When Rodan+Fields set out to create an employee engagement program with deep community impact, they turned to buildOn, a nonprofit organization rooted in service-learning operating in America’s most under-served high schools.
Together the partners created an immersion program that flips the traditional volunteer model on its head by putting the end-participants (the high school students) in the driver’s seat and asking the volunteers (R+F consultants & employees) to show up as humble learners. With the help of experts like McKinsey and Northwestern University, the program includes strong guardrails to ensure these experiences are empowering, inclusive and grounded in anti-racism.
The results include empathy-building, cross-cultural understanding and a life-changing experience for everyone involved. To date, the program has been replicated by dozens of companies, including Salesforce and GE, which has resulted in $20M in additional funding from new corporate donors for buildOn.
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