Author: Okta

Okta is a U.S.-based identity and access management company with a vision of accelerating a world where everyone can safely use any technology. Their cloud software solutions allow their customers to enable secure access and seamless experiences for their customers, employees, and partners.

In 2016, the organization joined Pledge 1% and founded their social impact and sustainability initiative, Okta for Good, to solidify their commitment to giving back to global communities. Okta initially pledged to give away 1% of employee time and product, but they decided to add 1% of equity prior to their IPO in April 2017. This was an important step and reminder to investors that Okta for Good was a part of what they were investing in. Strategic grantmaking is then done via the Okta for Good Fund, a donor-advised fund through the Tides Foundation, which enables strategic grantmaking. The Fund distributed $5.48 million in grants in fiscal year 2024, mostly focused on digital equity and tech for good.

The best news? They are just getting started.

Learn how Okta’s equity commitment has set them up for future success in their case study below.

Crunchbase is a U.S.-based company that provides intelligent prospecting software powered by live company data for salespeople, CEOs, and venture capitalists to find and close deals. The company joined Pledge 1% as a Builder in 2018 by pledging equity, time, and product as a way to set an example in the startup community.

Crunchbase first integrated their social impact vision into their products. In 2020, they introduced the Diversity Spotlight to highlight data about companies with diverse leadership and the investors who fund them. They rolled out this feature with key partners like All Raise, BLCK VC, and StartOut when adding LGBTQ+ tags. This feature is helping Crunchbase inspire other companies to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to ultimately close the equity gaps in the startup world.

In addition to these features, Crunchbase encourages its employees to give time via their Volunteer Time Off policy.

Read how Crunchbase is leveraging its platform, team, and equity to inspire a more inclusive and generous startup ecosystem in the case study below.

Toast is a cloud-based, all-in-one digital technology platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community. In 2019, Toast launched its social impact arm, Toast.org, with the purpose of enriching the food experience for all and creating a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world.

They joined the Pledge 1% movement in 2021 to further activate their philanthropy, people, and product towards this mission. This resulted in the Changemaker Product Suite, which is available to Toast customers for free with the goal of empowering restaurants to be local community hubs. Through this program, Toast has partnered with local organizations on accelerating the development and implementation of scalable food waste solutions, among other things.

In addition, Toast created an innovative three-month rotational program for employees from the R&D team to join the social impact team and see how Toast’s product is impacting customers. This is helping them get internal buy-in all while leveraging the best of their team talent and time to have an impact.

Learn more about how Toast is putting its philanthropy, people, and product pledge to action in the case study below.

Justworks is a technology company that levels the playing field for all small businesses. To formalize their commitment to social impact, Justworks joined the Pledge 1% movement as a Builder in 2021, committing to donating 1% of their assets, including company equity, to the community.

Key to their success has been fostering cross-functional collaboration when designing their impact programs. For example, the social impact team has worked closely with the marketing team on the development and growth of Justworks.org and the Spring Forward Fund. This has allowed for more internal collaboration and has been instrumental in amplifying the mission and vision of these programs.

Justworks also believes in the power of engaging its employees in its grant-making process by inviting team members to review grant applications and vote for the finalists. This enables Justworks to hear diverse voices and perspectives about the projects being pitched, and to get team members across the organization more involved in their social impact program.

Justworks also prioritizes getting feedback from the grantees they support. This helps them iterate and improve their programs to ensure they are maximizing their impact. This includes frequently meeting with grantees and creating spaces to build trust amongst their partners.

Read more about how Justworks is having an impact in their case study below.