To Our Friends And Communities
We’re excited to share with you this year’s edition of Padilla’s Report to the Community. It not only highlights the impact we made in our communities throughout 2023 but it also provides us an opportunity to reflect on the culture of caring we’ve built coast-to-coast across our firm.
Our work in 2023 reflects who we are as a firm and who we are as individuals — a team of dedicated, diverse, driven professionals with the ability to make a difference not just with our clients, but with our communities.
That culture is amplified by Padilla PluggedIn, our firm-wide corporate social responsibility program consisting of individual volunteerism, agency pro bono work and charitable contributions. We hope you’ll take the time to read about our Volunteer of the Quarter honorees. Leah, Jessica, Kim and Marie all exemplify the good we do to strengthen our communities.
We look forward to deepening our impact in 2024 as we seek out new opportunities, welcome new partnerships and plug-in more intently to the world around us.
Matt Kucharski,
President, Padilla
The Giants Community Fund (GCF), the charitable arm of San Francisco’s Major League baseball team, has touched the lives of more than 400,000 youth in the region. Wanting to make an even greater impact, the organization added SHIFT Communications to its roster to help build awareness with youth, parents and donors.
SHIFT came in swinging, securing 45 news articles (in just two months) about how the GCF uses baseball and softball to help children gain essential life skills and become positive forces in their communities.
The “play?” In addition to creating media moments around key initiatives such as Glove Drive and Stretch Drive fundraisers, SHIFT launched the charity’s first-ever ambassador program with college athletes as well as social ad campaigns to extend reach.
The program achieved home run results, shining a light on GCF’s efforts and raising its visibility, with:
- 45 pieces of local broadcast/online coverage
- Almost $234K during a three-day Stretch Drive fundraiser (116% of goal)
- 6K+ visits to GCF landing pages through social ads
The Valentine
To its patrons, the Valentine in Richmond, Virginia, is more than a history museum. It’s a catalyst for critical conversations, a facilitator of cultural understanding, and a champion of education at every age.
Energized by a fresh strategic plan, the Valentine embraced the moment to initiate an overhaul of its online brand to coincide with its 125th anniversary. Padilla teamed up with the Valentine to deliver an aesthetic refresh and to boost the user experience of its website, thevalentine.org. The modern site now elevates key calls-to-action and offers a stunning visualization of new navigation items to inspire users — from first-time visitors to repeat researchers — to explore, engage and learn.
Bold Results
- 28% increase in page views vs. previous period
- 4.12 page views per user
- 521% increase in average engagement time vs. previous period
United Way Action Day
43,000 school backpacks were stuffed and distributed by 1,500 volunteers at Target field.
The Maynard Childhood Cancer Foundation
We delivered toys to children in hospitals over the holidays.
Ronald McDonald House
We created craft kits for Ronald McDonald House.
Rosie’s Place
We assembled care packages for women’s shelter Rosies Place.
Meals on Wheels
We made valentines for Meals on Wheels seniors in collaboration with Feed More.
Each quarter, Padilla recognizes employee volunteer efforts outside of the office and makes a $250 donation to the nonprofit charity of their choice.
Leah Kondes
As a mother of three daughters, Leah is compelled to serve her community through Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. She co-leads its Minneapolis group, recruiting and preparing fellow volunteers to address gun violence through legislation, education and activation. She has advocated for safe gun storage and supported CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) projects.
Jessica Davis
Jessica is dedicated to the Jaycees, a young leadership organization crafting creative solutions to solve community-based problems. She has served in leadership roles for various Minnesota chapters — most recently as co-chair of Lake Elmo’s four-day, 96-team softball tournament — and has earned an Ambassador Award, the highest national Jaycee honor.
Kim Berndt
Kim volunteers for Never Alone Widows, an organization that provides hope and healing to widows. She leads the local Dallas/Fort Worth chapter meetings and develops social media content. She also hosts a monthly Zoom group as a resource for widows across the country. Her passion for this community has grown into her own nonprofit, Widowing Well with Hope.
Marie Denniston
Marie gives back to Southview SDA Church in Minneapolis by supporting elderly parishioners, many without family to assist them. She jumps in to help with budgeting and paying bills, scheduling and transportation for appointments, picking up medications and groceries, and during the transition to assisted living facilities.
Diversity + Inclusion Day of Service (DIDS) offers employees one day off annually to perform community service related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In 2023, employees volunteered with a variety of nonprofits, provided support to voters on election day, and strategic counsel to small, diverse businesses.
Padilla partners with other agencies to offer an inclusive externship program for college students interested in marketing and communications. In its third year, the Take Flight Career Exploration Program has 30 students participating from 16 colleges and universities.
We offer ongoing DEI training for staff, which includes bringing in guest speakers, as part of our Bubble Break series, to help commemorate observances such as Black History Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and Native American Heritage Month. (Photo Credit: @billphelpsstudio)
Our partnership continues with the DEI Collective, a select group of diverse external advisors who provide insight and guidance to ensure our work for clients is inclusive and culturally appropriate.
Padilla proudly supports organizations such as The LAGRANT Foundation, a national organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the need for greater diversity in advertising, marketing and public relations, through college scholarships, mentorships, professional development, career development workshops and facilitating entry-level jobs and internships. Padilla also is a signatory for The Diversity Action Alliance (DAA), a coalition of public relations and communications leaders joining forces to accelerate progress in achieving meaningful and tangible results in DEI across our profession. Our support for sponsorships of local PRSA chapters includes regular support for the Jeff Wilson, APR Scholarship of Excellence. Named for one of our colleagues and given by the Richmond PR Foundation — the charitable arm of PRSA Richmond — the scholarship is awarded annually to a college student of color in central Virginia pursuing a career in public relations.
Walk In Their World. Wonder And Wander. Think As Many. Work Brave. Build Trust. Own It And Act On It. Make It Better.
+56%
Increase in BIPOC employees
(vs. 2020) from 10% to 15%
(vs. 2020) from 10% to 15%
70%
Women in Senior
Leadership Roles
Leadership Roles
19%
Supplier Diversity
9
DEI Trainings and Guest
Speaker Series
Speaker Series
61%
Women in
Non-Leadership Roles
Non-Leadership Roles
10
DEI Collective
Advisors
Advisors
32
DEI Council, Champions
and Supporters
and Supporters
3,809
Hours: Pro Bono/In-Kind
Sponsorship
Sponsorship
30
Take Flight
Career Exploration
Students
Career Exploration
Students
Giving Our Time, Treasure And Talent
Giving Our Time, Treasure And Talent / Giving Our Time, Treasure And
Talent / Giving Our Time, Treasure And Talent /
Giving Our Time, Treasure And Talent / Giving Our Time, Treasure And
Talent / Giving Our Time, Treasure And Talent /
Launched in 2023, Padilla contributes up to $250 for employees’ volunteer organizations and $1,000 for employees’ board service. In addition to the organizations the agency supports with financial and/or volunteer support, our employees also volunteer with local and national nonprofits that reflect their personal passions.
2023 Organizations
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation
Action for Healthy Kids
Alzheimer’s Association
Backpack Buddies Foundation of Loudoun
Better Way Foundation
Boston TechJam
BrainUp
Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota
Children’s Minnesota
Coated in Love
Common Cause Education Fund
Culture Lab LIC
Deep Run Hunt Horse Show Association
East Town Business Partnership
EatWell Exchange, Inc.
Economic Development Authority — Petersburg, VA
Elyssa’s Mission
Ernst & Young
Fed by Blue
Feeding America
Financial Executives International (FEI) Twin Cities
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Gifts to Give
Girl Scouts River Valleys
Guardian Angels Senior Services
Helping Habit
Historic Poplar Lawn Association
Humane Rescue Alliance
I AM ALS
JCI Minnesota — Several Chapters
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
KJZZ (NPR)
Leukemia Lymphoma Society
LEVELS
Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota
Maynard Childhood Cancer Foundation
Mayo Clinic
Minneapolis Downtown Council
Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Minnesota Boychoir
Minnesota Jaycees Charitable Foundation
Minnesota Opera
Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech)
Misericordia Home
MN Arts & Culture Coalition
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America — Minnesota Chapter
MPLS Regional Chamber — Keystone Program and Leadership Twin Cities
Musical Instrument Museum
Never Alone Widows
North Star Therapy Animals
Northern Star Scouting
Oratorio Society of Minnesota
Pet Partners Read With Me™
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever
Pillsbury United Communities
Public Relations Society of America — PRSA National and Several Chapters
Riverton Community Housing
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Rosie’s Place
San Francisco Giants Community Fund
Sanctuary Rescue
Seafood Nutrition Partnership
Second Harvest Heartland
SEED SPOT
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
Sojourner Project
Southampton Animal Foundation
Southview SDA Church
SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County
St. Mary’s Food Bank
The BrandLab
The Itasca Project
The Ocean Cleanup
The Spring of Tampa Bay
The Valentine
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
UnbreakaBULL Pit Bull Rescue
United Way — Several Chapters
University of Minnesota — Masonic Cancer Center
University of Vermont
USDA GusNIP Produce Prescription Program
Virginia Department of Elections
Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VisArts)
VocalEssence
Women of Substance & Men of Honor
World Ovarian Cancer Coalition
See Our Previous Year's Impact
2022 Report to the Community