Getting executives on board to support the programs was key to driving greater awareness and participation across the company. By showing executives how their social impact programs created shared value across the business, the team was able to garner strong executive buy-in and further integrate their programs into IBM’s culture. For example, volunteering was embedded directly into the company’s return-to-work strategy. 

As the IBM team continued to critically evaluate the best ways to scale for efficiency, they identified their comprehensive skills-based volunteering program as a key opportunity. Instead of in-person projects, they found virtual skills-based projects that engaged even more employees to get involved, regardless of location. Volunteer projects shifted to on-demand staffing, instead of through a lengthy waitlist process, enabling employees to get involved for longer and create even more impact. A win-win for employees, IBM and the nonprofits they supported!

By switching over to Benevity’s employee engagement solution, the IBM team was able to retire multiple legacy software tools and centralize their CSR program with one solution. They were also able to automate elements of their program like donation matching, volunteer rewards and impact reporting  — making it easier to run an inclusive and unified global program. Plus, the ability for their people to own their giving and volunteering experience in one place made it simple (and more fun!) for them to get involved, and for their program manager to sustain.