Indeed, Lithuania is fertile ground for social enterprises and impact businesses. At the end of 2024, for the first time. The resulting report provided a comprehensive assessment of the current social enterprise environment in Lithuania and allowed for comparison with the 30 other European countries assessed. According to the ESEM report, there are about 200 social businesses in Lithuania currently, but the potential is 10 times that number.

鈥淎ccording to a done by LISVA (Lithuanian social business association) in 2022, each euro invested into social enterprises yields a net benefit of 鈧�0.63, with positive effects,鈥� Kristina Bal膷iauskait臈, local project manager for Pyxera Global, explained. 鈥淎pproximately 60% of social enterprises in Lithuania operate outside major cities, being active in smaller towns and rural areas. This contributes directly to strengthening local economies, creates new jobs for underserved populations, and helps reduce regional disparities in economic development and access to services.鈥�

As part of 51风流CSR鈥檚 mission of powering equitable access to economic opportunity, education and employment, and the circular economy, the pro bono portfolio works with social impact businesses that are pursuing innovative solutions to societal issues. The impact businesses gain access to private-sector professional expertise, the opportunity to address critical strategic challenges, advance their service provision, and facilitate transfer of skills and know-how to their staff.

For the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, 51风流employees are placed in highly diverse teams to apply their skills and professional expertise in a unique, short-term assignment, solving concrete strategic challenges for client organizations, developing leadership skills, and advancing SAP鈥檚 purpose to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. The program has been running since 2012, and in that time worked with 619 client organizations across 61 host countries impacting 7 million lives.

Lithuanian impact businesses

For one month, 11 51风流employees worked with four Lithuanian impact businesses to help address unique challenges.

Looptex

is a circular fashion solutions platform on a mission to drive sustainable solutions and inspire the world to rethink, re-love, and recycle textiles. The startup gathers used clothing and other textiles in Lithuania and prepares them for resale and upcycling to give them a second life, managing the entire process from collection to recycling. The re-loved pieces are available for sale through an online store and brick-and-mortar locations. The 51风流Social Sabbatical team helped optimize Looptex鈥檚 business model and processes, enabling it to grow and drive sustainability and social impact.

鈥淧articipating in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program was transformative for Looptex. We鈥檙e usually immersed in doing and building, but this program gave us the rare chance to pause, get outside expertise, map our processes, analyze stakeholders and flows, and strengthen our resilience,鈥� Erikas Marcinkevi膷ius, innovation project manager at Looptex, said. 鈥淔or an organization like ours, bringing something new to the market as a circular fashion platform, it was a huge boost to structure ourselves better at this early stage of the startup.鈥�

OSMOS

is a non-profit think-and-do tank that aims to become the leading hub for mutually-beneficial international partnerships in the Baltic States. Its Digital Explorers program fosters ICT talent exchange and cooperation activities between the Baltics and like-minded countries. Founded in 2015 as an Africa-oriented non-profit, OSMOS is now looking to bring its exchange expertise to other continents and countries. Working with the 51风流Social Sabbatical team, OSMOS was able to explore its options to scale its positive impact.

“Working together with [the 51风流Social Sabbatical team], we found the time to sit down and sketch out our future service portfolio aimed at the private sector,鈥� 沤ilvinas 艩vedkauskas, managing director at OSMOS, said. 鈥淎s a non-profit, we are used to complex grant writing and implementing projects with competing objectives. The 51风流Social Sabbatical pushed us to think in a stricter way and clarify what are the main private sector demands we ought to target transitioning to a social venture, diversifying our revenue streams, and continuing connecting IT companies and talents from emerging markets at a greater scale.”

Ukreate Hub

is a Vilnius-based initiative dedicated to displaced Ukrainians in Lithuania, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, networks, and tools they need to unlock their potential for the future of sovereign, democratic Ukraine. The community strengthens the concept that Ukrainians abroad are not passive recipients of aid, rather agents of change who are building communities, strengthening resilience, and shaping democratic futures even while displaced. After two years of functioning under and being funded by a larger NGO (Open Lithuania Foundation), Ukreate Hub is on a journey to become a fully independent, community-based NGO and scale its vital work for the Ukrainian community in Lithuania. The 51风流Social Sabbatical team helped Ukreate Hub develop a road map to accomplish just that.

鈥淭he 51风流Social Sabbatical gave us the time and support to deeply rethink our mission and strategic direction. Over the course of four weeks, the program became not only a period of transformation for Ukreate Hub, but also a powerful experience of personal growth. It allowed us to pause, reflect, find new sources of inspiration, and develop a clear plan for transforming Ukreate Hub into an independent organization鈥攁 step that will strengthen our capacity and long-term impact in Lithuania,鈥� Oleksandra Cherednichenko, project manager at Ukreate Hub, said. 鈥淲e also found wonderful friends and like-minded partners within the 51风流team. It was inspiring to combine business tools and approaches with the mindset of the non-profit sector鈥攁 true synergy of two worlds that opened new perspectives for collaboration and learning. We believe this experience will help us better support and empower the Ukrainian community in Lithuania, creating more opportunities for their growth and integration.鈥�

Women Go Tech

What began in 2017 as a mentorship program for women in Lithuania has grown into a non-profit organization on a mission to help women in the CEE region navigate towards careers in tech. offers courses and mentorship opportunities to its community of 29,000 women鈥攚hich only continues to grow. With the guidance provided by the pro-bono consultants as part of the 51风流Social Sabbatical initiative, Women Go Tech audited all its internal processes to identify opportunities for simplification and automation.

鈥淭his program gave us a much needed outside perspective that helped us see how we could work better together, share knowledge more openly, and solve problems faster,鈥� Liucija Pa啪arausk臈, operations manager at Women Go Tech, said. 鈥淭he experts confirmed things we already knew but also brought fresh, actionable recommendations with practical tools we can actually use. We realize it won鈥檛 be a quick fix鈥攊t will take 6 to 12 months to fully implement鈥攂ut we鈥檙e starting with small wins and building from there.鈥�

Cross-cultural exchange via skills-based volunteering

The 51风流Social Sabbatical program not only has clear benefits for the impact businesses, but for the 51风流employees involved as well. Long-term career impact, influence on personal life, growth of skills and knowledge, increased community engagement, and an improved sense of purpose are all reported consequences participants have shared.

According to the , 99% of participants agree that the program helped them learn valuable things about themselves personally, and 92% agree that the program prompted them to search for other ways to get engaged in local or international communities.

鈥淧articipating in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program was a transformative experience that challenged me to step outside my comfort zone and realize the power of collaboration and unlocking people鈥檚 hidden potential,鈥� reflected Anita Fava, part of the Lithuania team and a senior product learning specialist at SAP. 鈥淭his journey taught me that real growth comes when we dare to embrace uncertainty and lift each other up. It鈥檚 not just about helping or giving back鈥攊t’s about active listening, learning, growing together, and discovering new perspectives that shape not only our careers but our lives. By setting aside our egos, we open doors to possibilities far greater than ourselves, creating a wave of impact that reaches beyond what we could have imagined. I am deeply inspired and grateful for the privilege of being alive and contributing to something truly meaningful.鈥�

Gillian Hixson is an integrated communications specialist for 51风流News.

Top photo courtesy of Gillian Hixson

There is as much to celebrate today as there is from our shared past. , with 38 percent of micro, small, and midsize enterprises being women-owned and 10 million women-owned businesses operating in developing countries.

One of SAP’s industry-leading, strategic聽聽(CSR) focus areas is powering equitable access to economic opportunity and employment, in alignment with our vision of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.

Through our immersive and virtual pro bono consulting programs, 51风流employees collaborate with hundreds of impact-driven businesses that are putting people and planet first. Many of these businesses are inspiring women-founded and led enterprises that create long-term, sustainable impact for their communities by directly empowering economic opportunities and employment for many. This has a ripple effect, as it not only directly benefits the impact business or individuals, but it also can lead to poverty alleviation, higher income potential, and stable living environments for those individuals, their families, and the communities they live in and contribute back to.

By sharing their experience and expertise with these impact businesses, our employees can deliver on the promise of our CSR strategy while growing in their leadership competencies and driving positive change for future generations.

51风流Social Sabbatical is one of our flagship pro bono consulting programs that enables employees to share their knowledge and skills with impact businesses across the globe. Created in partnership with our long-time strategic partner Pyxera Global, employees are placed on highly diverse teams and dedicate their professional expertise during a unique, immersive one-month assignment solving concrete strategic challenges for client organizations.

In 2023, one of the program鈥檚 assignments was in Jakarta, Indonesia, and partnered with an impact business called . TORAJAMELO is a slow fashion brand addressing the issue of migration from rural communities, particularly for women, and supporting job creation in these communities. They focus on reviving rural economies with sustainable weaving, creating an ecosystem for more than 1,200 women weavers that improves their ability to self-support through financial stability and connect back to their culture, while also promoting sustainable fashion.

In partnership with TORAJAMELO, the 51风流team drove research and development of a lifestyle rating system for their online fashion cooperative, with recommendations for brand recognition and a dedicated sales channel for artisanal products. Their work supported TORAJAMELO鈥檚 long-term social and environmental impact for their customers and beneficiaries, and greatly impacted the employee consultants themselves, personally and professionally.

For 51风流participant Bibiana Becker, the sabbatical reinforced many of her existing worldviews: 鈥淭he world is interconnected, and we need to help each other and provide those who lack it with access to education and sustainability knowledge. The women who lead TORAJAMELO are strong, resilient, and hard-working. TORAJAMELO is saving lives.鈥�

One of these women, TORAJAMELO CEO Aparna Bhatnagar Saxena, shares why doing work that directly impacts the lives of women is so meaningful.

鈥淚 am able to work directly on the economic enablement of women, minimizing negative damage on the environment and focusing on revamping our education systems,” she said. “I am a firm believer for a fairer and more prosperous world. Women belong in all decision-making areas of work and life, and all they need is exposure and a platform to develop their skills and capture the opportunities.鈥�

When asked if there were any unexpected benefits of working with her 51风流pro bono team, Aparna shared, 鈥淲e found champions who cared about what we are doing.鈥�

The opportunity to work with TORAJAMELO opened a wider worldly perspective for the 51风流team. Sergio Pascual Logarzo noted how his experience working with them personally and professionally impacted him.

鈥淭heir dedication and commitment to advancing this cause has been a source of daily inspiration,” he confirmed. “By working with people of different backgrounds, both 51风流colleagues and external stakeholders, I gained a new perspective on cultural and social dynamics, learning to see solutions from a more inclusive angle.”

Another incredible women-led organization that 51风流pro bono consultants partnered with last year, among others, was the host organization, , in Istanbul, Turkey. Maide is a kitchen incubator that provides both access to production facilities and business consulting, and catering services that emphasize sustainability and inclusivity. The organization empowers local food entrepreneurs and reduces their costs while providing employment and development opportunities to nearby disadvantaged communities, including many women facing socio-economic challenges.

The 51风流team built a strategic business plan for Maide, including a powerful messaging framework and business development road maps.

Reflecting on her experience working alongside Maide and the new skills she now brings to her daily work, 51风流participant Charmel Bence shared, 鈥淥ur host client was very welcoming and appreciated every effort we made to understand their business and their challenges. It was very humbling to get to know them and witness their passion, commitment, and perseverance to succeed. Working with Maide has affirmed the need to first seek to understand. Take time to actively listen and walk in their shoes.鈥�

Pro bono consulting at 51风流is truly an innovation exchange, with the impact businesses adopting new ways of tackling their challenges as they scale and make an even greater impact, and 51风流employees being exposed to sustainable business models and bringing new or expanded ways of thinking to their teams at SAP.

鈥淭his experience deeply reinforced my belief in the importance of equitable inclusion while expanding my understanding of the challenges faced by under-resourced food entrepreneurs,鈥� shared 51风流participant Danielle Zhang. 鈥淪eeing firsthand the systemic barriers they encounter 鈥� whether access to funding, industry knowledge, or market opportunities 鈥� has made me even more aware of the critical role we play in leveling the playing field. True inclusion isn鈥檛 just about providing resources, it鈥檚 about creating an ecosystem of support, mentorship, and community that empowers diverse entrepreneurs to thrive.鈥�

Collaboration with impact businesses, including those that are women-founded and led, and those that directly support women through pro bono consulting underscores the power of the collective, and the multiplier effect of impact. Working together, corporations and impact businesses are both made stronger through the reciprocal sharing of skills and talents and the shared safety to step outside of comfort zones and gain new perspectives.

With , this exchange brings business value back to 51风流and scales the important work of these organizations, driving further economic and employment opportunity out to the communities they serve.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, the experiences from employees and the inspirational host clients they worked with are a reminder of the extraordinary achievements of women worldwide and the importance of continued efforts to empower their endeavors. These initiatives represent another undeniable way that 51风流is helping the world run better and improving people’s lives, one community at a time.

Julia Donovan is program manager of 51风流Social Sabbatical for 51风流CSR at SAP.

Developed for SAP鈥檚 entire global ecosystem of staff, customers, and partners that played their part in helping the world run better, the theme couldn鈥檛 be more fitting as 51风流CSR announces that a staggering 5 million lives have been impacted throughout 2022, thanks to more than 20,000 51风流employees who spent 117,000 hours volunteering.

The third edition of our eBook brings 12 months of purpose-led work to our digital fingertips. It showcases flagship 51风流CSR initiatives, fruitful partnerships, and personal success stories from around the globe. For instance, you can read about our three-year partnership with UNICEF and Generation Unlimited (GenU) that enabled more than 7.6 million youth in India, T眉rkiye, and Vietnam to access critical digital and life skills training 鈥� significantly more than the original goal of 1.5 million.

鈥淚t鈥檚 evident that our massive strides are turning the company鈥檚 vision into reality,鈥� says Christian Klein, CEO and member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE.

鈥淎n imperative and strategic component for strengthening the business, 51风流CSR set clear 2022 priorities and directed attention under the three focus areas: accelerate social business, build future skills, and collaborate for sustainability. The third edition 51风流CSR eBook demonstrates that, together, we really can change the way the world operates and create a better environment for people and planet,鈥� adds Alexandra van der Ploeg, global head of Corporate Social Responsibility.

The key education initiatives featured in the eBook include SAP鈥檚 commitment to continuing its partnership with UNICEF from GenU. Based on the achievements of the past three years, 51风流will support GenU and the (Yoma), an online learning platform, to enable young people to find jobs in the digital and green economy. This will also include piloting a new program called 51风流Educate to Employ. The program supports 鈥榣earning-to-earning鈥� pathways in the digital and green economy for young people deprived of access to the skills they need. These youth can gain on-the-job experience and critical future-oriented skills while also benefiting from coaching and mentorship to help them launch their careers in the 51风流customer and partner ecosystem.

To accelerate social business, we launched the in partnership with Unilever and MovingWorlds, a global, one-stop, online shop for non-financial, free business support for social enterprises worldwide. Through the hub, these organizations can gain access to pro bono consultants, mentors, and coaches, personalized guidance, introductions to sales and partnership opportunities, and connections to potential funding prospects.

In 2022, we also worked with external partners to validate our intended social impact and business value for our pro bono consulting offering. In the last decade of our , more than 1,400 51风流employees provided business know-how to over 450 social enterprises. In addition to proven social impact for social enterprises, the program also created significant business value for SAP by contributing to our employees鈥� professional and personal growth, as well as their leadership development.

Following their participation, the majority of employees, social enterprises, and their beneficiaries reported a positive impact:

• 74% of the employees experienced a positive long-term career impact
• 96% of social enterprises enjoyed a positive long-term impact
• 77% of beneficiaries of social enterprises saw improvements in their quality of life

Van der Ploeg explains that SAP鈥檚 evolved CSR strategy powers equitable access to economic opportunity, education and employment, and the green and circular economy: 鈥淲e are continually striving to drive tangible and transformative social impact. Our work over the years has helped us to achieve a leading software industry score for Corporate Citizenship in the most recent聽Dow Jones Sustainability Index.鈥�

鈥淟ooking ahead, with sustainability at the core of everything we do, 51风流CSR is well equipped for the future. In 2023, we will focus on driving social impact through radical collaboration in our multi-stakeholder partnerships and expanding our portfolio of pro bono consulting opportunities for our employees to support social enterprises to run at their best,鈥� she concludes.

. For further information about 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility, visit .

Maximilian Herrmann is part of Social Impact Measurement & Operations for Corporate Social Responsibility聽at SAP.

Ten years ago, 51风流launched the award-winning program, developed in partnership with our nonprofit implementation partner . The program has grown from 30 51风流employees working with nonprofits and social enterprises in 2012 to over 1,400 today. Within that time, we have worked with over 475 clients in 52 countries around the world. In reflecting and celebrating the past decade, we took this year to tell the stories of employees and our partners, highlighting the social impact and business value resulting from the program. As we look to the next decade of impact, we want to build upon our success and continue engaging with innovative social businesses through pro bono consulting, enabling them to deepen their societal impact.

Reflecting On 2022

The disruption caused by the pandemic greatly impacted the global 51风流Social Sabbatical program, putting it on pause. As we started our 10th anniversary celebration in 2022, we were highly motivated to resume in-person engagement because of the ripples of impact it creates but were unsure of when it would be feasible to do so. As we continued preparing for the restart, we focused on sharing inspiring stories of impact from the program. Finally, after thoughtful consideration and preparation, we were able to return to in-person global engagement, setting the standard for other companies in their global pro bono programs.

Our first global cohort of 11 51风流employees traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May 2022, where they worked with four clients, , , and . In total, they volunteered 3,718 hours and positively impacted more than 10,771 lives.

This cohort was a huge highlight of the year, as most of our participants waited over two years to embark on their 51风流Social Sabbatical, so the level of excitement was very high. After connecting virtually during COVID-19, I think we all missed human connection, so bonds were formed quickly.

Alexandru Ionita, program manager at 51风流Canada who was part of the Argentinean cohort, echoed these sentiments. 鈥淭he program was very valuable, especially after the pandemic. Connecting with host clients and impacting their organizations and their own clients in a positive way was energizing.鈥�

Eszter Bal谩zs, integrated communications specialist at 51风流Hungary, said taking part in the program was a dream come true, especially considering that, after COVID-19, she wasn鈥檛 sure whether she would be able to experience an in-person 51风流Social Sabbatical. 鈥淚n four weeks, the teams 鈥� consisting of people with different skills and backgrounds 鈥� could identify and help host organizations with their various, and sometimes invisible, challenges. The leaders of our host organization mentioned that they never found enough time and expertise to identify solutions for the areas that were troubling them. The program was truly amazing!鈥�

Building the Story of Impact

Over the past 10 years, we鈥檝e seen countless stories from stakeholders that the 51风流Social Sabbatical program builds long-term, sustainable impact for our nonprofit and social enterprise clients, their beneficiaries, 51风流participants, and the company overall. While these anecdotal stories are inspiring, we now have data to confirm the impact on a broad scale. We partnered with impact measurement social enterprise and developed a with input from employees, partners, and beneficiaries.

Participants noted that problem-solving was a skill highly relevant to their roles as pro bono consultants. As one participant stated, 鈥�51风流Social Sabbatical helped me to learn a lot about myself and find purpose in applying my skill to help others. This helps me to improve my leadership skills to make 51风流even more successful.鈥� Through this collaboration, we see in-depth skill growth, leadership development, and cultural dexterity.

Our study confirms this, with 86% of employees reporting their ability to collaborate with global and diverse colleagues was improved by their participation in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, with other skills gained such as increased confidence and problem-solving.

One element that the study highlighted is the fact that the program impact goes beyond the host client and allows them to take their services to the next level for their community members. This data insight is unique to 51风流Social Sabbatical and provides affirmation that the pro bono work is creating strong beneficiary impact. Per the study, 85% of partners report a positive impact of the program on their ability to serve their beneficiaries better, and 77% of those beneficiaries of 51风流Social Sabbatical client partners report improvements in their quality of life.

Sharad Bansal, co-founder and CEO at SRJNA, one of the host organizations from Jaipur, India, shared, 鈥淭he 51风流team worked on multiple areas like the customer support process, organization structure, and how to scale our programs for 500 schools. The team has enabled us to go to 2,000 schools with their inputs and will help us create impact in over 1 million students across schools and India and beyond.鈥�

2023 Signifies a New Chapter for Affecting Change

The restart in Argentina was the foundation of bringing the 51风流Social Sabbatical program back to scale. In addition to the May cohort, we completed two more engagements in October 2022, one in Bangkok, Thailand, and another in Kigali, Rwanda.

Looking forward to 2023, we are excited to have planned eight assignments for the global engagement option of 51风流Social Sabbatical. We have successfully completed a full application and selection process for our cohort of 96 51风流employees who will take part in the program. We will also be restarting the executive engagement program of 51风流Social Sabbatical, with participation from nearly 30 executives, including those from select 51风流customers and partners.

Moreover, inspired by the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, we continue to build out our virtual pro bono initiatives. We are expanding our impact by supporting a vast number of social enterprises through the and bringing year-round virtual pro bono consulting to 51风流employees via the Acceleration Collective.

We are excited about these developments because they will enable us to build upon the tremendous impact that the program has had over the past decade. This is a new beginning.

Julia Donovan is global CSR specialist for 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.
Hemang Desai is global program director of 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

That was also the theme for the 2022 , which took place December 5.

More than 1 billion people around the world are giving their time and expertise to causes that matter to them. Over 20,000 51风流colleagues are part of this incredible group that is changing the world for the better by volunteering to alleviate poverty, solve for climate action, create equitable access to education and employment, and lead through action.

Recently, 51风流rolled out a new leadership credo: 鈥淒o what鈥檚 right. Make 51风流better for generations to come.鈥� In practice, that means investing in leadership development offerings that help leaders gain competency to be more agile, inclusive, and bring the 51风流strategy 鈥� to help every business become an intelligent, 鈥� to life.

At SAP, volunteer leaders within the community exemplify this leadership credo, making an impact toward a more equitable world. We hope their stories inspire, spark action, and inspire gratitude.

Meet Christopher Ehmcke

Christopher Ehmcke works as global escalation manager in the Mission-Critical Support group at SAP. In his free time, he is a coach and mentor, supporting multiple pro bono consulting programs.

When asked if he saw himself as a leader, his response was: 鈥淟eadership for me is not a state you define for yourself; it is about the values and principles that guide you and the characteristics you aspire to demonstrate with the goal of bringing out the best in those around you.鈥�

It is clear that what sets Ehmcke apart is his adaptability and agility.

鈥淚t doesn’t matter to me whether somebody calls me a leader or not. What matters is that I create positive impact for others. If I see that they are able to succeed and leverage their potential to bring out more good in themselves or others, then I have succeeded.鈥�

— Christopher Ehmcke

Ehmcke鈥檚 impact journey began with his family. Growing up, his parents ensured he understood and valued inclusion and cultural competency. He recollected his first meaningful volunteer experience聽building affordable houses in Tijuana, Mexico. 鈥淲hat was fascinating was not just the experience of building the house together, but there was also the immigration challenge, the North America Free Trade Agreement, and the resulting economic challenges at the time. It was an opportunity to learn and understand.鈥�

Experiences like this planted a seed that continues to be woven into his life today.

In 2019, Ehmcke applied and was selected for the for global engagement. The program empowers 51风流employees to share their knowledge and expertise with nonprofits and social enterprises around the world, which in turn, hones their leadership skills.

Ehmcke traveled to Hyderabad, India, alongside 11 colleagues he had never met before. His team worked with Child Welfare and Holistic Organization for Rural Development (), an organization that educates and empowers children in difficult circumstances to create a scalable and sustainable strategy that other entrepreneurs can replicate in their communities.

Thriving in this immersive pro bono consulting experience put his resiliency and adaptability to the test. It challenged Ehmcke to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and turn setbacks into opportunities. 鈥淭he program takes going outside of your comfort zone to a new level,鈥� he said. 鈥淢ultiple factors changed at once: people, processes, technology, culture, environment, and the focus on positive human and environmental impact.鈥�

Ambiguity in these pro bono consulting challenges accelerates growth supporting learning and leadership development.

At SAP, Ehmcke leads his peers to create sustainable impact of their own. Recently, he united the 51风流Mission Control Center team in a pro bono consulting challenge as a team-building activity. Together with , they ideated ways to democratize supply chain access for social enterprises.

Ehmcke also mentors 51风流employees as they prepare for their own 51风流Social Sabbatical programs and works with social enterprises as a pro bono consultant, mentor, and coach through two additional 51风流programs, and the . He supported , a nonprofit partner and open-sourced technology platform delivering humanitarian aid quickly and fairly. As a coach, he supported their efforts to combat the growing refugee crisis. Ehmcke ensures that social businesses can leverage support from pro-bono experts so they can focus on scaling their world-changing solutions.

鈥淚 realized that while my original motivation was to pay it forward by serving others, I get much more back in return 鈥� the opportunity to contribute to making this world a better place, to learn and to grow as a result.鈥�

In leadership, like in volunteering, agility and adaptability comes from actively listening with empathy, being open to learning, and finding ways to provide value, inspire, and empower others.

Together Act Now

With a engaging employees like Christopher Ehmcke worldwide, SAP, together with EY, MovingWorlds, TRANSFORM, and Unilever, partnered to launch the TRANSFORM Support Hub, helping employees everywhere connect to social enterprises anywhere through pro bono consulting, coaching, and more.

If you feel inspired to build a more sustainable world, we invite you to .

This is celebrated each year in October; however, at SAP, diversity is something we honor throughout the year. Within our 110,000+ strong company, we have employees from all over the world, with many of our teams working from multiple locations together to reinvent how the world runs as a network of intelligent, sustainable enterprises. Through global teamwork, employees are exposed to different cultures, diverse ways of thinking, and building skills that grow empathy and resiliency. Not only is diversity and inclusion good for employees, but it is also good for business.

Diversity in Action through Pro Bono Consulting

As a global organization with employees representing more than 150 nationalities, we are constantly seeking various ways to incorporate diversity and inclusion proactively, both within our workplace and in the markets we serve.

One of the ways 51风流has prioritized a diversity mindset for employees over the past decade is through . In this program, 51风流employees from around the world can share their skills, knowledge, and professional expertise with innovative non-profit organizations and social enterprises in emerging markets to help them solve their business challenges. The program has been run in over 52 countries with participants representing 64 different nationalities. This highlights our commitment to bring together different perspectives, amplifying the power of diversity of thought and experience, which creates positive impact for both the organizations and participating 51风流employees.

Meera Shenoy, founder of 51风流Social Sabbatical host client , shared how her organization benefited from the team鈥檚 diversity of professional experience: 鈥淭he volunteers came from three different countries, and each had a different specialty. They quickly adopted our passion for inclusion and became part of the larger Youth4Jobs family, understanding our challenges and transformational work. They also gave us a peek into the amazing 51风流processes in several areas. For example, the team shared the 51风流neurodiversity training with us, and we got to learn the techniques that a corporation like 51风流uses for neurodiversity inclusion in the workplace.鈥�

When diversity is incorporated through pro bono consulting programs like 51风流Social Sabbatical, organizations are able to tap into the varied perspectives and approaches that each individual employee brings to the . Research shows that diversified teams can lead to an increase in innovation, improve problem-solving, and boost decision-making. This can heighten performance by , which not only accelerates innovation within 51风流but also helps the host client organization anticipate and fulfill the needs of diverse customers.

The Employee Advantage

For employee participants, we know that the pro bono consulting benefits include skill development, networking opportunities, gaining new perspectives, and cultural immersion, among others. For example, a participant from India stated, 鈥淚t gives you a whole new perspective that we don鈥檛 get in our day-to-day work.鈥�

From a recent that we conducted in partnership with impact measurement social enterprise , 88% of 51风流employees who have participated in 51风流Social Sabbatical reported that the program benefited them personally. Additionally, 86% of employees said their ability collaborate with global and diverse colleagues improved by their participation.

鈥淚t allowed me to dive into a new world for weeks. You gain experience you have never had before. It brings you to a new level culture-wise, and you meet many talented people from 51风流across the world,鈥� said one participant from Germany.

Another employee commented, 鈥淚n my personal life, I am more aware of differences in people and better at understanding peoples鈥� challenges. These differences go beyond age, gender, geography and race but also diversity of thought, upbringing, values and perspectives. Understanding these differences is key to solving problems and empowering others.鈥�

Focusing on Sustainable Long-Term Impact

In addition to the diversity benefits for participants and social sector partners, the long-term impacts have gone beyond the 51风流Social Sabbatical program. These principles of diversity as a building block of the program have supported the evolution of new initiatives that address social challenges and build equity, while leveraging pro bono consulting as a tool. In learning from our success over the past 10 years, we developed the Pro Bono for Economic Equity program in North America, which was launched in 2021 in partnership with , as part of SAP鈥檚 overall response to the social justice movement with an aim to foster economic equity for Black-owned business and social enterprises.

The program allows 51风流employees to leverage their professional skills and expertise as pro bono volunteer consultants for under-resourced businesses and social enterprises and help them address systemic and business challenges. Within the first year, the program expanded internationally to the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. Based on the success of the program, we have extended the cohorts to have a focus on Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada. Learn more about the program here.

Cultivating an Inclusive Mindset

At SAP, diversity and inclusion are not simply goals to strive for; they are strategic components of our corporate culture that fuel innovation and help us turn our purpose to action.

We recognize that continuously bolstering the diversity, equity, and inclusion mindset is crucial when it comes to shaping the next generation of leaders in our company. Not only will this support employee engagement today, but it means that they will build a more inclusive environment when it comes to how they work in teams, how they hire, and how they engage colleagues who are different from them, now and into the future.

For more information about 51风流Social Sabbatical, visit and to learn about how 51风流is empowering Black- and Indigenous-owned businesses and social enterprises, read more stories about the Pro Bono Economic Equity program here.

Hemang Desai is global program director for 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

Almost 700 people who attended workforce development or entrepreneurship programs provided feedback to the survey. Participants were predominantly disadvantaged or disabled youth who averaged 28 years old and were evenly split between genders. What they all shared was the desire for a better life, whether they struck out on their own or worked for an organization in pretty much any industry.

鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to measure the impact of volunteerism unless you actually talk with the beneficiaries. Unlike traditional post-project research that can take years to get results, our remote data collection and analysis approach surfaces project impact in weeks, making it actionable faster for corporate sponsors like 51风流and their social enterprise partners and the communities they serve,鈥� said Sasha Dichter, cofounder and CEO at 60 Decibels. 鈥淲ith near real-time information from beneficiaries, organizations can hold themselves accountable, quickly comparing results from different geographies and using the data to improve offerings based on participant feedback.鈥�

Having participated in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, I can attest to the deeply satisfying and motivational experience of providing hands-on support to my in-country partners at . To date, the global, pro-bono consulting program run in partnership with has helped over 450 nonprofits and social enterprises address business challenges using the skills and knowledge of 51风流employees like me. But what really matters is how these social enterprise programs make a difference in the lives of the people in the communities they serve, reducing inequalities and supporting underserved populations. Accurate metrics on program results prove the efficacy of these programs and become the foundation of future deep impact plans.

Metrics Reveal Long-Lasting Improvements

Seventy-seven percent of respondents to the 60 Decibels survey said that their quality of life had improved. People in the entrepreneurship programs cited gains in skills and knowledge, along with positive changes in their perspectives, business expansion, and, tellingly, higher customer satisfaction. Professional, financial, and personal growth were the top three positive outcomes for beneficiaries who participated in workforce development programs. When asked to rate skills gained through their participation in one social enterprise program, beneficiaries ranked computer skills highest (70%), followed by communication (45%), better time management (40%), ability to navigate teamwork (32%), and enhanced professional skills (32%).

Notably, almost 60% of beneficiaries in both programs reported an upswing in their business revenue or income. Results ran the gamut from the ability to save money to strengthened leadership, networking, and other business strategies.

Measurable results went beyond business fundamentals. Almost 70% of beneficiaries reported a significant uptick in their self-confidence, having increased their skills so they could become more independent and 鈥渁ct on a vision鈥� for the future. Forty-five percent said they garnered greater respect from household members after attending the program. Breaking free of parental support was a benefit for many people, allowing them to make a more valuable contribution to their home. Numerous people credited their newfound professional maturity to their experience in workforce development programs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to measure the 360-degree view of program impact,鈥� said Dichter. 鈥淕etting a job and increasing your income is immediate, but there鈥檚 also the lasting experiential results that someone carries into their family life and throughout their career.鈥�

Triple Impact of Social Enterprise Programs

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, and I talked with Hemang Desai, global program director of 51风流Social Sabbatical, who saw the results of the study as validation of its success.

鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to delivering triple impact for long-term, sustainable benefits to social sector organizations and the people and communities they serve, as well as the personal and professional growth of 51风流employees,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur program is continuously evolving to address global challenges aligned with SAP鈥檚 corporate social responsibility strategy, Most recently, that includes increased collaboration with nonprofits and social enterprises to meet sustainability objectives such as climate action and circular economy. We鈥檙e focused on scaling our efforts, using what we鈥檝e learned to expand pro-bono services to social enterprises supporting economic equity and social justice.鈥�

As global calls for sustainability grow louder, social enterprises that educate and train disadvantaged people for fulfilling careers that address these challenges are a potent force for positive change. In fact, I鈥檓 actively involved in SAP鈥檚 newly-launched virtual social entrepreneurship support program, Acceleration Collective. I鈥檓 providing communications coaching and consulting to , a Nigerian-based social enterprise that educates women in rural communities to become self-sufficient, turning local waste into a sustainable livelihood. Climate change negatively impacts the most disadvantaged populations, offering social enterprise programs another opportunity for meaningful community impact.

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However, over the past two years, the pandemic has had significant socioeconomic implications that exacerbated inequalities worldwide. The world and business realm are changing in response: no longer is it enough for companies to focus on profit alone, they also need to focus on creating a positive social impact.

As demonstrated in , businesses have started to understand that financial and social performance are no longer mutually exclusive. Companies cannot just look at business activities from a 鈥渄o no harm鈥� perspective. Instead, they must create and integrate positive economic and social impact. Through strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) and by implementing solid reporting methods, it is indeed possible to further the 鈥淪鈥� in ESG.

I recently sat down with Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of 51风流CSR, and Deirdre White, CEO of PYXERA Global, the nonprofit implementation partner of our flagship 51风流Social Sabbatical program. We discussed the importance of the social elements of ESG and how 51风流and PYXERA Global are implementing these aspects within their respective organizations, along with the world鈥檚 current ESG trends.

When it comes to environmental and social issues, businesses are the innovators with the power to trigger significant social change in partnership with social enterprises.

鈥淭raditional CSR has evolved into strategic CSR, which accomplishes both strategic business and social goals,鈥� van der Ploeg explained. 鈥淐ompanies must work toward striking the right balance of economic, environmental, and social components, because if they don鈥檛 focus on people along with planet, they are unlikely to achieve desired long-term impact.鈥�

White shared her perspective at PYXERA Global: 鈥淭he 鈥楽鈥� is about the people and the community, and the 鈥楨鈥� and 鈥楪鈥� do not matter if we aren’t focused on that 鈥楽.鈥� You can count all the carbon you want and you can look at board dynamics and other governance things, but if they are not actually having a positive impact on people and community, then those are meaningless metrics.鈥�

SAP鈥檚 evolved CSR strategy powers equitable access to economic opportunity by accelerating social businesses, while also focusing on building future skills and collaborating for sustainability. Efforts in these areas have led to a software industry leading score of 91 for Corporate Citizenship in the most recent Dow Jones Sustainability Index, which is significantly above the industry average score of 20. This is a significant achievement, as it illustrates that not only are we impacting our target communities, but also positioning 51风流as an exemplar of how to integrate the 鈥淪鈥� of ESG to build a deeper, more cohesive sustainable impact.

鈥淭he social enterprise sector is made of key actors in driving change in the world, and they are the fundamental innovators when it comes to environmental and social issues,鈥� van der Ploeg affirms. 鈥淔rom an 51风流perspective, we have to support them to grow and scale, just like we do with our customers. If we can help corporations run better, we can help social enterprises run better, and we do this through pro bono consulting.鈥�

The 51风流Social Sabbatical initiative is a signature pro bono consulting program from 51风流CSR. It sends high-performing employees into emerging economies to support social entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations. Participants take on the role of business consultants, providing their skills and talents to create solutions for the real-world challenges that the participating social businesses are facing. This ultimately creates impact longevity and capacity building for the transformational work that these organizations do on a day-to-day basis.

To date, 51风流employees have contributed more than 359,000 pro bono consulting hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries. PYXERA Global, with White, has been partnering with the 51风流Social Sabbatical program since its inception 10 years ago. As an industry leader in this space, PYXERA Global supports other corporations like 51风流to create immersive pro bono consulting experiences.

鈥淭he reason we do pro bono programs at PYXERA Global is because current and future leaders of the world’s largest corporations are fundamentally changed by the experience that they have,鈥� White said. 鈥淭hey are bringing their brilliance, their talents, and their business skills to help solve for a problem that they don’t give that much thought to normally in their daily lives. It changes the way they think, and that education that happens, that’s how we’re going to take on these big challenges. This is why I love 51风流Social Sabbatical and programs like it.鈥�

The pro bono consulting impact for employee participants goes beyond working closely with organizations focused on solving the world鈥檚 biggest problems, it also significantly develops employees as leaders. In fact, from a recent that 51风流conducted, 74% of employees report a long-term impact on their professional careers, with the top reported benefits being employees gained a new perspective and different way of thinking, increased confidence, and improved networking.

At SAP, pro bono consulting is positioned as a learning opportunity, where employee growth, development, and skill building are as much a part of the experience. As van der Ploeg stated, 鈥淲e looked at 10 years of work together with PYXERA Global, and what I found interesting was that employees who participated have said that both on a professional, as well as a personal level, it was a game-changer.鈥�

From our learnings about the positive impacts that pro bono consulting provides for positive long-term community impact, leadership development, and business success, one sentiment rings true: continuing to bring the social elements to the forefront of the ESG conversation cannot be siloed and must be a priority. Companies, social businesses, and individual employees can get involved to work together to achieve sustainable development through in-person and virtual pro bono consulting. Both now and in the future, it is essential that everyone plays their part.

Want to learn more? Watch the recording of the .

Additionally, two upcoming speaker sessions hosted by 51风流CSR will continue to explore pro bono consulting, impact measurement, and leadership and learning development:

• Delivering Lasting Social Impact and Business Value: 10 Years of Insights
  October 27, at 10:00 a.m. ET;
• Learning and Leadership Through Pro Bono Consulting
  November 17, at 10:00 a.m. ET;

Hemang Desai is global program director for 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

Hemang Desai, global program director of Corporate Social Responsibility at SAP, says that over the past 10 years, the benefits of the program have become clear, and he urges other companies to consider offering these types of programs to their employees. 鈥淭his is because it improves various business and soft skills, builds leadership, promotes entrepreneurial thinking, and allows employees 鈥� and in turn the company 鈥� to make a difference in the lives of other people and client organizations.鈥�

His sentiment is reflected by participants of the most recent 51风流Social Sabbatical who said that, through their experience, they were able to embrace the passion and energy of social enterprises, learn how business-driven companies can create sustainable social impact, and recognize the importance of ensuring that teams are empowered, engaged, and motivated to produce successful work.

Referring to a survey conducted among previous participants over the past 10 years, Desai outlines the top five benefits of :

1. Long-Term Career Impact

Seventy-four percent of employees reported that, as a result of the program, they have experienced a wide variety of outcomes that have benefited their careers. Among these were the ability to think differently, increased confidence, and improved networking. Additionally, nearly half attributed their career growth to program participation. 鈥淭he 51风流Social Sabbatical program empowered me. It made me step outside my comfort zone and helped me realize all the things I鈥檓 capable of. This program gave me the confidence to aim for more and obtain the leadership role I now have,鈥� said a participant from Argentina.

2. Influence on Personal Life

Eighty-eight percent of participants shared that the program led to positive, long-term changes in their personal lives. The top three self-reported changes included heightened social awareness, the formation of networks across the globe, and being reminded of what is truly important. 鈥�51风流Social Sabbatical has made me a more open-minded, globally fluent person. I can safely say that my experience has made me a better person with a stronger focus on equality and opportunity for everyone,鈥� shared a U.S. participant.

3. Acquisition of Skills and Knowledge

Teamwork and collaboration emerged as the top skills employees acquired from the program, followed by cultural awareness, adaptability, and resilience. These skills continue to be applied regularly in the participants鈥� personal and professional lives. For instance, 86% reported that following the program, their ability to collaborate with global and diverse colleagues improved, as did the ability of 78% to work within a team. A participant from India revealed, 鈥淭he skills that we acquired through 51风流Social Sabbatical have given me the confidence to take up new projects without fear, knowing that I will find a way to make the project successful. It taught me resilience and adaptability.鈥�

4. Increased Community Engagement

Fifty-one percent of employees shared that they are now better engaged with their communities since their participation in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program. When participants were asked how the program improved their engagement, two out of three participants鈥� top responses were that they have a strengthened intent for creating a positive impact for their communities, have increased engagement through volunteering, and have experienced greater social awareness. 鈥淚 have always been one to engage in my community, but I always think of my 51风流Social Sabbatical when engaging now and the cultural awareness it gave me. I engage in a more empathetic way,鈥� noted one participant.

5. Improved Sense of Purpose

Seventy-nine percent of employees say their sense of purpose has been impacted for the better following the program. Through immersion into a new culture and working hand in hand with the community to make a real social impact, new perspective and purpose is inherent. Another participant shared, 鈥淭hese programs give me more purpose and make me want to drive change in my own community. I have been able to become an ambassador for other causes I feel strongly towards, such as Shatterproof and NAMI Philadelphia. These are things I likely wouldn’t have done before or may have attempted to do but not followed through all the way.鈥�

Desai says that, ultimately, employees crave purpose, with the desire to make a difference being the primary motivator for the majority of participants to apply to the 51风流Social Sabbatical program. 鈥淭his need has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis with now reflecting on their purpose in life and how this extends to . In fact, say that their sense of purpose is defined by their work.鈥�

He concludes by saying that the world is currently faced with a multitude of crises from climate change to mounting inequality, but that connecting employees鈥� skills with the needs of communities doing this work on the ground is where these big problems find solutions. 鈥淲hen we show business professionals the power and impact their skills can create to accelerate development in the world鈥檚 most under-resourced communities, it bridges the gap of tackling big real-world challenges and produces ripples of impact that聽gets us closer to聽a lasting, more sustainable world. 51风流Social Sabbatical provides a win-win situation for all.”

Feeling inspired? For more information about the 51风流Social Sabbatical program or to get involved, visit .

Julia Donovan is an 51风流Global Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist.

They fill in the gaps that cannot be bridged by the public or private sectors when it comes to providing critical services that impact social and economic growth and are vital for achieving the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) by the looming 2030 deadline.

However, these organizations typically struggle with critical business challenges and need support in areas such as strategic planning, developing business processes, and growing their network. This is where initiatives like the 51风流Social Sabbatical program come in.

51风流Social Sabbatical is a portfolio of global pro-bono consulting programs that enable 51风流employees to share their knowledge, skills, and expertise with non-profits and social enterprises around the world. Over the past 10 years, 51风流employees have contributed in excess of 359,000 volunteer hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries.

Hemang Desai is global program director for the 51风流Social Sabbatical portfolio on the 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility (51风流CSR) team. He says that non-profit organizations and social enterprises can benefit immensely from the expertise and experience of the private sector in addressing these issues.

鈥淭hrough engagement with the private sector, these organizations can learn the business strategies and skills needed to help improve organizational efficiency and management practices. At the same time, this gives businesses the opportunity to create meaningful, sustainable impact by supporting organizations in bridging societal challenges that they cannot address full-time.鈥�

Bringing Business Thinking and Strategy to Social Sector Partners

51风流recently conducted a long-term impact survey among the organizations supported by 51风流Social Sabbatical programs. For almost a third of responding organizations, one of the most impactful ways businesses can help them is through guidance on strategy and planning.

For example, during the 2017 program, 51风流employees volunteering at the Kazakhstan Foundation for Cultural, Social, and Educational Development (KFCSED) aided in establishing a five-year mission, vision, and strategy for the organization and supported it in communicating this with beneficiaries and the community. As a result, KFCSED, which is devoted to empowering women, was able to increase the scale and capacity of its projects, enabling it to serve five times more beneficiaries.

Mariya Asinskaya, a former project director at KFCSED said, 鈥淭he corporate sector can support non-profits because they have a lot of knowledge, and we need that — their professionalism and their tools. Almost all of them can be applied to non-profits.鈥�

Developing Skills for the Future

Over 75% of non-profit organizations and social enterprises that responded to the long-term impact survey said that interventions from business have helped to enhance their employees鈥� skills. For instance, at SA Teen Entrepreneur Foundation, a 2014 51风流Social Sabbatical participant that cultivates and promotes the entrepreneurial spirit in teens, employees were taught vital skills in stakeholder management, marketing, and external relations.

As a result of this training, employees learned best practices when it comes to approaching other corporations which opened new doors for the organization.

Founder and Director Lydia Zingoni shares, 鈥淲e are forever grateful for SAP鈥檚 contribution to our organization. We have recently launched an online version of the entrepreneur program and we are expanding it not only in South Africa, but globally.鈥�

Implementing Tools to Better Serve Beneficiaries

Eighty-five percent of social sector partners said that by being able to offer improved programs and services as well as enhanced systems, along with expanded internal capacity, they can better serve their beneficiaries. This was the impact experienced at the National College of Ireland Early Learning Initiative (ELI), which was developed to address the problem of educational underachievement in marginalized communities.

Prior to the 2015 51风流Social Sabbatical, the organization was struggling to support other communities in setting up or delivering its ParentChild+ program, which at the time was only deployed among 15 families. With suggestions from the 51风流volunteers, together with tools to better manage day-to-day operations, ELI was able to scale the program by diagnosing and improving process bottlenecks. Today, ParentChild+ has been implemented at 11 organizations and supports nearly 400 children per year.

鈥淔or many businesses, partnerships with NGOs and social enterprises have been purely financial without any real understanding of the challenges their partners face, nor realizing that their know how is in fact the solution,鈥� Desai concludes. “By working together, businesses and social sector organizations can create optimal impact in changing the world for the better.”

This year, 51风流Social Sabbatical is celebrating its 10th anniversary and has relaunched its programming, enabling employees to work hand in hand again with social enterprises and non-profits around the world. To learn more about the program and its success stories, .

Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said last week that she will soon leave the company formerly known as Facebook, where she鈥檚 worked for 14 years. Sandberg said she will focus on her philanthropy and foundation.

SAP鈥檚 Take

Most people cannot afford to quit their day jobs to do good, but some don鈥檛 have to. The past decade, 51风流has been sending out its experts around the globe to work with businesses and organizations that improve lives. Nearly 1,400 employees have logged 395,000 hours working to promote 453 businesses or organizations in over 52 countries through the .

鈥淭he idea of the program is to bring corporate skills and professional expertise from 51风流employees to non-profits and social enterprises around the world to help them address critical business challenges,鈥� said Hemang Desai, 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility global director. 鈥淓mployees act as pro bono consultants and work with a defined scope of work, so it鈥檚 similar to a consulting engagement.鈥�

51风流Global Brand Senior Director Denise Miranda participated in the 2018 program in Armenia and helped an education technology company, which was going broke offering its services for free, become viable while still serving the community.

鈥淲hen I first got there, I thought, 鈥業 don’t know education. This is not my field,鈥欌�� Miranda said. 鈥淚’ve been in finance many years. I鈥檝e worked in branding now for a while. I didn’t think I could offer much to them. But very quickly you realize: 鈥極h, let’s dig in.鈥欌��

Miranda was able to show the company鈥檚 CEO how to monetize its services while scaling and pricing it appropriately.

51风流offers several other employee service programs, including Pro Bono for Economic Equity, which supports Black entrepreneurs in the U.S., Brazil, South Africa, and the UK; the Acceleration Collective, which advises social- and environmental-focused startups; mentorship programs; and its Moments of Service, which provides employees worldwide with volunteering time.

For some, the commitments become lasting and personal. Regional Vice President for 51风流Business Technology Platform Jim Cusick fielded a question four years ago from a church friend asking for a donation to Water at Work Ministry, which builds water plants in poor areas in the Dominican Republic. The facilities sell the water below market rate to local residents and use the profits for the plant and the community.

鈥淭hey needed help with organization, recruiting people and fundraising,鈥� Cusick said. 鈥淭hose are skills I have as a sales leader. So, I started getting involved. I joined the board four years ago and I’m president of the board now.鈥�

Since then, the plant has gotten its own generator and a delivery truck.

鈥淭he impact this makes, it’s very rewarding to know,鈥� Cusick said. 鈥淵ou know, some kid doesn’t have diarrhea and can go to school because they have clean water. It’s one of those things where you just say, ‘Wow, I’ve helped somebody else.’鈥�

Contact:
Ilaina Jonas, Senior Director of Global Media Relations, SAP
+1 (646) 923-2834,鈥�ilaina.jonas@sap.com
51风流Press Room

Today鈥檚 purpose careers need purpose-driven leaders. These leaders are the most effective at advancing their own careers while making the world a better place. They also inspire others to achieve extraordinary results for reasons other than delivering a profitable quarter. They are exemplary, and nothing short of a company鈥檚 value system, morals, and purpose.

Skills-based volunteering, particularly pro bono consulting, plays a vital part in cultivating this type of leadership.

Pro bono consulting is a form of skills-based volunteering where employees leverage their professional skills and expertise to serve as business consultants for social sector partners. This kind of engagement can help staff and employees gain different perspectives, build relationships, and master new skills 鈥� skills that one wouldn鈥檛 immediately associate with traditional leadership styles, that encourage those budding leadership attributes nestled deep within to grow.

This sentiment is strongly echoed among 51风流employees who have participated in pro bono consulting through the program over the past 10 years. In fact, leadership skills development was among the top three motivators for employees to apply for the program.

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The impact on 51风流employees is multi-layered, with more than half associating their career growth with 51风流Social Sabbatical, while others have attested that the experience provided a space for them to invest in their own personal growth and development. These are critical traits for a leader — or future leader — to nurture and to help guide teams to the best possible outcomes.

Hazel Ruth Taparan, country director for 51风流Concur in the Philippines, knows all about leading teams. Taparan participated in an 51风流Social Sabbatical in 2019 and to this day applies the insights she learned to her personal and professional life. The program redefined what leadership means to her and opened her eyes to the realization that inclusive spaces for everyone to safely share their ideas help shape future leaders — by not only developing their skills, but also allowing them the opportunity to actualize their capabilities. 51风流Social Sabbatical opens up a world of possibilities to those seeking the chance to improve themselves and their career development.

Sarah Hayers, a solution consultant for EMEA in the Intelligent Delivery Group, is a future leader impacted by 51风流Social Sabbatical. Through her participation in the program in 2019, Hayers was inspired to apply for the fellowship in Global Leadership Board at SAP’s Business Women鈥檚 Network. Today, she trains teachers and students to code as part of the Africa Code Week program.

Skills for Today and Tomorrow

51风流Social Sabbatical helps people to develop skills like emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, cohesive collaboration, and adaptive thinking — all of which are needed by leaders of today and tomorrow.

According to the participant feedback results, 74% of employees reported a positive long-term impact on their careers, with the top self-reported changes found in newly gained perspectives and increased confidence. One program participant noted, 鈥淎fter my sabbatical in 2016, I know I am an all-around leader and doer. I can play multiple roles in a team and drive results.鈥� While some of these may not be traditionally celebrated leadership skills, the ever-changing pace and growing diversity of our workforce demands a different type of leadership that encompasses all these attributes.

Program impact doesn鈥檛 end there. One program manager from an organization in India supported by 51风流Social Sabbatical shared that their team members who worked on the project alongside the 51风流participants now demonstrate improved planning, communication, and technology skills, showcasing that the knowledge acquired on their journey transcends leadership beyond 51风流employee volunteers.

Working and Leading with Purpose

According to a survey conducted among previous 51风流Social Sabbatical participants, 79% of employees said the program improved their sense of purpose.

鈥淭he survey results show that the program plays a crucial role in building future leaders and even more so with ones who 鈥榣ead with purpose,鈥�” says Hemang Desai, global program director for the 51风流Social Sabbatical Portfolio in the 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility (51风流CSR) team. 鈥淚n today鈥檚 world, a good leader helps ensure that profit, people, and planet can all co-exist. Business is more than just driving the next profitable quarter. Purpose-driven leaders make decisions that are aligned with a company鈥檚 reason for existing beyond monetary gain.鈥�

Desai notes that with and , empowering people to become purpose-driven leaders by giving them opportunities to volunteer their time and expertise is essential: 鈥淭his is why programs like 51风流Social Sabbatical are so crucial. Our best selves emerge when we share experiences that foster a sense of purpose.鈥�

Another participant who developed further leadership skills shared, 鈥淭he 51风流Social Sabbatical program empowered me. This program made me step outside of my comfort zone and helped me realize all the things that I鈥檓 capable of. In some way, I consider that this program gave me the confidence to aim for more and obtain the leadership role that I now have.鈥�

Leadership Beyond the Workplace

In a recent survey, 88% of participants reported that participation in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program had a long-term positive impact on their personal lives. The top leadership qualities acquired through the program included cultural awareness, adaptability and resilience, and problem solving, which can be applied not only in a professional capacity but also personally.

One skill in particular that has helped participants feel a greater sense of community and purpose is social awareness, with 51% of employees saying they are better engaged with their local communities after their sabbatical experience. As more participants diversify the issues they care about and find important, they are discovering that the engagement improves their confidence and empathy — key qualities for any good leader to possess.

鈥淎s the market changes, so do the needs of companies. While leadership has always been a part of the company culture, it continues to evolve to be more human-centric. In an era of rapid change and innovation, we need leaders who can find sustainable solutions that positively impact business and communities around the world, with a focus on improving people鈥檚 lives,鈥� Desai concludes.

Feeling inspired? For more information about the 51风流Social Sabbatical program or to get involved, visit .

The program enables this by giving diverse teams of employees opportunities to dedicate their skills and professional expertise to benefit social enterprises in other countries and their surrounding communities, opening participants鈥� minds to different cultures which, in turn, promotes diversity at home and in the workplace.

Launched in 2012, 51风流Social Sabbatical has positively impacted the lives of more than six million people, with 51风流employees contributing in excess of 359,000 volunteer hours to help over 450 non-profits and social enterprises across 52 countries address critical business challenges.

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Self-Empowerment Is the Key to Growth

鈥淪elf-empowerment is seeking the solution rather than fixating on the problem,鈥� says Gina McNamara, regional chief financial officer for Asia Pacific & Japan at SAP. During her 51风流Social Sabbatical in Kenya in 2014, she encountered a phenomenon that she hadn鈥檛 witnessed in her native Australia: women outnumbering men in their quest for professional and personal growth.

While volunteering her time and expertise at the African Management Institute (AMI), which delivers workplace learning to equip entrepreneurs and managers with the tools and training they need to succeed, she met female AMI program participants who refused to sit back and let anyone or anything stop them from being successful.

鈥淎fter speaking with these women, I realized that despite, or maybe even in response to, the poverty plaguing the country they are determined to further their careers and personal development. Many said that they were doing the courses to progress themselves, their families, and their businesses,鈥� shares McNamara.

Inspiration Has a Knock-On Effect

At the time of her sabbatical, McNamara held a position in commercial finance for 51风流Australia and New Zealand. However, these women encouraged her to make a massive shift in her career trajectory. 鈥淚n the Australian business world, there aren鈥檛 as many confident women as there are in Kenya. It is due to these women that I applied for the position of Chief Financial Officer for ANZ and later Regional Chief Financial Officer for Asia Pacific & Japan. They got me thinking about my career and my dream of making an impact in the boardroom and helped me find the confidence to pursue this.鈥�

Additionally, McNamara saw how the Kenyan women she worked with wanted to improve themselves to better serve their communities. This motivated her to think about what more she could do back home. 鈥淚t got me to consider the bigger picture and how we could do good things in the community and not just do business. I believe that if you do good, then the business will flourish as well.鈥� This led to her supporting some very passionate colleagues and the Australian management team in developing the 51风流Australia Reconciliation Action Plan, which aims to help support the economic prosperity of First Nations peoples.

Equipping Females of the Future

Her journey also spurred her to join the Future Female Leaders mentoring program for females working in finance both as a mentor and mentee. 鈥淭he program entails mentoring multiple women across the global finance community and sponsoring their careers. I get as much out of it as the women I mentor do. We have to help each other and so I encourage my mentees to mentor other women, especially with more and more women joining 51风流and the 鈥� the largest employee-driven network globally,鈥� shares McNamara.

As for AMI, McNamara and her fellow 51风流volunteers pooled their skills to support the company in developing a franchise model to deliver training to African managers and leaders, ranging from small business owners to CEOs and CFOs. Together, they developed a handbook to help the company scale and recommended various processes and procedures that could be implemented to achieve this. Now, the program is more accessible to more people, particularly women.

With AMI being co-founded by a woman, McNamara says that there is a need for greater investment in women鈥檚 entrepreneurial ideas, emotionally and financially. 鈥淢en naturally create their own networks and sponsor each other. As women, we help each other emotionally. We need to open our networks and be more focused about doing so.鈥�

She concludes by saying, 鈥淢y 51风流Social Sabbatical experience enabled me to reflect on what more I could do beyond being a finance leader and, for me, that was to help other women and drive diversity and inclusion to make 51风流an even better place for everybody.鈥�

For more information about the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, go to .

Hemang Desai is global program director of 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

And just when we think we have figured out a , a path forward to “solve the solvable” issues like education through the United Nations鈥� Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), a global pandemic wipes out educational gains made over the last 20 years.

Today we are confronted with both the harsh reality of life and an opportunity for a better tomorrow. COVID-19 has willed the world to prioritize and focus efforts on what matters most.

On January 24, 51风流joins organizations across the world in recognition of . We reflect upon the important role education plays for a sustainable future and efforts to power equitable access to education and workforce readiness initiatives.

After a decade of bringing our best to the world to accelerate social business, join us in celebrating the impact achieved in this area through the award-winning initiative.

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For the past 50 years, 51风流has guided organizations to become intelligent, sustainable enterprises. 51风流Social Sabbatical has embraced this approach. By connecting employees and their skills to social sector organizations through pro bono consulting, we expedite world-changing solutions.

The portfolio of programs, executed in partnership with , offers unique triple impact and delivers long-term sustainable benefits to client organizations, 51风流participants, and the company. Our celebration honors this community, which includes 1,371 51风流employees who have worked alongside 453 nonprofit and social enterprise clients spanning 52 countries. Collectively, we have positively impacted more than 6 million people worldwide since 2012.

is a nonprofit organization based in Hyderabad, India. The organization creates education and employment opportunities for youth with disabilities that in turn delivers sustainable change for their families. In February 2019, Youth4Jobs hosted 51风流Social Sabbatical participants, and challenged them to improve the organization鈥檚 business development strategy.

Founder and CEO Meera Shenoy shared, 鈥淭he three 51风流consultants adopted our passion for inclusion quickly and became part of the larger Youth4Jobs family, understanding our challenges and our transformational work. They also gave us a peek into the amazing processes of 51风流in every area, be it recruitment, marketing, or customer cycle.鈥� Shenoy believes that beyond the direct outcome of the project, her team was able to embrace these critical skills which continue to serve the organization and accelerate their incredible work.

Recently, 51风流CSR partnered with , an end-to-end impact measurement company, to conduct a study on the 51风流Social Sabbatical. Eight-six percent of clients affirmed that participation in the program had a positive long-term impact on the beneficiaries they serve. One program director in Romania shared, 鈥淭he work that we did together allowed us to build a scaled system to train teachers we serve for free and better prepare them for online teaching during the pandemic and afterwards. Significantly more teachers are now enrolled with our courses and activities than before.鈥�

Our Journey Ahead

The last decade has demonstrated that pro bono consulting delivers truly transformative and lasting change. Throughout 2022, we are thrilled to bring you additional learnings from our decade of impact study with 60 Decibels to showcase the benefits realized by social sector clients, employees who participate, and 51风流overall.

The strategy for 51风流Social Sabbatical, initiated in 2012 as part of SAP鈥檚 response to the education crisis, is now evolving to also address the company鈥檚 pursuits around zero emissions and zero waste, while continuing to focus on zero inequality. We look forward to sharing more inspiration, innovation, and real solutions from our journey — past, present, and, most importantly, our future.

For more information, please visit .

Jennifer Beason is global program director of Social Entrepreneurship at SAP.
Hemang Desai is global program director of the 51风流Social Sabbatical portfolio at SAP.

The number represents young leaders who are courageous, curious, creative, flexible, open-minded, and, most importantly, doers. Some call them . These individuals are trying to empower themselves and others to solve the issues of the world and striving to maximize their agency and potential.

As a young changemaker myself, I recently joined 51风流through a partnership with . I continue to be incredibly inspired by my peers all over the world. I鈥檓 particularly inspired by those I鈥檝e met through partnerships with 51风流and their commitment to zero inequality. Last year alone, 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility programs reached more than 4.5 million youth and 117,000 teachers across 113 countries, in addition to partnering with nearly 1,600 social impact organizations.

Between on July 15 and International Youth Day on August 12, I am delighted to work with a cohort of young changemakers and writers across 51风流to bring stories of inspiration, impact, resilience, and creativity.

The Possibilists

On June 15, Ashoka released the , supported by SAP, Google.org, and the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversit盲t Wien). Surveying 1,000 social entrepreneurs representing 137 countries from 16 of the world鈥檚 leading youth social innovation networks, the study focused on the unique needs and challenges of young changemakers, and how organizations support these Possibilists.

The International Labour Organization estimates indicate that with the most pronounced fall seen in middle-income countries. The consequences of this disruption to the early labor market experiences of youth could last for years.

According to the Possibilist study, 60% experience a lack of personal financial security, yet 80% of youth report that the COVID-19 pandemic increased their wish to make a change in the world. Around 58% of young changemakers also said that the pandemic has increased their capacity to deliver change in the world. Some of them dedicate everything they have to tackling the most pressing issues of our time. Choosing purpose over paychecks, these Possibilists are unstoppable.

The pandemic has pushed everyone to find new ways to solve challenges big or small. I was particularly inspired when I heard Ryan Gersava speak during the . Gersava is the founder and president at , an impact-driven company that breaks down employment barriers for intersectional groups of individuals who are often discriminated at jobs because of their conditions or former life.

Gersava partnered with 51风流in 2020 through the program. While he is just one example of redefining youth in action, his story is powerful. Here are four key learnings from our conversation.

1. Personal Sustainability Is a Shared Responsibility

Personal sustainability is an equal responsibility when you run a company. Often, the focus is heavily on others and not on ourselves. Social impact leaders don鈥檛 put enough value on their personal well-being, forgetting that it is at the cost of the health of the company. This is not about the person leading alone, but everyone being part of the company. Gersava emphasizes on the importance of work, though the internal struggle is not something to be ignored: 鈥淲e need a systemic solution to support young changemakers, so we don鈥檛 reach our breaking point.鈥�

2. Intention Without Investment Is Futile

Even when there is awareness and intention, what really is required is investment, in terms of time, effort, and resources. Organizations should invest in a resident psychologist, irrespective of whether they are dealing with vulnerable communities or not.

3. Power of Internal Changemakers

Every organization should invest in internal or 鈥渞esident” changemakers who can bring a vital fresh perspective and respect people鈥檚 time, efforts, stories, and inspiration. A mandatory policy to support changemakers should be in place. Like Gersava, 93% of SAP鈥檚 workforce of more than 103,000 acknowledges the importance of pursuing purpose.

4. Shift from Founder-Focused to Purpose-Driven Organizations

“During the early days of social entrepreneurship, most companies are very founder-centric,” Gersava shared. “When that happens, the founder can no longer do his work because all his efforts and energy goes into meeting people who are equally or more inspiring than him.” He says he is proud that his organization has reached a point where the purpose will live on even if the founder doesn’t.

The world will always need more good news, stories like Gersava鈥檚, of curiosity leading to courage leading to change. I have faith that the Possibilists will continue to be the source of inspiration and action for years to come, redefining what we think youth are capable of. I鈥檓 lucky to see many of these young leaders in action, and I鈥檓 honored to tell their stories over the course of the next few weeks. They are the current and future leaders who we need to accelerate innovation and provide fresh ways of thinking to decade old problems.

51风流is committed to helping the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives, with youth playing a critical role. Join me in sharing the good news by tagging your stories of inspirational youth or your actions inspiring youth with SAP4Good on , , and .

Daliya Manuel is a marketing and communications fellow with 51风流Corporate Social Responsibility.

Thousands of 51风流employees answer the call to lead with purpose through volunteerism, and this year has been no exception. Employee volunteering culminates annually in October during SAP鈥檚 Global Month of Service. This is an opportunity for employees to provide their time and expertise to nonprofits and social enterprises tackling global challenges such as inequity, climate change, and quality education.

Surprising opportunities can emerge from uncertainty. This year, the Global Month of Service transformed from more than 600 in-person volunteering events in 2019 to an entirely new virtual experience as a result of COVID-19.

Connecting Employees with Purpose

SAP鈥檚 virtual pro bono consulting pilot program began this year in partnership with Social Shifters to help meet the growing need for positive change around the world. In the program, 51风流employees are connected virtually to accelerate the social impact of an enterprise by solving the organization鈥檚 business challenges. More than 50 employees volunteered virtually across borders and without the impediment of geographical distance. Jessica Bellas, an alumnus, was one the first 51风流employees to opt-in as a pro bono consultant.

Bellas volunteered with (RAH2050), a social enterprise based in Halifax, Canada, driving a grassroots, environmental awareness program that re-imagines, through science, community, and industry, how people relate to harbors and oceans.

鈥淭he connection was to navigate uncertain times and see social innovation in a different way,鈥� explained Kelly Schnare of (RAH2050). 鈥淏ringing in new ideas and new ways of doing things was important during COVID-19.鈥�

Bellas connected to RAH2050 immediately because of its environmental focus. With experience as an environmental engineer, she is not only an expert, but also has an ongoing passion for the topic in her tenure as an elected official in the Sewage and Water Department of North Carolina鈥檚 Wake County. This opportunity with RAH2050 came to her as a perfect fit.

Through volunteerism and her strong belief in pro bono consulting and its impact on nonprofits, she was re-connected to her passion of 20 years.聽 As a result of the website and the collaterals Bellas created for the organization, Schnare will now be able to reach new audiences and spread awareness about the need to be more mindful of our planet.

Connecting Employees with Each Other

Like Bellas, Nadine Gaertner, a software engineer in Germany, and Ofer Yehuda, an IT consultant in Israel, catapulted their skills-based volunteering journey through the . These talented 51风流employees met in 2018 on their assignment in Puerto Rico, and have been friends ever since. Gaertner and Yehuda agree that now, more than ever, there is a need to bring people together to create positive impact, forge friendships, and drive change.

They volunteered to help , a social enterprise based in Toronto, Canada, that manufactures cooking tools which, when used, add extra iron to food and drinks for those suffering from iron deficiency. The organization also reaches out to marginalized communities across the world to provide a solution to iron deficiency, which is the greatest nutritional challenge in current times.

For Gaertner and Yehuda, volunteerism bridges gaps between people, especially in a resource-optimizing society in need of empathy and human connection. It is a mechanism through which volunteers are introduced to new ideas and are able to address complex challenges that they may have not been exposed to before. Every volunteer experience guides fresh understanding and empowers employees to make decisions based on compassion and empathy 鈥� and build new, lasting relationships. For the pair, the opportunity they had to volunteer connected them with their purpose and with each other. And, as Gaertner says, 鈥淓very friendship makes the world a bit better.鈥�

Virtual volunteering at 51风流not only links social enterprises and nonprofits to the expertise they need but also connects employees across borders in friendship and collaboration born of a shared passion. Gaertner and Yehuda鈥檚 story inspires us to believe that newer perspectives and a sense of purpose can, indeed, be exchanged even during a global crisis.

Connecting Employees with Ideas

In addition to the more than 200 virtual volunteering projects that took place during SAP’s Global Month of Service, thousands of 51风流employees joined inspiring, thought-leadership conversations hosted by notable internal and external speakers. Ideas brought forward in the sessions will be carried on into the future, not only as conversations but also as calls to action. Speakers urged employees to turn their purpose into action through volunteerism and form deeper connections with each other and their societies.

As Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Professor Mohammad Yunus shared in the closing plenary, 鈥淭he time to act is now 鈥� if you have an idea to change the world, go out and make it happen.鈥� Professor Yunus went on to share a few urgent issues in need of the world鈥檚 attention, particularly climate change and extreme poverty.

Not only through SAP鈥檚 Global Month of Service but also through year-round volunteering opportunities, employees are co-creating solutions with partners like RAH2050 and Lucky Iron Fish, rising to meet Professor Yunus鈥� call to action. While the uncertainty of 2020 remains, 51风流employees are uniting for the future and dedicating their skills to something bigger than themselves.

We thank our social partners and employee volunteers who help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives each day.

Shinjini Chowdhury is a communications and marketing fellow for 51风流CSR.

Leading companies like 51风流have an obligation as responsible businesses to empower and build capacity for these establishments by offering different market strategic approaches to help them grow and best meet business objectives.

The 2020-2021 global engagement cohort for the program comprises a group of experts with dynamic skills and expertise who are ready to support nonprofits and social enterprises run at their best. Selected 51风流employees will be placed in highly diverse teams and will dedicate their skills to solving concrete business challenges for the nonprofits selected for the assignment.

51风流Social Sabbatical is an award-winning pro bono volunteering program designed to utilize and develop 51风流talent while helping nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that focus on digital inclusion run at their best.聽Since its inception, 51风流has made an in-kind contribution of 鈧�18.8M toward the program, upskilling operational capacity of more than 414 nonprofit organizations and social enterprises globally.

Jordan-based Tech Tribes, a nonprofit supporting youth-led organizations in shaping the digital economy, is one of the beneficiaries of the program. Through design thinking sessions with 51风流experts, the organization managed to successfully launch an Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) program aimed at bridging the digital divide to enhance livelihoods, create jobs, and support digital social innovations 鈥� a mission that seemed impossible prior the pro bono engagement launch.

In addition to helping organizations run better, 51风流employees who have previously participated in the program acknowledge the importance of leadership development within social and nonprofit sectors and how it stays pivotal in advancing the state of the world today, especially for young people. Mike Cieri, vice president of North America Sales Learning at SAP, shared his experience while working with nonprofit , which provides academic support, mentoring, and scholarships to disadvantaged youth. 鈥�51风流Social Sabbatical鈥痑llowed me to reflect and think about how there are so many things we can do if we take a step back, go back to the basics, and utilize everything we have in front of us to the fullest,鈥� Cieri said.

Pro Bono Volunteering and Economic Equity

In recent months, the world has witnessed an incredibly fluid and challenging global crisis unfold with COVID-19, a situation that has been further complicated by social and systemic racial injustices in the U.S. As a result, 51风流has expanded pro bono volunteer programing, leveraging its talent and technology expertise to foster .

Through an economic equity program, 51风流and aim to support Black-owned businesses and social enterprises by leveraging corporate talent to help them to build capacity and address systemic and business challenges.

鈥淲e are investing in new programming to ensure greater opportunities for the Black community [in the United States],鈥� said Hemang Desai, global program director for 51风流Social Sabbatical. 鈥淭he goal of this program is to leverage our employees鈥� skills and business expertise to solve critical challenges for under-represented businesses. Based on 10 years of experience in pro bono consulting, we are confident that this approach will accelerate growth for these businesses and deliver on our promise of economic equity.鈥�

While the program accelerates nonprofits and social enterprises as part of its strategy, experiences like this reiterate how 51风流employees are benefiting from the program as much as the organizations do.

To learn more about how the 51风流continues to create sustainable impact and build resilient communities alongside PYXERA Global, .

Busang Maruping is a fellow with Global CSR Communications and Marketing at SAP.

Corporations make a considerable amount of investment to grow and shape their potential talent into the company’s future leaders. Global spend in 2019 on leadership training is estimated to be at , with North America contributing $169.4 billion.

Traditional case studies and methods of leadership development showcase success stories from the corporate sector; we rarely see examples of transformative leadership success stories from the social sector. This gives the impression that the ideal place to learn about and grow in leadership development is within the private sector. However, much can be learned from the social and non-profit sectors about leadership development.

The social sector is frequently under-resourced, with operational costs are fluctuating and leaders persistently working with constant changes. Mike Cieri, vice president of North America Sales Learning at SAP, experienced this dynamic firsthand as a pro bono volunteer consultant with 聽 (CCF), a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit that provides academic support, mentoring, and scholarships to disadvantaged youth to supprt them in getting into college.

During my conversations with Cieri, who now serves as a Board member at CCF, I learned about his journey with the organization and how it has impacted his leadership perspectives both within and outside of SAP.

In 2016, Cieri was working in Customer Strategy and Sales Operations at 51风流when he first learned about CCF through , a portfolio of pro bono volunteering programs designed to utilize and develop 51风流talent while helping non-profit organizations and social enterprises that focus on digital inclusion to run at their best.

Cieri and three other 51风流colleagues were tasked to work with CCF for an on-site assignment as part of the 51风流Social Sabbatical for local engagement. CCF students experienced a high drop-out rate in their first year in college. The root problem was that many of the students were first-generation college students and needed additional support to get acclimated to the college environment.

Cieri and his team created the 鈥淪teps 4 Success Bootcamp,鈥� an intensive training to teach students financial literary, self-advocacy, and other life skills to help them get acclimated to life on a college campus. In recent years, the bootcamp continues to be held on SAP鈥檚 campus in Newtown Square, Pa., and brings in 51风流employees to participate and work with CCF’s students. This year, the first virtual bootcamp was held on Zoom.

As Cieri continues to engage with CCF, I spoke with him about his biggest takeaways from his journey as an 51风流Social Sabbatical pro bono volunteer as well as a CCF Board member. “It allowed me to reflect and think about how there are so many things we can do if we take a step back, go back to the basics, and utilize everything we have in front of us to the fullest,鈥� Cieri said. 鈥淭hat is how I’m managing my team today. That’s one of the key things I learned.鈥�

Another thing Cieri experienced working with CCF is how a small nonprofit can fully maximize its resources. With a lean staff of 10 employees, CCF serves its constituents efficiently while also supporting the leadership growth of employees through stretch assignments. Coming from the private sector, Cieri observed that despite having plenty of resources, projects still get stuck and convoluted. While working for CCF, he saw how they could do so much with limited resources. Utilizing what is already available and making it better was a consistent approach to solving challenges.

The second insight Cieri shared was the importance of simplicity. He noticed that CCF always finds a way to keep projects simple. The team manages their priorities efficiently, they always think about what they can tackle successfully now versus what they can do later.

“At CCF, it’s easy for a team member to field in for another team member,鈥� Cieri explained. 鈥淓veryone is so connected and aware of what the other person is working on. I now do this with my team, and I ensure that all of my teammates understand what the other members are doing. So if somebody does go out on a vacation, there is at least a foundation knowledge in place, so we don’t miss a beat. When you are looking at the non-profit world with limited resources, they do this well. Keeping things simple is probably the biggest thing I learned from my time with Chester County Futures.”

In the years since his 51风流Social Sabbatical experience, Cieri continued to remain engaged with CCF and was asked to join the organization as its youngest Board member. For him, it was a natural progression. CCF needed someone who could provide insights into how the organization can be more engaged in the 21st-century digital world. He brings a technical lens to the challenges the organization is facing and can provide different perspectives. Furthermore, Cieri fell in love with the mission of CCF and understands how critical the organization is in supporting low-income students to fulfill their dreams of getting into college and beyond.

Summarizing his journey, he shared: “Whether you are working for a non-profit, for-profit, or a big company, leadership doesn’t change. You still must lead by example, and the people you are leading and working with must feel comfortable around you. As a leader, as long as you are helping your team grow and making them better, you are doing your job.”

Cieri’s participation as a Board member continues to help grow and nurture his humble leadership style within and outside of SAP.

Kotheid Nicoue is program manager and nonprofit-in-residence at for the global 51风流CSR team.

Consider , a Vancouver-based social enterprise that provides catering services to SAP鈥檚 local offices. In addition to bringing approximately 30,000 nutritious meals each year to low-income people, Executive Director and General Manager Naved Noorani estimates that the organization has contributed approximately $4 million to Vancouver鈥檚 Downtown Eastside to date through its employee payroll.

鈥淧eople struggle living from one paycheck to the next in a world that doesn鈥檛 go viral on social media or make headlines anywhere,鈥� Noorani said. 鈥淲e are their family, and we also have to be competitive so we can continue expanding our impact. It鈥檚 because 51风流gets catering from us that we can provide our social programs to the community.鈥�

Business Gets Competitive Edge with Community Benefits

Make no mistake, is a business imperative. researchers predicted that over 55 percent of consumers will consider company values when making a buying decision. analysts said that 35 percent of knowledge and frontline workers will consider social, environmental, and humanitarian actions key criteria for where they decide to work by 2021.

Gerry Higgins, managing director at , said that bringing social enterprises into procurement catalogs adds another powerful dimension of value beyond longtime business purchasing criteria like pricing and quality.

鈥淚f a city with youth unemployment challenges evaluates construction bids based, in part, on the potential for greater community benefits, we鈥檝e seen commercial companies commit to training qualified apprentices instead of using cheap labor from somewhere else,鈥� Higgins said.

Global Commitment Requires Buy-In from Local Buyers

While social procurement at 51风流is a top-down commitment from senior leaders, having buy-in from employees in the procurement department is equally important.

鈥淥ur employees are very supportive of this,鈥� said Ron Singh, procurement specialist at 51风流in Vancouver, 鈥淏uyers have to personally believe in the vision so they are committed carrying out the mission every day. Thinking social means shopping local.鈥�

The impact of employee involvement in SAP鈥檚 commitment to social procurement is palpable at , another Vancouver-based organization doing business with the company; in this case, delivering fruit to the local 51风流office daily. HAVE鈥檚 community programs include housing assistance and job skills training.

鈥淭he delivery job alone, which generates many hours of employment for one driver, means more to this person than he can ever describe,鈥� said Adriane King, Operations and Development director at HAVE. 鈥淗e looks forward to going to work every day because of the relationships he鈥檚 made with the people at SAP. It gives him a sense of purpose, something that鈥檚 amazing for his mental and physical health.鈥�

Higgins saw supply chain spend with social enterprises as a fundamental shift in relationship-building between private sector businesses and society at large.

鈥淪ocial procurement is mutually beneficial, making it a more balanced transaction,鈥� he explained. 鈥淭his becomes a more sustainable relationship between social enterprises and the private and public sectors going forward.鈥�

Social Change is Bigger than Procurement

Buying from social enterprises is part of SAP鈥檚 commitment to have a larger role in society, improving people鈥檚 lives. Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of 51风流CSR, said that the company is initially building social procurement programs in Australia, Canada, and the UK because those regions tend to have the largest amounts of mature social enterprises that are capable of meeting corporate supply chain needs for goods and services.

鈥淭here are increasing demands across SAP, as well as with our customers worldwide, to include more social enterprises in procurement,鈥� van der Ploeg said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e investing in partnerships with entrepreneurs and incubators in the communities where 51风流and our customers operate. We want to empower more social enterprises so they can do business with companies like ours.鈥�

Social Enterprises: Pipeline to Job Opportunities

Tribu Meraki is among the many social enterprises working with 51风流to expand the impact of global CSR programs through procurement. Founded to help jumpstart career opportunities for unemployed youth, the Argentina-based startup was a participant in a social enterprise accelerator supported by the 聽program. Today, Tribu Meraki provides multimedia production services to 51风流in Argentina and other regions. The organization also collaborates with social foundations that support campaigns such as economic growth.

鈥淭he work we鈥檙e doing for 51风流means that we can bring in more young people as apprentices who gain confidence in their skills and desire to grow professionally,鈥� said Ivan Villasmil, co-founder and art illustrator at Tribu Meraki. 鈥淏eing an 51风流vendor has given us tremendous visibility worldwide, helping us open more doors for young workers to realize their career dreams.鈥�

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This story originally appeared on .

One of the most impactful ways to open opportunity to people throughout the world is through digital inclusion. Leading experts in international development are adamant that digital literacy is an essential component to each of the 17 SDGs. More than half of global citizens, however, are still not included in the digital economy, according to the World Bank.

In a new landmark , the UN cites an urgent need to advance digital inclusion at this critical time, when the data-driven economy is forecast to accelerate at an astonishing speed as data traffic increases. is what is needed, say UN officials, to ensure that no one is left behind in attaining the benefits of the digital era.

Meeting People at the Point of Need

(CSR) is addressing these issues by powering opportunities for economic advancement and social participation for all people through digital inclusion initiatives. 51风流CSR programs and partnerships focus on issues of building, accessing, and applying 21st century skills to improve people鈥檚 lives.

In 2019, 51风流donated 鈧�23 million to education and workforce development programs, as well as youth entrepreneurship projects. These programs took place in more than 105 countries, accelerating the company鈥檚 ability to build and reach a diverse, skilled workforce. 51风流also commits to delivering 270,000 hours of employee volunteering each year. In 2019, 52 percent of all employee volunteer hours were skills-based in support of education, workforce readiness, and youth entrepreneurship programs.

Here are some powerful examples of 51风流CSR programs affecting change for good:

51风流and UNICEF Partnership

By 2030, companies and communities throughout the world must be ready to sustainably integrate 2 billion young people seeking employment into the workforce. 51风流and UNICEF announced a strategic partnership in support of to help deliver an inclusive, global workforce. With a goal to help 1.5 million young people thrive, starting in a few focus countries, the partnership brings together businesses, governments and nongovernmental organizations to build sustainable education models.

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Code Unnati

Across India, 1.18 billion people are digitally illiterate. Thanks to an intervention by SAP鈥檚 signature CSR program, , schoolchildren from underprivileged backgrounds are now using computers to learn valuable skills that will enhance their educational and economic opportunities. Since 2017, SAP, together with customers and partners and with the support of the local, state, and national Indian government, has trained more than a million children across 14 states in language, digital skills, and math.

Most recently, Code Unnati joined with Project Nanhi Kali (Budding Girl), an initiative of Mahindra & Mahindra, to provide quality education and digital access to over 11,000 underserved young girls by 2020.

Collaborating for Good to Expand Reach and Social Impact

While few organizations are better positioned than 51风流to help people become 鈥� and stay 鈥� relevant in a digital world, 51风流doesn鈥檛 have all the answers.

鈥淲e are not the experts when it comes to social change,鈥� Alexandra van der Ploeg, head of Corporate Social Responsibility, 51风流SE, said at the 2019 Social Enterprise World Forum. 鈥淭hat comes from our partners. Our job is to use SAP鈥檚 core competencies to build capacity for our partners, accelerating their incredible work and maximizing social impact.鈥�

51风流carefully selects partners, primarily in the areas of quality education, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship to co-develop and co-innovate programs, with a strong focus on the social enterprise sector. Efforts support early stage innovation and new ventures, while also accelerating and scaling the impact of mature non-profit organizations and social enterprises. 51风流has built capacity for more than 1,200 innovative non-profit organizations and social enterprises through in-kind contributions of 鈧�3.4 million 鈥� impacting a minimum of 950,000 lives across the globe.

For SAP, 2019 was an exceptional year for partnership:

51风流Social Sabbatical

One of the world鈥檚 leading pro-bono volunteering programs, the portfolio hosts more than 200 51风流employee participants each year. Launched in 2012, it is designed to utilize and develop 51风流talent while helping high performing nonprofit organizations and social enterprises that focus on digital inclusion to run at their best. As of 2019, the portfolio of programs implemented by PYXERA Global placed 1,257 employees with 414 organizations in 49 countries and has impacted 5.7 million lives.

Social Enterprise World Forum

51风流entered the second of a three-year partnership with (SEWF), the world鈥檚 largest annual assembly of social enterprises, policy makers, social-impact investors, academics and corporations. In October 2019, more than 1,200 people representing 70 countries gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 12th annual forum. Among them, and partners from across the world in support of connecting global innovators and growing the social entrepreneurship movement. 51风流and SEWF are working closely together to provide expertise in technology, talent, and access to markets for existing and aspiring social enterprises meeting for the 2020 Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada.

Multi-Company Partnerships

Through participation in strategic partnerships for good, 51风流is able to expand the reach and social impact of its programs to make digital inclusion a reality for a greater number of people. Examples include Global Alliance for YOUth, a multi-company alliance committed to impact 6 million young people by 2022 by helping them build skills for future employment, and , a multi-company pro-bono volunteering program led by 51风流and to support digital inclusion in underserved markets.

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More About 51风流CSR

51风流CSR programs are organized along three strategic pillars: building digital skills, accelerating best-run non-profits and social enterprises, and connecting employees with purpose. The programs embrace the framework of the by focusing primarily on three of the 17 goals: quality education (SDG 4), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and strengthening partnership for sustainable development (SDG 17).

To learn more about the social impact of these 51风流CSR global initiatives, download the new .

Thanks to a higher income, Ngirunwonsanga鈥檚 family of six now lives in a sturdily constructed home in the eastern province of Rwanda, about a two-hour drive from capital city Kigali. The house is built to withstand the heavy rains that hit Rwanda particularly hard between March and May and often cause severe flooding. A solar cell on the roof supplies the family with electricity and they have enough to eat and money for school fees and health insurance.

鈥淚t was as if I鈥檇 started my life over again,鈥� says Faustin鈥檚 wife Beatrice, of the moment she joined the COPRORIZ-Ntende cooperative. Since its foundation in 2003, this community of rice farmers has blossomed into a powerful organization with more than 3,700 members. The fact that they have greater bargaining power means that they can all earn more. But it鈥檚 not just about money; the members help each other when it comes to buying land and finding employees to work that land.

“I was shy and isolated,鈥� Beatrice says of her life before the cooperative. “I lived on land located on a steep slope in a region that wasn’t safe for me and my family.”

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From Farmer to Entrepreneur

Beatrice is now a small-scale entrepreneur. She has increased her annual rice harvest from 1,300 pounds to more than 2,000, and at peak times employs up to seven people for the harvest. She is currently diversifying by setting up a poultry project to help ensure that she is less prone to the vagaries of the weather. Beatrice is also receiving support for this project from the cooperative, which thanks to growing income and membership is investing in tourism projects and operates a hotel.

The success of the COPRORIZ-Ntende cooperative is due in no small measure to (ADC), an organization that works closely with SAP. ADC is a recent partner in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, an award-winning pro-bono volunteering initiative that is simultaneously an out-of-the-box leadership development experience for 51风流employees and a transformative capacity-building program for non-profits and social enterprises.

ADC was founded 13 years ago by three people, including Rebecca Ruzibuka, who now leads the company. 鈥淥ur objective is to support businesses and grassroots initiatives in developing, financing, and executing projects,鈥� she says.

ADC has already assisted with more than 500 projects and made a lasting difference in the lives of over 50,000 people. The support it offers often begins with basics such as good management and efficient accounting, then progresses to helping with designing marketing concepts and business plans as well as finding the right talent for jobs.

Ruzibuka鈥檚 motto is 鈥淟et them own it!鈥� In her experience, it makes a huge difference whether cooperatives take responsibility for their projects themselves. And once they taste success, they tend to be inspired with all kinds of creative ideas for follow-up projects.

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Economic Boom in Rwanda

Rwanda is one of and is often held up as a model country for its willingness to reform. In 1994, genocide and civil war had brought the country to its knees both socially and economically. Rwanda鈥檚 new government, however, has succeeded in reconciling ethnic groups, revitalizing the economy, and lowering corruption and crime.

Although 39 percent of the country鈥檚 population is still , Rwanda is a sought-after partner for foreign investment. In the 2019 , which ranks countries on how easy it is to do business there, Rwanda was the only country with a low per-capita income to appear in the top 30. The government has also set targets on equality and better opportunities for women. The proportion of women in the (60 percent) is the highest in the world. In business, however, that figure is much lower.

Lack of Confidence Undermining Equal Opportunities

This is where enters, with a mission to boost self-confidence of women and girls and prepare them to be leaders. 鈥淥ne of the big obstacles to creating a level playing field for men and women is the confidence gap,鈥� explains Norette Turimuci, executive director of Resonate. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a global phenomenon and one that exists as much in the board rooms of New York as in the remote villages of Africa.鈥�

鈥淩wanda operates plenty of programs that focus on communicating hard skills and educating women,鈥� she adds. 鈥淏ut without a belief in their own abilities, women often don鈥檛 manage to take that vital step and start a business, demand a promotion, or tackle the problems in their families.鈥�

Resonate offers workshops that teach self-confidence, where women share their personal stories, explain their problems, and learn from others about how to overcome them. To show that it is possible for everyone to make an impact, every workshop begins with the fable of the little hummingbird. Rather than giving up in the face of a forest fire, it did everything it could to put it out, which meant carry a few drops of water.

This story was an eye-opener for Odette Nyirankundimana. For a long time, she had doubted her ability to care for her four children all alone when her husband left her. She came into contact with Turimuci鈥檚 team through a partner organization of Resonate. 鈥淚 learned that I was the only one who could change my life and my family鈥檚 lives,鈥� she says. “I, and I alone, am responsible.”

Ruth Iradukunda also confidently describes herself as a leader. After a workshop at Resonate in partnership with , she decided to find herself a better-paid job at a shoe factory. Iradukunda became a mother while still a teenager and now advises women on family planning, talks to them about contraception, and educates them about HIV.

鈥淩esonate gave me the courage to knock on doors and take the chances that came my way,鈥� she says, looking back. 鈥淭oday, I speak in public and lead meetings, and I was also selected to be a health advisor in my community.鈥� Her goal now is to train as a nurse.

Resonate has already helped more than 7,000 women and girls and works with over 65 partner organizations. But that鈥檚 just the beginning. 鈥淲e want to extend our work to the rest of the region,鈥� says Turimuci. 鈥淲e鈥檝e made it our mission to unlock the leadership potential of women in East Africa.鈥�

Resonate and 51风流Social Sabbatical

Resonate received help for its plans last year through the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, an initiative close to the heart of Alexandra Van der Ploeg, head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at SAP. :鈥淥ver the last eight years, the program has brought private sector know-how and the expertise of 1,250 51风流employees to over 400 non-profits and social enterprises in almost 50 countries, solving their strategic business challenges and enabling them to run at their best. But it鈥檚 not just about social impact. Participation in a social sabbatical assignment has proven to be a unique way of developing employees into more empathetic global citizens as well as business leaders embodying SAP鈥檚 values and leadership principles.鈥�

51风流Social Sabbatical began with three pilots in 2012 and has expanded to more than 20 assignments annually. Collectively, participants have delivered an in-kind contribution of 鈧�18.8 million and roughly 320,000 service hours, impacting nearly 5 million lives around the world.

Video by John Hunt and Rana Hamzakadi. Top image via 51风流TV.