Naomi Morenzoni
SVP, Climate & Innovation Philanthropy, Salesforce
📍Bend, OR
If you could describe yourself in one word, what would that be and why? Please explain with a short story or example.
I am a builder. I was one of the founding members of Pledge 1% and I remember the excitement we all shared for building something new – it’s part of the reason why we called our community the “Builders” movement. That excitement never left.
To this day, my favorite part of my job and of my team is our insatiable appetite for building new programs, partnerships, coalitions–you name it!
Pledge 1% provides a framework for businesses to do good. Do you think it’s important for today’s corporate leaders to prioritize social impact? If so, why?
Social impact is non negotiable for companies in 2024. What inspires me about companies like Salesforce and Pledge 1% is the idea of building impact into your company’s DNA on Day 1.
In the beginning, you give what you can, and it might not feel like much. But over time, it can really multiply. That said, we know impact programs alone cannot solve all the challenges we face. They need to be in coordination and collaboration with all the levers a company has to pull, like purchasing, policy and products. This is how you really move the needle and make change at scale.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
When you’re evaluating a role, pick the boss, the team, and the culture where you feel you can do your best work. So often people chase titles or brand names but don’t pay enough attention to their day to day experience. Put yourself in a position where you can thrive – that’s how you can advance while feeling fulfilled.
"When you’re evaluating a role, pick the boss, the team, and the culture where you feel you can do your best work."
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
I’m extremely excited about AI. As an AI company and a Philanthropy team, it’s our responsibility to listen to the communities, the students, the grantees we support across education and climate and help them navigate this next wave of AI.
Over the past year, we conducted a deep dive listening tour to understand where our purpose driven organizations are on their AI journey. We learned that most are optimistic – almost 90% want to use AI – but they are not prepared to handle the massive shift. Without support, they are at risk of getting left behind, furthering inequities across the most vulnerable populations. That’s where our work is focused this year, namely with our AI for Impact Accelerators for education and climate action, and I’m really excited to see what innovative solutions we come up with.
1 Comment
