21 Days of Goodness with New Relic

The year can go by so quickly⁠—often only at the end do we realize that we didn’t have a chance to reflect and give back. New Relic was inspired to transform this busy time into 21 Days of Goodness, a campaign to connect employees with each other and inspire them to give back to their communities. The campaign focused on giving, volunteering, and sharing, with a different focus each week to drive employees to action. 21 Days of Goodness was our latest effort to help Relics foster new connections, as well as reestablish the old ones we have missed by being remote.

As the leader of NewRelic.org, the company’s social impact organization, I have the unique privilege of leading the team that creates opportunities for our 2,000-plus employees around the world to give back with intention. 

Giving Tuesday

We kicked off the campaign for Giving Tuesday on November 30, surprising employees with funds deposited into their giving accounts. Employees didn’t know how much money they would receive and the hunt was on to find a cause and donate the funds before the end of the week. 

It was so joyful to read the messages in Slack from our employees, who shared about the charities they'd chosen to give to. Over the week, over 1,100 employees participated, directing over $65,000 to 741 charities.

Volunteering

Our second week focused on volunteering. In 2020, we reframed the concept of “volunteer time off” at New Relic, broadening our definition from traditional hands-on projects with registered charities to include grassroots and self-directed approaches to serving the community.

On December 9, we held our first Global Day of Service within this new framework. We closed down our offices and encouraged employees to partner up with a local organization or do something close to their own hearts in service of their community. We even organized over 70 virtual and in-person options to select from. More than half of New Relic employees in more than 16 countries across the globe participated in our Global Day of Service, spending over 4,500 hours on community service projects during this single day. These included:

• Our Dublin office came together to take part in the Challenge for Down Syndrome Ireland by walking or running 100km in 21 days. They raised €6,215 euro for children and adults with Down Syndrome as a result of their efforts. 
• Relics in Spain got outside and did park cleanups in their communities. 

• We partnered with Team4Tech on two virtual Design for Impact workshops, supporting organizations in Guatemala and Peru and helping them brainstorm and prototype solutions to pressing problems. 
• Relics in the Asia-Pacific region cleaned up beaches, served food with organizations like Our Big Kitchen, completed virtual Zooniverse projects, and so much more. 

• Employees in Portland worked at a variety of nonprofits, including SOLVE, an organization that restores and preserves Oregon’s environment by mobilizing the power of volunteers. 

• We held a series of CareerVillage.org Virtual Advice Parties, bringing together employees to provide more than 300 pieces of career advice to students around the world. 

• Relics around the world found ways to give back to causes they're passionate about. We saw employees inspired to spend the day cleaning up their neighborhoods, donating blood, helping local nonprofits with technology, building homes with Habitat for Humanity, writing letters to seniors, wrapping presents for families in need, and so much more.

• Some of our employees in our Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region worked with Visit.org and Generation Success, an organization committed to advancing social mobility by empowering young people of diverse backgrounds to reach their career aspirations. Relics spent time learning about how to provide better feedback and then conducted a series of speed-mentoring sessions with students. 
• We also partnered with Visit.org and HBCU Heroes, an organization that celebrates the diversity and richness of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) culture and connects minority students to resources and opportunities for financial success, to hear stories from HBCU students along with the opportunity for sharing and mentoring. 

Sharing our stories

In our third week, we connected and inspired each other with our stories. We challenged employees to share a photo and to tell us something they’ve done to make an impact that they’re passionate about. Relics responded with their stories—from helping out schools to adopting a shelter pet, or running a race to raise funds for a cancer charity—and we were reminded of the deeper connections that tie all of us together. 

Too often, life is hectic, work is transactional, and in our hybrid and remote realities, we don’t have time to step back and marvel at the compassion and heart of the people we’re spending our days with. My favorite thing about 21 Days of Goodness has been the way that I’ve seen it connect and engage us with one another—finding common passions, learning something more about someone, and finding ways we can all give back together. 

I’m so proud to lead social impact for New Relic, a company that deeply cares about its employees and our world. This 21-day long campaign was such a bright reminder of the gratitude I have for each and every Relic, not just at this time of the year, but every day.