Tango employees pay their rewards forward

We want all recipients to use their hard-earned rewards in the way that is most meaningful to them. For many of our employees, this means paying their rewards forward.

When you think of our reward catalog, gift cards probably come to mind first. You might be less familiar with our donation options, which include more than 30 not-for-profit organizations.   

Our reward catalog is expansive for a reason. We want all employees—including our own—to be able to choose their hard-earned rewards. For many of our employees, this means paying their rewards forward to make an impact in the community.

This is the second year that David Leeds, our Founder and CEO, has sent every employee at Tango a $50 Reward Link to support a charity of their choice. Employees can donate the full $50 to one organization or split it up between multiple.

Here’s how four Tangorines decided to donate their Reward Link funds—and why these organizations mean so much to them.

How long have you worked at Tango? Three years.

What part of your job do you love the most? I love the discovery process with new customers.

What not-for-profit organization did you choose to donate to? I donated my value to Charity on Top and through the Charity on Top website, I selected the VIN Foundation. VIN Foundation provides resources to help veterinarians thrive so they can better treat our animals and those who care for them. Most of those resources focus on improving financial and mental wellness for pre-veterinary students, veterinary students, and veterinarians.

What made you choose this organization?
My brother and sister-in-law are both veterinarians and I wanted to show support to their community.

How long have you worked at Tango? Five years.

What part of your job do you love the most? I love being able to collaborate with other individuals and teams to solve common problems. There’s something inspiring about being in an environment that fosters that type of cross-team collaboration. Being able to use my expertise to help solve problems while learning new things along the way has been invaluable.

What not-for-profit organization did you choose to donate to?
I chose to donate to the NAACP.

What made you choose this organization?
As a black male leader, it was important for me to contribute to a cause that focused on issues impacting Blacks in our community. The type of organization that participates in civic engagement and helping those impacted by race-based discrimination. So, it gave me great joy to be given a Reward Link by Tango that allowed me to donate to a not-for-profit organization of my choice. Being able to donate to such a long-standing organization such as the NAACP was both empowering and rewarding.

How long have you worked at Tango? One year in April!

What part of your job do you love the most?
I really like working across multiple teams and departments to ensure our customers have what they need to send rewards to their recipients. Not only do I get to work with our awesome customers, but I get to collaborate with smart, energetic, and caring co-workers!

What not-for-profit organization did you choose to donate to?
I split the amount between the Equal Justice Initiative and the World Food Program USA.

What made you choose these organizations? “The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” I feel strongly about this initiative and I'm proud to see it as one of Tango’s donation options.

Food insecurity is another heartbreaking and troubling problem we face, especially during these difficult times. I wanted to use the remaining amount to donate to the World Food Program USA.

How long have you worked at Tango? Five years.

What part of your job do you love the most?
So much! I love my co-workers (especially my team), but on the job front, I love being able to help make a difference to smaller companies who haven't found streamlined ways to reward or incentivize their employees.

My favorite people to talk to are those that drive to the store to buy physical gift cards. When they hear about how easy it is to send digital gift cards without leaving their desk, their happiness and excitement make my day. Not only the time they'll save from not having to go to the store, but the liability of having so much inventory on hand, the manual tracking of their cards, and potentially being left with many gift cards that no one wants.

I often joke with them and ask what they'll do with all this extra time on their hands that we're about to save them.  

What not-for-profit organization did you choose to donate to? World Food Program USA, World of Children, and NAACP

What made you choose these organizations? As a mother, I wanted to donate to charities that impact children and inequality in the community. There’s way too much injustice in our world right now. I feel that these three organizations really embody my personal values and beliefs, and this is one small way to give back.

Why we partner with not-for Profit organizations

“We’ve included not-for-profit organizations in our reward catalog since our company’s inception. There was a purposeful intent for Tango, our customers, and their recipients to have a material impact on not-for-profit organizations. We believed we could increase the value of reward and incentive programs by offering a highly diverse catalog that included donation options to our customers and their recipients,”  explains Cindy Mielke, our VP of Strategic Partnerships.

“We’ve seen significant growth in donations from our customers and recipients, but even more so over these last two years. During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw donations increase by 63% in 2020, which shows how valuable these options were to recipients during a time when 75% of not-for-profit organizations reported that revenues and funding were negatively impacted."

How our customers send the reward of choice

Reward Link is our most popular solution—and for good reason. It’s the fastest, easiest way to send a choice of rewards via email. With 100+ of the most popular gift cards, prepaid cards, and not-for-profit donations to choose from, our customers can build a reward catalog with something for everyone.

"Adding a charity to your reward catalog is an easy way for your program to contribute to an even greater good. It’s amazing to see how much help can come from something so simple,” explains Tyler Rencher, Partner Alliance Manager, Regulated Products.

Email sales@tangocard.com to learn how you can incorporate Reward Link into your employee reward program.

*Please note, qualifying restrictions apply to issue not-for-profit reward options.

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