WildRock and Tread Lightly: Partnered to Promote Outdoor Ethics

Contributed from Matt Caldwell, Executive Director, Tread Lightly!

When the Rockstars from WildRock asked me to guest write a blog post for them as part of our new partnership, being the Executive Director for the national, nonprofit Tread Lightly!, my first thought was to write on the appreciation and gratitude that I have for companies like WildRock that provide organizations like Tread Lightly! with the opportunity to activate our mission. That would be easy, right? But as I thought more about it, I think there’s a better story, especially now.

When you think about it, what’s the business leader’s most valuable asset. It’s not their capital assets or even their inventory. It’s really their people. It may be trite but it’s true, isn’t it? They’re the ones that make things happen for their organization every day. The ones that even make it possible to give back and support a nonprofit.

I don’t need to remind you of the difficulties of 2020. We’ve all lived it, but for me, one of the biggest struggles has been maintaining the culture that we work so hard to establish and cultivate within our organization. Nothing has challenged that more than working remotely. Let’s be honest, working remotely is hard. Zoom call after Zoom call. No commute to decompress. And of course, the relational aspects of your culture can quickly be lost when your staff is apart. For me, the most important aspect of supporting a nonprofit is the connection that it can bring to your team.

What can a partnership with a nonprofit do? Giving back provides your employees with a reason to brag to friends and family, “did you know what we did?” Think of the energy it can bring to your team. Get your Team involved. Engage them. Who do they want to support? How do they want to support? Communication around something positive can be contagious. As we think about the holiday season and all the lessons of 2020, maybe the question that you and your staff need to be asking is what cause is bigger than your business

Thanks to WildRock for making Tread Lightly! that cause.