CSF Celebrates a Season of Giving

During November and December, there are many annual traditions in which people participate. Christopher Street Financial is no exception. Since 2021, we have our annual Seasons of Giving card that arrives in mailboxes some time just after Thanksgiving, and hopefully before the holiday rush.    

Holiday cards have been part of the Christopher Street experience for as long as anyone currently working here can remember. Clients used to receive gifts that ranged from pears and cutting boards to teas and umbrellas. But in 2021, with an eye towards making a difference in the world, we decided to pivot from sending gifts to giving back and creating an opportunity for our clients to engage in the process. With that, the mission was created:  we would create a Seasons of Giving card, it would list three charities that we were willing to make contributions to on behalf of our clients, and clients could select which of the charities they preferred. Adding to that, we decided to feature artwork on our card made by one of our clients or partners.

The charities are chosen by a revolving committee made up of employees, creating an opportunity for additional employee engagement. Our holidays cards used to be designed by an employee, but we have so many talented friends, colleagues, and clients, that each year we seek out a different artist willing to let us use their work. We have had photographs, digital imagery, paintings, and a graphic designer who edited his colorful map of Manhattan to include icons he created and inserted into the final image based on CSF’s employees, making our very own “hidden in this picture” activity for the recipients to play along.  

Through this campaign, Christopher Street has donated on behalf of our clients to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the Carter Burden Gallery, Doctors without Borders, Everytown for Gun Safety, Food Bank of New York, NYCLU/ACLU, Global Giving for Ukraine Relief, Planned Parenthood,  the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and this year’s Hetrick Martin Institute, GMHC, and Paws of War – which was inspired by a client sharing she wished there was a charity included for animals. We do hope our clients enjoy the visual treat of our card and enjoy the opportunity to help us give back even more. If you have an organization that you would like us to consider or would like to be considered for our card’s artwork, please reach out to our Director of Client Experience, Mark Lingenfelter.