April at the WTIA is “Tech for Good” month! On April 7^th, member company RealSelf hosted the Tech in Focus: Philanthropic Innovations event in their downtown Seattle space. Moderator Scott Garrepy, Chief Development Officer of SightLife, led panelists Cole Hoover, Director of Impact Partnerships at Unleesh, Mark Horoszowski, Co-Founder of Moving Worlds, and Heather Glenn Wade, Senior Technical Product Manager at TUNE, on incorporating philanthropy into company culture.

RealSelf’ Founder and CEO, Tom Seery, kicked off the evening with an introduction and video clip of their Change 500 program, serving children in the developing world born with cleft deformities. To learn more, view this powerful video about how Change 500 is changing lives.

The panel conversation then began by addressing the changing community service/philanthropy standard in the corporate world; the traditional model has been doing good in order to make up for the negative side effects of corporate business. Things have since changed, and with it, the expectations and interests of employees/job seekers.

“Employees want to be a part of a company that recognizes the urgency in this world,” said Hoover. “New generations are discovering there’s some insincerity in the corporate world and they’re looking for philanthropy to be a part of their DNA.”

It helps in team bonding as well: “A job is more than a salary and benefits; people want to be around people who are passionate about the same things they are passionate about,” said Wade. “Having a corporate giving program promotes a positive idea and gets employees engaged in a lot of different ways.”

Going beyond the talent perspective, Garrepy asked panelists about benefits of this integrated philanthropic approach. Horoszowski spoke on how this model aids in learning and comprehending how consumers are using their product and improves communication to target audience. Hoover added that it builds a revenue model that is affordable at all levels of business; “we are so tied to doing this that it’s not even a philanthropic thing anymore, it’s just another part of our business.”

To close out the discussion, panelists shared their final thoughts and advice for integrating philanthropy into corporate business. Horoszowski said, “Some of the problems facing people in these communities are massive and we need to compel this idea that you feel better if you give your money and give your time…use it as a team building opportunity in some capacity.”

“So often the least sexy thing is the most important,” said Hoover. ”Money is as important as expertise is as important as relationships—the more that can be learned about what these organizations need the better. As long as it’s not a distraction, start early and get people involved; if you don’t start early you won’t get ahead.”

Wade added, “When you are a young company, you have a unique opportunity to shape the culture. Getting [philanthropy] embedded in your company when it’s young is critical.”

Thank you to our host, RealSelf, our moderator and panelists for a great evening. Check out the WTIA events page for more information on our upcoming “Tech for Good” event on clean technology and sustainability!