For some companies, their core values may be listed on the “culture” tab of their site. A web page often perused by prospective employees, it probably also includes photos of employees playing ping pong in the cafeteria and brags about the various types of local beer that are available on tap in the office kitchen at any one time. While an effective recruiting tool, these values shouldn’t just be confined to a URL but should be part of the day-to-day of an organization claiming them. At Bazaarvoice, we make sure that our core values are reinforced, and come to life, beyond our website (as a bonus, we also have ping pong tables and local beer on tap!).
One of our core values, and one of my favorites, is generosity. We strive to share, give without expectations, and connect to our communities – be them Austin, Texas, or Vilnius, Lithuania. As part of this core value, every year, we host our b:generous week, a full week (and now even longer than a week!) dedicated to volunteerism across each of our offices all over the world. Employees are given the choice of a variety of local nonprofits to which to dedicate their time.
This year, we’ve had our largest and most successful b:generous week yet. After all was said and done, we:
- Volunteered over 1,800 hours
- Donated approximately 200 lbs of items
- Worked with 35 nonprofits
- Donated/raised $30,000 (10k by employees, 20k by Bazaarvoice)
Employees participated in everything from constructing homes with Habitat for Humanity, socializing with seniors at AGE of Central Texas, planting crops with the Central Texas Food Bank and Urban Roots, landscaping with Rebuilding Together Austin and id verde UK, packing Love Packs with Another World Belfast, helping to train future guide dogs at Guide Dogs Paris, raising money for the Kids’ Cancer Project in Australia and much, much more.
Although the company specifically sets aside this week for us to volunteer, we encourage employees to spread generosity every other week of the year as well, and many BVers dedicate a substantial amount of their time to various nonprofit organizations in their communities. Here are just a few examples of our employees doing their part around the world:
Young Women’s Trust
Emily Hancock, who is part of our People & Talent team in our London office, organizes a group of her coworkers to volunteer regularly with Young Women’s Trust, a nonprofit that serves in England and Wales. The organization supports young women aged 18-30, especially those struggling to live on low or no pay, to prepare for and find work that is right for them. Emily and her team edit the young womens’ resumes and help them with applying to jobs.
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Rachel Zaney, who is a part of our Sales team in our Austin office, is very passionate about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – South Central Texas Chapter. She has gotten her Bazaarvoice coworkers involved through donating to and volunteering for events such as the Man Woman of the Year Campaign, a 10-week philanthropic competition for those interested in raising money to fund life-saving blood cancer research in their local communities. Other campaigns, such as the Light The Night Walk, an annual walk honoring survivors and remembering those we have lost, and Team in Training, the largest charity endurance training program in the world, are also pivotal in the organization’s mission.
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Our core value of generosity is something that is lived out by every single one of our employees, during b:generous week and beyond. We’re proud to have made our marks in communities and with organizations all over the planet and are already looking forward to the improvements we can make next year. To join our team and b:generous week next year, visit our careers page.
