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I've never worked for a company that paid me to take time off to volunteer and it has to be, hands down, my favorite perk at Alteryx. Through the Alteryx for Good (AFG) program, our associates are given 20 hours a year to volunteer and give back to a cause that we feel passionate about. How cool is that?!
For me, volunteering kicked-in during my last semester of college. I became friends with Mike, my classmate, who created a group called Serve the Way (SWAY). He would rally a group of friends together and we would go out on a weekend to volunteer. My first event with SWAY was volunteering for the Special Olympics, and that was one of many to come. Serving the community and being part of something greater than myself and my everyday became something that I craved. When I heard that Alteryx was creating their Corporate Social Responsibility program, I couldn't have been more excited to join.
Here I am today, on the AFG Team. Organizing volunteer events for our multiple offices, seeing the names fill up the sign-up sheet, having fun with my co-workers at the local food bank, elementary school and creativity labs are just a few highlights of being part of our “do good” team
The AFG program inspires me. This movement to do good circulates within our offices. Joel Chang, our Marketing Operations Specialist in Irvine used his volunteer hours to join Kids Around the World (KATW) in Cuba. They volunteer internationally to build playgrounds for children in developing countries. Playgrounds aren’t a commodity. Volunteers of KATW get together to prep the foundation for a playground, carry poles and playground equipment to build a place where kids can play, interact and enjoy a place to swing and slide away. "For me, KATW is really focused on childhood development. They build something more than just a playground. They are building a place where kids can engage with their peers and work with others and this is something that I'm really passionate about." says Joel.
Robyn Winner, Sr. Manager, Global Digital Marketing in San Mateo also volunteered with an organization that helps childhood development. She teamed up with the Samaritan House to organize books and toys for kids during the Christmas break. "How little we could do to make someone's day. It was a few hours of my day to organize books and although it didn't take a lot of effort, it made a difference to the kids.They were able to pick out toys for their stocking stuffers." she says.
The beauty of the AFG program is that your volunteer efforts can be given to any type of nonprofit. It's what you're passionate about. It's about where you want to give back. Whether it's serving meals at the soup kitchen, sorting through items at the food bank or even joining a classroom for a day at a nearby elementary school, AFG pushes you to find where you want to spend your time giving back.
Christian Rincon, Sr. Customer Support Engineer from our London office took a day off to volunteer for the relief of the Greenfel Tower Tragedy in London. This tragedy, being so close to his home, encouraged him to get out there and simply give back. Whether it was sorting through the donations of essentials or clothing to help the victims, his experience to lend a hand has never been more humbling. "I loved the way thousands of people from all backgrounds just got together to help those in need. The spirit, the stories, the humility, the willingness and the huge hearts of those came from all sorts of forms." says Christian.
Alteryx values hard work but also values giving back and building the community around you. We have a product that saves time in our day-to-day so that we're able to do the things we love, and maybe that's giving back. AFG is a great way to put aside working hours to get involved in an important cause that you might deeply care about. You're not limited to just organizations. You can do anything you want to in serving your community or even one abroad. Whatever you care about, you have the opportunity to give back.
There have been some keywords I've picked up on working here. One being inspire, which is the name of our annual conference. Our associates' stories and their experiences in making a social impact are sure to inspire and create social change. The world is a much better place when we connect the data points that foster our communities.
Get out there, make a difference and continue the inspiration to do good!
Quyen Tien
Alteryx for Good Enthusiast
