How Salesforce Is Pioneering A New Model Of Citizen Philanthropy

Salesforce employees get seven paid days of volunteer time off (VTO) each year for skills-based volunteering. | SALESFORCE & NICK WILLIAMS | GETTY

Salesforce has always been a company constantly innovating on the topic of Purpose and with the launch of their new Citizen Philanthropy program, they are re-imagining their approach around empowering employees to find new ways to create impact in their communities. For instance, Salesforce employees get seven paid days of volunteer time off (VTO) each year for skills-based volunteering, and up to USD $5,000 in matching gifts annually.

Ebony Beckwith, CEO Salesforce Foundation (who recently took on a new role of Chief Business Officer & Chief of Staff to Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s Chair and Co-CEO) and Jamie Olsen, Senior Director of Employee Volunteerism Programs, shared more about the philosophy and approach.

Afdhel Aziz: Please tell us a little about your journey to Salesforce and what drew you to the company?

Ebony Beckwith, CEO Salesforce Foundation (who recently took on a new role of Chief Business Officer & Chief of Staff to Marc Benioff) | SALESFORCE

Ebony Beckwith: I knew from an early age that I wanted to be the boss of something someday, but it wasn’t a straight path to get here.

I began my career in technology in the banking industry, and I spent a lot of energy trying to fit in. When I eventually got the opportunity to interview at Salesforce, I made it a point to present my authentic self during the interview process.

I’ve held various roles at Salesforce. My first role was in technology business operations in the office of the CIO. I later decided to take on a role in philanthropy with Salesforce.org, which ultimately led me to become Chief Philanthropy Officer, building out a global organization. I am thrilled to have recently stepped into the role of Chief Business Officer & Chief of Staff to Marc Benioff, our Chair and Co-CEO. I’m grateful to work at a company that has allowed me to grow and reinvent myself through various roles.

Jamie Olsen: Before joining Salesforce as a Senior Director of Employee Volunteerism Programs, I spent four years at Salesforce.org and prior to that, I held various event and volunteer management roles at nonprofits.

Building a career around philanthropy and volunteerism has always been a goal of mine, and Salesforce has given me the opportunity to do that at a large scale.

Jamie Olsen, Senior Director of Employee Volunteerism Programs | SALESFORCE

Aziz: Thank you for sharing that. Ebony, you said ‘corporate purpose is now non-negotiable’ which I love - what do you mean by that?

Beckwith: Today, I believe we are on the brink of a new model of philanthropy. The pandemic brought the needs of business and society together in newfound ways.

Corporate purpose is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a non-negotiable. In the past, many companies have been able to get by on lip service but now, leaders are being held more accountable. And employees and customers are demanding it.

We are in the midst of the Great Resignation, and employees want to work for companies that do more than just benefit their bottom line. Employees want to feel like what they do matters, so how companies put their values into action is key to employee satisfaction and retention.

At Salesforce, our employees continue to be the driving force behind how we contribute to improving the world. We put our values into action through our 1-1-1 model—our commitment to dedicating 1% of the company’s equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of employees’ time back to the community. This has resulted in more than $495M grants and 6.5M+ service hours.

I really feel like people are starting to understand the power of corporate philanthropy on an individual, and cellular level.

Aziz: Jamie, tell us more about how this approach has manifested in your ‘Citizen Philanthropy platform at Salesforce?

Olsen: A couple years ago, we began to rethink our approach to employee giving and volunteerism. When COVID hit, we had to pivot even further, addressing both employee feedback and the rapidly changing needs of the community.

We learned that employees were yearning for more personal and impactful ways to volunteer. This informed the creation of our new employee giving & volunteering program, Citizen Philanthropy—an approach to giving back centered on the belief that individuals have the power to make a difference through their time, talent, and resources.

Citizen philanthropists are mindful of what’s going on in the world and in their communities and drive impact by supporting causes and organizations that are meaningful to them and align with their already existing skillsets.

For example, we have an employee, Laine, from Salesforce’s UX team who created a design thinking program for students from underserved areas to develop ideas for mobile apps. She’s used her expertise in UX to provide young people early exposure to careers in tech.

Salesforce employees can really mold their volunteer experience to what they find most impactful. | Salesforce

Aziz: I’m also intrigued by how you operationalize Purpose with your V2MOM Process - can you elaborate more?

Beckwith: V2MOM stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures. These five areas give us a detailed map of where we are going and an understanding of how to get there.

We use the V2MOM to drive global alignment. It’s also how we prioritize our actions, keep ourselves accountable, and measure our progress. Each year, every department and every employee drafts their own V2MOM. This process is an exercise in raising our corporate consciousness, which flows through the entire organization from top to bottom.

Marc calls it our “lingua franca,” or common language, and that is absolutely true!

Olsen: I think “purpose” is really operationalized in the “vision” and “values” areas of this framework. Each person is expected to map out their priorities and then map them back to the company.

We even created a V2MOM for our Citizen Philanthropy project. It kept us aligned and all marching towards the same goal to achieve a shared, successful outcome.

Aziz: It’s super important for employees to find their own ownership of Purpose in a company. And how have employees embraced it?

Olsen: Citizen Philanthropy is a responsive, needs-based approach to giving and volunteering that is personalized to each employee and incentivizes them to generate even more impact for their communities.

And, it’s not just about hours spent — we created Impact Milestones, a fun, gamified way to demonstrate all the unique ways employees give back to their communities.

Beckwith: Our employees have really taken to the Citizen Philanthropy model and have proven just how powerful it can be.

This next wave of giving is all about being mindful of the impact we’re making, so all of our programs are really focused on quality vs quantity. Repeat volunteerism, pro-bono work, and virtual mentoring are all great examples of high-impact activities.

We've seen that virtual mentoring has become increasingly important and valuable for students and schools to meet the unique needs of those in a virtual learning environment — we saw a 100% increase in employee mentoring hours.

Employees can really mold their volunteer experience to what they find most impactful.

Aziz: Finally, what advice do you have for your fellow purpose-driven leaders on how to embrace this moment authentically?

Beckwith: We’ve learned that businesses can do well, and do good when we use our platforms for change.

If we take a step back and look at how programs like Citizen Philanthropy play into the larger trends we’re seeing around corporate philanthropy — it’s becoming a driving force of business strategy.

We have a real opportunity right now to rebuild a better world that’s more equitable and that serves the needs of all stakeholders — but we must collaborate and work together. And there’s a lot of work to do!

Olsen: When employees build this deeper connection and commitment to service work, they become much more likely to continue investing their time, and money, and creating more sustainable impact.

Our responsive, needs-based approach to philanthropy is something we’re actively scaling because we know it creates greater engagement with our employees and greater impact within our communities. We encourage leaders to reimagine their corporate volunteer programs.

Ultimately, let your values be an anchor for your company during this time and beyond, and have them help inform decisions about how to meet the evolving needs of your communities.