FEATURE FRIDAY: Elizabeth Woods Makes It a Mission to Help Others

Elizabeth Woods found the perfect job for her interests—director of philanthropy at Plexus Worldwide.

Woods always knew she wanted to give back. She grew up in a family of five that volunteered often and was always thinking about others (read her answer to her earliest memory of giving back!).

When she was beginning her career, she learned Kendra Scott valued philanthropy as one of its pillars and reached out, which led to her role as community outreach and events manager.

In 2019, she joined Plexus Worldwide to lead corporate social responsibility. She also joined Valley of the Sun Active 20-30 Club that year, and today is the Valley Kids Foundation president for the organization, which is a philanthropic, community service, and social organization.

Here, what drives her to give back, what she does, and the one thing we’d be surprised to learn about her.

You’ve had so many impressive philanthropy achievements! Tell us about some of them …

Last year, Plexus Worldwide won the Communitas Award for CSR efforts and the Stevie Award for Employee Giving & Volunteerism, but I’m very proud of our Nourish One initiative. We’ve donated over 45.6 million meals since the program’s inception in July 2018!

What speaks volumes about Plexus is our volunteer efforts, whether with food banks across the U.S. or at headquarters. Our staff has donated so much volunteer time that for some organizations we are filling in full-time positions in terms of how many hours we’re contributing. This includes St. Mary’s Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul, Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Cancer Support Community Arizona, and many more.

On a personal note, I’m the current Valley Kids Foundation president for Valley of the Sun Active 20-30 Club, and one of my biggest accomplishments was helping to raise over $40,000 for the organization last year while growing and maintaining our membership as club president (managing over 80 women). In total, I’ve raised over $94.5K and volunteered over 250 hours since 2019 with children’s charities across the Valley.

In total, I’ve raised over $94.5K and volunteered over 250 hours since 2019 with children’s charities across the Valley.

A day in your life at Plexus Worldwide looks like …

Meetings with internal stakeholders or with nonprofit partners and community members to strategize what our year looks like. I could be in meetings back-to-back, or at the warehouse looking for items to donate, or attending a sponsorship breakfast. Every day looks different and that’s what I love about my job—no matter what’s going on we’re making an impact.

What you love most about Plexus is …

We have so much support from the executive team, team members, and brand ambassadors. We use the term ”One Plexus” all the time, but I truly could not be successful in my role without the support of others and their passion to give back. What makes Plexus stand out is the fact we never care about what makes us look good. We ask, “How can we help the community?”

Courtesy Elizabeth Woods

Your earliest memory of giving back?

I was about nine at Walmart during the holidays with my parents and my siblings. My parents gave us money and asked if we wanted to keep that money or buy gifts for others who might not receive gifts this year. I think they sensed how passionate we are about philanthropy because even before then, we volunteered at school and as a family. Ultimately, my siblings and I decided to buy gifts because knowing a gift could make someone’s day brighter really spoke to me. It still does.

What else is most important to you, either personally or professionally?

Giving back is a huge part of my life. It’s something I enjoy. When you have a passion for something, you tend to want to spend your time that way, so I sometimes say that volunteering is my hobby. If I’m not volunteering, I also love being with my family. I’m very close to them and love spending time with them and with my friends.

Book or motto that inspires you?

“To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you could be anywhere in the world right now …

I grew up going to Ocean City, New Jersey in the summer. My family has been going there since World War II and my great grandmother lived there. It’s a special place for me and my family.

One thing we’d be surprised to know about you…

Sometimes I listen to true crime podcasts.

Courtesy Elizabeth Woods