good in Washington, D.C. While she started out baking cakes and creating birthday kits for children who are in shelters or transitional housing, she currently serves as the organization’s database admin.  

“A good way to give back to the community is to find something that you’re skilled at and find someone who needs that skill. It’s really expensive for small organizations to get database administrators, or marketing, or web design – anything like that. Something that you could do in a few hours of work would cost them hundreds, or even thousands of dollars.” – Patti Rodgers, Analytics, Arity

Since Goods for Good is near and dear to her heart, Patti recommended the organization for Arity’s Q1 charity – to raise funds for its clothing pantry for migrants, refugees, and other neighbors in need. With our Culture Team’s support, Patti planned and led a unique and creative fundraiser, which we affectionately dubbed “Poorly Drawn Pets.”  

Throughout the quarter, Arity team members had the opportunity to submit a pet photo and donation in exchange for a pet portrait. We had seven employees join Patti as volunteer artists: Andrew Jaspersohn, Jordan Nelson, Mikaela Peters, Lana Panfilova, Kaylynne Hatch, James Ceart, and Louisa Harbage-Edell.  

Each artist brought their unique talent and creativity to the not-so-poorly drawn pet portraits, submitting different styles of artwork, including digital drawings, continuous line drawings, watercolor paintings, acrylic paintings, and even a linocut print.  

These portraits were unveiled during a virtual happy hour, which was a great chance to come together as a team and give back to our community. We ended up exceeding our fundraising goal, setting the Arity Charity program up for success in 2024.  

Arity Charity 

Our Culture Team is dedicated to making Arity the best place to work, which involves giving back to the communities we’re a part of. We focus our philanthropic efforts – our money, time, and learning – on three elements that tie back to who we are as people and as a company:  

1. Personal safety: Support organizations focused on physical and psychological safe environments. 
2. Acceptance and inclusion: Support organizations that facilitate inclusive environments that understand and embrace differences.  
3. Diversity in tech: Support efforts that can lead to increased diversity in tech.  

While “Poorly Drawn Pets” supports personal safety through Goods for Good, our company goal is to host three more employee-led giving or virtual volunteering events in 2024.     

“Being able to connect with our team via this activity was enjoyable! The idea of supporting nonprofits near and dear to our employees came from our Arity Northern Ireland teammates. The volunteer artists shared their skills and created fun energy when working together on the portraits.” – Steph Ryter, Creative Culture Leader, Arity

At Arity, we’re passionate about making a meaningful impact in the communities in which we live and work, on our roads, and beyond. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date with our Arity Charity events!