The leadup to summer is a time when people start making their second New Year’s resolutions, trying to pack in as much fun in the sun as possible. Get that body ready for the beach. Eat meals outside. Hang out on the water.
But what about the stuff that doesn’t focus on, well, us? What about using a season outside of the holiday giving period to focus on giving back to something greater than ourselves—our communities, our less fortunate fellow citizens, our world?
We believe a business needs to pursue more than just profit. It should advance the well-being of people and the health of our planet—it should be a force for good. While we find various ways to act on this belief throughout the year, our annual Impact Week that we started three years ago, set this year for June 3rd to 7th, is the one time in which we come together across all departments and global office locations to focus on doing good.
As part of our commitment to Pledge 1%, we created a Volunteer Time-Off policy in 2016, encouraging each employee to use three days a year to volunteer—a way for us to give back 1% of our time! Impact Week is a great opportunity for our employees to use this time to give back to their local communities. During previous Impact Weeks, we’ve seen nearly 500 employees out volunteering for a wide range of causes.
During Impact Week 2018, our employees:
- Helped prepare and serve hundreds of meals for hungry New Yorkers and people with serious illnesses through organizations including the Food Bank for NY and God’s Love We Deliver
- Donated 34 pints of blood to NY Blood Center
- Cleaned up beaches and parks in London and Berlin
- Facilitated empathy workshops for people with disabilities and blindness
- Provided career advice to underrepresented students through the Opportunity Network
And across our previous two Impact Weeks, we’ve moved over $60,000 in donations to charities that:
- Restored eyesight for 25 people with curable blindness who cannot afford surgery via Seva Foundation
- Dewormed 4,890 children via Evidence Action
- Provided 5,100 people with food-based fortification for one year via Project Healthy Children
- Protected 148 people from malaria for three to four years via AMF
- Provided safe water to 475 community members for one year
- Provided legal and education support for refugees on the US/Mexico border and around the world
This year we’re excited to make an even bigger impact. We have over 30 events planned across four regions. We will be going back to serve many of the same places and communities from years past, creating ongoing relationships with the organizations that drive important social impact every day of the year. Any one individual can make a difference but seeing what we can accomplish as a company proves that #teamswin.
So, we ask you to join us in thinking about how to do good better not just around the holidays, but throughout the year. Maybe you can pivot those summer resolutions to:
- Get that body ready for Clean up the beach.
- Eat Serve meals to the underserved outside.
- Hang out on the Help provide safe drinking water.
We promise not only your mind, body and soul but also your communities, fellow citizens and planet will thank you for it.