Build then Bless®
Philosophy

Disrupt corporate philanthropy with us! If you're looking for better ways to serve your community and grow your business, we're sharing every strategy that's helped us get more sales, have happier employees, and impact lives beyond a vague corporate donation.

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
A young woman smiling

The Power of a Smile: Small Gestures That Make a Big Difference

The Power of a Smile: Small Gestures That Make a Big Difference Have you ever caught yourself smiling back at a stranger who was smiling at you? Or reflexively grinning when you hear someone laugh? As humans, we are hard-wired to mirror the emotions of those around us. It’s why smiling and laughter are so…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
Coworkers standing around a fellow worker and clapping and smiling

Why and How Peer-to-Peer Recognition Strengthens Company Culture

What is it about your job that makes you want to stay? Is it your super flexible schedule, rollover PTO hours, and amazing insurance coverage? Maybe. But even with amazing benefits, there’s one thing that can make or break an employee’s experience at a company: the people you work with. As Maya Angelou said, “People…

Adrienne Patton
Adrienne Patton |
Adrie, the author of the blog, posing with a taller man and a short young woman

How Build Then Bless Has Helped Me Make Work Friends

I joined Lemonade Stand three and a half years ago. At the time I interviewed, I had no idea what Build Then Bless was—the company mission statement and culture operating software that attracted most of our talent and retained them. Almost four years later and I can’t look back on my work experience without noticing…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
mother and father take selfie with their four children

How Build Then Bless Can Help You Teach Your Kids About Service

My grandparents have an ancient walnut tree in their backyard and every fall, all of the cousins would get together, rake the big leaves in a 10-foot-tall pile (I’m not joking—the pile stood taller than all of us), climb a rickety ladder and get into the low branches of the tree, and then we would…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
young boy interacts with a puppy

Arrive Home Breaks Cycles With Build Then Bless

Arrive Home and Build Then Bless are a perfect match. Every month, Arrive Home team members get money on a debit card to spend on people around them—friends with rare diseases, church service projects, and so much more. Anything they can think of, their work gives them funds to bless the lives of their community.  …

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
Three kids sit on a step and eat lunch

Brighton Someone’s Day: Brighton Homes Uses Build Then Bless

Every month, team members at Brighton Homes receive funds through Build Then Bless to help people in their communities. From supporting a relative who’d lost her hair to paying off a child’s school lunch debt, the Brighton Homes team is building and blessing, one micro-interaction at a time.  Since 1994, Brighton Homes has been building…

Annika Johnson
Annika Johnson |
young woman with light brown hair

My Gas Station Adventure (That Had Nothing to Do with Cars)

Sometimes the most random turn of events can take us to just the right spot in just the right moment. I walked into my apartment at 9 pm on January 31st and suddenly remembered I had $50 of Build Then Bless money that wasn’t going to roll over into the next month, so I ran…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
young woman standing in front of floral wall

Listening Is Just As Important As Gift-Giving

“I realized the power of being willing to listen. By opening up and sharing my own struggles, it created a safe space for her to open up about hers.” I’m currently nine months pregnant, and throughout the past couple of months, I’ve been surprised to have multiple family members confide in me about their struggles…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |
Lemonade Stand co-workers serving in community to help Ukraine

101 Ways to Build Then Bless

Find a little inspiration from 101 of our favorite ways to build and bless your community! Hand-to-Hand, Eye-to-Eye Blessing Sign up for Lasagna Love and deliver food to someone in need Take a care package to a neighbor who had a baby or who is sick Buy food for someone on the street corner or…

Abby Haralson
Abby Haralson |

Lasagna Love: How This Nonprofit Is Lifting Your Community

“I’ve delivered lasagnas to people living in tents and to families living in homes much nicer than mine. Needs are not always outwardly visible and we don’t always know what challenges people are facing.” The goal of Build Then Bless is hand-to-hand, eye-to-eye interactions, so when my coworkers Katie and Lizzie talked about Lasagna Love,…