HSNi Teams Up with Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!

The employees of HSN talk about doing good like it’s part of their job — and this fall, it will be! HSNi is the National Sponsor of this year’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign.  The employees of HSN, Grandin Road and Chasing Fireflies will support UNICEF through special products available on all three websites — where 10% or more of the purchase price for these products will be donated to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. The employees manning the phones for all three brands will also invite customers to take part in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF by adding a donation to their purchases. My colleague Sean Gay and I had the opportunity to visit HSN’s St. Petersburg campus in August to meet some of the people who will bring HSN’s partnership with the U.S. Fund for UNICEF to life this fall. We brought materials that UNICEF uses in the field, like packets of ready-to-use therapeutic food, a jerry can for water, a School-in-a-Box and more, to provide a tangible presentation of the work UNICEF does. It was amazing to hear about all that they do for their communities: building houses for Habitat for Humanity, taking mission trips with their churches, fostering stray pets for adoption, and more! Almost half the people who stopped by had a story or two about their own experiences Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF as children. One woman told us that she Trick-or-Treats for UNICEF around HSN’s campus every fall. “To collect change is nothing,” she said. “To actually see it in action, saving lives…that’s monumental.” HSN gives employees two days off each year to volunteer, and it was amazing to see how that ethos of giving flowed through each and every person at the company. A big driver of HSN’s philanthropic focus is its CEO, Mindy Grossman, a member of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF’s National Board. “[Supporting Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF] is an example of what we can do that no one else can — we have the power of our brand, our proprietary brands and our commitment to philanthropy,” she told the HSN staff assembled at the Town Hall. HSN staff pitch in not just with their time and money, but also with their talents. One of the set carpenters built large wooden Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF boxes, and another collected change from her co-workers for that box — giving Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF at HSN its inaugural gift! Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF even got an on-air shout-out from HSN host Guy Yovan. As Sean and I watched him tape, he shot us a wink and smoothly segued from his product — freezer-packed plastic bags — into a plug for Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF, saying “Folks, Halloween is right around the corner, I know you’re all looking forward to Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF! These bags would be perfect for Halloween candy …” UNICEF could not succeed in its work without the dedication, commitment and support it receives from corporate partners like HSN. So, HSN family – THANK YOU! The U.S. Fund for UNICEF is grateful for the support of our National Sponsor HSNi. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF does not endorse any brand or product.