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Over to you, Charlotte Finn, VP, Salesforce.Org EMEA
My day varies depending on where I am. No day for any of the team at Salesforce.org looks the same - we may all have daily tasks to be completed but as we are lucky enough to work for an organisation which is incredibly diverse, dynamic and fluid, we also have to adapt our working day around change!
Salesforce founded the 1-1-1 model of integrated corporate philanthropy, and gives 1% of employee time, technology and equity to help improve communities around the world, and other companies, such as Google, Yelp and Box have also adopted this 1-1-1 model.
I have been in Dublin for meetings and also Web Summit and so it’s a great example of how a day can hold a varied agenda whilst always on course to support the mission of Salesforce.org and Salesforce.
05:45: Alarm goes off – ouch. Even when at home I tend to get up early during the week to ensure I can be up and ready for when my 5-year-old bounds out of bed and needs me to help him get ready for school. This morning, however, I am in a hotel room and get to hit snooze for 10 minutes.
05:55: Alarm again. I take the opportunity to quickly check the news (has anything exciting happened over night according to BBC online?). I then scan email that has come in overnight. Depending on the content I will either action, mark as unread or file. Then a quick check of the calendar to work out what my day looks like and how long I have until my first scheduled appointment.
06:30: As this morning I have no child to get ready for school, it’s an opportunity to take a little time for myself, so I pull on workout gear and go for a run. It’s a drizzly morning, perfect for a 5 mile run through Dublin. Then back to the hotel, try to recover and then off to work.
08:30: I have 30 minutes before my first meeting as it is taking place in the hotel so I take the time to do the dreaded expenses. One of these admin tasks that need to be done but as I have not submitted for a while, they have mounted up and so need organizing properly. Every time I do expenses I also make a personal note to myself not to let them mount up again but…
09:00: We are currently searching for a new Programs Manager to join our team and first up this morning is a candidate interview. It’s so important for us at both Salesforce and Salesforce.org that interview candidates not only have outstanding skills but that they have a passion and a character which fits the culture of the organization. It was a great conversation with someone who really understands her specialism and has an enthusiasm and passion for the non-profit sector which really shone through.
11.30: Having arrived into the office, I sit down with one of the EMEA Programs Managers. Its budget time and so we are discussing one of our Foundation partners to whom we are considering another grant to to next year. Before we make any decisions on grants we must review the previous financial years relationship and metrics and then begin the due diligence into any potential subsequent grant: it’s the what, how much and then (incredibly important) the impact. Any grant that we approve must have a clear program associated with it, with agreed objectives, activities and target impact. It’s also key that the program aligns with the mission of the Foundation, and that it holds elements of our 1-1-1 model (time, technology and funding for non-profits).
12.30: Lunch with Volunteer Ireland. VI are a fabulous organisation that we are beginning to build a strong relationship with. Our employees in Ireland are some of our strongest volunteers, and our relationship with VI will enable us to offer some amazing volunteer opportunities to employees but also to really achieve one of our key mission elements which is ensuring we give back to the communities in which we live and work.
14:00: Now it’s straight from lunch to a meeting with Philanthropy Ireland, an introductory meeting for both parties centred around the concept of Pledge 1% and integrated philanthropy. The Salesforce 1-1-1 model is seen very much as a leading and innovative model within corporate philanthropy and so we spend a good deal of time discussing the model, the successes, potential pitfalls and how together we can collaborate with other companies and non-profits to get raise awareness of the importance of integrated philanthropy and how it can really contribute to a successful corporate strategy.
15:00: It’s budget time, and the first draft needs to be with our finance team in the USA by Friday. It’s always a fun time of year and fingers crossed, it gets approved quickly.
16:00: Time for the bi-weekly grants meeting to discuss the status of current grant payments, where we are, and which payments are outstanding in the process. In EMEA, we will process more than 1,250 team and champion grants this year because we have so many employees who volunteer regularly.
17:00: Press send on the grants budget plan; our submission is now in early which is a great relief.
17:30: Say goodbye to my fabulous team in Dublin and then jump on to the LUAS, back to the hotel for a quick freshen-up!
18:30: Off to the Dean Hotel for the Salesforce Web Summit gala event which I have the pleasure of helping host. This year, instead of collateral and giveways at both Web Summit and the event, Salesforce is making a donation per attendee to Coderdojo, one of our key Foundation partners who are based in Dublin (check out the video below for more info). In addition we are encouraging all attendees to the event to make a donation in return for entry into a prize draw – with an incredible top prize of seeing U2 in concert.
23:30: Time for bed - have to be up for an early morning flight back to London and I’m so looking forward to seeing my little boy. It’s been a great day!
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