How The Adaptavist Group gives back with Pledge 1%

What is Pledge 1%, what do our team members use it for, and what are the hidden benefits of employee volunteering? Our AdaptaKind participants share their experiences.

Back in 2015, Adaptavist signed up for the Pledge 1% movement. The goal is simple: pledge 1% of your company's time, profits, or product to make community initiatives one of your business's key stakeholders so they can share in your corporate success.

Today, at The Adaptavist Group, this commitment is shared across our family of brands and all our global team members through our AdaptaKind programme, and with the support of platforms like Benevity, our impact continues to grow.

We take the view that volunteering means giving back to the community, and we interpret this in the broadest possible sense to encourage as many people as possible to participate in acts of kindness. Just a few examples of the huge variety of activities and projects our colleagues have supported through AdaptaKind include community groups, artistic and theatrical events, food banks, blood donation, interpreting and translating for second language speakers, data analysis for charities, open source projects for non-profit organisations, Search and Rescue dog training, and reading in schools.

With everyone able to volunteer for a cause that means something to them, The Adaptavist Group is able to provide widespread support that aligns with the philanthropic interests of our teams. While we've always strongly supported volunteering like this, we began actively tracking time in April 2024 to better measure our impact, and our team members have already clocked up an amazing 2,000 hours!

We spoke to some of our star volunteers about what they've used that time for, what volunteering means to them, and why they'd recommend other organisations offer their employees this opportunity.

Volunteering gives you a new perspective on life and enables you to see millions of reasons to be thankful.

Nisha

Principal Business Consultant

Nisha takes every opportunity to give back to her local community, spending time volunteering with Share-A-Meal, Cancer Support, and a local soup kitchen. She feels that volunteering gives her a more positive outlook on life, explaining: 'In a world where we find thousands of reasons to complain, volunteering gives you a new perspective on life and enables you to see millions of reasons to be thankful.'

Volunteers standing on a sandy beach with mountains in the background, supervising a group of children

We each have a responsibility to act selflessly and pay it forward, knowing that even the smallest acts can make a significant difference. After all, no one has navigated life without receiving some form of help and kindness.

Cara

Agile and Organisational Development & Design Consultant

Cara's volunteer work has seen them support a range of causes, including Ditshego, SAYes Youth Mentoring, and Children with Cancer.

She sees volunteering as a collective responsibility to 'pay it forward': 'Volunteering and helping others has always been an integral part of my life. It fills me with immense joy, gratitude, and humility to contribute and make a positive impact on others and our planet. I was brought up with the belief that "we are because of others"—from the African philosophy of Ubuntu. We each have a responsibility to act selflessly, knowing that even the smallest acts can make a significant difference. After all, no one has navigated life without receiving some form of help and kindness.'

Rad kneeling next to a rescue dog, smiling at the camera

My volunteering is an extension of my grandmother's legacy.

Rad

Strategic Partner Manager

For Rad, who volunteers with Underdogs, The Spotlight Dog Rescue, The Humber College Educational Foundation, and NextUp, the importance of contributing to his local community was instilled in him growing up: 'My grandmother always taught us the importance of giving back to our communities, and how volunteering can build skills and self-confidence. For me, volunteering is an extension of her legacy.'

A large group of tents in a field, part of a Scout camp

I truly love being part of the Scouting movement and giving children opportunities to do activities they might not otherwise be able to do.

Rich

Technical Consultant

Rich's volunteering is all about helping children and young people through the Scouting movement, offering them unique experiences of the great outdoors alongside teaching practical life skills and social skills.

'I truly love being part of the Scouting movement and giving children opportunities to do activities they might not otherwise be able to—going camping, raft building, even tomahawk throwing and team games like "High all aboard"! It's all an important experience for them, and using my Pledge 1% time, I can help provide these activities. Most recently, I ran a huge camp for my entire group—consisting of Beavers, Cubs, and Scouts—totalling 85 children!'

Members of the ScriptRunner team wearing AdaptaKind t-shirts standing in front of a Hackney Food Bank van.

Volunteering creates strong team bonds while doing something good.

Madeleine

ScriptRunner Connect Senior Product Manager

Members of our ScriptRunner team recently organised some time as a team to run a 'supermarket sweep' for Hackney Foodbank, local to our London HQ.

Madeleine shared her feedback: 'I was really excited to take part in the ScriptRunner AdaptaKind initiative as I've previously been very involved with charity work, having worked in the charity sector for five years, and wanted to continue to give back. The opportunity to make a tangible difference in the local community, particularly with Hackney Foodbank, truly resonated with me. I really hope we can become semi-regular volunteers as a team, as this creates strong team bonds while doing something good.'

Working within a team of volunteers has improved my communication with clients, as well as my ability to give instructions in a clear and concise manner to my team at work.

Phill

Principal Customer Success Advocate

Phill has been an AdaptaKind ambassador from the start, and he regularly volunteers with STEM outreach and Search and Rescue Dog teams. He's a big believer in the power of workplace volunteering and shared: 'Working within a team of volunteers has improved my communication with clients, as well as my ability to give instructions in a clear and concise manner to my team at work. My advice would be to not wait; get started on something today. There are lots of opportunities to volunteer, and you can always change and try something else once you've started. But you often find that people don't want to change. They just want to get involved with more projects!'

With so many interests, skills, and connections across The Group, these are just a few fantastic examples of members of our workplace community giving back to theirs. Clearly, the benefits and wide-reaching impact of employee volunteering cannot be overstated: not only do hundreds of charitable organisations benefit from being supported by volunteers, but the volunteers themselves also benefit from the morale boost that comes with using their time to give back—and we truly believe that we benefit as a company too. Employees gain new skills and experience, practise leadership and mentoring, feel a sense of belonging, and know that their efforts really do make a difference.

So, our advice for anyone out there thinking of joining the Pledge 1% movement? Get the ball rolling today and get out there!