As everyone continues to recover from the impact of COVID-19, we here at Braze felt that the time was right to help out and give back. That's why Braze hosted its first-annual Volunteer Week this May, providing our team with a unique opportunity to say a collective "thank you" to the communities around the world where Braze employees live and work every day. During Volunteer Week, our team members were encouraged to step away from their desks to participate in 20+ virtual and in-person volunteer events with the goal of providing support to underserved communities. So let's take a look at some of those activities:

From turning strangers into friends to pulling weeds at local parks, our employees embraced every opportunity to make a difference for those around them. Some folks chose in-person activities, including cleaning up parks across New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and London, or prepping food donations in Central Texas. Others opted for virtual events, including sessions making pet beds to donate to local shelters, participating in virtual workshops with artists in Colombia, writing cards to Asian American seniors, and so much more. (Note: Braze employees followed state and local COVID-19 guidelines while participating in all in-person events.)

The Impact of Braze Volunteer Week

• Three teams worked to solve remote learning challenges with SuitUp, an organization aimed at helping improve online learning environments for young people.

• We provided four hours of professional development for Artolution, a group of artists working with vulnerable communities in Colombia.

• Six Black Connect founders pitched new business concepts to Braze employees who served as judges. Black Connect is a 501(c)(3) membership and chapter-based organization dedicated to eliminating the racial wealth gap by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses.

• Nine volunteers participated in habitat restoration activities—like invasive species removal—in San Francisco with Sutro Stewards.

• Our volunteers made 16 calls to older adults with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly, a volunteer-based organization committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among seniors.

• 21 volunteers completed 42 hours of volunteer work at New York’s Madison Square Park.

• 29 volunteers completed 58 hours of volunteer work at New York’s Washington Square Park.

• 35 volunteers created dead-hedges to promote wildlife habitation at London’s Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park in connection with the Royal Parks.

• Our volunteers donated 48 pet beds to local shelters across the US and England with Pillows for Paws, a volunteer-run non-profit organization that works to provide beds, toys and treats to homeless pets.

• 48 volunteers helped pull weeds, spread mulch, and paint picnic tables before the start of the BBQ season in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park.

• Our volunteers mailed 50 cards to Asian elders with Heart of Dinner, an organization that exists to combat food insecurity and isolation within NYC’s elderly Asian American community.

• We collected 102.5 lbs of garbage at North Avenue Beach in Chicago in connection with the Plastic Shark.

• We provided 1,800 pounds of dry goods to feed 1,500 Central Texans at Central Texas Food Bank.

• Our team members donated $14,400 to various non-profit organizations.

Over the past year, Braze has hired more than 350 people, now totaling over 800 employees. If Braze sounds like a place you are interested in being a part of, we’re hiring across all departments.