Ebony Beckwith wholeheartedly agrees with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff that “the business of business is to improve the state of the world.” As Chief Philanthropy Officer for Salesforce, Ebony leads a 40 person team responsible for engaging more than 36,000 employees in community service (over 3.8 million volunteer hours to date), as well as administering hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to improve communities around the world.
Ebony and her team have achieved meaningful results with their work locally and internationally in the areas of education and workforce development.* (*see Show Notes below). Ebony extends her support of education and workforce development through her role as member of the Technical Advisory Board of Year Up** Bay Area (**see Show Notes).
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As a champion for women and girls, Ebony currently serves on the board of Women’s Funding Network, and the Advisory Board of Women Who Code . She also serves on the board of Hamilton Families, San Francisco’s leading service provider to homeless families, and is proud to support their goal of ending homelessness in the San Francisco Unified School District.
Ebony holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences. Prior to joining Salesforce.org, Ebony spent five years in Salesforce’s technology division as the Head of Technology Business Operations. Before her time at Salesforce, she spent eleven years managing technology at Washington Mutual.
Ebony has been recognized as one of San Francisco Business Times’ Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business. In this episode, we discuss authentic leadership, ingredients of a high engagement culture, and the power of corporations partnering in their communities.
SHOW NOTES - References during our Interview
Salesforce.org
"We believe technology, when used for good, can change the world. Together, we’ll get it done." See: one minute video about Salesforce.org.
Philanthropy Cloud
Salesforce.org Philanthropy Cloud connects employees to the causes they care about.
Education Partnerships
Ebony’s team has led partnerships with San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Since 2013, Salesforce.org has given more than $50 million dollars and adopted 80+ schools, as well as provided teacher training, technology and infrastructure to Bay Area schools in need.
San Francisco Chronicle - Salesforce Expands Philanthropic Efforts to Improve Schools
CNBC's - Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer - Cramer interviews Ebony about Salesforce's investment of $15 Million into SF & Oakland schools and their 1-1-1- model. 6 minute video - Oct 2018
Workforce Development Partnerships
Year Up (yearup.org) is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to closing the opportunity divide by providing underrepresented young adults with the skills, experience, and support to excel in 21st century jobs—at no cost to participants, and with proven results. Salesforce has provided over 450 six-month internships to young adult Year Up participants.
Check out this 2 minute video about the Opportunity Divide and hear Year Up students share their experiences.
GIVING BACK IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS
Companies are fighting a war for top talent and corporate leaders are realizing that to better engage employees and attract and retain top talent, giving back is a key ingredient of a company’s culture.
Increased Employee Engagement
Companies that integrate corporate citizenship into their businesses:
- have 2.3 times the employee retention
- have an increase of 29 percent in new hire commitment versus companies that do not
- six out of ten millennial employees say that a “sense of purpose” is part of the reason that they chose to work for their current employers (Deloitte’s 2015 Millennial Survey).
Increased Customer Engagement
In addition to increased recruiting, retention and employee engagement, philanthropy and corporate responsibility efforts can also affect the bottom line. According to Nielsen, 55 percent of global online consumers are willing to spend more on products from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact.
Pledge 1%
Pledge 1% companies make a commitment to dedicate 1 percent employee time, equity, product or profit to benefit communities around the world. As a founding sponsor, Salesforce is thrilled that more than 500 companies have joined Pledge 1% since 2014. To learn more about how your company can take the pledge, visit: pledge1percent.org