Liz Baird
Much like our Global Month of Impact, Autodesk’s Global Month of Giving is an annual campaign focused on making positive changes in the world. The campaign, run at the end of each year, encourages and supports employees in giving back to causes they care about. With more than two million eligible charities available to donate to, Autodeskers can support organizations in their home communities, identity communities, and international communities. Autodesk offers to match eligible donations up to $5,000 per year through the Autodesk Foundation.
In terms of participation, Global Month of Giving is our largest campaign of the year. Employees can individually support their favorite organizations, contribute toward a team fundraiser, or support Autodesk’s Employee Relief Foundation (ERF), a nonprofit charitable trust that helps Autodeskers support each other in times of critical need. They can also log volunteer hours for reward.
Thousands of employees gave nearly $2 million (including company match) during this year’s Global Month of Giving, which ended December 31. Our global Impact Champions network also created localized opportunities to give back beyond a donation. We saw toy drives, blanket drives, food drives, feminine hygiene drives, and drives to support refugee programs. We also saw environmental-related volunteering in Boston, Denver, Portland, and San Francisco in the United States, as well as throughout Canada, France, India, Japan, Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
One great example came out of our Toronto office, as shared by the Toronto Impact Committee:
“We hosted an in-person shoebox drive for The Shoebox Project for Women at Autodesk’s Toronto office. More than 30 Autodeskers participated in this fun and festive event by assembling and wrapping close to 30 shoeboxes! Each box was filled with approximately $50 worth of gifts and essentials, along with a warm, hand-written message of support. Many people also contributed additional essential items like soaps, shampoo, and chocolate. The Shoebox Project for Women volunteers then distributed these gifts to local women’s shelters and agencies.”
Per The Shoebox Project: “For women who have been displaced from their homes and estranged from their families, special occasions can be particularly challenging. Often, women report feeling disconnected from society, invisible, and alone. A shoebox gift is a powerful reminder for a woman that she has not been forgotten and that she remains a valued and respected member of her community.”
Global Month of Giving offers a chance for Autodeskers to connect through philanthropy. And the passion and vulnerability Autodeskers share has been really inspiring. We get to see pictures and read stories about why a particular cause or charity is important to someone; I think this brings things closer to the heart. As a personal example, a few years ago, I shared on social media how I had donated platelets for the first time, and multiple friends reached out to tell me how platelet transfusions granted them extra time with a parent who was going through cancer treatment or recovering from a bad accident. Understanding the importance of that simple donation really impacted me, and I have donated platelets more than 50 times since then.
Autodeskers are known for giving year-round, but Global Month of Giving offers a time for us all to share our giving stories and inspire others. As a global company with thousands of employees, this campaign brings us closer together and creates a sense of belonging. Driving positive impact is in our DNA at Autodesk, and giving is just one of the ways Autodeskers show up.
Learn more about Autodesk’s impact strategy in our FY22 impact report.