How to Give Back in a Way That is Authentically Impactful
I love technology and I love teaching. Using our skills and sharing our gifts to help people is how I believe we can enable others to live to their fullest potential. I want to help all of you to use your skills to inspire others and make a real difference in their lives. Here, I’ll share some tips and guidance for you to begin that journey. Let’s dive in!
It was bitterly cold outside. But the combined body heat from the many people inside together with the steam coming from the kitchen made the room feel clammy. I looked up, smiled, and asked, “Would you like some mashed potatoes?”
The gentleman smiled back and replied, “Are these fresh mashed potatoes or powdered?”
I couldn’t help but respond, jokingly, “Now you know I was up all night mashing these!”
He chuckled, “In that case, give me a double helping…”
That was back in 2009, when I served food to those in need at the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. It was part of my Salesforce onboarding where my new hire group volunteered together. This was not new to me. Volunteering has always been an integral part of my family life.
I regularly volunteer with my kids doing anything from putting medical packages together at Medshare to making dinner at Elizabeth House, a shelter for women and children. This tradition of family volunteering stems from way back when my husband would organize a giving back event for us to do during the Holiday season.
Volunteering is part of the Salesforce Ohana DNA
But this was the first time I volunteered with my Salesforce Ohana, and would definitely not be the last! It became obvious that volunteering and giving back was not a catchphrase on our company values page but was fundamentally woven into the fabric of the Salesforce DNA.
Within the first week with my new team, we had a VTO (Volunteer Time Off) event planned for cleaning up and planting flowers at the gardens of Alcatraz. And so many more followed. From building and painting houses as part of the Hope SF Hunter View project to packing grocery bags at Project Open Hand.
These events were great in so many ways. Not only as a chance to help people, but also as a way of bonding as a team, and as an opportunity to reflect and feel grateful for all that we had. But I wanted to give back…with impact. I wanted to share my skills in a way that would truly make a difference in other people’s lives. To pay it forward and help open doors to opportunities that otherwise may not have been available.
I also wanted to help change the narrative of underrepresented minorities in the tech world by giving back in a way that would contribute to the growth of race and gender diversity in technology.
I wondered, “How can I really make a difference? What do I have that’s unique?” I stepped back and took a hard look at myself and assessed what I was really good at. Then it hit me…teaching. I’ve always enjoyed it (and am pretty good at it!); it would be my way of giving back, with a difference.
My volunteer passion: Teaching
To start, I developed the first pro bono, all women’s Salesforce course. I planned, organized, and delivered a free Administration Essentials for New Admins class exclusively for women who worked at nonprofit organizations. It was such an amazing experience. I gave back in a way that used my skills and knowledge, and that made a meaningful impact on these women’s lives.
I went on to teach several VetForce classes, traveled to Haiti to help upskill the nonprofits who aided in the earthquake relief effort, and even encouraged a co-worker to run a pro-bono Developer class. And I didn’t stop there, I was on a roll! I expanded my volunteer passion to teach robotics at a Black Girls Code event hosted by Salesforce and even taught a hip-hop class at The Arc San Francisco, a center for adults with developmental disabilities.
Finding your “thing”
The hardest part of my “giving back with impact” journey was to first identify what it was I could do. How could I really make a difference? What could I do to help push race and gender diversity in tech? What could I uniquely offer that was useful? However, once I found it, it was easy to replicate. When I gave back in a way that I felt was authentically impactful, my students were not the only ones who benefited. I, too, walked away with tons of gains.
You know you’ve found your volunteering sweet spot, your unique way of giving back…your “thing” …when you feel:
- A greater sense of purpose. For me, I realized there was a larger purpose to life after I experienced how grateful people were that I shared my knowledge and was invested their learning.
- Gratitude for your knowledge. The fact that I can now teach what I know makes me feel even more grateful for the knowledge I have built up over time. And the fact that I have a platform from which to share it with others makes me even more grateful.
- The power of multiplication. One of my favorite Trailblazer quotes is from Stephanie Herrera, “When you find something you love, your first instinct is to share it.” That’s what I did. I love teaching and was able to share my technical knowledge. I saw how it ignited a fire in others to also want to share their knowledge. If you inspire five people and each of those five go on to share with five more, you’ve multiplied to 25 people.
Be a multiplier
Volunteering your time to help others is always a good thing. But finding a way to give back that truly enriches people’s lives is even better. Sharing your skills, finding a way to make a difference, and multiplying this effect by inspiring others to do the same is the most powerful way to give back. Being part of the Salesforce Ohana not only encourages this approach — this way of being authentically impactful — but it enables it.
So, take a minute to think about what you’re really good at. What skills can you bring to the table? Then look at how you can use these skills to pay it forward. And remember, you’re not an island! Reach out to the Salesforce Ohana through the Trailblazer Community to find events and groups you can join that will multiply your efforts to give back.
Just think, if you go out and help ten people, then those ten people go out and each of them helps ten other people, the impact starts to multiply. The effect is cumulative over time, the more people who become involved and start sharing, the more people you can reach — to the tune of millions…
That’s meaningful. That’s impactful. And that makes a real difference!
