Twilio Gives Back Globally

Twilio Gives Back Globally

Corporate philanthropy is nothing new: brands have long been keen on giving back. But in recent years, companies are stepping up like never before and making giving back part of their corporate ethos. As a company, Twilio is committed to giving back to the communities in which we live and work, offering up the time and talents of our employees — and the global resources of our business — to create positive, lasting impact. In fact, every Twilion (what we call our employees) globally has the opportunity to regularly give back to causes that resonate with them.

As we support local and regional programs and charities that our employees are passionate about, there's an incredible feeling of gratitude that comes from helping improve lives around the corner — and around the world! But we've also witnessed a remarkable side benefit: deepened engagement with the public in general and with local customers, partners, and colleagues.

Giving comes in many forms

Some companies embrace corporate giving and volunteering programs — donating money directly to organizations they care about. Others orchestrate matched giving programs where employee volunteers can accomplish twice as much when their employer matches the employee's donations of time or money. Twilio does a bit of both, but we also set up an engaging employee event that is part of our broader employee giving and volunteer program.

It’s called Global Impact Day — an opportunity for Twilions to live the company's value of "Empowering Others." By dedicating the day to service, Twilions give back to their communities, and together that makes a world of difference. Global Impact Day enables volunteers to share their skills and experience, connect with colleagues, meet new Twilions, and learn something new.

Real-world examples of Global Impact Day

A key ingredient to our shared success as a company is how we continue to unleash human potential, whether that is within our offices or throughout our local and global communities.

So, on a Friday in mid-September nearly, 2,000 Twilions rallied together to participate in over 70 volunteer opportunities for Global Impact Day. Twilions everywhere gathered virtually and/or in-person (safely, of course), to support many amazing causes. Here are just a few examples of the day's events.

MAKING CONNECTIONS IN THE UK

In London, one Twilion spent Global Impact Day mentoring with Deaf Unity, a nonprofit helping deaf students and job seekers have equal and full access to career opportunities and training.

"I began studying British Sign Language at the start of lockdown but have had limited opportunities to connect with the local Deaf community so far. Deaf Unity connected me with a sign language user looking to make a career change. We met up for a mentoring morning to optimize his CV, identify resources for training and look at building a professional network. It was fantastic being able to use my experience to give something back and an enormously rewarding learning experience for me."

-- Ed Long, Partner Solutions Architect, London

TECH CAREER ADVICE IN THE USA

Members of the "Twarriors" Employee Resource Group volunteered to share their skills and experiences with U.S. veterans and military families through Operation Code, a national nonprofit organization supporting veterans and military spouses who are pursuing careers in tech.

"Audience members were highly engaged and asked fantastic questions, such as 'What is customer success?' and 'How long ago was Twilio's Hatch apprenticeship program established'? This virtual event was a great success, and our team will continue to explore opportunities to partner with Operation Code."

-- Jeri Lim, Sr. Customer Success Manager, New York

LANGUAGE EXCHANGES IN INDIA

Virtual opportunities like language exchanges with young girls and women in India allowed Twilions the flexibility to get involved when in-person events weren't a possibility.

"It is very easy to forget the positive impact we can have by taking a little time out of our lives. I was so inspired by the grit and dreams of the girls we met today."

-- Aditi Jain, Director, HR Business Partner, Bengaluru

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP IN ESTONIA

Twilions volunteered to support environmental sustainability efforts. A team from the Twilio Tallinn hub helped restore a nearby lake park, a popular place to enjoy nature in the city.

"We gathered two massive containers of trash, which included car tires, a traffic sign, and even two mattresses. To me, Global Impact Day is a great way for Twilions to come together and make a positive impact in local communities."

-- Enelin Kavak, Software Engineer, Tallinn

BLOOD DONATIONS IN MADRID

For some Twilions, Global Impact Day offered an opportunity to give back early in their time at Twilio.

"It was my first week at Twilio, so my first opportunity to volunteer, and I donated blood. Global Impact Day is a great idea, and with a minimum gesture of each employee, great things can be achieved."

-- Yara Gómez Saiz, Software Engineer Apprentice, Madrid

MEETING COLLEAGUES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

For others, Global Impact Day gave them a chance to finally meet other Twilions in person and build stronger connections.

"We are a small team of Twilions working together here, and we want to be sort of like a family, not just colleagues. This experience allowed our friendship to become stronger. Our volunteer experience opened up a beautiful and emotional conversation among us as colleagues, so that was very memorable and allowed us to see more of each other's personalities outside of work."

-- Gabriela Soukupova, Workplace Operations Lead, Prague

DISCOVERING COMMUNITY IN COLORADO

Several Twilions also found that the experience offered them a different perspective and a broader understanding of issues they confront in their own lives.

"Getting to participate in the educational hackathon allowed me to learn about the challenges schools face beyond my own understanding as a parent and develop even more compassion and drive to be a part of solutions like this going forward in my community. Participating in Global Day of Service last year with my first year at Twilio also motivated me to take up a year-long commitment in Crisis Text Line Counseling and find ways to continue to be involved in my community."

-- Alicia Hollenback, Learning and Development Specialist, Denver

Good For Community, Good For Business

Philanthropy is about more than doing good in the community. When practiced authentically and sincerely, programs like our Global Impact Day can strengthen internal culture, foster employee happiness, and build a stronger, more motivated, and connected workforce. When non-employees discover news about Twilio's commitment to helping create positive impact globally, it can generate brand advocacy, create customer loyalty and pique the interest of job seekers who share a mission and purpose with the company — i.e., the type of talent we’re looking to attract, recruit and retain.

And it doesn't stop there. Through a program called "WePledge 1%," Twilions can commit to donating 1% of their time, income, or stock to do good with Twilio’s support! In that way, we give our team members a sense of purpose through giving, volunteering, and positive actions.

If any of this sounds good to you — and you're interested in learning more about Twilio — check out our current job openings!

We can't wait to see what you'll build!