Useful Group

30/04/2020

We've been hard at work on a lot of podcast projects as of late. Can’t wait to release some of them into the world soon!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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In the meantime, what podcasts have you been enjoying lately?

22/04/2020

We launched FloatMeThrough.com about a week ago as a way for our local communities here in Illinois to tangibly help each other during these unusual times. We've been humbled and encouraged by the response of folks who have stepped up to send funds to those who have requested help.

And as people continue to need financial assistance, we hope you consider FloatMeThrough.com as a way to meet a few of those needs.

Connecting people who need a few dollars with people who want to help.

15/04/2020

We've heard it expressed that in difficult times we can often look to others who have been through similar circumstances for guidance and practical help. But this pandemic is unprecedented as we can only look around and ask the questions, “Who do we turn to? Who do we lean on?". Who can say, "I’ve been through something similar and this is what I did?"⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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No doubt, we are collectively suffering. But, the strongest safety net we have is each other. That's why we built FloatMeThrough, a way to directly connect people in Illinois with people who need a few dollars to get by to people who can spare a little cash to help.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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FloatMeThrough is a way to give money to someone directly, anonymously, and easily. If you are looking for a way to help someone in your local community, please consider FloatMeThrough. And, if you are in need of a little financial help, please ask for help.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Check out FloatMeThrough.com

14/04/2020

Hey there! 👋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Are you a top-notch developer eager to work on meaningful projects? Useful Group is looking for our next Senior Back-End Developer to join our team of creative problem solvers and help great missions be more effective. Take a look at our job posting (link in bio) and share this opportunity with your developer friends if it's not you: https://www.usefulgroup.com/job/senior-back-end-developer/

Side note: we are looking forward to the days when we can work together around a table and collaborate in person.

13/03/2020

We are thankful that the Useful Group team is able to work from home and carry on (somewhat) business as usual. But we know that isn't the case for a lot of organizations and individuals. We want to be as useful as possible during this uncertain time. Let us know if you are aware of a need we can help meet with our awesome Useful Group team.

26/02/2020

The Useful Group marketing team is on set in Nashville shooting a photo and video production. Here is some BTS to prove it.

Oh, and everything is looking fire fire. 🔥 🔥🔥

🎥🎬

13/12/2019

Out Of Office.

Sometimes, and on sunny days in particular, working from a coffee shop is the necessary move.

For us, work is less about being in office from 9-5, and more about usefulness. Are we continually learning, improving, and striving to deliver a higher quality with each new project? These measures of success, are better than making sure we are always in office at 9am and out at 5pm.
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22/11/2019

...more like Fun Faces Friday!

Here’s one of our funnest faces! .poel is our lead content specialist and the most likely team member to be perched on a 5-foot-high windowsill. Here’s some fast facts about Rachel:

What's your favorite thing about your job?
My favorite thing about my job is the team. And my favorite thing about the team is the pervasive humility. We all actually want to hear each other's ideas and concerns. That culture also means that leaders don't push teams into bureaucratic systems. We default to accountable autonomy, and where we have systemized our work, anyone can question and refine those systems.

What's your morning routine like?
I'm working on fixing my morning routine. I've been saying this for 11 months, but at least I haven't given up? Currently, it's not as much a routine as a 50/50 blend of procrastination and panic.

To mitigate my night-owl hatred of early mornings, I get ready the night before, packing a lunch, setting out my clothes, double-checking my work bag, and triple-checking my alarm before going to sleep. Once my alarm goes off, I burrow under the duvet a little longer and check my phone: twitter, instagram, emails from WaPo and NYT. At the last possible minute, I shamble out of bed, pull on clothes, get pretty, and grab some food as I dash out the door. (I know it's not the ideal, guys—I'm working on it!)

Describe your enneatype to someone who has never heard of the enneagram in 3 words.

bow down, mortals

3 favorite emojis: 😂🙃 and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯¯ (old school, but emojis have yet to reach the timeless inner void of the shrug)

08/11/2019

Today’s Friday introduction features one of our web developers, Jeff!

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

I love that Useful Group has carefully built the house it lives in. It knows every corridor and why it is the way it is. Having a solid foundation at work, especially rooted in goodness and grace, encourages me to do good work less out of pride and more out of love for our relationships and partnerships with great clients.

What’s your morning routine like?

My oldest son Liam loves pretending that he’s a T-Rex. (RoOoOoOoOOOOAR!!!!) That’s my alarm clock. Half-dazed, I wake up usually wondering if my kids are okay, but it’s just my son screaming for Mom in his muffled Jurassic tongue. I try for an extra hour of sleep before Liam comes running beside the bed. I smile and get out if bed. I intend to get ready for work, insistent on getting there earlier, but I can’t help but to crouch down and roar back at my son. Before I know it, I’m 20 minutes into stalking our prey and no closer to getting out the door. After finally getting dressed, my gear packed up, and kisses to my wife and children, I say my goodbyes and make my commute, equipping myself with Starbucks and morning prayer.

Describe your enneagram number to someone who has never heard of the enneagram in 3 words.

Need more words.

3 favorite emojis

🤘🙌🤣

07/11/2019

Useful Group Pro Tip #33.

Get yourself a workspace next to a window by any means necessary.
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31/10/2019

When you forget to tell your newest team member that it’s not really a “dress up kind of office”

Happy Halloween from Useful Group! 🎃👻💀

@ Aurora, Illinois