It started with a question:
“How can we help?”

Global problems can feel both overwhelming and distant. But sometimes, change starts with a simple question: “How can we help?” As we kick off our #OneTeam for Kenya 2025 Campaign, we wanted to take a look back at where this connection began and the transformational impact it has had both for our culture and for the communities we partner with.

From one visit to a decade of partnership

The story of #OneTeam for Kenya is a great example of how Brighton Jones as a company continues to grow.

First, it was inspired by a client. In 2013, our family visited Africa, as part of our trip around the world. Through a connection with Bill Longbrake, a Brighton Jones client who had founded Lift Up Africa, we visited three schools in Kenya. What struck us immediately was how these organizations were doing incredible work with almost no resources.

Second, it began with a simple but meaningful action. We asked Daniel, the director of a rehabilitation facility for children with physical disabilities, what his greatest need was. His answer was straightforward: they needed a building to house skilled volunteers who could serve the approximately 80 children living at the school.

Third, the collective commitment of our team and our community turned that one action into a movement. That single conversation in 2013 sparked what would become the Richer Life Foundation and a decade-long commitment that has grown to encompass multiple organizations and strategic focus areas across Kenya.

Why international giving matters

We’re often asked: “Why Kenya? Why focus internationally when there’s so much need right here at home?” Fair question.

We absolutely support local organizations in every market where Brighton Jones operates. We provide matching donations and unlimited paid volunteer time for our teammates to engage with causes close to home, and our community continuously steps up to meet both urgent and systemic needs across a range of impact areas.

Every three years, we tilt our philanthropic focus to prioritize international giving, allowing us to raise multi-year funding that builds capacity and fuels sustainable, strategic growth. We focus on Kenya because our long-term partnerships there offer consistency and longevity to the organizations we support, allowing them to address critical issues and empower their communities in ways that will last decades—perhaps even generations.

When we give internationally through our focused, relationship-based approach, every dollar creates exponential impact and builds sustainable change. In communities where a few hundred dollars can fund a girl’s education for a year or provide life-changing medical care, our support can be transformative.

Why now? Because the need is urgent

Our partners and their communities face serious challenges. East Africa is experiencing historic drought and increasing temperatures related to climate change, exacerbating existing inequity in access to water and food for millions of people. Our partners are experiencing a doubling in the prices of corn, flour, and other staples which are in short supply due to Russia’s war on Ukraine – which supplies a significant portion of Kenya’s grain.

At the same time, international giving has declined dramatically as media attention moves elsewhere. Our partners are getting less support exactly when they need it most. This is why our $1 million target for 2025 is not just ambitious—it’s necessary to help maintain and expand critical services in these communities.

The key: Strategic focus and strong relationships

What began with one project has evolved into a comprehensive and intentional approach to addressing the challenges facing these communities—and many others—in Kenya today. Over the past decade, we’ve built deep connections with extraordinary organizations, with a focus on capacity building and maximizing impact across our strategic focus areas.

What makes these partnerships unique is that they’re built on relationships, not transactional charity. More than 100 Brighton Jones teammates, clients, and family members have traveled to Kenya, forming deep bonds with the people and organizations we support, learning from their expertise, and seeing their remarkable work firsthand. We don’t simply write checks from afar.

This approach embodies Brighton Jones’ core values of Compassion and Community at their best. When our community meets people face to face and witnesses the challenges they’re overcoming, it creates genuine empathy and a natural desire to help.

Our focus areas & key partners

Our work in Kenya is guided by five strategic focus areas that address both immediate needs and long-term systemic challenges:

1. Access to Education – In communities where schooling is often out of reach for many, especially girls, we’re helping create pathways to learning that transform lives and futures.
   • At HELGA, Maasai girls who escape early marriage and female genital mutilation find not just safety but a path to education.
2. Access to Healthcare – From maternal care to rehabilitative services, we’re supporting programs that bring essential medical services to underserved communities.
   • Kajiado Child Care Centre provides rehabilitation services to children with physical disabilities, proving that “disability is not inability.”
3. Job Creation – Economic opportunity is crucial for sustainable change, which is why we support initiatives that provide vocational training and create meaningful employment.
   • The Ruben Centre empowers women with vocational and business skills through their Social Economic Empowerment through Education program.
4. Animal Welfare – Kenya’s iconic wildlife faces unprecedented threats, making conservation efforts more important than ever.
   • The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust leads vital conservation efforts through their world-renowned orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program, protecting Kenya’s iconic wildlife.
5. Environmental Restoration – Addressing climate change and environmental degradation is essential for Kenya’s future, from drought mitigation to reforestation.
   • Eden+ Landscape Restoration tackles climate change through community-based reforestation initiatives, restoring critical ecosystems while creating local jobs.

The #OneTeam difference

Every three years, our #OneTeam for Kenya campaign brings together employees and clients to support these vital organizations. Because we have direct relationships on the ground, we ensure funds go exactly where they’re needed most.

In 2022, our community raised over $500,000 to help maintain critical services. This year, we’re aiming for $1 million to expand our impact across all five strategic focus areas.

When you support #OneTeam for Kenya, you’re not just making a donation—you’re joining a community of compassionate individuals who are creating sustainable change through long-term partnership.

While the financial goal of this campaign is important, the true measure of our impact goes far beyond dollars raised. The Executive Director of Ruben Centre recently told our group: “The work we’re doing together isn’t charity—it’s justice. It’s about creating opportunity where systemic barriers have denied it, and recognizing our shared humanity across geography, culture, and circumstance.”

Join us

When we ask “How can we help?” and then actually do something about it, amazing things happen. As we launch our 2025 campaign, I’m reminded of how far we’ve come. What began as a single conversation has evolved into a community of support that spans continents and transforms lives.

I invite you to join us in this journey—whether through a donation, participation in our upcoming events, or by joining one of our Impact Journeys to Kenya to meet our partners in person. Together, we can ensure that these vital organizations can sustain and expand their life-changing work for years to come.

Join the #OneTeam for Kenya campaign today. Your contribution of any size will make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.