Goodera at the Forefront of Redefining Philanthropy with Virtual Volunteering

Goodera, a Series B funded startup and Indias largest and most trusted platform for CSR and volunteering has been leading India Incs efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic with CSR projects, volunteer-driven engagements, and donation opportunities. In this era of social distancing and people working remotely, Goodera is poised to leverage its technology to enhance employee engagement through virtual volunteering.

Indias largest technology platform for CSR and Volunteering

Goodera has received overwhelmingly positive responses for all the COVID-19 initiatives so far. Employee led volunteering and donations were well received by the corporate fraternity. With extended lockdowns, Work from Home, and people having to spend all the time indoors, it is difficult to even volunteer for some of the activities that people may be interested in. Goodera has enhanced its Volunteering platform with the view of providing an opportunity for everyone to volunteer virtually for over 1 million volunteers.

Large corporates such as Genpact, Reckitt Benckiser, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, and State Street Corporation have all moved to a system of volunteering virtually with Goodera. Other companies are testing out various facets of virtual volunteering before moving to this model as a means to engage employees all the time, not just as a substitute to be used during the lockdown. Several of these corporates have commended Goodera's efforts to enhance employee engagement through Virtual Volunteering.

Speaking about the current situation, Mr. K V Rajendra Hegde, General Manager, EA, CSR, BIA and PR, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, said, "In such perilous times, when the whole country is battling the repercussions of the COVID 19 pandemic, Toyota, in line with its safety and security philosophy has taken numerous measures to aid the Government and the citizens. We have been continuously monitoring the evolving situation to identify major problem areas where we can provide our aid and support to those individuals who are risking their lives to protect us. Our endeavor has always been to support the people in these uncertain times and provide relief whenever and wherever we can. We are thankful to Goodera and its partner NGOs for helping us with real-time requirements and to achieve the last-mile connectivity to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Gooderas Virtual Volunteering opportunities are helping us to effectively engage with our employees and provide a medium for them to support the cause."

Virtual Volunteering, also known as online volunteering, micro-volunteering, crowdsourcing, or digital volunteering, is completing philanthropic tasks remotely with no physical interaction with the organization being assisted. It is a tool to not only enhance employee engagement but also to promote emotional and mental well-being of employees in these challenging times. It is a simple, effective, and impactful alternative to traditional methods of giving back. Goodera, in association with it's partner NGOs, has built a large repository of curated volunteering opportunities on its platform.

State Street Corporation collaborated with Goodera to enable their company for Virtual Volunteering. Hitesh Hotchandani, Member, Volunteer Committee, Statestreet Corporation, India expressed his views on engagement. He said, "Given the current COVD-19 situation with most companies having to continue working from home, one must not forget to give back to society. As we cannot reach door to door to our NGO partners, it becomes very crucial to support them virtually. Goodera has provided us the perfect platform to connect virtually with multiple NGOs enabling the volunteers to do their bit and contribute to the needful. As part of State Street volunteering week, we conducted two events in collaboration with the Goodera team, and it has been a really terrific experience for all of us. We have received very positive feedback from all stakeholders and participants, and we look forward to working with Goodera as we continue to battle the global pandemic."

Virtual volunteering is a means of connecting socially and collaboratively, even while being distant physically. This can enable companies to advance their mission without worrying about being onsite. Goodera has partnered with non-profit organizations to support the COVID-19 cause through Virtual Volunteering.

Quest Alliance is one of the trusted partners of Goodera and a social venture that works towards creating powerful learning experiences for marginalized children and youth. Angela Jean DSouza, Project Manager from Quest Alliance, said, "Our experience with volunteers recommended by Goodera has been wonderful. Over the last two weeks, the volunteers have run seven sessions reaching out to more than 400 young learners on topics such as the Importance of Soft Skills, How to make a PowerPoint presentation, Building resumes, etc. Overall, these were well-crafted as per the needs of the students. Speakers used a storytelling approach which connected well with our learners; keeping the content both relatable and engaging. Learners comments and questions during the session displayed good enthusiasm and learning in the sessions."

As leaders in the space of employee-driven philanthropy, Goodera has done a series of webinars and created resources on engaging employees using the power of Virtual Volunteering. "Changing circumstances have pushed Virtual Volunteering to the forefront of the goodness ecosystem, with new organizations adopting virtual volunteering every day. Volunteers reflect the nations compassion, and in these trying times, we need the engagement of volunteers more than ever. Virtual volunteering is definitely the next big thing that everyone in the social sector needs to think about," said Abhishek Humbad, Founder and CEO of Goodera.

About Goodera

Goodera is a technology platform that makes CSR, volunteering and sustainability activity transparent, measurable and engaging. Used globally by corporations and foundations, Goodera simplifies CSR, volunteering, and sustainability by automating processes, managing data and facilitating coordination with nonprofits. With program health reports available at the click of a button, Goodera enables companies to showcase quantified impact to customers, employees, and investors with ease.

Goodera is currently deployed by 200 clients -- including Target, Gap, Dell, Amazon and P&G - and engaging 1 million + employee volunteers to 40,000+ nonprofits across 90+ countries across the globe. Managing over $500 million in CSR capital, the Goodera platform is used to collect and aggregate data from internal and third-party sources. Goodera social and environmental impact reports are used for internal progress tracking and in ESG reporting to investors, analysts and corporate boards.

Goodera is co-headquartered in San Mateo, CA and Bangalore, India and is backed by Omidyar Network, Nexus Venture Partners, and SAIF Partners.

For more details, please visit us at www.goodera.com.