Pracedo

London, UK

Number of employees: #80

pracedo.com

Pracedo is an award-winning Platinum Salesforce.com Consulting Partner that delivers innovative Salesforce implementations to forward-thinking customers. With over a decade of experience focused on Salesforce from offices in London, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome, Belgrade, Melbourne, Brisbane and Amsterdam, they work with customers to unlock the platform’s power through tailored implementations that facilitate achieving business goals and ambitions. They have committed to pledging their profit, product and time towards helping the community.

Pracedo is committed to helping make a difference in the world. After being one of the first European partners to make the 1% pledge, we knew that we could do more. And that’s why a large proportion of our team’s work is for charities and non-profit organisations, with more than 5% of our billable hours being pro-bono work. Pracedo also offers volunteer days for its employees, in which they can use their talents to assist a charity of their choosing.

The commercial team recently used their volunteer day for the Make A Wish walk, while others in the operational team intend to utilise theirs by assisting in creating and fulfilling a child’s wish.

For us, it is important that everyone has an opportunity to get ahead, and so whether we invest our time by up-skilling charities, provide opportunities for local people in our community through apprenticeships, or help non-profits better their offering with Salesforce through our pro-bono work, we know that every small act can make a big difference.

Their #1 tip or advice for companies?

Make sure that community is at its heart.

Change isn’t effective if it doesn’t help build a sustainable future for those around you. When we think about how we can make a difference, we look closely at who will benefit, how it can sustain future growth and how it might elevate others to thrive as future leaders who can give back to their community. Impactful change is more than what we do as individuals; it’s also about how we rise together as a team. We all have a role to play in making our communities better places to live, work and play. And when we come together to make positive change, we can achieve so much more.

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. 

Libby Ziemelis

Customer Success Manager, DemandBlue

Chandler, AZ, USA

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

As a Customer Success Manager with DemandBlue, I am the single point of contact for my clients. I work with nonprofits to understand their needs and business processes, create user stories and play the role of the voice of the customer all the while keeping my clients up to date on the progress we’re making as we work through projects.

What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?

The best part of my job is an opportunity to be passionate about the missions of my clients. Supporting nonprofit organizations is core to who I am and my job allows me to explore alongside them ways to utilize technology to meet their missions.

We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges, especially during these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?

I’m reminded that who I am and what I do has an impact on those around me. First and foremost, I want my kids to see that small setbacks are not insurmountable and the simplest way to move forward is to make that decision to move forward and take action. Giving oneself grace to have feelings and process the challenges is important, but so is knowing that those challenges should not stop any forward progress.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Interestingly enough, the best piece of advice that comes to mind is one that was directed toward my son. One of the main focuses at my son’s school is on building the child’s growth mindset. That was a concept that I hadn’t been exposed to previously but learning the importance of living a life intentionally to have a positive outlook on learning really changed the way I take on challenges.

What does generosity mean to you?

Generosity to me is giving something of oneself to others without the expectation of something in return. That can be the giving of anything from time, or money to patience or kindness.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Genuine. This word is very important to me, and in both my professional and personal life. Several years ago, I made a conscious decision to live an authentic life, to speak truths to both myself and others.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

When I’m not spending time supporting nonprofits through my job, I love spending time with my kids and husband outdoors.

Language Lizard

Basking Ridge, NJ United States

Number of employees: #10

www.LanguageLizard.com

Language Lizard (www.languagelizard.com) is a leading publisher and distributor of bilingual products in over 60 languages. The company provides award-winning bilingual books and audio resources to schools, libraries, literacy organizations, and families. They have committed to pledging their profit, product, and time towards helping the community.

Language Lizard Supports Literacy and Education 

Language Lizard is a small woman-owned business that publishes and distributes children’s resources in over 60 languages to promote language learning, multicultural education, and culturally responsive teaching to schools, libraries, and literacy organizations. We remain committed to giving as part of our company culture and continue to support our core causes of global literacy and girls’ education. 

As a Pledge 1% member, Language Lizard supports literacy and gifting organizations such as Reach Out and Read and ParentChild+ throughout the year by providing bilingual books and materials to those in need. Most recently, we hosted a special sales promotion to raise funds and provide resources for refugees affected by the events in Ukraine. The promotion’s success enabled Language Lizard to make a monetary donation to the International Rescue Committee and donate sets of bilingual books to the Reach Out and Read Program at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI, and Friends of Refugees in Clarkston, GA. In addition, we are continuing our efforts to offer free resources such as guided education activities that parents and teachers can use to help children learn in a multicultural context.

We also continue to support the non-profit Room to Read in its efforts to improve children’s literacy and gender equality in education in 16 countries across Africa and Asia. Working directly with our local New Jersey chapter of Room to Read, we support Room to Read’s Book Publishing Program, which trains writers and illustrators worldwide and has published over 1,500 original titles in 35 languages and distributed 20 million books to students. 

Their #1 tip or advice for companies?

Our impact program helps us support and build relationships among organizations with like-minded goals (in our case, literacy and multicultural education).

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. 

Ruth Cawdron

Marketing Manager, ProvenWorks

Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I oversee the growth of the ProvenWorks brand, communicating a clear and cohesive message to as many people as possible.

What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?

Meeting people from across the globe: from talking on a panel for the Johannesburg, South Africa Salesforce Developers Group, to being part of a small ISV Marketing accountability group run by someone in Colorado in the United States. The Salesforce ecosystem is incredibly diverse and unbelievably friendly.

We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges, especially during these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?

Externally, motivation comes from good leadership. Our Managing Director is not micromanagerial – he trusts us to make decisions and get on with the job. That motivates me because I feel valued and respected. My line manager is incredible. She is a total inspiration for me and it’s so special working with a friend every single day.

Internally, my ambition drives me to succeed. I don’t come from a tech background. I stopped learning anything computer-related when I was 14 years old and did a humanities and arts degree at university. I wanted to prove to myself that I could learn something new and succeed in a new industry starting from scratch. Within a year I had spoken on panels, had a piece published by Salesforce and passed the Salesforce Administrator Exam.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Listening validates how a person is feeling so much more than talking. Don’t feel obligated to try and offer a solution. Sometimes that’s not what people want or need.

What does generosity mean to you?

Generosity manifests in lots of different ways – in the giving of gifts and the giving of time, but also in the giving of honesty and candid emotion. I think when someone is vulnerable in front of you, that’s the ultimate gift of generosity.

How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

Businesses must recognise that they exist in a wider context; they are not their own self-perpetuating ecosystems. I think it’s dangerous for businesses and industries to become echo chambers. Whether it’s through getting involved in local community initiatives or something much larger, it’s crucial for business leaders to have perspective and recognise context. It might be as simple as approaching a local organisation and asking “how can we help?”. Other people will know more than you. And that’s okay. At ProvenWorks, we worked with a tiny nonprofit going through a really rough time through no fault of their own. They were struggling when their renewal was due. So we gave them our solution for free. Sometimes it’s not about us and our own goals. It’s about seeing the bigger picture.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Genuine. My partner tells me I’m exactly the same with everyone I meet, whether that’s meeting his senior colleagues, or relaxing with my own family. I like to think that I’m consistent in giving everyone the same attention and value.

If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?

Don’t Lose Sight by Lawrence. To me, it’s an internal dialogue that no matter how cynical and self-doubtful you feel, you don’t give up.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

This July I’m heading across the pond to Cincinnati, Ohio to compete to represent Reading Ultimate in the World Ultimate Club Championships. It’s my first World Championship and preparation is my main focus outside of work right now. I’m stoked!

Passage Technology

Lake Forest, IL

#35

https://www.passagetechnology.com/

Since 2008, Passage Technology’s apps and development services have been used by admins and developers for building solutions on the Salesforce platform. Ranging from time-saving admin apps, to productivity tools for sales and service, their solutions meet the competitive timelines and stringent security standards required by Salesforce and the industry. They have committed to pledging their product and time towards helping the community.

Their #1 tip or advice for companies?

Volunteering and participating in events like Giving Tuesday is a great way to help others, and it’s also a great way to practice gratitude. Practicing gratitude also has health benefits. Psychology Today reports, “Feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health.

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. 

Ashley Irene

Culinary Garden Designer + Founder, Heirloom Potager

Santa Ana, CA, USA

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

I am the lead garden designer, resident soil mover, and part-time plant grower for Heirloom Potager, an edible garden company that designs, installs, and maintains four-season culinary gardens for restaurants and food enthusiasts in Orange County, CA. As the owner of a growing business, my role varies by the day, but they all add up to creating something wonderful for the community.

What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?

I love helping clients connect with their food and nature. Over a relatively short period of time, we’ve lost touch as a collective society with understanding the care and importance of being environmental stewards, not only for places like public parks and wildlife sanctuaries, but for our own yards. In my work, I’m allowed to express my love of nature and creativity by designing garden spaces that feel like a warm embrace – full of healthy, organically grown food. A hands-on place for learning, developing new skills, and growing an appreciate for how we nourish our mind, body, and soul.

We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges, especially during these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?

I founded Heirloom Potager after the loss of my mother. It was her last wishes that I create a future that brought joy into the world – however that might look. There is nothing more joyous (to me) than an edible garden. My fondest memories have been so often spent around a table sharing stories, creating memories, and simply enjoying life through great food. To be able to create that for our clients is simply the most amazing way to honor my mother and create a better future for the next generations.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received is really a way to interact with the world. On the other side of every email, phone call, and social profile is a person – with their own lives, stresses, and dreams – that is trying their best. I try to treat others the way I would like to be treated. To remind myself that if we treat each other humanely, with grace and dignity, that any problem in business can be resolved.

What does generosity mean to you?

To me, generosity is the responsibility of giving the best of you whenever you can to those in your community. Gardening is one of the most generous acts I can think of. Gardens create a home for nature and people. A space that brings life into the world to nourish, grow, and reflect. Generosity is also defined as abundance – which is the best word to describe a garden. An abundance of life, food, nature, and joy.

How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

I believe businesses are the solution to today’s biggest challenges. We have the resources and the responsibility to help be that solution that celebrates and prioritizes the well-being of our communities. Caring for our community is at the heart of what we do for Heirloom Potager. Designing edible landscapes with organic methods is rewarding for people and planet. We’re honored that so many restaurants, businesses, and homeowners believe in our mission and a future where landscapes are delicious and beautiful.

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

We’re looking forward to working on some amazing client projects, but we’re most excited about continuing to support the hands-on learning experiences with local high school students teaching them about organic gardening, growing your own food, and the importance of saving heirloom seeds. Helping these future leaders tend to their gardens, harvest what they’ve grown, and teaching them how to cook healthy meals for their families is generosity in action.

SolDevelo Foundation

Gdynia, Poland

Number of employees: #5

https://soldevelofoundation.org/

SolDevelo Foundation offers social media, marketing, copywriting and web designing services. They are also currently developing cloud hosting services. They have committed to pledging their product and time towards helping the community.

Together with our mother company, SolDevelo, we had a shared vision – what if every health facility in developing countries had easy access to an Electronic Medical Record system? How much would it help medical workers with their tasks, allowing them to provide better care to their patients? In what way can we contribute to this vision and make it possible?

After lively brainstorms and discussions we came up with an idea – cloud hosting of OpenMRS. It is a solution that is based on the open-source Electronic Medical Record system, but makes it more accessible for facilities with limited resources.

OpenMRS is the biggest and most developed open-source EMR system available, and our long-time partner. A few years ago SolDevelo Foundation created a new website for OpenMRS as our 1% of Time, and it’s still being used to this day.

This time, we wanted to go a step further, and create a product that would help OpenMRS reach even more people. Let’s take a closer look at why we believe this project can help many people around the world.

The quiet power of OpenMRS

When we are thinking about ways of helping healthcare facilities in developing countries, our first thoughts are, of course, things such as medical equipment, supplies, vaccines, experienced medical staff, etc. These elements of healthcare systems are undoubtedly crucial for any facility to function and be able to help local people.

However, there are also other things that can assist medical workers in their everyday struggles and make their efforts more effective. One of these things is a high-quality, multifunctional Electronic Medical Record system, such as OpenMRS.

OpenMRS is an open-source software that supports medical facilities by providing them with an electronic platform where all of the patients’ records can be stored. Resigning from paper records and focusing on the digital ones can greatly improve the quality of care provided to the patients.

It saves the time that otherwise would be spent on searching through the endless piles of papers. Moreover, it gives physicians easy and quick access to any information on the patient that might be needed at the moment. If the medical records are gathered in one place and simple to browse through, it often affects the quality of diagnosis, helping doctors to see the bigger picture and focus on what is the most important.

OpenMRS can also be of great help to medical workers dealing with visual data, such as X-ray images. Having the images saved in the system, physicians no longer need to worry about patients losing their scans or forgetting to bring them to their appointment. Everything is accessible digitally, making the whole process smoother.

Overally, OpenMRS can improve the capabilities of a hospital or a clinic, provide more patients with access to high-quality care, lighten medical workers duties, and protect medical data from various hazards that might occur and destroy paper records (e.g. fire, flood, earthquake).

EMRSCloud: Connecting people with solutions

We believe that OpenMRS should be available to as many people and facilities as possible. To make that ideal come to reality, we have created EMRSCloud – a service that offers cloud hosting and implementation support for OpenMRS’ users.

We are aware of the fact that in many cases healthcare facilities in developing countries have no resources to implement OpenMRS by themselves. Self-implementation requires space, financial resources and skills. Not everyone can afford these things. To solve this problem, we have decided to use our own skills and resources, and provide people with this software that can save many lives.

EMRSCloud offers the following services:

• Cloud server for hosting OpenMRS;


• Assistance in the process of selecting OpenMRS modules adjusted to the client’s needs;


• Configuration of the server and installation of OpenMRS, so that it is ready to use;


• Regular maintenance of the server and technical support even after the implementation is completed;


• Sensitive data protection.

EMRSCloud website

To make our idea come to life, we have decided to combine the marketing skills of our Foundation with the technical experience of SolDevelo’s developers. That’s how EMRSCloud came to be.

The challenge on our side was to create a website. We have started by listing and describing OpenMRS’ modules, as well as the benefits that come from using the system. We have also gathered information on the real life use cases of OpenMRS, and wrote 4 case studies that show its helpfulness in multiple different situations. These tasks were not as easy as it might seem, because the OpenMRS Community is a large and very active one. There are multiple features and modules, so to select and describe only some of them was a tough thing to do. However, too much information on the website would be overwhelming for our potential clients, so we have made our choices carefully, to show how versatile and useful EMRSCloud is.

As for the design, we choose to use bright, clean colors associated with medical services. Our goal was to create a simple, clear and functional website. After deciding on the structure and template, we filled the website with our newly written content. We have created a beautiful logo to represent our service. To make it even easier for our clients, we added CTA buttons that allow quick contact with us.

We have successfully finished and published our EMRSCloud website, and made our service available to all the new clients.

Our Pledge 1% of Product

We are aware that some healthcare facilities can not afford our service. To create an opportunity for them to use EMRSCloud, we offer discounts for clients in a difficult financial situation, as well as for non-profit organizations. We believe in an individualistic approach and try to increase accessibility of modern solutions, especially for facilities in developing countries. Additionally, we offer a 30-day free trial to give our clients a chance to get familiar with the system and decide whether they are satisfied with our service. That is how our Pledge 1% of Product is realized.

We hope that EMRSCloud will have a great impact on the quality of care provided in health facilities in developing countries. Our mission is to reach as many people as possible and share technological solutions that can save many lives.

Their #1 tip or advice for companies?

The best projects are those that solve real problems. Reusing and improving already existing and acknowledged solutions is an important part of social impact and development.

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 Fisher

Co-Founder, Paq Logistics

Denver, CO 

What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.

Co-founder of an early stage start-up. I guess my role should be CEO (Chief Everything Officer) since we do not have a complete team yet.

What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?

The best part of the job is knowing that you are working on something that is going to have a positive impact on sustainability long term. I love solving problems, and I get to come to work every day and do that.

We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges, especially during these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?

Motivation comes when you truly love what you are doing. That’s how I know if it’s time for me to move on from a role…when it’s hard to motivate yourself then your mind is telling you that it needs something new to stimulate it.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

“Don’t be afraid to fail, if you are failing then you are learning”. This came from Harvey Bierman who has been an incredible mentor and advocate for me throughout the last 10 years.

What does generosity mean to you?

Generosity is ANYTHING that you can give….advice, money, help with a project..but the best thing you can be generous with is your time. When you give someone your time, that is more valuable than anything else.

How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?

I think it is very important for businesses to listen to their consumer and employees when it comes to solving some of the biggest challenges. The most innovative solutions come from people on the front lines, so who better to consult than those individuals.

If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?

Curious

If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?

“I stand in awe” by Chris Tomlin & Nicole Serrano

What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?

I am looking forward to launching Paq and starting the journey that will transform how eCommerce operates in the future. And as far as experiences, I am ready to TRAVEL…just trying to nail down where my first adventure will take place.

San Francisco, Calif. – December 6, 2022 — During times of market turbulence, philanthropic giving can take a hit as corporate budgets shrink. Despite the downturn in the market and lower valuations across the tech sector, Pledge 1%, a global movement to inspire, educate, and empower all companies to leverage their assets for good, is adding outsized value to the companies with which they work. This year alone, the company has welcomed 2,000 net new companies that are utilizing Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to build their social impact programs, increasing overall membership by more than 13 percent. Additionally, Pledge 1% has ignited new equity commitments valued at over $300 million from high-growth companies including Contentful, Contentstack, Loop & Tie, Snyk, and Vidmob. 

“In times like these, when cash is tight and exit horizons unpredictable, we’re seeing more companies formalize their equity pledge as a powerful vehicle to reinforce their corporate values and demonstrate their long-term commitment to social impact and ESG efforts,” said Amy Lesnick, Chief Executive and President of Pledge 1%. “By setting aside 1% of equity to fuel future corporate philanthropy, CEOs and Boards are signaling their confidence in the long-term success of their business and energizing employees around a shared vision to make a difference in the world.” 

Pledge 1% is the go-to partner helping companies set aside equity to fund their long-term social impact and ESG programs, and has kept companies committed through the ups and downs of the market. Since Pledge 1% was founded in 2014, 44 unicorn companies have set aside equity prior to their exits, including industry leaders Atlassian, Braze, DocuSign, Okta, PagerDuty, Twilio, Upwork and Zuora. Additionally, Pledge 1% has supported 15 unicorns who have not yet exited to set aside equity to fund their long-term social impact, including BetterUp, Canva, Checkr, Guild Education, Lookout, SmartRecruiters, Snyk, and Vidmob. 

“Since taking the pledge in 2018, Contentstack has made time and product commitments as well as a series of charitable donations,” said Neha Sampat, founder and CEO of Contentstack. “We were excited to add equity to the mix this year. We’ve worked hard to build a culture of caring and it is one of the things I’m proudest of as CEO. Pledge 1% provides a thoughtful balance of structure and flexibility that evolves with the company as we grow.”

“Since our founding, Contentful has cared deeply about social impact and built a program that includes employee-driven volunteer time off and giving our product pro bono to nonprofit organizations,” said Sascha Konietzke, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Contentful. “With our pledge of 1% equity, we are now positioned to do even more good in the world for many years to come. We know this commitment is important to our employees, customers, and partners, and we hope to be an example for other companies looking to make a positive social impact.”

“In this economy with delayed exits, contributing equity is not only the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do,” said Sameer Dholakia, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “The commitment enables companies to build a culture of giving back from inception, allowing them to attract and inspire employees, and retain key talent to make the company stronger.” 

To learn more about how to set aside social impact at your company or join this alliance of top VCs as a Boardroom Ally, email allies@pledge1percent.org or visit pledge1percent.org.  

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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 17,000 members in 100 countries around the world have used Pledge 1%’s flexible framework to ignite billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in new philanthropy. To learn more about Pledge 1%, and how your company can get involved, visit pledge1percent.org.