The Bestie Award (Enterprise) — USAA

For best-in-class approach and overall impact

USAA is proving that it’s more than possible to make an impact on a big issue, and they’re putting everything they’ve got into it — partnerships, granting and employee engagement. And it’s working!

As a member-based business, their people-first approach to social purpose starts where it should — with their members. What does the military community they serve feel passionate about supporting? The answer, backed by some sobering statistics, forced them to jump into action.

Every day, 17 veterans die by suicide — 1.5 times that of the general population. With a goal to cut that number in half by the end of the decade, USAA went all in, building a coalition of 124 corporate, nonprofit and community partners to join them.

In just six short months, the collaboration inspired $34 million in grantmaking commitments and their employees raised $917,000 and volunteered $86,000 worth of pro-bono hours. And they’re on track to save 2,900 lives by 2032.

The Bestie Award (Mid-size) —
Vancouver Airport Authority

For best-in-class approach and overall impact

Vancouver Airport Authority is an exemplar of creativity, inclusivity and collaboration.

They’ve built long-lasting relationships with nonprofits who are focused on supporting and elevating underserved communities. 

Through their partnerships, they provide scholarships, job opportunities and revenue sharing to give back to their local Indigenous community, and through their new on-site cafe, Paper Planes, they’re giving neurodiverse people access to job training and living wages. 

And since airports are really community spaces that bring people from all walks of life together — they’re leaning into that in a big way, to make a bigger difference.

They rally everyone — employees, vendors, partners and the millions of passengers who pass through every day — to do good through on-site volunteer opportunities, giving campaigns and transaction roundup opportunities.

By getting everyone on board for good, Vancouver Airport Authority is reaching sky-high levels of impact.

The Moonshot Award — Coast Capital Savings

For boldness and creativity 

Coast Capital Savings isn’t afraid to blaze new trails. They transformed their CSR function into a social purpose operation, and began to put purpose at the center of everything — including their corporate strategy, performance measurement and executive compensation. 

In 2023, they created all-new ways to measure and evaluate their progress — and with Benevity’s support, they developed and embedded a new scorecard into their platform to ensure their granting efforts aligned with their social impact goals. 

With 77% of their people engaged in their programs, they’ve succeeded in weaving purpose into the fabric of their company. And as a founding member of the Canadian Purpose Economy Project, their CEO is calling on corporate leaders across the country to contribute to the health and well being of society, spreading the impact even further. 

The Buzz Award — Elevance Health Foundation

For catalyzing purpose through communications and storytelling 

Elevance Health understands how essential their social impact work is to both their communities and their brand reputation — and they know how to convey the real impact of their programs in powerful ways.

They work closely with their communications and marketing teams, and business resource groups, to spread their impact stories near and far — from their intranet and office TVs to social media, press events and even a LinkedIn Live event moderated by Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

To create more buzz internally, their community engagement goals are embedded into individual performance plans and each quarter they receive hundreds of nominations for their volunteer recognition program. 

At the end of the year, this winner was able to celebrate and share significant outcomes — including improvements to preterm birth rates, chronic conditions and access to treatment for substance use for people in their community. 

The People Power Award — Ciena

For promoting purpose through people’s passions

Ciena is a case study on how to build a people-powered program that truly connects their employees. In 2023, they formed a strategic alliance with their ERGs and massively grew their roster of program champions — both of which are fostering a culture of inclusivity and a collective commitment to doing good. 

They support their people’s passions by offering $25 per hour in volunteer rewards and unlimited time off to volunteer for their child’s school, a sports team, local religious organizations — anything they care about. And for teams that don’t know where to start, they expanded their offering of curated, company-wide volunteer events across the globe, allowing their people to disconnect from work to reconnect with each other.

As a result, they saw a 22% increase in program participation and 99% of employees view them as a socially responsible company.

The Community Hero Award — DaVita

For best-in-class approach to community investment

DaVita’s name translates to “Giving Life,” and that’s exactly what they’re doing — not only through the lifesaving kidney treatments their business is built on, but by investing in programs that they hope will lead to less need for their services in the future. 

To do that, they established two key partnerships — with the American Diabetes Association and Food is Medicine Coalition — to deliver holistic outcomes for their patient population. As a team, they’re improving early detection and preventative education and getting medically-tailored meals to patients who need them. 

In 2023, they provided critical education to 1.8 million at-risk individuals and healthcare providers, and their partnerships have become a national model for corporate-nonprofit collaboration.

The Because Award — eBay

For dedication to causes

eBay is a shining example of what it means to “rally for the cause” — simultaneously breaking down barriers and elevating opportunities.

Their focus is on removing obstacles for historically excluded entrepreneurs. To do that, they offer unrestricted granting and cover volunteering costs for their grantees. And when they heard their partners were struggling to communicate their impact, they launched a multi-year project to co-create relevant impact metrics. 

That’s just the beginning of why their nonprofit partners have called them “my dream funder.” They’re also building a whole ecosystem of support. In 2023, they hit their $100 million grant milestone and they multiplied their impact through employee giving and volunteering and by embedding donations into their marketplace — raising $1.3 billion in customer donations to date and turning eBay into one of the world’s most active e-commerce giving platforms.

The NewB Award — AIMCo

For most transformational approach

AIMCo went from zero to sixty with the launch of their open and inclusive social impact program.

Out of the gate, they offered both employee giving and Affinity Groups (Benevity’s ERG software), so they could engage a diverse audience and help employees see the launch for what it was: an investment in them. 

Then they got busy, engaging their employee resource groups in planning, providing donation seeding and hosting a holiday campaign. Both their ERG and giving programs exceeded their expectations — with ERGs experiencing their highest membership ever and nearly 60% of employees participating in giving and matching.

While they were initially concerned that offering more nonprofit choices might lead to less support for their pillar causes, it turned out to be a win-win. In the first two months, employees had supported 138 unique nonprofits and increased their support of the AIMCo Foundation by 25%.

The Buffy Award — Estelle Roth from Novartis & Kelly Petrich from Cisco

For individual leadership, innovation and impact

The winners of the BUFFY Award are corporate purpose leaders who exemplify what we call the “Benevity Unicorn Factor.” They are a rare breed of risk-takers, changemakers and goodness leaders who are defining what it means to be purpose-driven.

Estelle Roth, Global Head of Giving and Volunteering at Novartis, is a true pioneer. She co-founded her company’s first corporate responsibility function a decade ago, and grew it into the impact powerhouse it is today.

A devoted volunteer since age 10, she is dialed into the needs of nonprofits and puts them at the center of her program strategy to ensure that it’s partner-led and needs-driven. She also openly shares her expertise in impact measurement across the industry.

Under her guidance, her team took a transformative, company-wide response to one of the world’s most significant humanitarian challenges: the refugee crisis. An impressive 60% of their employees contributed to $3 million in giving and matching and collectively provided 7,600 nights of housing and 1,300 days of training and learning. 

In 2023, her team earned the Corporate Social Impact Team of the Year award by the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals, and now — for her bold leadership — Estelle is a 2024 BUFFY Award winner. 

Kelly Petrich, Director & Global Leader of Community Impact at Cisco, is the ideal balance of heart, head and hands. She leads with warmth, uses data to think outside the box, and isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Even a challenge as big as engaging 80% of her company’s 85,000 employees in doing good. To do it, she spearheaded a deep dive into their data and got creative with campaigns and digital nudges that started to turn giving into a habit — a habit that’s leading to positive employee metrics, like promotions and peer recognition.

In 2023, Cisco hit an impressive 85% participation! 

After celebrating these wins with her team, she asked, where can we go next? That’s the fuel that keeps her team going — and they’re thrilled to be along for the ride. And Kelly's leadership extends to this entire community. She generously shares her knowledge, believing that a rising tide raises all boats. 

Kelly is also known for being incredibly humble, so she would want to give her entire team the credit, but they (and Benevity) think she deserves the spotlight.

The Employee Catalyst Award —
Tom Mahatdejku from ARM

For an employee whose passion creates movements

This category celebrates the behind-the-scenes heroes who deserve recognition for the incredible influence and impact they generate.

Tom Mahatdejku from ARM is described as an “all-star ambassador,” leading ARM’s San Jose office as their program champion for over six years. 

He cultivates deep relationships with nonprofit partners, encourages ERG leads to get involved in community impact in ways that are true to their members and missions, and he’s known for getting ARM’s busy CEO out into the community to volunteer. 

Tom’s tenacity for good translates to outstanding participation rates for the San Jose office. In 2023, 45% of the office volunteered 1,400 hours of time and 35% donated funds — more than doubling ARM’s global results.

The Change Champion Award —
Kristina Karnovsky from FactSet

For an executive who champions a purpose-driven culture

This new category celebrates an executive who is a shining example of what it looks like to lead with purpose. They foster diversity, equity and inclusion; they champion social action; and they inspire others with their commitment to purpose, people and profit.

Kristina Karnovsky, Chief Product Officer at FactSet is described as a beacon for FactSet’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement. She prioritizes purpose every day, dismissing any notion of serving as a figurehead, and instead preferring to roll up her sleeves as an active participant and board member. 

She’s evaluating grants, developing strategies and championing a business resource group that advocates for employees with family responsibilities. She also partnered with a leading organization to establish a fellowship program that empowers the next generation of tech professionals. And she’s mobilizing her team and the rest of the company to volunteer. 

Kristina is proof that leading with purpose isn’t just for CSR or HR executives, or even the CEO. It’s every leader’s job, and one she takes seriously.