Read Drone Deploy’s Impact Report to learn more about how they are leveraging Pledge 1%’s framework to have an impact.

In recent years, the United States’ political landscape has become increasingly tumultuous and exhausting. For many Americans, the constant barrage of news, the deepening partisan divide, and policy gridlock have taken a toll on our collective mental and emotional well-being.

While political engagement is crucial for democracy, it can be equally important for an individual’s well-being to engage in ways that make them feel more empowered, motivated and fulfilled in their day-to-day lives.

As you strategize about ways to support employee engagement in your communities, civic engagement can be a powerful way to give employees a greater sense of purpose and power which can lead to increased morale, higher job satisfaction, better overall performance, and retention (1).

Additional benefits of supporting civic engagement by your employees include:

Skill Development
Civic engagement can provide opportunities for employees to develop and refine a wide range of skills, such as leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. These skills can be valuable in the workplace and enhance career growth.

Increased Employee Loyalty
Organizations that support and encourage civic engagement demonstrate a commitment to their employees’ personal growth and values. This, in turn, can foster a sense of loyalty and dedication among employees.

Positive Brand Image
Companies that actively participate in civic engagement activities and support their employees’ involvement often enjoy a positive brand image. Consumers and stakeholders tend to view such organizations as socially responsible and ethical, which can boost reputation and trust.

Community Impact
Employee involvement in civic activities can have a direct and positive impact on the communities in which organizations operate. This can build strong community relationships and create goodwill, potentially benefiting the company in various ways.

Diverse Perspectives
Civic engagement exposes employees to diverse perspectives and experiences, which can lead to greater creativity and innovation in the workplace. Employees with a broader worldview may bring fresh ideas and insights to the table.

Professional Networking
Engaging in civic activities often involves networking with individuals from different backgrounds and professions. This can expand employees’ professional networks, opening up new opportunities for collaboration and career advancement.

Personal Growth
Civic engagement can be personally fulfilling and provide a sense of accomplishment. Employees who feel fulfilled and empowered in their personal lives are often more motivated and productive in their professional roles.

Empowering employees through civic engagement is not only socially responsible but can also yield numerous benefits for individuals and companies alike, contributing to a more engaged, satisfied, and productive workforce.

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your employees by empowering them to become active and engaged citizens? 

Join us on Tuesday, November 14th at 9:00am PST / 12:00pm EST for “Empower Your Employees Through Civic Engagement.” The first in our new “Igniting Impact” webinar series designed to be your go-to resource for inspiration, guidance and actionable insights that can spark ideas and initiatives designed to meet your pledge for social good. 

Want to reference this content in a slide presentation? Check out the summary slide.

(1) Pancer, S. Mark (2014). The Psychology of Citizenship and Civic Engagement: Oxford University Press

Originally posted here.

By Alison Michalk

Quiip facilitates online conversations between brands and humans using world-class community management. Our mission is to connect, protect and support people online.

As a B Corp, our vision is to be a socially & environmentally committed business leader. We strive to push the boundaries of what is expected in responsible business. Sharing the progress of our impact is important to us, as is the satisfaction for our clients and team.

Measurements of our impact are tracked and published in our annual Impact Reports. A previous report of our impact can be read here, FY22.

In FY23 we made a number of advances

We are proud of the incredible work we have been able to deliver to clients over the last financial year. We provided world-class services to a large range of clients and improved their impact through connecting, protecting and supporting people online.

Team

We added five new Quiipees to our growing team – based across numerous time zones in northern and southern hemispheres.

We continued to offer our team bonuses, interest-free loans, primary and secondary caregiver leave, donation matching, access to a socially responsible superannuation fund and paid volunteer time.

We remained focused on creating a positive, safe, and healthy work environment offering access to our employee assistance program, Uprise.

Our team also shared their valuable industry knowledge on AI and community management, tackling racism online, the dark side of Facebook ads and much more on the Quiip blog.

We are pleased to share our internal employee satisfaction survey delivered an outstanding 9.5/10 when asked, “overall how would you rate Quiip as a place to work.”

“I am very energised in creating an extraordinary company that values people and planet over profit – we’ve made some huge gains in the last year. I am honoured to share them with you here.”

– Alison Michalk, CEO of Quiip

Clients

We are proud of the incredible work we have been able to deliver to our clients over the last year.

Our Client Listening Report, conducted in November 2022, saw us improve our ‘net promoter score’ from 9.2 to 9.7. Not only is a high standard of client service delivery important to us, this comprehensive review and feedback creates transparency within the company.

B Corp

B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials. The details of our impact score can be viewed under Quiip’s profile on B Lab’s website.

United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Created by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise 17 goals and 169 actionable targets to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.

At Quiip, we recognise that private enterprise has a significant role to play in achieving these SDGs. One of the six identified transformational challenges required to meet the goals is “digital transformation” in which social media and online communities have an important role to play. We chose to work towards 5 specific goals through our pro-bono work, and our giving commitment.

Our 5 key SDG focuses:

#3 Good Health & Well-being
#4 Quality Education
#5 Gender Equality
#10 Reduced Inequalities
#13 Climate Action

Environmental

At Quiip, we acknowledge the planet as a primary stakeholder. We understand the criticality of climate change and that our actions and decisions can contribute to its impacts, prevention, or reversal.

• While we recognise the need to avoid and reduce emissions first and foremost, Quiip supported carbon offset projects, while maintaining Carbon Neutral* status via the Trace platform.


• We published our Ethical Charter that guides and shares our decision making process.


• We donated A$20,000 to four climate-change focused organisations: Climate Council, Seed, Karrkad Kanjdji Trust and the Kelp Forest Alliance. Plus, A$1000 to the Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia (WELA) Giving Circle.


• We maintained our company travel policy, minimising non-essential air travel. We also ensured local travel adhered to accommodation and transportation modes that reduced our impact.


• We demonstrated environmental advocacy by participating in Seed’s campaign calling for no public money for fossil fuels.


• As a business we have committed to halving emissions by 2030 and reaching Netzero by 2050.


• In April 2023 we launched a unique multi-year project initiative to measure the carbon footprint of our employees’ homes, due to our remote business model.


• Across 2023 we worked on our Impact Roadmap – a comprehensive roadmap detailing over 100 specific actions the business is working towards, across 10 impact areas (results released in FY23 Q2).

*We acknowledge that carbon neutral is no longer a useful term, so we are working towards genuine emission reductions at Quiip. Our FY23 footprint will be calculated and verified in November 2023.

Social

At Quiip our vision is to be a socially responsible business. In terms of our social impact -our mission itself is to connect, protect and support people online by creating safe and inclusive spaces. As a B Corp we recognise people as primary stakeholders. This includes staff, clients, suppliers and the members we engage with online.

Our work saw us deliver services to: reduce gambling harm (Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation); dismantle barriers to physical activity for women (This Girl Can – Victoria);improve road safety and decrease road deaths (StreetSmarts); increase awareness of mental health, testicular cancer risk and prostate cancer risk (Movember); educate Australians on the impact of alcohol during pregnancy (FARE), support mental health and addiction treatment services (Turning Point). advance gender equity in business leadership (Women & Leadership Australia; assist rare disease advocates (Rare Voices); minimise alcohol and drug harm (Alcohol & Drug Foundation); connect NDIS participants (Kinora); research the prevalence of vaping content aimed at young people (VicHealth); fellow B Corporations (Australian Ethical Super); build a community with and for new teachers (Teach for Australia).

Giving

At Quiip we aim to donate at least 1.1% of our revenue (not profits) to non-profits.

“This is not philanthropy. This should be a cost of doing business on this planet.”

– Patagonia

The recipients of our giving commitment this year were as below:

 If you are interested in our social media and online community management services, our B Corp certification, our people and culture or other — please get in touch.

Originally posted here.

Written by James Pikul

At Buzzbold, I am grateful that our commitment to the 1% pledge aligns perfectly with my personal ethos of community giving. It’s about more than just our day-to-day work. It’s about allowing the team to take time away from our computers and make a real impact in the community. Which embodies our core values of Trust, Inclusion, and Growth.

Over the past year, I’ve focused on various volunteer endeavors outside of work. From serving the homeless on Thanksgiving to supporting Pride St. Louis on Christmas to provide warm meals for those in need. These experiences deepened my understanding of our impact on others’ lives. It’s a testament to the incredible power we hold to transform someone’s life through simple acts of kindness. Making a difference in the world around me has become my life’s passion. I ask myself, ‘How can I give back to the community around me?’

Volunteering at St. Louis Area Foodbank
I had the incredible privilege of spending a morning at the St. Louis Area Foodbank alongside some fellow local St. Louis team members. As part of our commitment to the 1% pledge, we dedicated our time to volunteering, and the experience was nothing short of heartwarming and eye-opening.

Our task for the day was to help with packaging onions and apples. What may sound like a simple chore turned into an extraordinary opportunity to contribute to our local community. Alongside a group of dedicated volunteers, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, packaging an array of food items that would soon find their way to the tables of those in need.

Impactful Achievements: Turning Pounds into Meals

Here’s a glimpse of what we accomplished together during our volunteering shift:

Onions: 2 totes, totaling a staggering 9,720 pounds.
Dressings: 10 pallets, with a weight of 3,840 pounds.
Produce: A remarkable 800 cases, equating to 7,800 pounds.

In total, we processed a whopping 13,560 pounds of food! That’s equivalent to 6.78 tons of nourishment for our community. And the impact we made extended even further than we could have imagined:

• Meals Provided: Thanks to our collective effort, we helped provide 11,069 meals to those battling hunger in St. Louis.


• Sustained Support: Our volunteering will provide sustenance for one person for approximately 10.11 years. It’s incredible to think that just three hours of our day can have such a lasting impact.

A Rewarding Experience: Enriching Lives Beyond Food
This volunteering experience was not just about packaging food. It was about being a part of something much larger than ourselves, further enhancing our company’s values of Trust, Inclusion, and Growth. It was about making a tangible difference in the lives of those who may be going through challenging times. The smiles on the faces of our fellow volunteers and the Foodbank staff, and the knowledge that we played a role in alleviating hunger in our community, made this experience immensely rewarding.

We’re immensely grateful to Salesforce’s 1% pledge for inspiring us to take action and give back to the community. Volunteering at the St. Louis Foodbank was a humbling reminder that small acts of kindness can create ripples of positivity, and we encourage everyone to find ways to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Thank you, St. Louis Area Foodbank, for the opportunity to serve alongside such incredible volunteers, and thank you to all those who support and contribute to this vital organization. We’re honored to have played a small part in your mission of providing food and hope to those in need.

Let’s continue to make a positive impact, one step, one onion, and one meal at a time.

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/

Box’s ESG fact sheet

Follow the link to find Box’s ESG fact sheet: Building a better future through ESG Initiatives. 

Every day, we hear more news about various refugee crises around the world. We want to work with you, our Pledge 1% members and partners, to explore concrete ways that companies can help. 

Pledge 1% is launching a Humanitarian Relief Series for our members and partners to hone in on current and emerging trends related to humanitarian issues and needs around the world.  While some of this content will be Ukraine-specific as the war continues and needs evolve, we will also highlight other global challenges and opportunities for collaboration and engagement. 

Want to be a part of the movement? Follow this post for links to all events, discussions, and case studies around this topic. 

• Resource Compilation – Supporting the Ukraine (Forum Post & Conversation): A master list of resources and organizations to help support the Ukraine.
  
  


• Contextualizing the Refugee Crisis (Event Recap & Resources):  Sasha Chanoff, founder and CEO of humanitarian organization RefugePoint, walks through how we should think about the refugee crisis and how companies can help.
  
  


•  The Ukraine Crisis: Meeting Economic and Physical Needs through Technology (Event Recap & Resources): See how Twilio, Airbnb, and Unity worked with on-the-ground organizations like Norwegian Refugee Council to marry their technologies with immediate needs.
  
  


• Welcoming & Supporting Refugees (Event Recap & Resources): Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US, explains how businesses can support refugees through hiring, investment, and partnerships. She offers advice and specific case studies. 
  
  


• Remote Work Training Opportunity for Refugees (Forum Post): @robfrogger shares an organization (https://opendoorpolicy.io/) that helps train refugees for digital work – a great way to spend a time or product pledge! Especially for Salesforce agencies.

Stay tuned for more events, discussions, and articles around this issue!

Next in our two-part series on Employee Engagement, this session explores why businesses need to lean in and engage their employees through pro bono programs, including developing opportunities to leverage technology for social impact as we move on to create new normals in this post-pandemic world. Read the recap below and access the session resources here.

The past 18 months have taught us that employees crave human interaction at work. Fatigue, loss and grief are being felt across the board, and people want to feel a sense of purpose, belonging, and a chance to be part of something bigger than themselves that helps make the world better. According to recent studies, current trends show that while 50% of all employees are open to leaving their companies for new roles, this drops to less than 12% if they believe that their company is making a positive impact in their communities.

In this session, Erin Dieterich of New Relic spoke with Jessamine Chin of VMware, Amanda Lenaghan of Cruise, and Brian Mattos of Salesforce about their experiences running pro bono programs and how the pandemic has propelled their organizations to come up with new normals to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of employee engagement, ESG, and social impact in the workplace.

Here are our 4 takeaways from the event:

1. Pro bono means putting team talent and professional skills to work with nonprofit partners and customers.

Leveraging your company’s assets for social impact is key to having a successful pro bono program, especially when it comes to your team’s talent and skills. In this hybrid work environment, it’s essential that we explore how our products and services can be key drivers for change.

2. The right balance is in helping organizations achieve their goals while providing impactful volunteering opportunities to employees. 

Matching a pro bono volunteer with a nonprofit project isn’t always easy. While there’s a lot of great intent and passion towards making a difference, there’s also a rush to implement when the need arises. In managing pro bono programs, beware of skipping certain steps that might lead to missing the root cause, creating a solution that isn’t sustainable, or perhaps leading to an outcome that does not fully address the organization’s needs.

3. Improving employee skill sets in ESG will benefit companies and nonprofits alike.

There are many pathways to a social impact career, starting with the job you currently have. A lot of the day-to-day skills needed right now is the ability to bridge external realities of what potential clients and customers are facing with the internal demands of the workforce and leadership teams. Whether you’re an engineer in R&D or are part of a frontline salesforce , having that knowledge of ESG will naturally evolve the way you create impact through your work.

4. The “Work From Anywhere” future leads to “Impact From Anywhere” movement. 

The virtual systems and approaches we’ve adopted at the start of the pandemic is a good point to launch employee engagement strategies that should stay post-pandemic, especially in hybrid environments. Developing human-centered programs not only with employees but also with the organizations that need our expertise and help will define the future of pro bono in the workplace.

For more information, explore the tools in our Member Community or watch the full recording below: