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 |
Lemonade Stand employee using build then bless software

Why Build Then Bless Is the Best Employee Engagement Software on the Market

When I accepted a fully remote job offer at Lemonade Stand, I expected to treat work as just that—work. I thought I wouldn’t find anything more meaningful than a paycheck, especially working from home. Yeah, that mindset was quickly thrown out the window the moment I was introduced to Build Then Bless (our company philosophy,…

Alohilani Jacob
Alohilani Jacob |
young man with a knee brace holding a care package of pies

How to Create a Positive Work Environment Through Employee Gifting

Are your employees happy to be at work—or do they watch the clock and wait for the day to be over? While it’s true that everyone has good and bad days at work, as a manager or business owner, it’s up to you to cultivate your company’s culture. However, only three in ten U.S. employees…

Build Then Bless
Build Then Bless |
Coworkers sitting around a table smiling, and one is giving a fist bump to someone standing up

How to Build a High-Trust Organization

Do your employees trust you? A recent survey from Gallop revealed that only 20% of employees confidently trust their company’s leadership. That’s right—only one-fifth of employees believe their organization’s leadership has their best interests at heart. But this statistic can’t impact your bottom line, right? Think again! Trust is the secret ingredient of any successful…

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…