Taproot Foundation and NetSuite.org Release a Hands-On Playbook for Companies to Pair Software Product Donations with Pro Bono Service to Maximize Social Impact

Originally published on 3BL Media.

Today at the Social Innovation Summit, Taproot Foundation and NetSuite.org are releasing a playbook for companies to maximize their software product donation programs’ social impact by including employee-provided pro bono training and support.

Today at the Social Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley, a global convening of thinkers, practitioners, and leaders in the social impact sector, Taproot Foundation and NetSuite.org are releasing an easy-to-use Product Donations + Pro Bono Service Playbook. This playbook is designed for companies interested in combining pro bono service—donated professional expertise from their employees—with a product donation program, in order to maximize the social impact of their programs.

“So many companies are incredibly generous with their product donations and discounts, but without the proper knowledge or training to put them to use, nonprofits don’t benefit from the true value,” said Liz Hamburg, President and CEO at Taproot Foundation. “If companies engage their employees in providing the same level of training and customer service support, pro bono, that they provide paying clients, their donations will have a much greater impact and their employees will have really meaningful opportunities to give back to their communities.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Taproot Foundation to put pen to paper to share how NetSuite.org has enhanced our product donation offering with strategic pro bono support,” said David Geilhufe, Senior Director and General Manager, Nonprofits and Corporate Citizenship, NetSuite. “We see this guide as a great conversation starter about how pro bono can enhance a product donation program and ultimately lead to greater impact and adoption among the social change organizations we are committed to supporting.”

Discounted and donated products to social change organizations can include software, hardware, subscriptions, or platforms. TechSoup, a nonprofit that provides technology solutions, digital platforms, and in-person experiences that support nonprofits, public libraries, and NGOs worldwide, reports that their corporate partners have generated over $5.5 billion in product savings to the nonprofit sector, indicating a large and growing market for this activity. These donating companies have robust training, customer service, and implementation support for their paying clients, but what happens to their social sector clients? This playbook guides companies to offer that same level of support to donation recipients in the social sector. When social change organizations receive pro bono support in concert with their product donations, they can successfully implement and use donated products to help achieve their missions. This playbook will help companies better understand their social sector customers and develop strategies to support high-impact product donations and services.

In this resource you’ll find:

• A step-by-step guide for companies to determine whether they are ready to couple pro bono service with their product donation program
• Three core tenets of successful pro bono for product donation programs
• Real-world examples of program barriers and proven strategies to overcome them
• An inside look at NetSuite.org’s program, including what they had in place before they launched, how they secured executive buy-in, how they continue to assess social change organizations’ product needs, and what they would do differently if they could start over

Download the guide here.

About NetSuite.org 
NetSuite.org, the corporate citizenship arm of NetSuite, leverages its most valuable resources – its products and people, to accelerate the social impact of nonprofits and social enterprises around the world. www.netsuite.org