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.

Appfire has been part of the Pledge 1% movement from its first year, and we’re always asking how we can do more to integrate giving into our DNA as a company.

Earlier this year, we created a Slack channel dedicated to #LivingThePledge where we share updates about volunteering year-round. And this November was our first-ever “Be Human” month where we encouraged the entire Appfire family to get out there and volunteer with organizations that matter to them.

With employees spread across the globe, it has been incredible to see how our team chose to give 1%.

One of our teammates in Hyderabad, India spearheaded a food drive at the office for the “Fill the Fridge” program run by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). Another team member in Denver, CO helped serve breakfast at a local children’s home for kids who have survived trauma and abuse. Another colleague in Boston volunteered with a meal program for the homeless population. We have another teammate who has been coordinating a whole team to volunteer with a tech training program for people living in rural Kentucky.

Rallying our peers to join the movement

As part of the Pledge 1% Builder Program, we’re committed to giving extra resources and encouraging others to take the Pledge. We’re constantly asking ourselves how we can maximize our impact — how we can do more. The answer? Rally our community. For us, that’s the Atlassian ecosystem.

That’s why we’ve made a special donation of $50,000 to Pledge 1%, and we’re inviting other Atlassian vendors and partners to donate as well. After sharing this vision with Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar, he pledged to match any donations from other ecosystem partners up to $1 million.

We are truly lucky to partner with Atlassian to give back in this way and others. This past April, our team volunteered with the Atlassian Foundation during the company’s Summit conference working on a project to support aspiring female coders. We loved that work so much that we’ve signed on to be the official Atlassian Foundation sponsor for the 2020 Summit event.

There are always more ways to live the Pledge

Last year, we announced the launch of our socially-conscious app brand, Feed Three, the first of its kind on the Atlassian Marketplace. Since then, our first Feed Three product has grown and gained momentum, and we’re working to see even more progress in 2020.

Earlier this year, Appfire was invited to attend MIT’s Solve event. I attended on behalf of the Atlassian Foundation, and I wound up as an advisor to several projects with the potential to have a global impact by addressing some of society’s most challenging issues.

More recently, we just closed on the sale of one of our apps to another vendor, and to our delight, they suggested donating the proceeds of the sale to charity. We jumped at the opportunity to turn “business as usual” into making an impact. Now, those funds have been given to the Appfire Foundation to be distributed among various nonprofit charities.

You never know how you can integrate the pledge into your life, once you’re open to it. So this Giving Tuesday, remember that you can start anywhere — you too can take the Pledge.

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.

Procore is a leading provider of construction management software. We launched Procore.org in 2017 with the mission to empower the construction industry and the communities it serves. 

Procore.org witnessed some of the most instances of resilience and service in 2019 than ever before in its three-year history. The past year also saw a growing number of efforts aimed at promoting inclusion and diversity as key drivers of culture, innovation, and success.

The examples of Procore.org’s work in 2019 represent not only our commitment to advancing the construction industry, but also our network’s dedication to supporting the people and communities served by the industry. 

Formalizing Procore’s dedication to social impact 

Procore’s vision is to improve the lives of everyone in construction. In April, Procore joined the Pledge 1% Movement, formalizing Procore’s dedication to social impact through our product and our employees’ time. 

“Community engagement is a critical component of delivering the necessary building blocks for construction to reinvent itself in the digital age. It’s an honor to be able to drive impact through workforce development and industry advancement, while upskilling the digital literacy of craftspeople in the trades with the work we do through Procore.org,” said Sasha Reed, Director of Industry Advancement of Procore.org.

Additionally, this year Procore won the prestigious Forbes Cloud 100 Pledge 1% Impact Award. The award recognizes one company from the Cloud 100 list that goes above and beyond to have a positive impact on their communities.

Helping rebuild communities impacted by disaster

With access to Procore and our training services, more than 240 nonprofit partners of Procore.org were equipped to invest more time in their mission and humanitarian efforts. 

Through our program, we were able to support Team Rubicon’s long-term recovery efforts in the aftermath of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. Nearly 100 families* now have a place to call home thanks to the nonprofit organization, which serves communities by leveraging the skills of military veterans to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises. 

Building on the impact of Team Rubicon’s lifesaving efforts, Jake Wood, the organization’s co-founder, kicked off day two of Groundbreak in Phoenix, AZ to discuss the importance of building resilient teams.

Team Rubicon’s presence at Groundbreak came just weeks before Procore included the organization’s logo on the Procore 95 car as it battled for the win during a Nascar competition in Texas.

Building an inclusive culture that drives business

Our inclusion and diversity initiatives are diversifying the workforce, growing the labor pool, and challenging bias by empowering individuals to take action — regardless of career level or function.  

Procore’s’ newest continuing education program, Building Inclusion, was launched as a three-part course series that gives companies and individuals the tools to start building more inclusive, productive, and profitable workplaces within the construction industry.

Educating future generations of construction professionals

Our partnerships with more than 245 schools and 58 K-12 programs are navigating the operational and generational shift in the construction industry, reinforcing the ongoing digital evolution and preparing students for the modern jobsite. 

Mobilizing high-school students as volunteer builders and college students as project managers, Boise State University is building a community center in a neighborhood situated on the outskirts of town. The effort, which is managed in the University’s donated Procore account, is slated for completion in the coming months.

To further Procore.org’s commitment to inspiring the next generation of the construction workforce, we announced our partnership with Build California in October 2019 to create a steady pipeline of motivated and skilled workforce for California’s construction industry. 

Modernizing the jobsite and increasing digital literacy

Procore offers training to equip the industry’s workforce for the jobsites of tomorrow. The in-person trainings and on-demand continuing education courses we offer to more than 80 training centers ensure today’s workforce is prepared to operate on a modern jobsite.

According to Anthony Fasano, Southern Region Training Coordinator at the Carpenters Training Institute (CTI), as the construction industry has evolved, his more recent apprentices have tended to eat, live and breathe technology. In his opinion, this new technological know-how enhances the quality of training and increases engagement, which in turn produces a new generation of construction workers that are better equipped for the modern job site. 

“Procore literally revolutionized our training.” 

Procore.org owes the deepest of thanks to the hundreds of donated accounts that make our commitment to industry advancement possible. It is an honor to give back to the industry that has been instrumental in shaping our success, and we look forward to what’s to come.  

‘Tis the season of thanks and giving, and on #GivingTuesday 2019, Established wants to give a shout out to the 1400 founders and executives that have committed to our partner Pledge 1% via our year-round Startup of the Year program and events.

“The Established team searches across all avenues and around the world for diverse, rising startups that are the best of the best to apply to be part of our Startup of the Year community and programs. As a part of our application process, young companies are invited to “Take the Pledge” and learn more about how to incorporate giving back from our long time partner Pledge 1%.” We find extreme value in keeping philanthropy at the forefront of our global startup community’s mind.” – Jen Consalvo, Co-CEO, Established.

For our friends that don’t know, Pledge 1% is a national nonprofit that inspires early-stage corporate philanthropy. We incorporate a set of introductory questions in our startup award application and event registration, encouraging all to make the choice and/or learn more on how to further their impact. Companies are able to choose a way to give back that is relative for the company’s set of values and mission, which is great as they continue to evolve and grow. 

Established is grateful to be a Pledge 1% Builder member, and we will always encourage our startup community to embrace a vibrant crossroads of early-stage giving and continued innovation. 

Visit startupofyear.com to listen to our Podcast, sign up for the Daily Dealflow™ newsletter, and stay in the loop for 2020 Startup of the Year application news.

Giving thanks to individuals and organizations who make their communities better and brighter 

Giving back and supporting the communities we serve is integral to TaskRabbit’s mission. This holiday season, we’re thanking individuals and organizations who make a positive impact on their local communities through our ‘Task the Season initiative. We scoured the US and UK for unsung local heroes and surprised them with Taskers to help make their holiday wishes come true. Meet our honorees and see how they’ve made the people and places around them better and brighter.

 

The Local Heroes

Our first honoree is Kay Champagne, a Grant Writer who has been with the Texas Ramp Project for 12 years. Kay’s work securing grants has helped the organization expand into 36 regions across Texas, ensuring  that no Texas resident lacks mobility and safe access at home. To celebrate her hard work and dedication, Taskers will help construct ramps for Austin-based residents in need this month.

Anita Buckel of Furnishing Dignity is our second ‘Task The Season honoree. Anita co-founded the organization in 2014 because she saw that many people transitioning out of homelessless or foster care lacked living essentials for their new homes. Taskers will be helping Anita and her team set up furniture in the homes of several individuals and families who are transitioning out of homelessless or foster care in the Phoenix, Arizona area, ensuring that their houses feels like a home this holiday season.

We’ve also partnered with journalist and cancer survivor Amanda Salas to honor someone she considers a hero: Vanessa Henriques. Amanda and Vanessa bonded over a shared struggle — Vanessa’s son was battling Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the same cancer Amanda herself has been dealing with. Vanessa is often stretched thin, as she is managing her son’s care and raising her children as a single mom. We will be providing Vanessa with Tasker support so that she can focus on what matters most: her family.

Additionally, we’ve partnered with Sergei Urban, founder of The Dad Lab and  stay-at-home father of two boys, to recognize the life-changing work Child.org is doing in the UK. With programs such as comprehensive education, support groups for pregnant moms in Kenya, and women’s groups focusing on life skills, Child.org helps lift families out of poverty in order to achieve their full potential – a mission that Sergei whole-heartedly stands behind. TaskRabbit will be providing Child.org with Tasker support to renovate its newly opened co-working space, Cahoots, which provides flexible, affordable, central London workspace and a friendly community for small charities and social enterprises.

TaskRabbit for Good Grant Winners

In addition to our ‘Task The Season recipients, we’re awarding three $10,000 grants to local nonprofits through our inaugural TaskRabbit for Good (TR4G) community grant program. This year’s recipients are all closely aligned with TR4G’s mission of helping neighbors in need find work and a place to call home, and we’re excited to help them continue their great work. 

Grateful Gatherings furnishes the homes of families transitioning from homelessness or crisis as they move into a new place. They provide new beds, furniture, kitchen items, linens, curtains, carpets, and other household essentials – all within a single day – to create a safe, comfortable home for those who need it most. 

Run by formerly incarcerated individuals, The First 72+ aims to end the cycle of incarceration by fostering independence and self-sustainability through education, stable and secure housing, employment, health care, and community engagement. The organization will leverage the TaskRabbit grant to expand the support they offer and help more people get back on their feet. 

Based in the UK, The Beam Foundation aims to promote the education of people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, and people with a criminal record by providing assistance in the form of crowdfunded vocational training to help their community members into stable, skilled work. It will leverage the TR4G grant to support six individuals experiencing homelessness with job training so they can seek and obtain skilled work. 

We’re proud and thrilled to honor these individuals and local organizations, and hope that it helps make their holidays merry and bright, while also inspiring others to give back and spread good cheer.  

For more information about ‘Task the Season and these heroes and organizations, please visit http://tasktheseason.taskrabbit.com/. 

Ready to tackle that to-do list — and maybe do some good in the process by scheduling a donation pickup or drop-off? Book a Tasker today. Interested in becoming a Tasker? Sign up here.