This Tech Company’s Donating $100 to the ACLU for Every Applicant It Interviews

Red Spark wants to mix activism with recruitment. It’s the latest local tech company to announce its opposition to Trump’s immigration ban.

We’re witnessing a big trend here in Philly tech.

First Seer Interactive CEO Wil Reynolds spoke out against Trump’s immigration ban, then Blackfynn and O3 World employees launched a petition, Comcast employees marched for migrants and refugees, and First Round Capital pledged to make a recurring monthly donation to the ACLU.

Now another local tech company has jumped into the fray with an interesting twist.

From now until April 28th—the date when Trump’s immigration ban is expected to lift—digital advertising company Red Spark will donate $100 to the American Civil Liberties Union for every job candidate they interview.

Red Spark is calling it the #YouBelongHere initiative. “It is our way of giving to a crucial organization and furthering our commitment to diversity at Red Spark,” the company’s CEO Stephen Gill told Philadelphia magazine.

They hope other tech companies in the area and beyond will join the initiative. Nationally, big tech players like Apple, Google and Facebook have come together in a coordinated legal effort against the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security suspended Trump’s executive decree in accordance with a court order. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will be next to weigh in on the executive order’s fate on Tuesday evening.

Red Spark says a handful of its employees are immigrants and the company sponsors their H-1B visas and green cards. On its website, Red Spark employees share anecdotes about why they left China, Russia, or India for the United States.

“As a company headquartered in a sanctuary city, we value diversity and believe that it is vital to our continued success,” marketing and communications director Leah Kauffman told me.

When I asked how the #YouBelongHere campaign might foster diversity, Kauffman explained that they’re looking to cast a wider net for a variety of applicants. Red Spark wants applicants to know that they fully support activism. She also mentioned that many employees participated in the Women’s March on Washington.

So just how much money will Red Spark amass for the ACLU?

Since announcing the campaign on Monday, the company has interviewed six applicants. They typically interview seven to ten candidates a week. At that rate, they’ll amass a sizable donation pool.

The Cira Center-based company, with its headcount at 65, has openings for data scientists, engineers, front end devs, media buyers, and web developers among others.

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