Salesforce

Salesforce Lights The Night

As told to Tania Wybenga, Sr. Manager, Community & Fund Development

1. Why is it important for Salesforce to participate in Light The Night every year?

A former Salesforce employee, Shannon Millar had been part of the Salesforce team for 7 years before she was diagnosed with blood cancer. She made a tremendous impact during her time at the company and was the driving force behind Salesforce Toronto’s participation.
For Salesforce, a lot of what we do is rooted in the belief that ‘business is the greatest platform for change’. We are enabled to be agents of change at Salesforce. It is about wanting to show up in the communities we operate, to be part of the fabric of these communities, and to give back to them. At Salesforce we are all given time off to volunteer, the company matches charitable donations, and our time spent volunteering is even measured among all employees.
For Salesforce, we know someone that was directly impacted by blood cancers, and that is a important piece, but we also know it could happen to anyone else in the wider community at any time. We want people to know we are there to support them.


2. Why was it important for you to get involved in helping rally the Salesforce team when you
joined the company?

My first exposure to LLSC was through the Team In Training program. Two friends of mine, Nik Paukkunen and Aaron Kennedy were coaches, and helped my training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. While doing this I was raising funds for LLSC, and this was when I first got involved with the good work you do.

I then became involved in the NextGen Committee with LLSC, helping run the Yoga Marathon events and a few other fundraising events. When I joined Salesforce I saw they had a large presence, stemming mostly from people who Shannon had touched, and the company was growing significantly so there was potential for big reach.

I saw the Light The Night opportunity posted on our internal communications. Having seen everyone’s passion for it, the support for Shannon and being connected to LLSC through the NextGen Committee it was a no-brainer for me.

3. What was the most successful fundraising activity your team executed that you would
recommend to other teams?

Last year we organized a scavenger hunt internally using an app called GooseChase (developed by former Salesforce employees). It allows you to create different challenges that teams can then go and complete.
For us, this event functioned as a combined fundraiser for LLSC, and also a team building exercise. People created teams and donated $20 to participate, we then pooled all the money and had Salesforce match the funds for the donation.
We ended up with about 12 teams of 5 people who spent 3 hours running around downtown Toronto completing these challenges to be crowned the ultimate winner. After we’d finished the hunt, we all went to a partner sponsored happy hour to celebrate our contribution.

4. What are 3 words you would use to describe Light The Night?

Moving. Gratitude. Community.

5. Do you have a message to the Blood Cancer Community?

You have more support than you might think. There are so many people who are willing to help out in whatever way they’re able to at the moment. That tight knit community is still here for you despite the conditions. We will always be available to support.