A tradition of giving back

Following the economic crisis of 2007–2008 and the resulting recession, Tash Elwyn sought a way to highlight the positive contributions that financial services associates and advisors make in the lives of their clients and their communities.

“Our advisors, branch professionals and home office colleagues do noble and important charitable work in ways big and small,” says Tash, president and CEO of RJA. “While we know this happens all year round at Raymond James, we wanted to amplify and celebrate those efforts in a single month.”

With the vision and hope it would grow into a firmwide effort, Tash began the first Raymond James Cares Month in 2011, focusing on the Atlantic Division of RJA, where he was the division director at the time. Almost 300 volunteers from 15 branches across 15 states contributed more than 1,000 volunteer hours for charities such as Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. This grassroots effort garnered attention and paved the way for the first official firmwide Raymond James Cares Month in 2012.

Since then, results paint a picture of a company fully invested in giving back: Over the years, associates and advisors have dedicated more than 74,000 volunteer hours (the equivalent of nearly 3,084 days) during Raymond James Cares Month. In 2023 alone, more than 3,600 volunteers supported 251 charitable organizations in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada – raising more than $375,000, collecting 45,960 pounds of food, packing 126,047 meals, donating 14,096 household items and cleaning up 1,933 pounds of trash.

These inspiring numbers do not surprise Tash. “We got buy-in very quickly at the firm,” he says. “So many associates have participated, and Raymond James Marketing has supported us wonderfully. They really adopted it and helped it become what it is today. It’s nice to see how it’s grown to include Canada and the U.K. too.”

Aside from the direct impact in communities, Raymond James Cares Month also brings associates together. “We have 30 or 40 departments represented in our two buildings at the Memphis campus,” says Terry O’Toole, chief administrative officer, Public Finance. “We might not interact daily in our work, but we get to know each other when we spend the day sprucing up the grounds at the Dorothy Day Houses, a group of homeless shelters in Memphis. They rely on us and it’s nice to come through for them.”

Pictured above: Memphis Ridgeway Branch participated in the Mid-South Food Bank Meal Packing Project in May 2023. The team sorted and packed over 5,000 pounds and more than 300 boxes of donated goods.

Compliance associates volunteered at Feeding Tampa Bay in May 2023 and will support the organization again this year, along with other Feeding America locations. The team sorted and packed over 5,000 pounds and more than 300 boxes of donated goods. Risk and AML associates will volunteer with Metropolitan Ministries for the fourth year in a row in May.

Compliance associates (pictured below) volunteered at Feeding Tampa Bay in May 2023 and will support the organization again this year, along with other Feeding America locations.

Sarah Wilson, senior associate manager, Community Impact, can attest to the benefits of building and maintaining a relationship with a particular organization through Raymond James Cares Month. “Within the marketing department, we support The Kind Mouse, a St. Petersburg food pantry for at-risk youth,” says Sarah, who not only volunteers regularly but leads Raymond James Cares Month as part of her role on the Community Impact team. “They know us well and we do a food drive every year for specific items that they request.”

“And internal camaraderie is definitely enhanced by Raymond James Cares Month,” says Sarah. “You’re seeing people in a new environment as opposed to how you would normally see them at the office or on Zoom. You can get to know your colleagues in a deeper way by volunteering together.”

Now in its 13th year of lending a hand, Raymond James Cares Month still has room to grow. “If we dream big, which is how things are best done, then I think maybe someday our clients can become part of Raymond James Cares Month as well,” says Tash. “Some branches already include client participation, but I’d like to see it grow. It would amplify the impact that Raymond James has in every community.”