Salesforce.com Foundation
Company: Salesforce.com Foundation, San Francisco, CA Company Description: The Salesforce.com Foundation is the global leader in integrating philanthropy and business through its 1/1/1 integrated philanthropy model. Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories Nomination Sub Category: Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year - More Than 2,500 Employees
Nomination Title: The Salesforce.com Foundation 2010 Impact
Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved since January 1 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
2010 was a marquee year for the Salesforce.com Foundation. With salesforce.com’s success, the Foundation increases its impact on the nonprofit community commensurately with its 1/1/1 integrated philanthropy model. The ground-breaking model, being replicated by companies around the world, sets aside 1% of salesforce.com’s employee time, 1% of equity, and 1% of product for nonprofits. When he founded salesforce.com, CEO Marc Benioff believed that creating a sustainable philanthropy model didn’t just require monetary commitments, but rather the culmination of all that a company has to offer – notably employees’ time and expertise - to make a stronger impact on each nonprofit its serves.
The Foundation has made tremendous strides since its inception. From a numbers perspective: * 250,000 employee hours have been donated to nonprofits. Salesforce.com gives employees six paid days per year to volunteer for organizations of their choice, and organizes team volunteering events to help employees connect with their communities; * 11,000 nonprofits are using donated Salesforce licenses of to better serve their missions; and * More than $23 million in grants have been awarded. Funds are dispersed via several distinct grants, including matching gifts for employee donations, employee championed projects, and funding for technology projects focused on youth development.
This integrated model is what makes the Salesforce.com Foundation unique, and no where can this be seen more clearly than with the Foundation’s work with the American Red Cross. Through salesforce.com’s product, time and grants, it is helping the country’s leading disaster recovery organization meet the magnitude of need created by disasters.
There are more than 60 American Red Cross Chapters across the country using donated and discounted Salesforce licenses to run their organizations, from tracking thousands of volunteers and partners, handling tens of thousands of public inquiries in the event of a disaster, to fundraising, and health and safety operations. Employees dedicate their time and expertise to the American Red Cross and also raise money through partnering with the organization. For example, salesforce.com employees raised $200,000 to help the Japan earthquake and tsunami victims, and raised $250,000 for the Haiti earthquake. As a result, Marc Benioff received the Humanitarian Award from the Red Cross Bay Area Chapter March 9, 2011.
The Salesforce.com Foundation recently embarked on a new phase to achieve not only sustainability, but also enormous growth. It made the strategic decision to adopt a social enterprise model in an effort to scale its 1/1/1 model. The Foundation is essentially set up as a salesforce.com reseller so it can now provide steep discounts to nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations and higher education institutions beyond the initial 10 free license donations. Organizations that purchase discounted licenses from the Foundation, not only receive affordable technology to efficiently manage data and relationships, but also contribute to the growth and success of all nonprofits using Salesforce. The revenue from these discounted services goes right back into the Foundation to fund grants, product development, and employee volunteer programs. As a result, everyone is working together to create lasting, worldwide social change.
Even as the company has grown to nearly 5,000 employees, salesforce.com keeps philanthropy at its core, creating a positive impact on its entire community. From integrated volunteering opportunities for employees, partners and customers at its annual user conference of more than 25,000 attendees, to helping the homeless learn to use Salesforce to become more employable, there is an altruistic spirit amongst the salesforce.com community, spearheaded by the Foundation’s work to “to good while doing well.”
List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work for third consecutive year: https://www.salesforce.com/company/news-press/press-releases/2011/01/110124.jsp?fromSearch=true
Barron’s: The 25 Top Givers: http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970204869904575620981420096098.html#articleTabs_panel_article%3D11
Leader’s Magazine: An interview with Marc Benioff on corporate philanthropy http://www.leadersmag.com/issues/2010.2_Apr/Making%20a%20Difference/Benioff.html
Named one of “World’s Most Ethical Companies” in 2010 for the Fifth Consecutive Year: http://ethisphere.com/wme2010/
Website: http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/front_page
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
Suzanne DiBianca is executive director and co-founder of the Salesforce.com Foundation. She directs all Foundation activities and serves as the liaison to community, business and government organizations. Previously, DiBianca was a principal at CSC Consulting Group in the Strategic Services Division, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies to improve organizational performance and enhance leadership capabilities. She also served as the program and marketing director for Partners for Democratic Change, a non-profit organization that provides skills for effective conflict management and alternative dispute resolution to NGOs and government officials abroad. DiBianca serves on a number of boards and advisory councils, including the World Affairs Council's Global Philanthropy Forum, the Entrepreneurs Foundation, the Business Advisory Council to SFUSD and Goodwill Industries.