Giving back to the community is who we are and a big part of our mission.
Why?
Birkman has always cared deeply about helping not-for-profits and faith-based causes. Giving back with his method was critical to our founder, Dr. Roger Birkman, who, throughout his life, saw social psychology as his calling and personal ministry. It’s equally as important to our CEO, Sharon Birkman, who wants Birkman International to be “conscientious capitalists” who do whatever we can, wherever we can, with whatever we have, to help as many as we can in as many ways as possible.
What?
Sharon’s sister, Andrea Birkman, chaired the 501(c)(3) Birkman Foundation until her unexpected death in 2019. We have chosen to re-name the Birkman Foundation to honor her memory, now calling it the Andrea K. Birkman Charitable Giving Initiative. Because our home office completely supports this initiative, there will be no fundraising events or solicitations for outside funding. Since what Birkman donates comes directly from us, we no longer need a 501(c)(3) classification.
How?
If you are a Birkman Certified Professional, you are eligible to request Birkman reports for your charitable cause in the form below. However, just as Birkman donates the data (questionnaires and reports), you must also be willing to fully donate your time and energy; you may not charge for your services. Contact us if you wish to donate your Birkman expertise to a non-profit that matters to you. Our initiative is led by Sharon and Andrea’s cousin, Laura Sue Johnson, who has been a Birkman Certified Professional since 2015 and has an enormous heart for social service.
Inspiring stories of people giving back
Children’s Hunger Fund
Children’s Hunger Fund
“We have used Birkman with our Executive Team for over ten years with such great results that with the gift from Birkman Gives Back, we extended it to our entire team. I remember how eye-opening it was the first time we did the exercise of having each team member stand in different quadrants based on their Birkman Color and line up according to their behavioral style. Birkman has also helped improve our hiring process and how an individual will fit with the team. As an example of the impact across the entire organization, we had a two-day retreat where we brought all our regional staff to headquarters for relationship building. I had many conversations with staff members asking them how they were functioning within their jobs and responsibilities. I was so pleased when many conversations started with, “well, I am primarily BLUE so…,” “I’m YELLOW…,” “coming from my RED perspective…” which is evidence that Birkman has been completely integrated into our staff culture. We are seeing tremendous benefits in how people relate to each other and couldn’t be more grateful for the gift from Birkman Gives Back!”
Dave Phillips
Founder and President, Children’s Hunger Fund
Houston Public Media
work well internally but do not always have the opportunity to work together. Our Birkman Certified consultant led a cross-departmental workshop that has led to greater connections between teams in our organization. The Birkman Method provides professional development for employees to learn more about their strengths, interests, and motivations. In addition to the self-learning and enrichment experienced by staff, managers now better understand their team members’ unique needs and strengths. Many times, these attributes are not obvious. The Birkman Gives Back program has provided our managers with a chance to understand their team members’ unique personalities and work styles.”
Lisa Trapani ShumateCamp Hope
combat veterans, first responders, and their families. Their goal is to reduce the Veteran suicide rate to zero. My interest in getting involved with Camp Hope grew in 2018 when a great deal of media attention focused on the fact that, on average, 22 Veterans were committing suicide per DAY! As the daughter of a career military man who served in WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam, I felt the need to do something and realized that as a Birkman Certified Professional, I could use the power of the tool for a Veteran’s good. The Birkman Gives Back initiative has helped me provide career coaching services to Veterans in the program by providing them with clarity regarding life after Camp Hope. I knew that in most cases, they would need to find jobs or decide to use their GI Benefits to attend a trade school or college. Birkman is now a required graduation objective.
Diana GreenwoodBethlehem House
Gina Tomes
[caption id="attachment_11141" align="alignnone" width="2560"]
Professor Holding Lecture to a Multi Ethnic Group of Students. Smart Young People Studying at the University.[/caption]
Professor Holding Lecture to a Multi Ethnic Group of Students. Smart Young People Studying at the University.[/caption]Speak to our experts about how you can give back to the community.
If you wish to apply for a Birkman Gives Back opportunity, you may contact us directly below for further details.
"The Birkman Method brings hope of a new future to Camp Hope Veterans as they re-enter civilian society. Often, the individual's Birkman results confirm and encourage what the person had thought about doing for a living. However, I get a huge kick when I see a "shock" reaction as a Veteran experiences what Birkman opens up to them as interests and careers in which they could be happy and satisfied. When these "huge smiles and wide-eyed" reactions happen, they make my day!"
"The gift of Birkman reports from the Birkman Gives Back Initiative has allowed me to foster individual, leadership, and team development at Children’s Hunger Fund, a global nonprofit focused on delivering hope to suffering children by providing food and equipping churches for mercy ministry. Every new employee has a one-hour individual conversation to understand their strengths and style, followed by regular teambuilding sessions by the department and regional office to help team members understand and appreciate their strengths and the strengths of others."
"Birkman is the foundation of what we do at the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship. It enables our students to deeply understand who they are in their personal life, on a team, and what direction aligns best with their careers. 100% of our students proclaim that WCE “changed their lives.” Birkman is the first tool we employ and endures long after they have graduated. The students are blessed to receive extraordinary gifts of time, money, mentoring, and life-changing experiences. Part of every student’s education is the lesson that life is not just about receiving but also about giving and we are thankful for the Birkman Gives Back initiative."
