WE’VE MADE A PLEDGE TO HELP OTHERS GROW AS WE DO.

All Case Studies > WE’VE MADE A PLEDGE TO HELP OTHERS GROW AS WE DO.

As a company, we’ve made a pledge. 

It’s a simple one — we will utilise our people, profit and technology to benefit others outside of our organisation. It’s a small, yet powerful promise that we make every year to the world that we do business in. Our integrated philanthropic approach sees that

1% of profit, 1% of our time, and 1% of our technology development hours are reserved for the good of the community.

Let’s face it, while some industries have slowed in recent years, the tech industry is still seeing consistent growth and profits. Even before COVID hit, people-powered digital workplaces were on the rise. Of course, this good fortune isn’t being felt across society as a whole, so as a group we strive to understand our privileged position and propel our humility into action — starting with giving back to the communities that need it most. 

Taking our 1% approach, we task our team to find causes that are making positive social and community impacts in as many regions across the globe as we can. Each cause is chosen by a member of the Cloudwerx team, and all members help organise an event or donated activity. 

This year, we have already seen two Cloudwerx 1% Pledge events go ahead and many more added to the ‘giving back’ calendar. 

 

The Long Walk Home for Wayside Chapel

A Sydney institution since 1964, Wayside Chapel in King’s Cross has been serving the local community for decades. Founded by Reverend Ted Noffs, Wayside has been central in providing shelter to rough sleepers, food for the socially isolated and vulnerable, and easy access to mental health care. After a year of insecurity and hardship for so many, it was important for our team to recognise an organisation that was directly making a positive impact in people’s lives. So we went walking in someone else’s shoes for the day. 

28 is the average amount of kilometres a person who is experiencing homelessness travels on foot to find shelter. Within these 28 kilometres, a rough sleeper may experience personal and verbal abuse and have an increased vulnerability to becoming permanently homeless.

As part of our pledge, the team walked from the Sydney office in Surry Hills to Bondi Beach. Surprisingly, for some of our team, this was their very first time visiting the iconic stretch of sand. Being prepared with water, snacks and good shoes, it gave us pause for thought to consider how the many rough sleepers and people affected by homelessness in this city are in short supply of such resources. 

As our CEO Toby Wilcock has previously discussed on LinkedIn, the walk was pretty special. Not only did the team hit a $6000 donation high through fundraising, it enabled everyone to get outside of their projects and own lives to take a look around and be a part of their community. In short, it was the perfect way to kick-off the 1% Pledge. 

 

COVID in India: A cause close to home

For our second project, it was a crisis of a different kind. 

It’s no news to anyone that India is experiencing a devastating second-wave of COVID and humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. Due to our close ties with India through team connections, we didn’t think twice about helping out wherever we could. In collaboration with Seva Sahayog, an NGO that provides on-the-ground support to underprivileged communities in Pune City, we teamed up to do our part. 

One of the problems that aid organisations in the Pune region experience is working within an area with poor infrastructure, making it harder to receive and distribute charitable donations. This was a particularly tricky barrier, as demographically, the urban slum communities needed urgent health aid, food and COVID resources more than most.

As many of our team in India were (and still are) in lockdowns themselves, and the rest of our team are scattered across the globe, we had to find another way to help. So, we called in the devs.

Over two days, 25 developers and Salesforce Administrators built (as a part of a hackathon) a donation portal that gives everyday citizens the ability to donate money and resources to where they’re needed most. 

This bespoke tech has enabled the NGOs on the ground to connect with a global community that previously had no idea how to directly give or donate money for this monumental crisis. Currently, the Seva Sahayog ground crew have distributed 20,000 food kits across the Pune, Mumbai and Maharashtra regions.

 

Purposeful Philanthropy

When our 1% Pledge journey began, it was guided by a purposeful philanthropic philosophy — leverage our technology, our people and our resources to improve communities throughout the world. We work hard, but we’re in a fortunate position to capitalise on our success when so many can’t. 

With the 1% Pledge, giving back to the community is woven into our DNA, and it’s something we’ll continue to build as we grow. 

If you are interested in working with Cloudwerx, please reach out to toby.wilcock@cloudwerx.com. We offer free consultations, and would love to hear about your business.

Realise the full potential of your CRM