Third Time's the Charm: Magenta Giving Month Breaks Records With $3.3M in Donations, 27K+ Volunteer Hours

Associated Press

20-05-2025

Step into the lobby of T-Mobile's Bellevue, Washington, headquarters on a spring day in April, and you might assume the buzz in the air was all business — until the barking began. The source? A pack of irresistibly adoptable pups wagging tails and melting hearts. Thanks to T-Mobile's work with P.A.W.S. – Progressive Animal Awareness Society, employees on campus had the chance to take home new furry family members, with all 11 puppies adopted. It was undeniably one of the cutest ways to give back — but far from the only one. The event was part of T-Mobile's third annual Magenta Giving Month, a companywide movement where employees across the country roll up their sleeves for causes that matter in the communities they call home.
Team Magenta has delivered heartwarming results through time, sweat equity and good old-fashioned generosity over the past couple of years. While 2023's initial Magenta Giving Month efforts led to an impressive $2 million in donations, T-Mobile and its employees raised a whopping $2.6 million in 2024.
Now in its third year, Magenta Giving Month has reached a new high: more than 27,000 volunteer hours and $3.3 million donated to communities in need. With 875 pints of blood, thousands of STEM kits, and enough food packed to feed a small stadium, it's safe to say T-Mobile's Magenta magic is real.
'Every year, this moment is about more than just volunteering,' says Mike Katz, President of Marketing, Strategy and Products at T-Mobile, and this year's Magenta Giving Month executive co-sponsor. 'It's about coming together as One Team, Together to make a real impact in our communities.'
Starting April 1, every T-Mobile employee receives a $30 donation credit from The T-Mobile Foundation. They can use it to support a nonprofit of their choice — whether it's focused on education, healthcare, environmental conservation or another cause they care about. The Foundation's mission is to make a difference by mobilizing the company's brand, technology and people for social good — and Magenta Giving Month brings that mission to life in a big way.
Many employees went beyond donations by volunteering at events hosted coast to coast. Throughout April, T-Mobile campuses were alive with activity as employees teamed up with nonprofit partners like Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Food Lifeline, Harvesters and the American Red Cross. Whether they were packing STEM kits, sorting essentials for food-insecure families, or literally saving lives through blood drives, their impact reached far and wide.
Fighting Hunger Across the Country
Ben Burgess, Corporate Relations Manager for the Atlanta Community Food Bank, knows firsthand how crucial those efforts are.
'Roughly one in nine Georgians are food insecure, and one in six children in our 29-county service area,' Burgess says. 'We've seen the need grow by almost 60% in the last three years. This year, we're on pace to distribute over 125 million pounds of food to the over 700,000 people we serve.'
At T-Mobile's Atlanta event alone, employee volunteers sorted nearly 17,000 pounds of food — enough to serve over 14,000 meals.
Meanwhile, at T-Mobile's Overland Park, Kansas, headquarters, the rhythm of 10,000 sack lunches being packed for Harvesters echoed through the halls.
'The Give Lunch bags that T-Mobile is providing help tremendously,' says Paula Pratt, Director of Community Engagement for Harvesters. 'Our organization serves 27 counties across Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, with more than 900 partner agencies serving 226,000 people every month. Many of these are distributed through our Food+ Program, at libraries, bus stops, health-care facilities and other places people go to find help like pantries and summer feeding programs.'
Pratt points out that demand remains sky high with grocery prices still elevated, making the support more critical than ever.
And over near Bellevue, employees matched that hustle, sorting more than 11,000 pounds of food for Food Lifeline, a hunger relief organization serving 17 counties and nearly 300 meal programs across Western Washington.
'Since 2019, we've continued to see a rise in the number of clients we serve every year,' says Marisa Kent-Guerra, Corporate Relations Officer for Food Lifeline. 'And with major budget cuts looming, our work is more vital than ever.'
Partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs for STEM Success
Beyond food insecurity, T-Mobile employees also powered up the future by partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs to build thousands of STEM kits across the country.
In Overland Park alone, employees packed 4,480 STEM kits, while Bellevue added another 4,200 kits. In Frisco, Texas, employees packed 2,240 kits, plus another 840 kits in Herndon, Virginia.
'This is the second year T-Mobile's Kansas City employees have come together to help the kids we serve at our 11 clubs,' says Katie Onello, Resource Development Coordinator for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City (GKC). 'Our goal for 2025 is to serve 5,200 kids by combatting learning loss over the summer and providing safe places outside of school.'
T-Mobile also provided each organization with cash as a result of the 2:1 match on volunteer hours. In April alone, the TMO Foundation provided $601K through volunteer-hour matching. That means for the Boys & Girls Clubs of GKC, the Un-carrier added almost $13K on top of the STEM kits.
In Washington, Jules Pollack, Director of Development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue, says the impact is undeniable.
'These kits provide hands-on learning experiences that help kids build problem-solving skills and spark an interest in STEM careers. The energy during these events has been incredible.'
On the other side of the country, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington serves 24 clubhouses across D.C., Maryland and Virginia, where 100% of their youth graduate high school.
'T-Mobile generously covered the cost of the kits and materials and even reimbursed us for a U-Haul when we needed extra transportation!' says Jasmine Culver, Director of STEM at BGCGW.
Serving Up Good: Donating Blood, Planting Trees, and Scooping Froyo for a Cause
And when it comes to life-saving efforts, T-Mobile once again joined forces with the American Red Cross, hosting 26 blood drives together and with seven other blood collection organizations.
'In the U.S., someone needs blood every two seconds,' says Mario Brown, National Partnerships Manager at the American Red Cross. 'Last year, T-Mobile collected 454 units with us — potentially helping about 1,362 people.'
This year, T-Mobile collected 693 units of blood through its drives with the Red Cross, potentially saving up to 2,079 lives. When combined with other blood drive partners, the company helped collect 875 total units during Magenta Giving Month.
To add a sweet spin to giving back, T-Mobile leaders hosted 'Froyo for Good' pop-ups in support of local organizations like Mary's Place and Seattle Humane. And at events in four locations across the country, volunteers planted more than 150 trees as part of a partnership with The Arbor Day Foundation.
Magenta Giving Month made one thing clear: T-Mobile's commitment to using its scale and resources for good — in communities big and small — continues by empowering employees to come together and make a difference.
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