This story was submitted by Cobra
At Cobra, we devote 1% of our working time to local initiatives with Pledge 1%. We do this together with Stichting Present Zwolle (Present Foundation). Present builds a bridge between people and companies who voluntarily want to give help and those who can use help. This is how Present builds a society that cares.
The foundation believes that you can often make a world of difference to someone in just one working day. In that one day, something really gets off the ground. You provide just that one push to get someone out of the house, back among people. Or you help to make their house livable, visitors can be received again without shame. Or you help them forget their current situation by taking them on a nice activity. Small action, big difference.
Bingo afternoon & go-karting
At Cobra, we look for meaningful activities, such as a bingo afternoon with the elderly or restoring a neglected garden for someone in need. In March 2023, we visited a shelter for immigrants near Zwolle. We were given a tour and heard the most harrowing stories of people there who had fled life-threatening situations. For example, we heard the story of a refugee who once ended up in the Netherlands. He told about the difficult period he had in the first few months, due to the lack of proper psychological help and shelter. He fought his way through that difficult period, started a furniture factory run entirely by refugees and made a documentary of his inspiring story.
After this impressive tour, we went go-karting with the children at the shelter. There they had the time of their lives and didn’t have to think about their lives as refugees for a while. A humbling and rewarding afternoon. By joining forces, together we can contribute something positive to the community. Think of it as a kind of team activity, but just a little different!
Watch the video in which our colleague Ruben Schuring tells you more about Stichting Present and why we participate in this great initiative.
This story was submitted by Discourse Agency
Never underestimate the possibilities with a group of committed individuals working towards a common goal. The team at Discourse Agency is bringing an ethical voice to ESG (Environment, Social and Governance). This small yet mighty team has been leading the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) conversation for decades.
Our Profit-for-Purpose pledge is giving in action as Corporate Social Responsibility is top of mind for everyone who is affiliated with Discourse Agency. The team has a history of community service, regularly donating time and money towards causes that matter.
PrivilegeWalk.ca is the first ed-tech innovation coming out of Discourse Agency.
STEPS to Complete:
The VPW can be found at PrivilegeWalk.ca
1) Please complete the walk at the link above. You are walking with actual past participants of this walk through the power of technology.
2) Once completed, enter an email to reveal a “Download” button.
3) Click the “Download” button and the report will be generated and downloaded to the device used (it is mobile and desktop responsive).
4) Read through the report to get perspectives and insights as to how Privilege can show up in society and the intersectionality of the topic.
We believe in the power of community and honoured to join the esteemed companies participating in the Pledge 1% initiative! As leaders in social innovation we kindly ask all leaders continue to be the change!! We are proud to be in such wonderful company, onward and upwards .
This story was submitted by rready AG
In a world where corporate social responsibility often feels like an abstract concept, at rready, we’ve turned words into actions, following one of our core beliefs ‘no bla just do’ Our journey began with a distinctive initiative blending cultural enrichment and the 1% concept, emphasizing our commitment to making a meaningful difference.
At the core of this initiative lies a simple yet powerful idea: dedicating one hour each month to sharing our passions beyond the confines of our workspaces. In these sessions, team members take the stage to discuss personal passion projects, hobbies, and initiatives, fostering a sense of connection and purpose.
During one such session, Daniela, a member of our Marketing team, seized the opportunity to spotlight a transformative project her and three others had undertaken—a community dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship in Namibia, a country grappling with significant business challenges. Named “It Takes a Village,” their project echoes the African proverb that emphasizes the collective effort required to nurture both a child and a business.
As dedicated volunteers, Daniela and her team have partnered with a local event space, offering crucial support and guidance to young founders and startups in Namibia. Their bi-monthly events feature knowledge-sharing sessions, insightful discussions, and speakers with invaluable experiences. It’s a project fueled by dedication and a profound desire to instigate positive change in their community.
Daniela’s passionate presentation resonated deeply with all of us at rready. Inspired by her commitment and the remarkable work unfolding in Namibia, we decided to take action as part of our 1% Pledge. Recognizing the potential of our monthly sharing sessions as a platform for more than personal stories, we transformed them into a source of support for initiatives like “It Takes a Village.”
In the true spirit of the 1% Pledge initiative, every employee contributed to fundraising based on their comfort levels. Going a step further, the company matched these donations, demonstrating our unwavering support for our employees’ causes. Additionally, we provided valuable resources, such as sets of books on the Kickbox method—an innovative approach to boosting entrepreneurial skills. In the end, the total amount donated by rready constituted about 1% of our Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).
These funds and materials will significantly impact the initiative, considering that “It Takes a Village” operates entirely through voluntary efforts and offers its services free of charge. The resources will support the organization in hosting events, creating marketing materials, and conducting workshops to empower young entrepreneurs in Namibia.
This story was submitted by Hotovo
At Hotovo, we believe in more than just coding and software development; we also believe in taking care of our planet. Recently, we had the incredible opportunity to team up with Trash Heroes, a civic association from Košice, and make a meaningful impact on our local community.
A Day of Action
With sleeves rolled up and a shared commitment to making a difference, we set out to clean up neglected corners of our city. But it wasn’t just us adults – we were joined by enthusiastic kids from local schools who also lent their helping hands. Their enthusiasm was nothing short of inspiring!
The Trash Heroes Origin Story
It all started with a young man from Košice who, out of nothing more than instinct, began picking up litter during his wanderings. His friend, out for a walk with his dog, couldn’t bear to watch him do it alone, so he joined in. Then, like the domino effect, another friend joined in too.
Realizing the big impact this “small” effort of theirs could make and driven by a shared commitment to safeguarding our planet, they decided to establish Trash Heroes – which has since gone from strength to strength and is making a noticeable impact in our city. And not only our city, as Jaroslav Stančák, the young man who started it all, now lives in London and is doing the exact same thing there!
It’s a great reminder that everyone can contribute in their own way.
Hotovo’s Core Values
Hotovo has always held the protection of Mother Earth as one of our core values, so joining the Trash Heroes was a no-brainer for us! But we didn’t – and won’t – stop at just one day of action. We’ve also directed our company’s business focus toward addressing global challenges, particularly in the realm of technology and software development. We actively seek projects that bring benefits to our world, and especially those that help confront the pressing issue of climate change.
Passing It On
There was another inspiring moment from our day with the Trash Heroes, too.
We brought some small branded gifts to share with the kids that joined us this day, as a way of thanking them for giving their time to something so important. And their reaction was incredible…
Rather than keep these gifts, they decided to donate them to other kids who were more in need. They did this in the spirit of the motto: “Pass it On”.
It was yet another beautiful moment from the day, and proof that together, we really can make such a difference.
A Big Thank You
A heartfelt thank you goes out to our colleagues, family members and the kids who dedicated their time and effort to supporting this great initiative. It was a brilliant day of hard work, great camaraderie, and a shared commitment to the greater good.
Join Us Next Time
But here’s the best part: we’re not stopping here. Our eyes are already set on the next opportunity to make an impact, and we’re inviting YOU to join us. Together, we can magnify our efforts, extending our reach from our community to the wider world.
Stay tuned for more updates on our upcoming initiatives. Let’s keep the spirit of Trash Heroes alive and make this world a cleaner, greener, and happier place, one step at a time.
With trash-grabbing high-fives,
The Hotovo Crew
This story was submitted by XCC – eXperience Cloud Consulting.it
Throughout 2023, volunteers from XCC – eXperience Cloud Consulting dedicated a total of 36 hours to support various community initiatives. The confirmed partnership with Pledge 1% underscores XCC’s commitment to giving back. <<It’s important – confirms Giuseppe Catapano, COO & Co-founder of XCC-, to actively participate in this corporate social responsibility by returning the commitment it deserves to the community. A voluntary dedication to social and cultural activities that can only enrich>>.
XCC volunteers actively participated in various charitable activities, ranging from collecting essential supplies to engaging in environmental projects. Moreover, in between work projects, our XCC volunteers spent quality time with children in foster homes, played cards with the elderly, painted fences, tended gardens, and taught basic computer skills to mothers ready for social reintegration or individuals with Down syndrome.
Not Just a Number
The 36 hours of volunteering are more than just a number; they represent the dedication and passion of the volunteers in making a positive impact. XCC doesn’t relegate volunteering to the sidelines but integrates it into the core of its corporate identity, demonstrating how it can contribute to creating an engaging and socially responsible company.
XCC has five work locations in Rome, Milan, Naples, Potenza and Turin, with employees located throughout the national territory. The company strongly promotes the importance of volunteering as an effective key to addressing social challenges and building a better future for all of us.
XCC firmly believes that corporate volunteering not only fosters volunteer loyalty but also enhances their personal well-being and that of others. The approach goes beyond work obligations, transforming charitable actions into a source of personal satisfaction. Volunteers, once introduced to this philosophy, enthusiastically return to dedicate their time to volunteering initiatives with various non-profit organizations. In the end, XCC definitely believes that the power of volunteering can shape a future where solidarity and sharing become fundamental pillars of society.
This story was submitted by PagerDuty
Building a more equitable world by transforming critical work has always been at the heart of PagerDuty’s company vision. Five years into formalizing our social impact work through PagerDuty.org, we continue to operationalize our social impact in alignment with our strategic business goals and innovating in new ways.
Our commitment to both social impact work and our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes is shared by both the company’s leadership and employees. As we have advanced our ESG programs and investments, laying the groundwork for new commitments and continued progress in the year ahead, this work gives PagerDuty a new avenue to create value for our customers and other stakeholders in pursuit of our shared societal and environmental goals.
In 2017, we committed to Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement dedicated to making the larger community a key stakeholder in every business. For us, that meant donating 1% of equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employee time to give back.
Our commitment drove the launch of PagerDuty.org five years ago, the company’s social impact arm, which works to empower mission-driven teams to build a more equitable world and sustainable future. PagerDuty.org applies an integrated approach that mobilizes our technology platform, philanthropic investments, people, and voice to amplify the work of social impact organizations. Our early intention was to “empower those working to make a difference in the world and to use our technology to solve intractable challenges,” and through experimentation, iteration, and scaling of our programs, we’ve realized this vision.
We recognize that our company’s commitment to building a more equitable world and sustainable future is a continuous journey. Given the function’s fifth anniversary, we are pausing to reflect on the journey and celebrate some of our key accomplishments over the last five years.
Here are five key things we’ve learned during our first five years:
1) Institutionalize your vision (and impact): Building an equitable world is part of our corporate vision and has been integral to our company’s ethos. That’s why it made sense to make the Pledge 1% commitment early in our journey toward becoming a public company.
2) Invest beyond the money: From the start, we dedicated the internal resourcing and expertise required to make this work successful, such as bringing on a senior-level leader from the beginning, establishing the PagerDuty.org Advisory Board to provide leadership and oversight to support our strategic vision, and establishing our CFO as the executive sponsor for our ESG work.
3) Drive momentum through accountability and transparency: PagerDuty is in the business of operationalizing trust. You see that reflected in our reporting on our social impact outcomes less than two years into the program’s tenure, with the publication of our first ESG disclosures less than three years into the program.
This year, as part of our accountability to our internal and external stakeholders for responsible business practices, we are also refreshing our materiality assessment, defining science-based targets, and laying out a climate action plan.
4) Align the entire business: Leveraging our greatest assets—our people, product, and business practices—is critical to maximizing impact. It’s this holistic framework that enables us to realize our company vision and provide holistic support to community partners and Impact Customers by solving complex social and environmental challenges. By aligning the entire business, we’re positioned to meet the evolving needs of all our stakeholders: our employees, customers, communities, investors, and the planet.
One example of our work to embed social impact across the entire employee lifecycle is our recent analysis with our People team which shows an empirical positive correlation between volunteerism and employee retention and engagement.
5) Invest in social impact work and realize the far-reaching benefits: We spent the first five years building the foundation, experimenting and iterating, staying curious, and gathering relevant data to inform our future investments. We’re building deeper partnerships with our social impact customers and diversifying our philanthropic investments through creative capital mechanisms like mission-related and impact investments. Additionally, we support PagerDuty’s employee acquisition and retention strategy with integrated programs that drive an impact mindset and inspire employees to take action.
Our customers and communities are central to everything we do at PagerDuty. PagerDuty.org’s partnership model mobilizes our product, people, funding, and voice to help nonprofits and mission-driven organizations accelerate their vital work. A few highlights from our partners include:
- We support The Trevor Project in keeping their suicide hotline running 24/7, ensuring fewer interruptions to their suicide-prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
- We partnered with SIRUM to prioritize critical work, connecting people with surplus life-saving medications by helping organizations like nursing homes, pharmacies, and manufacturers donate their unused medicine and get it to where it’s needed most.
- PagerDuty’s technology, unrestricted grant funding, and pro bono technical expertise help ensure that Trek Medics International deploys emergency responders in underserved communities around the world.
“As a nonprofit organization, we’re counting our pennies every day and we are dependent on the generosity of others,” said Jason Friesen, Founder and Executive Director at Trek Medics International. “We have to watch our budget very closely. PagerDuty’s holistic support makes it totally possible for us to work at full capacity without having to make any trade-offs or compromise any of our services.”
At PagerDuty, we view addressing our environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) risks and opportunities as fundamental to practicing business responsibly and creating value for all stakeholders, and we continue to set meaningful and measurable goals and to integrate ESG activities into our business strategy. We’ve made strong progress in the past five years, and we will continue to hold ourselves accountable to deliver value across our stakeholders as we forge ahead in this next half of our first decade.
This story was submitted by Aerogen
2023 is a special year for the Aerogen history books. We mark 25 years of the company’s existence.
From a small room above a butchers shop in the west of Ireland to the world leader in acute care aerosol drug delivery – we’ve come a long way. Over 20 million people in 75 countries around the world have benefitted from our products. This is a truly remarkable success story and one which we were keen to celebrate.
In Aerogen we “don’t do ordinary” and this was very much the case for us when we were deciding on how to mark our anniversary. We decided that we would do this through a series of events, both big and small, locally, nationally and internationally over the course of the year. Each of these events correspond to a number from 1-25, are announced in no particular order and all of them tie in with our Pledge 1% commitment.
Some of the events that have taken place or will take place shortly include;
- Movember. ONE is representative of the alarming stat that across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day. In Aerogen over the month of November we will be raising awareness and funds for mens health.
- Three represents the 3,407 ft that makes up Carrauntoohil, the highest mountain in Ireland. We climbed it in aid of Clare Crusaders – raising €2,500. Aerogen matched it to bring it to €5,000.
- FOUR represents the 4 hospitals that make up Children’s Health Ireland – Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght and Connolly. Held an internal Halloween fundraiser raising over €3,000. Aerogen will increase to a donation of €25,000 to the Giggle Fund.
- Aerogen sponsored SEVEN athletes to participate in the Special Olympics Berlin.
- Team Chicago climbed TWELVE thousand plus steps in the Fight for Air fundraiser raising $3,455 which Aerogen matched
We are looking forward to continuing our celebrations over the coming months, with a finale event in March ’24, marking the end of one year of charity and community events – supporting both financially, with product and staff time, through our Pledge 1% commitment.
This story was submitted by Twistellar ApS
At Twistellar, we take our partnership status with Salesforce implementation seriously and vigorously commit to the Pledge 1% initiative, dedicating over 2000+ hours of pro-bono work throughout the year.
As part of this initiative, Twistellar has invested 400+ hours in end-to-end implementation of Salesforce Sales Cloud for a non-profit organization through the Salesforce “Power of us” program. This program aims to provide discounted Salesforce technology to educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, enabling them to leverage the world’s leading CRM platform to fulfill their missions. The NPO we assisted is called Human Practice Foundation, and it focuses on creating schools, providing quality education, and supporting entrepreneurial projects to empower children and their communities to create a better future.
Our efforts extend far beyond the boardroom. In addition to pro-bono work, Twistellar participated in the “Steps to the Stars” event organized by The Gavin Glynn Foundation. This charity event raises funds to support families with children battling cancer, enabling them to access life-saving treatments abroad that are not available in Ireland. Twistellar’s CEO, Thomas Hobel, was among the participants, highlighting the company’s commitment to giving back to the community and supporting families in challenging situations.
“We’re proud to stand alongside organizations like Salesforce and fellow Pledge 1% participants since this initiative aligns perfectly with our core values of community, compassion, and solidarity.
By lending our Salesforce expertise to organizations on the frontlines of improving our world, Twinstellar ensures that these organizations can focus on their mission and have a greater impact. The feedback from organizations we partnered with has been nothing but positive, proving that streamlined operations and automated workflows matter in achieving not only business but universal goals.”
Thomas Hobel
CEO at Twistellar Europe
In the years to come, we expect to broaden our Pledge 1% portfolio with many more projects with an emphasis on charity, sustainable development, waste management, and non-profit causes.
Twistellar is a #1 Salesforce Consulting Partner from Denmark, working with customers in Europe, USA, Asia, and Australia. The company provides top-quality Salesforce solutions development services to solve complex business issues and boost sales.
Deep technical expertise and business experience allow Twistellar to bring forward creative and tailored solutions of architectural and budget optimization, ensuring effortless maintenance and scaling opportunities.
More info: twistellar.com
This story was submitted by Ran EOOD represented by ZAUtre
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”.
– Neale Donald Walsch
And speaking about comfort at ZaUtre.com, we have decided to put it away and experience life in its full color and rustiness by involving our team in a bit different and challenging team building activity. This is how the idea for a non mainstream team – building for volunteering occurred and we have managed to put it into action.
Gabrovo, Sunday – mid August – we started exploring the concept for collaboration with the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center (CJC) and its director. Over a coffee by the Yantra river a friendly conversation took place and we agreed that the volunteering activity could be done on the day of the Opening or “Unwrapping” (in the context of Christo and Jeanne Claude work) of the newly established CJC center. A chance for each of us to contribute with a piece of our own energy for something new that promises a future not only for the local cultural community, but also for the society in general and beyond.
Nestled within the walls of a 1960s building, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center (CJC) in Gabrovo breathes new life into a former textile high-school that ceased operating in 2010. Being a ‘dream come true’ for a group of enthusiasts, the CJC Center has a 12 000-square-meter space and could be considered a ‘New into Old’ – Cultural Experiment, in which ZaUtre’s team also took place . Our bonding experience was fueled by our collective decision to invest our time and volunteer efforts in reawakening this signature ’60s building facility, fostering and nurturing both local and visiting artists and the very essence of art itself.
Our memorable day began with the “Revive and Reorganize Challenge.” Divided into three teams, we embarked on a mission to organize and classify important items and replenish the former high-school Physics and Chemistry classrooms. This experience, much like a time machine, transported us back to our own school days. Some were skeptical at first, while for others, it was a thrilling adventure filled with excitement and lots of dust:). Furthermore, through a simple cleaning routine we put into practice a real time management exercise that involved and required collective mind for task’s mapping, distribution, prioritization, time-management etc.
Thanks to our innovative and out-of-the-box approach and the commitment of ZaUtre’s team, we successfully realized our unconventional idea. Our involvement can be seen as a performance in itself, mirroring the center’s journey towards a brighter future. While many might opt for standard approaches like company weekends with orchestrated game activities, we at ZaUtre chose to dedicate our time to volunteer work, helping pave the way for a promising tomorrow in the world of art and the Gabrovo community, all facilitated by the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Center (CJC).
The Satisfaction survey showing a high approval rate makes us optimistic that volunteering team building events could become part of our company culture. Approval rates are pushed up also by the night party at the CJC with a thrilling DJ set and unique industrial atmosphere.