Okta
Okta is an identity and access management company. The Okta Identity Cloud enables organizations to securely connect the right people to the right technologies at the right time.
Pro Bono Professional Services from Okta: the story of a team-level pledge
By Joaquin Campos
Okta took the 1% Pledge in 2016, demonstrating our commitment to the belief that technology can be a catalyst for positive social change. Okta for Good, Okta’s social impact arm, was created to carry out that work. Since then, we’ve donated nearly $10 million in cash and more than $15 million in products and services to nonprofits across the globe.
Making our technology more affordable for nonprofits is important, but what happens when an organization can’t get the full value out of that technology on their own? Many organizations are able to pay for professional services, but many can’t afford to. Where do they go for help?
Okta’s Professional Services team is comprised of identity and access management experts, skilled in helping customers with their Okta implementations. In 2018, Eric Kelleher, Okta’s Chief Customer Officer (and then-head of professional services) asked Okta for Good how his department could make their own “1% pledge.” Eric was inspired by Okta’s company-level commitment to giving back and wanted to create a similar, but more specialized, opportunity for his team. “Okta’s Professional Services team is incredibly talented and committed,” says Kelleher, “and they were energized to find a way to contribute their expertise and their time to help nonprofits securely use the technology they need to pursue their missions.”
Through the program, Okta’s Professional Services team has already donated over 1,000 hours of expert-level technical assistance to nonprofits. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has been fighting pediatric HIV and AIDS through research, advocacy, and treatment programs since 1988. They told is that their Okta professional services volunteer was “amazing” and “really saved this project from faltering. There are a number of areas we would have missed if we had done it on our own.”
Okta for Good partnered with Okta’s Professional Services team to co-design a program that allows nonprofit customers to apply for pro bono engagements and allows the Okta volunteers to earn credit towards their quarterly utilization targets. Gina Ho, Okta’s Global Services Strategy & Programs Senior Manager, has been another key partner in developing the program alongside the Okta for Good team. “I’m so thankful to have been a part of creating an opportunity for the team to leverage their unique skills to directly impact communities,” says Ho. “It’s fulfilling to use your ‘everyday workplace skills’ to help others.”
This program is an example of what can happen when company and employee purpose is aligned. It also demonstrates the powerfully simple Pledge 1% model. At Okta, we’re proud to enable nonprofits to safely use any technology, and feel privileged to have partners like our Professional Services team that embodies our company’s values.
Pacific Point
Pacific Point is a certified Salesforce Consulting Partner, founded in 2011. Pacific Point is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii with locations in Denver, Sydney, and Singapore. Pacific Point has successfully delivered valuable Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions across a wide range of industries and clients.
Pacific Point’s commitment to Pledge 1% ranges from encouraging youth to pursue careers in tech through seminars and mentoring to giving back to organizations in all the communities where we operate – Honolulu, Denver, Sydney and Singapore.
For Giving Tuesday, we wanted to highlight how Pacific Point has been putting forth efforts in our Denver community in particular, and how we were able to connect with the Mile High United Way last year in conjunction with the official launch of our Denver office. This is the original United Way, with deep roots in giving back to the community and supporting other non-profits.
Our first collaboration with Mile High United Way was connecting Pacific Point with El Sistema Colorado, a music program for underprivileged youth. Because of the pandemic, there were limited projects to be able to support face to face. This project gave us the chance to try something new and was a great experience for our team.
As events slowly started to open, Pacific Point committed to creating networking opportunities including allocating some budget for a community Holiday event. Our partner organization Mile High United Way does a large toy drive every year, so we decided to see all the ways we could align with their efforts. Our Holiday Event doubled as a Toy Drive for those in Denver, as well as a company wide initiative to donate money or gifts through the online registry. Our clients also supported this effort near and far.
And on this Giving Tuesday, we are so excited to be just a few days away from doing our second annual Holiday Soiree and Toy Drive supporting Mile High United Way. Once again, we have asked our team and clients around the world to support our Denver community and our CEO will be present to welcome guests bringing toys for the community. Our Denver team will be able to support this initiative in person, while our employees from other cities are proud to be able to contribute online.
“We have been really fortunate to be able to host an event in Denver where our clients can enjoy themselves while giving both time and profit to the community, in this case Mile High United Way, as part of our commitment to Pledge 1%,” says Deena Tearney. “This partnership has grown to allow myself to participate in United Women as well as support fundraising events throughout the year. We are very proud to allot this time and investment to such an incredible organization like Mile High United Way, who in turn impacts countless organizations and the families they serve.”
Happy Holidays!
Brave Factor
We help nonprofits avoid lost opportunities by giving them a brand and website that creates clarity and increases their social impact.
https://bravefactor.com/how-brave-gives-back-to-the-community/
Since Brave was founded in 2017, our agency has been committed to supporting causes, even if they can’t afford our services. We believe it’s important to support local causes through donations, design or branding assistance, and knowledge. We feel privileged to be able to give back in the upcoming change makers, communities, and the island we love, and we are excited to share exactly how we do that.
Running a branding and web session for Bali startup accelerator program, Makadaya
Makadaya is a community space and strategic network, established to foster a community of change makers in developing sustainable solutions to real social and environmental challenges in Indonesia. they invests in fellows each year to help them launch their startup businesses. We partnered with them in Fall 2021 to teach the fellows basic storytelling, how to make a landing page, and web development basics. We provided one-on-one consulting with each fellow to give them suggestions on how to pitch and market their startup. After the week-long workshop ended, they left with more brand clarity and a one-page website.
Giving design and strategy to nonprofit through the Freestarter Awards
Twice a year, The Goble Family Foundation honors a Freestarter (a change maker with passion, zeal, and results) with a financial donation of $5,000 and a branding package with Brave. We are so excited to work with each one, helping them to evolve their brand or clarify their message.
This year, we partnered with winner Aaron Horner from the First Presbyterian Church of Hayward to help them launch a new program, Everyone Deserves. Everyone Deserves is a social enterprise that unites the Bay Area community with the unhoused community through a shared belief that everyone deserves an opportunity for a better life. They connect with local humanists who also want to help people heal, grow, serve, lead and earn in ways centered around our individual super powers. Everyone Deserves believe in the resilience and agency of the individual being by creating personal relationships for others to have a new, compassionate way to see and help people who are unhoused.
Together, we created a branding plan, marketing plan, and a logo to help propel their project into action.
We also worked with Minh Dang, Executive Director of Survivor Alliance. After a 4-hour discovery session, we created a 20-page brand positioning document to help Survivor Alliance with future communications and marketing efforts.
Reinvesting in the island of Bali during hard times
We feel the call when disaster hits our neighbors and are not afraid to help. We’ve donated food and care packages to struggling families in Bali during the COVID pandemic, gave to Nusa Penida when floods washed homes and stores away, and more. There are times when design work is not enough and our communities need emergency relief, and we make an effort to give yearly to support those around us.
Profit sharing program with the Brave team Our success comes through collaboration and hard work, and we want to honor our team that puts the long hours into helping our clients succeed. So we set up a quarterly profit sharing program where our team could share in the company’s success. With every successful project, we give up to 10% of the profits to our team, distributing fairly to everyone from project manager to security guard.
Photo via mitraprodin.com
Through our work, we’re able to make a difference in the lives of others and support local causes. We believe in being active members of our community, and we know that our clients feel the same way. If you’re looking for a web agency with a strong sense of social responsibility, look no further than Brave.
Demountable Concepts, Inc.
We manufacture and provide engineered commercial vehicle solutions. Products include Demountable Swap-Body delivery trucks; racks and truck bodies for transporting flat glass; fleet repair and maintenance services for heavy trucks and trailers.
The Children are Our Future
I’m Rustin Cassway, president and founder of Demountable Concepts, MyGlassTruck, and DCI Fleet. We support the Pledge 1% model by assisting two non-profits that provide the bulk of their services in our local area by providing resources, volunteers, and fund raising support.
In 2016, I attended the Salesforce Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. The keynote speaker, Marc Benioff, pointed out that “the children are our future” and encouraged attendees to ask their local elementary school principals, “what do you need?” Instead, I chose to ask the Boys & Girls Club of Gloucester County, NJ since we are practically neighbors.
Since then we’ve provided support to the Boys & Girls Club of Gloucester County, NJ to assist them in providing best-in-class services to local youth. Their 2022 Fall Gala honored myself and our companies and the event raised over $230,000 for the club. I am humbled to be recognized for supporting this quality organization dedicated to helping today’s youth become productive adults tomorrow.
Here’s a summary of the support we’ve provided for Boys & Girls Clubs of Gloucester County NJ so far:
* Promoting STEM education by donating 16 new computers
* Donating new floors and installation in the Clubs Glassboro, NJ facility
* On-going Sponsorship of the Club’s Annual 5K Run and Walkathon
* Sponsoring and providing gifts for holiday parties
* Donating and installing a wide-screen TV for video presentations
* Volunteering at events
* Participation in fundraising efforts
* Supported club member, Nzingjha Rothmiller in her bid to win the prestigious New Jersey “Youth of the Year” title in 2019
This video tells the story of our relationship with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Gloucester County, NJ:
There’s Plenty More to Do
This is all about providing a safe environment where the kids can thrive and learn how to be friends and citizens The club provides meals and after school activities; leadership and career development programs; STEM activities; and sports and fitness. All at little or no cost to the community, even though the club still has to pay for them.
It’s important that businesses support the Boys & Girls Clubs for a number of reasons. First is Karma, the more positive energy you put into the universe, the more will come back to you. Second, if you don’t give to help those who don’t have, you can’t expect to be successful in your own life. Third, the children are the our future and providing a place for them to become caring citizens is in everyone’s best interest.
We’re Also Helping to Fight Breast Cancer
For every glass rack sold by our MyGlassTruck division we make a donation benefiting Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure to help fight breast cancer. Up to 75% of proceeds raised fund breast cancer programs in our community and the rest provides national grants to fund research. Through our efforts to support the battle against breast cancer we have raised over $146,000 to date.
This web page provides our commitment to both these causes: https://www.myglasstruck.com/how-we-give-back
2022 Gala Page: https://www.gcbgc.org/fall-gala-3
The CRM Firm
The CRM Firm is a Salesforce Consulting Firm that provides custom Salesforce implementations for businesses in need of a powerful CRM solution. Our industry specialties include nonprofits, financial services, insurance and executive search.
When BEAR Houston approached The CRM Firm in need of a custom Salesforce implementation to support their unique programs, we knew this project provided us with an incredible opportunity to give back.
BEAR Houston is a nonprofit organization that partners with Harris County CPS and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide basic necessities and support services to abused and neglected children in the care of CPS.
The CRM Firm has donated 500+ consulting and development hours to create a system that supports BEAR’s four key initiatives— BEARing Gifts, Heart Gallery Houston, BEAR Back to School and BEAR Necessities.
Their holiday program, BEARing Gifts, provides new holiday gifts to at-risk and CPS-involved children via sponsorships, toy drives, monetary donations, Amazon wishlist donations, and volunteer opportunities.
Heart Gallery Houston is a traveling photography exhibit designed in an effort to aid foster children in finding their forever family by increasing their chances of adoption through photography.
BEAR Back to School is a yearly program that ensures children under CPS supervision have the resources they need to begin each school year by collecting donations through monetary donations, school supply drives, an Amazon wishlist and volunteer opportunities.
Finally, the BEAR Necessities program operates two “BEAR rooms”, or warehouses, in Harris County stocked with year-round emergency supplies for children.. These warehouses stock inventory such as clothing, shoes, diapers, car seats, air mattresses and more that caseworkers have 24-hour access to at no-cost to the families.
Our partnership with BEAR Houston has resulted in a robust Salesforce system that supports these four programs with inventory tracking, a dynamic, user-friendly solution for managing Heart Gallery profiles, a platform for receiving, sponsoring and tracking children’s “Wishes”, and a platform for tracking school supply bag requests and fulfillments. In addition their Salesforce system provides them with metrics for securing funding.
Prior to the build of their Salesforce system, BEAR was able to support approximately 5000 children in their BEARing gifts program. Since the launch of their new CRM, they have been able to service over 12,000 children in this program.
We are proud to Pledge 1% and are honored to have been a small part of the huge impact BEAR Houston has made on the lives of tens of thousands of children in the greater Houston area.
My Software Tutor
The MST mission is to help people “turn on their learning lightbulb.” We do this though our “Effective Business Storytelling” workshops designed for teams and organizations as well as real-time courses that teach practical, functional Microsoft Office skills (Excel and PowerPoint).
My Software Tutor, under the MST Cares banner, works with selected non-profits to make our business productivity workshops and software training available at a material discount for those who cannot otherwise access it. Education is a critical component to personal growth. We believe financial considerations should not be the singular obstacle to learning.
We also collaborate with non-profit organizations to offer our courses as a fundraising tool through silent auctions, raffles, shop-to-support programs and other similar activities. MST has partnered with Donation Match to facilitate these connections. To date, we have donated services valued in excess of $235,000.
My Software Tutor is proud to support the growing network of founders, entrepreneurs, and companies around the globe who have joined the Pledge 1% global movement. We embrace the concept of sharing resources for the greater good.
Puffin Drinkwear
Our Mission is to create Drinkwear that brings the FUN and celebrates GOOD
Meet Puffin. We make tiny outfits for your drinks, yes you heard right. From the outside, someone could ask…. “Why should this company exist?” or “What good does it offer the world?”
We are glad you asked! In a time where currently, 37 million, or 11% of all Americans are living in poverty due to the economic crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard to see any silver lining let alone those who work tirelessly to make the world a better place.
That’s where Puffin comes in. In addition to creating millions of smiles, Puffin’s mission is to celebrate the GOOD that exists all around us. However, we can’t do it alone. It all starts with collaboration with incredible nonprofits like One Warm Coat.
Their mission is to provide free coats to children and adults in need while promoting volunteerism and environmental sustainability. Since we don’t have any life-sized jackets to contribute the next biggest need is cash. So for each Puffy jacket bought on our website from November 25 – 29, One Warm Coat will provide a real jacket to someone struggling to afford the basic necessities like warm coats. It’s that simple and makes a world of difference to those in need this holiday.
So let’s make some noise for them! Good things are happening all around us and it’s time to start CELEBRATING!
Zuora
Zuora provides a leading monetization platform for recurring revenue businesses across all industries, enabling companies to unlock customer-centric business models. After starting with Zuora Billing in 2007, Zuora’s award-winning multi-product portfolio now includes Zuora Revenue, Zuora Collect, and Zephr, a Zuora Company. Zuora serves as an intelligent hub that monetizes and orchestrates the complete quote to cash and revenue recognition process at scale. Through its industry leading technology and expertise, Zuora helps more than 1,000 companies around the world nurture and monetize direct, digital customer relationships.
Zuora believes that the World Subscribed is a better world. By facilitating access over ownership, the Subscription Economy has the ability to democratize goods and services for all. It brings new freedoms (time, place, potential) that we didn’t have before and it creates sustainable communities by more efficiently using resources and commodities.
Kiva envisions a financially inclusive world where all people hold the power to improve their lives by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the 1.4 billion people who lack financial access. Through Kiva’s work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment, and families can afford needed emergency care. Since being founded in 2005, Kiva has been able to make a huge impact across the globe-just take a look at the numbers.
Zuora and Kiva put people and relationships at the center of every interaction making their partnership a natural fit as they unleash the energy of their employees to support the causes that matter most to them.
Zuora’s Employee Engagement Campaign
In June 2021, still in the thick of Covid, Zuora employees were hungry to make an impact and feel part of something greater so the company immediately thought of Kiva. Zuora distributed $50 Kiva credits to 1,200 of its employees spread across the globe—giving each person the freedom to fund loans to borrowers of their choosing.
The goal was to get 50% of Zuora employees to take advantage of this opportunity to make a positive impact. Instead, a whopping 86% participated, with 25 employees also adding $2,400 of their own funds to lend even more.
The end result brought in over $60,000 USD for Kiva borrowers—and provided tremendous satisfaction to the initiative’s lenders.
Next came the customers
Buoyed by the success of the employee engagement campaign, Zuora decided to extend its partnership with Kiva to its customers. In November 2021, Zuora launched a campaign on Giving Tuesday and offered its customers a $250 Kiva credit in lieu of the branded merch it customarily sends out at the end of the year. Over 200 customers participated and the feedback Zuora received was overwhelmingly positive with many claiming that this was much more appreciated than any swag they could have received.
Keeping the campaign- and the lending cycle- going in 2022
Zuora launched its second Kiva Campaign on November 15. They were able to use the funds from borrower repayments to give their employees a $75 credit this year. So far, over 500 employees have made their loans and more than $40,000 has been loaned to Kiva borrowers. The campaign ends on December 2 and Zuora will be using Giving Tuesday as a way to celebrate their partnership with Kiva. Zuora employees are determined to make an even greater impact this year! Since launching the campaign, their #kivastories Slack channel has taken off.
The Cyle of Giving
Zuora loves the virtual cycle of giving that Kiva enables. When the loans are repaid, the money is returned to Zuora’s fund at Kiva and employees can make new loans in future campaigns. Zuora’s looking forward to partnering with Kiva for years to come!
Focus4growth Ltd
Sales & Leadership Training & Coaching
Walk & Talk 4 Men is a simple concept that gives men the opportunity to talk in a relaxed comfortable environment whilst taking in the beauty of the local countryside. The Nature Reserve at Little Paxton, in Cambridgeshire has become its adopted home, with most walks taking place there.
The St Neots group of Walk & Talk 4 Men was started by 1% Pledge Member, Justin Leigh, back in January 2021 with a vision of a single monthly walk around a local Nature reserve in St. Neots, Cambridgeshire. Justin founded the group after his own challenges with mental health in 2017, which led him to leave his corporate management career and establish his coaching & consulting business, Focus4growth. After discovering the 1% Pledge initiative, he decided that his contribution to 1% pledge would be providing support for men’s mental health in his local community.
Justin explained: “The group has been brought together to give men the opportunity to meet other men to walk in nature and talk about whatever is on their mind and listen to the experiences of other members of the group. The aim is to support men’s mental health and wellbeing. It’s not just for men that have mental health issues. Whilst some of our walkers have had underlying issues, a number also use it to give themselves time to think, relax and recharge, leaving their phones and 9 – 5 lives on hold for a couple of hours. There is no agenda, we talk about anything and everything. We all meet up fifteen minutes prior to the walk starting, buddy up in pairs and then set off never knowing where the conversation is going to start or end. The group really has gathered a momentum of its own and the engagement and support from all our walkers is amazing to see. I’m very proud of the community we’ve created. The feedback from many of our men is that the group provides much needed help and support that they’re unable to access anywhere else. Men are regularly referred to our group from local Health Care providers and services. We’ve become a vital component of local support services for men in the Cambridgeshire area, something we didn’t realise was possible.”
Steve Whitney attended the first walk and was inspired to help. Since then, Justin and Steve have increased the monthly walks to fortnightly. During winter all walks take place on a Sunday and during the spring and summer months they alternate between a Sunday morning and a midweek evening when the light allows. They’ve also encouraged key members of the group to become walk ambassadors and are running weekly walks for men in their local community. Often walks will attract as many as 35 men and to date over 160 different men in Cambridgeshire have attended. The popularity of the group continues to grow, as does the number of men offering help and support to Justin & Steve to lead the walks.
The group is available to any man looking for a bit of male company and conversation, whether you are feeling a little low or on top form, go along and join in. You will be made to feel very welcome.
Find out more on:
- the group Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WalkandTalk4MenStNeots
- Twitter: @talk4men and Instagram: walkandtalk4men_stneots