T-Mobile offices nationwide bristled with a certain energy this past April. Spring was in the air, for sure. But it was more than just shaking off the last of winter. The turning of the calendar page meant it was once again Magenta Giving Month, a charitable giving initiative the company started last year to provide employees the opportunity and resources to give back to the causes they care about most.
Service, after all, is something of the very heartbeat of the company.
“The word ‘service’ has multiple meanings at T-Mobile, from cell phone service to customer service,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, T-Mobile’s President of Technology and executive co-sponsor of Magenta Giving Month. “For the second consecutive year, the month of April is about a different type of service — serving our communities.”
While last year’s initial Magenta Giving Month efforts led to an impressive $2 million raised in total donations, T-Mobile and its employees raised a whopping $2.6 million this year — setting the stage for an even bigger effort in 2025.
So it should come as no surprise that T-Mobile is recognized as a leader in corporate giving. The Un-carrier was ranked No. 12 on Puget Sound Business Journal’s “Corporate Philanthropists in Washington” for large companies list published in May.
There are also the acts of service that can’t be tallied in dollars, yet are truly priceless.
At various T-Mobile locations, for instance, representatives from the American Red Cross helped eager employees donate a total of 349 units of blood, a life-saving resource often in far too short of supply.
“Each year, on average, we need 4.5 million blood donations and more than one million platelet donations, and we need around 2.3 million volunteer blood donors to make that happen,” said Micah Holliman, Director of National Partnerships and Community Impact for the American Red Cross, noting the Team Magenta efforts alone can help over 1,000 people. “We depend on thousands of volunteer blood donors every single day to help people in need of blood transfusions, so when T- Mobile came and said they would love for us to be a second beneficiary of Magenta Giving Month, it made all the difference.”
Tony Roscelli, T-Mobile Senior Finance Manager, was thrilled with the ease with which he could donate his much-needed universal O-negative blood type: “It’s fantastic Magenta Giving Month has made it this convenient to give back to the American Red Cross on my lunch break today and to other nonprofits during April.”
For Alka Sud, T-Mobile Finance Manager, donating blood had a personal element to it. “I have a good friend going through some health problems right now and is in need of a lot of blood transfusions,” Sud said. “She’s already had three. So I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s give blood!’ Magenta Giving Month makes it so convenient for giving back to the community, and it really feels great to be coming together as a team.”
Elsewhere during the month, the company partnered with other charitable organizations including local Boys & Girls Clubs — a signature 2024 Magenta Giving Month partner. The company committed a day of service with the Boys & Girls Clubs in which employees packed 11,780 STEM supplies for students in locations ranging from T-Mobile’s Bellevue headquarters to offices in areas such as Frisco, Texas, and Herndon, Va.
Even smaller events made an impact. To raise money for several great causes, 10 leaders at the company served up sweet treats for the second consecutive year at the “Froyo for Good” event. A number of company leaders matched money raised there with other efforts to contribute $151,218 in donations. Employees from T-Mobile’s headquarters in Bellevue and Overland Park, Kan., as well as offices in Dallas, rolled up their sleeves to help the Arbor Day Foundation and Farmer Frog plant 157 trees. Those in Overland Park packed 7,000 meals to benefit Havesters – The Community Food Network. Besides contributing to good causes, one thing all employees seemed to have in common on their day of service was a smile of gratitude for the chance to give back. Just see for yourself below!