Crisis Text Line Provides Mental Health
Support to Those in Emotional Distress
CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the
leading provider of software for powering social impact, today
announced that its 2024 annual major gift will support Crisis Text
Line, a nonprofit organization that provides free, 24/7,
confidential text-based mental health support. Currently, Crisis
Text Line serves anyone in the United
States (including Puerto
Rico) in both English and Spanish, and works with affiliates
in Canada, the UK and Ireland. Blackbaud's donation will be utilized
for the organization's plans to expand its service into
Latin America and Australia with the goal of providing critical
mental health support to more people globally.
Since Crisis Text Line's launch in 2013, the organization has
supported more than 12 million conversations globally, connecting
more than 65,000 trained volunteer crisis counselors to texters in
emotional distress. Only 19% of texters have access to professional
mental health support, and 25% say they don't have anyone else to
talk to. Crisis Text Line is a unique platform for teens in
particular, as 88% of teens in the U.S. have or have access to
mobile phones, and 90% of teens communicate via text messages.
Individuals seeking mental health support through Crisis Text Line
can text HELLO to 741741 to reach a live volunteer crisis
counselor, at any time and for no cost.
"Mental health is one of the most critical and important issues
our society faces today," said Margaret "Maggie" Driscoll, chief
people and culture officer, Blackbaud. "By supporting Crisis Text
Line, we are prioritizing mental health resources not only for our
own employees, but also for the broader communities where they live
and work, making quality mental health care more accessible and
reducing stigma for those in need."
Blackbaud places significant importance on providing total
wellbeing benefits designed to help employees thrive while they
help customers drive impact—this includes supporting the emotional,
social, intellectual, physical and financial health of employees
and their families. In addition, Blackbaud is educating students on
the importance of mental health through the EVERFI® from Blackbaud
course "Understanding Mental Wellness," a free, digital course that
introduces students to the topic of mental health and the ways in
which they can implement coping strategies.
"Expanding mental health resources internationally will not only
help individuals in need but will also foster global resilience,
understanding, and empathy," said Dena
Trujillo, CEO at Crisis Text Line. "Thanks to our
partnership with Blackbaud, we are building a foundation for a
healthier, more compassionate and connected world."
Blackbaud's donation will be structured as a multi-year gift to
Crisis Text Line to facilitate an ongoing partnership. Blackbaud
will engage employees by raising awareness of the resources
available to them through Crisis Text Line and by inviting
representatives from Crisis Text Line to present to Blackbaud
employees as part of team meetings and special events. In addition,
Blackbaud will encourage employees to explore the opportunity to
volunteer by becoming trained counselors for Crisis Text Line.
This annual gift follows Blackbaud's donations in previous years
to organizations focused on supporting workforce development for
underrepresented youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Project
Drawdown. Learn more about Blackbaud corporate social
responsibility at https://csr.blackbaud.com/.
About Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line is a nonprofit
organization that provides free, confidential, 24/7, high-quality
text-based mental health support in English and Spanish. Since its
launch in 2013, Crisis Text Line has engaged in more than 9 million
crisis conversations and trained over 65,000 volunteers to support
people in their moments of need. Crisis Text Line is committed to
creating an empathetic world where nobody feels alone. Individuals
seeking confidential support can connect with us via text, web chat
and WhatsApp. To be connected to a live, trained volunteer
Crisis Counselor, text HELLO to 741741 or 443-SUPPORT in WhatsApp
or text HOLA to 741741 or 442-AYUDAME in WhatsApp for Spanish or
connect with us via web chat. Visit Crisis Text Line on Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. Additional information,
including how to become a volunteer or how to support Crisis Text
Line through donations or partnerships, is available at
www.crisistextline.org.
About Blackbaud
Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB) is the
leading software provider exclusively dedicated to powering social
impact. Serving the nonprofit and education sectors, companies
committed to social responsibility and individual change makers,
Blackbaud's essential software is built to accelerate impact in
fundraising, nonprofit financial management, digital giving,
grantmaking, corporate social responsibility and education
management. With millions of users and over $100 billion raised, granted or managed through
Blackbaud platforms every year, Blackbaud's solutions are
unleashing the potential of the people and organizations who change
the world. Blackbaud has been named to Newsweek's list of America's
Most Responsible Companies, Quartz's list of Best Companies for
Remote Workers, and Forbes' list of America's Best Employers. A
remote-first company, Blackbaud has operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Costa
Rica and the United
Kingdom, supporting users in 100+ countries. Learn more
at www.blackbaud.com or follow us on X/Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram and Facebook.
Media Inquiries
media@blackbaud.com
Forward-looking Statements
Except for historical
information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions
contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that
involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements
regarding expected benefits of products and product features.
Although Blackbaud attempts to be accurate in making these
forward-looking statements, it is possible that future
circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such
statements are based. In addition, other important factors that
could cause results to differ materially include the following:
general economic risks; uncertainty regarding increased business
and renewals from existing customers; continued success in sales
growth; management of integration of acquired companies and other
risks associated with acquisitions; risks associated with
successful implementation of multiple integrated software products;
the ability to attract and retain key personnel; risks associated
with management of growth; lengthy sales and implementation cycles,
particularly in larger organization; technological changes that
make our products and services less competitive; and the other risk
factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for
Blackbaud, copies of which are available free of charge at the
SEC's website at www.sec.gov or upon request from Blackbaud's
investor relations department. All Blackbaud product names
appearing herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Blackbaud, Inc.
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SOURCE Blackbaud