Monthly views on the future of responsible business
DECEMBER 2022
“To the thousands of highly skilled tech workers who have been laid off in recent weeks, and those worried they may be next: The nonprofit sector needs you.[…] Today the challenges ahead of us can be overwhelming, but the opportunity is huge—and we’re confident that you can meet the moment. This is the time to optimize technologists’ work for future generations.”
Josh Hendler
Managing Director of technology and impact, Schmidt Futures
We’ve got big news: Deed had an outstanding GivingTuesday this year, posting approximately a 14X increase in total dollars donated on our platform (vs. 2021). Plus, both the number of employee donors and their gifts rose by 3.7X.
We’re always proud to clinch a new personal best, and the strong showing raises our expectations for next year. But what excites us most is that our partners are part of an exciting, positive trend across the country. In the United States, 37 million people gave over $3.1 billion dollars, an increase of 15 percent year-over-year, and the best GivingTuesday on record. Deed is humbled and thrilled to be working with so many incredible organizations leading that charge.
This historic GivingTuesday comes at the same time as the first successful reproduction of fusion energy in a lab and the codification of marriage equality in the United States (more on those below). While these events may be unrelated, together they present a compelling picture of a country and world where doing good is still possible and widely popular.
By the way: Vantage—Deed’s monthly newsletter on the future of responsible business—only launched in fall 2022, and the response we’ve gotten from our readers so far has been incredible. We’re already planning to send you a ton of exciting industry news, analysis, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers, and product updates in the coming year.
Scientists at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory fired 192 lasers to recreate the reaction that makes stars shine, producing more energy than they spent for the very first time. “This is such a wonderful example of a possibility realized, a scientific milestone achieved, and a road ahead to the possibilities for clean energy,” said Arati Prabhakar, White House science advisor. Read the full story in The New York Times.
Should ERG leads be paid?
Ninety percent of the Fortune 500 have employee resource groups (ERGs), but only 28 percent of those that do compensate ERG leaders for the extra work. Some say pay bumps distort the intention behind ERGs. Others point to the wide wage gap between women, Black, and Hispanic/Latino employees and their white, make counterparts as further justification. Deed’s own Sammy Birdwell unpacks this complex issue and celebrates the launch of our first ERG, Queer+Allies@Deed, on our blog.
Good office juju
Yes, many of us work from home for greater comfort and privacy, but also because it’s where we feel the most creative. However, the Gensler Research Institute recently found that employees are looking for “more diverse spectrum of spaces and experiences to better support their work and create a place where they want to be.” That means if offices can be designed to encourage both quiet, focused time and exciting, collaborative work, more people may show up consistently. For thoughts on where to move the giant conference table and bamboo palms, read a recap of the poll in Forbes.
The coming shift in CSR
Paragon One asked three social impact leaders—Chris Jarvis (Realized Worth), Nina Rauch (Lemonade), and Deed’s co-founder and CEO Deevee Kashi—for their thoughts on the what’s new and what’s next for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Read "Industry Leaders on the Current State of CSR."
How to engage retail employees
Great mission-driven programs like volunteerism and skill-sharing sometimes fail to attract employees at brick-and-mortar retail stores, who work in shifts and are paid on an hourly basis. For a look at the challenges and opportunities involved in helping non-desk retail employees feel more fulfilled at work, read these four tips.
📺 Watch: Why Airbnb is run “like a small startup”
In a recent interview with LinkedIn News, Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, broke down the company’s record year, which came despite inflationary pressure and economic insecurity. Chesky said their work is organized around a single, company-wide roadmap, with employees collaborating and innovating together in exciting, unexpected ways. Watch it here.
📺 Watch: Inside the tools that make and break social impact
Deed’s head of sales Chad Haertling sat down with the president of Revere Software, Brian Kurth, to explain what tools set up corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams for success. Check out Chad’s “3 Tips in 3 Minutes.”
Product spotlight
Communities
(Coming soon!)
Centralize the good work your ERGs are already doing—fundraisers, volunteer events, social engagement—in a fun, empowering, dedicated virtual space.
With Communities, Deed’s client partners can combine the many elements of ERG efforts, from engaging content to genuine connection with friends and colleagues, in a single platform that’s as easy to use from the employee perspective as it is insightful for program leaders.
Purpose-driven social network
Share good deeds (e.g., volunteering events, fundraisers) with friends and colleagues.
Interest-based communities
Organize around ERGs, favorite causes, giving and volunteering habits, and more.
Personalized feed
Browse our vast library of useful content, aggregated from all of each user’s communities.
Visit our website www.joindeed.comfor more on this and other features.
Get involved
ICYMI: We polled our partners on what cause area we should focus on for December. Poverty, both an urgent and deep-rooted issue, was their overwhelming choice. Preview our toolkit and find out how volunteering and giving can help end poverty.
Thank you so much for reading Vantage this year. Again, we’ve been blown away by the thoughtful and passionate responses we’ve gotten to this newsletter.
There’s still time to share your thoughts on our first few issues, or to share ideas for what you’d like to read in the coming year. Drop us a note: vantage@joindeed.com.
If you were forwarded this by a friend or colleague, remember to subscribe to Vantage so you never miss our monthly analysis and roundup of industry news, product updates, & giving/volunteer opportunities.
