By: Morgan Puravet, Principal Employer Brand Talent Marketing Manager, 6sense
This post is part of a special series to recognize Pledge 1% Members featured on the 2023 Cloud 100 List.
Why did you first decide to join Pledge 1%?
Early in the 6sense company's life cycle, our leaders decided to cement giving back to the company’s DNA. They felt that allocating 1% of their equity to philanthropic endeavors when they were still a smaller business was the ideal way to start. This way, any additional value to the company would also be used to support charitable contributions.
The Pledge 1% framework was essential as it provided a simple method to track our charitable initiatives, regardless of the program, recipient or method of giving. Pledge 1% ensures that, as 6sense continues to grow, our commitment to giving back does too.
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action? What does your program involve?
In 2022, 6sense launched a global effort to redefine its purpose and what values and cultural experiences are unique to the company. From all over the world, 6sensors work together to serve with passion and purpose, which fuels the 6sense corporate social responsibility initiatives.
The 6sense Gives Back program involves our Friday Giving initiative, which provides every employee globally with an opportunity to nominate an organization they care for or are involved with for 6sense to donate to every week. This year, 6sense has donated over $40,000 as part of this program alone.
6sense also launched a Month of Service initiative in 2022 where employees across all 15 of our global working hubs come together in person to volunteer for organizations in their communities. Additionally, 6sense provides three additional days off for all employees to focus on individual volunteer efforts both in person and virtually.
6sensors volunteering in London, UK
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
In 2022, 6sense’s Month of Service allocated time for employees across 15 "market hubs" from across the globe to come together and participate in volunteer activities. During this period, employees sorted and packed over 3,000 pounds of carrots, removed eight bags of trash from the Nashville River, prepared 1,407 meals, organized 1,206 books, collected six bags of trash from parks near schools, packed 2,000 hygiene kits for people in need in the Bay Area, and packed more than 200 bags of groceries for veterans. Additionally, 6sense provided employees with three days of paid volunteer time to use however they want, such as helping out food pantries, animal shelters, tutoring, and meal delivery.
6sense has nearly finished their 2023 Month of Service and its employees have already contributed to a range of projects, such as supporting local pet shelters in Austin, Texas; sprucing up gardens in London communities to provide increased access to fresh produce; and providing food and school supplies to disadvantaged children in six Indian cities (Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore). Furthermore, in the Bay Area, 6sense employees sorted 9162 lbs of food which will feed many families in Silicon Valley.
6sensors volunteering in Pune, India
What does it mean to you to be a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List? How are you leading with your values as a business?
As a Pledge 1% member on the Cloud 100 List, 6sense embraces its responsibility and continues to seek new ways to contribute. The 6sense core values of integrity, fun, one team, growth mindset, and accountability guide its work and inspire all 6sensors to make a positive impact beyond the industries its business serves.
Terese Lam, Chief People Officer added that “people are the heart and soul of 6sense, and we serve with passion and purpose. We know that giving back to the community is important to our employees as it brings about human connection, passion, energy and serves a bigger purpose than just our Company’s mission”
6sense's values
Can you share any quick tips or learnings you’ve gained while implementing your program?
As our programs continue to evolve and expand, we have realized the importance of engaging our employees across the many decisions to be made. This has enabled us to make sure that employees' opinions and voices are taken into account when deciding where to donate and when organizing time off volunteer activities. It also helps to ensure that our giving opportunities are in line with our brand and values.
If you were to give one piece of advice to companies thinking about joining Pledge 1%, what would you say?
6sense Chief Finance Officer Rob Goldenberg says to start a plan to implement corporate social responsibility into your organization early and ensure the initiative grows with you.
“Pledge 1% provided a framework to holistically drive our charitable efforts and we have been able to scale programs with it along the way.”
6sensors volunteering in South Bay, San Francisco, USA
