We’re having a busy fall at PIPs Rewards, co-developing our incentives platform with our community partners. I continue to be inspired by our partners’ resilience and leadership. In these uncertain times, they are strengthening their services to help people who are too often marginalized get the education and skills they need to get ahead.
It’s an honor that they see us as an integral part of their important work.
Read below for updates on our new Chance to Win! feature, a spotlight on our intern extraordinaire Aleera Sinantha, our new partnership with A Single Bite, and a glimpse into how we’re exploring AI for better futures.
– Carrie
New Feature: Chance to Win!
Our new Chance to Win! feature is a time-based challenge where app users who earn enough points by a set date are entered into a drawing.
It’s fun, motivating, and a great fit for our partners with smaller budgets—or those wanting to offer special prizes in their PIPs Rewards community.See how it works in this short video.
Team Spotlight: Aleera Sinantha, Intern Extraordinaire
This summer, we welcomed Aleera Sinantha as an intern to give us more admin capacity and to bring a youth perspective to our work.
Aleera grew up in a small city in Northern California, and PIPs Rewards was her first internship. Now back for her junior year at UC Santa Cruz, where she studies economics, she continues to work with us, focusing on client support to our partners.
“I especially enjoy our client meetings and being part of the behind-the-scenes on everything. Working here is awesome—I really love it.”
In a challenging job market for new grads, we’re thrilled Aleera is gaining real-world experience—and we’re lucky to have her on the team!
Watch Aleera’s take on the PIPs Rewards app and why she believes it helps young adults.
Partner Spotlight: A Single Bite
We are excited to partner with A Single Bite to launch Real Food Rewards for their Real Food program serving middle school students in Sullivan County, NY.
Starting this month and continuing throughout the school year, 700 students across seven school districts in this rural region of New York will engage with the Real Food Rewards platform both in their classrooms and at home. Students will answer questions about nutrition and the healthy habits they are building, earn points, and unlock prizes—making real food education interactive and rewarding.
To learn more about Real Food Rewards, check out this recent feature in the local paper!
What We’re Working On: AI for Better Futures
Working alongside our client partners, we’re in the early stages of designing how AI can help adult learners on our platform.
Initial concepts include:
- A co-developed chatbot designed with young adults, who have returned to high school after dropping out, that will connect them to resources and build their knowledge of AI tools.
- An AI-powered community feature to help training program graduates stay connected, find new jobs, and advance in their careers.
We’ll share more as our strategies evolve—and we’d love your ideas! AI can do a lot, and we want it to be designed by and for people who are often underserved.