This piece is shared as part of Pledge 1%’s #GivingTuesdayNow campaign, which highlights how Pledge 1% members and the business community are coming together as a force for good to combat COVID-19.

A Salesforce implementation within a few days: Salesfive accepted that challenge and mastered that implementation successfully thanks to a great team spirit with NOVID20.

The non-profit organization NOVID20.org was founded in March 2020 and develops tech-solutions to interrupt infection chains of COVID19. Designed by over 80 volunteers of digital-experts, developers, data protection experts, entrepreneurs, health experts and medical doctors they launched their App-solutions complying with European personal data protection laws (GDPR) and ethics.

This technology could significantly contribute towards slowing down the spread of the virus, end lockdowns, unlock the economy and move to selective health measures. 

NOVID20 now uses Salesforce for its global approach.

Salesfive implemented Sales Cloud to give NOVID20 the best way to manage their relations in more than 40 countries. Now they can track all activities between countries’ authorities, organizations, corporate partners, supporters and even other market players.

They are managing:      

• Leads – to record every person N20 talked or persons who would like to get in touch with


• Contacts – qualified leads, to record persons that are related to accounts


• Opportunities – to record project progress (negotiation phase etc.)


• Accounts – to manage supporters, authorities, and every sort of company they work with


• Reports – to get an overview on their achievements and what is still to do in the following days to weeks


• Daily tasks – easily visible through a chatter overview, where also other employees can be asked for support. 


• After implementing the company’s own emails, it is perfectly possible to work together on projects – with physical distance and a global approach.  

We are happy with this partnership and are excited for what this collaboration brings up next.

Today marks Earth Day’s 50th anniversary! While we can’t participate in some of the more traditional ways this year, we’ve put together 50 ways you can give back from the safety of your own home. There is only one Earth, let’s do our part to help preserve it!

1. Ditch single use plastic containers! Store leftovers and takeout in reusable, washable containers. 


2. Hang your laundry instead of putting it in the dryer to save energy. 


3. Turn off your lights when you leave the room. You can have a big impact doing this while working from home!


4. Switch to paperless billing. There are many benefits to doing this and Pledge 1% member DocuSign has a number of tools and resources to help you get started. Learn more about the DocuSign for Forests Initiative and see how they’ve preserved over 2.5 million trees to date.


5. Feeling stir crazy in your house? Go through your closet, set aside what you no longer need, and donate items to your local Goodwill. 


6. Order a reusable coffee cup from your favorite local cafe. While we currently can’t go out for coffee, we can use this time investing in sustainable kitchenware and supporting local businesses! 


7. Unplug! Take a break from your devices to save power. This is a win-win: its good for you and for the planet!


8. Think about how you can empower your customer and client network to reduce their carbon footprint. Pledge 1% member Flexport, for example, is working with Carbonfund.org to offer their clients a carbon offset program. Read more about their efforts here.


9. Go vegetarian once a week. Encourage your team to get involved and start a Meatless Monday recipe swap. It’s something you can use to rally your teams and connect them while we work from home.


10. Take care of your houseplants. As we shelter in place, now is the perfect time to give some love to your houseplants. Share your photos and tips with your team or neighbors, and see how together you can make the world a little greener. 


11. Plant a tree from the comfort of your own home by donating to The Nature Conservancy’s One Billion Tree Project. Your donation will go directly towards planting trees in deforested areas.


12. Buy locally. By supporting local small businesses, you can also reduce the amount of fossil fuel required to transport imported goods.


13. Take a moment to look out your window and reflect on just how awesome our planet is.


14. Recycle old electronics. When thrown away in landfills, electronics erode and leave behind corrosive, toxic substances. Stores like Best Buy accept products free of charge and may even offer a gift card!
    


15. Track your carbon footprint using this easy, online tool from The Nature Conservancy. It may even inspire you and your team to walk or bike more when possible.


16. As you walk to the store or take your short breaks outside, keep an eye out for any litter and help pick  up trash around your neighborhood.


17. Join a bike-sharing program so you’ll be ready to ride to the office once we start commuting again!


18. Join your local Climate Reality Chapter. Climate Reality will connect you with engaged activists just like you to help bring change to your community. Learn more here.  


19. Educate yourself! Listen to a climate change podcast, like America Adapts. Host and climate change adaptation expert Doug Parsons talks to scientists, journalists, activists and policymakers about the challenges of adapting to climate change. They also discuss actions you can take to help slow down the process. 


20. Educate your kids. There are great tools geared towards educating kids about climate change. Check out NASA’s website for activities or download the book 10 Things I Can To Help My World.


21. As you plan ahead for your next corporate event, consider going swag-less for you and your vendors. This will significantly reduce waste. Salesforce did this at last year’s Dreamforce. You can read more about their sustainability initiatives here. 


22. Replace paper towels with old cloth rags. As a bonus this will help with the TP shortage!


23. Join a library and rent ebooks instead of buying new books. You can also donate books to your local Little Free Library. People are in need of materials to read while we shelter in place, and many have now converted to Little Free Pantries. 


24. Recycle batteries. Collect what you have around the house and get more information from your local drop-off station. 


25. Print double sided and make sure you only print the pages you need.


26. Get your news digitally vs. newspaper delivery. 


27. Reuse wrapping paper and cut down on your paper and plastic consumption. 


28. Conserve water by taking shorter showers and turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth.


29. Cooking from home more? Learn which types of fish are most sustainable and choose your fish wisely.


30. Take part in EarthDay.org’s Daily Challenge, which includes 22 ideas of how you can help.


31. Take notes on your computer vs. paper.


32. When ordering takeout, skip the utensils and use your own at home.


33. Try composting! Reduce food waste and transform food scraps and lawn clippings into fresh, nutrient-rich soil for your plants. It’s a great project to start for home! Here is a quick how-to guide from the EPA.


34. We can’t visit our beautiful national parks this Earth Day, but we can thank park staff. Post on social media or send a thank you note to your favorite park’s team to acknowledge all that they do to preserve our planet.


35. Get your hands dirty and start an indoor or outdoor garden. Welcome the spring season by planting native plants, fruits, and vegetables. Many herbs can be easily grown inside!


36. Create an art project using just materials from outside. Leaves, pine cones, get creative! Allow yourself to appreciate the outdoors while you are indoors.


37. Build a birdhouse and create an oasis for your local neighborhood bird friends. Here are some quick and easy guidelines from the Humane Society. 


38. Create a list of sustainability goals or small changes you can implement in your daily life to reduce your overall impact.


39. Share your commitment to #SDG13 by posting how you are taking climate action! 


40. Learn how to recycle properly! We love this easy to read guide. 


41. Reduce food waste and time spent at the grocery store by writing out a list. Planning out meals in advance means you can hit the supermarket knowing you’re buying everything you need. 


42. Buy bulk products. Food packaging waste accounts for nearly two thirds of total packing waste in the US. Buy bulk quantities of shelf stable foods (pasta, cereal, rice, nuts) – all things that are good to stock up on during quarantine! 


43. If paper is a must, look for recycled paper products or use the back of an old note or printout.


44. Drive slower! Reduced speeds means less fuel. Be kind to your tank, environment and wallet.  


45. Buy used furniture, books and other items that help reduce your carbon footprint. 


46. Help save the bees! Backyard beekeeping is a wonderful way to make sure these important species thrive. Bugs not your thing? Many communities have local beekeepers you can buy products from. 


47. Connect with zoos, aquariums and other animal protection agencies. Many already have conservation initiatives underway and are a great resource for you to understand how to best save our planet’s animals and their habitats. 


48. Adjust your temperature and save over 10% on your energy usage over the year. Be sure to remember to turn off the heat/AC when you leave home. 


49. Reduce the amount of junk mail you receive. The Huffington Post has a detailed list of how to reduce that pesky mail here. 


50. Switch from lighters to matches. The majority of lighters these days are disposable, and that plastic adds up. Choose paper matches instead, which are made from recycled paper. 

As originally published on Salesforce.com

When Salesforce was born 21 years ago, co-founder Marc Benioff had a vision of profitability and philanthropy as core pillars of the company’s DNA, two ideas he believed didn’t have to be mutually exclusive. That took shape as the 1-1-1 model, which dedicated 1% of the company’s equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of employees’ time back to the community.

In setting up that model, Salesforce also co-founded Pledge 1%, a movement to create a new normal whereby social impact is integrated into the core DNA of every company. Pledge 1% inspires, educates, and empowers all entrepreneurs and companies to leverage their assets to be a force for good. And the success has been phenomenal: Since 2014, more than 10,000 companies in over 100 countries have joined the Pledge 1% movement and live their values in unique ways, generating more than $1 billion of value in volunteer hours, product, and funding. Some have established highly organized employee-run community outreach programs and product donation initiatives. Others award grants to their most engaged employees or even set up social impact funds.

But few of those case studies have been as unique as that of PagerDuty. Since joining the Pledge 1% movement in 2017, the 10-year-old digital-operations management company has gone a step further. Last October, it established the PagerDuty.org Fund to connect remote communities to essential medical care ­– supporting organizations that bring medical care to everyone who needs it, in the hardest to reach places, in the moments they need it most, while also striving for vibrant and equitable communities.

“Each year millions of individuals die from preventable diseases and health complications because they lack access to healthcare in their community,” says PagerDuty VP of Global Social Impact & Philanthropy Olivia Khalili. “By orchestrating action in critical moments to save lives, PagerDuty can tackle a pivotal piece of the healthcare, from remote vaccine distribution to life-saving emergency care to early warning signs of outbreaks.”

Operationally, that manifests by PagerDuty donating resources, customizing its digital-operations management platform, and partnering with two tech-focused nonprofits – Medic Mobile and VillageReach ­– to help deliver critical last-mile medical aid like vaccinations and outbreak treatment to remote communities in Africa and Southern and Southeast Asia. It’s still in the early days, but the company is optimistic ­– ready to innovate in the field and learn from global health technology experts and strategic investment and partnership development, and by doing so, serve as a role model for other Pledge 1% member companies.

Setting up social impact funds for philanthropy isn’t unique to companies who take the pledge, but organizing at this level and devoting to a singular cause is a particularly impactful example of the power of the 1-1-1 model. And it’s the product of a journey PagerDuty has been on for the last several years as it has aligned its priorities around the idea of business being a platform for change.

“The work of our platform has always been around the end user and improving the lives of on-call engineers, so we have an orientation to how we empathize and create positive impact in lives,” says Khalili. “Pledge 1% was a natural extension from ‘How are we creating a positive improvement in the life of an on-call engineer?’ to ‘How are we doing that in our community and with our technology?’”

PagerDuty has been in the news since it first surfaced in 2009. Its product was unique: a cloud-based digital-operations management platform that helped companies address DevOps issues in real time. Originally founded in Toronto, PagerDuty came under the wing of the famed Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator, which has helped launch well-known tech brands such as Airbnb, Instacart, Dropbox, and thousands more. The startup darling collected round after round of funding from the investor community, counted nearly half of the Fortune 500 as customers, and was on its way to following the path of other successful Y Combinator startups.

But the true institutional change came in summer of 2016 when PagerDuty named Jennifer Tejada as its CEO. The veteran tech executive had a reputation for spearheading companies with complex products and opaque missions and infusing them with a dose of humanity: “What is this product and what does it actually do for customers?” Tejada did that effectively at PagerDuty, helping to expand the company’s client roster and simplifying its messaging. But she also wanted the firm to elevate its values. In 2017, she approached the PagerDuty board with the idea of writing the 1-1-1 model into the company’s financial documentation. They emphatically agreed with her: Giving back was a moral imperative and should be literally inscribed into the company’s values.

A year later, Tejada hired Khalili as the company’s impact lead to spearhead efforts to build out its Pledge 1% program. Khalili had experience in enacting social good programs while advising large brands on social impact, and even spent three years setting up a similar initiative while in-house at Yahoo. At PagerDuty, she went pillar by pillar of the Pledge 1% framework and 1-1-1 model, first by setting up a product donation and licensing model for nonprofits, then by building powerful programming to empower employees to effectively give back through their allotted 20 hours of annual paid volunteer time. She then turned her focus to the equity side of the triangle.

“I looked first at how we would create an integrated strategy,” Khalili recalls. “I very much appreciate the clarity of the 1-1-1 model and the framework Pledge 1% provides to truly align stakeholders internally and to be able to tell a clear story externally. But the question I always return to is, how do we integrate impact across the business and bring these pillars to life in a way that is as embedded in and aligned with our core business as possible?”

When she joined the company, there was no obvious connection to a singular issue to which PagerDuty could dedicate a whole fund, so Khalili rolled up her sleeves and did a significant amount of discovery work – internal interviews, external reviews, and research. Her findings led her to two final potential focus areas, which she reviewed with Tejada before they ultimately decided on time-critical global health.

“We’re a global company and a global platform, so it was important for us to tackle an issue that has global resonance,” says Khalili. “We also wanted to leverage our technology. It was important that technology was innately part of the solution to the problem we are trying to solve. The potential for technology to accelerate outcomes is tremendous. The challenge is how to do so effectively, and responsibly.”

More than that, Khalili and Tejada wanted to identify a cause for which PagerDuty’s core competency of technology and thought leadership could directly make an impact. The idea of time-sensitive global health actually came in part through learning about PagerDuty customers who were using the technology to conquer time-sensitive health challenges at scale.

One of those customers was SightLife, a nonprofit that facilitates 700 cornea transplants globally each month. The eye bank utilized PagerDuty technology to help unify six internal teams to execute on the complex process of preserving and transporting cornea tissue during a critical 48-hour window in which the tissue is viable. Although a specific use case, and atypical of how most PagerDuty customers engage with their platform, that offered a model for the impact PagerDuty technology could drive.

“By zeroing in on time-critical global health as an issue area, we see an opportunity to powerfully impact world organizations through our technology,” says Khalili.

Those on the receiving end of the fund’s mission aren’t the only ones to benefit from PagerDuty’s impact program. Khalili says the stakeholder group she hears from most are employees: “If I had to sum up the feedback I receive pretty consistently, it’s ‘I am so excited that I get to work for a company that cares about making a positive impact in the world.’”

Not only does the Pledge 1% movement impact how employees perceive the company, but also how they engage in learning new skills and volunteering with an organization. Khalili recounts her favorite quote from a colleague in the engineering organization who said, “I would go to volunteer thinking, ‘I’m here to help this organization.’ I always come back thinking, ‘Wow, I’m the one who benefited. I’ve learned so much.’”

According to Pledge 1% Chief Executive and President Amy Lesnick, PagerDuty’s model is spot on: Providing employees with baked-in volunteer time and experiences in which they’re empowered to leverage their unique skill sets is the secret sauce to engaging them around the 1-1-1 model.

“If you’re not thinking about employee time, you’re limiting the creativity and that core culture-building that happens when employees get excited and engaged around giving back,” she says.

In April 2019, shares of PagerDuty finally debuted on the New York Stock Exchange, making it one of a handful of publicly traded companies with the Pledge 1% Equity Commitment written directly into their financials. PagerDuty joins late-stage companies like Slack, Docusign, Sendgrid, Zuora, Pluralsight, Twilio, Upwork, and Okta, which together have ignited more than $250 million in new philanthropy as a result of their IPOs. In terms of leading the way, PagerDuty is still very much the “unicorn” many have termed it since its early days. Khalili continues to play an integral role in the Pledge 1% community, inspiring and empowering the next generation of leaders to join the 1% movement.

“As a recent IPO, PagerDuty is definitely a role model for other companies,” says Lesnick. “But I also think it’s amazing to have a rock-star female CEO in Jennifer Tejada who inspires others, and one who has so much conviction around the idea that profit and purpose aren’t a trade-off, but something that’s important to be a successful company. And that’s pretty awesome.”

No one agrees more than Salesforce Chief Impact Officer Suzanne DiBianca, who is also a founding board member of Pledge 1%.

“What PagerDuty has done is great,” she says. “Our ultimate aim is that every company builds this sort of action into its term sheets and articles of incorporation. I hope all of them set aside 1% for the community, and that it just becomes part of how they operate. I’d love to see 100,000 companies taking part in the movement.”

This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

By Project Alianza.

Sometimes the world seems so broken, it can feel like there’s nothing to be done. We can end up thinking that nothing we do matters, not realizing that we each have the power to make a difference. That if we think beyond your daily life and recognize that what we choose to do matters, even the smallest action can make the world brighter.

We say this because we know, and we want you to know too – what you do matters. Through Pledge 1% making a difference is turned into a habit. In Project Alianza’s five short years of existence as an organization, we’ve grown from a tiny but devoted team into a movement that has impacted over 8,000 lives and it’s all because people all over the world decided to do something. With the support of sponsors like Eleva Coffee, Uber, and Tinker Coffee, we’ve cheered as students become the first ever to graduate from fifth grade in their communities, and watched as their friends and siblings followed in their footsteps. We’ve known single mothers who have worked to achieve financial independence and pursued higher degrees so they could build the best life possible for their kids. We’ve lent a hand while communities have built new schools and filled them with books and students.

Communities are stronger, lives are changed, and a brighter future is taking shape all because people like you knew that they had the power to do something, and so they did. Through Pledge 1% you have the power to provide the sustained and committed support it takes to shape the future for a bright world. That’s why we want you to know that what you do, what you create, what you give – it all matters. You are pledging 1% to make someone else’s world better.

This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

“We believe technology, when used for good, can change the world”.

As a large technology organization, Salesforce makes it their mission to do good, not only where it’s headquartered, but around the world.

In 1999, Salesforce pioneered the 1-1-1 Model of Integrated Philanthropy and encourages its partners and others to join its pledge to donate 1% of its equity or profit, product, and employee time.

Salesforce.org empowers tens of thousands of non-profit organizations and educational institutions through technology, grants, and volunteering programs through its pledge program.

Passionate about volunteering

Riva is proud to be a part of the 1% pledge program.  Riva supports our employees to pledge money and volunteer in our local and extended communities in Edmonton, Alberta; Pictou, Nova Scotia; Sunnyvale, California; Sydney, Australia; and Munich, Germany.

With headquarters in Edmonton, our staff members have done some great work in supporting our Edmonton community and beyond.  In the past year, activities have included everything from raising $26,000 to support WIN House, iHuman, United Way and Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation to donating to the Edmonton Food Bank, volunteering and taking part in the Warm Hands, Warm Hearts initiative handing out backpacks filled with winter essentials to the homeless population in the area, and volunteering to build and donate bicycles to the Boys and Girls Club / Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton.

The Pictou office has been involved in some great initiatives that include volunteering and donations of time and money to the Pictou West Food Bank, United Way of Pictou County, and supporting the elementary school breakfast program.

“Being part of the 1% pledge has helped Riva share its warm family culture. It’s important to Riva to support initiatives that our employees and their families care about.  These are part of the key interests and passions that have helped our company grow into what it is today and will help us continue to reach new heights,” explains Riva CEO Aldo Zanoni.

Whether Riva is sponsoring a local children’s baseball team or sponsoring and attending a masquerade ball to raise awareness of domestic violence, the activities and causes that Riva supports are those that remain close to employees’ hearts, and in turn, all of our hearts.

One of Riva’s seven core values is “Bring your Passion” and Riva is thrilled to be able to share in the causes that are near and dear to our staff’s hearts and do our part to make the world a better place.

Riva is proud to part of the 1% pledge and we hope to give even more in 2020!

This story was submitted as part of the #Pledge1Gives GivingTuesday campaign, which celebrates the many ways our member companies are having an impact around the world.

By 97th Floor

For the past five years 97th Floor has championed #20Helps. The movement’s mission is simple: Demonstrate the positive power of money by setting aside a $20 bill for good. Each year 97th Floor sends its clients and friends a $20 bill in their holiday card with warm greetings and an invitation to spread good.

Every year this movement touches thousands of people. 

Since its inception in 2014, the movement’s focal point has been on doing the most good with a $20 bill. And while this focus remains, new elements join the campaign each year. For example giving 20 minutes of time instead of money, or tracking the impact of a specific $20 bill with the #20Helps app. 

At it’s five year anniversary, the #20Helps campaign continues to evolve. This year #20Helps is an invitation to connect with each other through a thoughtful service, which may include a $20 gift.

It’s true that a $20 bill can’t buy everything, but when gifted with the love and attention that can only come through genuine human connection, a $20 bill can elevate the lives of the receiver and the giver. 

Some examples include, sharing a book that was impactful to you to someone struggling or giving movies tickets and babysitting for new parents. 4

Those interested can learn more at 20Helps.com.

We live in an artificially connect world. And we believe that a $20 bill can change that.