Xactly and the Power of 1%

By: Micheline Nijmeh, Xactly Chief Marketing Officer

One percent. It sounds like such a small number. In the course of an hour, it’s only thirty-six seconds. Out of $1, it’s only a penny. But let’s put it in context. Last year Dreamforce welcomed 150,000 people. What if every one of them gave that thirty-six seconds or one penny? That would equate to 5.4 million seconds (90,000 minutes/1,500 hours) and $1,500. That is the power of 1%. It has the potential to add up quickly and make a big difference. And that’s what is at the heart of Salesforce’s 1% pledge.

For Xactly, this mentality has always been part of our culture and DNA. When CEO Christopher Cabrera founded the company in 2005, he was not only looking to completely disrupt the world of incentive compensation through the cloud, but also to create a company that was just as dedicated to its stakeholders – employees, customers and partners – as it would ever be to its shareholders. As such, one of the first things Cabrera did was start the company’s philanthropic organization, XactlyOne.

The employee-run organization arranges volunteer opportunities and projects and encourages team members to donate their time and talents in their local neighborhoods. Today, more than 20 percent of Xactly’s employees serve on the XactlyOne committee and almost every employee participates in events throughout the year. Employees can find that one event a year that speaks to them on a deep level or spend little pieces of time helping with many activities. For example, we do backpack drives at the beginning of the school year and chili cook-offs in the fall where all the proceeds go to charity. The diversity and number of activities ensure that everyone can play a part. Each employee is also granted three days off a year to donate their time to a charity of their choice.

Over the last year, XactlyOne has raised money and volunteered for organizations such as Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, and Second Harvest. One event that has always stood out for me was the holiday season we partnered with customer Specialized to donate bikes to children in need in the San Jose Community.

And most recently, XactlyOne donated $10,000 to the Dreamforce concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. The money will provide gas cards for 200 low-income families.

Eleven years after the company was founded, Cabrera still considers these philanthropic efforts core to the company’s values and mission. He recently noted in a recent radio interview that this philosophy is central to retention and recruitment at the company, and he often feels after giving to various causes that “it’s helping us as much as it’s helping them.” Xactly has been named a Great Place to Work/Workplace by Fortune Magazine and Bay Area News Group numerous times. Always in the employee survey’s that govern these distinctions is glowing feedback on Xactly’s dedication to giving back.

Again, one percent sounds small. But if every company makes the pledge, our efforts can amount to big contributions to the communities in which we work and live. Not to mention, continue to make your employees and customers proud to work with a company willing to look outside themselves to do something to make an impact for those in need. What are you waiting for?