Red Tab Foundation Open Sources Its ‘Playbook’

Almost 40 years ago, Levi Strauss & Co. stock boy-turned-executive Jerry O’Shea drove the effort to create the Red Tab Foundation (RTF) in order to ensure that no LS&Co. employee or retiree would go without a financial safety net in times of need.

Supported by employees, company leaders and even the descendants of Levi Strauss himself, RTF has disbursed more than $26.5 million in hardship grants since its inception and has been widely recognized as a standard bearer for employee hardship funds.

As the coronavirus pandemic impacts communities and businesses around the globe, the foundation’s work has never been more critical. In addition to the work being done to support our own employees, RTF has also begun advising other companies seeking to set up their own hardship funds. In response, the foundation team has created an Employee Hardship Fund Playbook, open sourcing its learnings for others to utilize. “This is a way RTF can have an outsize impact in the corporate world, not just by providing assistance to our employees, but also through helping other companies provide assistance to theirs,” said RTF Executive Director Jenny Calvert Rodriguez.

Many companies are stepping up efforts to take care of employees however they can during this time of crisis. They are seeing what the foundation has long known – that hardship funds are a great mechanism to provide immediate relief to current or former employees who experience a disaster-related or personal financial hardship.

We’ve learned a lot over the past four decades. Key among our learnings is the simple fact that the types of hardships affecting employees right now in the face of this pandemic happen at a smaller scale all of the time. The Federal Reserve has reported that 40 percent of American families do not have sufficient savings to deal with a $400 emergency expense without borrowing or selling something. And that was before the mass job losses and crushing economic consequences that have come along with the pandemic. Emergency hardship grants can help ensure that employees and their families have the resources to weather unexpected events like the COVID-19 crisis, and its associated business and economic impacts.

The playbook provides both broad guidelines – like the need to put empathy first, be needs driven, responsive and understand your client population – and more granular guidance around subjects like organizational structure, how to field requests, and how to set up channels to reach potential applicants and disburse grants. One such passage offers insights on how best to tailor approaches to employee demographics: 

If your core employee demographic is Gen Z hourly retail employees, you’ll need to design your intake process to be mobile first. For an older employee or retiree base, a call center may be the first point of contact.

There are also real-life examples of how RTF has followed its own advice and flexed when needed:

Unexpected expenses or loss of income due to childcare needs were not a covered category for RTF – until schools across the globe started to shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, we changed our guidelines.

The playbook is now available online to anyone who asks for it.

“We’re hoping that our experience can benefit other companies, and by extension, their employees, especially as we all continue to navigate this current situation,” Jenny said. “I can think of no better way to honor the original inspiration behind the Red Tab Foundation and to show our commitment to employees, particularly when it’s needed most.”

Join Jenny and RTF Global Philanthropy Lead John Booker for a webinar on Tuesday, April 21 to discuss the playbook’s contents, alongside hardship fund leaders from The Home Depot, HCA Healthcare and an expert from the Aspen Institute. Register now to join in the conversation.

Run for Red Tab SF is back. Join us on April 14th!

Join us on April 14 for the annual Run for Red Tab event at the Levi’s Presidio 10 – a fun, family-oriented walk or run along a 5K, 10K or 10-mile course through San Francisco’s scenic Presidio.

It’s a great chance to spend time with your colleagues, friends and family while raising money for the Red Tab Foundation. Following the race, we’ll celebrate together with breakfast and drinks while soaking in the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge at Crissy Field

Registration is FREE for employees and virtual participants and 10 percent off for LS&Co. friends and family. 

Whether you’re running or just coming to spend time with friends, double your fun by raising funds individually or as a team - event registration is not required. Top fundraisers will win 6 months of free membership at the Bay Club. Start fundraising or make a donation today, to help us beat our goal of $25K! 

Questions? Email redtabfoundation@levi.com.

Run for Red Tab SF is back. Join us on April 22nd!

Walk or run 5K, 10K, or 10 miles at Levi’s Presidio 10 on Sunday, April 22ndand your LS&Co. community will cheer you on! Following the race, celebrate with breakfast and drinks with views of the Golden Gate Bridge at Crissy Field.

Registration is FREE for employees and 10% off for LS&Co. friends and family.

You can double your impact by fundraising individually or as a team – event registration is not required. Start fundraising now, the competition is fierce!

Employee registrants also have the chance to earn LiveWellth points and participate in a LS&Co. Presidio 10 Training & Fitness Program provided by Bay Club.

Racing for Red Tab in Singapore

Last month, more than 100 LS&Co. colleagues, friends, and family members participated in the Race for Red Tab in Singapore. The race is all about raising awareness — and funds — for the Red Tab Foundation. This year’s event involved teams competing in a 2-hour challenging adventure race. As you can see by the pictures, racers were up for the challenge!

Well, the results are in, and the team raised a whopping $36,900 — the most ever raised for Race for Red Tab event. Singapore employees showed their support with more than 83 percent making a donation. If you like to support the event, there’s still time! To make a contribution, click here.

So what drove such a stellar fundraising effort? It might be the intense competition among teams representing each regional cluster. Teams inspired each other and elevated the way we relate to our company.  The website saw a flurry of donations just before the race in a bid to be the top fundraising team. There were also a series of fundraising activities in the weeks leading up to the race, including a customized Trucker event and eCommerce sample sales.

When it came to race day, the competition was intense, with the ASEA team being awarded overall champions. The top individual fundraiser was the Regional Head of Security, raising $6,289 from 60 donors. What an effort!

We have been blown away by the generosity of colleagues across the region and the globe, as well as friends and families of the racers. Thank you to all of our fundraisers for spreading the word and asking for donations, and a big thanks to everyone who made a donation to Race for Red Tab.

It’s our collective compassion and shared values that will positively impact our employees and retirees. This is how we help each other.

A Steadfast Helping Hand

We call it a safety net — a place to turn if you face an unexpected financial crisis. In the past few weeks, many in our LS&Co. community have found themselves literally in the eye of the storm. Our stores in Houston, Florida and Mumbai were closed for multiple days, and several of our colleagues faced immediate and direct damages to their homes.

The Red Tab Foundation (RTF) — funded by employee donations — has been on the front lines supporting our colleagues and helping to alleviate the impact of these storms. So far, RTF has funded hotel stays for employees whose homes were flooded, made sure that rent and utilities were paid for to compensate for unexpected storm-related expenses, and replenished food supplies after lack of power and refrigeration.

The help that RTF is able to provide following the tumult of a disaster goes a long way. “Red Tab has been an incredible resource,” said District Manager Steve Nelson. “When RTF helped out so quickly with support, the response was disbelief.”

But what sets RTF apart is that we’re in it for the long haul. RTF will continue to provide support long after the immediate needs of the disaster have passed. This includes stepping in to cover costs that insurance won’t — car repairs and cleaning, replacement of household goods and clothing — in addition to repairing and rebuilding homes.

Our colleagues across the globe have been spreading the word about RTF to those in need, but if you know anyone who still needs help, please tell them to reach out via email or call 1-800-544-5498.

The reason RTF is able to provide this lifeline of support is all thanks to donors like you. Support for Red Tab has been steadily climbing in recent years. Today, nearly 50 percent of our employees contribute to RTF. And though donations have increased, so has employee need. This year we expect to receive 35 percent more grant requests from employees than three years ago. The need and the mission of RTF has never been more relevant.

We are especially proud of our ability and dedication to providing continuous care, but we can’t do it without each and every one of you. You can donate to RTF through payroll deduction or any number of options that will be highlighted via the annual RTF giving campaign that kicks off in a few weeks. In the meantime, know that RTF is stepping up and helping our friends and colleagues around the world who are facing real challenges behind the headlines.

Grantee Spotlight: Kendi

Kendi F., Store Manager – Troutdale, Oregon

One morning, after flying home from the Field Leadership Conference, retail store manager Kendi experienced an unusual onset of nausea and dizziness. After months of ongoing symptoms, multiple doctor’s visits, and seemingly endless tests, she was directed to an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Kendi was diagnosed with Acute Bilateral Meniere’s disease, which causes recurrent episodes of extreme vertigo — each lasting 20 minutes to 12 hours –, confusion, and hearing loss. After several ineffective treatments and with her symptoms worsening, Kendi was given a more extreme option: surgery coupled with a device to equalize the fluid and pressure in the inner ear. The device alone cost close to $4,000 and because of the rarity of the disease, insurance would not cover the costs. Without the financial means to obtain the treatment, Kendi’s quality of life continued to suffer.

Then, a fellow colleague who was familiar with Kendi’s situation contacted Red Tab on her behalf. A case manager reached out to Kendi, helped her complete an application, and secured the financial support she needed to restore her health.

Now, not only is Kendi a past grantee, but she is an advocate for the Red Tab Foundation:

“The Red Tab has given me back quality of life! I signed up for a monthly contribution as well as donating at the register and encourage everyone to give what they can. It could change your life one day!”

With the Red Tab Foundation’s help, Kendi is back to serving customers and leading her team.

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