One of Arizona State University’s goals is to enhance our local impact and social embeddedness. The University Technology Office (UTO) at ASU embraces its role as both an enabler and catalyst for advancing the vision and work of the New American University.
UTO enthusiastically formalized its commitment to serve the broader community by developing a framework for increasing our impact and supporting a sustainable community volunteer program. In January 2018, UTO created a Giving Back Team, which organized volunteer events and has joined Salesforce in the 1% pledge.
As an IT organization, the Giving Back Team established a mission to grow and sustain a culture of giving and drive community impact. During development of the infrastructure, the team engaged in a variety of volunteering events to start cultivating the spirit of team giving, and jump-start the momentum. These events continue and are now warmly expected rather than the exception.
UTO seeks to address causes that speak to the expertise of the organization. However, participating in local events, such as harvesting oranges for the local food bank from the Arizona State University Campus grove and cleaning up the nearby inner city desert park, directly support the community and begin to build stronger relationships.
Staff spent several hours together volunteering with park rangers at Papago Park in Tempe, Arizona. One volunteer stated, “It was great to hang out together outside of the office. Though I think we lost John. Maybe he was kidnapped by Sasquatch. We should do this more often. Let’s do it again in the fall.”
In addition to oranges and desert improvements, the UTO has also volunteered at the local St. Mary’s Food Bank, packed over 118,000 meals for Feed My Starving Children, and raised $600 for the Valley of the Sun United Way in a coin wars competition.
On Giving Back Tuesday, the UTO is launching an Ambassador Program! This program will allow members of the UTO to be more active in the Giving Back community, organizing events, socialize the initiative, and generally represent our goal of helping the community. Ambassadors will be key to sustaining the Giving Back program, from marketing events to actually developing programming. They will be embedded in various UTO groups to expand the scope of giving. Coupled with the UTO leadership pledge of ‘time to give’, Ambassadors will be the delegates taking the program into the new year.
The new year promises to be exciting. In addition to local programming and the new Ambassador program, the UTO is getting ready to kickoff Girls Who Code. Leveraging our technology focus and infrastructure for community service, the UTO is gearing up to facilitate locations, resources and curriculum for girls and young women who aspire to work in technology. The UTO is looking forward to a great year of giving!!
