Linda McGuigan became involved in philanthropy at Pitney Bowes because she was proud to join a company that gives back and engages employees in philanthropy. She serves on the board of buildOn, a nonprofit that builds schools in developing countries. buildOn has had a big impact on her both personally and professionally by allowing her to witness the power of individuals and teams to make a difference. She leverages the Pitney Bowes Employee Giving Campaign by encouraging payroll deductions and donations that the company will match. She advises fellow employees to get involved in philanthropy as everyone can make a difference.

1. !
Claire'Carlson'
Linda'McGuigan'shares'her'
passion'for'making'a'difference'
through'giving'as'well'her'
appreciation'for'PBs'support'of'
those'efforts.!
How'did'you'first'become'involved'in'philanthropy'at'Pitney'Bowes?'!!I!was!proud!to!join!a!company!that!gives!back!to!its!communities!
and!engages!its!employees!in!philanthropy!programs.!I!am!equally!proud!to!serve!on!a!regional!board!of!buildOn,!which!happens!to!be!
one!of!the!Pitney!Bowes!Foundation’s!grantees.!This!nonprofit!has!been!a!great!fit!for!me!both!personally!and!professionally.!I!am!very!
passionate!about!expanding!the!horizons!of!our!youth!and!giving!them!a!chance!to!watch!them!realize!what!positive!change!agents!they!
can!be.!I’ve!learned!new!skills!and!networked!and!developed!relationships!with!people!at!other!companies!that!I!never!would!have!had!
the!chance!to!work!with!otherwise.!It!has!been!a!wonderful!opportunity!and!one!that!I’m!privileged!to!be!involved!in.!!
How'has'your'experience'with'buildOn'impacted'you'personally?'!!Through!my!work!with!buildOn,!I!have!witnessed!both!the!power!of!
one!and!the!power!of!teams.!!
The!founder!of!buildOn,!Jim!Ziolkowski,!exemplified!the!power!of!one!by!transforming!his!single!idea!into!a!reality!and!engaging!the!likeG
minded!spirit!of!so!many!others.!Each!student!in!buildOn’s!youth!service!programs!learns!about!the!limitless!power!they!can!have!
through!community!service.!They!help!the!homeless,!seniors!and!children!in!their!communities,!and!learn!to!confront!these!urban!
struggles!with!passion!and!optimism.!Last!year,!nearly!17,000!students!provided!nearly!1.4!million!hours!of!service!to!their!communities.!!
In!places!like!Haiti,!Mali,!Nicaragua,!Senegal,!Burkina!Faso,!Malawi!and!Nepal,!buildOn!partners!with!villagers!to!build!new!schools!for!
their!children!and!has!built!674!schools!to!date.!It’s!a!powerful!model,!where!buildOn!provides!the!materials!and!the!skilled!labor!needed!
to!construct!the!school!and!the!village!provides!labor.!Before,!students!were!squeezed!into!dark!and!crumbling!mud!huts,!were!taught!
under!trees!when!the!weather!permitted,!walked!miles!to!a!neighboring!village,!or!didn’t!attend!school!at!all.!As!a!result!of!the!program,!
approximately!12,000!adults!have!completed!their!18Gmonth!adult!literacy!and!numeracy!program,!and!more!than!90,000!children,!
parents!and!grandparents!attend!classes!in!buildOn!schools!around!the!world!on!any!given!day!!!
The'Pitney'Bowes'Employee'Giving'Campaign'is'currently'underway.'How'do'you'leverage'this'program'in'support'of'your'cause?'I!
am!a!huge!fan!of!the!matching!gift!and!volunteer!grant!programs!offered!by!the!Pitney!Bowes!Foundation.!It’s!very!powerful!to!have!
Pitney!Bowes!show!that!it!cares!about!what!I!care!about!by!matching!my!contributions!and!providing!grants!in!recognition!of!my!
volunteer!service.!I!appreciate!that!the!company!makes!it!easy!to!give.!Payroll!deduction!is!a!great!example.!My!charity!doesn’t!have!to!
do!anything!and!they!receive!my!monthly!or!one!time!contribution!all!at!once!–!no!forms!to!fill!out!and!I!can!spread!it!out!over!the!year.!
And!I!think!this!year’s!theme!–!Join!the!Pitney!Bowes!Giving!Team!–!further!demonstrates!both!the!power!of!one!and!the!power!of!teams.!
I’m!inspired!to!give!and!very!inspired!by!the!collective!impact!we!make!as!employees!contributing!what!we!can!to!our!communities.!!
What'advice'do'you'have'for'your'fellow'employees'at'Pitney'Bowes?'!
Get!involved.!We!all!can!make!a!difference,!and!it’s!a!great!feeling!on!so!many!levels.!For!me,!witnessing!young!people,!frequently!from!
extraordinarily!underprivileged!backgrounds!become!inspired!and!motivated!by!service!to!others!,!is!profoundly!gratifying.!There!is!a!
direct,!and!often!immediate,!impact!that!is!evident!by!the!work!that!buildOn!does,!which!is!to!instill!confidence!and!give!hope.!I!can!think!
of!no!greater!gift!one!person!can!give!to!another!than!the!gift!of!opportunity;!and!that!is!precisely!what!buildOn!does!through!service!and!
education.!!
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Linda!McGuigan!is!Pitney!Bowes’!Vice!President!
Enterprise/Corporate!Innovation.!She!has!a!passion!
for!connecting!with!customers!and!our!communities.!!!
For!the!past!two!years,!Linda!has!been!actively!
involved!with!a!USGbased!nonprofit!youth!
development!organization!called!buildOn,!whose!
mission!is!to!break!the!cycle!of!poverty,!illiteracy!and!
low!expectations!through!service!and!education.!