iTechArt joins the Pledge 1% movement to make the world a better place
iTechArt announced today that it's joined Pledge 1%, a global initiative that urges businesses of all sizes to change the life of their local communities for the better.
Pledge 1% is a corporate philanthropy movement dedicated to making the community a key stakeholder in every business. The movement was started by Salesforce and supported by tech giants from Silicon Valley, such as Box, Yelp, DocuSign, Postmates, Twilio, and Okta. Pledge 1% empowers companies to donate 1% of product, 1% of equity, 1% of profit, or 1% of employee time to improve communities around the world. Being a Salesforce Partner that shares all the Salesforce values and aspirations, iTechArt was proud to adopt the initiative.
Seeing time as the most valuable resource, which can't be regained once lost, iTechArt has inspired its employees to allocate their time to improving the well-being of the community. The team has chosen to volunteer in animal shelters, as these organizations are mostly personal initiatives with no or little government funding or support.
An impetus for the iTechArt team to take action was the recent stat about 2.7 million dogs and cats being killed every year because of full shelters, as well as the lack of adoptive homes. Besides, taking care of abandoned animals is seen as one of the top priorities in our society, and it deeply resonates with iTechArt's values of helping the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
Below, iTechArt's employees look back on their recent activities within the Pledge 1% initiative, sharing their thoughts about the importance of volunteering.
Yan Herasimovich, software testing engineer
I became a volunteer in the animal shelter in my home town around a month ago, right after the company-wide commitment to Pledge 1% had been announced. Since then, I've been visiting the shelter once a week to walk the dogs and play with them. I also help with the shelter's site improvements by cutting the grass and filling gaps in the shelter's foundation. Additionally, I make small but regular donations to the shelter.
It seems like no big deal, but I believe there are no small or unimportant things when it comes to helping defenseless animals and giving them a chance for a better life.
Irina Akulich, HR specialist
I have extensive volunteering experience: my goal to improve the lives of abandoned animals started 8 years ago. At that time, I joined a local non-profit called Zoochance and helped it with volunteering and PR activities. Since then, I've helped hundreds of cats, dogs, and even a turtle find a home and get care. After iTechArt joined the Pledge 1% movement, my efforts have intensified due to having more time to allocate to volunteering with corporate support and being backed by like-minded colleagues that share my passion. Now, I dedicate a good deal of my time to caring for animals put in kennels, spreading the most touching stories about cats and dogs on the internet, being on watch at the shelter, and making donations, and I do it all regularly.
Small steps today - a huge impact tomorrow
A lot's been done already in our aspirations to help local non-profits, and even more good things are on the way! Our Pledge 1% activities won't be limited to volunteering employee time, as our team is ready to give back even more, stretching their volunteering ventures way beyond the support of animal shelters and bringing greater value to the community. Just keep track of the updates!
