Originally posted on Greenbiz.com

Sustainability is becoming a mainstream practice, and a wave of new companies are entering the space of creating positive social and environmental impact. The result? Many companies start a sustainability practice or social impact department, often with one person spearheading much of the foundation building alone. I’m one of them.

As part of the newly formed social impact team at Braze, a leading customer engagement platform, and the company’s first sustainability hire, I understand firsthand the challenges of building a team from the ground up. Over the last year, I’ve focused on building out the environment and ESG strategy and programs. Here are the things I wish someone had told me when I first started, based on my own experiences and learnings.

1. Understand the business and assess gaps

This one sounds obvious, but you will need to spend time getting to know the company and the business model. Sustainability should not work in a silo. The goal is to integrate sustainability into the business, and for that, you need to deeply understand the product, the technologies and the supply chain. 

Successful sustainability practitioners and innovators are business savvy. You can create a sustainability benchmark to thoroughly assess any gaps and how your company is performing compared to leaders (my former training as a sustainability strategist at Futerracame in handy for this). You won’t be able to fill the gaps at once so figure out what is most critical to address first. Understanding compliance and emerging regulation, customer and investor motivations, speaking to colleagues, as well as conducting a materiality assessment will help. I developed a benchmarking tool that we updated throughout the year which served as a helpful progress tracker. Starting off, it’s about filling the gaps and mitigating risk so that you earn your license to be a leader. 

2. Get to know your stakeholders and their motivations

Driving sustainability progress at a company is like being a politician and a diplomat. It’s a cross-functional job, and you will need to build relationships to succeed. You need to influence others, balance different needs and wants, all while driving towards your goal or vision. There is a reason you were hired to do this work. Talk to your colleagues. Be curious. 

Identify who might be an advocate and who might be someone you’ll need to work harder to convince. Understand how sustainability priorities at the company emerged and connect with those who were involved in creating them. It’s important to understand how this work was getting done before there was a formal team. It will help you identify motivations, key stakeholders and internal champions. Identifying an executive sponsor will also make a big difference and give you the support needed to launch new programs. 

3. Yes, you need the business case, but make sure it is unique to your company

There are good resources to make the business case for sustainability (for example, this Reconsidered resource is full of good proof points). However, it is even more impactful if you go beyond generic stats and dive deeper into what this looks like for your business specifically. Questions that can help push your company’s ambition around ESG or climate commitments include (from the perspective of a B2B company): 

• Who among your investors are asking about ESG, and why? 


• How many of your customers have set climate or DEI goals? What percentage does that equal in terms of revenue representation? 


• How often do RFPs include sustainability related questions? 


• How often do sustainability initiatives get asked about in the recruiting process? 

You should expect some resistance to change, so having data in your back pocket that is tied to your specific company is useful. The more you can translate this into financial terms, the better.

4. Leverage the right tools and establish efficient processes early to save time 

Creating a company’s first greenhouse gas emissions footprint or an Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) report is no small feat. But there are certain things that can help you save time, especially if you don’t have a big team under you. 

In my first year, I worked on everything from developing high-level mission and strategy frameworks to drafting sustainability guidelines for company events to setting up internal processes that answer request for proposal (RFP) questions.

Leveraging the right software to help automate data collection for greenhouse gasses or ESG reporting can make things more efficient. Although having a level of human support is still valuable for internal education and building the business case. Don’t forget to also look internally to see what resources you already have. Do you have a great in-house marketing team? Writers? Project managers? Leveraging those resources when publishing your first ESG report or onboarding a new software can save you weeks. 

5. It’s OK to start small

Our first ESG report was 14 pages, definitely on the shorter side in the world of ESG reporting. We focused our report on metrics that catered towards investors, raters and rankers. Our first report included a materiality assessment, a GHG footprint for Scope 1, 2 and 3, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) data as well as Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) metrics, which is pretty ambitious for a first report. However, it is perfectly fine to keep content tighter and to start small. For example, I’ve seen many first time ESG reports only include GHG emissions for Scope 1 and 2.

Beyond length, you can also innovate with form. We decided to let a number of blog posts do the storytelling around our sustainability and ESG programs throughout the year rather than including everything in a packaged ESG report. 

6. If it’s a first, bake in extra time for feedback and collaboration

For big first projects such as ESG reports, your initial timeline will likely be too ambitious. Try to get alignment with key stakeholders early on and err on the side of overcommunicating with colleagues, leadership and the board, treating all parties as collaborators rather than approvers. It may be the first time for some of your stakeholders, too, which can require extra education and hand holding. This was an important lesson for us this year with our first ESG report. By using a highly collaborative approach, we were able to publish a stronger report and develop better relationships with key stakeholders, which we anticipate will make this process more efficient with every subsequent year.

7. You will need to be a doer and a leader 

Being a sustainability practitioner is a very varied job. If you are building from scratch, you will be working on both the strategic and the operational. In my first year, I worked on everything from developing high-level mission and strategy frameworks to drafting sustainability guidelines for company events to setting up internal processes that answer request for proposal (RFP) questions about sustainability. 

8. Your ability to prioritize and delegate will be put to the test

There will be a lot of opinions on what should be done at the company. As the expert, you’ll need to prioritize and understand what to deliver first, otherwise it’s very difficult to succeed. This is where your expertise and experience comes in. Being able to prioritize what needs to be addressed immediately, versus what can be on the back-burner, as well as delegating and forming the right partnerships will be critical to delivering impact. Importantly, your colleagues should be partnering with you on sustainability priorities even if they don’t have sustainability in their titles.

It can be a lonely job in the beginning. I have relied a lot on my external peer network. Cultivating a sustainability practitioner network that you can discuss with, seek advice from, or simply validate your solutions, can be very powerful in keeping you going. Many of us are working on similar issues and are likely facing the same challenges as you are so these conversations will also save you time. Pay it forward when you can!

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

https://www.okta.com/

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.

pacificpointcorp.com

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.

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.

https://demount.com/ 

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