Eight progressive companies (and people!) have been added to The Goodies hall of fame
Every day, CSR leaders are rallying and empowering millions of people around the globe to take positive social action in their workplace and in their daily lives. It’s an increasingly important role with significant value to businesses, nonprofits and society.
This year’s Goodies Awards recognize the achievements of CSR trailblazers who remind all of us in the social impact space what is possible when we take risks, dream big and embrace enabling technology.
It is our distinct pleasure to present to you the 2019 Goodies Award winners along with a glimpse into how they earned their torch.
Micron Technology
The NewB Award
for most transformative new approach
Micron took a new approach to their employee engagement program last year, which saw the company achieve 130,000 volunteer hours and $2 million dollars in employee matching funds in just one year. This was done through a seamless online experience for 34,000 employees across 17 countries.
TransCanada
The Moonshot Award
for boldness and creativity
During TransCanada’s “Get Empowered” campaign, their people come up with unique and personal ways to do good—like a razor drive for a homeless shelter, a Battle of the Bands competition for charity and taking part in small acts of kindness. Last year, Get Empowered generated $1.3M in donations and more than 12,000 volunteer hours in a single month.
MUFG Union Bank
The Community Hero Award
for best-in-class approach to driving impact through community grants
In 2018, Union Bank launched the Versaic by Benevity grants management system to streamline their grantmaking process. They have successfully integrated employees into their process with each grant application matched to a local employee “sponsor” who is empowered to review, provide feedback and, if approved, share the good news with the recipient organization.
LinkedIn
The People Power Award
for promoting purpose through people’s passions
With 13,000 employees in 15 countries, LinkedIn gives their people full trust and freedom to publish user-generated opportunities for their colleagues, friends and family to participate in. In their first 2.5 months with Benevity, their employees created, promoted and shared more than 100 giving opportunities across 6 countries—a grassroots approach that the company is now replicating with their volunteering program, too.
Lush
The BeCause Award
for dedication to the social landscape
Through their Charitable Giving and Ethical Campaigns, Lush supports communities, protects the environment and ensures the rights of animals. Their public-facing campaigns tackle issues ranging from banning microbeads and the trophy hunting of grizzly bears to marriage equality and transgender rights. They involve employees as activists, spreading Goodness in their shops to customers, and have donated more than $36 million to 2,600 grassroots organizations in 47 countries since 2007.
Accenture Canada
The Bestie Award
for best-in-class approach to overall impact
Accenture Canada’s Making a Difference program provides flexible ways for all of their people (including contractors and offsite workers) to get involved—and grew participation by an incredible 456% within a year of launching! Last year alone, their Skills To Succeed volunteer initiative saw 2,200 employee volunteers help at-risk women, people with disabilities, indigenous people, young adults, newcomers to Canada and others develop the skills needed to secure jobs in a digital economy.
The BUFFY Award
for leadership, innovation and impact in administrating Goodness programs and leveraging Benevity’s software for maximum impact
Jennifer Mitchel, Senior Manager, Employee Engagement at PlayStation
Jennifer is a spirited person who works tirelessly to make her corporate Goodness program, PlayStation Cares, the best it can be. In her first six months with Benevity, Jennifer ran several innovative initiatives including a holiday campaign where employees who donated retail or restaurant gift cards to charities received the same value from PlayStation in their giving account to send to their favorite causes and make an even greater impact. She also engaged PlayStation people in friendraising for children’s hospitals near their offices in San Francisco and Sorrento Valley — exceeding the donation volume goals by 65% and 38% respectively.
Tiana Austel, Associate Corporate Citizenship Specialist at Illumina
Tiana may be one of our youngest program leaders but has already accomplished so much in her career at Illumina. In 2018, Tiana visited offices in China, Japan, and Singapore to endorse and grow Illumina’s global ambassador program, and to learn the nuances within the culture of giving at each location. When asked what she’s most proud of, Tiana will tell you about Illumina’s skills-based volunteer program, Genomics 101, where employees visit classrooms around the country to teach students about genomics in a fun, hands-on learning experience.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to choose the winners, which is a high quality problem we’re proud to be facilitating through our technology platform. Each of this year’s winners is active proof that Goodness is becoming a big part of corporate culture, and that empowering people to give to causes they care about in meaningful ways ignites passion through purpose.
Check out the 2018 Goodies Award winners!
Curious about the big moments last year that shifted business from “for profit” to “for purpose”? There’s a blog for that!
Interested in learning more about Benevity? Schedule a demo with us!