If you’re familiar with Salesforce, you know that philanthropy is an important part of our corporate culture. We couldn’t be prouder to join the effort, and Red Argyle took the 1/1/1 pledge when we opened up shop in 2010. The 1/1/1 pledge was created more than 13 years ago by the Salesforce.com Foundation and has a simple premise. Basically, you give 1% of your time, money, and other resources back to the community. One percent might not sound like a lot, but it can make a huge impact!
So how do we give back? Well, first, everyone on the Red Argyle team is encouraged to take 24 hours of paid time off each year to volunteer with a charitable cause that means a lot to them personally. Here are just a few examples of what team members did with those hours in 2014:
Ashley joined the House of Mercy Board of Directors as Marketing Chair and serves on the fundraising committee, helping plan events for the grassroots homeless shelter. Ashley has implemented new ways of donating to the shelter online through the creation of an Amazon wish list, which in 5 short months has led to donations of more than $4,000 worth of goods! She is currently in the process of redesigning the nonprofit’s website and also runs their social media. House of Mercy provides support to more than 4,000 people throughout the greater Rochester, NY region each month.
Lindsey has taken on the challenge of coaching a volleyball team for at-risk girls between the ages of 11 and 16. The program goes for a total of 6 weeks, with 2 games per week and a closing tournament at the end of the season. She teaches the girls the fundamentals of volleyball, but also focuses on the importance of teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. The season is in session now, and Lindsey’s team is currently ranked 2nd in their division and fourth overall out of 10 teams!
For me, this year I continued my involvement with the Food Bank of Northeastern New York. As a new member of the Board of Directors, I am providing leadership and technology guidance to the organization. This is our busiest year ever, processing over 30 million pounds of food for local families and individuals.
In addition to making volunteerism a part of our work routine, Red Argyle is also committed to donating 1% of our gross revenue to charitable organizations that are working hard to better our communities. This is our fourth year of making our donation to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and Foodlink of Rochester. Together, these organizations collect, process, and distribute food to more than 500 food pantries in upstate New York. Our donation this year will subsidize the cost of approximately 55,000 lbs. of food, or more than 22,000 meals!
With all this goodness going on throughout the year, it’s no wonder we’re big believers in the power of 1%. It might seem like a small amount, but together our donations can go far in providing food, housing, and many other kinds of support to those who need it most. Here’s a cool fact from the Salesforce.com Foundation: In 14 years, their 1% has equalled more than $68 million in grants, 680,000 hours of community service, and provided product donations to more than 23,000 nonprofit organizations. No matter how you look at it, those numbers are anything but small!
If you’re interested in learning more about the 1/1/1 pledge, check out this page: http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/about-us/sharethemodel/. And if you’ve taken the pledge already, share your stories with us and with our readers in the comments section below.
