New platform makes it easy for Arrow employees to participate in CSR

Arrow Electronics’ new employee platform, Arrow Charitable, is designed to more deeply engage employees in the company’s corporate social responsibility program through direct involvement while rewarding them for getting active in their local communities. It’s the winner in the “Stakeholder/Employee Engagement” category of PR Daily’s 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Awards.

Through the platform, employees can give money, time or both, donating directly to charitable causes or joining select corporate matching programs. Employees use the platform to log the time they donate, with Arrow making a financial contribution based on how much time employees spend volunteering. 

Initially available to 7,500 employees in the United States and Canada, Arrow Charitable has become a channel for the CSR team to organize and promote participation in events sponsored by the community organizations with which it has partnered, such as Junior Achievement. Employees can search for volunteer opportunities based on location, keyword, date or charity. They can also create events of their own, recruit their colleagues to join them in specific activities and apply for matching company funds. 

Employees learned about the platform through a partnership with the company’s internal communications department; the CSR department also developed a Giving and Volunteering User Guide, along with a charitable giving policy created with the help of the legal department. 

Since the portal’s launch, 8 percent of employees have used it to support 185 charities, participate in 570 volunteer events, log more than 5,000 volunteer hours worth nearly $125,000 and achieve a 20 percent engagement mark. 

Congratulations to Arrow’s Alex West, Sierra Fowler and John Watters.