Simple ways to emulate Salesforce's philanthropic policy in your business

“Philanthropy can be integrated into the business. I believe strongly that companies can be incredible agents of good in the world.” ... “In business, we say that people overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a decade. This is true in philanthropy as well.”

In business, we say that people overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in a decade. This is true in philanthropy as well.

Marc Benioff

Marc Benioff, founder, chairman, and CEO of Salesforce has carved an impressive path as a leading pioneer in the CRM cloud-service technology field. But what sets him apart is also his commitment to giving back to the community. His journey started during a sabbatical he took after he had left Oracle before he took over Salesforce. His spiritual guru reminded him that it is possible to give back to the world while pursuing his career ambitions. ‘It did not have to be a choice between doing business or doing good’.

Salesforce takes its philanthropic efforts very seriously and Salesforce.org was set up at the same time as Salesforce with founder’s equity as a corporate foundation and soon evolved into a nonprofit social enterprise to give free and discounted technology to those who need it. Over the years, Salesforce.org has expanded its reach and work towards specific outcomes that are aligned to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) wherever possible. With over $1.3B for resources in technology, volunteer time, and grants to communities, you can read more about their progress in the Salesforce.org Social Impact Report 2019.

However, not content with these measures, Marc Benioff and his wife Lynne support a wide range of causes on a personal front as well. Together with his wife, Lynne, they have personally donated $250 million to build UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland. While between 2017 and 2019, Salesforce and the Salesforce Foundation gave away about $130 million, the Benioffs personally donated nearly $200 million in roughly the same time period. 

 Ref: Salesforce

In terms of philanthropic ventures, the Pledge 1% encourages every entrepreneur and company to support philanthropy right from the start of their business. The unique 1-1-1 model followed by Salesforce pledges 1 percent of its revenue, 1 percent of its product, and 1 percent of its employees' time to the community. Through this principle, Salesforce has given more than $240 million in grants, 3.5 million hours of community service, and provided product donations for more than 39,000 nonprofits and educational institutions.