Welcome back to Raise & Shine - Winter Edition!
Welcome to this edition of Raise & Shine! This week’s theme is The Power of Collaboration.
Collaboration is more than just working together—it’s about combining strengths, sharing ideas, and building solutions that none of us could achieve alone. At Raise, we believe that when we collaborate effectively, we unlock innovation, strengthen relationships, and drive success across the organization.
Join us as we explore tips, stories, and strategies to help us work better together and make collaboration a true competitive advantage.
CAP, RAP, WAAP Report:
Number of Successful Processes in the last quarter (October/November/December):
- RAP: 11
- CAP: 27
- WAAP: 3
To learn more about starting a RAP, CAP, or WAAP, please visit our Teal Site for additional information.
New Employees in the last quarter (October - December 2025):
- Margaret Reyes joined COR CSL as a CS Representative
- Gio Plasos joined SHF as a Recruiter
- Love Gonzales joined SHF as a Recruiter
Rhiccia Eusebio joined SHF as a i9 Auditor
Theia Cabizares joined SHF as a Recruiter
Dan Binos joined SHF as a Recruiter
Sarry Jose joined SHF as a Recruiter
- Mark Madjus joined DEL as a Recruitment Coordinator
Maia Jose joined DEL as an Onboarding Coordinator
- Janice Madjus joined DEL as a Curation Lead
- Nupur Goyal joined COR Finance as an Account Executive
Karan Singh joined COR CSCB as a Contractor Service Representative
Andrea Bright joined ROne as a Senior Account Manager
Kim McDade joined COR Compliance as a National HR Compliance Lead
- Christine Landero joined SHF as a Recruiter
- Jessie Jasa joined DEL as a Recruitment Coordinator
- Brenda Pearlman joined SHF as the Director of Payroll
Rishab Kalra joined COR CSCB as a Customer Service Representative
Mohd Sohail joined COR Compliance as a Compliance Coordinator
Joy Dey joined COR CSL as a Contract Success Representative
- Andrea Cordeta joined SHF as a Recruiter Coordinator
- Karla Ronquillo joined SHF as a Recruiter
Reminder to Fill Voluntary Self-ID in BambooHR:
- Diversity and Inclusion: Your participation helps us understand the diverse makeup of our workforce.
- Equity: To ensure that our employees receive equal pay for equal value, promoting fairness across the organization.
- Data and Reporting: Collecting self-ID information helps us record accurate data, which is essential for reporting on employee statistics. This data supports initiatives like Bcorp certification and Statistics surveys.
REMINDER: At Raise, we have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued. If you ever feel unsafe, experience inappropriate behavior, or have ideas to strengthen our culture, please reach out to any member of the People & Culture team (Allyson, Cassandra, Grishma H, Kavya C, Sagar, Sanad) or share your feedback through the engagement survey by CLICKING HERE!
For confidential escalations, visit: https://raise.confidenceline.com/
January - March holidays & events:
- January 1: New Year’s Day (ALL COMPANY)
- January 7: Constitution Day (GHN)
- January 26: Republic Day (BNG)
- February 16: Family/President/Louis Riel/Heritage/Island Day (USA, BC, AB, MB, ON)
- March 6: Independence Day (GHN)
- March 20: Eid al-Fitr Day (GHN)
Care a Little Too Much? Join Stewardship!
Do you have a passion for supporting a good cause? Do you love volunteering? Are you frequently supporting a cause with donations? If so, you may have the Stewardship bug, and we want to work with you!
As many of you know, Stewardship at Raise is about giving care to something you don’t own as though it were actually yours — whether that’s supporting our candidates, uplifting communities, protecting the environment, or strengthening the Raise culture and impact. Stewardship isn’t just a value we talk about; it’s a value we live through donations, the Meaningful Work Foundation, community partnerships, volunteering, and celebrating moments like our annual B Corp Day.
This year, we’re looking to grow our Stewardship efforts by building a small team of passionate folks to help lead priority areas. We’re looking for 2-4 people who are interesting in donation and volunteering initiatives.
Donation & Giving Campaign Champions
- Help plan, support and run internal giving initiatives/campaigns throughout the year
- Assist with matching employee donations and promoting opportunities to give back
BCorp Day Champions
- BCorp Day is an all-company volunteer day where we come together to make impact in our communities
- We want people who are excited to help plan, coordinate, and bring energy to this annual initiative
- Collaborate with teams across regions to make this day meaningful and fun.
Whether you’re passionate about volunteering, community engagement, or giving back in a meaningful way, we’d love to have you join the team.
Want to join? If you’re interested or want to learn more, please message Cassandra Sturk directly or email Stewardship at Stewardship@raiserecruiting.com.
Let’s make 2026 another impactful year, together!
The Invisible Relay Race: How Raise Delivers Better Together
Some of the most important work at Raise doesn’t happen in meetings or big announcements. It happens in the moments between teams — in shared systems, in trackers, in conversations where context is carried forward and learning is brought back.
It’s the work that’s almost invisible when everything is flowing — and unmistakable when it isn’t.
That’s why the theme Better Together resonates so deeply with me. Here at Raise, outcomes don’t hinge on one team being exceptional in isolation. They depend on how well we move together — how clearly we share information, how consistently we align expectations, and how intentionally we design the flow of work across the full contractor lifecycle.
The relay doesn’t begin when a contractor receives their first paycheque. It begins much earlier; with client partnership, shared understanding, and the systems and safeguards that support everything that follows.
Where the relay truly begins and how we pass the baton
The relay starts with our clients.
Through business development, marketing and client partnership, Raise establishes trust, scope, and shared expectations. Not just around roles, but around how work will be delivered, supported, and experienced. These early conversations shape the operating reality of the account and set the tone for success.
Account Management then builds the foundation. AMs translate partnership into structure, capturing contract details, billing models, timelines, and nuances that don’t always fit neatly into templates. This is where clarity is created and risk is surfaced early.
Recruiting builds on that foundation through close collaboration with AMs and clients. Finding the right talent isn’t just about matching skills — it’s about understanding context and expectations. When recruiters, AMs, and clients are aligned, candidates enter the process with confidence and clarity.
Throughout this work, our Infrastructure IT team and Compliance are already present. Our systems establish shared sources of truth and visibility across teams, while Compliance informs how contracts are structured, how onboarding is designed compliantly, and how risk is managed. These teams don’t operate on the sidelines — they shape how the relay functions from the start.
That’s where Contractor Success comes in. Not as a reset point, but as a continuation of what’s already been built.
CS carries forward both the candidate experience and the operational backbone that supports it. This is where “compliance with a smile” comes to life: continually focusing on a smooth onboarding experience, grounded in regulatory integrity and supported by reliable systems.
By the time a contractor reaches their first day, the relay is already well underway.
Sustaining the relay: continuity for contractors and teams
Once contractors are live, Contractor Success becomes a continuity partner across the lifecycle. CS supports contractors through changes and questions while ensuring updates — extensions, rate changes, leaves, or client shifts — are accurately reflected across systems.
Alongside this work, People & Culture plays a critical role in sustaining the relay internally — supporting employees through change, growth, and connectedness. By investing in clarity, development, and wellbeing, they help ensure our teams are equipped to collaborate effectively and deliver consistently strong outcomes.
CS sits at the intersection of contractors, clients, AMs, Systems & Data, Compliance, and operational teams. That role isn’t about buffering work or reacting to issues — it’s about carrying shared understanding forward and surfacing signals early.
In a strong relay, CS doesn’t hand off tasks. They maintain continuity.
Where accuracy and experience meet
As contractors move into weekly rhythms, timesheets, pay, and billing become part of the everyday experience. This is where Contractor Success and Payroll/AP operate in close partnership.
Payroll and AP bring deep expertise in execution, compliance, remittances, and timelines. CS brings contractor context and visibility into changes. Systems & Data ensure information flows cleanly and consistently. Compliance continues to guide how work is executed with confidence and credibility.
Accuracy here is a team outcome. When foundations are strong and visibility is shared, Payroll, AP, and Accounts Receivable can focus on execution rather than exceptions. When friction appears, it’s a signal to strengthen the system — not to assign blame.
Closing the loop: sustaining trust on both sides
Accounts Receivable completes the relay. Raise pays contractors before we’re paid by clients, which makes billing accuracy and alignment essential to the model.
When AR, Payroll/AP, CS, AMs/Delivery, Systems & Data, and Compliance are aligned, invoices reflect reality, client trust is reinforced, and cash flow supports sustainable growth. Insights from CS, Pay Ops, and AR — recurring delays, approval issues, or confusion — become opportunities to refine expectations and improve how work moves.
This is where Raise becomes not just a service provider, but a trusted operational partner.
Better Together is the work
The invisible relay at Raise is happening every day — Business Development, Account Management, Recruiting, Contractor Success, Systems & Data, Compliance, Payroll, AP, Accounts Receivable, and client partnerships all moving together toward one outcome.
When the relay is strong, we move with confidence, accuracy, and trust. When it isn’t, we learn where to strengthen the system.
Better Together isn’t a slogan. It’s how we deliver great contractor experiences, strong client partnerships, and sustainable business outcomes — together.
– Brooke Hudon
Collaboration for College Board: a Conversation with Nicole
The Power of Collaboration: Behind the Scale
How Raise Comes Together to Deliver SAT & AP Programs
Delivering national programs like College Board’s SAT and AP is never the work of a single team. It is a true Raise-wide effort—where operations, compliance, onboarding, payroll, technology, and program leadership come together to meet complex, time-sensitive demands at extraordinary scale. Time and again, our teams step up, support one another, and deliver.
College Board at a Glance:
- 55,782 SAT contractors hired & onboarded
- 49,493 AP Readers onboarded or onboarding
- 30,741 AP Readers paid
- 45,000+ I-9s processed
This level of delivery is only possible because teams work seamlessly across systems and functions. Many individuals support multiple administrations or hold more than one role, making coordination across eligibility, compliance, and payroll essential. The result is accuracy, continuity, and reliability—even under tight timelines.
Support for SAT and AP draws on a broad network across Raise. At any given time, 25–40 Raise employees contribute to these programs, with 27 dedicated support team members actively supporting SAT and AP operations today (excluding program leadership). During high-volume periods, teams like Compliance and the CS Legacy Team regularly step in, reinforcing a culture of shared ownership and responsiveness.
Collaboration On-Site
During the most recent AP Reading cycle, 10 Raise employees traveled to support events in Salt Lake City, Kansas City, Tampa, and Cleveland, with some supporting on site for up to 26 consecutive days. This included Rustann, who served as centralized mission control, coordinating real-time issue resolution and cross-team communication throughout the Reading.
The numbers tell a powerful story. In 2025 alone, AP support teams:
- Closed 47,000+ AP-related cases
- Responded to 12,000+ live chats across AP and SAT
- Handled 11,000+ AP calls, answering over 7,000
Wrap
What stands out most isn’t just the scale—it’s how consistently Raise teams come together to make it work. Through collaboration, adaptability, and a shared commitment to excellence, Raise continues to deliver reliable, high-quality support for SAT and AP programs, administration after administration—something we can all be proud of.
Behind the scale: SAT & AP operations crossword
Clues:
Answer key:
ACROSS
3. Chief Reader event held at the end of September
7. Process of hiring and preparing contractors to work
8. Reading Annual AP scoring event held mid-May to mid-June
9. Shared tools that provide real-time visibility
11. Ensuring legal and regulatory requirements are met
12. Function that manages delivery and execution
DOWN
1. Board Client that delivers SAT and AP programs
2. Control Central coordination hub during on-site AP Reading
4. Employment authorization status tracking
5. Coordinating people, travel, and operations
6. Working together across teams and departments
8. AP Annual Conference held in late July
10. Educators who score AP exams
13. Processing compensation for workers
Fill in the grid using the clues. Numbers mark the starting squares for clues.
The Winter Raise Playlist is here!
The Winter Raise Playlist is here and ready to bring some cozy vibes to your day! You can find it on both Apple Music and Spotify. For those curious about who added the songs you love, or if you don’t have access to these platforms, we’ve included an Excel sheet with the song list and the contributors. If the links provided below are expired or not functioning, please contact Sanad for an active link.
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/raise-playlist-winter-2026/pl.u-mJy81vJTbeBBa1
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UaurOVO0tNqVysdbL3fxu?si=J9P07NFeQcO5HmyrAgfBKg
And as we enjoy the winter tunes, let’s start thinking about our Spring Playlist! Add your song suggestions through this link: Spring Playlist Suggestions.
Happy listening and keep the great music coming! 🎧
Raise around the globe
Welcome to our newest section that will share stories, pictures (and even jokes!) that feature our amazing, diverse employees from all over the world.
Last issue we put out a call for the best Dad jokes, and you did not disappoint!
After careful consideration, the Raise & Shine editorial team has narrowed down the submissions to 5 finalists, with one anonymous joke each of the major regions our team lives and works in.
Why did the recruiter bring a pencil to the party?
Because they wanted to draw some attention
I tell dad jokes.
Sometimes he laughs.
Every time I go to work I hide.
My boss said good employees are hard to find.
Kid: “I’m Exhausted”
Dad: “Hi Exhausted, I’m Dad”
Why don’t fufu and soup ever argue?
Because they always stick together.
Who has the funniest joke? You decide! CLICK HERE TO VOTE!
What’s next for Raise around the Globe? Behind the Lens—an International Photo Contest
We want your best landscape photos from your home country, to help all our team members understand how beautiful it really is from a local’s eye.
Your photo can be of anything—a lake, a mountain, a city after dark—the only rule is it cannot feature you!
Please submit photos (with a description of what it is) to sanad.shahour@raisrecruiting.com and we will figure out which country makes the best photo!
Editors-in-chief of Raise & Shine: Richard Welch, Rustann Steele-Yeo & Sanad Shahrour. Special thanks to Brooke Hudon, Tiffany Bell, Diem Baldry, Nicole Parker, Cassandra Sturk and Bailey Brosseau for contributing to this edition.