Lindsay F.

Program Manager, Toast.org

In May 2022, I joined Toast as a Senior Global Mobility Specialist, which is essentially a program manager for global relocations and assignments. Shortly after joining Toast, I attended one of Toast.org’s office hours to learn more about Toast’s social impact team and how I could become actively involved. Toast.org has local committees in over 60 cities worldwide, organizing volunteer opportunities. As a remote employee, these events have been a fantastic way to meet other Toasters in person and build relationships outside my department.

I’ve always been passionate about the issues Toast.org addresses—food security, the environment, and community investment. Even before joining Toast, I was deeply involved in these causes. At my previous company, I led employee engagement for an environmental sustainability employee resource group. During the pandemic, I volunteered with my favorite Toast customer, Pagu, delivering hot meals to frontline workers.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to join the Toast.org team full time. Toast has a robust internal mobility program, which helped prepare me for an internal move. The best part of Toast’s internal mobility program was knowing the culture and my current manager before getting the position. I had been at Toast for about a year and a half before I applied for this new role. During that time, I participated in various Toast.org events and did a stretch assignment, helping my current manager with a project. Seeing how our working styles complemented each other made me feel more confident going in. I also had a ton of support from my manager on the global mobility team, which made the experience even more positive.

Lindsay and members of the Toast.org team at a Benevity conference.

Shortly after I started my new position, I had the exciting opportunity to help run Toast to the Earth, one of Toast’s biggest volunteer campaigns of the year. Toast to the Earth is our month-long celebration in April that unites our people, products, and philanthropy to make the world a healthier, more sustainable place.

As someone passionate about environmental sustainability, I love that Toast prioritizes this as well. It's particularly exciting to see so many Toasters driven by purpose and impact. We kicked off Toast to the Earth with an educational webinar on Toast's proactive measures to help restaurants combat food waste through our food waste reduction suite and our catalytic grant to ReFed. We also organized over 70 volunteer opportunities in 60+ cities worldwide, focusing on environmental projects! In addition to volunteering, our 60+ local committees directed $250,000 in funding to nonprofits working in our communities to foster environmental sustainability in the food ecosystem.

Being a part of Toast to the Earth is incredibly rewarding because it allows me to see firsthand the collective impact we can have. Organizing these events and initiatives brings Toasters together, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. It’s fulfilling to witness the enthusiasm and dedication of my colleagues as they engage in activities that make a real difference. Knowing that our efforts contribute to positive environmental change and support for our local communities makes all the hard work worthwhile.

The most exciting part of this role is engaging other Toasters in meaningful work that fights food insecurity, supports the environment, and builds strong restaurant communities. Helping to create opportunities for engagement is incredibly fulfilling. As I grow in this role, I'm excited to develop my skills in empowering and championing others. I want to help people feel supported, encourage them to share their ideas, and assist them in executing those ideas or realizing their capabilities.