Phoenix—In 2007, McMurry established a five-year goal to give $1 million in cash to charities. Just three years later, the company has given $850,915 and is tracking toward reaching the goal in 2010, a year earlier than planned. In fact, come the five-year mark, it appears McMurry will exceed $1.3 million in giving to charities.

"Already being ahead of schedule on our million-dollar giving goal is just one example of how staff live our eight values," says CEO Chris McMurry. "The commitment to our values and the exceptional nature of our giving progress is amplified in light of the economy and a world that is seeing fewer donations rather than more."

Theresa’s Fund and McMurry Charities are the company’s two nonprofit arms. Donations made to these entities, and subsequently to other charities, result from the operations of McMurry and gifts made by its 180-person staff. Staff gave an average of $700 per person, an all-time high in the company’s celebrated philanthropic history.

Theresa’s Fund combats child abuse and domestic violence in all forms in Arizona and in The Capital Region of New York. Every five years, staff members at McMurry select charities that will receive all or part of a $750,000 matching gift. The current recipient in Arizona is Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse in Tucson, which has become the largest domestic violence shelter and services provider in southern Arizona since being selected. 

Since its inception in 2007, McMurry Charities has given $251,809 to 146 nonprofits around the world through staff requests. McMurry Charities is designed to represent the giving interests of each and every staff member, and consequently, each donation made is requested and selected solely by individual staff members. This year the average charity received a gift of $1,067.

The giving goes beyond cash to include time and resources. For instance, staff participated in 19 charitable events, such as cleaning shelters, sorting food bank contributions, feeding migrant workers at the Saratoga Race Course, and saving 312 lives through blood donations. More than 1,504 hours were donated across all the events, including providing creative and production services for a 376-page hardcover coffee table book celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Phoenix Art Museum.

"Our people are simply amazing. Not only have they created an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company, but they have also created the No. 5 Best Place to Work in America by exceeding expectations in every aspect of their lives," adds CFO/COO Audra Taylor.

To see the full impact of both Theresa’s Fund and McMurry Charities and learn more about both charities, read the annual report.

About McMurry
McMurry, with four offices in Arizona and New York, offers a complete line of marketing communications services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Amtrak, CBS, Aon, CVS Caremark, Waste Management, Liberty Mutual, PNC, 24 Hour Fitness and Thomson Reuters, as well as resources to more than 10,000 corporate professionals. The company has specialized practices in healthcare, finance and insurance. It is among the largest independent marketing communications companies in the U.S. and is recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute and Society for Human Resource Management as one of the top five "Best Small Companies to Work For" in the U.S.