These Baltimore tech companies teamed up to donate for #GivingTuesday

Plenty of tech firms partner to create business advantages. For Giving Tuesday — that’s the philanthropy-focused Tuesday following Thanksgiving — a pair of Baltimore agencies are teaming up to strengthen benevolence. And they’re urging other tech companies to get involved.

Canton-based software development consultancy SmartLogic and downtown digital services firm Fearless are each donating $2,500 to four local organizations, for a total of $20,000. These include:

• B360, the organization founded by Brittany Young that combines dirt bike culture and STEM with an eye toward career opportunities
• Code in the Schools, the Station North-based computer science nonprofit led by CEO Gretchen LeGrand, which has a focus on serving youth that are traditionally underrepresented in tech
• Digital Harbor Foundation, the maker education organization that turned a Federal Hill rec center into a tech center, and seeks to spread best practices on incorporating making to learning environments beyond their walls
• Touching Young Lives, the organization founded by Shantell Roberts that created Portable Alternative Cribs (P.A.C.) to keep sleeping babies safe

It brings together two organizations that are active in the tech community, whether getting involved in Hack Baltimore, sponsoring meetups or creating programs like SmartLogic’s Baltimore Women in Tech microgrant or Fearless’ incubator.

SmartLogic wanted to amplify giving for the end of the year, and Fearless opened up applications for a wider community partners program in 2020. They also bring a focus to their altruism: Fearless supports STEM education in Baltimore city, while SmartLogic supports grassroots organizations.

“We are committed to supporting Baltimore’s youngest citizens,” Fearless Community Manager Meghan Butler said. “And since we know our collective area of expertise at Fearless is in the digital services realm, we want to amplify partners in Baltimore City who are supporting the pipeline to prepare youth for the ever-growing, only-expanding world of tech.”

In the act of teaming up, they hope others in the tech community will join in these efforts to give back, whether it’s donating money or volunteer time.

Giving back is part of the culture at SmartLogic. For other organizations looking to do so, Rose Burt, the software company’s content and digital marketing manager, sent along the following tips:

• You don’t have to be a large organization with a complex process in order to give back.
• Don’t let ideas about what you could do in the future with more time or more money get in the way of contributing what you can today.
• Don’t overthink it — it’s never too late to start, and anything is more than nothing.

And the organization always makes sure donations are unrestricted.

“We want the experts at the nonprofits to be able to spend the money in whatever way best serves their mission,” Burt said.

There’s plenty of time to join in, as we still have Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Small Brewery Sunday and Cyber Monday to go before Tuesday, Dec. 3.