A Silver Lining In Every Cloud: Applying Time, Talent & Tech for Business & Social Good

Business4Better

Making homemade blankets for those in need and delivering high-impact business technology solutions are worlds apart at first blush. At Appirio, a global midsize Cloud Technology solutions company, they are one in the same, shaping how Appirio does business and serves the communities in which their employees and customers live and work.

“Doing good to do good” is the way Appirio looks at their business model and approach. As a growing company with 600+ employees, Appirio uses their employee time, talent, and company’s technology know-how to make a difference in the communities they serve. The leadership team sees community engagement, partnerships, and volunteering as the connective tissue that shapes their culture and brings together their employees, customers, and partners to create business success and community impact success. And, while it feels good to contribute, it is an effective tool to help the organization recruit and retain top talent in a competitive market, differentiate their brand and company, and open doors to meet other people who shape business opportunities.

The backbone of this corporate responsibility effort is an initiative called “Silver Lining.” Kicked off just 3 short years ago, Appirio’s Silver Lining Program was created to mobilize its employees to make a measurable impact on the communities in which they work and live. Inspired in part by community benefit programs created by technology partners like Salesforce.com and Google, the Silver Lining program was launched in 2010 through the passion of Appirio employees who have made giving back part of their personal and professional lives. The program’s keeper of the flame is Kim Arden, Appirio’s Community Engagement Manager.

Business alignment is one of the keys to success of any Corporate Responsibility and Employee Engagement program. “Cloud Technology, by its very nature, provides access to people, resources, and information that is both affordable and scalable,”said Narinder Singh, chief strategy officer, Appirio. “While it is not critical that Cloud Technology be at the center of all our community initiatives, it provides a powerful inflection point with the everyday heroes at organizations we work with, including JDRF, Architecture for Humanity, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. At Appirio, we understand that we have to live up to the responsibility of our good fortune and take small steps that hold ourselves and the organizations we work for accountable to do more to help."...

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