When Jared Smith, the CEO of Kitestring, says that giving back to the community is core to the company’s mission, he means it. You can see it in the culture, the annual budget, and the number of hours his employees have volunteered locally.
Every year, Kitestring, a technology consulting group, puts 10% of the company’s profits into a donor advised fund with Arkansas Community Foundation. “I saw a TED Talk once where the speaker said, ‘doing good is good business.’ For me, that means success should not be measured solely by profit but by the positive impact a company can have on its employees and community,” said Smith. “We talk about it every month and consider it core to our overall performance. The fund helps hold us accountable.”
KITESTRING’S PHILANTHROPIC MISSION “We will support programs that assist the under-represented in order to provide greater access to opportunities and a higher quality of life.”
Based in Bentonville, Kitestring has more than 150 employees nationwide with 56 residing in Northwest Arkansas. In 2023, employees logged more than 400 volunteer hours.
“Some companies have annual or quarterly opportunities to volunteer, but we have options for our staff to volunteer every month,” said Sapna Ramachandran, Vice President of Talent, Experience and Culture. “It gives people a sense of purpose at work, and it helps strengthen the bonds between our staff and our community. Our employees tell me that our company’s commitment to supporting the local community through volunteering and financial donations is one of the most meaningful aspects of working here.”
Kitestring was founded in 2020 with a vision to be the most trusted partner in technology consulting. After 23 years of growth in Bentonville and nationwide, the group is also trusted to show up when help is needed.
“We’ve volunteered and donated to several organizations [including] Feel the Love Food Truck, Habitat for Humanity, we help pick up litter, worked with Canopy to provide refugee support, among others,” said Ramachandran. “I hope this is just the beginning. I want to initiate volunteer opportunities for our staff nationwide, even those that are remote.”
Sapna Ramachandran, Vice President of Talent Experience and Culture and Jared Smith, President and CEO
Long term, Kitestring seeks to bring the technology it provides its clients to help build capacity for nonprofits, too. “We are doing this in small doses now with TheatreSquared,” said Smith. “We helped them with their fundraising page and website design.
“But in the future, I’d like to see us use our technology to train people up and expand employment opportunities for the underserved. Until then, we are doing what we can as often as we can. I am proud of the culture we’ve built and what Sapna is leading,” he said. “She’s made our commitment to charity and service more than something we discuss and turned it into action we take.”