One of Code42’s core values is to leave the world a better place, and Giving Tuesday is a great opportunity to give back to communities and organizations we care about. To bring that value to life throughout the year, we implemented the Pledge 1% commitment, a global movement that encourages companies to integrate giving back into the core of their business.
Through Pledge 1%, we give back to the communities where our employees live and work by donating:
- 1% of profits (annually when profitable)
- 1% of equity (founder and employee donations)
- 1% of employee time (Code42 employees receive two paid days off per year to volunteer) to charitable purposes
As part of our commitment, we have created two distinct entities within Code42 for giving back:
- The Code42 Foundation is a donor-advised fund that distributes money to charitable organizations. The foundation awards grants to local charitable organizations that progress long-term, systemic changes and promote equity in the community. It is funded by the generosity of Code42 employees and the Pledge 1% model of profits and equity. It disburses grants to organizations recommended by employees, but it runs outside of company operations. Since its inception in 2016, the Code42 Foundation has granted nearly $150,000 to dozens of organizations doing proud work in our communities.
- The Code42 Cares Team is a group of Code42 employees focused on promoting a culture of volunteerism and individual philanthropy by maximizing Volunteer Time Off usage. The group designs, plans, and executes volunteer opportunities, while empowering other Code42 employees to set up/promote their own activities. Some organizations and causes our team works with include Second Harvest Heartland, STEM events for the Girl Scouts, hurricane relief and building 3D-printed prosthetic hands.
While these two entities are separate, they intertwine in a key way. Through volunteering efforts organized by the Code42 Cares Team, Code42 meets the immediate needs of the communities in which employees live and work, and the charitable giving of the foundation is working to change the systems that make it necessary to meet the immediate needs of some of our neighbors. Both activities are critical to the health and wellbeing of our communities.
For example, Code42 Cares routinely donates volunteer time for packing food, cleaning up community spaces, building snack packs and care kits and doing rehab work for transitional housing while the Code42 Foundation’s annual Deep Thought Grant is awarded to organizations doing transformational work to disrupt systems of perpetual inequities for our most marginalized community members. Most recently, the Foundation supported All Square, a nonprofit social enterprise that invests in innovative programs and ideas for people affected by mass incarceration.
At Code42, we are always excited to have the opportunity to give back to our communities and are grateful to be in the company of thousands of businesses throughout the world who are part of Pledge 1%.
To learn more about Code42's Corporate Philanthropy Program, visit https://www.code42.com/news/code42-expands-corporate-philanthropy-program/.
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