— 2020 —
Hallmark cares for its communities by supporting nonprofit organizations around the globe. In 2020, the company recorded more than $9 million in monetary and in-kind donations benefiting 1,000 organizations. Our employees contributed nearly 30,000 volunteer hours.
“Hallmark’s culture of philanthropy remained strong in 2020, even with the pandemic making it a tough year for everyone,” said Amy Winterscheidt, Hallmark’s community involvement director. “We are impressed and proud of our employees who stayed connected with their communities and reimagined ways to give back and make a positive impact.”
Whether it’s monetary donations to nonprofits, donating creative resources to make art that inspires, or giving away millions of cards to put more kindness and good in the world, Hallmark’s long tradition of corporate philanthropy aligns with the company’s vision of creating a more emotionally connected world.
Download THE 2020 CSR Facts + Figures
Supporting Basic Needs During the Pandemic
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Sustainable Cities + Communities / Family + Kids
2020 was a year like no other. The pandemic was a global crisis that impacted virtually every person on every continent. The demand for essential services — food, shelter, employment — increased dramatically in 2020. In many cases, families had to choose between paying for food or rent; parents struggled to balance caring for their children and keeping their jobs; family members watched their loved ones go to their frontline jobs during a time of great uncertainty; and caregivers lost access to their aging family members in care facilities.
Committed to Give Back, Even During Tough Times
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Quality Education / Gender Equality / Sustainable Cities + Communities / Life On Land / Arts + Culture / Family + Kids
Even during a year when most people transitioned to working remotely — and meetings, events and fundraisers became virtual — Hallmark employees continued to step up to support their local communities and the causes they care about.
Forming an Enterprise-Wide CSR Council
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Quality Education / Gender Equality / Sustainable Cities + Communities / Responsible Consumption + Production / Life On Land / Arts + Culture / Family + Kids
In 2020, Hallmark formed an enterprise-wide corporate social responsibility (CSR) council. The purpose is to align CSR goals across the network of businesses including Hallmark, Crayola and Hallmark Media. The council identified CSR focus areas where Hallmark businesses can make the greatest impact; key content pillars for storytelling and reporting; alignment with globally recognized impact indexes, such as United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; and strategic input and support for Hallmark business initiatives, among other deliverables.♦
Hallmarkers Come Through for Families in Our Community
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Family + Kids
Every summer, Hallmark employees participate in a food drive to support Harvesters Food Network. The event typically involves employees making monetary donations to feed families in need in the Kansas City area while employee teams draw attention to the effort by building sculptures out of canned goods and competing for votes.
Creatives Donate 500+ Hours to Support the Kansas City Repertory Theater
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Arts + Creative Expression
When the Kansas City Repertory Theater (KC Rep) asked if Hallmark would consider producing its 2020 gala video, a team of Hallmark employees eagerly agreed to take on the project. The group made up of talented creatives from Hallmark Union Hill Studios invested a total of 579 hours, in addition to their full-time work, to create a compelling video to help the KC Rep raise money. Link to the video.
Hallmark Gives Away Millions of Cards to Inspire More Caring
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Arts + Culture
When the world seemingly shut down in the spring of 2020 due to the pandemic, Hallmark knew we needed to do something to help people stay connected, especially during an uncertain and stressful time. Keeping in mind our promise to help people live more caring and connected lives filled with meaningful moments, we introduced an unprecedented one–million–card giveaway on March 27, 2020.
Hallmark Artists Dream Big for Kids
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Arts + Culture
In the summer of 2020, Children’s Mercy Hospital came to Hallmark asking for creative support for its Dream Big Day—a family festival, celebration and walk to rally the Kansas City community around finding answers and hope for sick kids. Hallmark was a proud sponsor of this inaugural event, which was held virtually. The hospital wanted to create an art installation that could bring the event to life and provide families with a socially distanced way to experience the event in person.
Kaleidoscope Inspires Creativity in New Ways
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Arts + Culture / Family + Kids / Quality Education / Responsible Consumption + Production
For the first time since opening in 1969, Kaleidoscope, a center for artistic exploration and creativity for children, temporarily closed in response to the pandemic. Undeterred by the temporary closure, the Kaleidoscope team got to work to reimagine what the experience could look like virtually. Kaleidoscope is a gift to the community from Hallmark, so the team was passionate about finding ways to stay connected to families and inspire creativity.
Hallmark and Crayola Employees Donate $2 Million to United Way
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Family + Kids / Gender Equality / Quality Education
Hallmark and Crayola employees continued to make a difference together during the annual United Way pledge drives. In 2020, Hallmark and its employees donated about $1.22 million to the United Way of Greater Kansas City. Crayola and its employees donated nearly $660,000 to the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. In total, through pledges and company matches, the two businesses donated $2 million.
The funds provided to the United Way were pivotal in helping the communities where Hallmark and Crayola are headquartered endure the effects of the pandemic, as well as address social inequalities. Over the last decade, Hallmark has provided more than $25 million to the United Way of Greater Kansas City through our annual employee pledge drive and company match.♦
Hallmark, Hallmark Media Participate in AIDS Walk, Raise Nearly $30K in Kansas City and Los Angeles
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Family + Kids
When the world went into lockdown in spring 2020, Hallmarkers rallied to find a way to participate in the AIDS Walk in Kansas City. Even with a completely virtual event, Hallmark had 41 participants, many of whom walked individually or with their families in their neighborhoods. In total, Hallmark raised approximately $7,000 placing the company 7th overall in Kansas City.
Later in the summer of 2020, Hallmark Media also participated in the AIDS Walk in Los Angeles. The team was recognized as a Star Team for raising more than $10,000. Hallmark Media came in 7th overall as well, raising more than $21,000 for AIDS Walk LA.♦
Hallmark Manufactures and Donates 25,000 Face Shields to Frontline Workers
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Family + Kids
In the weeks leading up to the 2020 holiday season, people were opening their mailboxes and finding Hallmark greeting cards filled with heartwarming messages. At the same time, Hallmark was also making a difference in the lives of people who were physically caring for others during the pandemic by manufacturing and donating nearly 25,000 face shields.
Crayola Canada’s Edwin Binney Community Garden Donates More Than 12,700 Lbs. of Produce
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Life on Land / Responsible Consumption + Production /
Sustainable Cities + Communities
Just beside Crayola Canada’s office and distribution center in Lindsay, Ontario, is a 30,000 square foot plot of land called the Edwin Binney Community Garden. Through a partnership between Crayola Canada, United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes (CKL) and Fleming College, this garden is the largest ever United Way CKL community garden. Even during a challenging year, 2020 yielded the largest harvest yet with more than 12,700 pounds of produce donated to food banks and community organizations across the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, reaching more than 1,300 people.
Hallmark Employees Bring Joy to Nearly 250 Kansas City-Area Children
UN SDGs + Hallmark CSR Goals:
Family + Kids
During the 2020 holiday season, Hallmark employees stepped up, for the fifth year in a row, to support Operation Joy, a program with Operation Breakthrough to help children in the Kansas City area have a happy holiday. Even though the process was different because most employees worked from home, they still formed 90 teams and adopted 247 children from 94 families. Each team provided four to six gifts for each child in the family, money for the family’s holiday meal and a gift card for the caregiver of each family.
Corporate Social Responsibility and UN Sustainable Development Goals
Hallmark currently aligns to 5 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). in addition to key goals unique to our corporate culture. Please use the legend below in reference to goals tied to initiatives throughout our CSR Report.
Facts + Figures (2020 Outcomes)
