Founding Givers
Out of the belief that anything and everything in business can be made better, Giv Local was born. Crafted by three friends who bonded first over their love for gaming, Shizuka Buckley, Sam Buckley, and Christian Baum also found that their professional backgrounds made the perfect combination to bring a purpose-based credit card processing business to life.
Launched in 2017, the trio poured extensive research and perseverance into the project, laying a foundation that could be not only impactful, but also sustainable. Leaving their former careers behind and bringing years of experience along for an altogether new ride, the founder pursued their life-long desire to make a lasting impact on their community.
Meet the team…
Shizuka Buckley
Shizuka Buckley is a former manager for Chloe & Isabel, a popular women-owned jewelry company. Beyond her extensive background in sales and marketing, she is passionate about helping others, finding a special connection to empowering and mentoring female entrepreneurs to succeed in their own businesses. While she has always worked to benefit others, Shizuka (otherwise known as the Charity Sorceress) believes Giv Local is an opportunity to not only aid other businesses, but also amplify entire communities.
Sam Buckley
Sam Buckley’s long career working with big banks has landed him the title of Giv Local’s very own Processing Druid. Having dedicated his entire career to supporting businesses and nonprofits, he has recognized the industry’s all-too-common sales-first focus and hopes to disrupt the norm by prioritizing the impact of giving back.
Christian Baum
Christian Baum is known as the group’s serial do-er and has gained his experience in a variety of ways: as a freelance graphic designer, co-founder of several socially-responsible companies, freightliner truck driver, and – most recently – Design Yeti for Giv Local. His affinity for new experiences has allowed him to better connect, impact, and invest in his community. This beyond-the-box thinking is what has led Christian to brand Giv not as B2B or B2C, but H2H… Human to Human.
