As I have written about on this blog and in interviews (like the one I did recently with Thom Singer on our culture), I strongly believe in nourishing the soul of our company. Although the economy is very tough right now, we are very blessed to live in the wealthiest nation, to work at one of the most innovative companies, and to live in some of the greatest cities (our offices are in Austin, London, Paris, and Singapore). One of the primary ways we nourish the soul is through charity. The way I see it, we have an obligation to help those that are less fortunate. Human potential is an amazing force; I recently read the book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, which hammers home the potential that each person has given the right set of circumstances (this is a brilliant read for you over the holiday break). I am also a sincere believer in karma, and I believe our company’s performance is tied to our involvement in charity.
So, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Snowflake (Snow) Rosen, our Sales Director who leads our Bazaarvoice Foundation (in the spirit of Tribes, by Seth Godin, you don’t have to be a manager at Bazaarvoice to lead an important initiative or group). I believe this is Snow’s first post to our blog, even though we have been significantly involved in charity ever since we started the company.
Written by Snowflake Rosen:
At Bazaarvoice, we give thanks for our collective abundance by weaving service and charity into our corporate culture. We created the Bazaarvoice Foundation to build structure around this core value of service by providing leadership and organization of at least two service events per quarter. Team members across the company propose the events we sponsor; the activities reflect both our individual and company passions.
In 2008, as a company, we made an impact to service organizations and charities locally and nationally.
Together, we contributed to 10 events for 10 different local and national organizations, including:
- 1 rack of professional clothing for The Salvation Army’s Employment Services and Employment Counseling
- 21 “Wishpacks” for Make a Wish Foundation of Central and South Texas to accompany Wishkids who have been granted a trip
- 40 towels for Emancipet to help stray dogs and cats recovering from spay and neuter surgery
- 60 teddy bears for Center for Child Protection to reduce the trauma for children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases
- 40 trees planted, exterior walls painted and an irrigation system installed at Govalle Elementary in East Austin through Entrepreneurs Foundation Fall Service Day
- 1 pro bono Bazaarvoice Stories implementation for the Jimmy V Foundation
- 100+ ceramic mugs for “Greening the Bazaarvoice kitchen”- staff members cleaned out their cabinets and brought in 100 ceramic mugs to end our use of disposal coffee cups
- 125 – Average bowling score of 8th Annual Austin Cup Bazaarvoice bowling team – we are bad bowlers with good hearts
- 421 person hours donated in total
- Financial contributions to Jimmy V Foundation, Grace Family Foundation, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation LIVESTRONG Challenge
It is an honor to chair the Bazaarvoice Foundation, and I am consistently touched and impressed by our efforts.
Blessings in 2009,
Snowflake Rosen
