Salesforce.com was started with a simple idea to make business applications as easy to use as a simple website. It was our mission to spark what we termed "The End of Software" revolution--the opportunity to democratize the industry by changing the way software was delivered (online, or as-a-service). That wasn't the only thing we wanted to do differently, though. We also had a vision to ignite an "End of Philanthropy" movement--and create a new corporate philanthropic model that would be easy for all companies to embrace and ultimately effect positive change.
Our idea was built upon the best corporate philanthropic practices of other companies--Hasbro, eBay, Levi Strauss & Company--and led to what we called the integrated model. We started from the very beginning by incorporating the Salesforce.com Foundation as a 501(c)3 public charity from the time we first incorporated our company. Alongside private funding, we placed 1% of the new corporation's shares into the Foundation. As CEO, I made the commitment to donate 1% of our product to nonprofit organizations, and 1% of employee working hours to community service. The 1/1/1 Model--equity, technology, and employee time--ensured that as our business grows so would our contribution to the communities in which we operate.
What has always made me most excited about this new model is its power if widely embraced. In the eight years since we have launched the Foundation, we have had the opportunity to witness the impact of the model when it is shared. Companies such as iRobot, Antenna, and Vertical Response have made public commitments to launch their own foundations with similar models--magnifying the difference we can make collectively. Google has followed salesforce.com's lead and put 1% of its equity aside for its foundation. That might be our greatest legacy--there's now $2.5 billion in the Google Foundation!
As one company, we only scratch the surface at what can be contributed collectively, but to salesforce.com, the Foundation has made all the difference. We have witnessed a secondary gain in what the Foundation contributes to our business. It has helped us attract the very best employees--talented and generously spirited people who are eager to go above and beyond the call of duty in everything they do. The Foundation has also guided a corporate culture that helps us retain these people who say they feel more grounded and rewarded in their work by contributing to a purpose beyond a profit.
These employees, and our business partners who have also joined our efforts, have allowed us to make contributions that have exceeded our greatest expectations. We have opened 60 technology centers in 12 countries. Our nearly 3,000 employees have donated 77,000 hours to the communities and touched more than 100,000 people worldwide. More than 3,000 nonprofits across 52 countries, including the Red Cross, Room to Read, and United Way use the salesforce.com application for free to manage their organizations more efficiently.
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about corporate philanthropy; each year corporate philanthropic foundations pour billions into their work. It's a large amount, but the world's problems go beyond what funding can fix. Too many corporate philanthropic efforts occur in isolation, with little relationship to their community, employees, or corporate missions.
The good news is that it's easy to change that, if only all companies make the commitment to leverage all of their resources (employees' time, equity, products). Some of the world's greatest companies, like Google, have validated the power of the model and are proving "the end of philanthropy" is within our reach. Together, companies can unite so that communities don't have to wait for the generous gifts of the very wealthy. Together, we can create a model that is simple, sustainable, and successful. We call it "The Power of Us" and there's room, reason, and benefits, for everyone.
This article originally ran in NEED Magazine.