Originally posted here.
The Growth Heroes team is part of the Pledge 1% community dedicated to giving back. Donating over $5,000 to 18 organizations in 2022, we are proud of our Pledge 1% members.
“Pledge 1% is a global movement that encourages and empowers companies of all sizes to donate 1% of their staff time, product, profit, and equity to ANY charity of their choosing.” With the connections the Pledge 1% program has given us, the Growth Heroes team was able to make contributions to organizations all across the nation. We are fortunate to have these opportunities to impact the world around us. With over $5,000 in donations across 18 organizations, we are hoping to help the lives of those in our communities.
This years donations were chosen by our employees. Each team member chose an organization they hope to see grow and be able to provide for their communities. Having our team involved within our Pledge 1% contributions is important to our virtual work environment and continuing a sense of community.
2nd Helpings
2nd Helpings is an Indianapolis hunger relief agency aimed at transforming lives through the power of food. They are a community kitchen that does more than collect food; 2nd Helpings “provides an avenue for people to transform their own lives.” Their organization accepts donations to help prepare nutritious meals for thousands of hungry children and adults daily, distributing them free of charge.
American Lung Association
A world free of lung disease is the vision of the American Lung Association. Providing education, advocacy, and research for all lung disease patients, 90 cents of every donation goes to program services. These services can be life-saving and life-changing for those in need. Knowing that our contribution leads to such an impact is something we truly love about our Pledge 1% contributions.
Daily Bread Community Food Pantry
Based in the small town of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, the Daily Bread Community Food Pantry provides services for over 700 community members each month. That’s over 200 households and 246 children provided with basic needs. From food to hygiene products to back-to-school items and holiday specialties, Daily Bread is a staple support system for the Collegeville community.
Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders is a worldwide organization that “provides independent, impartial medical humanitarian assistance to the people who need it most.” With a project area of more than 72 countries and territories, they can provide over 12 million medical consultations. We support their recognition of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Growth Heroes is proud to support Doctors Without Borders.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is “the leading nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech, and innovation.” The EFF is working to support a world where technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all. As a leading voice in online rights debates, they encourage supporters to take action through their Action Center.
Gleaners Food Bank
The food insecurity rate has increased by 13% since 2019 in Indianapolis. Thousands of food-insecure people and children can count on Gleaners Food Bank for assistance. With 433 mobile pantries across the state, they have distributed 28.6 million meals!
Harmony Theater
“The mission of Harmony Theater is to create, support, and offer opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in performing arts activities as an avenue for self-expression, social interaction, and community connection.” The theater provides a creative performance environment for people with disabilities. This organization is a true community for all those involved.
Indy Humane
Indy Humane has been “committed to helping central Indiana’s pets in need since 1905.” In 2021, the organization was able to take in 3,600 animals and adopt 2,835 pets to their forever homes. They can provide many routines and other medical services. With the help of various donations, Indy Humane rescues animals in need.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful has a variety of community programs aimed at “engaging diverse communities to create vibrant public places, helping people and nature thrive.” They have an Impact Hub where volunteers can participate and work towards a more beautiful Indianapolis.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is a global leader in the fight against cancer. With a mission to “cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families,” This organization makes a difference in millions of lives with personalized treatment and support.
Mayo Clinic – Parkinson’s Disease Research
Patients at the Mayo Clinic are treated as people first and as patients second. “Treatment at the Mayo Clinic is a truly human experience.” We are happy to donate to their cause and goal of innovation with impact. With treatment facilities and medical professionals nationwide, patients access the top-level care they need anywhere.
Milford Arts Council – MAC Endowment Fund
“The MAC Endowment was established to promote and nurture the arts in Milford and surrounding communities by offering grants and scholarships to local student and adult artists.” With the help of donations like ours, students can pursue their goals of furthering their education in areas such as music, dance, creative writing, visual arts, and theater.
Rainforest Foundation US
Focused on the countries of Peru, Brazil, Guyana, and Panama, the Rainforest Foundation is working “to support indigenous and traditional peoples of the world’s rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights.” Rainforests are crucial to the environment and global warming as they absorb and store more carbon dioxide than all other types of forests.
SPCA Cincinnati
The SPCA of Cincinnati has a 99% live release rate. As a no-kill shelter, 100% of healthy and safe pets find homes. Their mission is “to be a driving force in promoting animal welfare, strengthening the human-animal bond, providing humane education, and eliminating pet overpopulation.”
The Current – mpr.org
The Current is a listener-supported music station. Supporting The Current “connects communities across the region through trusted news, independent music, and community conversation, no matter where you live or how you listen.” They also host several events within the community, bringing people together through music.
WFYI
“WFYI is a nonprofit organization providing trusted news and quality entertainment for 50 years while educating and engaging the community.” In this age of digital transformation, where misinformation spreads quickly and easily, it is pivotal to have a source of reliable and accurate information. WFYI aims to provide just that to its listeners.
Wheeler Mission – Programs for Homeless Women and Children
65% of the Wheeler Missions’ income comes from monetary contributions towards programming and fundraising to provide for those in need. Their “services take a holistic approach to our local homeless community by providing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual help.” With shelter services, residential programs, and additional recovery programs, the Wheeler Mission can change lives within the Indianapolis area.
Wounded Warrior Project
The Wounded Warrior Project provides for the post-service needs of veterans when they return home. They have programs for “mental health, career counseling, and long-term rehabilitative care.” With a vision “to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history,” Growth Heroes is proud to donate to an organization providing such support to those in need.
In addition to our monetary donations noted above, we would like to give special recognition to the time members donated throughout the year as well. As a project manager for DLRS, Jim has the opportunity to provide insight and support with his time. Other team members have been able to provide their time to organizations such as Toys for Tots and local organizations that focus on giving back to local communities.
Growth Heroes is a proud member of Pledge 1% and takes full advantage of the opportunities to donate our time, product, profit, and equity to our chosen charities. Giving back to our communities and knowing we can help organizations make a difference in someone’s life is truly joyous. We look forward to seeing the positive changes these organizations can have on the world around us.
To learn more about Pledge 1% and to take the pledge yourself visit their site here: https://pledge1percent.org/
This post is part of a special series to recognize Pledge 1% Members featured on the 2023 Cloud 100 List.
Why did you first decide to join Pledge 1%?
We launched our Social Impact Office (SIO) two years ago with a vision of empowering nonprofits with access to cutting-edge technology, uplifting human lives through upskilling and reskilling—and encouraging our employees to participate in volunteering and community drives. As part of our SIO’s formal launch, we wanted to demonstrate the depth of our intention by making a Pledge 1% commitment for product and time. Our social impact focus areas (technology access, human economic uplift and community investment) align well with those of Pledge 1%, and we’re very excited to collaborate with and learn from our fellow technology members in the Cloud 100 community.
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action?
1% Product:
- Our mission is to fuel the future of work by helping every organization build a digital workforce to increase their productivity and growth. Combining generative AI and automation, our technology is unlocking the next wave of productivity for our non-profit and social enterprise partners, and those they serve. Automation empowers nonprofits to save time and resources to focus more on their mission—the kind of work only humans can do. We also aim to make the future of work more inclusive and equitable by affording underrepresented groups greater opportunity for employment in the tech arena and bridging the wealth gap.
- Our automation helps impact partners to become more efficient, provide more programs and services for more beneficiaries and maximize their limited resources. We offer a starter package for verified nonprofits and social enterprises with discount pricing of 75% off.
- We have carefully designed a free upskilling/reskilling curriculum that is welcoming to communities that fast-developing technologies typically leave behind, such as minorities, women, working mothers, veterans, refugees, people with lower incomes and those with disabilities. These groups may have little time or resources to invest in traditional learning, and our curriculum offers them feasible alternatives: An accessible low-code/no-code platform; bite-sized, self-paced learning modules; certifications that take months rather than years to achieve and scholarships for certification exams; connections to engage with our user and developer community.
1% Time:
- Our four days of paid Voluntary Time Off (VTO) and a #GoGiveBack volunteer campaign each year offer our employees opportunities to support our impact partners and other organizations and causes—and bring resources to work for good around the world.
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
A major part of our program is providing technology access for nonprofits. Ukrainian NGOs like Step with Hope are providing relief to 18 million people needing assistance. Responding to backlogs of up to 1,500+ aid requests, Automation Anywhere, Center for Humanitarian Technology (CFHT), and other partners collaborated to expedite this NGO’s refugee relief efforts through automation technology. Our first automation turned Telegram relief requests into help desk tickets that accelerated aid delivery, eased the request process for refugees and mitigated capacity complications caused by backlogged requests. A second “Help ID” bot later processed relief center sign-ins and allowed volunteers to refocus away from information collection and reporting to providing actual aid. Within 6 weeks, the NGO responded to >400% more requests, processing 17,500 aid requests from 14,000+ Ukrainians. The NGO repurposed 400 volunteer hours into time for essential direct relief. Due to new efficiencies, the NGO expanded from 18 to 25 centers.
We also believe that volunteering begins at the top; in December 2022, Automation Anywhere’s CEO Mihir Shukla and his direct reports came together as a team in one afternoon to process 1,000 backlogged requests for aid as part of a data cleanup for Step with Hope. Team members described the experience as “eye-opening,” saying, “you can see some of the very real struggles people are having” and that this created a new perspective of how companies like ours can step in to support the critical work of nonprofits.”
We also focus on upskilling and reskilling people in the workforce. In 2021 and 2022,
- 71,800+ non-paying learners completed 270,500+ training hours at Automation Anywhere University or through social impact partners
- 106,400+ accessed free Community Edition Licenses for Automation Anywhere’s flagship platform, Automation 360.
- Spencer George transitioned from his job as a cook at a fast-food franchise in the U.S. Mississippi Delta to become a PeopleShores associate, becoming an automation student, then a developer, and most recently a trainer for local community college students. He now has the potential to earn nearly ten times the income of a short-order cook.
- “Mohamad,” who fled Syria to Turkey, embarked on an AI-automation reskilling journey through Robo Co-op, a refugee-led cooperative for digital inclusion. He now “pays it forward” by training other refugees from various parts of the world, including Ukraine.
- Gloria Jackson, an entrepreneur from Botswana, Africa, chose to participate in leriba.ai’s 1 Million Women in Intelligent Automation program to stay relevant in her field.
What does it mean to you to be a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List?
Participation in Pledge 1% demonstrates our commitment to supporting human enablement for societal good, and we are excited and proud to be working shoulder-to-shoulder alongside the other amazing Cloud 100 technology companies.
From Day 1, we envisioned our technology as part of the foundation for an equitable society. We’re passionate about democratizing access to tech-enabled career pathways with digital reskilling that empowers learners from all communities and all walks of life, who may have talent and passion but little opportunity. As only truly diverse teams can build ethical AI, we’re striving for the kind of societal transformation leading to greater inclusion at the decision-making level, especially when it comes to building and working with AI.
The commitment of our leaders and our four company values have fueled our ability to come together and deliver automations to answer urgent, time-sensitive needs of impact partners. Our award-winning work with the NHS throughout COVID is an example of how living our four values works to solve global challenges.
1. Passion (Embracing challenges and goals with persistence and urgency). Our one-of-a-kind relationship with the UK’s National Health Service is a global impact partnership. Based on a commitment of additional internal resources from our highest levels to help the NHS fight COVID in any way possible, our time and services far exceed our contractual business relationship. The Automation Anywhere team worked overnight, side-by-side with NHS hospital IT staff to build the Oxygen Bot.
2. Innovation (Using our creative skills, ideas and capabilities to delight our impact partners, surpassing their expectations). When numerous COVID patients needed oxygen treatment, overwhelmed NGH staff were asked to check the hospital’s oxygen tank levels every hour, instead of every six. Logging into systems and collecting readings from the tanks each time was critical to ensure adequate supply levels for patients—but overwhelmed staff needed relief. In just 12 hours, they built a 100% accurate, 24×7 reliable “Oxygen Bot” that improves clinical safety and gives more than 1,500 hours a year back to staff. NGH became the first known hospital to monitor oxygen tank levels with robotic process automation (RPA.) “Launch of the Oxygen Bot gave us confidence in automation and proved that innovation doesn’t need to stop in a crisis,” says NHS’ Head of Emerging Technology. “Delivering precious time back to our colleagues at the height of the pandemic gave us the courage to explore automation further and with other NHS organizations.”
3. Customer First (Caring that inspires us into action based on partner feedback, data, and stories) A team of approximately 30 Automation Anywhere employees, ranging from engineers, who built the Oxygen Bot, to a company co-founder and many global executives, stood ready to work with the NHS as needed for pandemic response.
4. One Team One Goal (Agreeing on and establishing goals and plans to deliver as a team). The collaboration lived on, sparking other automations across dozens of NHS entities in 2021. Together, Automation Anywhere and the NHS wrote a whitepaper series that is a blueprint on how digital automation can be built and delivered to large healthcare systems worldwide.
Can you share any quick tips or learnings you’ve gained while implementing your program?
Assemble all stakeholders at the same table, especially when launching cross-sector initiatives. What made our support of Ukrainian relief agency Step with Hope successful was partnering with several companies to share all our strengths rather than as a silo.
If you were to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about joining Pledge 1%, what would you say?
You can start as big or small as you’d like, and there are greater ways to give than just traditional corporate philanthropy.
“Look inward to find what makes sense for your business – for us it was giving through our product/technology and time.”
By: Ashley Ladd, Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Social Impact, Snyk
This post is part of a special series to recognize Pledge 1% Members featured on the 2023 Cloud 100 List.
Why did Snyk first decide to join Pledge 1%?
When we launched Snyk Impact our intent has always been to harness the power of our technology, resources, and community to enable a more secure, inclusive, and sustainable tech industry. Through our partnership with Pledge 1%, we were able to double down our commitment to make lasting positive social change that will remain a fundamental part of our business strategy for years to come.
We wanted to ensure we don’t just “talk the talk” but “walk the walk,” and our partnership with Pledge 1% allows us to do just that.
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action?
Our Pledge 1% program is an integral part of our Snyk Impact program. At Snyk, we’re on a mission to make the digital world a safer place and we believe that a safer world starts with one that reflects all of us. Our program is comprised of mission pillars that help us ground our work. From operating sustainably to embedding Inclusion and Impact programs globally, we are committed to partnering with organizations that want to change the world.
Snyk’s core values secure our deeply connected culture and help us to foster a more secure, inclusive, and sustainable company where everyone feels like they belong. Our program includes strategic nonprofit partnerships, a matching grants program, skills, and non-skills-based volunteer opportunities, Volunteer Time Off for all Snyk employees, and sustainability initiatives like measuring and reporting our Greenhouse Gas emissions as well as being a certified Carbon Neutral company. Snyk Impact also offers a 1:1 donation match up to $500/year (or local currency equivalent) for eligible employee donations to registered charitable organizations worldwide.
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
Supporting local causes and crises is something we care deeply about at Snyk. Through our annual Snyk Week of Impact global volunteer event, we’ve brought together over 200+ Snykers to do good in the communities where they live and work.
As a company, we are proud of raising $300,000 for Ukraine Relief as well as $12,025 for Turkey and Syria Earthquake Disaster relief with funds going to organizations like NuDay, UNICEF, and Doctors without Borders.
In January 2023, we hosted three company-wide meal-packing projects with Rise Against Hunger, a global movement to end hunger by empowering communities, nourishing lives, and responding to emergencies. Our events brought together Snyk employees in London, Boston, and Sydney where we accomplished 275,000 meals packed!
In 2019, Snyk achieved CarbonNeutral® certification in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, the leading global framework for carbon neutrality. We have operated as carbon neutral ever since, and are working with environmental consultant Climate Impact Partners to further reduce our carbon emissions and operate even more sustainably. As we welcome new employees globally, we plant 1 tree for every new Snyker hired through our partnership with One Tree Planted.
What does it mean to you to be a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List?
Snyk Impact aligns with our Care Deeply value and keeps us connected to our customers, partners, and our broader community. It means so much to us to be amongst the ranks of such incredible companies but also companies that are doing good in the world. We are proud to be on the Cloud 100 List and making a difference through our work globally.
If you were to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about joining Pledge 1%, what would you say?
In today’s world, everything seems to be about instant gratification. If we want to make a real, lasting impact and change in our world, we have to play the long game. There are no shortcuts and quick fixes for the social and environmental challenges we face and in order to address them head-on, we need to work together and ensure we create a world that future generations can be proud of. Partnering with Pledge 1% helps you find the organizations that care deeply about making a difference and changing the world – we’re stronger together!
By: Bernadette Nixon, CEO, Algolia, Inc
This post is part of a special series to recognize Pledge 1% Members featured on the 2023 Cloud 100 List.
Why did you first decide to join Pledge 1%?
After researching the positive impact that Pledge 1% had to offer and speaking with other CEOs at a Pledge 1% event, I was inspired by the mission of Pledge 1% and how well the organization aligns with Algolia’s values. Joining the Pledge 1% became a no-brainer!
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action? What does your program involve?
To honor our pledge, we chose to allocate 1% of our employees’ time to volunteerism, or about 3 days each fiscal year. We signed the pledge in February 2023 and kicked off our Global Giving Days program in June. While charitable matching and donations have been a core action of our value of care since our founding, our inaugural Giving Day in June marked the beginning of our formalized social purpose program and collaboration as a global team to give back.
Our People Success team has organized in-person and virtual events for our global team to provide each Algolian the opportunity to participate however they choose. We also encourage team members with existing relationships with non-profit organizations to use their time to volunteer with those groups.
About 350 Algolians participated in this inaugural event. We used their feedback to fine-tune our program to appeal to even more team members. Our second Global Giving Day was September 29th and we organized activities within our communities including in Paris, London, Sydney, Boston, Atlanta, and Austin, to directly impact our non-profit partners’ beneficiaries.
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
Our employees have expressed both excitement to give back as well as connect with colleagues both in their regions and around the world. I am so proud that our Global Giving Day transcended borders with in-person events in seven cities worldwide and spanning across four different time zones.
At our first event in June, Algolians around the world rolled up their sleeves and came together in-person to make a tangible difference. In cities from Atlanta to Sydney, our teams assembled kits for children with learning differences, crafted book bundles for underserved communities, designed STEM kits to inspire young women, and more. The cities that hosted these impactful gatherings included Atlanta, Boston, NYC, SF, London, Paris, and Sydney.
Our virtual events were equally impactful, with participants joining from EMEA, US East Coast, US West Coast, and APAC regions. Team members enjoyed recorded audio stories to educate children about science, curated a job board of LGBTQ+ friendly employers, and created educational audiobooks, among other endeavors.
One of the most heartwarming aspects of our Global Giving Day was the impact it had on beneficiaries and participants alike. An Algolian shared:
“I’ve seen that I can help people from my home…it added meaning to my day. I appreciate that Algolia put this opportunity in front of me and prepared everything so all I had to do was say yes to a calendar invite.” – Algolia employee
“The idea of being able to help those in need is very powerful and motivating. I am happy to work for a company that shares these values.” – Algolia employee
Cradles to Crayons, a beneficiary that our colleagues in Boston supported by creating bundles of books for underserved communities, expressed their gratitude for Algolia:
“Your dedication and enthusiasm in creating these bundles for children from marginalized families have made a lasting impact on their lives. Your commitment to our cause is truly inspiring, and we cannot express enough how appreciative we are for your generosity. These book bundles will not only provide educational opportunities but also spark joy and imagination in the hearts of the little ones we serve. Thank you for being a beacon of hope and for making a difference in the lives of these children.”
What does it mean to you to be a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List? How are you leading with your values as a business?
We are delighted to be among such an amazing group of innovative and impactful organizations striving to make the world a better place! At Algolia, we strive to live by our core values each day as we know many of our peers on the Cloud 100 list do as well. Our pledge and all social purpose programs demonstrate our value of care and commitment to acting with meaningful purpose for the good of our peers, our customers, the community, and Algolia as a whole.
Can you share any quick tips or learnings you’ve gained while implementing your program?
I think the first step is to think about the needs of your organization and how those may align to implementing a social purpose program. At Algolia, as I am sure for many other companies, team members are seeking opportunities for these connections.. We chose volunteerism to honor our pledge and bring our people together. We are thankful to Pledge 1% for providing the structure and opportunity to do so.
If you were to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about joining Pledge 1%, what would you say?
Simply do it! Allocating time is the easiest way to honor your pledge and if you set the days ahead of time during your fiscal year planning process, then they are already embedded into the calendar. You can partner with a vendor or manage the program in-house, depending on your resources. It’s a great opportunity to bring your team together and have some fun while importantly giving back.
By: Morgan Puravet, Principal Employer Brand Talent Marketing Manager, 6sense
This post is part of a special series to recognize Pledge 1% Members featured on the 2023 Cloud 100 List.
Why did you first decide to join Pledge 1%?
Early in the 6sense company’s life cycle, our leaders decided to cement giving back to the company’s DNA. They felt that allocating 1% of their equity to philanthropic endeavors when they were still a smaller business was the ideal way to start. This way, any additional value to the company would also be used to support charitable contributions.
The Pledge 1% framework was essential as it provided a simple method to track our charitable initiatives, regardless of the program, recipient or method of giving. Pledge 1% ensures that, as 6sense continues to grow, our commitment to giving back does too.
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action? What does your program involve?
In 2022, 6sense launched a global effort to redefine its purpose and what values and cultural experiences are unique to the company. From all over the world, 6sensors work together to serve with passion and purpose, which fuels the 6sense corporate social responsibility initiatives.
The 6sense Gives Back program involves our Friday Giving initiative, which provides every employee globally with an opportunity to nominate an organization they care for or are involved with for 6sense to donate to every week. This year, 6sense has donated over $40,000 as part of this program alone.
6sense also launched a Month of Service initiative in 2022 where employees across all 15 of our global working hubs come together in person to volunteer for organizations in their communities. Additionally, 6sense provides three additional days off for all employees to focus on individual volunteer efforts both in person and virtually.
6sensors volunteering in London, UK
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
In 2022, 6sense’s Month of Service allocated time for employees across 15 “market hubs” from across the globe to come together and participate in volunteer activities. During this period, employees sorted and packed over 3,000 pounds of carrots, removed eight bags of trash from the Nashville River, prepared 1,407 meals, organized 1,206 books, collected six bags of trash from parks near schools, packed 2,000 hygiene kits for people in need in the Bay Area, and packed more than 200 bags of groceries for veterans. Additionally, 6sense provided employees with three days of paid volunteer time to use however they want, such as helping out food pantries, animal shelters, tutoring, and meal delivery.
6sense has nearly finished their 2023 Month of Service and its employees have already contributed to a range of projects, such as supporting local pet shelters in Austin, Texas; sprucing up gardens in London communities to provide increased access to fresh produce; and providing food and school supplies to disadvantaged children in six Indian cities (Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore). Furthermore, in the Bay Area, 6sense employees sorted 9162 lbs of food which will feed many families in Silicon Valley.
6sensors volunteering in Pune, India
What does it mean to you to be a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List? How are you leading with your values as a business?
As a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List, 6sense embraces its responsibility and continues to seek new ways to contribute. The 6sense core values of integrity, fun, one team, growth mindset, and accountability guide its work and inspire all 6sensors to make a positive impact beyond the industries its business serves.
Terese Lam, Chief People Officer added that “people are the heart and soul of 6sense, and we serve with passion and purpose. We know that giving back to the community is important to our employees as it brings about human connection, passion, energy and serves a bigger purpose than just our Company’s mission”
6sense’s values
Can you share any quick tips or learnings you’ve gained while implementing your program?
As our programs continue to evolve and expand, we have realized the importance of engaging our employees across the many decisions to be made. This has enabled us to make sure that employees’ opinions and voices are taken into account when deciding where to donate and when organizing time off volunteer activities. It also helps to ensure that our giving opportunities are in line with our brand and values.
If you were to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about joining Pledge 1%, what would you say?
6sense Chief Finance Officer Rob Goldenberg says to start a plan to implement corporate social responsibility into your organization early and ensure the initiative grows with you.
“Pledge 1% provided a framework to holistically drive our charitable efforts and we have been able to scale programs with it along the way.”
6sensors volunteering in South Bay, San Francisco, USA
Originally posted here.
Today, we released Splunk’s third annual Global Impact Report, which shares our progress across four key Global Impact pillars: data responsibility, ethical and inclusive growth, environmental sustainability and social impact. Our purpose-led work is foundational to Splunk’s growth strategy and opportunities, and lives up to our values and the mission-critical resilience we deliver to our customers every day.
Our four-pillar strategy reflects the issues that matter most to our key stakeholders, as well as the values of our company. As we celebrate Splunk’s 20th anniversary and reflect on what makes Splunk an enduring and iconic company, I’m thrilled to share some of our FY23 achievements and highlights.
Data Responsibility
Splunk is committed to driving our customers’ digital resilience – the ability to prevent, detect, react, recover and respond to events that have the potential to disrupt their business processes and vital services. We play a critical role in protecting customer data by keeping systems secure, trusted and available. With the explosive growth of generative AI, we continuously engage in critical dialog on AI and data ethics policy through our work with BSA | The Software Alliance, the Future of Privacy Forum and the World Economic Forum. As BSA’s Board Chair, I believe Splunk’s voice and leadership within these influential organizations ensures short and long term business opportunities, fuels our growth, and highlights our unique and powerful voice.
Ethical & Inclusive Growth
Splunk remains committed to ethical and inclusive growth, and during FY23 we expanded our diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) focus to embrace ‘belonging’ as a central tenant within our rich company culture. Our new multi-year Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy includes an enhanced internal career mobility platform as well as hiring practices, talent development programs and recruitment programs to increase the representation of women and underrepresented groups. In addition, we directed 5.7% of our addressable procurement spend to small and diverse businesses in FY23, exceeding our 4% goal. These investments reflect our belief that attracting and nurturing a diverse workforce fuels our innovation, expands our opportunities, and creates an environment with depth and affiliation.
Environmental Sustainability
In FY23, we also advanced our sustainability journey by completing a climate risk assessment and identifying potential climate targets. To support our work, we launched an internal Sustainability Collaborative. This internal working group coordinates our sustainability work across our Global Impact, Global Spend Management, Workforce Experience and Real Estate teams as well as our relatively new employee-led Splunk Earth Alliance group.
Social Impact
We continued our 10-year Splunk Pledge commitment, donating $4.48 million in Splunk licenses – a 20% increase in organizations served from FY22. We continued to partner across the nonprofit and academic sectors to improve digital skills and increase students’ employability, growing the number of learners taking donated courses 55% year-over-year – a total value of $3.2 million in training services.
Additionally, I’m pleased to share that Splunkers are more engaged in volunteering and participating in social impact programs than ever before. In FY23, Splunk and individual contributors jointly donated $3.6 million to support 3,960 nonprofit organizations. We increased Splunker volunteer hours by 126% over FY22. All of this work allowed us to reach 49% of our $100 million, 10-year FY17 Splunk Pledge commitment.
While these numbers demonstrate our commitment, I’m particularly proud of Splunk’s real-world impact in bridging the data divide. I encourage you to explore our partnership with Ersilia and bitsIO as we help create data equity to drive global healthcare outcomes in the fight against infectious diseases.
Resilience in Action
We are heartened to have achieved so much in a year of tremendous change. Indeed, we were awarded a EcoVadis Bronze medal for our commitment to sustainable business operations across all categories. Our values and focus on ethics, purpose and impact continue to serve as a foundation for our business while supporting key elements of our growth strategy and contributing to our own resilience.
While we are proud of our progress, we know we have much more to do. Our vision to support resilience in action inspires us to innovate and to be a trusted partner to our customers, investors, communities, employees and society. We thank you for contributing to this exciting and impactful journey.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Jennifer Devening
Founder and CEO, YourHealth
Austin, Texas USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
Besides overall management of YourHealth, I am an active Cancer Curator. I spend time talking with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. I arm them with knowledge based on my 10-year battle, what I have learned from others who came before, and how to get through this life-changing event.
This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Embrace Equity.” What does this mean to you? How can we build workplaces that are more equitable and inclusive?
Through my company YourHealth we embrace this every day by giving people, not just women, the ability to control and summarize their most critical health needs before an emergency happens. Our platform is consented based and you decide who to share your health information with. You are in control regardless of race or color, consumer, employee, or medical professional. Workplaces need to focus on better tools to make healthcare easier to manage.
Do you have any mentors or role models who have helped you on your personal journey?
Yes, my co-founder. He was a long-time mentor and advisor to me throughout my career in Silicon Valley and Austin. He was my litmus test for starting YourHealth. If I could convince him of my idea, I wouldn’t have started YourHealth.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Two things. In business, subscribe to the rule of 3. Always have an a, b, and c plan ready and pay that forward to your teams. Secondly, appreciate good health and find joy for yourself every day.
The past few years have brought many new and unprecedented challenges. What keeps you motivated or inspires you to stay optimistic?
That I am here 10 years later after being diagnosed with a chronic disease. As the rapper Pitbull says, “Every day above ground is a good day”. My passion is for changing healthcare so people/patients have control over their own health and wellness information. After all, isn’t healthcare supposed to be about the patient first?
Pledge 1% helps companies of all sizes and stages leverage their assets for social good. Why do you think it’s important that companies prioritize social impact? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Good health is not a given and from a young age we need to be taught how to keep and nurture it better. My inspiration for YourHealth came out of the untenable shock of how hard it is for any type of patient to consolidate medical records, medications, scans, etc. In any digital manner so that is with you 24/7 and when you need it the most. Healthcare is antiqued on every level.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Tenacious.
Do you have any unique or useful life hacks to help get through your day?
The minute I think of something I have to get down, I write it down on Evernote. It is available to me digitally 24/7 and on all my devices. It keeps me on track and I am less likely to forget a detail.
Do you have any go-to apps or tools use love to use?
Yes. Evernote and Trello. Evernote keeps me organized and on task with my life, personally and professionally and Trello helps my colleagues and I navigate tasks from start to finish for all disciplines.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Yes. Grow my company and get YourHealth in the hands of as many people as I can, regardless of socio-economic status. Our first subscription is free to all. I want to be known for giving people control over their own health data, not providers or payers.
Originally posted here.
Bpeneur announced today that it has joined Pledge 1%, a global movement to create a new normal for companies of all sizes and stages to have a positive social impact through their business. Bpeneur is joining over 18,000 companies around the world who have committed to Pledge 1% of either their product, profit, equity, and/or staff time to whatever charity of their choosing.
The primary objective of Bpeneur revolves around strengthening startups, boosting their long-term viability, and elevating their prospects for success. This platform acts as a vital link between AI innovation and real-world solutions, aiming to tackle the widespread challenge of elevated failure rates among startups.
According to Bpeneur Founder and CEO, Loughlin Nestor “With an annual rate of 305 million aspiring startups entering the market, we’ve observed countless promising ideas falter due to a lack of adequate support. Our platform aims to change that narrative by leveraging AI to provide startups with a competitive edge.”
“We are proud to join the Pledge 1% community and encourage other companies to consider this opportunity to use their business as a positive force for good”
For more information about the Bpeneur program, please visit https://www.bpeneur.com/
About Bpeneur
Bpeneur is an AI-powered catalyst for startup success, offering a wealth of knowledge, tailored AI tools, and insights to entrepreneurs and startup founders. Our platform is dedicated to empowering the next generation of business leaders with the tools, strategies, and inspiration they need to succeed. Join our community today and take the first step towards turning your startup into a sustainable venture.
ABOUT PLEDGE 1%
Pledge 1% is a global movement that inspires, educates, and empowers every entrepreneur, company, and employee to be a force for good. Over 18,000 members in 100+ countries have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite half a billion dollars in new philanthropy. To learn more about Pledge 1% and to take the pledge visit www.pledge1percent.org.
Originally posted here.
Author: Shradha Sharma
In Conversation with Shradha Sharma, Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO, Atlassian talks about the company’s efforts to develop conducive policies to motivate and engage employees.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Atlassian wants its employees to feel pride in their work without being restricted by hierarchical structures of decision-making.
- Scott Farquhar, co-founder and co-CEO, Atlassian, believes in encouraging employees to do more than what they thought was possible.
- Atlassian believes in trusting employees, allowing them to choose where they work through it’s remote-first policy, Team Anywhere.
Australia was a completely different place in 2002. The technology ecosystem barely existed and working at a startup was still considered a glorified version of being unemployed. Scott Farquhar, then a 23-year-old science graduate from the University of New South Wales, was keen to pursue a career in technology but was not excited at the prospect of working in a rigid corporate environment. Why not start building software, he thought? That one profound idea changed the course of the technology landscape, in Australia and beyond.
Scott teamed up with Mike Cannon-Brookes, a fellow University of New South Wales graduate and thus was born Atlassian. “We didn’t want to get a real job, we wanted to work in technology. And then Mike and I realised that we could build software from Australia and build a technology company,” says Scott, co-founder and co-CEO, Atlassian, in a conversation with Shradha Sharma.
Atlassian’s first product was Jira, a project management tool. Scott and Mike found early success with Jira and decided that growing Atlassian was going to be their future career path. They started with nothing and 21 years later, Atlassian has over 11,000 employees.
It is no longer just an Australian company anymore, as its presence has expanded across the world, including in India where it employs over 1,700 people.
Building teams with trust
Technology jobs are often known for their “hustle culture”, a term used to describe the 24/7 office work environment where unrealistic expectations overlook employee well-being. Scott and Mike had hustled too, when they coded at stretch for multiple days and nights during Atlassian’s early days. Their definition of hustle, however, is slightly different.
“Leadership is about making people feel uncomfortable at a rate that they can absorb. At Atlassian, it basically involves stretching people to do things that they couldn’t do otherwise. My job as a leader is to push everyone 20% more than they thought was possible,” says Scott.
For Scott, this “hustle” has to be sustainable and meaningful. A sample of this belief is the contra-view Atlassian has taken at a time when technology majors across the world have asked their employees to come back to office. Atlassian allows its employees to choose where they work through its remote-first policy, Team Anywhere: whether remote, in an office, or a mixture of the two. Not just that, Scott also wants to inspire other companies to allow their employees to work from anywhere.
“You ask people to commute two hours to come to work. Then they sit on a Zoom call for another two hours. It doesn’t make sense. Having said that, even with remote work, our people build social bonds together,” adds Scott.
This policy works especially well for employees who do not have the luxury of spending hours in daily commute to the workplace. Scott shares the example of a female employee whose husband works in the armed forces. Prior to joining Atlassian, this woman had to relocate or change jobs every two years when her husband was transferred to another location. At Atlassian, she has the flexibility to relocate when needed and continue to build her career.
The company believes in a work setting where employees feel trusted, nurtured, and are given responsibilities beyond the traditional job descriptions. It means that employees have a say in the decision making process, irrespective of their position in the hierarchy.
“Mike and I tell everyone that their job is to come in and make a difference at Atlassian. So we make sure there is nothing that is sacred, there is nothing that can’t be touched. There is no decision that is off limits here at Atlassian,” says Scott.
Another strategy the company uses is to give a lot of responsibility to young employees. Explaining the rationale behind this decision, the co-CEO says that the younger generation joining the workforce will shape the technology of the future.
Getting to the core of culture
Developing this workplace culture took time. Scott and Mike hired the first 50 people, who in turn were given the responsibility to hire the next 50. What the duo found was that the next set of 50 weren’t joining for the right reasons. So in 2006, the team got together and created Atlassian’s core values.
“Our five core values include some swear words. So it either attracts people or repels them. One of the values is ‘open company, no bullshit’, which is all about being transparent,” he adds.
So even as workplace trends change constantly, the core values stay intact. Scott explains that the company chooses people who are not just yearning to make change happen, but also being the change that they seek to bring about.
Scott believes curiosity builds companies. In fact, that is also his advice to other entrepreneurs is to keep the inquisitive spirit burning.
“Sometimes, companies are calcified, it is easy to keep doing one thing well, and just keep doing that for years. And you have to actively fight that because inertia is a really hard thing to fight against,” he says.
For Scott and Mike, it is all about having a big vision. “We decided that we are going to focus on a human problem, which is getting people to collaborate better and track work and share knowledge,” adds Scott.
While finding ideas is crucial, what’s more important is putting bright minds to work on it. Scott has seen it happen at his own company too.
In 2012, Atlassian acquired an online private messaging service called Hipchat. Five years later, Hipchat was replaced by a business communication tool called Stride. Hipchat and Stride were considered precursors to Slack.
Scott admits that while their product was better and the first to launch in the market, they didn’t invest enough into it. Eventually, in July 2018, Hipchat and Stride were sold to Slack, with Atlassian making an undisclosed investment in Slack.
Giving back to society
Even as Scott is passionate about technology, he is also aware of the need to give back to the community.
By 2004-05, Atlassian started to donate 1% of its profit, products and people’s time to philanthropic causes. This is part of Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement where Atlassian is a co-founder alongside other corporations. Pledge 1% is an initiative wherein companies can either pledge 1% of equity, time, product, or profit or a combination of these initiatives to give back to society. In addition, Atlassian has its philanthropic arm, the Atlassian Foundation, through which it donates funds, resources, and time.
“We started it as a pledge, at a time when we didn’t have any profits or any employees. Today, the Atlassian Foundation has donated $65 million, 135,000 free licences, and 230,000 hours of community service by employees. We have been able to create a huge impact,” says Scott.
Atlassian has come a long way, be it in terms of software products or making a meaningful contribution to society. Scott is immensely proud, but his work is far from over. He wants to unleash the potential of every team. As Scott says, it is a human problem that will always need solving.