Every December since 2021, WinterNode has donated to a nonprofit. It started small. $100 upfront to Team Trees, plus 5% of new sales for the month. Five years later, it’s probably the thing we’re most proud of.
Here’s the full record.
2021: Team Trees
Our first year. We pledged $100 upfront and 5% of December sales to Team Trees, which plants one tree for every dollar donated. Server hosting uses a lot of power, generates a lot of heat, and consumes a lot of water for cooling. We wanted to start offsetting that footprint.
Total donated: $425. That’s 425 trees planted around the world.
2022: Girls in Tech + Team Trees
We upped the commitment. This time we matched the previous year’s total as our starting point: $425 upfront, split between Girls in Tech (supporting women in technology careers) and Team Trees again.
Total donated: $890. $445 to each organization. Running total: 870 trees planted.
2023: Carbon180 + Second Harvest
New year, new causes. We chose Carbon180 (carbon emissions reduction and removal technology) and Second Harvest (fighting hunger and food waste through community partnerships). $100 upfront split between them, plus 5% of December sales.
Total donated: $500. $250 to each organization.
2024: Gamers Outreach
This one hit close to home. Gamers Outreach provides portable gaming setups, called GO Karts, to children in hospitals. For a kid stuck in a hospital, a gaming cart is a huge deal.
We also became a Diamond Sponsor of Cubed!, the biggest unofficial Minecraft convention held inside the game itself.
Total donated: $577.43
2025: AbleGamers + Gamers Outreach
We supported AbleGamers, a nonprofit that creates gaming opportunities for people with disabilities, and returned to Cubed! with our own in-game booth. We built a parkour challenge. Every player who completed it and shared a screenshot helped drive donations to AbleGamers.
We also continued supporting Gamers Outreach through our 5th Annual December Giving Campaign.
Total donated: $618
The Running Total
| Year | Organizations | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Team Trees | $425.00 |
| 2022 | Girls in Tech, Team Trees | $890.00 |
| 2023 | Carbon180, Second Harvest | $500.00 |
| 2024 | Gamers Outreach | $577.43 |
| 2025 | AbleGamers, Gamers Outreach | $618.00 |
| Total | $3,010.43 |
870 trees planted. Gaming carts in hospitals. Accessibility tools for disabled gamers. That’s what five years adds up to.
Why We Do This
We’re a game server hosting company. We’re not a Fortune 500 with a PR department deciding which charity looks best in a press release. We pick causes that matter to us and we actually donate. Every December, no exceptions.
The formula hasn’t changed since day one: $100 upfront, 5% of new sales for the month, and a new organization to support. Our community makes it possible. Every server ordered in December directly increases the donation.
We’ll be back this December with year six. If you have suggestions for nonprofits we should consider, drop them in our Discord. Requirements are simple: non-political, non-religious, and doing real work.