A Grow & Give Message from Baird

We, the Beard of Directors, are incredibly proud of how much NovemBeard, our annual facial hair-growing campaign, has “grown” over these last 8 years.  What started from humble beginnings in 2011 has evolved to a firm-wide, 175+ person annual event that has raised a total of nearly $200k over 7 years.

It is amazing to look back and reflect on everything we have been able to achieve since 2011:  we have appeared in the Baird Foundation’s annual report, we implemented a BBQ lunch that raised over $2,000 this year, we have a kickoff article that appears on the home page of our internal corporate website, we have a custom logo that was created by our Marketing & Communications team, we have a firm-wide jeans day for those that donate each year, and we have promotional materials and communications that feature professional shots of our beard “models” (“model” used VERY loosely).

This is our 5th year supporting ZERO’s Grow & Give event and it has been an incredible partnership.  Many of our NovemBeard participants have a personal connection to prostate cancer, whether it is through their father, grandfather, uncle, a friend, or even themselves, and it is both touching and inspiring to hear their stories year-in and year-out.  These stories remind us that what we do is important and that NovemBeard truly has a significant impact on the lives of our associates, their friends, and their families.

As our 2018 NovemBeard campaign winds down, we will be hosting our annual wrap party on Thursday at the Westin Hotel in Milwaukee.  Our wrap party is where we celebrate our collective fundraising success and recognize (with trophies!) those that have achieved facial hair immortality.  Our trophy categories include “The Silver Fox,” “Best Beard Fail,” “The Anchorman (Best Moustache)”, “Barber’s Choice (Creativity)” and the big one, “Best in Show.”  Additionally, we will be distributing our fundraising incentives throughout the month of December.  Over the years, these incentives have included t-shirts, beer steins, coffee mugs, and the infamous “Das Boot” (think Beerfest).  This year we will be distributing a beer glass to those that raised over $100 and a set of whisky tumblers to those that raised over $500.

Cheers and beard on!

The Beard of Directors