When we started Pledge 1% last year with Atlassian, Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado and Rally for Impact, we set a goal to secure 500 pledges in the first year. Today, we are thrilled to announced that we've surpassed that goal--with more than 500 companies joining since #GivingTuesday 2014!
To join Pledge 1%, companies make a commitment to dedicate 1 percent employee time, equity, product or profit to benefit communities around the world. Companies that joined the Pledge 1% movement in its first year include: 6sense, AppNexus, Campaign Monitor, DocuSign, Dstillery, General Assembly, Glassdoor, Hampton Creek, Lookout, MediaMath, Planet Labs, Sage, Twilio, Weebly, Xactly and Zuora. This year, Pledge 1% has also partnered with leading venture capital firms including Bessemer Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, Foundry Group, Obvious Ventures and SV Angel and startup accelerators including Techstars to include Pledge 1% as a key part of the startup process.
At Salesforce.org, we believe that giving back is a key component to building a great company--especially when you consider today's hiring landscape. Companies are fighting a war for top talent and corporate leaders are realizing that to better engage employees and attract and retain top talent, giving back needs to be at the center of a company's culture.
In fact, companies that integrate corporate citizenship into their businesses have 2.3 times the employee retention and an increase of 29 percent in new hire commitment than companies that do not, showing the true business value that philanthropy can bring to an organization. According to Deloitte's 2015 Millennial Survey, six out of ten millennial employees say that a "sense of purpose" is part of the reason that they chose to work for their current employers.
In addition to increased recruiting, retention and employee engagement, philanthropy and corporate responsibility efforts can also affect the bottom line. According to Nielsen, 55 percent of global online consumers are willing to spend more on products from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact.
While 1 percent seems small, it can have huge impact--if every "unicorn," or pre-IPO company valued at more than $1 billion joined Pledge 1%, it would generate more than $5 billion in equity alone.
To learn more about how your company can take the pledge, visit www.pledge1percent.org.