Q&A
Jun 1, 2021
The Collectively鈩 program is 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区' approach to global giving and volunteering, uniting our 55,000+ visionaries, thinkers and doers in a single platform. Hosted by , the world leader in employee workplace giving and volunteering, Collectively enables us to amplify the positive impact we make in our communities every day, by supporting more than two million charities around the globe.
June 1, 2021 is the Collectively program鈥檚 first birthday - and to celebrate one year of Collectively goodness, we鈥檝e got big plans throughout the month.
To kick off the celebrations, we connected virtually with Jo to talk about Collectively鈥檚 impressive first year, how the program makes giving and volunteering easier and more impactful, and why rabbits are connected to the Romans.
What鈥檚 your favorite part of your role?
Seeing goodness flood into my inbox every day! Whether it鈥檚 achieving a big participation milestone or someone excitedly telling me how many donors have jumped on their fundraiser 鈥 it鈥檚 all these little gems of joy that mark the favorite part of my role. I also love the 鈥渙h, I didn鈥檛 realize it was THAT easy鈥 reactions when people use the platform for the first time!
We鈥檙e publishing this article as part of the celebrations to mark the successful first year of the Collectively program. Tell us a bit about the program and some of the biggest accomplishments from its inaugural year.
I don鈥檛 think any of us knew how important it would be to launch Collectively in June 2020. Back then, most of us had been working virtually for a few months and were trying to find our feet with our new normal. We then introduced this brand-new platform to all 55,000 employees, in every corner of the world, at the same time.
We watched people log in with each passing day, getting excited as we crossed the 1,000 mark, then the 2,500 mark. One year in, we鈥檙e now approaching 10,000 employee log-ins 鈥 that鈥檚 around 20% of our global employee base. Our people can also now be paid for STEAM volunteering, anywhere, at any time. The majority of our employees are set up to give by payroll deduction, meaning they can donate in one click, and the charity receives more of the donation than through any other method (cash aside). And鈥rum roll please鈥 the biggest news yet is that 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区 is transitioning to an open matching platform 鈥 meaning employee donations will be instantly matched to a charity of our people鈥檚 choice, from now on!
During the past year, our people have come together and rallied around important causes the world over - from the COVID-19 crisis in India to LGBTQI+ rights. And there has also been a myriad of heart-warming stories in Collectively鈥檚 first year, from young people being inspired by our employees鈥 exciting career journeys, to a keen group of cyclists riding 100 miles in one day for a local renewable energy charity.
Paid STEAM volunteering, impactful donations through payroll giving, and instant matching to a charity of choice 鈥 Collectively really does make giving back so much easier for our people.
Speaking of giving and volunteering, what are some of your favorite causes to donate your time and resources to 鈥 and why?
Having sight of all the great giving and volunteering opportunities being advertised across 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区 makes it really difficult to have a favorite! But there are a few causes close to my heart.
Most weeks I volunteer my time as a qualified jog leader to my local LGBTQI+ running club, (GFR). The club is an inclusive safe space for queer people and their allies to pull on their running shoes and hit the road. LGBTQI+ people face so many struggles in life, and GFR is where health & wellbeing and inclusion & diversity perfectly merge. Last year it was an honour to act as President, where the club was nationally recognized for excellence in promoting inclusion & diversity in sport. It was a super proud moment!
Every year I take part in 鈥 a 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区-founded cycling group raising funds for three charitable organizations that helped one of our co-workers, Geoff Proffitt, who was involved in a mountain biking accident in which he sustained damage to his spine, and was left with no feeling or movement from the neck downwards. We tackle brutal climbs and long distances over three days in the Yorkshire Dales in the U.K., whilst raising thousands for charity and spreading awareness of spinal injuries. I am generally enticed by sporting fundraisers - in the past few years I鈥檝e swam open water for the , cycled for and , hiked for and a local Hospice, ran for , , and the .
I鈥檓 also a STEAM Ambassador, former JEN leader, first aider and am keeping my fingers crossed to be selected as a volunteer for COP26 in Glasgow later in the year. In case you hadn鈥檛 guessed, I don鈥檛 like to sit still!
Birthday celebrations are always so fun. What do you have up your sleeve to mark Collectively鈥檚 big first birthday?
Just in case open matching wasn鈥檛 enough of a surprise for our people, we鈥檙e going to be randomly seeding a handful of our co-workers鈥 Collectively accounts with Golden Tickets at the value of $500, for them to donate to a charity of their choice. But our people need to get in there fast, because the Golden Tickets will only sit in their accounts for a week before they鈥檙e passed to new people, until they鈥檙e claimed!
Thinking back on Collectively鈥檚 first year, what are you most proud of?
This one鈥檚 easy 鈥 our Collectively Ambassadors. Before launching, we knew Collectively had no chance of being successful if we didn鈥檛 leverage the energy of our passionate people at the grass roots level. Collectively is all about bringing our company values to life, and so we had to go and find those people who truly do live #Our网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区 values. And we鈥檝e found them!
Today, we have a volunteer network of 150 people cutting across 100 offices and all our 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区 Employee Networks in 17 countries. They come together with enthusiasm, passion and fresh ideas. It鈥檚 these people who make the magic happen; our Collectively Ambassadors come together make the world a better place.
If you aren鈥檛 working, what would we be most likely to find you doing?
Grabbing my Garmin and hitting the roads either in my running shoes or on my road bike, and then syncing to Strava (a running and cycling tracking app). I鈥檒l also very likely be stopping for a photo at every possible opportunity! Any excuse for a rest鈥
Most interesting career moment?
Touching a submarine!
What鈥檚 something you learned in the last week?
It was the Romans that introduced rabbits to the U.K. They apparently brought them across from Italy as pets!
People would be surprised to know that I鈥.
I鈥檓 a qualified football (soccer) referee, as well as a former keen player. I once trialled for Scotland, and when I was even younger, I took a penalty and broke the goal keeper鈥檚 arm!
I鈥檝e applied to go on The Island with Bear Grylls twice 鈥 once reaching a telephone interview stage.
I was recently featured on U.K. national radio sharing my lockdown love story!
What do you enjoy most about being part of #Our网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区?
You can speak with someone in Brisbane, Delhi, Lyon, New York, LA and Hawaii 鈥 all in the same day!
Making global connections is undoubtedly the best thing about working at 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区. Plus, you then have contacts to see around the globe when you鈥檙e travelling!
Join the #Our网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区 team
What drives you drives us as we work to build a better world 鈥 together. At 网曝吃瓜黑料一区二区三区, every day is an opportunity to make the world better, more connected, more sustainable.
We鈥檙e always looking for dynamic and engaged people to join our team. Bring your passion, your ingenuity and your vision. Let鈥檚 see the impact we can create, together.