TWIYO is excited we are working with global humanitarian NGO Humanitix as our first in kind Virtual CFO (VCFO) partnership.

The story of how this came about is worth sharing.

I’ve only recently find my dream job with TWIYO Capital & Advisory since January 2021 but it took me about 10 years to find what I wanted to do.

I always had a passion for social organisation – the idea of an economy where profit is redistributed where it is needed, and where organisations behave like good citizens.

My previous career did not quite scratch the social impact itch, but I still managed to spend my spare time attending public lectures or conferences on the subject. This way, I made connections and good friends that share the same passion.

At one of these conferences I met Joshua Ross, Co-Founder of Humanitix , when the business was just a year old. I have been engrossed by Humanitix since this day, finally coming across a business that embodied the values I wanted to see.

Joshua confessed to a friend in common, Kat Dunn, then COO of Ideapod, that a non for profit model like Humanitix did not fit the box when it came to obtaining donations from large organisations. She therefore decided to create a conference called Reimagine, and I accepted to join her as the producer of the conference. It was an amazing experience and inspired me to follow a career path that would enable me to work for a positive-impact company like Humanitix.

A few years later, I joined TWIYO, moving into VCFO work and servicing clients that have social and environmental impacts. Finally working within a business where I felt I was making a difference.

Humanitix represents the perfect client for TWIYO. Sharing the same company values, both sides were keen to join forces. As TWIYO joined the 1% Pledge movement this year, we offered Humanitix our service as part of our 1% time donation.

Click here to find out about Humanitix, and how you can get involved.

The Long Walk Home for Wayside Chapel

A Sydney institution since 1964, Wayside Chapel in King’s Cross has been serving the local community for decades. Founded by Reverend Ted Noffs, Wayside has been central in providing shelter to rough sleepers, food for the socially isolated and vulnerable, and easy access to mental health care. After a year of insecurity and hardship for so many, it was important for our team to recognise an organisation that was directly making a positive impact in people’s lives. So we went walking in someone else’s shoes for the day.

28 is the average amount of kilometres a person who is experiencing homelessness travels on foot to find shelter. Within these 28 kilometres, a rough sleeper may experience personal and verbal abuse and have an increased vulnerability to becoming permanently homeless.

As part of our pledge, the team walked from the Sydney office in Surry Hills to Bondi Beach. Surprisingly, for some of our team, this was their very first time visiting the iconic stretch of sand. Being prepared with water, snacks and good shoes, it gave us pause for thought to consider how the many rough sleepers and people affected by homelessness in this city are in short supply of such resources.

As our CEO Toby Wilcock has previously discussed on LinkedIn, the walk was pretty special. Not only did the team hit a $6000 donation high through fundraising, it enabled everyone to get outside of their projects and own lives to take a look around and be a part of their community. In short, it was the perfect way to kick-off the 1% Pledge.

COVID in India: A cause close to home

For our second project, it was a crisis of a different kind.

It’s no news to anyone that India is experiencing a devastating second-wave of COVID and humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. Due to our close ties with India through team connections, we didn’t think twice about helping out wherever we could. In collaboration with Seva Sahayog, an NGO that provides on-the-ground support to underprivileged communities in Pune City, we teamed up to do our part.

One of the problems that aid organisations in the Pune region experience is working within an area with poor infrastructure, making it harder to receive and distribute charitable donations. This was a particularly tricky barrier, as demographically, the urban slum communities needed urgent health aid, food and COVID resources more than most.

As many of our team in India were (and still are) in lockdowns themselves, and the rest of our team are scattered across the globe, we had to find another way to help. So, we called in the devs.

Over two days, 25 developers and Salesforce Administrators built (as a part of a hackathon) a donation portal that gives everyday citizens the ability to donate money and resources to where they’re needed most. This bespoke tech has enabled the NGOs on the ground to connect with a global community that previously had no idea how to directly give or donate money for this monumental crisis. Currently, the Seva Sahayog ground crew have distributed 20,000 food kits across the Pune, Mumbai and Maharashtra regions.

MediStays is a digital platform that provides patients and carers with suitable accommodation when needing to travel for medical care, especially for rural and regional patients, and for people with a disability. With the finding of accommodation still a major barrier for people to access specialist care, MediStays uses the potential of digital health to break down geographical barriers and bring about a fairer and more accessible healthcare system for all.

Taking the Pledge 1% earlier this year enabled MediStays to live our values and develop our own ESG policies and framework. As an early stage company, we wanted to establish our philanthropic culture from the outset. Pledge 1% provided us a way to do this, knowing their model will grow and scale with us. Our first goal was to donate a minimum of 1% of profits to organisations that closely align with MediStays vision and values. We have also pledged 1% of our equity, with product and staff time to follow. Most importantly, it enabled us to make an immediate impact in our community.

In October 2021, MediStays met our 1% profit pledge with a donation to Angel Flight. Angel Flight is a charity that provides flights to regional and remote Australians to access specialist medical treatment that would otherwise be unavailable because of the vast distances in Australia and the associated travel costs.

This is important to us at MediStays because when people can’t access travel and find suitable accommodation, they often delay, and even deny themselves of, life-saving medical and healthcare. Most devastatingly, this can result in poorer health outcomes, quality of life and survival, especially for rural and regional Australians. An example of this is the survival of Australians living more than 200km from cancer treatment can be up to 30% lower than people living close by.

MediStays was delighted to meet our 2021 Pledge 1% target by donating to Angel Flight. The service they provide, and the values they demonstrate, aligns with MediStays mission to make a profound impact on the health outcomes of people who are marginalised with a disability or live in difficult to reach communities.

We are already looking forward to the next impact we can have with our commitment to Pledge 1%.

Bold Content Video and Kidney Cancer Association

‘Strong alone, unstoppable together’ is the rousing campaign for the Kidney Cancer Association, a cancer advocacy nonprofit who are currently celebrating their 30th anniversary. 

KCA approached us at Bold Content Video back in July 2020, looking for a short video highlighting the amazing work that the charity has done over the years, featuring interviews from the world’s most predominant oncologists. 

Over many discussions between our Managing Director Adam Neale and KCA’s Chief Advancement Officer Kendall Pace Monroe, the video project became more and more ambitious.

Something that really struck us during our conversations with the team at KCA was how much progress there has been for the kidney cancer community since the charity was founded in 1990. KCA has been instrumental in evolving kidney cancer from a disease with a few treatment options, to a future of hope and promise as a result of their hard work approving treatments, facilitating research and running clinical trials. We wanted their 30th anniversary video to go above and beyond, in their endeavours to build momentum and further raise awareness for the amazing work they do.  

Our creative team got their heads together and we came up with an idea for a story that resonates on a deeply emotional level to anyone who has had a relative in hospital. 

We pitched this idea to KCA as an animation that tells the story of a young person whose life is changed by kidney cancer. We explained that the animation would be full of pathos, and that the idea behind the story was to show how much progress has been made by their scientists, researchers and doctors to find the cure for kidney cancer. 

In terms of the narrative, the story follows a young girl who loses her father in the 90s to kidney cancer, but she forges her own path through life, becoming a doctor and helping patients become cancer-free.

The client loved the fact that the story leads the viewer in a certain direction to the point where they predict what’s going to happen, but then it subverts the traditional narrative in favour of a fresh approach.  It also underlines one of their core messages about how they’ve helped to enable the treatment of Kidney Cancer over the last 30 years meaning it’s no longer a terminal condition. 

Thankfully they were willing to take a creative leap with us and green-lit the production.  

These kinds of stories have a deeply emotive connection with the viewer but we needed a unique visual style to bring this concept to life.  

We searched and searched for the right illustrator who could create a painterly effect but quickly enough to make a hand drawn animation possible on a small budget. 

Eventually on a late night session scouring Behance we happened across Kurt Chang’s work and were blown away by the sense of magical realism in his work.  We knew that this story would benefit from a slight abstraction of the normal world so we reached out and were delighted when he agreed to come on board. 

This video has been a real passion project for the team at Bold Content, with everyone working on it outside of regular working hours. Our lead animator Agata Graczyk has been a real hero in making Kurt’s illustrations move.  When we first saw the movements we realised that she’s injected humanity into the characters and brought the backgrounds to life. 

The client has been immensely patient, knowing that this is not a cookie cutter animation. We’ve been developing new techniques and trying new things as we go, which has taken time.  It’s been a real labour of love but after several months of work, we were able to release a video for their annual symposium. 

We are big believers in telling stories that elicit an emotional response. A video has the power to evoke change. That’s why we also had an original score produced for the video, which really helps to elevate the production and increase its emotional impact. 

As a Pledge 1% company, Bold Content have been proud to assist KCA with their video marketing in their efforts to find and support the next generation of doctors and researchers.

GivingTuesday marks a day of radical generosity, encouraging individuals and companies worldwide to do good – both within their communities and beyond. Within the world of work, traditional corporate social responsibility commitments are constantly shifting. Beyond established firms and NPOs, startups are now also recognizing the need to take responsibility and cultivate a culture that is committed to creating impactful change.

At rready, a community of young, dynamic intrapreneurs, with a vision to transform the world of corporate innovation, the theme of social sustainability extends across functions and departments. From our core product that involves empowering employees to realize their intrapreneurial power through the KICKBOX program, to playing our part in effecting positive change daily, we aim to foster a vision that transcends beyond a quest for profit.

rready for diversity

What started off as an intrapreneurial movement, with the four founders, Dave, Reto, Ralph, and Vinz; all of whom share relatively similar backgrounds, is now a global team representing 12 different nationalities. Over the course of only nineteen months, recognizing the need to diversify, the founders have assembled a team reaching across all corners of the globe: from Brazil to Serbia, Macedonia, Namibia, the Netherlands, UK and Switzerland. The journey is far from over however, and rready strives to continue creating and building a more diverse team across all aspects of diversity to continue the exchange of unique perspectives and fresh ideas.

rready for sustainability

rready’s flagship product – the KICKBOX program – utilizes a proven methodology to encourage fun, gamified, scalable, and measurable innovation practices within companies. The easy-to-use approach simplifies the complex innovation process and makes innovation accessible to all employees – independent of their background or hierarchical position.

Beyond defining common business challenges which clients may be facing, the program can also be used to identify and unlock meaningful opportunities to expand impact and tackle questions and challenges surrounding
corporate social responsibility.

At Swisscom, the largest IT- and telecommunication company in Switzerland, the intrapreneur Marcel Roesch, used rready’s KICKBOX program to bring a new product with strong social impact to  market. Using the interdisciplinary KICKBOX approach, he created help2type – a first-of-its-kind compact, haptic keyboard that can be flexibly attached to any smartphone, to make the digital world more accessible for those who are visually impaired.

rready for inclusivity

The Züriwerk Foundation, located in Switzerland, is committed to aid predominantly cognitive impaired people. By providing them housing, work, counselling as well as overall assistance, their aim is to enable these individuals to partake in everyday life comfortably.

Together with rready, the Züriwerk team produces and assembles the physical innovation toolboxes, better known as KICKBOXES which form an integral part of the KICKBOX program. Afterwards, these are then distributed to the relevant clients. For every KICKBOX produced, rready donates an additional CHF 1.- to the Züriwerk Foundation.

While rready encompasses a tongue-in-cheek, playful and a little out of the ordinary approach to innovation, we also aim to cultivate a culture where social responsibility is imminent in our every practice and where we play an active role in establishing a global force for good. Do you have an idea that is guaranteed to create social impact? Then you can now download the KICKBOOK for free here, and find your way towards validating your idea step by step.

Teachers from Loreto Normanhust, in Sydney.

ADAPTOVATE are proud supporters of Pledge 1% and commit to giving back 1 percent of our time and skills every year in all our offices globally. We have worked with several in need organisations over the past few years, and this year we are proud to have worked with Brittany’s Backpack Ministry in Texas USA and Loreto Normanhurst School for girls, in Sydney Australia.

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Brittany’s Backpack Ministry was founded in 2009. The purpose and passion behind the ministry are in honor of Brittany Nicole Smith who passed at the age 8 from Asthma. In memory of Brittany, who was incredibly generous and fond of school, they provide food, school supplies, and other resources to their neighborhood and under-resourced communities.

As part of our Pledge 1% partnership – ADAPTOVATE supported the organization recently with launching their new website and providing business advice from the team.

Read more here

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Loreto Normanhurst, an independent school for girls is running a Design Sprint program at scale for 180+ year 10 students in November 2021. ADAPTOVATE partnered with them as part of our commitment to Pledge 1%

The school has partnered with 9 businesses including Netflix, Google, Universal and Guzman and Gomez to help them solve 9 business problems with an adapted version of the widely used Design Sprint format created by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky in 2016 (book published). 

Read more here.

More case-studies from our Pledge 1% commitment

This Giving Tuesday, we wanted to try something different.

By living out our “be the change you seek :bethechange: ” value, we are empowering Atlassians
to be their own Mini Fundraisers. The month long campaign encourages Atlassians to tap into
their own networks, form little fundraising teams, promote and raise much need funds for the
causes that they are most passionate about.

So how does it work?

Participation is really simple: employees need to set up (or join) a team of 5-10 other Atlassians,
find a cause that they are passionate about and promote the opportunity to raise funds. Most
opportunities aren’t big or elaborate but they drive team engagement and some healthy
competition. After all, there are some limited edition personalised apparel (hoodies) up for grabs
for the team that can attract the most number of donors.



Just in the first week of launching, we have over 300+ Atlassians joining different teams with
causes ranging from doggie rescues to multiple causes like End Homelessness or The Hunger
Project.



With this we’re hoping Atlassians can reach out and create impact not just for their
causes but also with their fellow colleagues and maybe enjoy the holidays wearing some
warm and nice hoodies with their teams.

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.

What is your name and title?

Kath Harris, Director, People & Culture at Destined 4 Pty Ltd.

Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.

I care and look after people. Importantly I help others to grow, by enabling and empowering people to realise their own potential and shine in their careers. I do this by developing relationships, sharing my skills, knowledge and experience to help make the organisation a great place to jump out of bed in the morning and come to – in person or now virtually!

How did you get here? Please share any quick stories from past work experiences.

One of my favourite career experiences was with ‘birdsnest‘ based in the country town of Cooma in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Each day I worked with up to 100 women who loved and supported each other to thrive in whatever their role was. Being aligned with an organisations values is a top priority for me. I was grateful for the opportunity to work with Jane Cay the founder and CEO. I really believe in what birdsnest stands for which is “We are focused on nurturing and inspiring you, our #birdsnestgirl, to be confident in the skin you are in, no matter what age or body shape.” At birdsnest I felt I was accepted and loved by the team for who I was. It didn’t matter where I came from or what I looked liked. I was embraced for the special qualities I brought to the team and this was a key attribute of the entire workplace culture. There was not one day that went by that I didn’t receive a hug from someone at the nest!

In your opinion, what’s the #1 decision or move you’ve made that has helped advance your career?

The decision to trust myself and the decisions I make at the time. Every decision I’ve made in my career has helped me to learn and understand more about myself, my strengths and my challenges. I’ve learnt to accept I have areas where I fall down sometimes and I make mistakes. It use to be a lot tougher to admit there were things I needed to change. Now I see it as an opportunity to learn more about myself and importantly to empathise and understand others.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned this past year?

It has been a tough and uncertain year for us all. What came to mind straight away was a quote surprisingly in one of my kids’ favourite movies “Croods: A New Age.” “Perhaps the window by which I view the world is flawed.” – Thunk

The most important lesson for me this year has been the self-awareness of what window I choose to view people, life and situations through. I’ve learnt that I need to be more conscious of the window I view others’ through. That it’s important to seek information, be more curious, ask questions and then consider all of those factors before making recommendations or forming a view. It’s ok to be flexible, acknowledge when you haven’t looked at all factors and then choose to look through another window.

What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?

The low percentage of women in key leadership positions. This impacts the workplace culture in many different ways, however especially bringing diversity in thinking and relating to others. I believe this significantly impacts decision making and innovation in the business. Women progressing in their careers are also looking for inspirational female role models in leadership positions to act as advocates, mentors and coaches for them.

Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?

Yes, I’m very grateful for the mentors I have now and have had throughout my career. For me time and active listening are the key qualities of an effective mentor. Having a mentor who listens without judgement, gives you their time and who is open in sharing their own experiences that you can learn from is invaluable. My mentors have greatly contributed to my growth not only in my career, but as a friend, wife and parent. And I would also say in helping to be kinder to myself.

What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?

To believe in yourself and the unique skills and qualities you bring to your chosen profession and organisation. I believe it’s important not to compare yourself with others and not measure yourself against what other people have achieved. Hold true to your own values, goals and dreams. I also recommend making connections with people and establishing a diverse network. 80% of all my roles I’ve found not through job advertisements or recruitment agencies but through talking with my network and being open about my career goals and the workplace environment I want to be apart of.

What is one thing companies can do, big or small, to help create an environment that advances women into leadership positions?

Brene Brown talks about being clear is being kind. Be brave and provide feedback that is going to help women to grow and reflect on where they may be stumbling. I’ve found my greatest development has come from the feedback and insights I’ve received over the years from my managers or colleagues who’ve had the courage to tell me when my behaviour has hurt them or others. Have real conversations with women even when the message is tough.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish in the next year?

My goal this year is to give more time to my family and friends, especially to my husband and two children, listening and being present with them. Relationships are a huge part of my work and ensuring I’m nurturing these at home is also so important. For me working from home has brought with it the challenge of having boundaries. It’s really important to switch off from work and enjoy our time with the treasured people in our lives.

Is there a cause that is particularly close to you? If so, why this cause and how did you get involved?

There are two organisations that I support in Australia. “Fitted for Work” and “Share The Dignity“. Both these charities make a difference in the lives of women who may be experiencing homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or doing it tough. They do this in different ways. Fitted for Work helps Australian women experiencing disadvantages get work, keep work and strive at work. Share the Dignity distributes period products to those in need and work to end period poverty here in Australia. Through my workplaces I’ve partnered and driven donation initiatives to help support both organisations to achieve their goals in helping women in need. At Fitted for Work, I’ve also been able to support mentoring and training initiatives for women experiencing difficulties getting back into the workplace.

When did your company join Pledge 1%? What does your impact program mean to you?

Destined joined Pledge 1% three years ago. Our program means we have time and resources to help others and give back to our communities. We give back to our local communities by providing time through volunteering for group initiatives and we also importantly provide our knowledge, skills and expertise in Salesforce. Giving back by supporting not for profit organisations that are making a difference to people and our planet is really important to Destined as a Salesforce Partner.

What do you like to do outside of the office? Any interesting (or unique) habits or interests?

I love being outdoors and active in the environment whether it’s on the beach or amongst trees enjoying the mountains. Two of my favourite activities are mountain biking and hiking. Just before COVID lockdown in Australia I travelled to New Zealand and completed the “Kepler Track” in the Fiordland National Park. This was a huge achievement and really a bucket list item for me. The four day walk and scenery were beyond anything I could have ever imagined, however I’m grateful to the support of the seven women who inspired me to keep going when I questioned whether I had the courage to finish it.

Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!

‘Bet on Talent‘ by Dee Ann Turner and ‘Dare to Lead Podcast‘ with Brene Brown – both amazing women who I admire.

What’s been the one (or two!) things that have helped you navigate this past year? Any tips or tricks to dealing with remote work?

Keeping a routine has been really important especially working and managing two kids who had to home school for a short time. Getting dressed for work was also really important to help my mindset to separate work and home commitments. Lastly, as a person who loves time with people face to face, keeping connected with others was so important for my mental health. Daily video huddles and google chats have been great for me to feel I’m not losing contact with people.