Empowering Employees to Make a Difference: Insights from Our Global Impact Challenge

We recently concluded our fourth annual Global Impact Challenge, a company-wide initiative designed to foster employee engagement and drive positive community impact. This year's results exceeded expectations, with more than 50% of our global workforce participating and donating nearly $70,000 to causes they care about. These efforts demonstrate the power of aligning employee purpose with meaningful action.

The challenge itself was built around two key actions: volunteering and giving. First, we encouraged employees to dedicate time on our annual Global Day of Service by volunteering with a local organization or participating in a company-sponsored project. Second, we empowered employees to donate to the causes that matter most to them, leveraging a surprise amount of Giving Rewards. This two-pronged approach allowed for a diverse range of participation methods, ensuring that everyone could contribute in a way that resonated with their personal values and interests.

Employees engaged in 60+ volunteer projects in over 8 countries, including the United States, Spain, India, and Japan, reflecting a wide range of community needs and employee interests. These efforts included both in-person and virtual projects. 

A few highlights include:

In Portland, employees spent the day at Free Geek, an organization with a goal to repurpose technology and discover sustainable solutions while providing educational resources, helping in various departments. 

North Texas Relics helped prepare 16,000 lbs of food (15,000 meals) for delivery to North Texas families who are food insecure.

Volunteered with SF Marin Food Bank to put together 708 bags of groceries totaling over 12,000 pounds of food for immediate delivery to families and homebound individuals all over the Bay Area.

In Hyderabad and Bangalore, Relics came together to make educational resource kits for students in partnership with Youth for Seva. 

Impact and Implications:

The success of this year's Global Impact Challenge underscores the importance of integrating community impact into a company's culture. By providing employees with opportunities to volunteer and give back, we foster a sense of shared purpose, enhance team cohesion, and cultivate a more engaged workforce. The positive impact extends beyond our employees, reaching local communities through impactful volunteer projects and financial contributions to vital causes. We're already looking forward to next year's initiative.