Strategic philanthropy: how corporate charity improves employee morale and creates social impact

Management20 Dec 2024

Sponsored by SoftServe

Research consistently demonstrates that corporate philanthropy plays a pivotal role in shaping employee perceptions and morale. According to PWC’s report, 86 per cent of employees prefer to support or work for companies that prioritise the same issues they do. At SoftServe, we have experienced it firsthand, because the culture of volunteering and corporate citizenship has become firmly embedded as a cornerstone of our corporate culture, a driver for engagement and a distinctive differentiator in the competitive talent market.

However, Gen Z and millennials often voice scepticism about the broader impact of business, revealing a gap between corporate potential and delivered results. From our experience, we learned that to become a powerful instrument to impact both communities and employees, corporate philanthropy must transcend financial contributions and unfocused initiatives. To truly make an impact, it should be embedded as a strategic pillar of business operations, actively involving employees and aligning with a company’s mission and values while addressing urgent needs and creating enduring change.

Philanthropy in action

In Ukraine, where the war with Russia has devastated communities and infrastructure, corporate philanthropy has become a vital pillar of social responsibility. SoftServe, a global enterprise founded in Ukraine in 1993 and now operating across 16 countries, has a long history of supporting communities, establishing partnerships with universities, assisting local initiatives and more.

In 2014, SoftServe established the Open Eyes corporate charity fund to amplify its philanthropic efforts as an organic extension of our values and corporate culture and as a response to internal demand from employees to help as Ukraine endured the first wave of Russian aggression. Open Eyes has evolved into a platform for philanthropy, funded through contributions from both SoftServe and associates’ donations. The fund oversees the organisational management of charity initiatives, while the company supports the fund’s institutional development and finances its core team.

Since 2014, Open Eyes has completed over 250 projects and spent tens of millions of pounds, including funds allocated by SoftServe and donated through the website, for charity initiatives in healthcare, education, infrastructure, aid for underprivileged groups and assistance for colleagues during critical moments.

The fund’s focus has always been on creating a lasting impact. For example, providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children has opened doors to higher education and careers in IT. Establishing “Positive Rooms” in hospitals for children undergoing long-term treatments has not only improved their psychological wellbeing but also helped hundreds of children in Ukraine and Poland stay on track with their education while receiving medical help.

Children who are long-term patients spend time playing in the Positive Room at the hospital, a space created by the Open Eyes fund

Sharpening vision for long-lasting impact

In early 2022, when the full-scale war broke out, Open Eyes turned its focus entirely to supporting Ukraine. The fund delivered over 2,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid and provided defenders with essential supplies, personal belongings, medical equipment and medicines. Initially, our efforts were reactive, tackling critical needs as they cropped up. However, as the situation evolved, our team came to appreciate the need for a more strategic approach. With medical infrastructure in frontline areas either destroyed or under constant attack, civilians and defenders were often left to fend for themselves without access to urgent care. In response, in mid-2022 the fund launched the Drive for Lif e project, dedicating its resources to equipping and delivering ambulances to medics in critical regions.

One ambulance is capable of saving up to 5,400 lives annually, medics say. To date, Open Eyes has procured, equipped and delivered over 280 ambulances with lifesaving medical equipment, supporting over 180 medical units. In order to support the efforts and broaden our impact to a broader audience, we partnered with Okean Elz y, one of Ukraine’s most celebrated rock bands, well-known for packing out stadiums and rallying support for the country, for their Help for Ukraine 2024 worldwide tour. In December, they wrapped the tour with a final concert in London, where attendees raised nearly £30,000 through auctions, a charity merchandise shop and direct donations to fund ambulances. Through this partnership, we aim to procure 30 additional vehicles and have already raised over £339,000, a part of the targeted goal.

The delivery of the first ambulance to the medics through Drive for Life: Okean Elzy Edition initiative

Engaging employees

What makes the Drive for Life initiative strategic is its dual impact: it addresses an immediate humanitarian need while fostering unity and purpose within our company. Over 500 SoftServe volunteers have been involved, covering over 1,513,000 kilometres across countries such as the UK, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, to deliver ambulances to Ukraine. Once in the country, they ensure the ambulances are equipped and safely reach frontline medics. Volunteers take charge of logistics, source vehicles, coordinate drivers and equip ambulances with medical supplies – all out of their own goodwill. The Drive for Life was voted Project of the Year by our associates at the annual SoftServe Awards, which honour top contributors and initiatives.

This reflects the core mission of the Open Eyes fund: empowering associates to lead impactful charity projects, backed by the dedicated efforts of the fund’s small team of just five people. By handing employees ownership of these efforts, we’ve developed a model of philanthropy that is both effective and deeply engaging. Moreover, volunteering enhances employee wellbeing, as individuals are contributing to meaningful projects, which bolsters their self-esteem, sense of purpose and emotional resilience.

Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, SoftServe’s eNPS has ranked in the top 5 per cent of global IT companies. CSR and charity initiatives – directly involving associates drive engagement and cultivate a profound sense of belonging. In the era of hybrid work, where employees benefit from significant flexibility in choosing their work location, fostering these connections has become all the more challenging.

SoftServe associates volunteer by packing up humanitarian aid

The Open Eyes fund is one of SoftServe’s key initiatives, encouraging associates to contribute meaningfully. Alongside this, the company provides OpenTech, a platform for technological volunteering, along with various CSR activities that enable our people to drive impact aligned with their values. In 2024 alone, our associates worked on more than 30 projects, contributing 27,584 hours to pro bono social technology projects for both local or national NGOs and authorities, and international organisations such as UNICEF, UNFPA and the WWF.

Volunteering has proven to be a pivotal approach for SoftServe, providing opportunities for people to communicate, engage and collaborate on projects while fulfilling their desire to make a meaningful difference Ensuring employees are brought into the fold – from the initial planning stages to the final execution – not only fosters a shared sense of purpose but also lifts morale and leaves a lasting legacy.

By Taras Vervega, co-founder and Board Member, SoftServe; founder, Open Eyes corporate charity fund