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How to Pledge 1% of Employee Time
By joining Pledge 1% you’ll gain access to case studies, resources, and one-on-one guidance on how to implement the best volunteer program for your growing company. A few ideas and solutions are listed below.
Ways to Give Time
Here are just some of the many types of volunteer opportunities companies can offer their employees:
Traditional hands-on volunteering, such as cleaning up a beach, serving meals at a local shelter, or building homes. These could be done company-wide, within a team, or individually via an open volunteer time off policy. By joining Pledge 1%, we will send you examples, frameworks, and all of the next steps you need to build the right program for your team.
Skills based/pro bono giving. Skills-based volunteering is a great way to leverage your team’s unique skills to have an impact. This can be done based on specific roles/departments (e.g your marketing employees can help nonprofits with marketing campaigns) or it can be specifically tied to your product (e.g. helping nonprofits effectively use a CRM or database).
Thinking outside the box. Looking for other ways to give time? There are some new ways companies are giving back and supporting development within the larger tech community, including:
Workforce development – Launch an intern program to help individuals with diverse backgrounds gain skills and experience through mentorship.
Become a Pledge 1% Ambassador – Help grow the movement by speaking on behalf of Pledge 1% at conferences and events!
Where to Start
Many companies start by giving time and commit to new Pledge types when they feel they are ready to do more. Although giving time may be the easiest way to start giving (1% of a 40 hour week is just 20 minutes!), it’s important to develop a program that best fits with your company’s culture and larger goals.
Time donations can come in many shapes and sizes—if you are interested in learning more, join Pledge 1% to receive more resources and to set up a time to talk with our team about the best approach for you.
Member Highlight: Okta
Okta wanted to break down some of the perceived barriers between members of various communities and the tech sector, especially in communities where they operate. Okta therefore opened its doors to the public in offices around the world by hosting a week-long event called Tech Week. Tech Week reached more than 2,000 students and jobseekers through in person workshops and career advice read by high school students on CareerVillage.org . Tech Week programming drove participant knowledge, confidence and expectations for the future, with 74% of attendees reporting a positive impact on their understanding of career opportunities in tech and 70% reporting a positive impact on their confidence interacting with professionals. It also provided a great opportunity for Okta employees to come together across offices to give back and connect with their local communities.
See a full list of companies who have pledged.
Pledge 1%