Five companies were recognized at the 2013 Powered by EF awards reception for their outstanding commitment to the community.
The annual Powered by EF reception is a recognition reception for companies in the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Entrepreneurs’ Foundation of SVCF network of companies. More than 120 guests, from entrepreneurs to multi-national corporate representatives and nonprofit partners, attended the reception sponsored by StubHub, SanDisk, Microsoft and Synopsys at the Four Seasons Silicon Valley in East Palo Alto, California. The reception included a panel discussion, which was moderated by Sal Pizarro of the San Jose Mercury News and included Charu Adesnik, Manager, Corporate Affairs, Cisco, Margaret Coady, Executive Director of CECP, Colin Lacon, President and CEO, Northern California Grantmakers.
The awards and closing remarks were presented by Emmett D. Carson, CEO and President of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Additionally, at the event the 2013 Corporate Citizenship Report was released, which highlights trends and best practices of leading Bay Area Corporate Citizenship programs.
“The 2013 Powered by EF award winners are true global corporate citizens. Their commitment to making the community a key stakeholder is an inspiration and example to all companies throughout the world,” said Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., CEO of SVCF.
The recipients at this year’s 14th annual reception were:
CEO of the Year: Sanjay Mehrotra, SanDisk
The CEO of the Year award was presented to Sanjay Mehrotra of SanDisk. The award is given to a chief executive officer who demonstrates superior commitment to their corporate citizenship program.
Sanjay Mehrotra has always demonstrated a strong commitment to SanDisk’s corporate philanthropy programs. In addition to his unwavering support as the executive champion for the programs, Sanjay rallied his fellow CEOs to participate in Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Corporate Cup Challenge, raising an additional $620,000 in corporate support, and increasing corporate participation by 30 percent. On a corporate level, in the past year, Sanjay co-founded US2020 and committed 20 percent of the U.S. SanDisk workforce to participate in the national
STEM engagement program. With his leadership, SanDisk launched its 25th Anniversary Celebration through Service, a year-long volunteerism campaign; in which Sanjay set the goal of 100 percent employee participation, and over $1.65 million raised in volunteer and cash matching funds. Lastly, Sanjay supported the creation of the SanDisk Scholars Fund, which will support underrepresented populations pursuing a STEM-related education.
“It is my honor to accept this esteemed recognition from the Entrepreneurs Foundation on behalf of our dedicated SanDisk employees, who are true champions of giving back to the community," said Sanjay Mehrotra, president and chief executive officer, SanDisk. “Getting involved in our local communities through charitable contributions and employee volunteerism is a cornerstone of SanDisk’s culture. I am so encouraged by the level of employee volunteerism and philanthropic support, especially this year, during SanDisk’s 25th Anniversary; and I look forward to increasing SanDisk’s philanthropic support in the coming years.”
Community Champion Award: Microsoft
Microsoft received the 2013 Corporate Champion Award for both the company and employees’ strong commitment to the communities in which they operate. The Community Champion Award is given to a company whose employees have donated their time, resources and professional expertise to causes that are important to them.
Microsoft supports its US based employees’ engagement in the community by matching employee donations of cash, stock, or product to all eligible nonprofits and schools on a 1:1 ratio, with a $15,000 matching allotment per employee. Employee volunteer hours are matched at $17/hour. Over 60 percent of Microsoft employees in the U.S. used these matching funds to increase the impact of their donations of money and time in 2013; over 84 percent of Microsoft’s employees based in Silicon Valley used their funds. Through this program, Microsoft and its employees have donated over $100 million dollars to nonprofits in 2013, and over $1 billion since the program began in 1983.
“We’re honored by the recognition, and feel that it truly reflects the quality and dedication of our people,” said Sid Espinosa, Director of Corporate Citizenship for Microsoft Silicon Valley. “At Microsoft, we place tremendous value on those who are willing to roll up their sleeves and get involved with causes that they are passionate about. Our Silicon Valley employees show an incredible commitment to their local and global communities year after year, with participation rates in our philanthropic programs that are second-to-none.”
Impact Award: Hewlett Packard and Taproot Foundation
Hewlett Packard received the 2013 Impact Award for their strong partnership with the Taproot Foundation providing both pro bono and financial support. The Impact Award is given to a company that has maintained a strong community program for a period of three years or longer and continues to develop and grow the program to a more meaningful level.
HP and Taproot have partnered since spring 2010 to help community partners grow their capacity by leveraging HP employee skills through pro bono volunteerism. The program has grown from eight successful projects in the San Francisco Bay Area to include pro bono projects in Brazil, China, France and Germany, with the goal to scale the pro bono programs across the 170 countries where HP has a presence. As a result of the partnership the two published the 2012 Powered by Pro Bono guide, headed up global ScopeAthon sessions, and support for development of an online pro bono marketplace taprootfoundation.org which leverages LinkedIn to pair pro bono volunteers with interested nonprofits, among other items.
“We are thrilled to receive the Impact Award in recognition of our longstanding partnership with the Taproot Foundation,” comments Caroline Barlerin, Senior Director of HP Corporate Affairs. “It is testament to the commitment on the part of both of our organizations in advancing the pro bono movement. The success we’ve experienced with scaling HP’s pro bono programming around the world is due in large part to our collaborative efforts.”
Global Citizen Award: Levi Strauss & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co. received the 2013 Global Citizen Award for their on-going commitment to having impact throughout the world through their Improving Workers Well-Being Initiative. The Global Citizen award is given to a globally-focused company which has provided extensive and impactful support to causes outside of the United States.
Through the Improving Workers Well-being program, Levi Strauss & Co. works with factories to support programs aimed at improving the lives of their global workforce. One program within the initiative, HERProject, provides factory-level women’s health education to workers in China, Egypt, India and Pakistan. Participants in HERProject are not only physically healthier, but have better self esteem and are more empowered in the workforce.
"Since Levi Strauss & Co. established a set of labor, health and safety standards for our suppliers more than twenty years ago, we’ve been finding ways to actively improve the lives of our workers. HERproject is one example of a program that drives compelling social and business returns,” said Daniel Lee, Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation.
Company of the Year: StubHub
The 2013 Company of the Year award recipient is StubHub for their signature partnership program and their board placement program, which places their employees on nonprofit boards. The Company of the Year award is given to a company that, through its activities and partnerships during the calendar year, clearly demonstrates its commitment to corporate citizenship programs as part of their business values.
StubHub established their signature partnership program in August 2012, Rising Stars. Since its inception, this program has awarded more than $2 million.
The company strongly believes in the linkage of their corporate social responsibility efforts to their overall business goals. StubHub’s programs are designed and created with consideration for the communities in which their consumers and employees live and work. StubHub is also strongly committed to having their ticketing platform be accessible to nonprofits. As a result, the company created NonProfit Box Office, a free-to-use ticketing platform exclusively available for nonprofit events, in 2013.
“We are tremendously proud of StubHub’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and are honored to receive this prestigious award.” said Chris Tsakalakis, President of StubHub. “At StubHub, we are committed to investing in the communities in which we operate and to supporting fans and stars of the future. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has been an invaluable partner and ally and without their vast contributions, know-how and expertise we would not be in the position to win this award.”
About Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation makes all forms of philanthropy more powerful. We serve as a catalyst and leader for innovative solutions to our region’s most challenging problems and give more money to charities than any other community foundation in the United States. The community foundation has approximately $3.5 billion in assets under management and more than 1,650 philanthropic funds. As Silicon Valley’s center of philanthropy, we provide individuals, families and corporations with simple and effective ways to give locally and around the world. Find out more at www.siliconvalleycf.org
