A focus on sustainability and global citizenship: Discover Impact Day at Dropbox

We recently celebrated our quarterly day of service, Impact Day, which encourages Dropboxers around the world to get involved in their local communities and give back to the charities they care about. In partnership with Dropbox for Good, our ERGs, and the Dropbox Foundation, we’re committed to creating community here at Dropbox and encouraging global citizenship as part of our Virtual First model.

This quarter, we celebrated Latinx Heritage Month and encouraged Dropboxers to donate to Dropbox’s Giving Circle, supported by the Latino Community Foundation (LCF). Last year, the Dropbox Giving Circle raised and awarded $18,000 to three incredible non-profit organizations that support Latinx-led organizations in California. We’re excited to share that this year, the Giving Circle surpassed its goal and raised over $23,300!

This time around, we also focused on our sustainability goals more than ever with events like our virtual plastic scavenger hunt, supported by Australian nonprofit Take 3 for the Sea. Below are a few of the other opportunities Dropboxers engaged in during Impact Day:

• A fireside chat with Malaria No More, where Dropboxers learned about how this nonprofit is mobilizing to end malaria within our generation.
• A mapathon with Missing Maps, which helped humanitarian organizations meet the needs of vulnerable people by tracing satellite imagery for disaster response efforts. This Impact Day, we had a mapathon in every Dropbox region, including one in Sydney for the first time. So far this year, Dropboxers have mapped more than 14,500 buildings — well done everyone!
• A fireside chat with former Dropboxer Alex Allain about how he co-founded nonprofit U.S. Digital Response, which places pro-bono technologists to work with governments and other organizations to deliver critical services during times of crisis.

Here’s what a few Dropboxers had to say about the day:

“Missing Maps was hands down one of the most interesting virtual volunteering opportunities I have ever experienced — working with satellite imagery to map remote areas around the globe that we have very little info on to help first responders was absolutely amazing! As a bonus the mapping activity even felt therapeutic; I highly recommend it.” — Miaad Hussain, Missing Maps

“It was a pleasure returning to Dropbox to share the work we’re doing at U.S. Digital Response. We’ve already had multiple Dropbox volunteers make an impact in our first 18 months and we’re excited to create more pathways for talented technologists to use their skills to give back.” — Alex Allain, U.S. Digital Response co-founder and former Dropboxer

“Attending this session left me astounded by the scope of global plastic pollution, and evaluating plastic consumption within my home was eye-opening. Since the scavenger hunt, I’m making more conscientious shopping choices and seeking new ways to re-use and recycle. I loved sharing this experience with my team.” — Stephanie Redding, Virtual Scavenger Hunt to Address “The Plastic Problem”

Want to learn more about how we empower and encourage all of our Dropboxers to make a difference in their communities? Check out our new jobs site for more information on and stories about our impact — as well as job openings.