Sandra Amezquita
Chairwoman, Viventa
📍Coral Gables Florida
If you could describe yourself in one word, what would that be and why?
Last month, we conducted 5 workshops to establish our new culture in integrating two merging companies. At the end, the leaders gave me feedback. In the "From You, I Learned" exercise, my colleagues highlighted qualities that set my apart: "Your humanity (highly emphasized), empathy, tolerance, appreciation for the positive aspects in each person, and calm communication." Each of these qualities underscores my essential role in this collective journey.
"Humanity, Empathy, Tolerance, Appreciation for the positive aspects in each person, and calm communication."
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?
In the business world, there is a wide range of corporate social responsibility initiatives, often clouded by doubts about the transparency of intentions.
However, a well-implemented strategy in this regard positively impacts the well-being and quality of life of a company and its employees. At Viventa, we understand that most people prefer working for a company committed to its community. Recent studies show that generosity has a direct effect on brain areas related to happiness. Thus, we aimed to genuinely engage the company, providing resources and meaningful experiences for all involved.
Community giving has been a significant concern since the inception of Viventa. Despite initial challenges, we wanted to fulfill our commitment to giving back. Considering our reality and work, we believed in the importance of contributing to the community. When ready to embark on this journey, we fully committed to our promise of giving. Exploring options, we came across the Pledge 1% platform, aligning with our goal of dedicating 1% of our economic, productive, or time resources to community work. This pledge has been taken by thousands of companies worldwide.
With our social responsibility program under the 1% Pledge, we sought allied companies to donate our time. We aimed to collaborate with organizations whose missions aligned with ours, focusing on improving the lives of immigrants, particularly women. After close examination of over 25 organizations, we selected two allies: Americans for Immigrant Justice, advocating for immigrant rights, and Branches, an organization educating for financial stability.
Together with our allies, we've implemented impactful projects to enhance the lives of immigrants through resource and time donations. On average, each employee dedicates 2 to 6 days to the cause, demonstrating their empowerment through volunteering. This initiative has diversified our ways of helping, making our employees doubly happy.
Our promise to give combines technical expertise and human compassion. The skills of Viventa members and supported organizations have been crucial to two years of contributing to this social responsibility project. Our ongoing task is to find ways to help others live better, with projects impacting the medium term and involving our human capital. We will continue to invest in a comprehensive project to improve our environment based on what we know how to do.
Do you give back to the community with your team and work? If so, what does this look like?
Viventa continuously supports any opportunities to give back to the community. We support different causes from three important lines of action: Resources, Services and Time. Here are the works that we did.
What’s the best piece of advice you've ever received?
The best advice was not to create a foundation but to work with Pledge 1%.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Don't wait to make your 1% contribution in whatever way you can.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
We will be building 4 houses with Techo Colombia and creating more impact in financial education.
