Why communities grow stronger when everyone shows up

"For a long time, we thought we were doing our part. Our firm gave generously, supported causes we believed in, and showed up when asked. But over time, it became clear that something was missing. Our giving wasn't balanced. It was concentrated. It didn't always reach far enough into the communities where we live and work. And it didn't always invite everyone to take part."

"MG2's Day of Giving is not about a single project or a single group of people. It's about participation. Once a year, every MG2 employee is invited to step away from their work and spend a day serving alongside colleagues in the community. Not as experts. Not as donors alone. But as neighbors, volunteers, and learners. This matters because community engagement shouldn't belong to just one cohort of people, one office, or one level of leadership. It should include everyone."

"Each office or studio chooses a nonprofit organization to support, and employees spend a day-paid-onsite, helping out. Our activities this past year ranged from clearing brush, to preparing meals, to constructing homes, to painting murals-not the typical day for an architect, but a day that reflects the ethos of our firm to be community-based and, above all, helpful."

"When all employees are encouraged to participate-across roles, locations, and backgrounds-we begin to build something far more meaningful than a volunteer program. We build shared experiences. And those experiences extend to the people who live, work, and play in the spaces we design. Shared experiences reveal shared values. Working together at a food bank, restoring a trail, supporting families in a housing program, or cleaning up a neighborhood creates connection in a way meetings and emails never can."

Giving became unbalanced and too concentrated, not reaching enough into local communities or inviting everyone to participate. MG2’s Day of Giving was created to shift engagement toward participation rather than single projects or donor-only roles. Once a year, every employee steps away from work to serve alongside colleagues in the community, not as experts but as neighbors, volunteers, and learners. Each office or studio selects a nonprofit partner, and employees spend a paid onsite day helping through activities such as clearing brush, preparing meals, constructing homes, and painting murals. Shared experiences build connection, reveal shared values, and reinforce community work as central to how the firm shows up in the world.

Read at Fast Company