This story is part of Pledge 1%’s Impact Award Winner feature series. Learn more about the Cloud 100 List and other Pledge 1% members that were featured on the list here.
Why did you first decide to join Pledge 1%?
Being humble and being of service to others has always been incredibly important to our leadership team and a core part of the Slack culture. We joined Pledge 1% in 2017 to formalize our program and to deepen our philanthropic work. That year, every employee was given a copy of Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. The book came with a note from our CEO urging us to remember the most vulnerable members of our society. As we started thinking more about the issues, we realized no one was really focusing on the formerly incarcerated population and we wanted to see how we could tackle some of the structural injustices they face as a tech company. So we piloted Next Chapter, a software engineering apprenticeship program that helps returning individuals build careers in the tech sector. Next Chapter has since expanded to 14 hiring partners – including PayPal, Zoom, Dropbox, Square and Asana – many of which are also Pledge 1% members.
As we built our impact program, we knew that to be successful, we also needed to change the culture within our company and engage our employees in order to address the stigma around incarceration. Our leadership gave us the time and space to think about how to best approach this issue and find a solution that engaged employees from the very start. We have since replicated this approach at every company that Next Chapter has expanded to: we organize an all-hands meeting, we train managers, and we host safe and open discussions about why this is important, where employees can raise any questions they have, so that they understand what we are trying to achieve. We’ve learned that bringing all employees into the program and educating them about the issues is an effective way to ensure they are not just onboard, but passionate about supporting our larger mission.
What does your Pledge 1% program look like in action? What does your program involve?
Our goal with Slack for Good is to increase the number of underrepresented individuals working in the tech space. We were honored to win the Pledge 1% Impact Award in 2018 for our Next Chapter program, which at that time was just at Slack. It was small – very much a pilot – and although we were still working on proving the model, we were really excited that we were trying something new.
Since then, we’ve proven that the model works – we have a 100% success rate, meaning everyone who has gone through the program has received a full-time job offer. In total, over 31 people have successfully gone through the program and reentered the workforce as software engineers.
Our goal today is to scale this program and help other companies bring Next Chapter to their organizations, so they can hire these incredibly talented individuals and play a part in expanding access to tech careers for people returning home from incarceration. To help accelerate this effort, we recently published a playbook with the Aspen Institute that helps companies break down the barriers to hiring this population.
Our Pledge 1% program includes other initiatives as well. We’ve committed 1% of company product to support thousands of nonprofit organizations with free or discounted plans. This effort was especially impactful during the pandemic with the shift to remote work and the need for better tools to support digital collaboration. For example, we provided product to universities and scientific research groups, like the Covid Tracking Project, and community relief organizations, like Frontline Foods.
We also commit 1% of company time to support employees in volunteering not only their time but also their expertise, and we’ve continued to expand that commitment, to seven days a year. It’s amazing to see how much faster NGOs can reach their goals when they have a little more resources and expertise to supercharge their programs.
What have been some of the greatest highlights or impact moments to date?
We could never have been successful without our partners. For example, through our wonderful partnership with The Last Mile, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and FREEAMERICA, we’ve been able to work with people who have experience in racial equity and criminal justice reform to build and scale Next Chapter. We’ve also worked with a lot of amazing thought leaders like John Legend and Common who are passionate about this issue and have helped us raise awareness about the importance of these programs.
With the Aspen Institute, we’ve launched a new joint initiative called Rework Reentry that is helping bring Next Chapter to more companies throughout the U.S, leveraging the expertise and reach of Aspen Digital and the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative. In addition to the tactical blueprint we’ve created that companies can follow to expand career opportunities for returning citizens, we’re also working with Aspen to convene key stakeholders in the tech and justice ecosystems to educate them on how tech companies can help move the needle on this issue. And together we’re elevating documentary storytelling about the challenges faced by re-entering individuals, like the “Home/Free” documentary short film series created in partnership with Next Chapter, FREEAMERICA and the Equal Justice Initiative.
How has Pledge 1%’s framework helped you scale your impact?
The Pledge 1% framework has helped us invest in programs that are aligned with our values and ensure that our product can be accessed by those who are working to make the world a better place. It has also provided a framework for us to keep our employees proximate to communities they’re serving.
Why did you decide to pledge equity and how has this helped you scale your impact (if applicable)?
We knew as a young company that this was a priority to us, and we wanted to embed it in our priorities from the start. This early commitment of 1% of company equity has allowed us to scale our impact as we’ve grown and meaningfully pursue Slack for Good’s mission to increase the number of historically underrepresented individuals in the tech industry, in particular through Next Chapter.
Have recent events like the pandemic (and other crises) impacted your program? If so, how?
Next Chapter has continued to thrive during the pandemic by facilitating remote apprenticeships. In fact, remote work has allowed apprentices to return to their communities and be mentors and stable pillars of employment. This is helping employ people in communities that are outside of traditional tech hubs like San Francisco.
Through our 1% of product donation, Slack for Nonprofits became crucial during the pandemic. As organizations went from working in the office to working remotely overnight they needed collaboration solutions to work as distributed teams. Through our Spack for Nonprofits program, we were able to help nonprofits by giving them free and discounted plans so their important work wouldn’t skip a beat.
Can you share any key takeaways or learnings you’ve gained while implementing your program?
Our Rework Reentry Playbook contains all of the learnings and steps companies need to adopt Next Chapter at their organizations. It tells you exactly what you need to do to move the needle on this issue, especially as a small company.
Looking back, we’ve learned that it’s easier to start with over indexing on providing support and then making adjustments as the programs scale. Your business demands will only get more intense as you grow – so don’t delay, start where you are now.
Any words of encouragement or tips you can share with companies who are just getting started?
For companies that are just getting started, It’s okay to make mistakes. You don’t have to get it exactly right the first time.
